They had decided to stay at the campsite for another night, using the rest of the morning and afternoon to try and work on some of Brian's tips. The two teens had claimed a small corner of the field to do their training in. Scattered around the flat grassy area, a few other trainers were out and about, also running their pokemon through their own training routines. The two trainers closest to them were having a mock battle, their Pidgey and Spearow flying through the air, taking turns dodging as the other whipped their wings, kicking up unnaturally strong winds to try and knock the other out of the air.
Gregory and Nora started with some of the conditioning routines Brian had shown them. They began by having Mudkip and Fennekin do three laps around the entirety of the campground. Despite their diminutive sizes, both pokemon could run faster than you would think. Gregory thought that he would have trouble keeping up with them even if he was riding a bike.
However, their speed was short-lived, though still relatively fast compared to humans. After the first lap, they were noticeably slower. Then, when they finished the second, they were going maybe half the speed they started at. By the time they finished the final lap, Fennekin was panting, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. Poor Mudkip, however, wasn't able to complete the last lap, and Nora had to carry him back to the finish.
‘Brian was right, they really don’t have much stamina at this point,’ Gregory thought as he watched Mudkip gasp for air. The blue amphibian had a disappointed look on his face, upset that he couldn’t finish all three laps.
“Don’t let this get you down, Mudkip,” Nora said encouragingly, laying a hand comfortingly on the back of his head, near the large fin that juts up from the top of his head. “ You just have to keep it up. It takes time to improve yourself.”
“Kip!” he said, giving her a determined nod as he absorbed the words of his trainer.
After the run, they stopped for a lunch break. Gregory had grabbed some of the oran berries from his bag and shared them with the two pokemon. The two pokemon had collapsed in a shady patch of grass. He recalled that Oran berries were supposed to be beneficial in helping pokemon recover.
"We should keep an eye out for Oran berry bushes. I think they will come in handy in the future," Gregory said as he sat across from Nora; she was scribbling something down in her journal. She only gave him a vague hum in response to his comment.
“What are you writing there?” he asked a few moments later. His curiosity had gotten the better of him.
“I’m making a list of things I need to get when we get to Cherrygrove,” she said, looking up at him briefly as she spoke before returning her attention to the page she was on, jotting a few more things down.
“Really? Like what?”
“I’ve just been thinking a lot about the advice Brian gave us, so I figured I’d try to learn more about Pokemon nutrition by getting some books.” She looked over to where her Pokemon sat, eating the food she had given him earlier. Her whole demeanor shifted as her gaze softened, and her lips twitched a grin.
“I just want to be the best trainer I can for him, you know?”
“Yeah, you and me both,” Gregory replied, matching her grin with his own.
They were both done eating their lunch and were relaxing a bit more before they began running their pokemon through some more training. About fifteen minutes had passed since he had given them the oran berries, and both pokemon had already bounced back. The berries had refilled them with energy.
Though they still had a few more conditioning drills they could work on, Gregory thought that it would be better to work up to them slowly. So, instead, they decided to work on perfecting some of their partner's moves.
Gregory and Nora had set up a few makeshift targets using fallen logs and other debris they found in the woods around them. Gregory used a knife to score the log’s bark with rough, as they were by no means perfect, concentric circles so that they could see where the moves landed. Nora then had Mudkip shoot water guns at them, focusing on accuracy and endurance. After every couple of shots, she would have him move back a few feet, then repeat.
She had Mudkip keep this up for as long as he could. Eventually, he could do no more. The continuous water guns had caused him to dry out. At that point, Nora had called a rest, taking him over to the camp's water pump, where he could take big gulps of water to replenish his internal stores.
Gregory was having Fennekin work on her ember attack. Like Mudkip, he had her begin firing her ember attacks at one of the upright logs they had set up as a target. The little fox gathered up a huge breath of air, her chest swelling with its volume, then threw her head forward, mouth agape. A torrent of small embers shot toward the log.
He had started her about twenty feet away from the target, and though most of them hit, they were mainly at the edges of the log, the flames charring the bark where they impacted black. Only one or two hit closer to the center, but almost none were within four inches of each other.
"That was a great first try girl," Gregory cheered as he knelt down to give her a congratulatory scratch behind one of her ears, "Now let's try that again, but this time try to make them hit a little closer together."
Gregory and Fennekin carried on practicing like this for another hour. Slowly, over that course of time, the embers that Fennekin released would start to impact in a tighter and tighter grouping. When they finally stopped at the end of the hour, the projectiles Fennekin sent out would impact the log. However, they were still a few inches apart.
