Move Identification 101

The morning sun filtered through the sparse canopy above us, painting the ground in mottled light. I stretched, my back aching after another night spent sleeping on the hard ground. Tyrunt was already up, chewing lazily on the remains of last night's stick. I watched it, thinking about everything that had happened over the past few days.

If there was one thing I'd learned, it was that Tyrunt was full of surprises. Strong, stubborn, and definitely not as easy to train as I had hoped. But after yesterday's fights, I had started to get a sense that there was more to Tyrunt than just raw strength or wild instincts. There was intelligence there—a kind of cunning that I hadn't fully acknowledged before.

I sat up, watching Tyrunt. It wasn't just chewing absentmindedly. It was actually looking at me, like it was waiting for something. I stared back, my thoughts spinning.

"Hey, Tyrunt," I said slowly, getting to my feet. Tyrunt tilted its head, watching me as I approached. I reached out, rubbing the top of its head. "I think you're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for."

Tyrunt snorted, dropping the stick and stepping back, as if to say, Obviously. I couldn't help but smile. This thing had more personality than I thought. Maybe it wasn't just acting on instinct all the time. Maybe it understood me a lot better than I'd realized.

I knelt in front of it, meeting its gaze. "Okay, today's different. We're not going to fight until we figure out what you can do. No surprises, alright?" Tyrunt blinked at me, then nodded—or at least gave a head movement that was as close to a nod as a Tyrunt could manage. It seemed to understand what I was saying, and that was already a big step.

I led Tyrunt to an open field not too far from where we'd camped out the night before. There was a patch of rocky ground, perfect for a bit of experimenting. I needed to see exactly what moves Tyrunt knew and figure out how to use them effectively.

"Alright, Tyrunt, let's try something simple," I said, stepping back to give it some space. "We're going to go over your moves. You know, see what you've got in that arsenal of yours. And if you could not eat whatever you find, that'd be great."

Tyrunt snorted, and I took that as a "let's get this over with." I gestured to a large boulder nearby. "Let's start easy. Try attacking that rock."

Tyrunt eyed the boulder, then gave it a solid headbutt, a move that seemed almost instinctual. The boulder shuddered but didn't break, though Tyrunt didn't seem too phased by the impact. It took a step back, shaking its head, then looked at me expectantly.

"Alright, we'll call that Tackle," I said, nodding. "Good job, Tyrunt." Tyrunt gave me a look that clearly said Obviously, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I had underestimated how much it really understood.

"Now, how about something else?" I pointed at the boulder again. "Do you remember what you did to that Geodude yesterday? With your tail?"

Tyrunt blinked, then turned slightly, swinging its tail around and smacking the boulder. The impact was solid, and I could see a faint shimmer of energy along the tail's edge. Not quite the powerful Dragon Tail I'd heard about, but definitely something more than just a basic swat. "Nice! We'll call that Tail Whip or something like it," I said. "You're doing great."

Tyrunt looked proud for a moment, its eyes bright. I nodded, thinking hard. "Okay, let's try something a bit more aggressive," I said, moving back a bit more. "I want you to really focus, alright? Think about using your jaws like you did against that Rattata—but without the killing part."

Tyrunt seemed to hesitate for a moment, then approached the boulder. It opened its jaws wide, a faint glimmer of energy building along its teeth. With a loud crunch, it bit into the rock, splintering a chunk off. I winced at the noise, but the force was undeniable. "That's definitely Bite," I muttered, making a note. "And, wow, that's one strong jaw you've got."

Tyrunt dropped the chunk of rock, looking at me as if asking if that was good enough. I grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, big guy, that's more than good enough."

fter spending an hour going over what Tyrunt could do, I began to notice a pattern. Tyrunt didn't just attack at random. It was watching me, waiting for cues, responding when I pointed or shouted a word it recognized. It was picking up on what I wanted—it understood what we were trying to do. And that realization hit me harder than any of its Tackles ever could.

Tyrunt wasn't just some mindless fossil—it was smart. It was trying to learn, trying to figure things out just like I was. And maybe that was why it had been so frustrated before—because I hadn't been treating it like a real partner. I'd been trying to control it, without really understanding it.

"Hey, Tyrunt," I said, kneeling down in front of it again. "I get it now. You're not just following instinct. You're actually thinking, aren't you?"

Tyrunt huffed, nudging me with its head, almost like it was saying, Finally, you get it.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Okay, okay, I'm a bit slow, I admit it. But from now on, we're doing this as a team. No more just shouting orders and hoping for the best. You and me, we're gonna figure this out together."

Tyrunt let out a small roar, its eyes gleaming with what I could only describe as approval. There was a bond there—a fragile one, but one that was growing stronger.

"Alright, let's try one more," I said, stepping back. "Something a bit different. I want you to focus all your energy on your feet. Remember that stomp you did against the Geodude?"

Tyrunt tilted its head, then looked down at its feet. It hesitated for a moment, then lifted one small but powerful foot and brought it down hard onto the ground. The impact wasn't earth-shattering, but it was enough to send a small tremor through the ground and crack the earth beneath its foot.

"Yes!" I shouted, grinning. "That's it! That's your Stomp!"

Tyrunt looked at me, panting slightly from the exertion, but there was a spark in its eyes that hadn't been there before. It was starting to understand, and so was I. This wasn't just about trying to control a wild, prehistoric creature. It was about working with Tyrunt—learning what it could do, helping it grow, and figuring out how we could become a real team.

The sun was high in the sky as we made our way back towards Oreburgh. I felt tired, but it was the kind of tired that came with knowing you'd actually made progress. Tyrunt walked beside me, its head held high, its tail flicking back and forth.

"You're stronger than I thought, and a lot smarter too. If we can keep this up, we might actually stand a chance in a real battle."

Tyrunt snorted, giving me a look that seemed to say Obviously. I smiled, shaking my head. "Alright, alright, I'll stop underestimating you."

As we reached the outskirts of Oreburgh, I looked at the city with fresh eyes. We weren't ready to challenge a Gym or take on experienced trainers—not yet. But we were ready for something small—a real battle against another trainer, one where we could show that we'd actually learned something. We needed to start earning, and battling was how trainers did it.

I glanced at Tyrunt, who seemed focused on the city ahead. Tomorrow, we'd start looking for a match—someone at our level. No more messing around.

I scratched Tyrunt behind the head, and it let out a low grumble that might have been its version of a purr. No more surprises. Just practice, learning, and maybe a bit of luck.

With that plan in mind, we moved towards the city, the day's work still fresh in my head.