Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits

Chapter 6, Part 1 - Head On

A blanket of brilliant sunlight covered the massive block of dust which sat behind Aiden's hut, Trevor repeatedly battering a giant training dummy on its center. Aiden cheered him on from behind, hurling a string of compliments for every punch he managed to connect. Pellets of sweat rolled down Trevor's face as he pounded the dummy over and over until his muscles began practically screaming for a break.

'You're doing great, Treph!' Aiden shouted encouragingly, "Just a couple more reps and we'll call it for today!"

'That's it? Really?' interrupted a voice from behind.

With a startled yelp, Aiden twirled around to find Rin sitting on the roof of Aiden's hut, an unimpressed expression plastered across his face. Aiden flashed a look of annoyance.

"Oh, for the love of- what're you doin' up there?!"

"I was bored back at the inn and decided to come here to check on you guys. And I gotta say: this is just sad. What kind of training is this?" Rin gracefully hopped off the roof and began walking towards Trevor. "You never used any moves in both times where I've seen you in a fight. I bet you barely even know how to use aura if this is how you've been training, just wailing on some immobile, inanimate target."

"T-that's not true! Look!" Closing his eyes and concentrating on his fingertips, Trevor managed to make his claws grow to over triple their original size. "See? I've mastered aura the best I can!"

"And where were those claws when you fought that Gigalith, huh? A plwerful slash could've done some damage, right? Or at least stall him for a brief moment so you could'e escaped?"

"Well...uhh...what does it matter anyways?! I have my tools, don't I?"

"And what if your enemy manages to close the distance? Or if your tools prove ineffective against a tough enemy? You'll be worse than useless: you'll be a liability."

"N-no! I'm not a liability, I can hold my o-"

Before Trevor could finish his protestation, Rin propelled himself forwards with a jet of water, a razor sharp scalchop-blade in hand. Trevor tried to move, yet the sheer blinding speed of Rin's attack left him completely paralyzed. Before he could break free of his panicked daze, Rin's blade had already come to a halt mere inches away from Trevor's neck.

'Hey!' Aiden screamed. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Proving a point," Rin stated while retracting his blades, allowing Trevor to catch his breath while sinking to his knees. "In a high-level dungeon, a second of hesitation could mean death. If I was a crawler, you'd be dead or at least gravely injured. And if either occured, you wouldn't be much of a boon to your team, now would you?"

Trevor winged, casting his gaze downwards in shame.

'You wanna know why you lost to Alpha so badly?' Rin continued, "It's cause you weren't ready for him to close the distance so quickly, you weren't prepared to face him head on. Against Pokémon like him, you can't afford to hesitate in the moments that count."

A brief flash of recollecion suddenly struck Rin like lightning. "Alright, I've got an idea. Forget the training dummy," he said while slashing the dummy on two with a swift slash, prompting a scowl from Aiden. 'Oi! You know how much that cost?!' she shouted annoyedly.

Ignoring her, Rin crossed his blades together in an 'X' shaped formation then turned to face Trevor. "Take those claws and try to knock me down," he ordered.

'W-wha?' Trevor murmured confusedly.

"You heard me. If you're gonna master aura, you're gonna need to face your opponents head on whenever necessary. You need actual experience against actual Pokémon. Now come on, I don't have all day."

After taking a few deep breaths, Trevor braced himself, ran forwards, and clashed against Rin blades using his claws. With a light push, Rin managed to easily parry Trevor's attack and sent him collapsing backwards onto the ground.

"You were holding back, I could feel it. Get back up and come at me with everything you've got."

With a shaky grunt, Trevor hoisted himself upwards and charged towards Rin once again. Within a few seconds, he was crumpled on the floor yet again.

"C'mon, are you deaf? I told you to hit me with all your strength, no holding back. Again!"

Trevor tried over and over to budge Rin even the slightest bit, yet couldn't produce any noticeable results. Any attempt at clashing against Rin's blades would result in a painful reunion with the dirt below. After about a dozen attempts, Trevor's spirit was already beginning to waver.

'Are you even trying?' Rin chastised as Trevor was sent flying backwards once again. "Get up and try again."

Trevor remained huddled on the floor, eyes turned misty. I-I can't! If I get up, I'm just gonna get knocked back down! What's the point?!"

Rin gave an indignant scoff. "So just cause you got knocked down a couple times you've already given up?  Fine, go ahead. Guess you're just fine with just crying and laying on your back over making something of yourself."

With that final statement, Rin allowed the condensed water which formed his blades to loosen and fall to the dirt below before turning around and beginning to walk away.

"W-wait!"

Rin stopped and turned his head towards Trevor's direction.

'Wait, please! I...I don't want to be useless anymore!' Trevor protested, "I'm tired of being powerless to do anything, especially when it comes to finding why I've been turned- I mean, finding myself! Please, give me another chance tomorrow! I know that with time, I'll be able knock you down for sure!"

Rin paused for a brief moment, then gave a subtle nod before walking off into the distance, leaving Trevor with determination bubbling through his veins. "Aiden," he suddenly called out, "I think I can stand to train for a bit longer."