Like with Mudkip, at the end of the hour her embers, already relatively small to begin with, were little more than tendrils of smoke that could not even reach the target. She was heaving air, clearly exhausted. When he went to give her another encouraging pat on the head, he noticed that she seemed nearly cold to the touch.
"Fennekin, you're cold. Are you okay?" he said, a slight panic beginning to creep into his voice. Before his concern could prevent him from thinking clearly, he remembered something from the pokedex entry.
'They combust the sticks they eat within their bodies to create fire.'
He put his exhausted fox down. Gregory quickly removed his pack and rummaged through it, pulling out the hickory branches he had purchased in New Bark town. Though still clearly spent, Fennekin perked up just a bit at the sight of the wood.
"Note to self: make sure she has plenty of wood to eat," Gregory thought to himself. He was able to calm down after he could see the little sparks of flame popping off the vixen's fur when she devoured all of the hickory he gave her.
Gregory and Nora let their Pokemon rest for a spell before running them through the same drill. They spent the rest of the afternoon this way, cycling between target practice and small rest breaks.
As the sun descended towards the horizon, the light blue sky darkened to bursts of oranges, pinks, and reds of a sunset. Most trainers from earlier in the day had already returned to their campsites. All that remained were Gregory and Nora, standing on opposite ends of the field, their pokemon facing each other in a defensive stance. They wanted to end the day with a battle, so as he did for their first battle, Gregory tossed a rock in the air to signal its start.
“Water gun, just like you’ve been practicing,” ordered Nora, able to get it out just a second earlier than him.
“Ember, Fennekin!”
The stream of water burst forth from Mudkip’s mouth, his cheeks quickly expanding with liquid before giving way from the built-up pressure. Fennekin was just inhaling the air into her chest to release her attack when the water impacted her head-on, Gregory not having enough time to call for her to dodge. The water attack’s force was significant enough to break her concentration, which caused her ember to fail. It also caused her to lose her footing, the water pushing her across the ground for a few feet.
That opening attack hurt her, Mudkip’s quick reflexes catching her off guard. The Little Vixen struggled back to her feet, shaking off the excess water from her coat. The high heat of her fur caused little whisps of steam to float off her body.
“Nice recovery, girl. Get in close and scratch him,” Gregory called out, punching his fist toward the other Pokemon.
Fennekin gave off a howl, not quite as intimidating as she probably hoped, and shot off toward Mudkip.
“Another water gun. You got this!”
The blue amphibian released another jet of water at the fast-approaching fox. However, she was ready for it this time and was just barely able to sidestep the attack, the high-pressure water ripping the grass apart when it hit the ground.
Having closed the distance, Fennekin pounced, her right paw raised with claws extended, and a thud echoed from where her attack connected. Despite the clean hit, Mudkip pushed through, releasing another water gun point-blank into Fennekin. Unable to move out of the way, she had no choice but to take the hit. Once again, she was thrown across the ground from the force of the blow.
Despite her determination, the two type-advantaged hits overpowered her, and she was unable to get back up.
As Nora and Mudkip celebrated their first victory, Gregory sighed and went to take care of his Pokemon. Fennekin was soaked and muddy from the fight but quickly regained consciousness. Her only injury was her pride.
Gregory pulled a towel from his backpack and wiped as much water off her as he could. The distinctly displeased look on her face caused him to chuckle.
The rocks and logs they had used for targets have either been burned down to charcoal or eroded to dust by the elemental attacks of their pokemon. Their Pokemon’s attacks had covered the field itself in black spots and mud pits from the round of sparring they did before the battle they ended the day with.
As he turned to leave, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, drawing his gaze to a tree near where they had been training. He only saw a small piece of silk thread gleaming in the last vestiges of sunlight from the setting sun. He shrugged and continued forward back to their camp.
Despite the loss to Nora, Gregory was feeling more confident about himself. Though he had gone to a trainer academy, most of his lessons around pokemon battles did not apply to the actual training of pokemon. Sure, he knew all the different types of pokemon and how the types interacted with each other. He had memorized many of the typical moves and how they worked, and he knew about the rules and regulations for owning and battling pokemon, but until Brian gave them the basics this morning, he had been winging it. The loss had proved that, but he would make sure to learn from this.
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They returned to their campsite and deposited their snoozing pokemon into their tents. Gregory and Nora went about what was quickly becoming their respective camp duties. Gregory went and collected more firewood, building up and once again restarting the fire in their pit. He also refilled both of their water bottles from the water pump. Nora took out her cooking pots and utensils and began preparing the ingredients for another stew.
