The sun hadn't risen fully yet and sky over Island 4 was filled with heavy clouds threatening rain that never seemed to fall.
Alex stood at the North Gate, the massive steel doors, usually sealed tight, were cracking open just enough for a single person to slip through.
"You're going to Sector 6?" the gate guard asked, eyeing Alex's heavy rucksack. "The Reefs? Nobody goes there, It's just mangroves and water pokemon."
"Exactly," Alex adjusted his straps. "Quiet neighborhood."
He slipped through the gap and the moment the heavy steel clanged shut behind him, the civilized world vanished and the jungles quietness returned. Cicadas buzzed like chainsaws and far off, a Pidgeot screeched as it dove for prey.
Alex took a deep breath, the air here was fresh.
"Vacation starts now," Alex whispered.
He released Nidoking.
BOOM....
His heavy poison pokemon landed, his feet sinking inches into the soft loam as he stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles, and let out a low rumble that vibrated in Alex's chest.
"We have a long walk, King," Alex said, patting the purple armor. "Save the intimidation for something that can actually hurt us."
They moved north.
The Mangrove Boundary
Sector 6 wasn't a beach, it was a swamp that had surrendered to the ocean.
By noon, the solid ground of the jungle gave way to a labyrinth of twisted mangrove roots rising out of brackish water and massive, dragon-like Yanma buzzed overhead.
"Hope there is no soft soil," Alex muttered, stopping on a dry root cluster.
He looked at Nidoking, his starter was heavy and in this mud, he was sinking up to his ankles with every step.
"You're a Ground type," Alex noted. "But this ground is fighting you so you need to learn to displace your weight."
Nidoking grunted, pulling his foot out of a sucking mud hole with a wet pop. He looked annoyed and wanted to smash something, not play hopscotch.
"No smashing," Alex scolded. "If you smash the roots, we both sink so walk light."
He pointed to a clearing ahead where the water deepened into a lagoon.
"That will be our base camp. It is high ground on that rock shelf and we get access to fresh water runoff from the cliff also there is access to the deep ocean."
They set up camp which was minimal, a waterproof tarp stretched between two trees, a fire pit dug into the rock, and a perimeter wire strung with empty tin cans as a low-tech alarm system.
"Alright," Alex dropped his pack.
"Lunch break is over let the training begin."
Alex walked to the edge of the lagoon. The water here was dark green, churning with the tidal flow from the open sea.
He pulled the Feebas ball.
Splash...
The ugly fish appeared and she floated listlessly, staring at Alex with dull eyes.
"Welcome to the real world," Alex said.
He pointed to a floating log about twenty meters out, bobbing violently in the current.
"Swim to that log, hold position for ten seconds and then swim back."
Feebas blinked... Bloop?
"Go."
She tried as she flicked her tail.
Immediately, the current grabbed her. She wasn't built for power, she was built for... well, nothing, really.
She spun out of control, tumbling sideways like a dead leaf.
"Use your fins feebas!" Alex shouted from the shore. "Don't fight the water! Cut through it! Feel the current! You have Swift Swim! Activate it! You can do it! "
A Krabby scurried out from under a rock near Alex's boot. It saw the struggling fish and clicked its claws, sensing an easy meal. It scuttled into the water, paddling toward the Feebas.
Alex who saw it picked up a stone and weighed it in his hand but didn't throw it.
"Feebas! six o'clock!"
Feebas saw the crab and panic set in. She thrashed harder, but the panic made her movements chaotic. The Krabby closed the distance, raising a pincer to pinch her tail.
"If you get pinched, I'm not healing you until dinner!" Alex warned. "Move!"
Fear is a powerful motivator as Feebas twisted. Instead of thrashing against the current, she aligned herself with it and for a split second, her scales caught the flow perfectly. She shot forward, a sudden burst of speed that left the Krabby snapping at empty water.
She slammed into the log...Thud.
She clung to it, gasping in fish terms.
"Good girl," Alex nodded. He kicked some sand at the Krabby, driving it away. "That was one second of Swift Swim but I need ten."
