My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Galar. Stow-on-Side. Afternoon.

Sci-Twi found herself standing on one side of the dojo's small battlefield while Bea stood on the other side. She was nervous, especially since it was a Gym Leader. It made her tense, and she was afraid of losing. She wasn't sure how well this would turn out. She knew Bea was a tough trainer and that made her shudder.

"Are you ready?" Bea said with her usual stoic look on her face.

"I-I...think I am." Sci-Twi stuttered, not knowing if she was really ready for this. But she knew there was no turning back. She was already roped into this battle and Bea wouldn't accept any refusal. She wanted to see her strength, and it was Sci-Twi's job to prove it.

"Don't be nervous. You can do it!" Twilight Wish was cheering on the sidelines while wobbly and dazed.

"Kubfu!" Kubfu cried out as well. They both encouraged Sci-Twi to give this her all.

"I..." Sci-Twi gulped. She looked down at Kubfu, and then back to Bea. "I'll do my best."

"Are you sure? I can see the nervousness on your face." Bea crossed her arms. "Be honest with yourself. Do you really think you can do this? I'm only doing this, not just because I want to help Kubfu, but I also want to help you...and Ash."

"Ash?"

"The threat of Prisma is very real. You and I both know that. The question is if when the time comes for you to encounter Prisma, especially in a dangerous scenario, would you be ready for it?" Sci-Twi lowered her head. She wasn't so sure about it herself. But what she was sure about was the fact that Ash was the most important person to her and if he was in danger, she'd have to be strong.

"I'm terrified of Prisma. I'm also terrified for Ash. I encountered Prisma once for a brief moment. And those eyes...It's like I didn't recognize Ash at all." Sci-Twi looked up at her. "I, Wish and my Equestrian self all want to prevent it. Even Moonlight, despite how harsh her methods are. I'm nervous, but that doesn't change how much I want to help Ash."

"Hm. A perfect answer." Bea smiled. "I know how you feel. Despite witnessing and knowing the presence of a great danger, you'd still do what you can for someone you care for. I know, because I want to do the same. I care for Ash too and I don't want him to get hurt. That's why I want to train you. The two of us can prevent the worst happening to one we care for."

"Bea..."

"But you must have the other kind of strength to do so! So prepare yourself!" Bea raised her voice, holding a Poke Ball out and startling Sci-Twi while Kubfu pumped his fists at the ready. "Enter! Falinks!"

"Falinks!" Falinks, the Formation Pokemon. They all marched together, standing side by side and all 6 lined up. Their leader, the brass one in front, stood at the forefront. Their leader had the sharpest horns.

"Okay, Kubfu...Do your best." Sci-Twi crouched down and placed her hand on his shoulder. She whispered words of encouragement to him.

"Fu!" Kubfu cried out. Sci-Twi stepped back, leaving the battlefield for Kubfu to battle Falinks. This would be a tough battle, especially since Kubfu had to technically fight against multiple Pokemon, even though they counted as one. He had to be quick on his feet.

"Falinks! No Retreat!"

"Fali!" Letting out a powerful battle cry, the Falinks would feel their power surge and grow stronger, the Leader in particular. Despite this being a training session, Bea intended to take Sci-Twi 100% seriously. The Falinks were now stronger, faster and tougher thanks to that move, meaning Kubfu had to deal with them in an improved state.

"Prepare yourself. Otherwise, this will be over far sooner than you'll expect." Bea narrowed her eyes, a small glint appearing in them for a moment. "Falinks! Attack with Iron Head!"

"Falinks! Falinks! Falinks! Falinks!" The Falinks began to march towards Kubfu in formation, but they split up. They were not about to attack all at once but rather one by one. The first one, a member of the Troopers would charge forward, leaping towards Kubfu.

"Quick! Block it, Kubfu!"

"Kub!" Kubfu raised his arms to block it. But the Falink's Iron Head made contact. The sheer force was enough to knock Kubfu back. He slid across the floor and fell down, rolling a few feet away.

"Kubfu!" Kubfu rolled to a halt. He tried to stand back up, only to fall back down again. The pain from the Falinks was worse than he expected, far more than Meowscarada's attack.

"It's okay, Kubfu! Do your best to endure it!" Sci-Twi hollered. Kubfu looked at Sci-Twi for a moment. She smiled, nodding to reassure him.

"Kub!" Kubfu stood back up. He faced the Falinks once more, determined not to lose.

"Falinks!" However, the Falinks were relentless, charging forward with the next attack. The leader would go in, the same attack and it would be another direct hit. This one knocked Kubfu to the side.

