Chapter 117: Training tutorials

Chapter 117: Training tutorials

I felt my muscles twitch in protest as an ache coursed through my body. I held the stretch and breathed in as controlled a manner as possible.

Excellent work Brock! cheered Trixie. You're so close to getting your whole hand past your foot. Keep going; I know you can do it!

I exhaled and sank down a little further. Thats the spirit! she said, happily shooting me a thumbs up while her Machoke mirrored her.

How come your Machoke hasnt evolved yet? I said through clenched teeth, trying, and failing to focus on something else beyond how my muscles were now burning in protest. Trixie glanced at her pokemon before shrugging.

She wants to get as many gains as possible. Shes hasn't plateaued in her weights for a while, so shes still pushing. Trixie raised her arms and flexed into a pose that Machoke mirrored. Its only through truly overcoming something she considers insurmountable that shell evolve.

Greta raised her ever-present pokedex with her shaking arm to capture images of the Machoke, who noticed and started posing for the camera.

Machoke, the super power pokemon. This pokemon is commonly known to be capable of lifting trucks with one hand. This strength sees this pokemon widely employed in heavy-lifting duties and tasks. They are common in construction, hospitals, and gymnasiums. Machoke are known to have incredible endurance and durability as well. This Machoke knows Scary Face, Dynamic Punch, Bulk Up, Payback and Fling.

Oh wow, said Greta, Maybe I should look into getting one?

Trixie strode over and loomed over Gretas slumped form. Considering a life of gains? she said, flexing slightly.

It took Greta a while to answer as she stared at Trixies towering form. When she did, she looked down. I dont think Im cut out for that, I got tired just doing the yoga routine you had me doing, she said morosely.

Stephen and Bianca, both of whom had decided to join in today, raised their heads. Want to trade for running laps, weights, and battle ropes? said Steven.

You can do my burpees next time! chimed Bianca.

Trixie waggled a playful finger at the pair. Now now! Dont forget that I set the intensity of the work outs of people based on the individual, not the group at large! She smiled gently down at Greta. As a youth, you shouldnt do more than light weights, or body weight routines right now. Going too heavy too often will stunt your growth.

She then curled her arm and flexed her bicep. And we want you to grow! she said with a huge smile. Greta smiled hesitantly back.

I felt a surge of envy at the boulder that appeared there before prodding my own toned muscles.

Brock, are you jealous of Trixie? said Yolanda from where she was leaning against a wall while Terra dutifully held a waterbottle and towel for Yolanda.

Its envious, and maybe, I said, flicking my hand at her and spraying some sweat in her direction. Thinking of attending these more in future?

Yolanda nodded seriously. Itll be good to have as much fitness as I can for when I go on my journey.

I agreed with a nod and stood to shake myself off. Alright gang! Hit the showers cause thats all we have for today beyond the usual tasks of checking over the pokemon! If youre interested in attending the training lesson that Im going to be running for the young trainers that we sponsor, then stick around. Rachel

I looked around only to frown. Where is Rachel? I asked only for a hand to be raised from the other side of where Stephen was lying. Rachels much smaller frame made her hard to see.

Here! she said like it was a classroom rather than a Gym.

I walked over. You know you didnt have to take part in the trainer's workout, yeah? I asked her. She nodded and flicked her eyes over to Trixie, only for me to raise an eyebrow at her. Trixie had pointedly not hung around Rachel too much. It almost seemed suspicious.

You and her? I asked quietly.

Shes being shy, Rachel said with a wink Ill win her over soon. she said, then grinned impishly. Trixie? My legs dont work!

You have more strength in you than you know! said Trixie, instantly there to cheer Rachel on.

Rachel huffed at her and made to rise only to collapse. Only instead of flopping to the ground, she fell straight into Trixies abs with a thwack. Trixie giggled and patted the small girl on the head while Rachel shot me a thumbs up.

I rolled my eyes at their antics, Rachel obviously wasnt shy about what she wanted, so I left it to them. Shower and be back here in thirty minutes! I tossed over my shoulder, jogging off to have a shower myself.

