Paul and Dawn: First Light

Chapter 16: Labor

Chapter 16: Labor 

The following morning, I found Dawn was already awake and her hair looked perfectly fine. She must have woken up early just to get it in order so I wouldn't see how supposedly horrible she looked when she first got up. 

Rolling my eyes, I got up, ate breakfast, and Dawn and I went our separate ways. 

"I've decided we should work on a different move to give you a break from Flamethrower." I put my hands in my pockets. "I was thinking Zen Headbutt."  

Bagon's head bobbed in approval. 

"It'll be fairly simple considering you already know Headbutt. All you need now is to learn about Psychic power. This comes from your mind, unlike the fire that comes from your belly. This is one of the easier Psychic attacks because your Psychic power is already inside your mind- all you need to do is project it in front of your skull." 

I then began to explain it in further detail. We meditated, and then began practicing Headbutt attacks on a large boulder before attempting Zen Headbutt. On his first try, a flicker of blue energy was created, which grew with every attempt. After an hour, he had a perfect Zen Headbutt attack. 

"Impressive," I complimented as he pounded another boulder nearby to pebbles. I hadn't thought he'd learn it that quickly. "Why don't we begin learning Dragon Claw while we're at it." 

Bagon eagerly listened to me lecture about the type and form the energy in his body would have to take in order to use the attack and then began focusing on punching a tree, which proved difficult with his short arms. 

"Imagine the energy extending past your arm, Bagon. Focus." 

With another quick leap at the rock, his arm glowed, but didn't do any more damage than just punching the rock would have. 

I crossed my arms. "Again." 

Another hour later, he was making reasonable progress. His arm would glow and pieces of rock would chip away at the blow. 

"That will do. Let's go eat lunch before resuming." We headed back to camp, ate some sandwiches with Dawn, and discussed her progress.  

Dawn slumped forward as we finished eating. "We're trying to learn Ice Beam. Do you have any idea how hard Ice Beam is to learn!?" 

Piplup sat in her lap, staring at the ground sadly. 

"It's not your fault, Piplup," she reassured him quickly. "It's just a hard move, that's all. We'll get it with some more practice." 

I rolled my eyes. "What Piplup needs is a challenge and to stop feeling bad for himself." 

Dawn straightened up and glared at me. "Oh yeah? Is that why Bagon has learned Flamethrower already, because you challenge him?" 

Fury boiled inside me.  

"Get up," I barked at Dawn. 

"Huh?" She looked at me with confusion. 

"Get up and battle. You're weak and the only way to fix that is through fighting. Like I said, your Piplup will never get stronger if you don't challenge him. All you want is to make a pretty Ice Beam sculpture, just like your Buneary does. How's that going to win any battles?" I crossed my arms. 

She seemed so stunned by my speech that she couldn't think of a word to say in return. 

"Are you battling me or not, nitwit?"  

The insult seemed to bring some life back into her. She stood up and glared at me. "Oh, it's on." 

I smirked. "Good luck. You'll need it."