"Use Throat Chop!" The 3rd Trooper would leap towards the airborne Kubfu and smack him down, using Throat to strike him as a dark aura surrounded its body.

"Fu!" He was struck and fell down, crashing into the floor.

"Kubfu, you okay?!"

"Fu!" He stood back up again, but the damage was clearly getting to him. Even if it was training, Falinks wasn't holding back and neither was Bea. It would be up to Kubfu to prove that he was capable of defending against their attacks, or at least endure them until the end.

"Okay! Now let's go on the offensive! Kubfu, use Aerial Ace!"

"Kub!" Kubfu would run towards Falinks. The attack would have them strike each other and the Leader. Kubfu would strike, and they'd strike him back, the impact knocking him down. This would be a back-and-forth until one of them fell, and the leader struck Kubfu one more time. Kubfu was still on his feet, grunting a bit.

"Aerial Ace, one more time!"

"Kubfu!" In a flash, Kubfu would zip to the side, leaving behind a white trail of energy and striking Falinks. They didn't expect that from Kubfu, but Bea did. He then struck again from another direction. After the second one, Falinks would try and attack Kubfu. He dodged it, and he kept this up, using the speed of Aerial Ace to his advantage. That brief training he did with Rapidash was starting to pay off. He could move faster and strike quicker with his attacks, able to move from place to place and dodge Falinks's strikes.

"Hm! That speed is actually impressive." Bea's eyes would track Kubfu, doing their best to keep up with him. "I wasn't expecting you to have him learn how to use his speed effectively. Well done. But that won't save you. Falinks! Assume Rush Down position!"

"Rush Down Position?!" Sci-Twi exclaimed. That didn't sound like any move she knew. And it wasn't. It was a battle tactic that Bea herself had constructed recently.

"Fal! Falinks!" Falinks reassembled themselves, forming into one single entity. They moved into their formation and then faced forward. The Troopers were now behind their Leader, and the Leader was at the forefront, ready to take any hits. In addition to their usual formation, the Falinks all stood up straight, and the Troopers would lower their head, forming a helmet that would protect their leader. Afterwards, they approached Kubfu in unison, the Wushu Pokemon holding his guard up.

"Links!" One of the Falinks launched itself at Kubfu, nothing being out of the ordinary yet as Kubfu blocked the attack. However, the split-second he did so, another Falinks was already coming his way, striking him before he could even react. The third one would then do so, and the last would strike. Each attack came in rapid succession, not allowing Kubfu the chance to counterattack.

"K-Kub?! Kubfu?!" They would repeat this. One Falinks would move back, letting the other charge in. Then the other would move back, allowing another Falinks to rapidly charge in as well. A repeated attack pattern that focused on doing what Bea started it to be. Rushing down the opponent and not allowing them to have a moment's breath. Kubfu had no chance to attack back. This training was beginning to be brutal. Sci-Twi had to find a way to counter this.

"What is this?!" Sci-Twi said, amazed by it.

"I developed it myself." Bea said. "My Falinks are a tough unit to bypass. The only way they'd stand a chance is by going all-out. But with this, Falinks is a single entity. They are a unit that works in perfect harmony. The perfect battle formation."

"Fu...Kub...!" Kubfu grit his teeth while being battered by these rapid crashes, his eye twitching. "Kubfu!"

"Kubfu! Counter!"

"Kubfu...!" Even though they were moving so fast that Kubfu couldn't properly move from this spot, he could still unleash the energy within to retaliate. As he kept being battered, the energy within him started building up. Falinks kept going, but soon enough, they'd find themselves smacked back. As Kubfu took another blow, a small shockwave was released. The shockwave travelled across the field of the dojo, blowing Sci-Twi's skirt and hair a bit.

"Wha?!" Bea was surprised by this. Falinks were blown away and they fell back down. After that, they stood back up, ready for another attack. "My...that physical strength is more impressive than I thought it would be."

"Fu...Kub..." Kubfu groaned. He was taking heavy damage, and it showed. Despite his resilience and his desire to win, Falinks were doing their job. They were breaking him down, but it wasn't without a bit of pain on Falink's end as well. While they didn't take too much damage, Kubfu was still strong.

"Kubfu! Are you alright?!"

"Despite that, Kubfu has very clear limits." Bea commented. "While his physical strength is good, his defensive capabilities are lacking, which was your main focus of this training. The issue is, it doesn't matter how many times Kubfu is struck by Falinks. If Kubfu doesn't have a strong defence, he won't last very long." That much was true, but there wasn't much time for Kubfu to improve his defence.