I then collected up my notes and strode out to the reserve. Jorm, Titan, Clefairy, Izumi, Quirinna, and Sanchez! I said, pointing towards said pokemon. Clefairy hopped down while my Solrock floated from the top of the rocky plateau.

Sanchez rolled up to me with Izumi, and then Jorm and Titan came over.

Im going to be doing some tutoring with the sponsored trainers today, I said explaining todays task. After that, Ill want to put in some one on one training with all of you to work on some new tricks and keep developing what we have alright?

I pointed to Jormungandr, Also, you and I will be going to Sabrinas Gym later with Shrek, Titan, Don, and Knight.

Titan perked up at this, while Jorm tilted his large head. I pulled out the gauntlet Id gotten from Steven Stone. Steelix, congratulations! Youre the first pokemon on my roster that Ive found a Mega stone for; specifically, this is called Steelixite and will allow you to temporarily mega-evolve which will boost you considerably.

Ty! barked Titan in surprise. Ty-ranitar? he said pointing at himself.

I nodded. Yup, youre also capable of it. I walked up and patted him on the stomach. Sadly, mega evolution requires a stone specifically keyed to your species which is going to be tough to get, but well do some patrols of the silver ranges and see what we can find, I think if Tyranitarite is anywhere, it will be there.

Titan nodded slowly at that. I turned back to Jormungandr, For now, you have the honour of being the first that I will train with. I will let the others observe this, and we will build from there when we find stones that will work for them.

I clapped my hands to redirect their attention. For now, though, we have some trainers to work with. I returned them to their pokeballs except for Izumi and Clefairy. Clefairy hopped up onto my shoulder, and I had to laugh when Izumi kipped up to claim the other. Clefairy looked impressed when I didnt buckle at the slightest.

When I returned to the main arena, I found the various Gym trainers that were employed sitting in the stands with small desk attachments added to the seats for todays session.

Rachel was toying with a Magnemite that had a camera attached to it. She stood in front of it with an intense expression, working on the settings before walking around and checking the recording. She gave me a thumbs up and then toggled a few more settings.

Then the large screen lit up, and faces appeared, showing the various trainers that I was currently sponsoring. I nodded to Mia, who Id only seen recently, and then flicked over the others present. They all looked in good health, or indeed, better health than when they left. Theyd shed some of their baby fat and had a certain maturity to them from living almost two months on the road.

Celia waved on her link, and I waved back. Hey everyone! Today were going to run another lesson on developing our pokemon! This is going to be a two-parter with me going through building up moves with your pokemon.

Greta and Missys hands shot up like this was a classroom, and Rachel giggled as she rotated the magnemite to position the feed to show them.

I gestured to Missy first. Go ahead.

Is this how you build up combination moves?

Its part of the building blocks for it, yes, I said. Ive compiled a number of research articles that I read through while on my journey on this, which is part of the Gyms trainer server if you're interested. I hope you all remember your log-ins for that?

A few of the younger trainers squirmed, and I hummed. If not, give the Gym a call and ask Georgina to help reset your account so you can access them. Some of them are dry, but that doesnt make them any less valuable.

I released Jormungandr and raised up his pokemon with a disc that I showed the watching crowd. Now, often Technical machines are great methods that can allow us to quickly teach our pokemon the moves that might be advantageous in certain situations. However, these moves wont typically be as strong right away as those that are learnt through natural growth or training. Can anyone list off another issue with these machines?

Mia waved her hand on her feed. Oh! Oh! Theyre expensive! she said. I nodded, knowing she would have the best idea, having scored herself a Thunder TM for Silly Mouse.

Indeed, anything else?

People shifted about. I turned to Yolanda and she sat up. Technical machines do not allow for the pokemon to widen the pool of moves. Sometimes they overwrite certain parts of a pokemons brain and cause them to be limited to only four moves at most.

Mia gasped, What about Silly Mouse!? She said reaching out of view and tugging said Raticate into view.