By the time she had finished the food, the sun had fully set, and the stars were out. Under the shimmering light of the Cresent moon hanging high in the night sky, Gregory could make out the shadowy shapes of various Pokemon as they fluttered through the air. He thought he could see Murkrow and Zubat, but when he brought his pokedex up to scan them, they were too far away, or there wasn't enough light for the scanner to pick them out.
The weight of Fennekin's light body brought his attention to the fox in his lap.
"So that's what you want, huh?" Gregory chuckled as he took in the pleading look Fennekin was giving him, the grooming kit hanging from her mouth.
"How did you even manage to get this from my bag?"
Taking it from her, he began running the various brushes and combs through her fur. The mud, dust, and dirt from the day's happenings fell free with each run of the brush. Gregory worked with slow diligence, returning her fur to the same glossy softness that it had at the beginning of the day.
While he was grooming Fennekin's fur, an alien feeling settled in the back of his mind, it was brief; he almost didn't notice it, and before he could even really examine it, it was gone. He thought there was a warmness to it, but it happened too fast to be sure.
He looked around the campsite, trying to see if he could find its source. Nothing immediately stuck out to him. All he could see was the soft glow of the campfires around them and the shadowy darkness of the surrounding wood. Fennekin was passed out in his lap again, which allowed him to relax slightly. If she was asleep, it was probably nothing. Her senses were way more acute than his.
"Are you alright? You look a little spooked," Nora said, her brows scrunched in concern as her mouth tilted down in a slight frown. She also started scanning the surrounding area, her eyes flicking back and forth for any signs of danger.
"It's nothing, I just got this weird feeling." Gregory haltingly said as he continued to gaze around, "I think I just imagined it. It's been a long day. I'm probably just tired.”
As if to punctuate his point, he let out a jaw-cracking yawn.
I'm going to turn in for the night," he said, still yawning as his words came out a little muffled.
"Yeah, today has been pretty hectic," she said. She still had a slight look of concern but replaced it with a smile after a moment. "Have a good night."
Gregory carefully got up from the log seat to ensure he didn't jostle his little fox awake from her slumber. He returned Nora's smile and bade her a good night. The fire’s flickering glow cast her face in bright orange light and shadow as Gregory turned and entered his tent. Sleep's sweet embrace took him shortly after he slipped into his sleeping bag.
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"I hope this isn't going to become a trend," Gregory sighs, again batting the fluffy tail away from his face. The soft fur of Fennekin's tail as it gently twitched across his nose, causing him to wake up.
Deciding that he had slept enough, Gregory got up, gathered his pack, and put on his boots. After bribing his fox with more Bluk berries, she got up with a long stretch. The muscles of her back rippled as she loosened them up.
It was still early in the morning, the moon and stars still bright in the night air, when they exited the tent. The ashes of last night's fire still had a few tiny embers giving off a slight warmth, though it was nowhere near enough to combat the crisp morning air of the fall day.
Gregory decided to gather some more berries. On the way to the forest's edge, he passed by Nora's tent, where he could just make out the soft, even breaths coming from within. The rest of the campground was silent like a serene cloud of peace had settled over everything. He almost regretted disturbing it with the wet stomps of his hiking boots on the dew-slicked grass.
The canopy of the trees that made up the forest was thin enough to let in most of the light from the stars—allowing Gregory to navigate, albeit slowly, through the underbrush with relative ease.
Gregory focused mainly on the placement of his feet as they walked towards the berry grove they visited yesterday morning. He only occasionally looked up to ensure he still walked in the correct direction. Ahead of him, the berry grove came into view. The teen looked down once more to step over a large tree root. He glanced up once more, just beginning to set his foot down on the other side of the root, when suddenly, a large green object that looked to have a frowning face was hanging a foot away from his nose.
The sudden appearance caused him a jolt of fright, adrenaline flooding his system.
“What the-!” Gregory said, alarmed.
He flinched away from the object, the heel of the foot he was just about to place down, catching on the tree root. He pinwheeled his arms through the air, trying to catch his balance, but it was too late. Gravity already held him, and he fell backward, crashing to the forest's leaf-strewn ground.
Fennekin, who had been riding on Gregory's shoulder at the time, faired better than her trainer. Her reflexes allowed her to jump clear from it safely to the ground.
"What the heck was that," He breathed out, rubbing his tailbone from where it impacted the ground.
Looking toward the object he almost ran into, he found it was a Pokemon. It was small, and its whole body was about the size of Gregory's head. The six legs that jutted out from between its abdomen and head were yellow with a thick black stripe across the leg’s joint. Its head had a horn jutting out from the top. The two large eyes stared at him, all black except for a small white pupil in the middle, below which sat a pair of red mandibles.
