The next morning I surprised myself by managing to lug the hunk of tree a full circle around the hill before starting to get tired. I was still a little sore, but I found I had the energy to do the first bit mostly unimpeded. I was almost disappointed when Wound-Seeker pulled me off the circuit before I could see how the second loop felt.

Strangely, he pulled aside Tree-Climber as well, who continued to be an endless font of energy, and led us both over a ridge where we’d be just out of view of the rest of his ‘class’.

“You,” he said as he pointed an accusing claw at me, “are a poison-type.”

I nodded at the rather obvious statement. “Yeah…?”

“Do you know any poison moves?”

“Oh, no,” I said, “I mean I think Poison Sting is supposed to come eventually, but I’m not that far along. I haven’t even learned Focus Energy and Double Kick, which are supposed to come first.”

Tree-Climber had a curious look on her face, and Wound-Seeker nodded, as if I had confirmed something he already suspected.

“Tree-Climber,” he said as he turned to the sandshrew, “show me your moves.”

I fought down a smile at the somehow familiar phrase as the sandshrew showed first Scratch, then Defense Curl, and finally demonstrated Sand-Attack despite the lack of sand to be found in the rocky soil where we stood.

When she was done, Tree-Climber held herself at a sort of attention, waiting for the sandslash’s verdict.

“Good,” he said, and her relief was visible as her posture relaxed.

Wound-Seeker seemed to contemplate for a long moment before speaking.

“The enemies of the tribe are many. They surround us. Onix, to the north. Fierce dragons to the west. And the snakes to the south and east. Among them, the Ekans are the most dangerous, and the most near. They grow bolder each year. Just this spring they attacked in force. We gave as well as we got, but it wasn’t enough.”

There was no slump in his frame as he stood like rigid steel, defiant against the elements. I traced his gaze over to the standing stone field… and with a sinking feeling began to suspect what those stones might mark. It wasn’t a far stretch then for my mind to turn to the mostly-empty tunnel-huts.

“You two are the most promising among the younger generation. One for excellence, the other for… potential. And poison is the primary weapon of the greatest threat to the tribe.”

“You will understand your enemy. Together, you will learn Poison Sting. Learn from each other in this.”

The sandslash held out his claws with a look of concentration, and as I watched a purple liquid dripped in tiny drops from the tips, to sizzle against the ground, sending up an acrid smoke which made Tree-Climber cough and turn away.

“I will give you time to think on the move. Then you will fight me. And we will repeat this until you understand your enemy.”

With that, the sandslash turned to walk towards the rest of the sandshrews, falling into the move training routine we had been part of just the day before.

“So, how does poison energy feel?” Tree-Climber said, nudging me from my thoughts. I was still trying to determine how I felt about the evolved pokemon’s declaration we’d be fighting him; hardly an even battle.

“Uh… I have no idea?” I said, with a sort-of-shrug, “I don’t know any poison-type moves.”

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“Oh. Right,” she said, deflating again, and making it easier for me to see that she was just as nervous.

“Well, how does ground energy feel? That’s what you use for Sand-Attack, right?”

She perked up at that. “Ah, its… earthy? No… its more like…” she said as she scrunched up her face in thought, “like the soil reaching up to embrace you… a feeling of connectedness. Like all the ground is an extension of yourself. It makes me feel… safe. It is protective… and gentle… and strong.”

I blinked, not having expected all that. But it was a starting point, certainly.

If that’s how ground energy feels, what would poison energy feel like?

“Then I think poison would be… corrosive. It breaks down other things,” I said, entirely making things up as I went along and hoping I was in the vague direction of correct, “But it doesn’t really destroy so much as it changes. Acid is poison. But so is Poison Sting. So poison energy can’t just be invasive or corrupting, it’s about the inclusion of a new element which enforces change.”

Once I got going, it seemed all the easier to guess at the topic, but it brought up other questions.

Why is there no healing move which is poison-type? Anti-venom is made from venom… but healing is about reverting damage, isn’t it? It’s the antithesis to change.

We both tried to recreate what we’d seen Wound-Seeker do, but neither Tree-Climber’s apparent talent nor my own same type advantage (and assumed learn set advantage) yielded success.

The sandslash didn’t bother asking us if we’d figured it out yet when he returned. He just settled into an easy stance with a little distance between us and made a sort of ‘come hither’ motion with a claw.

“Come on then, we don’t have all day.”

Tree-Climber and I shared a brief glance.

“Which-” we both started, and were both interrupted by the sandslash.

“Both of you.”

I blinked. I had assumed we’d be receiving separate beat-downs in turn, or I would have tried to coordinate some kind of strategy with the sandshrew. Looking over at her, it seemed she was having similar thoughts.

“The longer you make me wait, the worse I’ll make it for you,” the sandslash offered, and Tree-Climber and I both shared one last look before moving cautiously towards either side of Wound-Seeker.

Tree-Climber struck out at him first with a Sand-Attack, some of it drawing up from the ground and the rest appearing from thin air. As she did, I faltered and delayed my own charge, nearly getting caught in the spray. It didn’t help that I had nearly tripped over my own feet, movements which I’d somewhat figured out at regular speed becoming fumbles when attempted quickly.

By the time I got into melee range, the sandslash was already battering my ally back with easy swipes of his claws. I tried to hit him with a Peck from my horn, but realized my mistake at the last second as he used his back spines like just another set of claws, meeting my charge with something like an attack of his own.

My second attempt met a similar result, after which I got another glance at Tree-Climber to see her on the ground and staying there, the sandslash having prioritized her before turning his attention on me fully.

Without any distract and with proper claws at his disposal, it could hardly be called a fight. My every attempt to charge or feint was met with stoic dismissal.

I took a step back rather than make another fruitless attempt. His guard was impossible to get around. I searched for any sort of weakness or gap in his defense, my eyes finding only the countless scars that marred his body.

He’s not invincible.

I knew the only way was going to be to get a lucky hit in, and even then it wouldn’t be a win. But I didn’t want a win. I wanted to actually hit him.

I wanted it.

Then with a sort of blind fury, I ran to the side, around him. He stepped easily, rotating in place.

There was the briefest moment where his footing shifted on the loose sand, and I took the opportunity to pivot, shooting right at him. His eyes widened a fraction, then I was spinning through the air, all sense knocked from me.

When I tumbled to a stop, I could hear him giving a sort of rough laugh, like he hadn’t done so in so long the action was foreign to his body.

“Haaah… almost got me,” he breathed, “but no. I won’t be beaten by anything short of a proper Poison move. You two rest up. Go bother Soft-Claws if you think you need to. I’ll be back later and you can try again.”

The sandslash began to walk away, but stopped and turn his head back towards us.

“Work on your teamwork. And congratulations on the Focus Energy.”