Swablu's Training

"You're just building your foundation, so you mustn't force yourself to train. Otherwise, it will backlash on you," Floyd advised as he held Starly and applied some healing powder to her.

"Starr~" Starly looked up at Floyd, feeling reluctant.

"If you don't listen, not only will you fail to get stronger, but you could also damage your foundation. You might not evolve or become stronger," Floyd is fooling the little bird, who then bowed her head, feeling scared and a bit disappointed.

Observing Starly's contemplative mood, Floyd sighed and then approached Bianca, who seemed lost in thought. Handing Starly over to her, Bianca snapped back to reality, her cheeks reddening as she remembered Phuong's earlier comments.

"I've told you this several times: don't let them become spoiled by you. You are their trainer; you should have authority because you know them better. All your Pokémon are still too young to understand some complicated things, which is why they need a trainer like you to guide them," Floyd said sternly to Bianca.

"Um, I…I'm… sorry," Bianca replied, still looking down, stuttering and nodding embarrassedly. She felt ashamed for not fulfilling her role as a trainer properly.

"S-Starly, y-you… you m-must f-follow me, okay?" Bianca took Starly into her arms, hugging her.

"S-s-star~" Starly felt Bianca's warmth and, though hesitant, nodded in agreement.

"Tweet~" (Bianca, me too) Swablu called out, panting after leaving Tailow behind. She tried to rush toward Bianca's hair, but Floyd caught her.

"Tweet," (Brother Floyd, T_T) Swablu attempted to act cute, but Floyd, now accustomed to such antics from Horsea's frequent displays of cuteness, was unswayed.

"Tweet," (Look, I'm so pitiful) Swablu pleaded, but Floyd remained unaffected.

"Didn't you want to train? I'm giving you proper training right now," Floyd reminded her. He had even spent 1,000 points on a training method specifically for Swablu, so how could she give up now? Even if she wanted to, Floyd wouldn't let her.

"Look at your body; you're a bit bloated. If this continues, you'll become a fat bird. Didn't you say before that you don't want to be fat?" Floyd employed his old trick, which he had previously used on Horsea, and now used it to motivate Swablu.

"Tweet," (No, I changed my mind. I'd rather be fat than train, huhuhu, T_T, training is too tiring.) Swablu expressed her reluctance.

"This," Floyd paused, somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected his usual tactics to fail at this moment. He needed to think quickly, yet found himself at a loss for ideas. However, he couldn't allow Swablu to quit her training, as doing so would mean wasting the 1,000 points he had invested.

"Horsea," Floyd realized he had no choice but to summon Horsea for help.

"Horsea?" Horsea, engaged in a spar with the Goomys, stopped at Floyd's call, and the Goomys also paused their actions.

Rushing over with a confused expression, Horsea approached Floyd.

"You know Dragon Dance, right? You need to teach Swablu. It's going to be one of her core moves in the future. I'll reward you with extra food," Floyd suggested, trying a different approach.

"Tweet," (Brother Floyd, I don't want to.) Swablu continued to struggle, unable to free herself from Floyd's grip.

"Your little brother Dratini has already surpassed you. If you don't train, you will always be bullied by him," Floyd coaxed Swablu, then addressed Horsea, "Horsea, you must teach your little sister. Aren't you two friends?"

"Of course, Swablu is my little sister," Horsea nodded enthusiastically, approaching Swablu as if they were close siblings.

"Tweet," (No, I don't know you. We're not friends, huhu, you betrayed me, hu hu, I'm so pitiful.) Swablu cried out, trying to escape from her 'plastic' sister, but couldn't as Horsea's tail had already entwined around her.

Floyd advised Horsea, "It would be better if you train Swablu's dodging ability along with Goomy."

"Horsea~" Horsea nodded in agreement and then dashed towards the lake.

"Tweet," (Bianca~) Swablu stretched her wings towards Bianca, who sighed, offering motivation despite her own reluctance.

Floyd checked Swablu's stats:

Pokemon: Swablu

Level: 17 ♀

Type: Normal + Flying

Ability: Cloud Nine

Moves: Disarming Voice, Growl, Tailwind, Peck, Roost, Fury Attack, Safeguard

(Genetic Skills: Roost, Tailwind)

Despite her inactivity, Swablu had reached level 17 and even learned Safeguard. Her two genetic skills were valuable; this little bird had potential and talented like Dratini, as long as she focused on her training. Floyd thought it would be a waste if she remained inactive.

'Little bird, don't hold a grudge against me. I'm doing this for your own good,' Floyd thought, watching her struggle in Horsea's grip.

Floyd took out a notebook and handed it to Bianca. It contained the notes for a new training method tailored to her Pokémon. As Bianca blushed, unsure whether to take the notebook or not, Floyd, feeling a bit impatient, bit his lip and bravely held her hand to take the notes. Then, he left to train his own Pokémon, leaving a somewhat absentminded Bianca behind.

…

Several hours had passed, and Floyd was now deep inside the Kemonohaji forest. He was on a search for Tumblestone and Apricorn but had yet to find any. Floyd considered venturing deeper into the forest as a possible way to find them but decided against it for the time being.

He was currently engaging in training with his Pokémon, foraging for berries before planning to leave the forest.

However, as he neared the Safe Zone, he heard noises coming from the mountains in the east.

Frowning slightly, Floyd recognized this area as Mankey territory, a place he usually avoided provoking. Despite feeling puzzled, his curiosity led him to investigate the source of the noise.

A few minutes later, Floyd arrived in Mankey's territory and saw Hu Tianyi with his Pokémon, having just defeated three Mankeys.

"Hahahahaha, I defeated them!" Hu Tianyi exclaimed, his Pokémon visibly exhausted from the battle. Floyd noted that Hu Tianyi's team had grown by one, now including another Rattata. Hu Tianyi now had a total of seven Pokémon, three of which were Rattatas.

Floyd wondered about Hu Tianyi's intentions and why he was in such a dangerous area. Despite his negative opinion of Hu Tianyi, Floyd felt compelled to caution him about the risks involved.

Meanwhile, Hu Tianyi was reveling in his newfound strength, confident in his ability to survive alone in the Kemonohaji forest, much like Floyd.

He had always envied Floyd's ease within the forest and lamented himself for being weak. But now, empowered by his Pokémon, he felt unstoppable, believing he could defeat anyone.

Approaching the three exhausted Mankeys, Hu Tianyi arrogantly said, "Surrender to me, and I will let you live."

His words only angered the Mankeys further, causing them to shout loudly and charge at him.

"You're so stubborn," Hu Tianyi snorted, commanding his Pokémon, "Rattata, everyone, attack them."

Pak!

Pak!

Pak!

Three Mankey lost consciousness.

Sensing danger, Floyd quickly intervened, appearing before Hu Tianyi. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous, come back!"

Startled at first by Floyd's sudden appearance, and then sighed in relief. "It's you, Youngest," Hu Tianyi was not surprised to find Floyd in the forest. "Oh, don't worry about it, I will come back after I tame them," he replied nonchalantly, undeterred by the perilous situation.