I waved a hand. Its only if you use it too much that such can occur. Stronger pokemon can get away with two in quick succession but you wont be able to do another for a few months. This is why it is important to not use it a lot. Be selective in what youre going to give your pokemon and how often. Often it's better to put in the hard yards yourself and train your pokemon towards a move. This can net more benefits by making the move divergent from how they might naturally operate. It also makes it more powerful initially.

When Jormungandrs pokeball dinged, I started working with him to slip into the sequence of moves with a set command for a restful sleep at the lower arc of his Dig. It would slow him down immensely, but that wasnt the major concern I had.

And now I need to teach him Sleep Talk, I said loading up another Technical Machine. I was pushing it and I wasnt going to be able to do this for a good while but having the setup was more important than just teaching him Dark Pulse. That I could do while he was awake with Titan.

I spent an hour working with Jormungandr. I had Titan and Quirrina test him out before calling it a success when he launched out of the ground and started firing off Stone Edges, Crunch, and other moves against my other pokemon.

I returned him and sent my other pokemon off before tapping my transceiver as it buzzed. I then walked out and collected the pokemon that I had listed off earlier to Jormungandr. Then I messaged Sabrina. She appeared behind me straight away.

Im sorry I only have five minutes, as the next trainer will make it through the Gauntlet and I will need to face them.

Ah, I leant in and kissed her on the cheek, Have fun! I said to her as she dropped me off in the training room. I glanced around and found Alakazam waiting with even more whiteboards set up and an eager expression on his face.

We should get you a lab coat, I said. He rubbed a length of his moustache in thought, only to wink away in a Teleport.

Uhm, hello? I said to the empty room in surprise. Alakazam appeared a few moments later with a lab coat and a pleased look on his face. I huffed out a laugh before setting up Jormungandr with the Steelixite into his pokeball. Then I donned the gauntlet.

It was a gaudy thing with. It made me think more of a Hoplite bracer from my past life, only it was lined with gold rather than hard metals.

Urgh, I think Im going to redesign this to just a necklace. Having it as a gauntlet is gaudy as hell, I said, adjusting the strap and feeling the cool touch of the Keystone on my forearm.

Alakazam watched as I released the rest of my team. Don shrieked when he saw Alakazam only for Shrek to snatch him out of the air with a huge hand and have him settle down.

Okay gang! I said clapping my hands together to refocus them from Dons tantrum. Today, were going to be doing some observation training. Jormungandr and I are going to be working on something special that I potentially might be able to work on with all of you one day.

Don perked up at that from where he was under Shrek, who likewise looked intrigued. Knight shifted in surprise at this, while Titan nodded.

It will be something I am going to have to investigate for all of us but it would offer a serious power-up. I think it would be good for you all to sit in on a few of these sessions to get an idea of what it will entail if I do end up finding the stones wed need. I pointed to the small Gem that was resting on the second thorax of his body.

Id be very hard-pressed to actually find any of these stones but perhaps Flint could be tapped. I shoved that idea aside for now. Hed probably do it if I asked but I wasnt sure I wanted to even ask. Things were fine as they were right now. My team was strong, and growing stronger. The diversity of my pokemon was also growing with Clefairy and the other Ancient pokemon I had access to.

Kazam, said Alakazam, nudging me with one of his spoons. He indicated the first whiteboard which had notes on the first stage he wanted me to achieve with Jormungandr. As I watched, the pen hovered, wrote out more instructions, and created a graph he could fill in as he observed my session.

I huffed and adopted a meditative pose. Get comfy everyone, this isnt going to be a quick process. Try to feel Jormungandrs and my energy

Jormungandr looked worried, and he shot the others furtive looks. Or at least as furtive as a giant metal snake can when his eyes are the size of beachballs. I raised a hand and patted him on the snout. Hey buddy, relax. Its going to be you and me youll be the first on this.

I then shut my eyes, leaving my hand on his snout as I felt his energies. I called up my Rock energy and started feeding it into the Keystone. I felt the energy I put in expand as the Keystone reacted.

