Chapter 6: Training, Training and More Training

[General POV]

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As dawn's first rays painted the sky, Eli woke with a fire in his eyes to train. "Wake up, you guys," he announced to his Pokémon, "we've got a grueling day ahead!" His Pokémon stirred slowly as he prepared for the day. He had ambitious plans for today, but one minor obstacle stood in his way. While he had all the training equipment, there was no easy way to carry it all. Hoping to find a solution, he and his Pokémon trekked to the Poké Mart.

"Welcome, sir! How can I help you today?" the clerk's smile was wide as he greeted Eli. "Hi, yeah, I was wondering if you had anything that could carry a ton of stuff in one bag or something," Eli inquired. The clerk's smile widened further. "Why yes, we do! In fact, I'd love to demonstrate the product, but why don't we let the TV do the talking?" He gestured towards a nearby screen, where a flashy advertisement pulsed with life. In large, bright letters, it proclaimed: "POLY-PAL."

"Introducing the Poly-Pal: Porygon's pocket paradise, crafted by the visionary Gödelstride family!" the commercial boomed. "Think miniaturized, holographic closet tucked inside a playful pink cube, bursting with fun, personalized icons - a sparkling potion vial, a winged Poké Ball, even a tiny berry basket for juicy snacks! Forget rummaging, Poly-Pal displays everything in holographic bubbles, like a miniature digital playground. Need a Hyper Potion in a pinch? A tap sends it floating into your palm! But Poly-Pal is more than just storage, it's a loyal travel buddy! This magnetic marvel attaches to your belt, weightless technology ensuring Porygon never gets bogged down by gadgets. And for peace of mind, a built-in security shield keeps Poké Balls and berries safe from curious critters. Customization? Poly-Pal embraces it! Swap the playful pink for cool circuits or glittery swirls, then personalize the icons with your own doodles. It's a digital dress-up game for your Porygon pal! Poly-Pal isn't just a storage solution, it's a celebration of Porygon's spirit and the Gödelstride legacy.

In every tap and giggle, you feel the generations of brilliance - young Sophie's coding artistry in the interface, Professor Augustus' micro-gravity tech keeping it feather-light. So ditch the drab and embrace the Fab with Poly-Pal. It's not just a cute accessory, it's a mini-marvel, a testament to both Pokémon joy and human ingenuity. And who knows? Maybe the next big Poke-innovation will blossom in the vibrant mind of another young Gödelstride, inspired by their Poly-Pal pal!"

Eli blinked, processing the whirlwind of information. 'Quite an...over-the-top ad,' he thought, "Yes, I'll take one. How much does this 'Poly-Pal' cost?" The clerk, tapped something on the counter. "That'll be 100,000P, please." Eli handed him the money with a grateful nod. Back in his Poké Center room, he sorted his equipment before loading it into the Cube. Deciding bright pink wasn't his style, he customized it to a black-and-red pattern with subtle grey streaks, resembling black glazed terracotta.

"Alright, let's get moving before the day slips away," he declared to his Pokémon. They exited Viridian City, heading back into the wilderness of Route 1. On their way, Eli spotted numerous wild Pokémon, but none dared approach, intimidated by the strength radiating from his two companions.

"This seems like a safe spot to test your new moves and get some training in," Eli said. "Corvisquire, you start with Drill Peck into Tailwind. But since Drill Peck is at Expert rank now, try using Tailwind at the last moment. Get the timing down, then we'll work on Taunt and Tailwind. We want both at Expert rank for the tournament, though Taunt might be a stretch. You've been using it in most battles, haven't you?" Corvisquire chirped in agreement and set off to train, needing minimal supervision.

"Okay, Kubfu, your turn! Let's get Brick Break, Bulk Up, and Reversal to Expert rank soon. I have big plans for that move." Kubfu nodded, eager to tackle the challenge. As his Pokémon honed their moves, Eli drafted a workout plan for them, finally having the equipment to make it happen.

