Viper was released into the training area.
"Okay, let's get this over with," Jai said, "We've been slacking. It's time to get back into shape." She picked up a small stone and tossed it out into the arena. "Now," she said, "Hit that. Poison sting. Now."
The pokemon nodded, and shot thousands of little stingers into the air.
"Quality, quality, quality," Jai said, "You only need to hit once to poison something." She smiled, "Poison, slowly weakens...absolutely fascinating. Oh, they may knock you out now, but they'll pay later," to herself, too soft for Viper to hear.
Viper shot slower this time, aiming for the rock more carefully.
"Accuracy," Jai said, "It's all about the accuracy. You can fire three times and hit all three of them and do just as much damage. You don't want to waste your energy while fighting."
Viper nodded, though she was getting annoyed with her trainer's demands. The pokemon shot back and fired a stinger in Jai's general direction as a warning.
"Good, good," Jai said, "small amounts of stinger, large amount of accuracy. Now, at the rock!"
Viper fired again at the little rock and hit it dead on.
"Good. Now, we move foward."
Another beam of red light, and Kamille appeared. The shadow Kecleon smiled at Jai, then disappeared.
"I know you're there Kamille," Jai said, shaking her head. "I just want you to dodge as Viper attacks. Don't attack back, your level difference is too great."
Viper hissed. She hated the way that Jai was acting like she couldn't hold her own against that stupid lizard.
"Now Viper, Bite attack."
The pokemon was doubly ready to fight, ready to prove Jai wrong. Viper shot herself into the air, straight at Kamille. Of course, this, the Kecleon was expecting. She quickly disappeared, a faint attack. The pokemon appeared again on the other side of the arena. Once again, Viper shot herself across, straight at the Kecleon, who disappeared yet again. This happened multiple times before Jai stepped in.
"Viper, this is the same as the last. Stop. Stay. Focus on accuracy and you'll have a better chance of hitting." Jai watched as Viper flung herself towards the Kecleon again, against her trainer's order. Jai shook her head. She knew that she could be tough, that she could force Viper into compliance. She had done such things before. But was it really worth it? Jai shook her head once more. She wasn't going back down that path again. There had to be another way. A better way.
"Come on Viper, focus!" she yelled again.
Viper shot herself at Kamille again and the Kecleon easily dodged once more. Viper hit the ground exceptionally hard and lay there to rest. The pokemon was sweating. She wouldn't be able to fight much longer. Jai realized that though Kamille wasn't attacking, she was still managing to weaken Viper quickly. Asking Viper to continue was cruel (though it would teach the pokemon a lesson in obedience.) Jai was torn.
"Kamille, return," she said, pokeball out engulfing the shadow lizard.
Then, the girl walked slowly up to her exhausted snake. She knelt down on one knee so the pokemon could see her.
"Look," she said, then paused, trying to arrange the words in her head, "I know I'm your friend." She stopped. "At least I hope you know I'm your friend. But you also need to know that I'm your trainer. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have. And I see the battle from a different vantage point than you- a fuller picture. So, you just have to trust that I know best." The girl glanced around, wishing that this wasn't so hard. She wished that her old Arbok was there with her then, the original Viper. They had been an incredible team. But that was the past. And this was now. "So," she finally said, "If you don't want to fight for me, well, that's okay. You wouldn't be the first. But I have to know."
The pokemon looked at her trainer skeptically. Was she really offering her freedom? But Viper hadn't wanted that. Jai was the only trainer she had ever known.
Jai got up. She hoped desperately that she had gotten her point across.
She was looking ahead now, possibly remembering something, or maybe just ready to make one of the hardest decisions since coming to Kantex. "So?"
<I'll ssssssssfight for youssssssssssssss,> Viper finally said.
"Really?" Jai asked, looking at her pokemon again.
<Yesssssssssss.>
Jai got down and hugged the pokemon.
<You'resssssskillingssssssssssssmeeeeeeee,> Viper said.
Jai released. "I know I'm not the best trainer out there, but we're going to try this thing, right?"
<Yesss.>
"Then let's go." Jai through out another pokeball, releasing her Grovyle, Blade. It had been partially her fault for creating such a mismatched fight last time, and she was determined not to make the same mistake again. "Blade, sand attack followed by a tackle! Viper, let's wait for it....wait for it...wait for it...try to locate Blade through the sand. Bite as soon as you've found him."
Jai couldn't see what was happening, but she heard a cry of pain, which she assumed to be coming from Blade. It sounded so pitiful.
"Wait, stop!" she said. She was changing her mind again. "Blade, use gust to clear away the sand in the air." Jai had to turn her back to the battle to keep from being pelted in the face with the sand. Her cloak blocked most of the flying particals. "There has to be a better way," she said to herself, "A way to train without causing pain. Uggh." What was getting into her? She had never had a problem with pitting her own pokemon against eachother before...sometimes even to the death. But there was something about the way that Grovyle had screamed. There was no such thing as a fair fight. The girl returned her pokemon to their balls and sat down in the middle of the arena, taking some time to think. Nothing seemed to be going right that day.
