#did queue just proactively protect the environment?

[theamazingtrainernate-a]

\Intense Training Fic/

The stage was set, the actors were ready. Five pokemon stood in front of Nate, while one was standing by his side. The dusty wind started to blow across the rocky plateau, as the tensions were beginning to rise just as the mid-morning sun was. What was about to go down was something that very few trainers would even dare to try, let alone think of. Yet exercises like this one were the bread and butter of Nate’s team-focused exercises. Such a task rewarded ingenuity and autonomy and forced his buddies to think on their feet, and even rewarded teamwork as his partners had to watch each other’s backs. It was these kinds of exercises that prepared Nate’s pokemon for both the dangers on the field as well as the strategies in a multi-battle setting.

Lucario’s eyes shifted down the line to the other four pokemon who would be participating: Espeon, Marowak, Dragonite, and Emboar. Everyone was familiar with this exercise, and the Aura Pokemon knew that they all had different strategies they’d prefer to employ. He smiled, turning toward Nate (who stood besides Blastoise, the facilitator of today’s exercise) as he once again admired the genius of his partner’s idea. There wasn’t a single solution to this strategy, so it could apply to nearly any pokemon... that is, if they could handle the pressure. 

“Alright then! Everyone ready?” The group of five simultaneously called out in various grunts, yells, mews, and even a snort. Meanwhile, Blastoise yelled out in a resounding “BLAAAST!” He was excited to be the one who would be in charge of keeping up the pressure.

“Awesome! Y’all know the drill! Blastoise, Rock Slide!” With the command, Nate swiped his palm outward towards the rest of his pokemon, and suddenly multiple rocks appeared out of thin air, plummeting towards the five pokemon. As if on queue, the five began to move, already prepared for the oncoming attack. The first to move was Espeon, vanishing from the ground below, only to appear on one of the falling rocks from above. The second one to shoot up was Dragonite, who began to dodge and weave between the rocks falling rocks, knowing very well that one wrong move could result massive damage.

The next to move were Lucario and Marowak, both simultaneously jumping up to land on the nearest rock, before bounding away to another one, making sure to to keep themselves on their toes. What was more miraculous what that Lucario was seemingly doing this blind; having his eyes closed while the tendrils attached to his head seemingly defy gravity. Of course, a person who is familiar with the species would understand that this was Aura Vision, a technique that allows them to see the aura around them. Marowak, on the other hand, did not have this skill, but that did not stop him from showing that you did not need special abilities to detect and dodge falling rocks.

Emboar did not have comparable manuverability; their species were hallmarks of strength and durability, not speed. So instead, Emboar waited patiently, rocks falling around him, until the shadow of one suddenly loomed overhead, falling towards him at an increasing speed. The average trainer would become worried at this point, yet Nate knew that Emboar knew this routine far too well. Nate’s trusted starter swiftly raised it’s fist as glowing orange energy coalesced around it. With a resounding crunch, the falling boulder broke into several pieces, as Emboar finished his Power Up Punch.

The routine continued on for several minutes, as the various members of the group jumped, dodged, and weaved through the ongoing shower of boulders. Even Emboar occasionally moved, accommodating for the changing terrain that was a result of Rock Slide. At this rate, the amount of rocks would start piling up; it was as if the pokemon were stuck in the middle of Blastoise’ Tetris game, and Blastoise was doing rather poorly. However, this was all by Nate’s design.

“Let’s kick it up a notch! Attack Free For All!” The trainer’s commands seemed to be drowned out by the sound of the Rock Slide attacks, the cacophony echoing across the hills and valleys in which the plateau was situated in the middle of. However, the pokemon seemed to understand the command fine. 

Espeon took the first move, grabbing a falling rock in mid air behind it with Psychic, and sending it hurling toward Lucario. The aura pokemon responded with a Bone Rush, splitting the rock in half with the bone staff. Meanwhile, Emboar had grabbed another rock and hurled it towards Dragonite, who soon brandished a dragon claw to hit it back with all it’s might. The force of the impact split the boulder in two, one half careening back towards Emboar. The Boar-like pokemon conjured a Superpower and grabbed another boulder, using it to obliterate the projectile as if his arm turned into a giant mace. He then flung the remains over toward Marowak, who reacted just in time to throw a bonemerang at the hurled projectile, shattering it into many pieces as it effortlessly spun through the rock, arcing through the air before hitting and destroying a second rock near Espeon -- who had to jump out of the way to avoid the shrapnel -- and then continued it’s trajectory back towards Marowak, finally leaping to another boulder to catch his beloved weapon.

Meanwhile, Lucario had already made his next move, using two consecutive Bullet Punches to shatter two of the rocks into stony shrapnel, sending them flying towards Emboar and Dragonite before barely dodging a third boulder launched towards him through a creative use of Marowak’s Stone Edge.  The two pokemon had completely different reactions to the surprise attack: Emboar shot out a powerful Fire Blast, effectively blocking the attack with the powerful flame; Dragonite, on the other hand, took to use Superpower, grabbing another boulder to use as a shield for the oncoming blow, which he then used to hurl back towards Lucario. Unfortunately for the Dragon, the boulder happened to collide with another one that Espeon threw, this time directed at Blastoise. With a massive crack, the impact of the two boulders forced both to shatter, sending fragments of rocks everywhere that all of Nate’s pokemon had to avoid.

This seemed to go on for some time, each pokemon honing their skills to be ever alert and vigilant. Even Blastoise had more to do than just create an avalanche of Rock Slides. As soon as five minutes were up for the Attack Free For All, Blastoise began firing off Hydro Pumps, Ice Beams, and even the occasional Hydro Torpedo (Nate’s specially crafted Hydro Pump + Ice Beam combination for Blastoise), always aiming for one of the other pokemon, or defending himself from the occasional boulder hurled at him. In the emergency situation that one boulder did get too close, Blastoise held up Protect, shielding Nate and himself from the impact blow. 

Next was the teamwork section, starting about an hour in, where each pokemon within the downpour took turns hurling boulders at a random pokemon. The other four would then work together in defending and destroying the boulder, all the while still focusing on dodging all of Blastoise’s attacks, including the Rock Slide. This is where everyone began to get creative, as all the other pokemon could combine their moves to more effectively destroy the target.

This kind of training was always intense. The maneuvering around a Rock Slide was always a perilous endeavor, one that required a lot of focus and a bit of luck. The exercise was designed to allow them to take advantage of what was unique to them, whether it was psychic or aura abilities, or taking advantage of how their own bodies could sense subtle changes in their environment. Not only that, but adding in the Attack Free For All would force them to be alert at all times, and be prepared for unexpected attacks from any angle. As for the teamwork portion, the exercise turned into something completely different. It was the ultimate exercise in balancing reactive and proactive action, even for Blastoise, who had to focus on using two or three moves at the same time. 

Despite all the intensity and demand, Nate knew that they all could make it to the end. He trusted them and their capabilities, and had fought alongside many of them for years now. They could handle it because he believed in them and what they could accomplish, and, oh, they could accomplish so much.

With minimal and minor cuts and bruises, the seven of them finally stopped two hours in, tired but overall completely fine. The final boulder crashing down into the rest, the other 5 pokemon all congratulated each other triumphantly for a job well done as they made their way back to Nate. Knowing that they were all tired and hungry, Nate gave everyone a delicious lunch, which they all sat down to enjoy while discussing everything that happened during their training.

It was a good and well deserved break, but all of them knew that they still had much more training to do. After all, there was a big pile of rocks and rubble that they had to get rid of.