Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The forest that surrounded Opelucid Gym was a sight to behold, it's tall lush trees all but covering the sky, and it's wild Pokemon challenging any trainer trying to make their way through it. There was a reason everyone opted to leave Drayden's gym for last, and that was partly due to the trek one had to make to be able to successfully leave this forest. Safe to say making the trek through this place was a daunting challenge that most would opt out of; however, what would have been a near-impossible task for Drayton was made far easier due to Lucille.
Knowing her brother would want some battle experience and because of that make his way through here, she had taken preemptive measures and already driven away most of the powerful Pokemon that lurked here, though they would return no doubt, it would buy Drayton enough time to make his way through the forest whilst only fighting Pokemon relative to his current abilities.
As the pair continued to walk Drayton seemed to be lost in thought, even beginning to hum softly, the melody catching Duraludon's attention who turned his steel head to his trainer, curious as to what could have him so deep in contemplation.
Sensing his Pokemon's gaze, Drayton ceased his humming and turned toward his partner, meeting his gaze with a small smile. "Say, Duraludon, do you want a nickname? I know some Pokemon like it and some don't, so it's up to you," Drayton asked, petting Duraludon on its smooth steel head.
He knew some Pokemon liked being different to their species– Lucille's Hydregion was named Stitch after all, but he also knew that some Pokemon liked to keep their species name, so he didn't plan on rushing Duraludon into any decision.
Duraludon, who had previously been walking relatively quickly considering its rather blocky frame, stopped its movement and began to fall into the same contemplative trance that his trainer was in not too long ago.
After what was nearly a minute of thinking, it let out a slow, tentative nod.
"Let's see... How about 'Titanium'? It's tough, just like your steel body," Drayton suggested, searching for any sign of approval in Duraludon's eyes. The steel dragon tilted its head as if contemplating the suggestion before shaking its head in denial.
Drayton continued with his brainstorming, shooting off names one after another, trying to see if Duraludon approved of any. "Maybe 'Ironheart'?" Drayton proposed, Duraludon, however, didn't agree as it once again shook his head.
After a few short moments of scrutiny, he gave a new suggestion. "How about we keep it simple, just 'Titan'?" Drayton asked with a smile, looking into Duraludon's gleaming eyes. Much to Drayton's delight, Duraludon responded with a resounding throaty coo.
"Titan it is!" Drayton exclaimed with a clap, glad that he was able to finally find a name that Duraludon, now Titan, was fine with.
Having finished finding a suitable name for Duraludon, he moved on to the next matter at hand: Titan's moves and ability. Going into battle without knowing either was nothing short of stupidity and was a mistake Drayton was determined not to make.
"Dur-Titan, stand still, I'm going to scan you with my Pokedex. It won't hurt, but it will tell me what moves you know and what your ability is so we can do better in our upcoming fights," he explained, earning an eager nod from the steel dragon who seemed excited at the prospect of being able to battle other Pokemon.
Pulling his Pokedex from his pocket he let it scan Titan, and it quickly analyzed the dragon, with an electronic voice being projected from the device. "Duraludon, the Alloy Pokémon from the Galar region. Known for its sturdy steel body. This Pokemon typically competes with Tyranitar over mountainous territory. Its signature ability is 'Stalwart,' making its user's moves ignore the target-redirecting effects of moves and Abilities. No other Pokémon have been recorded to have this unique ability."
As the Pokedex spoke, detailing Titan's impressive attributes and the uniqueness of his Stalwart ability, Titan seemed to stand slightly straighter, puffing its chest out in pride.
A confident air surrounded the imposing Pokémon, and Drayton grinned, realizing that Titan was even more powerful than he initially thought.
Nodding in satisfaction, he looked at Titan meaningfully. "It seems like we've got a powerhouse on our hands," Drayton beamed as Titan preened at the praise.
The Pokedex's electronic voice continued after a slight pause, "This Duraludon currently knows three moves: Metal Claw, Rock Smash, and Metal Sound. Based on this Duraludon's moves, age, and ability its threat level is classified as level C on the Threat Level Index. Please exercise caution."
'A C-level threat despite the fact it was just recently hatched isn't too shabby,' Drayton mused, remembering the lesson his grandfather taught at the Academy about the league's recently introduced Threat Level Index.
The Threat Level Index was a classification system used to assess the danger posed by wild and captured Pokémon. It operates on a scale typically ranging from F to S, with S representing the highest potential for danger and F the lowest.
