Orion 13: Guard Duty

Orion held his hand before him, trying to sense the aura he held within him. He could very faintly sense it if he focused hard enough. A fiery, unyielding sensation that seemed to be bubbling beneath the surface, like boiling rage. 

Riolu sat on the floor before him, arms crossed and head cocked. 

It took almost half an hour before Orion managed to sense the same thing he'd felt when Krastin had been testing him and what Benny had shown him the previous day. A sort of… moving sensation, from the bubbling rage into his fist. It lasted for only a few moments and left him out of breath.

"This is so hard," he muttered, lowering his arm and staring at his fist.

"Riolu! Ri, ri!"

"Yes, yes," Orion said, grinning at his friend. "I will keep practicing, and I know this is more fun than meditating. Still-" he reached out and rubbed Riolu behind the ear, "- you did really well!"

"Now, before we do anything else, there's something important we need to do." 

Riolu looked up in surprise while Orion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. To train Riolu, he wanted to do it the best way he knew how, and that meant using Uncle Basil's system. To do that, he needed to get Riolu's current benchmark, or level as his Uncle always called it. Many people laughed at Basil for it, but Orion had always thought that it was a very useful way of tracking things, not in the least because his Uncle knew exactly which Pokemon could learn which moves and when.

I should have looked if one of his move books is there, Orion thought as he sat down at the table and removed his old, bedraggled, and thumbed notebook and the pencil. 

> Riolu, level: ?

> Moves known: Quick Attack, Endure

> Move 1: Quick Attack

> Move 2: Endure

> Move 3: 

> Move 4:

When he was done, he hesitated, then added something more.

> Orion - Aura level: 5? (Figure out what is odd about it)

> Practice Aura Ways: Move aura to fist

He nodded, wondering if he could figure out how far along he was. He scratched 'beginner' behind the first training, deciding he would keep track of it. Perhaps by time?

Riolu had been quietly watching him, and he looked up with a grin.

"Okay, can you use quick attack to move around the room? Then, as soon as you can, use it again. When you are done, tell me how many more times you can use it?"

Riolu cocked his head, then grinned his small canine bare. He turned to the door, lowered himself, and zipped around the room almost too fast for Orion to follow. When he returned to the door, he frowned, and a second passed before he shot out again. 

Alright, not level ten, but we already knew that Orion thought. His Uncle had put the moment Pokemon could use their abilities without wait until they were completely drained at level ten, and he said that it had something to do with the knowledge and age pokemon had.

Riolu tapped his chin in a copy of what Orion had done before looking back.

"Ri, riii."

"Okay, so three or four more before you need to rest," Orion said. "Do you have the idea there's something else you could try? Another move?"

Riolu looked at him, confused for a moment. Then his eyes widened, and he began looking incredibly surprised.

"Ri, ri, ri?" he said, waving his arms around.

"It's called hereditary knowledge," Orion said with a grin. "Because those that came before you knew it, you have learned it. So, can you show me?"

Riolu excitedly ran to the center of the room, then lowered his stance, seemingly ready to do something. Then he blinked.

"I think I know the move," Orion said with a grin. "Just try it, its fine if it misses."

Riolu nodded, and struck out. His claw's tips were forward and there seemed to be a lack of power behind it. 

"Oooolu?"

"It's because it's a special move," Orion said, grinning happily as he changed the question mark at Riolu's level to a four. He added Feint to Riolu's skill list and hesitantly added it to the third slot. Although he had it now, without practice, it was going to take a while for him to properly use it.

"Alright, the move you just did was called Feint. It's useful if another Pokemon uses Protect or Detect," he said, noticing Riolu's intense focus. "Sometimes someone uses those moves, and it gets very hard to hit them, but this move will allow you to get around those protection skills. For now, just keep training it. It might come in useful, though I've got a few other moves I think we need to focus on when you learn them!"

"Ri, ri, ri?" Rilu asked, swinging his arms around enthusiastically.

"Yes, we can see if one of Krastin's Pokemon can teach you something," Orion said. "The best would be if Chestnaut knows Low Kick, though perhaps Panchan knows Low Sweep…"

"Riolu?" 

"I think Pancham needs to become stronger before he learns that move-"

"Riolu!?"

"Yes, you will learn more things as you grow older," Orion said, grinning.

