Friends Who Fight
Bree generally liked to stay close to the volcano. She was originally going to begin training Blue, her new Tyrogue partner, on the ledges of the mountain, but decided that it might not be the ideal spot for the first session. Besides, Bree wanted to give him a lecture first, and so decided to hold it in Rout 114, right against the white, rocky cliff side that led to the cave of the Meteor Falls. Blue sat upright and alert between Chicky and Meowow. The veteran Pokemon were more relaxed, having already heard Bree's lecture on several occasions.
"You made the choice to stay with us because you wanted to become stronger, and you are old enough now to begin your training regime, but before we do so, there are a few things I need you to understand. When we battle, we do so to become stronger and prove our strength. In this life, we can never be perfect, and that isn't always a bad thing. It means there is always room for improvement, and always a reason to wake up the next day, because everyday becomes an accomplishment. Do you understand? There are other reasons for why we battle. Less important is that battles are a source of income for us. When we win, other humans give us the means to acquire food and medicine. So it is for the good of us all to win as much as possible. When on the battlefield, I will rely on you as much as you shall rely on me. You are expected to give status reports to me on yourself or the field whenever you can so that I may give the appropriate orders. When the time comes, you will be able to know for yourself whether or not my orders are the best action. But never forget that the role of a trainer is to become the Pokemon's eyes on the field when the fighting is intense. There isn't always time for you to think, so that is I do for you. Your job listen to my orders and act accordingly on the field. You alone will determine whether or not you can dodge an attack or if you should stay and take it since you will know this better than I. And the most important thing to remember, Blue, is that we never kill to prove our strength. You must battle only when a Pokemon is no longer able to continue. You will know this."
Blue's eyes widened gradually during the lecture. It was a lot to take in! How was he supposed to remember all those things. He looked worriedly to Chicky and Meowow but neither had seemed to pay any attention. Bree noticed his reaction and she smiled, her eyes softening. She chuckled a bit.
"Don't worry, little one. This is something that takes time to learn. I just want you to start thinking about it," she said with a slight coo in her voice.
Blue smiled sheepishly and looked at his feet instead. "Will I be strong like Chicky and Meowow?" he asked.
"Of course you will," Bree replied. "So long as you work hard and listen to what we tell you. Don't worry if you make some mistakes along the way. That is how we learn, right?"
Blue seemed to brighten up a bit and he looked up. "When do we start?" he piped.
"Right now," Bree replied. "You and Chicky are going to go running. Don't go too slow, but don't go too fast either. Keep a steady pace and go for as long as you can before you feel like you can't go any further."
"But what does running have to do with learning to punch?" Blue whined. Chicky and Meowow were alert now and were looking amused.
"You need to build endurance, of course. What good is a Pokemon in battle if they get too tired too quickly? And you want to perfect your Endure move, right? Well, this is going to help you. Chicky will observe you for the first time to gauge how long you can run. That way, next time you run, you will be expected to run for a little bit longer. Now, there is no time to waste. You go on now with Chicky. Run along the lake and stay close to him always. I will remain here to train with Meowow. "
"Time to go, hatchling," Chicky rumbled as he stood up. He began walking towards the tall grass without waiting for Blue, prompting him to run in order to catch up.
Once they were gone, Bree hopped down from her branch and approached the old Persian. She dropped to one knee and stroked Meowow's cheek affectionately.
"You're getting slower, Meowow," Bree said slowly. "Don't deny it."
"I can fight," Meowow said simply.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I don't plan anything. You do. You tell me what to do."
Bree chuckled and lowered her head. Meowow was as stubborn as ever, but Bree would find a way to accommodate her in battle. She just could not say no.
"Well, you need to learn a new move. Faint Attack isn't going to cut it anymore, I can't have you moving so much on the field. Flash, Toxic, and Protect are fine, but you need another way of dealing damage, something that can hit hard but won't leave you so tired. Your ability will help you a lot, so maybe..." Bree stopped talking and whipped her head to look at the tall grass. Why did she get the feeling she was being watched? Meowow seemed to feel the same and stood up, her ears swiveling left and right.