How to Train Your Pokémon

A/N: Hi, there! I'm back with Chapter 9 of How to Train Your Pokémon. Last time in this story, we got some well-known objects from the past reveal themselves, but now, things are about to get more complicated.

Well now, let's begin. Roll it!

Chapter 9

Training With Psychic Types

The very next morning, the Ketchum kids, along with the three Newton children, were all back inside the training Arena; this time it was set up as a large maze, with wooden walls stationed all throughout the stadium.

They all had their shields and weapons ready as they all split up throughout the maze, while Gary headed up to the spectator seats.

As the training session started, Mari began asking her mentor pretty subtle questions to get some answers about her and the twins' discoveries the night before. "You know, I really wish that we had at least some info about Electric types." She casually began. "Is there, like a book about them, or something or other?"

Gary slightly froze when he heard what she was saying. Luckily for him, he regained his composure when a Psywave attack came for Mari, who quickly deflected it with her shield.

"Focus, Mari!" He shouted. "You're not even trying!"

Mari looked ahead of her and saw an Espeon, who was responsible for the previous attack, ready for the chase. She quickly turned and began to run while the Espeon chose a higher vantage point to hunt from: the tops of the walls.

"Today is all about attack." Gary explained as all the recruits began running in all directions. "Many Psychic types, including Espeon, are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter."

The Espeon then spotted Evan below. It opened its mouth and a Swift attack was unleashed from it. Luckily for Evan, he quickly blocked the magical yellow stars with his laser shield, and they dissipated into golden dust.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" He cried.

"Oh, really?" A sarcastic Luke shouted from a different side of the arena."Now you're having problems with it?!"

"Look for its blind spot." Gary advised to them. "Every Pokémon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike in it."

Keira and Jenna hid behind a wall as the Espeon jumped down to the floor in front of them, its back facing them. They both remained quiet until something strong filled Jenna's nostrils. She nearly gagged as she covered her nose.

"Geez, sis." She hissed softly. "Do you have to put on that much perfume?"

"Hey!" Keira said a little too loud. "I'll have you know that this lily scented perfume is imported from Celadon City!"

An angry cat-like meow was then sounded as the Espeon found them behind it and fired another Psywave from the purple jewel on its forehead. But the two girls jumped out of the way in time.

"Blind spot, yes. Deaf spot, not so much." Gary tried to joke.

"Not funny, Gary!" Evan screamed.

Mari then got her mentor back in her sight again after sensing that the Espeon was not around her spot. "So, are you sure no one has ever seen an Electric type before?" She asked.

"No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale." Gary answered quickly to avoid his goddaughter's growing curiosity. Like father, like daughter. He thought with a mixture of annoyance and pride. "Now, get in there!" He shouted.

"I know, I know." Mari said. "But, hypothetically-"

"Mari!" A voice quietly hissed to her, catching her attention. She turned and saw Aiden, Keira, and Luke crouching against the wall that was behind her. "Get down." Aiden ordered.

The four recruits all held their breath as the Espeon came closer to them, hearing its delicate and quiet footsteps against the stone floor. One by one, they all quickly barrel rolled across to the other side. Mari and Luke listened intently at the muffled voice they were hearing in their ears.

Mari tried to shift her weight into her stance, but as she did, the Espeon had perked up at the small sound and quickly jumped into attack mode again. The recruits screamed, and Mari leaped up onto the tops of the walls with the help of her lance, the Psychic type right on her heels.

As she lithely stepped across the tops, Mari tried as hard as she could not to cover her ears as the muffled voice from the chasing Espeon battered in her head. The twins were also having a hard time concentrating as they were also hearing the watery muffled voice.

Keira saw that Luke was slightly struggling as he held tight to his wooden staff and on his head, though it was a little out of the norm for him, but saw it as an opportunity, now that the Espeon had changed course and was about to pounce on him.

"Watch out, hot stuff." She flirted as she pushed him away. "I got this." She shot a stun laser with a cocky smirk at the Psychic type, which ultimately missed by a mile. And call Luke crazy, but the Espeon seemed to be laughing at her epic fail. He would be, too, if he wasn't unimpressed and annoyed at her attempted feat.

"The sun was in my eyes, Luke." Keira tried to make an excuse. But the elder Ketchum twin just groaned in annoyance and ran away from her and the Espeon. Meanwhile, the Sun Pokémon had set its sights back on Mari, who had balanced herself on the top edge of the wall, still trying to pry some answers from Gary.

"Has anyone seen like, possible fur samples, or footprints?" She asked.

