Chapter 8

~Jack Blake~

Dodging the seeds with a swerve to the left, he quickly dashed forward, only to be interrupted by a surge of roots shooting from the ground. He stomped his left foot to redirect his momentum to the side. His mind was working on a solution for the sudden blockade that had decent offensive power as well since they were carrying thorns. While he analysed the situation, his body instinctively reacted to the probing attacks sent by Phantump.

Suddenly, his instincts warned him of an attack from behind, where the seeds had sprouted in a splendid example of just how dangerous grass could be. The strands that were following his movements had more speed than he had expected, causing him to nearly stumble when they suddenly surged towards his feet.

He circulated Aura through his body at an increased speed, which came to him way easier than before. With the increased physical boost he got from it, he dashed forward yet again to get out of the danger-zone. 'From the frying pan into the fire.' Was the thought that came to him unbidden when the Thorny Roots made a repeat-appearance. He was prepared this time and somersaulted above them, using his momentum to execute an axe kick.

Panicking slightly, Phantump sank into the ground just as the kick would have landed. He vigilantly scanned the surroundings, but couldn't find her with his eyes alone. Closing his eyes, he called upon his affinity with the Ghost Typing to somehow locate her. He managed to do so just in time to avoid the direct hit from the Shadow Sneak she pulled on him. It still did a bit of damage, but it wasn't debilitating.

Channelling a sizable amount of Aura into his fist, he turned the evasive maneuver into a counter by turning on his axis and punching towards her. This time, she didn't manage to avoid the attack, but she did pull some roots up to her, the brambles that decorated them caused several surface wounds on his fist and arm despite the increased durability through Aura.

He pulled his strength a bit just when the punch landed but he didn't stop himself completely. He knew that Pokémon learned better through battle and the experience would be worthless if he didn't respect her enough to go through with the attack.

A slightly pained 'Phaah' could be heard from some meters away where she landed after receiving the attack. He shook his fist a bit, looking down at the wounds that were already healing. Aura was bullshit. His reserves were... sizable to say the least, but he couldn't do much with it yet. The generous amounts of the mysterious energy that he had access to made him one of the better healers, though. At least as long as the receiving party trusted him enough to channel Aura into them.

He didn't really understand yet just where his reserves were on the scale, but he was clearly more gifted than the average beginner since most exercises in the book from 'Sammy' that were labelled as straining on the reserves didn't even drain him much, or at all really with his regeneration surpassing the usage. Cracking his neck to relieve some tension, he went over to his little one with a bemused expression. Squatting in front of her, he praised her.

"You did well, you know? That Growth, Ingrain, and Grass Knot combo was fabulous and it works well as a mixed offense/defense maneuver. If we increase the growth speed a bit more, it'll be a nice tool for zoning too.

"But you need to work on the density of energy in the attacks and the amount of foliage you can control at a time. Since it wasn't in your move-pool before the fight, you must have improvised the Grass Knot, right?"

At her nod, he thought a bit.

"We'll have to train it up before we add it to your pool for battle. It's a bit weak right now. Good speed on that one, though."

She nodded seriously, knowing that this wasn't the time to whine around. She could be remarkably mature in moments like this while being an absolute child the next. He was happy she felt safe enough for the latter. He still knew that he'd have to criticise her a bit to turn her attention to her weak spots.

"If I wanted to end this quickly, I could have simply circulated my Aura a bit more densely and dashed through the roots or I could have tanked the lashes from the grass. We'll need to work on the stopping power of those. The dodge of my kick was very well executed. It was also completely instinctive, which can be both, a good and a bad thing. There are attacks you can't dodge by sinking into the ground so we will need to work on your judgment as to when to use it."

He thought a bit on what else to say while pulling her into his embrace. She was clearly fine since he circled his Aura through her to take care of the small injuries from the fight, but she still looked up at him with a miserable expression on her face. He poked her forehead with a gentle smile and she flayed with her small arms to somehow remove the appendage from her head, only to fail due to her limbs' size-handicap, causing her to cross them in front of her with a pout.

