Pokemon: Radical Redux-Chapter 358: Joy of tort- I mean, training

It had been a few days since the boat left Cianwood, and during that time, there was more hangout time for everyone. Misty and Brock were doing their own things, and Pikachu went with Cap to teach him [Floaty Fall], like he asked.

The results were... mixed. Cap had managed the "float" part. The "fall"? Less so. Let's just say several barrels had to be replaced, and one poor Snorunt now flinched at shadows.

As for Ash, well, Liko, Roy, and Dot had asked him to train them to be stronger. At their current strength, they were hardly able to fend for themselves. In both disasters they'd faced, all they could really do was run.

And since the only actual training they'd had before this mostly involved occasionally getting beaten down by Cap, who, unsurprisingly, wasn't great at teaching, neither he nor Friede had really prepared them. Seriously, it's been like six months, and they're only around the level Ash was when he beat Brock. Maybe Misty, if you squint.

So the next day, Ash dragged them out of bed before sunrise. Dot nearly fainted when he told her there was no coffee until after training. Roy was vibrating with excitement. Liko looked like she regretted everything.

"All right," Ash said, clapping his hands once. "You guys want to stop running away, right?"

Liko nodded, determined. "I don't want to freeze up again."

Dot crossed her arms. "Or feel like I'm just... a background character in an anime..."

Roy clenched his fists. "And I want to be super strong so I can beat the Black Rayquaza!"

Ash smiled, eyes serious but kind. "Good. Because starting today, somehow, I'll make a Pokémon trainer out of you."

He pointed behind him, where a row of cones and logs had been hastily set up, plus a few sandbags borrowed from the ship's storage.

"First things first, show me what you've got. I don't think I've seen you guys battle," Ash said, crossing his arms.

Liko, Roy, and Dot exchanged uncertain glances.

"All right, uh..." Roy stepped up first, puffing out his chest. "Cyndaquil, let's go!"

The goofy little fire echidna waddled up, already humming off-key softly, mostly just thinking about what lunch was going to be.

Ash tilted his head. "Okay, Roy, you're up first. Let's keep it simple. Hit that sandbag with everything you've got."

Roy pointed dramatically. "Cyndaquil, use [Ember]!"

Cyndaquil burped... and a tiny puff of smoke poofed out. The sandbag didn't even twitch.

"...Huh," Roy muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ash blinked, then gave a thumbs-up. "All right! Good baseline. We'll build from there."

Dot sighed and stepped forward next, adjusting her headband. "Quaxly. Let's just get this over with."

The stylish duck Pokémon posed with a flourish before trotting over.

"[Water Gun], aim for the top cone."

Quaxly did a little twirl and blasted a jet of water. He missed the cone entirely, but completely soaked one of the logs.

"...I think he was trying to look good for the camera," Dot muttered, facepalming.

Ash chuckled. "Okay, not bad. He's got form, but no focus."

Liko came last. "Sprigatito, you're up!"

The green cat bounded forward and landed gracefully. "[Leafage]!"

A swirl of leaves flew forward... and got caught in the wind, harmlessly fluttering past all the targets.

"Hey, at least that one made it to the end of the course," Ash teased gently. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Liko looked frustrated. "I know she can do better. Sprigatito, more [Leafage]! Lots of [Leafage]!"

Before Ash could stop her, Sprigatito jumped up and started firing [Leafage] again and again, creating a cone of leaves everywhere, nearly blowing some of them over.

When it stopped, Ash walked over and softly flicked Liko's forehead, "Don't do that," he said.

Liko blinked, rubbing her head slightly. "Why not? We hit it, didn't we?"

"That's the problem. You can't just spam one move over and over. Your Pokémon's going to get tired, and then what? You've wasted all your resources on one big attack while your opponent's still ready to go five more rounds."

Ash leaned down and picked the cat up, "And what if it was a double battle? Your partner would get caught in it."

Liko looked down sheepishly. "Okay, okay. I'll try not to get carried away."