Riolu began jumping up and down, and Orion laughed. He closed his notebook and replaced it in his pocket.

"Now! Let's go to Krastin and see what we are supposed to do!"

"Ri! Oooolu!"

Orion grimaced, then nodded. "Yes, we will go and talk to Professor Hazelton on the way back."

After quickly greeting Nurse Joy, they rushed through the quiet town until they reached the area in front of the gym. To Orion's surprise, Benny and Pancham were standing at the gate, yawning and stretching.

"Hey! I managed it a bit this morning," Orion said as he jogged over.

"Good, now just keep practicing," Benny said before yawning again. 

"Do you have any idea what we are going to do today?"

"Probably the same thing I've been doing for weeks now," Benny said. "Go out to the farming fields and help fend off any troublesome Pokemon. Krastin usually does that to help the guards, and he says it's the best initial training. It's tiresome, though."

Orion was about to ask if that happened a lot when the door was shoved open and Krastin came walking out. Brawl came right after him, then closed the door.

"Orion, good to see you are here!" Krastin said as he walked forward. "Benny, did you practice?"

"Yes, Gym Leader Krastin," Benny said, visibly stifling a yawn.

"Good, then let's head out. The guards said that there was a lot of rustling and movement in the surrounding area. It wouldn't surprise me if the Raticate showed up today," Krastin said as he began walking away.

Orion and Benny followed him.

Raticate? I hope we aren't expected to do anything against those, Orion thought with a frown. Even the lowest Raticate would be at level twenty, and that was just those recently evolved. 

It was quiet in the town as they walked through it, but those few people they came across looked at him curiously while greeting Krastin. That was until they came across an old man with a crow of white hair around a spot-covered head.

"Krastin, did you get another pupil?" the man grunted, looking at him with muddled eyes.

"Probably," Krastin said, stopping and giving a slight head bow to the man. "He will have to show me the coming week how he does, and if he works hard? Well, then we can say yes after that." His respect for the older man was clear in his tone and posture.

"Good, good. It's good to see the gym finally flourishing again. It was horrible to see it closed for all that time," the old man said before turning and shuffling away. "Now, don't let me hold you back. Good luck."

"Goodbye, Mister Rain," Krastin said, smiling before continuing ahead.

"Who was that?" Orion asked. 

"Old Man Rain," Benny whispered. "He has a level three aura, but his last Pokemon died a few years ago. He has refused to attempt bonding again. Says he is too old."

Krastin fell back, looking at them seriously. 

"Rain has also been responsible for saving this town numerous times in the past fifty years. Until ten years ago, he was still the best trainer and fighter in this part of the forest."

"How did his Pokemon die?" Orion asked softly.

"Defending the town during the Zorua attack," Krastin said with a sigh. "I wasn't here yet, and Old Man Rain only had his Machap Crusher left. Crusher was old, but a monster, stronger even than Brawl-"

Brawl grunted but nodded his head as if agreeing.

"-and he managed to hold back a dozen Zorua until the guards were able to reach the center of town. They had been held back by two Ditto posing as locals." 

Ditto posing as humans? Orion thought with a shiver.

"Sadly, Crusher was wounded beyond anyone's ability to heal."

"There wasn't a Chansey nearby?" Orion asked before he could stop himself.

"A Chancey? There hasn't been a chance here in a hundred years," Benny said, shaking his head. 

Orion could see he thought the entire notion was stupid, and he wished he'd kept quiet.

Krastin was looking at him curiously but said nothing.

The rest of the short trip was made in silence, and they eventually made their way out of a small side gate. A familiar guard was standing outside, his yellow and brown Pokemon standing nearby.

A Yungoos, Orion thought, suddenly recalling the uncommon Pokemon. 

"Krastin! I see you've decided to take the new kid along?" Jeff, the guard that Orion had seen when he arrived, shouted happily. 

"Yes, he is going to be practicing with me," Krastin said. "Any news from the fields yet?"

"None. So far, things look calm, but we thought the same last week, and we both know how that happened," Jeff said, his eyes narrowing.

"Exactly. Well, I'll be out there now, so let's see if those Ratitcates dare anything," Krastin said. "Quilladin is on the east side, so things should be fine."

Jeff nodded, then waved at Orion. "Good luck! I'm glad to see your Riolu grew a bit, but still. I hope it's just some Ratata that you have to deal with."