The assessment is based on several factors, including a Pokémon's inherent strength, aggressiveness, territorial tendencies, and known history of interactions with humans. For instance, a Pokémon classified as a level C threat would be considered dangerous if provoked or when in its natural habitat, but not necessarily aggressive without cause. The Index helps trainers and authorities take appropriate precautions when encountering Pokémon in the wild or when training potentially dangerous species.
Taking one final glance at the Pokedex, Drayton narrowed his eyes, memorizing Titan's move set, which wasn't too hard considering Titan only knew a grand total of three, however, that would be remedied soon enough. "Alright we got everything figured out about you, let's go have some battles."
With that said the duo were off, delving deeper into the forest until they heard a rustle in one of the bushes. Emerging from the shadows was a sturdy-looking Boldore, its rock-like exterior glinting in the dappled sunlight. The imposing Rock-type Pokémon fixed its gaze on Titan, a challenging look reflecting in its stone-like eyes as it sent a roar toward Titan.
Titan responded with its own resounding metallic roar, accepting the invitation to engage in battle. The forest floor became the arena for their impending showdown.
"Seems like we don't have to look any further for a Pokemon for you to test yourself against. Let's see what you can do, Titan!" Drayton shouted, eager to witness the strength of the steel dragon.
"Now use Meta-," before Drayton could finish his command, Boldore, shot off a powerful Rock Blast. The barrage of rocks soared toward Titan who only had a moment to brace himself for the coming impact.
With a loud boom, the volley of rocks hit Titan, who living up to his type's defensive infamy, was barely pushed back, with the damage he took being seemingly insignificant.
"Titan, great job taking that hit! Now, counter with Metal Sound and get in range to the Boldore!" Drayton commanded, capitalizing on Boldore's slower speed.
Titan responded with a grunt before firing off Metal Sound, a piercing noise that echoed through the forest, aiming to disorient Boldore and lowering its defense in the process. Taking advantage of the distraction, Titan closed the distance between them, ready for the next move.
Boldore, to his credit, recovered quickly and retaliated with a powerful Rock Tomb. Sharp, jagged rocks shot toward Titan with incredible speed. Titan, although fast for the average steel type, was still far too slow to dodge the attack, and the rocks collided with his metallic body, causing sparks to fly, but Titan stood firm, showing his resilience.
'I'm going to have to work on his Metal Sound,' Drayton thought to himself, before shaking his head and firing off his next command lest Boldore continue his slew of attacks.
"Now, Titan, strike back with Rock Smash!" Drayton ordered as Titan followed suit and moved closer to Boldore. With a mighty swing of his steel-coated tail, Titan delivered a powerful Rock Smash, striking Boldore with tremendous force. Boldore, though durable, staggered backward from the impact.
Boldore, despite its sturdiness, couldn't escape the impact of Titan's Rock Smash. The jagged rocks on its body began to crumble and fall, revealing visible signs of damage.
Seeing that Boldore was stunned, Drayton seized the opportunity. "Follow up with Metal Claw and end this!"
With swift precision, Titan's metallic claws gleamed as he lunged at Boldore. The powerful Metal Claw struck Boldore in the face, sending it flying back, knocking it out as its body fell to the ground sprawled out.
Calling out in elation, Drayton ran toward his Pokemon, petting it on its metal head as he began to shower Titan with praise. "Titan, you did excellently! You managed to win your first real Pokemon battle, congratulations!"
Titan, sharing the same sense of glee, let out a roar whilst flexing his body, showing it off like it was a masterpiece.
Chuckling Drayton allowed his Pokemon to continue gloating for a few more moments before turning his gaze over to the knocked-out Boldore. "It seems Boldore can't battle anymore. Let's leave it be; there's no need to cause more harm," he instructed.
Titan, showing a sense of understanding, stepped back from the unconscious Boldore with a hint of respect shining in its eyes.
Following Titan's movement Drayton reached into his bag and retrieved a set of healing potions. Carefully approaching the fallen Rock-type Pokémon, he administered the potions to help alleviate its injuries. The healing energy from the potions surrounded Boldore, mending its wounds and revitalizing its strength.
Boldore slowly opened its eyes and took a peep at its surroundings warily, trying to move back once its eyes caught sight of Drayton and Titan.
Seeing Boldore's distress, Drayton raised his hands in a placating manner and began slowly moving backward.
Once Boldore let his guard down the duo continued on their trek through the large forest. "You want to keep training or call it quits and set up camp?" Drayton asked, abruptly snapping Titan out of his musings.
Without even stopping for a moment to consider Titan nodded, giving Drayton affirmation to continue their training.
<<<>>>
As the sun began to set both trainer and Pokemon were beginning to feel rather tired. Taking a seat on a log, Drayton rubbed his feet with a frown, slightly annoyed at how quickly they became sore.