Without thinking, Gregory brought out his Pokedex, scanning it quickly as Fennekin took a defensive stance between him and the little spider Pokemon.
"Spinarak, The String Spit Pokemon. Spinarak silk, by weight, is one of the strongest materials known to earth. Webs of it can support the weight of stones that fall into them without snapping. Spinarak weave intricate silk webs and then wait for prey to come by. They are very patient and can wait motionless for days or weeks for prey to arrive. When victims get tangled in their webs, they can detect the movements and even tell what was captured by the vibrations they create. Spinarak always wait for night to fall before investigating their catches. Though their venom is not particularly strong, it is more than enough to incapacitate smaller prey. They can survive for weeks at a time on a good meal. Spinarak and Ariados are often maligned and portrayed as villains and aggressive hunters in popular culture. In reality, Spinarak are playful Pokémon who only bite when threatened, and Ariados, while territorial, will also not attack unless provoked."
The pokedex's mechanical monotone was the only noise as both parties maintained their stares. Spinarak's head tilted to the side as the entry finished playing. It maintained its neutral stance, hanging from the silk thread attaching its abdomen to the tree branch above.
"It's okay, Fennekin, I don't think it-He, intends to hurt us," Gregory corrected as he saw that the Pokedex said that this Spinarak was a male.
Fennekin hesitated just a moment before relaxing her stance. She dropped down to a sitting position, still acting as a barrier between the insect and her human. Her red eyes locked onto the stationary bug.
As he slowly got back to his feet and wiped his hands on the back of his pants, Gregory maintained eye contact with the Spinarak. He waited to see what their unexpected visitor would do next.
And waited.
'Okay, this is getting a little awkward,' he thought to himself
"Was there something I can help you with?" he said aloud
"Spinarak, Spin spin, arak."
Gregory had absolutely no idea what it had said. The confusion must have been apparent on his face because the little insect repeated himself, but he began to gesture with his legs this time. Spinarak made vague gestures towards Fennekin, then his pokeball belt, then himself, and finally at Gregory.
After the impromptu game of charades, Gregory thought he finally understood the gist of what the little bug-type was trying to say.
"So you want me to help you get stronger?" He questioned, wanting to ensure he was on the right track.
"narak," Spinarak chirped happily as he nodded his head.
Gregory hadn't thought much about what he wanted his Pokemon team to look like yet. However, he was immensely flattered that the Spinarak wished to join his team. What really decided it for him, though, was when he remembered the match he had watched last year between Elite 4 Koga and Elite 4 Bruno. Koga had an Ariados that had wreaked havoc on Bruno's Fighting types. He had used it to control the battlefield, setting up traps and interrupting Bruno's Pokemon before they could build momentum.
While Gregory didn’t believe that there were ‘Strong’ or ‘Weak’ pokemon, he could admit that learning how to utilize Spinarak like Koga would undoubtedly help him win this year's Silver Conference.
Reaching into one of the side pockets of his bag, he pulled out one of the empty pokeballs his mother had gifted him. With a click of the button, the capsule expanded to fill the palm of his hand. He extended the ball out towards the Spinarak, a sharp grin on his lips.
"In that case, welcome to the team buddy. Go ahead and touch the button to make it official," Gregory said.
"Narak!" Came another happy chirp as the little spider rocked his body forward, tapping the button on his forehead. A flash of red light momentarily brightened the dim surroundings as Spinarak entered the red and white sphere, a single click denoting the successful capture. The only thing left behind was the silk webbing he had been hanging from.
Gregory released him immediately after, as he sunk to a knee to be closer to his level.
"Some trainers like to give their pokemon names. Is that something you think you would be interested in?" He asked.
"Spin, Narak," nodded happily, his red mandibles clicked together to punctuate the gesture.
"Alright, let's see if I can come up with something you'll like,"
Gregory sat there for a moment as he considered what kind of name would fit the little green Pokemon. He immediately rejected some of the more cliche names like Webby or Webster.
"How about Ari?" He eventually suggested.
Spinarak tilted his head, seeming to weigh the name's merits. Eventually, he decided he liked it and gave Gregory a nod to show his agreement.
"Well then, Ari, Fennekin, and I were going to pick some berries and then do some training. Do you want to walk with us or stay in your pokeball?"
In answer to his question, the tiny green Spider scuttled up his leg until he eventually rested atop his hat. Gregory just chuckled as he got back to his feet and continued onward to the berry patch.