24 Mission Preparation (3/3)

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As Izan sat Sandshrew down in the middle of the clearing, he thought about his reason for the training he was about to do.

Battling was clearly something he sucked at.

He should've expected that he'd have a hard time transitioning to real-time battles. To have a Pokemon battle in the games was completely different than the real thing.

There was barely any thinking time in between attacks. Moves could be used in creative ways or used in the simplest ways possible. There were a billion different things he could think about at any given moment, from the terrain to the habits of the Pokemon present.

When a battle started, he didn't even know what to pay attention to.

For someone who had to rediscover how everything Pokemon worked, it was daunting. Especially since he only had a few months to figure it out.

It was why Aurora was so much faster in her commands during battle. She knew what she wanted her Pokemon to do the moment they were on the field. If it weren't for Sandshrew's higher level, he likely would've lost. Badly.

There was probably a way for Sandshrew to win against Glaceon. But with his slow thinking, it would take a million years to figure out.

The only thing he was even remotely good at was training. And even then he wasn't the best.

That was until he had a thought.

Why did he, the trainer, need to have a battling style? To pay attention to and watch every little thing? At higher-level battles, his eyes would have a hard time keeping up either way.

…If he simplified things into commands instead of moves, couldn't he battle the same way he did back on Earth?

Instead of calling out move after move in a flurry of combinations, it was possible to just train Sandshrew on good fighting skills. And then he'd only have to tell her things like 'keep up the pressure' instead of 'use [Night Slash] mixed with [Fury Swipes] and after you get in close with [Agility].

'Wait, is that combination possible? …Questions for later.'

With enough teaching and a healthy amount of tacit understanding, she would already know what to use without him having to explicitly say it.

And it would be good for unofficial battles as well. He wasn't planning on sitting on the sidelines so he needed her to be able to take care of herself.

He needed her to be an Assassin. Not only in her skillset but in her thinking as well.

Standing a few feet away from Sandshrew who was patiently waiting, he spoke up.

"I noticed something during our battle with Aurora. You are a fierce, powerful Pokemon with a tenacity that is monstrous compared to most. To put it simply, you're talented."

Sandshrew put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest in pride. She faltered when he spoke again.

"So I'll ask you one last time. Are you sure you want to stay as an Assassin? All of that talent you have, whether it be your temperament or your willpower are built to become a Warrior."

She had no talent for assassination. At least, she didn't in his eyes. She wasn't especially fast or sneaky, and her personality was loud and demanded respect.

Sandshrew, however, nodded at his question. For some reason he couldn't understand, she seemed resolute.

He didn't understand it completely, but it was her path. He wouldn't ask again. He'd just support her choice with everything he had.

"Understood. Then today, we're gonna be working a fundamental skill for assassins. Well, it's fundamental in my opinion. I don't know how real assassins do things." He explained, shrugging.

That said, he pointed to the treeline without another word. Being unconditionally obedient, Sandshrew looked over and squinted her eyes.

There was nothing there, however.

She looked utterly confused, squinting even harder to look for what he was pointing at. After a few seconds, she gave up, turning back to Izan.

Only to find out he wasn't standing there anymore.

Her eyes widened and she couldn't even comprehend what just happened until a voice startled her, coming from the treeline she was just looking at.

"That was the ability to vanish. The ability to disappear the moment your opponent averts their eyes: Stealth."

It was something he'd picked up when he was but a wee little chunnibyou. Unlike others who were trying to practice magic or something similar, he genuinely thought he could be like Batman.

So he tried doing the same things Batman did, despite being nowhere near his intelligence or wealth.

And that's how he ended up with a plethora of useless skills at his age. Like the basics of Judo, using a quarterstaff, and how to aim throwing weapons.

…Or, of course, how to disappear as Batman does.

He was such a cringe kid back then he even named it. Albeit not a creative name, it was simply known as 'Silent Step'.

For some reason though, he could feel that energy within him stir when he did the Silent Step. It itched, but he didn't know how to scratch it.

He ignored it, for now.

The cogs in her brain were almost visible as she stared at him in shock and confusion. And then all at once, stars shined in her eyes as she damn near exploded with awe.

He chuckled. "I know, I know. Cool, right? And that's what we're gonna be working on.

To walk silently, you have to keep your center of balance low while stepping with the front part of your feet first and then slowly putting down the back part. Be sure to pay close to attention to how you're shifting your weight. Though, I'm not sure if it'll be the same for you since we have different bodies."

Looking up his smile became strained as Sandshrew stared back at him with a dumb eye smile on her face. She didn't understand a single word, did she?

'Kinesthetic learner, right.'

He sighed. "Just… just copy what I do."

[}-{]

She contemplated in the midst of night as her master snored soundly beside her.

Sandshrew once again gained profound insight under the teachings of her master. A saying that she didn't understand before now made perfect sense.

'Be careful what you wish for.'

But if someone wishes for something, how could the result be bad? She assumed it was a foolish thing that buffoons said because they didn't understand true ambition.

And then her master began to finally take her training seriously. Something she so earnestly wished for.

That wish was a mistake.

First, it was the Gems of Power. An artifact that he obtained for her that would boost her further. All she'd need to do is endure pain and she'd become more versed in her inner energies.

It was great! The pain was minimal and she now knew many different techniques thanks to them.

She still hadn't pushed her energy to the next realm, but sincere training would eventually bear fruit.

And as her master sometimes said, 'No pain, no gain.' Truly, he was a fountain of wisdom.

But then… he kept training her.

There was the elixir that allowed her to keep training, and while she was grateful, its taste was abhorrent.

And then, there was the torturous device that pushed her body to its limits just by walking. Every muscle in her body screamed with each minuscule movement.

That was exactly the type of training she was looking for.

But each new thing he added to their training it only confirmed her thoughts about her place in the world.

She had much to learn if she was to fulfill her potential. To become the greatest.

Especially with the last thing he was teaching her. The Silent Step technique. It was really 'kicking her ass' as the master would say.

But once she mastered it, she could perform the higher levels of the technique, just like him!

It was startling to see if she was honest. One moment he was just walking normally and the next she had to squint to make sure he was actually standing there.

His presence just sort of vanished. The breaths he took were so minimal that it looked like he wasn't even alive. She was sure that if he sat down like that in the middle of a forest, her gaze would gloss over him like he was just a rock or a blade of grass.

Well, that wasn't wholly true. She'd notice him even if he was a blade of grass. He was her master, after all.

None of that was important, though.

There was a reason she had woken herself up in the first place. To do what she had done before. Secret Training.

She rolled off the bed, landing with an audible thump.

It was time to train even more. She would master this technique, and any others he taught her.

And in the end, all her enemies would be defeated in one fell swoop! A single strike!

She took a step.

*thump*

She cursed. Another step!

*thump*

The third time's the charm!

*thump*

Third? She meant fourth!

*thump*

Fifth!