Zam! Ala! barked Alakazam, making me glance up and recall that he wanted me to keep my energy as neutral as possible.

Sorry! I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. He huffed, and I returned to filling the stone with just my energy. I didnt try to reach for either Rock or Dark type this time.

This time I got to feel as the energy built and expanded, becoming amplified with how I was feeding it into the keystone. It built higher than Id ever felt from myself before, and I could almost feel the area around me physically with the way it radiated out and then back in.

I could feel my pokemon shifting in interest at the power I was radiating.

It felt good. I tried reaching out to Jormungandr, but nothing happened. It felt like the energy was washing over him like a small stream rather than connecting.

I frowned and recalled what Alakazam had set out as the second step he and Sabrina had determined. It matched what Id read about the process from the Guardians, so I followed it.

The first step was being able to call up your aura and feed it into the Keystone. It was naturally assumed that a pokemon could feed their own energy into their Megastone so the first step required the trainer to have aura training.

The second step was to start developing a reservoir of energy. Oddly, the reservoir itself needed to be built of aura, and it needed to be something that was like adding a metaphysical organ to your body.

I drew my energy back into myself and started to build the pool of energy within myself that I would be calling upon. I already had reserves that I associated with my Rock and Dark type energy pools. Creating a neutral pool of energy felt very odd like I was filtering my energy.

Zam! tar! barked Alakazam and Titan as they felt my energy starting to tinge into Dark.

I nodded and tried to keep my focus on keeping my energy free of any"Zam! Alakzam poked me with a spoon, and I sighed.

This, might be a bit harder than I thought it would be.

When Sabrina returned to me twenty minutes later, she hummed. Ah, youre struggling with keeping your aura neutral?

I nodded. Im making progress, but it is something that is counter to what Ive been working on.

Sabrina nodded and dropped onto a cushion as she regarded Alakazams notes. Continue, she said neutrally. I sighed and returned to building my reserve of energy. Damn, this would have been so much easier with Titan

After an hour, I was feeling stretched and tired in ways that I could only associate with aura usage. I lay back and returned all of my pokemon bar Titan.

Urgh, I said while rubbing my chest. This is so weird. A slight application of force saw me leaning back to laymy head into Sarinas lap. She threaded her fingers into my hair.

You did very well; you made some progress, no?

I sighed. Yeah, but I can feel it trickling away. Its going to take a while to get through this stage. I dont think I kept my Rock or Dark energy out of the mix very well. I licked my lips. I need to get this right if I ever want to use it with my pokemon like Shrek.

Sabrina continued to brush her fingers through my hair. Youll get there.

I shot her a thankful smile before glancing at Titan, who looked a little whimsical. Sorry bud, I think I would have had a way easier time if it had been your stone Id gotten from Steven.

He smirked and nodded.

Alakazam raised a hand. Ala, Ka, Zam, Alakazam, zam, Ala! he said with a thoughtful gesture before indicating to me. He then tapped a few points on his graph in thought. Titan tilted his head before agreeing with a huff.

I shot Sabrina a look, asking silently for a translation.

She continued to run her hands through my hair while a small smile played out over her lips. He said that it is perhaps a good thing that you have something to challenge you instead of something easier. If you had gotten Tyranitarite first, you might have crippled, or at the very least, impaired yourself by having it too easy.

I snorted. So I need to do something I suck at for character development?

She smiled. Of a sort, but hes right. She rubbed at my head. Instead of deepening your dark and rock energies, it is a good thing to build up a properly neutral reserve.

I shot her a look. Have you been doing that?

She nodded with a sad sigh. Indeed, even though there might not be much benefit for me.

I shot her an amused look. You could have a Mega evolution for Gardevoir, Gallade, Slowbro, Latias, or Latios.

You think I could gain one of the Eon duo in my team? They are considered extremely careful with the trainers they let witness them, let alone join with. She looked into my eyes.

If they saw what I saw, I think theyd love to join your team, I said smiling up at her. She leaned down and kissed me. It was another good day.