"Your last move has potential. If you can make physical contact painful for the opponent, we can simulate the ability Rough Skin with this. Every bit of damage is good since you'll be an absolute Monster in terms of stamina and recovery. Continuous damage sources are a must have."

She abandoned the pout and had a thoughtful frown on her face as she slowly nodded. She sent the idea of Instinct over the Bond and he nodded.

"I already suspected that. We'll make a move out of it. It's too good to just let it fall to the wayside. Now, I know you don't have the speed to avoid attacks. It's why we are going with the 'Endless Stamina Tank' Build for you. Your species has a natural handicap in that regard and it becomes worse as you evolve. Not because you become slower but simply because you'll be a much larger target. Speed does not equal reflexes, though."

He let that sink in for a moment before he continued with a smirk. As long as they didn't face overwhelming firepower, literally too since it was a Type Disadvantage, she'll be able to outlast pretty much everything if his plans will work. He wasn't certain on a few of them but even those that had solid evidence to work with would be enough to make her one annoying enemy to face.

"We will train your perception to push down your reaction time. This will allow you to better use the small time window you have before an attack lands. You will use that window with your own judgment. Want to trade some damage since they have to get physically close to damage you? Pull up a defense since they are offensive powerhouses? Use one of the very few evasive measures your species has access to since you face someone with a Type Advantage? This will give you the ability to choose. And that's invaluable."

The more she listened, the more enthusiastic she got about it until she outright cheered in his lap. A fond smile stretched his lips while he softly held her. He was determined to preserve that simple joy. There was almost nothing he'd stop at to make it happen. Luckily she was undemanding in what she needed to be happy. Some time spent with him or a friend, good food and some of his Aura, though the latter two seemed to be synonymous for her.

"Next, let's talk about stamina. Specifically your reserves. How did you fare without having access to mine as a backup battery?"

She sent some of her impressions over the battle. Overall, as long as she paid attention to managing them, it was fine. She regained a bit of energy and physical stamina through Ingrain, increased by immediately channeling Growth into the roots to make them grow abnormally quick. If she'd manage to hit her opponent with Leech Seed, she'd be even better off.

This wasn't even counting the ridiculous usage of Harvest. Sitrus Berries held an amazing amount of energy. And while she was still a bit limited in consumption due to having a rather small body-size, she'd still be able to eat three to four of them in a battle.

"Good. But be careful. Just because we are fine on that front at the moment doesn't mean it will always be so. The big guns are almost always consumption-heavy and even if we practice them to increase efficiency, there'll be a limit."

She nodded with an adorably serious expression on her face and he glomped her. As he cuddled her into submission, he thought back to the the ridiculous encounter he had with Roland Richmond. He investigated him on the way back and the guy was a Monster. No wonder he was able to stand with Professor Oak and the Ghost Empress Agatha. He was a Generalist the last known Rank he had was Ace. He had the suspicion that this wasn't the case anymore.

He said he stagnated, but didn't regress. But with the ridiculous speed they had advanced at, it would be a small miracle if he wasn't at least an Authority, if not more. He also shortly read up on who he called Jen. The woman was an absolute genius with Fire Types and she was all but guaranteed to become the next Clan Head of the Jenny Clan if the parasite hadn't struck her down. Her parents were sadistic enough to call her Jennifer Jenny. He shook his head, feeling compassion for the old man. They looked ridiculously happy together in the few pictures that were available online.

After he left the governmental office, he returned to Hazel's home, still deep in thought. He wasn't entirely in his right mind, so he decided to spar a bit with Phantump to clear it up. They noticed a clear improvement after experiencing that insane pressure, though, which transformed the sparring into a training session to get ahold of their new capabilities. They soon got a basic handle on it and returned to their initial plans while slowly ramping it up until it culminated in that final clash.

He was making plans as to how they should further their training when he heard Hazel comment.