"Mari!" The twins shouted to her. The eldest Ketchum turned around and saw the cat-like Psychic type ready to begin the chase again. But as it began, the walls began to topple over like dominoes, and the recruits retreated to the sides of the arena. Mari leaped off the edge to escape the Psychic type... and crashed on top of Aiden.

"Ooh, love on the battlefield." Keira teased, seeing her brother on his back, Mari hovering above him carefully, and her lance tying them loosely together.

"Shut it, Keira!" Aiden shouted angrily, a slight twinge of red crossing his cheeks, while Mari had her own face very much flushed.

A couple of the fallen walls began getting a light blue highlight around them, and they flew off, revealing the Espeon, its amethyst eyes glowing bright blue. Mari finally managed to untangle herself and Aiden from her lance and began to twirl it rapidly. Aiden got off the floor and held his metal baton in front of him.

The Espeon tossed away the walls like cardboard boards, its eyes returning to its original lavender color. It charged at the two recruits, but then suddenly seemed to stop. It stared intently at Mari, who felt the powerful gaze.

Suddenly, Mari dropped her stance and clutched her head, feeling the muffled sounds trying to make sense in her mind, making her brain hurt and she cried out in pain. It felt like there were ping pong balls bouncing around hard inside her skull. From the sidelines, the twins felt the same thing, except the pain was a little less sharp, since they were further away from the Espeon.

After Mari fell to her knees in pain, Aiden took his chance. He shortened his baton and thrust it towards the Psychic type, the metal bar spinning like a boomerang. The Espeon dodged it, and Gary came into the arena, restraining it back into its black and white capsule.

"Well done, Aiden." Gary said as he went to release the Psychic type back into its cage.

But Aiden only then began to criticize Mari and her moment of vulnerability. "Is this some kind of joke to you?!" He scolded sharply. The baton was spinning back to him, and he caught with one hand before it could hit him across the face.

The mental headache finally faded in Mari's head, and the twins', and she turned to face a physical one. "No, it isn't, Newton!" She shouted back angrily, annoyed that he always have to assume something went wrong, or that she is just a nuisance.

"Then what was that about?" He demanded.

"I don't know. I just started getting a big headache out of nowhere." Mari explained. The twins looked at each other. So they all did feel something all of a sudden. But what was it? "But now, I don't want to have to deal with an even bigger pain. And that is you." Mari turned to leave the arena.

"Me?" Aiden angrily asked, offended. "I'm not the one who had cowered down not even two minutes ago."

Mari felt her blood began to boil. "I wasn't cowering!" She shouted as she turned back to him. And for a split second, Luke and Evan thought that they saw her chocolate brown eyes turn golden yellow.

"You must not let your guard down, no matter where you are!" Aiden continued. "War isn't a game, Mari!"

"Believe me, I know that!" Mari retorted back, knowing that this war was the reason why she lost her father; the only person who would really understand her now besides the twins. But before tears could come to her eyes, she glared the sharpest daggers at Aiden, putting a new meaning in the phrase, If looks could kill. "Now would you just leave me alone?!"

She swiped her hand at him in an attempt to slap him across the face, and yellow electric sparks came crackling out from her fingertips. Everyone jumped back in shock at what was just displayed.

Mari felt her bubbling anger turn into chilling fright as she looked at her palm where the sparks came from. Not wanting to see the others' shocked expressions, she hightailed out of the arena. The twins were about to follow suit, but first stopped to glare at Aiden.

"We all know this stupid war isn't a game, Newton." Luke said.

"Yes, we know that we're in a time of crisis, but that doesn't mean that we can still show other emotions. Like love or compassion." Evan added, before both of them left the arena.

**************************************

At their house, Luke and Evan found their sister on one of the sofas in the living room, breathing heavily.

"Mari?" Evan asked, making him and Luke known. She turned around, fear in her eyes.

"No, stay away from me." She told them, maintaining a safe distance between them.

"It's okay, sis." Luke assured her as they both got closer to her. She tensed for a little bit, but then relaxed and let them sit beside her.

"What is happening to me?" Mari asked quietly. "I'm turning into a freak."

"No, you're not." Luke said.

"We just need to figure out just what is going on." Evan added. "For the past couple of days, we all have been hearing weird noises from the Pokémon and have discovered these Pokédexes that have information about any type, including one that was told was so elusive and rare."

Mari breathed quietly, letting all of her tension leave her. "Yeah. And I think we know where to go to get some answers."

A/N: Yeah. Talk about complications. Now, even more weird things are happening. Hopefully, they will find the answers why. Also, this could turn into a triple genre: adventure, sci-fi, and a pinch of fantasy.

I'll see y'all in Chapter 10, where the start of something old gets reborn into this world torn apart. Please leave a comment about what you guys think.

Got to fly! ;)