"I know! But it's something that needs improving." Sci-Twi said.

"Well, then this battle is coming to an end rather soon." Bea closed her eyes. "I was actually hoping it would go on for a bit longer, but, clearly there's still some more work to do. You did battle well, I'll admit."

"Fu..." Hearing that gutted Kubfu. His limits were spoken to him and it seemed that he hadn't improved his durability all that much. While he did take multiple hits, he was on the verge of fainting if this keeps up. "Kub...Kubfu!" And Kubfu hated that as he smashed his paw on the ground.

"Maybe we should call it here, Kubfu, before you get too badly hurt." Sci-Twi opted to put an end to this battle. However, Kubfu refused. As he stood back up, yelling at the top of his lungs, the Wushu Pokemon suddenly gripped onto the back of his headband.

"Hm?" Bea raised an eyebrow, seeing Kubfu tighten his headband. She gasped, knowing what this meant and so did Sci-Twi, remembering what the dex entry of Kubfu told her.

"Wait, Kubfu! Are you...?!"

By tightening his headband, Kubfu was drawing out his inner fighting spirit and heightening its potency, the energy around his body growing and flowing. The entire room seemed to shake a bit. Kubfu's power was increasing as the aura around his body became stronger. "Kub! Kub! Kub! KUBFU!" He tightened his headband even further and the power increased dramatically, making the entire field shake even more.

"I didn't take that part into account...!" Bea thought. This was the power of Kubfu. It's the fighting spirit of the Legendary Pokemon, and Kubfu was currently using his to the absolute maximum, showing his determination and his will to win this fight.

"Ohoo...look at all that aura.." Twilight Wish said with a funny tone, seeing how strong it was. Kubfu's aura was growing even more, to the point that he started glowing red. Even though he was reaching his lmit, Kubfu had extra power to spare, just to prove that he could go past them right now.

"Amazing, Kubfu!" Sci-Twi smiled with glee. She saw just how far the Pokemon would go, pushing himself to the brink, but not past his limits. The energy around his body started to die down, the shaking slowly ceasing.

"So you were hiding that kind of power. Impressive, I must say." Bea commented.

"Falinks." Falinks spoke, complimenting Kubfu.

"Let's try one more time, Kubfu! Use Fire Punch!" Sci-Twi shouted, commanding her partner to attack with a new move. He could use it a few times, but his strength was waning. He just had to endure long enough to hit them.

"Falinks! Charge at Kubfu once more! Use Close Combat!" Falinks nodded, the entire unit moving together in a perfect formation. They were getting close and fast, ready to unleash another barrage on the Pokemon, just like before.

"Fal!" One of them launched themselves at Kubfu, only to get a flaming fist to the head, knocking it out in an instant. Falinks felt this, and they were stunned. "Fal?!"

"Kub!" With a blazing blow to their face, a great burst of flames would fly out, enveloping the Falinks entirely in an intense heat. This would keep up for a few seconds until it finally died out. The Faliks were pushed back, stunned by this sudden increase in strength.

"Whoa!" Sci-Twi's eyes widened at this.

"Fal!" The Falinks quickly regained themselves, and their leader charged forward once again. Kubfu was able to block it and kick them away, sending the leader back. The second Falinks tried to strike, but it was the same, a kick to their body that knocked them away.

Kubfu kept this up with each one. He wasn't as fast, but the strength he drew out allowed him to push the Falinks away without them getting another attack on him. They were relentless, but so was Kubfu.

"Fal!" The first Falinks jumped up into the air and crashed into the ground with their body, making a loud thud that shook Kubfu a bit.

"Falinks!" The second Falinks attacked with Close Combat, smashing into Kubfu, but it didn't matter to the Wushu Pokemon.

"Fu! Kub!" He kicked them away with one strike to the head, and then the leader came in. Kubfu used his fists to smack the Pokemon back with Close Combat, his strength amplified. However, this boost in strength had its limits as well as Kubfu was starting to give out.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Kub...!" Kubfu accelerated towards the Falinks, ready to deal a truly super-effective blow. However, in that instance, Kubfu peaked as he staggered on the spot, his body twitching. He was unable to keep the momentum going, leaving him wide open.

"You're wide open!" Iron Head!"

"Falinks...!" The leader would go in for this decisive hit, smashing against Kubfu's head with their own, the sheer impact of this headbutt sending Kubfu back and crashing onto the floor. He slid across it and rolled a bit, coming to a rest. Kubfu had fainted.