"That was pretty intense right there. You are certainly durable. Even with my own enhancements from the Fire Type, I'd have taken some damage from that last thorny shield she pulled up and you shrugged it off as if it was nothing."

There was some admiration in her voice, though it was mostly playful. He still had a serious bone to pick with her, though. Turning around while still sitting on the ground, he crossed his legs beneath Phantump and changed up her posture to make it easier to pet her. Like an evil villain, he smirked at the woman while looking up at her with a glint in his eyes.

"So, when did you plan to tell me that you were sending me to your uncle? If you wanted me vetted to see if I am boyfriend material or not, there should have been easier ways to do that, right?"

The startled look and the confused 'Eh...?' she gave him was just part of the sweet revenge that he was planning. Shifting slightly to stand up while not jostling Phantump, who was enjoying the petting session, he closed in on the woman who was speechless if the way her mouth opened and snapped shut in quick succession was anything to go by.

"Do you know what I had to go through because of you? And even still, I am only barely worthy of you. If I really wanted to marry you, I'll still have to reach Champion Level at the least."

Slowly, he strolled closer while narrating.

"Would you like that? Going out with me? Your uncle approves, after all. I'll properly take you to a fancy restaurant and we'll have dinner in candle light. I'd feed you some from my dish while you'll do the same for me. It'll be so romantic! We'll go to a fair next. You like the adrenaline, I'd bet. So we'll go on all the fastest rides and the Ghost House. I'll win you a plushy of your choice once we had enough and decide to explore. Maybe a Houndour? And afterwards, we'll go to see the fireworks."

He was close to her now. She was slightly flustered but she stood her ground, not evading his gaze.

"I'll hesitantly put an arm around your shoulder and you wordlessly approve by leaning in and laying your head on my shoulder. When the crescendo of lights reaches it's climax, I'll turn to you and tell you that even this fantastic view can't hold a single candle against the vision of beauty besides me. And then I'll lean in. And we'll share our first kiss. What do you say. Want to do all that? Is that the reason why you set your maniac of an uncle on me?"

He had leaned forward slightly as his voice lowered to a breathy whisper. Their noses were nearly touching as he wanted to see the emotions in her eyes. Surprisingly, while she was embarrassed, there was no interest in there. She was a bit stiff even, though she tried to suppress it. He realised that there was something bigger behind it and let it go. There was a backstory there, probably even the reason for the rigorous testing he went through. Taking a step back, he sighed.

"If that's your reaction to my imagined gallantry, then our relationship is doomed from the start..."

He sounded playfully disappointed with a light smile on his face, showing that he didn't take the silent rejection in a negative way. He put the back of his hand to his forehead in a comically exaggerated theatrical gesture while shifting his posture fluidly to fit.

"Oh woe is me! All my efforts, ruined by mere disinterest! What will I do to heal my broken heart? To stitch together my shattered masculine pride?"

The giggle they heard from the side alerted Hazel that Amelia was present. She had just appeared a minute or so before and her amusement made the sacrificed dignity worth it. It was always worth it if he could bring some joy to innocent children.

The thankful glance from a still-silent Hazel was a bit subdued. It was fine. They'd talk when she was ready for it. It hadn't been long since he stormed into their life after all.

The thought startled him. 'Has it really only been a few days?! I feel as if I've known those two for years. Same with Phantump, actually. It doesn't feel as if she was in my life for just slightly more than two months. The relationship developed as if we were together for years on end.' Was he so bad at keeping a distance? Why would he even want to do that, though? He had no desire to become a one of those edgy loner protagonists.

'I'll take life as it comes. If I really make bonds that easily, I honestly can't regret it if it leads me to become closer with awesome people such as those two.'

He smirked playfully at the little girl and telegraphed the charge he unleashed at her. Her eyes widened in surprise and joy even as she shrieked and turned around to flee.

She would soon be caught and tickled into submission, as was the fate of all mischievous little girls.