Time passed quickly.
The Pokémon cherished the rare moment of peace and rest. But by around eight in the evening, the natural pull of their internal clocks made Shiro and his team head back into their tent to sleep.
Meanwhile, Marvin continued training with Allister, and Nessa stood at the edge of the campsite, cooking alongside her Pokémon beneath the quiet desert sky.
Night slowly deepened and eventually came to an end.
...
The next morning, Shiro rose early to pack and clean up.
Knowing they'd likely remain in the wild for some time, he had come prepared with toiletries, a sleeping bag, and everything else he might need. After a quick wash and a simple breakfast shared with his Pokémon, he pulled out his communicator. Still no message about meeting up.
He checked the time. It was only 6:32 a.m.
"Perfect. Let's find a few wild Pokémon to battle," he murmured, stepping out of the tent and releasing Corvisquire.
The bird emerged with a sharp cry, gripped Shiro's shoulders tightly, and launched into the air with a powerful flap of its wings.
They soared past the ruined walls and stone sculptures behind the campsite. Below them, golden dunes stretched endlessly into the distance. Occasionally, a few twisted boulders and withered little trees came into view but were quickly blurred by drifting sand stirred by the morning breeze.
There didn't seem to be any cactus-like plants around. Most of the vegetation consisted of shriveled, thin blades of grass, huddled near rocks or dried-up trees.
Shiro kept a sharp eye out, looking for the perfect wild Pokémon: one with a decent level but weak strength. Something ideal for training.
Before long, he noticed a small group of Geodude disguised as rocks buried in the sand. There were five of them. The way the round stones clustered together looked a little too unnatural, so Shiro used his scanning ability and discovered their true identity.
Each Geodude was just over level 20, barely at the Intermediate level, excellent opponents for Growlithe.
He tapped Corvisquire's claw.
The bird understood immediately and folded its wings, diving rapidly toward the desert floor.
Thud!
A few meters from the ground, Shiro jumped down. His boots sank into the soft sand with a solid crunch.
"Go! Growlithe!"
A red-and-white Poké Ball flew toward the group of Geodude, and Growlithe leapt out with a flash of red.
The dog looked around in confusion, unsure of what was happening. It barked twice, then started hopping in circles chasing its own tail.
"Cooorvisquiiire!"
From above, Corvisquire let out a sharp chirp to remind Growlithe it was battle time.
"Growl?"
The Fire-type still didn't understand, but the noise had already woken the sleeping Geodude. All five pushed themselves up with their stubby arms and locked eyes on the unaware pup.
"Growlithe, turn around! Use Bite!" Shiro shouted just in time.
Still puzzled, Growlithe turned its head anyway. Dark energy began to gather in its mouth, forming the signature fangs of Bite.
"Geo-geo!"
The Geodude shouted in unison. They didn't flinch at the sight of Growlithe's bared teeth. Instead, they spread out and began to circle, forming a loose half-ring around their opponent. Growlithe suddenly found itself surrounded, unable to pick a single target to bite.
Being a Fire-type, Growlithe was naturally at a disadvantage against Ground and Rock-types like Geodude. Fire moves would only deal half damage. Worse, Ground and Rock attacks could deal double damage to it.
In a situation like this, the dog had almost no chance to play to its strengths. But Growlithe's advantage wasn't just about flames.
As the lead Geodude curled into a tight ball, preparing for a Rollout attack, Shiro shouted, "Growlithe, start running!"
Though half-surrounded, Growlithe didn't hesitate. Its legs kicked into motion, Bite still charged in its jaws. Thanks to all the weight training and sprint drills, Growlithe moved with astonishing speed, so fast it blurred like a streak of orange wind.
"Use Bite on the Geodude to the far right!" Shiro called out again.
Growlithe shot across the sand, a blur at the edge of the Geodude formation. With a low growl, it lunged at the rightmost one, its jaws wrapped in dark energy. Teeth sank into the rocky surface of the unsuspecting Geodude's head.
"Geo—!"
The Geodude howled in pain. Its rocky arms flailed up and down in a panic, unable to reach the dog clamped onto its head.
"Geo! Geo!"
At the same time, the other four were already burning with anger. They locked onto Growlithe behind their wounded teammate. All at once, they curled into balls and launched themselves across the sand in a synchronized Rollout.
"Spit it out and keep moving!" Shiro ordered.
The four rolling Pokémon were still over two meters away when the one in Growlithe's jaws was tossed aside, landing right in their path. The sudden obstacle forced them to stop, and the dog vanished from their sight.
The orange blur streaked across the battlefield once more, leaving behind confused and dizzy Rock-types. Every time they tried to line up a Rollout, they found themselves aiming at each other, or worse, nothing at all.
"Use Bite again! Go for the one on the far left!"
Shiro repeated the same tactic, and Growlithe followed the command.
Another Geodude at the edge of the group was suddenly snatched up in the Fire-type's jaws. The others were still dazed. By the time they reacted, Growlithe was already gone again.
"Geo!"
The bitten Geodude rolled on the ground in pain. It wasn't knocked out, but its will to fight was clearly broken.
The remaining three saw things turning against them. They quickly grouped up and used Rollout together, fleeing side by side in the same direction.
Shiro narrowed his eyes.
Rollout was a Rock-type move. With Growlithe's current strength, it couldn't block that kind of charge, nor did it need to. He quickly called out before the dog could rush in front of the rolling trio.
"Stop! That's enough. Come back."
Growlithe skidded to a halt, then padded back to his trainer's side, panting but proud. Shiro gave the pup a gentle pat, then pulled out two Fire-type Pokéblocks from his bag and offered them in his palm.
"How was that? Your first battle, what do you think?"
Growlithe barked happily, its tail wagging like mad. It even pointed its snout toward the fleeing Geodude, as if asking to chase them down too.
"Good." Shiro smiled.
He'd successfully created a positive feedback loop between Growlithe and combat. As long as they kept training and fighting, the Fire-type would grow eager to win. That would make it ready for the competition stage. But becoming as battle-ready and adaptable as Corvisquire would take time. A long road lay ahead.
With Growlithe by his side, Shiro stepped past the two Geodude still pretending to be unconscious and continued walking.
These wild Pokémon might not have been very strong or smart, but their survival instincts were solid. Playing dead and fleeing in a group were just two of their tricks.
Especially coordinated Rollouts. Against a less trained Growlithe, it would've been nearly impossible to stop all of them.
Of course, if they had sensed overwhelming strength earlier, those Geodude probably would've bolted the moment Growlithe appeared. And if they had a trainer, it would've been much harder for Growlithe to win. With marks left in the sand, their trainer could've easily predicted Fire-type's movements.
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