After an hour and a half or so of pure training, he called back his Pokémon, "Guys, come here quick. Here, wear these weight vests, and I'll give you some exercises to do." His Pokémon nodded as they put on the vests, but it was quite a comical scene. Corvisquire could barely hover over the ground by flapping his wings so quickly that a mini-dust storm had been created, and while Kubfu didn't have as hard of a time as with Corvisquire, he still seemed to be struggling.

"Ok, now Corvisquire practice flying manoeuvres, getting used to the extra weight; rest if you have o." Corvisquire nodded and, with great difficulty, began flying. Eli made a mental note to always have a look at Corvisquire if he pushes himself too much, which would be a classic thing for the stubborn crow to do. "Now, Kubfu, for you, whenever you are training, I want you to wear this vest, and if you ever feel like you're getting used to the weight, tell me and I'll adjust it. Now, onto the exercises: sunrise push-ups, wind whispers, and burpees. We are training your agility, so do these until you are exhausted, and then move onto training with the scroll. You also don't overdo it; you're just as bad as Corvisquire when it comes to training, maybe even a bit worse." Eli said in a stern voice as Kubfu looked sheepish as he nodded.

With that done, Eli decided to work out a bit too, so as not to be a liability to his Pokémon when another one attacks him. While he didn't expect to have aura or be a psychic, he wanted to train at least so he could stall for time until his Pokémon came near him so as not to freeze up like the last time with the Nidorino, as he grimly thought.

He also decided to do burpees with Kubfu, who looked even more motivated to train after seeing his trainer train with him too. But after just 2 sets, Eli was spent, as he opted to just look at his Pokémon as they trained. He began calculating the days it would probably take his Pokémon to get the moves he wanted them to get to expert rank. Corvisquire would get Tailwind down in 3–4 days while he hoped to get Taunt to expert rank before the tournament, though he didn't have an estimate of when. Meanwhile, Kubfu would comfortably get his innate talent moves to expert rank; he had no clue if he could get Reversal to expert rank as he had just learned it yesterday. Even in the 8 days he had left, he didn't know if it was possible, but if Kubfu gave it his all, maybe just barely.

"Guys, since this is your first day training your bodies, we will not be going to fight wild Pokémon. Just focus on exercises, but try to maintain a good ratio of training to rest." Both his Pokémon nodded before getting back to training, and Eli also decided to do some other exercises to kill the time. Just like that, they had not only skipped their lunch but also worked out right into nightfall. With his Pokémon battered and exhausted, he recalled them into their Poké Balls as he made his way back to the Viridian Poké Centre.

Entering his room, he went to take a shower, after which he gave his Pokémon a bath too. While he didn't know how to groom Corvisquire's feathers, he tried his best, and Corvisquire thanked him none the less. "Tomorrow we will again train like this, but we'll cut our workout time a bit short to train on wild Pokémon." Eli briefed his two Pokémon, who nodded as they were too tired to make any comments as they quickly fell asleep.

Eli too quickly fell asleep, thanks to his exhaustion and determination to do better tomorrow.

{The next day}

Eli once again woke up, but this time it was because of the rowdiness of his Pokémon, Corvisquire and Kubfu were shouting at each other. After interrogating them both, he found out that they were having a petty quarrel over who Eli loved more. which Eli just gave both of them a chop to the head. "You dolts, I love you both equally. Don't go around agrudging about stupid questions; you two are doing extra training because of that today, little rascals." At Eli's notion, even the two training maniacs looked horrified, but Eli wouldn't hear another word about it.

As he made his way down to the place where Nurse Joy's counter was, he signed up for the Viridian Rookie Tournament. Thanking the nurse, he left to train with his Pokémon.

Once again, he and his Pokémon made their way out, and almost at the clearing he usually trains, he met a trainer there with a Charmeleon, quite a rare Pokémon. Out of curiosity, he decided to scan the Pokémon.