Ash stood back up, brushing off his hands, "Don't worry. This is what training's for, figuring out how to get the most out of what you already have, and how to build from there."

He took a step back to get a good look at them.

"And I've got my work cut out for me. So the easiest way to do this is for me to train with you."

As he spoke, he whispered something, and Vee jumped over, sitting beside Ash's feet.

"Vee here is about as strong as you guys. Since I just got him, I need to help him catch up with the rest of my team. So get ready, we're starting with a battle. If you can beat Vee, I'll complete any one request you have."

"Anything?" Roy asked.

Ash nodded. "Anything."

"...Anything?" Dot repeated.

Ash confirmed again, "Anything."

"Anythi—?"

"I'll find you and it'll look like an acci— Ahem, sorry, I mean yes. Anything," Ash said, clearing his throat.

"Okay then, let's battle! And we're going to win!" Roy said confidently.

—

[5 minutes later]

Vee was licking his paws, cleaning the dirt off his fur while sitting on top of a pile of the three Pokémon. Ash had said Vee was about as strong as theirs, but they'd forgotten something. It's not just about strength. Ash is a way better trainer than them, especially with Vee's hacks: changing back and forth between forms meant Ash had literally hundreds of strategies, even with an untrained Vee.

Ash tilted his head, "Honestly, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, I expected more."

"That isn't comforting..." Dot muttered.

"Yeah, I thought we could at least get one hit in... we really are the worst," Roy groaned.

"You're not the worst," Ash said, tilting his head again. "Okay, maybe you are. But in your defense, you haven't trained. I've met people who did train, and they're almost as bad as you. Give it time, there's no such thing as someone who starts out strong."

"Really? Even you?" Dot asked.

"Oh yeah. I've lost my fair share of battles. Just because my League account says I have a 100% win rate doesn't mean anything, that's just for official recorded matches. I've lost plenty before," Ash said with a nod.

"So now, it's time for you guys to get better. Starting with this." Ash snapped his fingers. His bag began shaking, and from it, Clefairy popped her head out, still munching on a cookie, then climbed out and sat on Ash's shoulder.

"What's that Clefairy got to do with our training?" Roy asked.

Ash just smiled and snapped his fingers again, Clefairy saw the signal and put her hand out—and suddenly, everyone felt the gravity around them double.

"This is how I train," Ash explained. "I can handle ten times gravity. But for you guys, we're going to work up to five."

They all blinked, staying silent for a moment as they processed what Ash had just said.

Roy broke the silence. "Are we still getting breakfast?"

Ash smirked. "You earn breakfast."

Dot groaned. "I miss Friede already..."

Meanwhile, Yellow was finally getting the chance to enjoy her cinnamon rolls as she watched the chaos unfold. She shared them with Chuchu and Vee as they watched the training from hell.

—-

Day One

Liko collapsed dramatically onto the deck after the fifth lap around the ship, "I'm gonna die. This is it. Tell Sprigatito I loved her."

Dot was doing shaky squats beside her, muttering something about how her thighs were "betraying her."

Roy was drenched in sweat, but smiled excitedly. "I want to keep going!"

Ash, jogging backward as he coached them, grinned, "That's the spirit. Come on, just five more laps and I'll let you guys go for lunch."

"I am really going to die... is it too late to take it back..." Liko mumbled.

–

Day Two

Ash stood behind Roy and Cyndaquil with a bucket of sand, "Again!"

Cyndaquil huffed, cheeks glowing, and shot a proper [Ember] that sizzled against the sandbag this time. It wasn't big, but it was definitely fire.

Roy pumped his fists. "He did it! He really did it!"

Ash dumped the bucket on the fire, "And now again. Until it's consistent."

Meanwhile, Quaxly was working with Dot and Misty. Dot had asked Misty for help since she was a Water-type expert, and Misty, curious after hearing about Ash's tort- I mean, training, had joined in on the fun,

Misty watched the duck fire water, "Yeah, it looks pretty, but I've seen squirt bottles with more force than that. If you want it to deal damage, try making him hold the pose before firing, instead of shooting it like a sprinkler."

