Chapter 9: First Training Session
Early the following morning, Yuga rose from bed with determination. If he intended to train Flabébé seriously, there was no room for sleeping in.
Unlike the past mornings when he had awakened in a suffocating state, Yuga had now prepared a small nest for Flabébé on the tree in the shop, in line with Flabébé's request. Starting from the previous night, Flabébé had been sleeping on that tree every night. This arrangement meant that Yuga no longer had to share his bed with Flabébé.
After freshening up, Yuga proceeded to the tree and gently roused Flabébé from its slumber. However, still half-asleep, Flabébé seemed reluctant to leave its cozy nest.
Yuga decided to employ a different tactic. He began to act melodramatic, saying, "Flabébé, my heart is broken. I never expected you to deceive me. You promised to become stronger and protect me in the future, but it turns out those were just sweet lies, mere deceit."
While pretending to wipe away tears, Yuga continued, "Are you telling the truth or not?"
Hearing Yuga's sorrowful "confession," Flabébé swiftly flew out of its nest and gently consoled Yuga with soothing sounds.
"Is this real, not a trick?"
With teary eyes, Yuga earnestly asked Flabébé.
Flabébé nodded and gestured, clearly indicating its sincerity.
"Okay then, let's work hard from now on. You won't deceive me, will you?"
With "teary eyes," Yuga inquired sincerely.
Flabébé nodded vigorously, its walnut-sized head bobbing up and down.
Seeing his strategy succeed, Yuga couldn't help but silently mock himself, thinking, "Oops, I unintentionally became quite theatrical, and I'm even acting all coquettish."
Yuga's yard was spacious enough for their training needs, so he and Flabébé moved to the yard for their training session.
"Flabébé, show me all the skills you know."
Yuga had already examined Flabébé's skills using his Insight skill. Unfortunately, the results were far from impressive – Flabébé only knew four skills, and their power was quite weak.
However, its level was fixed, and there was nothing Yuga could do about it. Moreover, the awakening of Pokémon skills was not solely determined by level; chance played a significant role in it.
Apart from the battle with Linoone, Flabébé had never participated in any battles before, so Yuga wasn't sure how proficient Flabébé was with its known skills.
With an unwavering nod from Flabébé, Yuga took that as a signal to proceed.
First, Flabébé demonstrated the skill Vine Whip. Two green vines shot out, but their momentum fizzled out midway.
Yuga remembered the incident when Flabébé had used Vine Whip to prevent Luna from hugging it, only to be pulled over. This reinforced the notion that Vine Whip lacked sufficient power.
Next, Flabébé grabbed the Fairy Flower beneath it, twirled around, and conjured a faint breeze that dissipated after a few seconds.
This Fairy Wind seemed more suitable for providing a gentle breeze than delivering any real attack.
For the third skill, Tackle, Yuga didn't allow Flabébé to demonstrate it, as an open area like the yard wasn't suitable for the move. Besides, Tackle might not be ideal for Flabébé's delicate frame.
Lastly, Flabébé attempted to use Protect. In this non-combat scenario, the demonstration resulted in brief flashes of green light before fading.
Though this version of Protect appeared lackluster, Yuga recognized its value in preserving Flabébé's abilities from being weakened.
As Yuga sighed, acknowledging Flabébé's limited skill set, he realized that the awakening of abilities was a process beyond his control. Reflecting on the minor skirmish with Linoone, he acknowledged that Flabébé's combat experience was minimal.
Nevertheless, Flabébé exuded unwavering confidence, prompting a smile from Yuga. Flabébé's self-assuredness was truly amusing.
At this stage, however, Flabébé's weak skills weren't very effective.
Flabébé also realized the level of its skills and returned to Yuga somewhat dejectedly.
Yuga comforted it with a smile.
"Although you're not strong now, as long as you work hard, you'll become increasingly powerful. My safety will depend on you in the future."
Upon hearing Yuga's words, Flabébé's determination reignited immediately.
"Flabébé, Flabébé, Flabébé!"
Clutching its tiny fists, Flabébé shouted, showing its resolve.
Yuga had a two-point training plan for Flabébé.
First, enhance its physical stamina.
Second, practice its skills.
Physical stamina was the foundation of all battles. Only with increased stamina could Flabébé participate in stronger battles.
As for skill practice, Flabébé's proficiency was rather lacking. Its skills were barely passable, and they needed improvement.
Flabébé's initial training focused on stamina.
Yuga found a stone slightly larger than an adult's fist, tied it to the stem of Flabébé's Fairy Flower with a rope, and had it fly around the yard while dragging the stone.
Of course, Yuga followed alongside Flabébé, running together. More importantly, he supervised Flabébé, as it was rather absentminded.
However, Flabébé's constitution was underdeveloped; it became out of breath after flying just a short distance.
Yet Yuga didn't cut it any slack, and he pushed Flabébé to complete ten rounds of flying while
dragging the stone.
The yard was quite spacious, making ten rounds a substantial distance to cover. Yuga himself didn't complete the run but instead supervised Flabébé while taking shortcuts.
This training session highlighted the disparity between human and Pokémon physiques.
Even though Flabébé was small and seldom exercised, it managed to complete the task of flying ten rounds around the yard while dragging the weight. Even though it was exhausted, it had achieved the goal.
However, Yuga, as a human, couldn't match this feat.
Observing Flabébé, utterly fatigued, Yuga realized that perhaps it was best to save skill training for another time. Regardless of the situation, a gradual approach was key; after all, moderation was essential.
After the training, Yuga gave Flabébé a full-body massage.
However, due to Flabébé's diminutive size, Yuga didn't apply too much pressure. By the time he finished, his hands were sore.
Following the training, Yuga prepared breakfast for both Flabébé and himself. After eating, he readied himself to open the shop for customers.
However, Flabébé was utterly exhausted. After breakfast, it flew straight back to its nest and fell back asleep.
Seeing how tired Flabébé was, Yuga decided not to disturb it.
He opened the shop door, removing the "Closed" sign he had hung there the previous night, and began business for the day.
Seated behind the cash register, Yuga waited for customers. However, after quite some time, no customers arrived. Yuga thought, "Maybe it's time to restock. Relying solely on these few Pokémon eggs won't attract many customers."
Nevertheless, Yuga decided to postpone restocking until after completing the mission in the next three days. Regardless of the mission's completion, he would visit the Day Care Center.
The Day Care Center wasn't far from Verdanturf Town, located in Lavaridge Town. By passing through the Rusturf Tunnel, he could easily reach it. Lavaridge Town was the closest town to Verdanturf Town.
If Verdanturf Town was known for its fresh air and therapeutic ambiance, Lavaridge Town gained fame for its thriving tourism centered around hot springs.
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