Hunter appeared in a ray of light after Jai fumbled with his pokeball for a moment. The wolf-like pokemon looked at his trainer curiously, but Jai said nothing before allowing Fear out of his pokeball as well. The Mightyena and stark white Umbreon watched their trainer for what seemed like the longest time before she finally spoke up.
"I have to ask your guys' advice on something," Jai said. She stopped. The girl wasn't used to asking for advice from pokemon. "Battling," she said, "It all seems so pointless right now. Even a friendly match against those you know- play fighting- that's got to be detrimental to the mind and soul. Wouldn't you agree?"
Both pokemon nodded. Of course, what were they supposed to do.
"So, I was thinking, perhaps there is some sort of alternate form of training we could do." The pokemon didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue. "What do you think about this?" She was finally looking at them.
<I agree completely,> Fear said, <Pokemon are more than tools of war. We
can fight...but I too have felt that there is more to a pokemon than using their abilities against others.>
<In the wild, it can be necessary at times,> Hunter said.
<Well we aren't in the wild now, are we.>
<I was just saying...>
"This is no time to fight. I just want to know what you guys thought about the whole thing. You don't have to fight against eachother. This isn't a pokemon battle. It's a discussion and I want to hear- I value both of your opinions."
<Well,> Fear said, <I'm sure that pokemon can get stronger in other ways...like you were doing today with Viper- I can see through my pokeball, you know. We can get stronger by attacking the natural elements around us...training agains nature itself has to have some sort of value.>
"True, true, true," Jai said, feeling slightly better now that she knew that she wasn't the only one who felt this way. But where had this feeling come from? This just wasn't like her. Perhaps it would pass...or not. Then, inspiration hit. "I know! I could build some sort of obstacle course!" she said, getting up again. "Thanks guys." She returned the pokemon to their balls and began to plot out a plan... The forest would be the perfect place. Jai was familiar with that sort of terrain.
---
She was about to leave, but then remembered her promise to Darkaan. She was going to train his Fearow. Make sure that the pokemon rode well. Another burst of light, and another pokemon appeared.
Exzodus shot up into the air, then dove down, spun a few loops, then landed in front of Jai.
"Okay Exzodus," Jai said, "You ready to start flying lessons?" Jai only had experience working with Charizards. She hoped that this wouldn't be too different. "Now, if you'll bend down and let me get on..." Exzodus lowered himself, and Jai quickly got on and held onto the tuft of feathers on Ex's neck. "Now we go up. Lift up can be one of the trickiest parts, but I happen to know that you're good at that part."
The Fearow nodded proudly and shot himself back into the air. Jai clutched onto him, a wave of fear flowing through her, followed by excitement. Jai gave a scream of pure joy, jealous that Darkaan could do this any time he wished. She made a mental note to get a charmander to train. How she missed riding Charizards. But for now, she was back in the air again.
She tossed a pokeball off the side, allowing Fear out.
"Join us!" she yelled, as the Umbreon struggled to fly, surprised at being released in the air. "Now, Ex, climb higher!" She had practically forgotten about landing. For now, it was just the Fearow, her, and the wide expanse of sky (and the poor umbreon trying to keep up with it all.)
The bird went higher and higher and higher, turning the arena below into a small dot. The rapid change of altitude made Jai's ears pop. "Okay," she said, a strange smile on her face, "Now, we dive!"
Ex looked back at her. Was Jai crazy? But the girl meant it, and soon the pokemon was spiraling downward in a perfect, beautiful way. Exzodus felt a moment of exstacy before realizing how quickly he was approaching the ground. Suddenly, fear gripped his heart. If he crashed like this, they would surely both die. The bird flapped his wings wildly, trying to slow down, almost throwing Jai off in the process.
They were still falling quickly. Too quickly. Ex flapped and flapped some more. Jai was laughing wildly. The crazy girl was enjoying every moment of it.
The arena looked huge now, and the pokemon flipped into overdrive, creating a large gust of wind beneath his wings and pushing upwards, but still not breaking his fall. He was unable to stop, or so it seemed.
"Come on Exxy," Jai said with complete confidence, "We don't want this to be our last flight."
The Fearow flapped once more with all his might, miraculously keeping them from hitting the ground. He swooped up a couple of meters, then back down again, landing gracefully.
"See that?" Jai asked, "You
can do it." She smiled before hopping off of the birds back.
Exzodus was still in shock. <You almost killed us,> he finally said.
"Wrong," Jai said, matter of factly,"
You almost killed us. I did absolutely nothing." Seeing the bird suddenly downcast, Jai clarified herself, "Then, you brought us both to safety."
<Yeah, I did,> Exzodus said, suddenly happy, <I did.>
"Yes you did. Sometimes you just have to want it enough."
<You knew all along,> Ex said accusingly.
"What? That you could do it? Of course Exxy. You're a freaking bird...been flying all your life. Flying and landing. Doing it with a human on top is no different. It just takes time to get used to. You have to want it."
ooc|| Sorry...I write novels in my spare time.
Thanks. My aunt trains horses. I don't know much, but I do know that they aren't born tame.