"We should find a place to make camp for the night, it's getting late and I remember my sister telling me about how dangerous this area can get," Drayton explained, smiling slightly at the memory.
Duraldon, clearly unwilling to quit his training just yet, protested in the form of a quiet grumble, with the grating whine echoing through the forest.
Drayton, amused at his Pokemon's persistence, chuckled slightly. "I know you want to keep on beating down these Pokemon, but we do need to get some rest, unfortunately," Drayton began, ignoring Duraludon's complaints. "Don't worry, we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow," Drayton assured, patting Titan on his steel-coated head affectionately.
After searching for a good site to set up camp, Drayton with Titan in tow finally found an ideal spot.
"Finally, only took us 30 minutes," Drayton muttered, feeling both irritated and relieved.
<<<>>>
The following day dawned with a gentle warmth as the sun began to rise over the lush forest. Drayton and Titan were up early, ready to continue their journey through Unova.
"By the end of today, we should be in Icirrus City. With both Brycen and my sister monitoring these routes, there shouldn't be any Pokemon that's out to kill us," Drayton said as Titan listened on with rapt attention.
"That being said we should still be careful, but the plan is simply to make it to Icirrus, and then catch a plane to Striaton City where we can face our first gym leader, er leaders," he added, remembering that the Striaton City Gym actually had three gym leaders as opposed to the usual one.
Having finished his spiel, the duo continued making their way through the lush forest, as Titan's imposing figure left behind metallic footprints in the soil.
As they journeyed deeper into the forest, the coos of Pokemon grew louder, with the variety of Pokemon Titan challenged growing larger and larger. From grass to bug, to poison-types, Titan's and Drayton's experience grew with each subsequent battle.
"Jump into the air to dodge and hit it with Rock Smash!" Drayton shouted, with Titan following suit.
"Dodge Geodude!" the trainer opposite Drayton yelled, hoping his Pokemon would heed his command in time, however, his order proved to be too late as Geodude was hit smack in the face with Titan's Rock Smash, knocking it clean out.
"Nice job Titan! That's our third win against a trainer today alone," Drayton laughed, patting Titan on its head.
Hearing Drayton's words the trainer opposite him grumbled. "You only won 'cause you had a dragon," he complained, handing Drayton nearly 200 Pokedollars.
'With his attitude, I didn't think he'd even be willing to give me my winnings,' Drayton thought with a wry smile.
The trainer shot one final disgruntled glare at both Duraludon and Drayton before taking his leave.
"Three battles and three wins, we're off to a pretty great start huh?" Drayton remarked as Titan let out a grunt of satisfaction, pleased with his perfect record.
<<<>>>
By midday, they had reached the outskirts of Icirrus City. The air turned colder as the snowy landscape unfolded before them. The chilly air didn't seem to bother Titan, his steel scales providing a natural insulation against the cold. Drayton, however, even bundled up in warm clothing couldn't help but shiver.
As the ice began to melt, Duraludon's steps became slightly more sluggish, with more effort being required to take each step.
Drayton, noticing his Pokemon's struggle, returned his Pokemon, chalking it up to Titan being fatigued from all the fights he had in the day.
'Well seems like my first priority is going to the Pokemon center,' Draton mused, making his way toward the large building.
As he continued walking, he looked around in fascination at the unique architecture of Icirrus City.
Approaching the Pokemon Center, he walked in without hesitation, already used to the appearance of the building.
The Nurse Joy at the front desk greeted Drayton with a warm smile. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center! How can I help you today?" she asked, noticing the tired expression on Drayton's face.
"I need to heal my Duraludon, Titan. He's been through quite a few battles today, and he seems a bit fatigued," he explained, placing Titan's Poke Ball on the counter.
Nurse Joy nodded understandingly. "No problem. We'll take good care of your Pokemon. Please have a seat while we heal him up."
As Drayton waited in the comfortable seating area, he booked an airplane ticket, one taking him straight to Striaton City.
After a short while, Nurse Joy returned with Titan's Poke Ball. "Your Duraludon is all healed up and ready to go. Take good care of him." "Thanks, Nurse Joy. I appreciate it," Drayton replied with a grateful smile. Making his way out of the Pokemon Center and into the airport.
<<<>>>
Sorry for making the ending a little rushed and having so many scene changes, but it was 4 in the morning and I didn't have the willpower to continue anymore lol. The next chapters won't have nearly as many scene changes.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave your thoughts on how Drayton should train Duraludon, and aside from that have a great day/night.
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