Pokémon: Charmeleon

Lvl: 19

Type: Fire

Ability: Blaze

Gender: Female

Potential: Gold

Moves: Scratch,Growl, Ember, Flame Burst, Metal Claw,

(Innate Talent) Flamethrower [E] (Innate Talent) Dragon Claw [E]

(TM) Fire Punch, (TM) Work Up

'A good Pokémon, with enough items, could reach Diamond/SS rank' Eli thought as he saw the trainer approaching him. The trainer nearing him looked to be 15–16, just like him; he had messy black hair with green highlights and a skinny build. "Hi there, I'm Adrian Firewood. Want to have a friendly battle?" Adrian asked in an excited tone. "Sure, the name Eli. How many Pokémon do you have?" Eli asked in a friendly tone. "Two, but I don't want Charmeleon to fight right now; she's just healed from a tough fight a few days ago. How about one on one?" Adrian asked amicably.

"Sure, Corvisquire, wanna take the battle?" The crow in question nodded as he took centre stage, with Kubfu observing on the sidelines. "Alright, go Zorua!" Adrian threw a Great Ball and out came a small, grey fox-like Pokémon with red and black accents and a smirk that screamed mischievousness. Interested, Eli scanned the canine.

Pokémon: Zorua

Lvl: 19

Type: Dark

Ability: Illusion

Gender: Male

Potential: Gold

Moves: Scratch,Leer, Torment, Hone Claws, Fury Swipes,Taunt

(Innate Talent) Night Daze [E] (Innate Talent) Shadow Ball [E]

(TM) Protect , (TM) Work Up

"Alright, Corvisquire, begin with Taunt."Eli commanded his avian. "You too, Zorua." Adrian also decided to lead with Taunt, but by a fraction of a second, Corvisquire proved to be faster as he got off the taunt first. With nothing to do but attack, Adrian commanded Zorua, "Shadow Ball go!" to which Eli curtly said, "Dodge and Tailwind and then initiate hit and run tactics." Corvisquire easily dodged the incoming attack, the training seeming to pay off as he prepared a Tailwind boosting his speed, before starting to blitz the poor Zorua, who tried everything but to no avail.

Adrian, seeing no way out, decided to throw in the towel. "We give up; we can't face your monster and hope to not encounter you in the tournament until the later rounds." Adrian gave out his hand for Eli to shake, which Eli accepted with a chuckle. "Fingers crossed. Anyway, it's been fun, Adrian. I will get on with my training. Good luck in the tournament." Adrian nodded and, with thanks, left via the main road as Eli went in the opposite direction, to his training spot from yesterday.

Eli and his Pokémon got to it. Corvisquire trained Tailwind and Taunt, while Kubfu trained Bulk Up, Reversal, and Brick Break with the weighted vest on. While Eli monitored the two's progress, After a while, they began their daily workouts, which Eli again participated in. Kubfu had made some progress on the scroll's second step, but he didn't know what he was doing wrong, reaching a dead end for the time being.

Having completed their work out, the team headed out deeper into the wild to fight some Pokémon. While he didn't find any that he particularly wanted to catch to sell for money, they did prove to be good sparring partners as his Pokémon both reached level 21. Eli definitely felt the slower leveling pace now, as it took a while for his Pokémon to level up, especially Kubfu, but it was probably due to the wild Pokémon being a bit lower in level. Eli decided to move onto a new area to train, probably Viridian Forest tomorrow. As they were walking back to Viridian City, Eli decided to scan the progress of his two Pokémon.

Pokémon: Kubfu

Lvl: 21

Type: Fighting

Ability: Inner Focus

Gender: Male

Potential: Gold

Moves: Rock Smash, Leer, Endure, Focus Energy, Aerial Ace, Reversal

(Innate Talent) Brick Break (Innate Talent) Bulk Up

(TM) Protect, (TM) U-Turn, (TM) Ice Punch, (TM) Fire Punch, (TM) Thunder Punch, (TM) Mega Kick, (TM) Mega Punch

Pokémon: Corvisquire

Lvl: 21

Type: Flying

Ability: Keen Eye

Gender: Male

Potential: Shallow Gold

Moves: Peck, Leer, Power Trip, Hone Claws, Taunt, Fury Attack

(Innate Talent) Drill Peck [E] (Innate Talent) Tailwind

(TM) Roost, (TM) U-Turn, (TM) Fly, (TM) Protect

He was happy with his team for now and held confidence in getting first place in the tournament. As he entered his room in the Poké Centre, he had a meal with his Pokémon before calling it a night.