Pokémon: Last Quake

After introducing Mudkip to their other Pokémon, the group headed towards the Pokémon Center. Mudkip seemed fascinated by the town and its buildings, its large head swiveling to take in the new sights. The locals, upon glimpsing Mudkip, expressed surprise; it was rare to see a member of the Royal Trio from a foreign region. Before long, the group reached the Pokémon Center and proceeded inside.

Approaching the counter, Tyson greeted, "Morning, Nurse Joy.""

Good morning, my what a cute Mudkip and its color is pretty. It's not common for a Shiny Pokémon to find its way here, especially one of the Royal Trio" Nurse Joy commented upon seeing Mudkip.

"Well, she was born just a few minutes ago, so I came to have her examined" Tyson replied which caused Nurse Joy's eyes to light up. 

"Oh, this little one was just born? That's great, let's give her a quick check up, Chansey" Nurse Joy spoke as her Chansey stepped from behind the desk, gesturing Tyson and the group to follow. 

Following Nurse Joy and Chansey, the group hurried into the examination room. Once inside the room, Tyson and the group noticed that the layout was standard. An examination table, stethascopes, tongue depressors and other tools could be seen on a nearby table, which Nurse Joy calmly approached, only to stop and point to the examination table before continuing.

Placing Mudkip on the table, Tyson noticed the unease in her eyes and leaned down to whisper, "Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen to you while I am here," which reassured Mudkip. 

The examination was fairly standard, with Nurse Joy asking about the details of Mudkip's birth and the actions Tyson had taken. She was surprised that Tyson had used a Mystic Water to give Mudkip extra energy, but it was not the first time this had happened. Most intermediate breeders would often seek out items to aid in inproving the foundation of a Pokemon, and most of the time, these items would be used at birth. 

After finishing her questions, Nurse Joy checked Mudkip's heart rate and muscle strength before concluding that she was very healthy, which was within Tyson's expectations, but having it confirmed by a professional made him feel more comfortable. This was the first time he had witnessed a Pokemon being born, and the first time he had used an item to assist in a Pokemon's birth, so the whole situation was still new to him. The information about using items to enhance a Pokemon's physique at birth was in fact a lesson he had learned from Shane, who had advised that should he encounter or gain possession of a Pokemon Egg that he planned to raise, he would first need to secure items with rich type energy before it hatched. 

Concluding the check up the group was lead out of the examination room and into the lobby. Before their departure, Nurse Joy began to instruct Tyson on caring for the young Mudkip. Tyson, however, assured her of his extensive research on the Mudkip lineage and his aspirations to become a Pokémon Breeder, which brought a smile to Nurse Joy's face, but still she insisted on passing a few tips along. Leaving the Pokémon Center with Mudkip cradled in Tyson's arms, he noted that she was off put by the examination as Mudkip began to cry and complain. 

"I guess she really didn't like the checkup," Alice said, receiving an angry look from Tyson that translated as 'You think?!'

"Let's get something to eat, there should be a restaurant nearby," Leo advised as he began to lead the group.

After a short walk the group found a nearby restaurant for lunch. Titled "The Pelican Dish", the sign showed a Pelipper scooping water into its beak. Inside the restaurant, Tyson and his friends found a comfortable spot to settle down while waiting for their food, he gave Mudkip another bottle of milk to calm her down. One thing Tyson noted about Mudkip was its voracious apitite which mirrored Gligar's.'

This girl is going to be one hell of an eater once she reaches full size' Tyson thought as he turned his attention to the group

"So, Mudkip has had her checkup. What's our next step?" asked Alice.

"I intend to keep up our practice sessions until the tournament begins, all while taking care of Mudkip," Tyson elaborated.

"Hey, remember our battle!" said Alice with a frown.

Tyson sighed and said, "No, I haven't forgotten. It's crucial that I focus on enhancing Trapinch's physical strength. Its mastery of ground-type energy is improving. By further developing its physical prowess, it could become formidable upon evolution. The primary disadvantage when Trapinch evolves into Vibrava is the trade-off of power for speed. If I can boost its strength to offset this, then Vibrava will retain Trapinch's power while significantly gaining in speed."

"Training is crucial, but keep in mind this is a rookie tournament. Most participants will be new trainers without any badges, and some may even be locals from Emeragrove Town. So, relax and have faith in your Pokémon," Leo suggested, receiving an affirming nod from Tyson.

After finishing their meal, the group traveled to the local battlefield. For this battle, Leo had decided to be the judge as both trainers readied themselves for battle.

"This will be a one-on-one battle with no substitutions. The battle ends when one side is unable to continue," Leo declared, as both parties nodded in agreement.

'This battle will serve as great practice for the tournament; let's see how our training holds up,' Tyson thought, releasing a Poke ball. With a burst of light, Trapinch emerged, snapping its jaws and turning to face Tyson.