Dot listened and rubbed her chin, "Huh... that could work. Okay, Quaxly, let's try it!"

Meanwhile, Sprigatito, on the other hand, was learning to focus smaller. Ash had placed three apples on top of cones and told Liko she had to hit only the middle one.

Three tries in, and the cat had shredded all of them, again and again, until there was a basket of sliced apples. The only good thing was that Murdock and Brock took all the nearly perfect slices to go make desserts for everyone.

Ash nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Time for control drills."

Liko blinked. "What does that mean—?"

Ash held up a blindfold and a whistle.

Liko stared at him in horror, "No. No way. You are not doing anime blind training with me—!"

"Too late." Ash was already walking toward her. "This is how I learned, so you're learning just like I did."

—

Day Five

Cyndaquil nailed the sandbag with a real burst of fire.

Quaxly managed to snipe a cup off a barrel without even dripping water on anything else.

Sprigatito hit the right apple, and only the right apple, dead center.

All three trainers and Pokémon turned to Ash.

He gave them a thumbs-up, "Now that's what I'm talking about."

They beamed, finally, they were getting praised.

Then he clapped again, "Okay, now five battles before breakfast!"

They immediately collapsed onto the ground.

—

Day Six

Ash sat on a crate, watching as Roy, Dot, and Liko battled each other in a free-for-all match. They'd definitely improved, at least now they could battle effectively. Ash had told them the winner would get an extra hour of rest, so they were giving it their all.

Meanwhile, Pikachu sat beside him, munching on a rice ball with ketchup filling that Murdock had almost cried making, while Vee lay across Ash's lap like a lazy cat, tail flicking occasionally.

Roy pointed dramatically. "Cyndaquil, circle around and hit Quaxly with [Flame Charge]!"

Cyndaquil chirped and took off, a flicker of fire lighting up around its body. Dot's eyes narrowed.

"Intercept it. [Aqua Jet] and aim low!"

Quaxly launched forward like a sleek, watery bullet. The two moves crashed in the center with a burst of steam. Both Pokémon tumbled back, landing on their feet.

Liko took the opportunity. "Sprigatito, [Magical Leaf], wide spread!"

The grass cat leapt up, eyes gleaming, and unleashed a sparkling arc of homing leaves that swirled through the air toward both Cyndaquil and Quaxly.

"Jump back!" Roy shouted.

"Spin and block with a [Water Gun]!" Dot commanded.

Cyndaquil ducked and rolled just in time, while Quaxly struck a stylish spin and launched a pressurized burst of water upward. It didn't stop all the leaves, but it deflected a good chunk of them. The rest peppered the field.

Roy clenched his fists. "Time for the new move! [Smokescreen], now!"

Cyndaquil skidded to a stop and let out a thick cloud of black smoke, covering the deck.

"Quaxly, get out of there!" Dot coughed, waving her arm.

"Sprigatito, [Quick Attack] into the smoke, find whoever's inside!" Liko shouted.

Suddenly, a blur shot through the fog and collided with Quaxly, sending the duck tumbling with a surprised squawk.

Dot growled, "Ugh, why is [Quick Attack] so fast now!?"

From the smoke, Cyndaquil erupted again, faster and more confident. "[Flame Charge]! Go!!" Roy cried.

Just as Sprigatito emerged from the smoke, it was tackled by a flaming rocket of a rodent. Both Pokémon hit the floor in a tumble and didn't get back up right away.

All three trainers stared at the battlefield, where Cyndaquil, Sprigatito, and Quaxly all lay in tired, groaning heaps.

Ash stood up, slowly clapping. "Draw."

"WHAAAAT?!" Roy, Dot, and Liko shouted in unison.

"You're all equally wiped, and no one technically fainted last."

Dot flopped backward onto the floor, groaning. "This is a nightmare."

Roy sighed. "So close..."

"Right, well, since you've been working hard with each other... fine. You can all take the extra hour."

"DEAL!" they shouted as they scrambled to flee, only to immediately stumble and fall because they forgot Clefairy was still using [Gravity] on them.

