Chapter 25: When Strength Is Misused
The road narrowed as it climbed into the hills.
Tall stone pillars rose on either side, remnants of an old quarry long reclaimed by grass and moss. It was the kind of place trainers liked to use—open space, solid ground, and few people to interfere.
Jean Fong felt it before he heard it.
Pain.
Not wild.
Not accidental.
Repeated.
He stopped.
A sharp command echoed ahead.
"Get up!"
"Again!"
Jean Fong followed the sound.
The Trainer on the Plateau
At the top of the hill, a wide stone plateau opened beneath the sky. A young man stood at its center, arms crossed, expression impatient.
In front of him, a Machop struggled to rise.
Its breathing was heavy. Its arms shook violently as it forced itself upright, only to stumble again.
"Pathetic," the trainer snapped. "I didn't catch you to quit halfway."
Machop tried again.
It fell.
Jean Fong stepped forward.
"That's enough."
The words weren't loud.
But they carried.
The trainer turned sharply. "Mind your business. This is training."
Jean Fong's gaze stayed on Machop. "Training builds. This breaks."
Machop looked up, eyes wide—not afraid of Jean Fong, but unsure of the situation.
The trainer scoffed. "You don't know what you're talking about. Strong Pokémon need pressure."
Jean Fong knelt beside Machop.
"Can you stand?" he asked gently.
Machop shook its head.
Jean Fong placed a canteen near it. "Drink."
Machop hesitated—then did.
The trainer stepped forward angrily. "Hey! I didn't say—"
Jean Fong stood.
"If you want strength," he said calmly, "this isn't how you get it."
Different Meanings of Power
The trainer laughed harshly. "Let me guess—you're one of those soft trainers. Bond this, feelings that."
Jean Fong didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he released Sylvia.
She appeared beside him quietly, her presence warm and steady.
Machop relaxed instantly.
The trainer frowned. "Psychic-type, huh? Figures."
Jean Fong met his eyes. "Why do you want to be strong?"
The question caught the trainer off guard.
"…To win," he said after a moment. "To stop losing."
Jean Fong nodded. "And how many battles has Machop lost?"
The trainer hesitated.
Jean Fong continued, "You're not training it to win. You're training it to endure your frustration."
Machop clenched its fists.
The trainer's jaw tightened. "You don't get it."
Jean Fong didn't argue.
He pointed to the far side of the plateau. "Battle me."
The trainer's eyes lit up. "Gladly."
A Lesson Without Humiliation
The referee's whistle wasn't needed.
The trainer released his second Pokémon—a powerful, aggressive type that radiated raw force.
Jean Fong released only Sylvia.
"Attack!" the trainer shouted immediately.
Sylvia didn't move.
The attack rushed forward—
And stopped.
Not blocked.
Not countered.
Stopped.
Sylvia redirected the force into the ground, dispersing it harmlessly.
Machop stared.
Jean Fong spoke calmly. "Sylvia. Move."
She stepped once—placing herself between the attacking Pokémon and Machop.
No strike followed.
The trainer shouted again. "Finish it!"
Jean Fong raised a hand.
"Sylvia. End this."
One precise movement.
The opposing Pokémon was disarmed, unbalanced, and gently lowered to the ground—defeated without pain.
Silence spread across the plateau.
The trainer's Pokémon was conscious.
Uninjured.
Confused.
Machop looked at Jean Fong.
Then at its trainer.
The Choice
Jean Fong recalled Sylvia.
He walked back to Machop and crouched.
"You don't have to prove anything by hurting yourself," he said.
Machop nodded slowly.
Jean Fong stood and faced the trainer.
"I won't take your Pokémon," he said. "And I won't report you."
The trainer stared. "Why not?"
"Because this isn't about punishment," Jean Fong replied. "It's about choice."
He gestured to Machop.
"If you want strength—train beside it. If you want control—keep doing what you're doing."
Jean Fong turned away.
The trainer shouted after him. "You think you're better than me?"
Jean Fong paused.
"No," he said honestly. "I just learned earlier."
Aftermath
Jean Fong walked down the hill without looking back.
Behind him, the plateau stayed silent for a long moment.
Then—
The trainer knelt.
"…I'm sorry," he muttered.
Machop looked at him.
Slowly, cautiously, it reached out.
On the Road Again
Farther down the road, Jean Fong adjusted his stride.
Within the system space, his Pokémon were quiet.
Not triumphant.
Not proud.
Satisfied.
Jean Fong didn't seek to defeat people.
He sought to stop harm.
And when he could—
To leave people with a better choice than before.
Ahead, clouds gathered.
The air grew heavy.
A storm was coming.
And with it—
Another test that strength alone wouldn't solve.