"This will be our second battle, Trapinch. It is time to test your training. Do your best, as we will evaluate your progress so far," Tyson commented as Trapinch nodded before turning his attention back to the battlefield. In his arms, Mudkip watched in confusion and intrigue. Seeing this, Tyson said, "This is the first Pokémon Battle you've ever seen, Mudkip, so wish your big brother luck so he can win.

Mudkip quickly cheered Trapinch "Mud Mudkip" [Good Luck], which made Trapinch want to win even more. He didn't want his little sister to see him lose. Tyson smiled and thought, "She was only born a few hours ago, but she can speak quite well. That makes sense, because she will be able to start training in a week due to her increased size, and Nurse Joy said that her body was quite strong for a Pokemon that was just born today."

On the other side of the battlefield, Alice had also released her Pokémon. The Pokémon stood on two legs, had a single leaf atop its head. It was mostly brown with a beige mask on its face. A small cry escaped its mouth as it gazed at Trapinch, ready for battle: "Nuz!".

'A Nuzleaf…this will be an interesting battle. They're known for using the leaf on their head to play music' Tyson thought as he took a mental sigh. The lessons from grandpa and studying still continue to pay off. (A/N: I find it interesting that although Nuzleaf's Pokédex entry says it likes to play music with the leaf on its head, in the games it doesn't learn a single sound-based move naturally outside Astonish and Snarl should you teach it via TM).

One of the major lessons Shane taught Tyson during their breeder lessons was to learn a Pokémon's basic characteristics. Even he wasn't knowledgeable in all aspects of a species, the best way to be prepared in the wild is to learn many Pokémon's main characteristics, or as Shane called it, "Their Calling Card." As such, a large portion of Tyson's time with Shane was spent reading and learning cooking recipes as well as nutrition. As for medical knowledge, Tyson remained at a basic level, being able to do checkups and treat small injuries and statuses like confusion, and light burns. However, more complicated conditions like Poison and Frostbite would take him a lot of time to cure.

"Are both sides ready?" Leo inquired, and both trainers nodded once more. "Then begin!" Leo exclaimed, initiating the battle.

"Let's not give them a chance to respond, Nuzi use Quick Attack!" Alice commanded as Nuzleaf enveloped itself in white light before dashing forward. The speed Nuzleaf moved at caught Tyson off guard, as it only took mere moments for it to close the distance.

'It's faster than I thought, with the boost from quick attack it quickly got within ten feet of Trapinch in moments' Tyson thought as he observed Nuzleaf with his mouth agape.

By the time Nuzleaf got within five feet of Trapinch, his arm had been drawn back and his hand was clenched into a fist, ready to strike. However, Tyson responded by commanding, "Trapinch, bite his fist!" As Trapinch quickly opened his jaws, they quickly snapped around the incoming punch.

Now it was Alice's turn to be surprised. She didn't expect Tyson to respond so fast and in such an odd way.

"Now, slam it into the ground," Tyson commanded as Trapinch tightened its jaws before unleashing a massive amount of force, lifting Nuzleaf's body into the air.

"What the..." Alice exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Seeing all this, she gritted her teeth and quickly countered, "Oh no, you don't! Nuzi, use Astonish!"

Hearing the command, Nuzleaf swiftly used its free arm to grasp the leaf atop its head, delivering a sharp blow that emitted a loud screech, assaulting Trapinch's ears. This made Trapinch momentarily pause, loosening its jaw just enough for Nuzleaf to extract its arm. Using the opportunity, Nuzleaf placed its feet atop Trapinch's face and pushed forward, propelling itself backward and away from Trapinch.

'She responded quite swiftly and managed to counter Trapinch's Bite, which is to be expected from someone with three badges' Tyson mused as Nuzleaf and Trapinch faced off.

"How about this, Nuzi, use Razor Leaf!" Alice ordered

Quickly, Nuzleaf leapt into the air, his head spinning as several leaves shot forward, spinning at high speed.

"Counter it with Rock Slide," Tyson commanded as Trapinch let out a roar, rising on its hind legs as it began to conjure several rocks a short distance in front of it. Slamming down on its front legs, the rocks began raining down along the path the Razor Leaf traveled, colliding with the oncoming barrage. The clash between these two moves created a small dust cloud blocking Trapinch from view, and as the dust began to settle enough to see the other side of the field, it was revealed that Trapinch had vanished.

"What? How did it disappear? Alice asked in surprise, looking around the field for any sign of Trapinch. Nuzleaf landed, it's guard up in anticipation of an imminent attack, and it began to scan the surroundings. Alice's eyes widened as the last of the dust settled, revealing a small hole where Trapinch had once stood. She turned to command Nuzleaf, but it was too late. There was a loud bang and Trapinch shot up from beneath Nuzleaf, his mouth gaping. Nuzleaf tried to retreat as he saw the impending attack, but it was too late.

"Oh shit!" Alice spoke as her fast changed to one of horror as she heard Tyson's next command "Bug Bite" with a grin on his face.