"Again..."
While Feebas fought for her life in the lagoon, Nidoking was fighting electricity on the shore.
"Thunderbolt," Alex commanded.
Nidoking stood facing a large, waterlogged tree stump. He scrunched his face up and growled as he focused on the electric energy stored in his body from the TM.
He released it.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZT.......
Sparks flew from his horn but instead of shooting forward, the electricity arced downward, grounding itself instantly through his feet into the mud.
Sizzle...
Nidoking jumped, shaking his foot as he had shocked himself.
"You're grounding it out," Alex sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're a Ground type and your body naturally wants to absorb electricity, not project it so you're fighting your own biology."
Nidoking roared in frustration as he grabbed a rock and crushed it to dust....Smashing is easier.
"Smashing doesn't hit a Gyarados flying twenty feet in the air," Alex countered.
Alex walked over and tapped Nidoking's horn.
"The energy is here, in the brain, in the horn. Don't let it travel down your spine, visualize a gate at your neck and slowly lose the gate."
Nidoking looked at him, skeptical.
"Try Thunder Shock variation with smaller output and focus on the tip of the horn."
Nidoking closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the buzz in his skull as he visualized the gate.
Bzzt...Snap.
A small, yellow arc of lightning jumped from his horn. It didn't hit the stump as it hit the sand three feet away but it didn't ground out through his feet.
"Better," Alex praised. "Precision first and power later.... Well do it fifty times."
Nidoking groaned, but he settled into his stance.
********************
Skorupi was small but was incredibly fast and in the tangled roots of the mangroves, he was a fucking nightmare.
Alex had set up a target course as he had hung five Oran Berries from strings on different branches, swaying in the wind.
"Skorupi," Alex called out.
The purple bug skittered down a tree trunk, hanging upside down.
"Pin Missile but I don't want a barrage. I want one needle, one berry..... cut the stem."
It was an impossible shot as pin Missile was a multi-hit move designed to suppress an area, not a single portion.
Skorupi chittered... You're crazy.
"You have the ability Sniper," Alex reminded him. "That means you understand weak points, you understand geometry and if you can hit a stem from ten meters, you can hit an eye socket from twenty."
"Fire..."
Skorupi anchored his legs with its tail arched as he focused.
Thwip.....
A single glowing white needle shot out.
It missed the berry by an inch, embedding itself in the bark.
"Adjust for wind," Alex corrected. "The sea breeze is coming from the east so aim for left."
Skorupi adjusted.
Thwip....
Miss...
Thwip....
Miss.......
They spent two hours doing this but Alex didn't get bored. He watched every shot, correcting angle, stance, and timing.
On the forty-second attempt, Skorupi waited..... waited for the wind to die down for a split second.
Thwip...
Snip......
The stem was cut clean and the berry fell.
Skorupi darted forward, catching the berry before it hit the mud and ate it in one bite, looking smug.
"One down," Alex smirked. "Four to go and then we move the targets further back."
Nightfall
The sun dipped below the horizon, turning the lagoon water black.
Alex recalled everyone as they were exhausted.
Feebas was practically comatose in her bowl and Nidoking had a headache from trying to do math with electricity. Skorupi was twitching in his sleep, dreaming of targets.
Alex sat by the fire, roasting a skewered Magikarp he had caught earlier using a net. It's night time, which was perfect for Ghost pokemon training, he had been thinking what to teach it going through all the fanfics he had read, and suddenly had a idea, the Naruto style Nara shadow control was perfect for Duskull if he could grasp it then, he could immobilizer the enemies before they could get near.
He threw a log on the fire, watching the sparks rise into the humid night sky, the grind had begun.
Alex put on his MP3 player and relaxed....
Won't the devil guide your hand for good luck
To hold the honeysuckle rose as she lies down
Reading the paper, reading the world right round and her eyes
Record the sweet surprise of those who died that day
Leaving her breathless, leading her hand to the grave
:- The long faces.
Authors Note:-
Somewhat late, house problems getting really bad lately so don't feel better.
Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying it.
A training montage....
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