"Kubfu..." Sci-Twi lowered her head. It was a good fight, and Kubfu had improved, but they were unable to beat Falinks. Bea was still a formidable opponent, and Falinks were just as tough to defeat.

"Oh, Kubfu!" Sci-Twi ran over to him and kneeled down to his level, checking on the Wushu Pokemon.

"Ku...bu..." Kubfu let out a soft moan. The pain in his body was starting to set in and it hurt, but it was something that would go away in due time.

"Take it easy, Kubfu." She placed her hand on his cheek, stroking it. "You did great."

"Fu..." Kubfu was disappointed, but seeing Sci-Twi smile at him made him smile back at her. She still had faith in him and she knew that they would do their best.

"Good battle, Falinks." Bea said to them.

"Fa. Fa." They saluted, the usual thing they do after a good fight.

"So that's it then?" Twilight Wish said. "The battle's over and now what happens?"

"Training is over, at least for today." Bea stated. "I suppose saying that he's reached his limit caused him to break past them, even if for a while. That should do it for now." She walked over to Sci-Twi and Kubfu. "I apologize if I sounded rude, Kubfu."

"Kubfu." Kubfu smiled at Bea.

"Well, I guess this counts as durability. He took a lot of hits but kept going."

"I suppose so." Bea agreed, placing her hands together. "He did a fine job, but it'll be quite a while until you're both at your peak. It'll take some time to get used to this, but if you have any questions about it, please, do ask."

"Got it!" Sci-Twi chirped, standing up with a smile. She picked up Kubfu and held him in her arms, cradling her tired Pokemon partner.

After that training, the three of them would head to a cafe and order a bunch of food and drink, having a little bit of a feast to celebrate. It wasn't a win, but it was still a good time. They all ate up, including their Pokemon. Sci-Twi, Bea and Twilight Wish would eat some sweets and cakes, enjoying the food. The three of them got a large strawberry shortcake that they could all enjoy together.

Bea specifically chose the sweetest options, her sweet tooth always getting the better of her. Sci-Twi was more than okay with it, and she enjoyed eating all the delicious food they got. "Twilight. If I came across as too harsh, I would like to apologize."

"Oh, no, not at all." Sci-Twi shook her head, taking a bit of a sip from the drink she had. It was some kind of strawberry milkshake. "I appreciate your help in training Kubfu and me. He wanted this after all, so that's why I asked for it." Kubfu nodded in agreement with his Trainer, munching on a small cookie in his hand.

"Well, I appreciate that." Bea said, picking up a spoonful of cake. "But you did good, Twilight. Even after all I said, I do know that you'd do what you can for Ash."

"Thanks! I'm just...well..." Sci-Twi looked down, her face turning a bit red. "I don't want to see him at his worst. When I was at my worst, he came to me and helped me meet new friends. For him, I'll do what I can."

"I agree. I too care for him a lot. If I hadn't had met him, perhaps my method of battling and the way I approach battles would've birthed a weaker version of myself. He helped me see what matters." Bea smiled. "Just like you, I want to get stronger to protect him."

"...Bea." Sci-Twi read Bea like a book, sensing a spotting the affection she had for Ash. It was the same as Sci-Twi's affection. "Do you also have a-"

"Mm!" Bea's face turned red. "D-Do not misinterpret my words!" She turned her head away. "I'm not one to be embarrassed about these feelings. But...the thought of it is still..."

"It's fine, really!" Sci-Twi reassured. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to be afraid to admit it!"

"I'm not afraid..." Bea pouted while Sci-Twi laughed. Bea cleared her throat, changing the subject instantly. "Ahem! In any case, if you would like to train with me here some more, I would not mind."

"About that. I'll do that, but I also want to go from place to place, helping Kubfu improve. I'm not ready to head back to the Isle of Armor and meet up with Master Mustard yet. It'll take some time and I certainly have to make up for lost time, but I'll go through with it."

"In that case...there's a place I can take you to."

"Oh? And where would that be?" Sci-Twi questioned, tilting her head curiously.

"It's a bit recent and I do think it'll be a lot of help. It's something that I'm actually planning on heading to soon, and I can give you the details there. But we should go there soon. In the meantime, let's finish up our meal."

Bea had somewhere to take and show Sci-Twi. A way to help Kubfu improve in strength even more. His training was not yet over. Sci-Twi and Bea's collective care for Ash would drive them both forward and as a bonus, their friendship had only grown thanks to this as the journey continues.

Chapter 631 End.