Trapinch's mouth glowed bright green as it closed around Nuzleaf once more, but this time it clung to her side instead of her arm. Nuzleaf screamed in excruciating pain as Trapinch sank his teeth into it. Tyson knew that Nuzleaf was a Grass and Dark type Pokémon, so he knew that a move like Bug Bite would be disastrous.

"Don't give up, you must escape, use Astonish to stun him again!" Alice commanded, but this time Trapinch had no intention of letting Nuzleaf escape. Using the force of its jaws and its incredible strength, Trapinch pulled Nuzleaf down and pinned it to the ground with a loud thud. With the force of Trapinch's jaws and the bug-type energy from the move Bug Bite entering its body, Nuzleaf quickly lost all strength in its body and drifted into unconsciousness.

"That's enough!" Leo shouted as he raised his arm in Tyson's direction, "Nuzleaf is unable to continue, Tyson and Trapinch are the winners.

Looking at her injured Nuzleaf, Alice frowned before returning it to its Poke Ball with a sigh, "Damn, and I had the advantage too. I thought if we were more aggressive, we could use Nuzleaf's speed to beat him. Unfortunately for Alice, it seemed that Tyson was already familiar with the speed of the Nuzleaf species, and even countered by blocking her vision.

Walking over to Trapinch with Mudkip in his arms, Tyson congratulated him, "Well done Trapinch, thats your second win", which brought a smile to Trapinch's face.

"That was a good strategy, Tyson," Leo said as he approached the group from the side.

"Though I don't understand how you ordered your Trapinch to dig and sneak near Nuzleaf, I didn't hear you make a single sound after the Rock Slide and Razor Leaf collided," Alice spoke as she couldn't help but ask. Trapinch's surprise attack was one she hadn't expected. She had been a trainer for a year and had fought many battles, although no trainer had ever given a silent order.

"Are you a Psychic?" Leo asked as he too was curious.

"No, I'm not a psychic, believe me, I checked. The answer is quite simple, it was a trick that Trapinch and I worked into his fighting style during training," Tyson explained.

"Ingrained into its combat style?" Alice echo'd in confusion

"He means that he trained Trapinch to use Dig in certain situations during battle" Leo chimed in further expanding on Tyson's explaination.

"Exactly, during training, I have instructed my Pokemon to take certain actions when certain situations arise in battle, one of which is for Trapinch to use Dig when he is obscured," Tyson confirmed as Leo nodded thoughtfully.

'Usually, trainers do not condition their Pokemon to perform preset actions. Live commands are more popular, but with preset commands, he could easily catch his opponent off guard. The main reason Alice didn't hear Tranpinch digging into the ground was because the sound was drowned out by the clash between Razor Leaf and Rock Slide,' Leo mused. This was an advanced training technique that beginners would not know about.

"Thats so unfair! That means that depending on the situation your Pokemon will always have the initiative in a battle" Alice complained with a pout

Tyson shrugged as he replied, "It was just a trick my grandmother taught me. Besides, if your opponent has preset actions as well, it balances out the fight".

This revelation caused Alice to think, "That explains it," with a huff of annoyance. While high-level training techniques could be found online, certain training techniques, such as those of the Elite Four members, could not.

"Well, let's get our Pokemon healed, we only have four days until the tournament. Today, well celebrate Mudkip's birthday. Tommorrow i'll do some basic training; while theres no need to go overboard well still need to stay in shape" Tyson spoke, earning a nod from Alice and Leo.

Pokémon Team:

Team Rank: 3

Pupitar

Gender: Male

Type: Rock/Ground

Abilities: Shed Skin

Held Item: None

Moves: Rock Throw, Bite, Payback, Leer, Scary Face, Dragon Dance [Inherited], Ancient Power [Inherited], Stomping Tantrum, Sandstorm, Iron Defense, Outrage, Rock Slide

Custom Moves: Sand Shield

Moves Learnt:

Gligar

Gender: Female

Type: Ground/Flying

Abilities: Hyper Cutter, Sand Veil, Immunity [Undeveloped]

Held Items: None

Moves: Thief, Knock Off, Poison Tail, Quick Attack, Wing Attack [Inherited], Toxic, Spikes, Toxic, Rock Slide, Stealth Rock Spikes, Venoshock

Custom Moves:

Moves Learnt:

Trapinch

Gender: Male

Type: Ground

Abilities: Hyper Cutter, Sand Trap [Undeveloped] Sheer Force

Held Items: None

Moves: Astonish, Mud Slap, Sand Attack, Bite, Crunch, Bulldoze, Dig, Sand Tomb, Bug Bite [Inherited], Rock Slide

Moves Learnt:

Custom Moves: Sand Trap

Mudkip[Shiny]

Gender: Female

Type: Water

Abilities: Torrent [Undeveloped] Damp [Undeveloped]

Held Items: None

Moves: Tackle, Water Gun, Growl, Mirror Coat [Inherited], Counter [Inherited], Bite [Inherited]

Moves Learnt:

Custom Moves: