Chapter 15 : Cedric's Team

Orion was still very young. If someone were to learn that he had been recklessly roaming outside the city for months and caught a Wild Pokemon without having any Pokemon, there was no doubt that he would be scolded. It was equivalent to a 7-year-old boy entering a forest by himself and bringing back a small wild animal as a pet. Had he done something like that in his previous life, he didn't doubt the fact that he would have received the spanking of a lifetime!

Fortunately, the Gym needed stronger trainers to emerge from young kids and Orion hoped that it worked to his advantage. If he had known Sabrina's words to Cedric, then all his worries would have been resolved.

Orion quickly went to find Cedric. He wasn't difficult to find as Cedric was guiding the new batch of kids he was hoping to turn into Psychics. Of course, the 'guiding' was just him standing and observing the kids meditating. Cedric noticed Orion and was surprised. Orion hadn't taken the initiative to approach him for quite some time. He signalled Orion to enter the room.

Orion did so while keeping the noise to a bare minimum. He said softly, "I need to discuss something with you."

A hint of nervousness could be heard in Orion's tone which surprised Cedric. He wondered, 'Does a reckless boy like him also know how to get nervous? It looks like the matter is serious. But, he seems to be completely fine.'

Cedric asked, "Is it an emergency or can you wait until the session is over?"

Orion answered, "I can wait."

Cedric replied, "Good. You might as well meditate since you are here."

Orion nodded. He went to the back of the room and joined the new kids in meditating.

A couple of hours later, the meditation session was over. The 5-year-old kids left for dinner as Cedric approached Orion and asked, "So, what's the matter?"

Orion said with a hint of nervousness once again, "I encountered a wild Pokemon close to the border of the city…"

As Orion spoke, Cedric's eyes widened. What he was worried about finally happened! Fortunately, Orion was safe. To his surprise, Orion continued, "The wild Pokemon was very injured and I managed to catch it. Though I read a lot of books, this is my first time catching a Pokemon and I wanted your guidance."

Cedric's eyes widened even further! This time, it wasn't due to being worried about Orion but due to his incredible luck! He had managed to catch a Pokemon without having any Pokemon with him! That was unheard of.

Cedric asked, "Which Pokemon did you capture?"

Orion sighed in relief internally thinking, 'I'm so glad that he didn't ask how I got money to buy Pokeballs or why I was close to the city borders. While I have prepared the answers, it would have still been a difficult talk.'

Cedric realized that as well. If not for Sabrina's instructions, he would have taken this opportunity to lecture Orion. Thanks to Sabrina, Orion was spared.

Orion answered, "It is a young Rhyhorn."

Cedric frowned. He thought for a few seconds and asked, "Are you planning on raising it?"

Orion nodded and answered, "Yeah. It is my first Pokemon."

Cedric sighed and said, "You might have read many books, but books don't teach you everything. Listen carefully."

Orion nodded and paid attention. Cedric said, "Training Pokemon isn't easy. If you want to become an Elite Trainer, then you have to provide your Pokemon with very good resources. Otherwise, their growth will be limited.

And, the resources are very difficult to acquire and extremely expensive. In addition, the training for different Pokemon types is very varied from each other. For example, you can't train a Fire type Pokemon in the same way as a Grass type Pokemon.

That is why, as a trainer, you need to focus on just one Pokemon type and raise Pokemons of that type. That way, you will have an easier time training them and will know what resources they require and how to gain them.

Since you have awakened your Psychic powers, you should focus on building a Psychic team. That way, you will have a greater chance of being an Elite Pokemon Trainer."

Orion looked at Cedric and wondered, 'Where can I catch a Psychic Pokemon without having any Pokemons with me? If you were that concerned, why didn't you give me a Psychic Pokemon despite me dropping so many hints over the past year?'

Orion couldn't voice those thoughts. Instead, he showed confusion and asked, "If we raise just one type, then won't we have an unbalanced team as we won't be able to cover weaknesses?"

[A/N: I'm aware that from Generation 6 onwards, Steel type doesn't resist Dark and Ghost type attacks. But this fanfic will follow Gen 5 resistances for Steel types. So, Steel type Pokemons will resist Dark and Ghost type moves. I'm following this as it'll help Pokemon Trainers (not just Orion) in building better defensive teams.]

Cedric nodded and said, "Yes, that is an issue. However, you can resolve it by partnering with other Pokemon Trainers who specialize in different types. Once you become an Elite Trainer, then you can get money more easily and can focus on raising a few different types of Pokemons to make your team more balanced.

For instance, I specialize in Psychic type Pokemons. Psychic Pokemons are weak against Ghost, Dark and Bug type attacks and Psychic attacks are resisted by Steel and Psychic types while Dark types are immune to Psychic.

After I became an Elite Trainer, I solved the issue of defence by catching an Onix and evolving it to Steelix. Steelix can resist Ghost, Dark and Bug type attacks and has very high defenses. He provides an excellent defence for my Psychic Pokemons.

As for attack, most of my Psychic Pokemons know Shadow Ball, so they can attack enemy Ghost and Psychic type Pokemons. I also raised a Houndoom which can attack enemy Steel and Psychic types while also attacking Ghost and Bug types super effectively. In addition, he also helps with defence as he resists Ghost and Dark type attacks.

And, the third non-Psychic type Pokemon I raised was Scizor. She helps in attacking enemy Dark types with super effective attacks and also helps out with defences as she resists what my Psychic Pokemons are weak against as well.

So, as you can see, you can easily cover up all your weaknesses once you become an Elite Trainer."

Orion was surprised. He thought, 'Damn! That's some good coverage. I didn't think that his team would be so good… I guess I can't look down on any Trainer that is ranked as an Elite. Still…'

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A/N: Help share the story guys 😄