He grew? Orion thought as he looked at his friend in wonder. He didn't notice it, but it wasn't unheard of. 

"Thanks!" he said, following Krastin and the others.

They walked along a narrow path toward the distant fields, where dozens of small shapes were already working. Irwin noticed a few Pokemon walking along the edges, a large Houndoom among them. They seemed to be patrolling.

"Alright, Orion, this is how this is going to be," Krastin said. "Benny will take the furthest side of the field, and you will take the left one. "He was pointing at the sides he meant.

A line of trees said beside each. Orion knew that the forest on the left side where he had to go led to the sea if you followed it for a few weeks. 

"So, if one Ratata comes, you and Riolu are going to stop it and chase it away or defeat it," Krastin said. "If more arrive, the guards will take care of it. However, if any manage to slip past, you need to stop them. If anything else, a Raticate, Houndoor or… and let's hope that doesn't happen, Houndoom appears, run to the middle of the field. 

"Alright," Orion said as he felt a sudden bout of excitement. It took him a moment to realize it wasn't all his but partially came from Riolu. His stomach growled, reminding him of his lack of food.

Krastin looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Did you have breakfast?"

Orion shook his head. "No, I didn't want to bother Nurse Joy again, and-"

He caught a fist-sized pink berry that Krasin threw at him. He'd taken it from his pouch.

Pecha Berry, Orion thought. He knew by heart as they were the main staple of his Uncle's feed at the farm. It was an easy berry to grow here, and anything that cured poison was a good thing if you were around Pokemon a lot.

"Eat that," Krastin said, taking out another similar berry and handing it to Riolu.

Orion was about to bite into the berry when he hesitated and looked up.

"Thank you," Orion said before chomping down on the fruit. 

He finished it before they reached the edge of the field. Benny had split up and was now heading towards the other area while Krastin had followed him. 

"Alright, you only have one fighting move?" Krastin asked.

Orion nodded, quickly wiping the juice from his lips. 

"Yes, I wanted to ask if your Quilladin knew Low Kick… perhaps he can teach Riolu?"

Krastin looked at him, eyebrows raised. "From my knowledge, moves can only be learned by Pokemon as they grow stronger or from the only remaining Technical Machine in Neos City. There are rumors and legends about Pokemon learning moves through something called a Move Tutor… is that what you mean?"

Orion blinked, then took a quick look around to make sure there was nobody else nearby. When he saw that the nearest workers were far away, removing berries from bushes, he looked back at Krastin.

"If a Pokemon is strong enough and inherently capable of learning a move, another Pokemon can instruct them," he said. "So, if Breloom would know Low Kick or Low Sweep, he could teach Riolu."

Krastin frowned, then turned to his Breloom, which had been observing things quietly. 

"Brawl, have you heard of this?"

"Loom," the Breloom said as he shook his head, then raised his hand and made a wiggling motion.

"You've never heard of it, but you think it can be done?" Krastin said, eyes wide. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" 

Brel, Brel, Loom!" Breloom boomed.

Krastin sighed, then grinned. "Fine. You are right. I never asked. Alright, can you show Riolu your move?"

"Brel!" 

Orion watched as the Breloom moved to an empty spot, lowered his stance, then made a low sweeping motion with his leg. He did it slow, but a moment later he did it again, faster, then again, even faster. Finally, he moved almost to fast for Orion to keep track of, the leg making a loud whooshing sound as it swept a few inches above the ground, blowing away sand and dust.

"Ri!"

Riolu jumped forward and tried to copy the move. Orion was surprised that he managed a slow, reasonable attempt almost immediately, but as he continued, there didn't seem to be any of the force or speed of Breloom.

"Don't worry," Orion said. "It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to learn a move like this. Just keep practicing and make sure to do exactly what Breloom does. Also, try to sense how he moves his energy as he uses the ability."

Orion and Krastin continued watching while Breloom sometimes said something to Riolu, correcting something he did wrong.

"You are sure this is doable?" Krastin whispered. 

"Yes," Orion said. "I don't know much about Aura, but this I know." 

"We tried this many times in the past but with no success. It didn't help that we have no idea which moves are teachable… Do you know any moves that Pokemon can learn? Breloom, perhaps?"