As Clefairy finally stopped and they got up to head to the kitchen, Dot muttered into the floorboards, "I take it back... Friede was a saint. A useless one. But a saint."

Ash chuckled as Pikachu offered a piece of his ketchup rice ball to Vee, who blinked, sniffed it, and then lazily accepted the offering with a happy chirp. Yellow, seated nearby with Chuchu curled beside her, tossed Ash a berry smoothie. "You're lucky they haven't mutinied."

"Ha, as if they could beat me. I'd love to see them try," Ash replied, catching the drink and taking a long sip. "I didn't become the champion of the Indigo League by napping all day."

"What about the time you broke your arm?" Yellow pointed out casually.

"...Irrelevant," Ash mumbled through his smoothie.

—-

The next day, Ash didn't call them to training since they were already at the location, and Friede called everyone to the deck.

"Alright, team, we're on the island. But there's one problem: the island we're on doesn't have a volcano," Friede said, pointing behind him to the island. "I checked the rocks, and they don't show the signs of erosion you'd find on a volcanic island."

"But I did see something, there are a lot of Pokémon that are normally only found in the deep sea that have suddenly started appearing."

"Oh, so that's why Mr. Ludlow and I found a cute Huntail swimming around," Misty said, slamming her fist into the palm of her hand.

"Okay, but what does that mean? And more importantly, why are they swimming out?" Dot asked.

"Well, I thought I'd let our resident volcano expert explain that~" Friede said as he looked at Ash.

Ash sighed. "Not an expert. Just took a few classes because it looked interesting. But if I had to guess, I'd say a deep-sea volcano is probably about to erupt. That's why."

"Eh? A volcano in the sea? That's a thing? Isn't that, like, complete opposites, you know, fire and water?" Liko asked as she looked out with Terapagos, who had popped out of the bag to watch the sea too.

"Yes and no. It's complicated. I'm not going to get into the specifics because we don't have nearly enough time for that. Just know it is a thing, and it happens, more than you'd think. There are probably more underwater volcanoes than ones on land."

"So that means if there is an underwater volcano, then Entei might be nearby!" Roy said excitedly.

"Exactly. So if we wait here, Entei's bound to show up."

Brock nodded, looking out to the water. "Then let's take turns keeping watch."

"We finally get to meet Entei," Liko said excitedly.

"I can't wait!" Roy added.

—

Hours later, it was Friede and Ash's turn to take watch as they sat in the cockpit, their Pikachus rubbing cheeks together.

Friede glanced over at Ash. "So, you took care of their training. Thanks for that. I'm not exactly the best teacher, so it helps. How do you feel about them?"

Ash shrugged "If I'm being honest, I'd like to have them for a month before I feel comfortable letting them loose on one of the Legendary Beasts. But we don't have that kind of time. I'll just have to do what I can to compensate."

Friede nodded. "I hear you. Me, Cap, and even my Charizard, we haven't been getting any stronger lately. I guess this is as strong as I get. And at the rate you're going, you'll probably be stronger than me in a year."

"Hmm... yeah, that's normal, honestly. From what I can tell, you've probably got no desire to get stronger, do you?" Ash asked.

"You're right about that. No, what we want is to explore the world. I guess maybe you find that silly, you're doing that and still getting stronger."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes getting stronger isn't for everyone. You can still be strong without training. Just do what you want. You're the only one who gets to decide that."

Friede nodded with a smile at Ash's words. He was about to say something when everything began to shake. Even though they were in the air, the ship rumbled like the ground beneath them had quaked.

The shaking woke everyone up. They rushed into the cockpit in their pajamas, looking out to see what caused it, and what they saw made their throats go dry.

A volcano was rising from the sea as it erupted. Friede quickly grabbed the wheel and turned the ship around to avoid the blast.

As they flew away and landed on the island, from the mouth of the newly formed volcano stood a Pokémon, silhouetted by steam and fire. It looked down at them with glowing red eyes.

Entei was here.

——-

500 stone Chapter