Normal Isn't Ordinary [Pokemon SI]

[sabbync]

This story is undergoing a rewrite. The story is largely the same with mostly stylistic improvements, so I will be updating the chapters rather than starting a new thread. I apologize for the time away, and for not letting y'all know that I was taking a break. Going forward I hope to be able to update this regularly, but if I can't, I will make sure to post a hiatus notice

 

[NightmareWarden]

It's still good news in my book! Glad you are still interested in the fic.

 

[sabbync]

AN: Rewrite is finished. Welcome back to Normal Isn't Ordinary, with the first new chapter in almost a year

4 Months Later

"Listen up!" Antonio shouted. "As all of you know, peace has been officially declared in the Indigo Region."

Despite the old news, one of us were able to hold back our cheers. "Peace, Rice, and Rest!" I shouted the Indigo Communist Party's slogan. While the wounds were still fresh (Ecruteak had fallen two months prior, the bloody battle taking Jonnie with it) the news of peace was still worth celebrating. To many, myself included, it seemed more a miracle than a reality.

"It's finally within our grasp," Antonio agreed. "However! While peace is at hand, there is still much work to do, especially for you all. As of next month, the Goldenrod City Gym will be turning its attention away from civilian affairs. Instead, we will be focusing on you." Antonio glared at us. "Currently, only one of you lot is of acceptable strength for a full-time Gym Trainer."

I winced. There were twelve of us, and of the eleven not making the cut only I had the excuse of being a child.

"That, however, is something we can fix," Antonio continued. "What we cannot fix is disloyalty, dishonor, and greed. I would rather have the twelve of you to train than Walter's fifty to command." He stared at us, his gaze no less harsh. "This will not be easy. This will not be fast. But so long as you are willing to try, I will be there to help you. Are you in?"

"YES SIR!" we shouted.

"Good," Antonio nodded. "Now, assignments. While our current duties still stand, we shall begin our training now. Every day, you and your partner will train for at least two hours. And I mean you, not just your pokemon. Starting next week, I will meet with a different pair each day to review and reassess. Your partners are as follows: Choji with Albert. Elise with Ran. Jessica with Akira. Junko with . . ."

"Hey," Akira whispered to me, already bouncing on his feet. "Ready to get started?" A martial artist and former construction worker, Akira's knowledge of the Machop line was half the reason he'd been put in charge of the Gym's rebuilding efforts. I was pretty sure he was the one Antonio singled out as competent as well, seeing as he had two Machoke who followed his every word.

"Definitely!" I answered with a smile. "I'm excited to learn. I looked up Teddiursa's potential moves the last time I was in the library, and there's a bunch of Fighting-type moves I was hoping you could help me with."

"Ha!" Akira laughed good-naturedly. "Yes, perhaps eventually. But first we must ensure the foundation is secure. Without a base, any structure will crumble under pressure. What moves does your Teddiursa know?"

"Fury Swipes, Hone Claws, Crunch, and Slash," I smiled. I was really proud of the last two. Teddiursa had learned Slash well before the expected five or six years in the wild, and Crunch was typically something they didn't learn on their own.

"Strong moveset," Akira noted. "Limited, however."

I grimaced and nodded. With so much time focused on gathering food and medicine I had abandoned my previous exhaustive (exhausting, as Teddiursa would insist) plan for training and instead focused on improving what he already had.

"Still, the master of a single punch will defeat some nerd who has read about a thousand different punches," Akira continued. "Today I will test you and your Teddiursa. Not only moves, but speed and endurance. Capability of fighting with and without orders. Only then will I know where to begin." He smiled, and I recoiled and the sadistic visage. Taking out a stopwatch, Akira pointed at a tree a hundred meters away. "Run there and back. Just you for now. Starting . . . now!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

"You," I panted, willpower alone allowing me to stand and breathe, "are a monster."

"I am," Akira happily agreed, no less cheerful for having run every sprint with me. And lifted weights far more than me. And– "And I'm going to make you one too! That's all for today though. Both of you are still young, and need to eat and rest."

"Ursa?" Teddiursa asked, looking up with hopeful eyes.

"We're done," I told him.

"Teddi–" he began, and fell to the ground ready to sleep.

"Nope!" Akira stepped forward, heaving Teddiursa to his feet.

"Ted!"

"Need you to eat first," Akira said, clapping the poor bear on the shoulder. Akira wrinkled his nose. "And bathe. You too Jessica."

"I can't wait for a shower," I agreed happily. Of all the shortages that Goldenrod had faced post-revolution, water was fortunately never one. It was hard to run out of water when the Water Department (recently nationalized) could simply use pokemon to conjure hundreds of gallons from nothing, or purify thousands of gallons of seawater. "What are we working on tomorrow?"

"I need to finish the lesson-plan," Akira said, "but I can give you a rough outline. Both you and Teddiursa have a good base to start from, but it's nothing astounding. We'll work on bulking him up, and I'll be teaching you some martial arts as well. Useful even if you never end up with a Fighting-type and necessary if you do. Crunch is a lot more powerful than I expected, I'm surprised you managed to get him there. Even Bite is pretty advanced for a Teddiursa. That said, you need new moves. Start with Growl and move onto Roar. Hone Claws could use some work too–right now he's just pushing the energy in, nor really focusing on what sharpness means."

"What sharpness means?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Do you know what Aura is?"

"Yes."

"Good," Akira sighed in relief. "I hate explaining that. Aura powers Moves, but concepts are what perfect them. To make something sharp, you must first understand what sharpness is. What it means to you, and to the world around you. Without that concept you are trying to make a knife with nothing more than a hammer and chisel. Possible, but far more work than it is worth."

"And understanding the concept is like a whetstone?" I asked.

"Exactly!" Akira smiled. "It allows you to hone power into a single point. A jet of water rather than a wave."

"But a wave has its own uses."

"Indeed it does," Akira agreed. "Brute force is never useless. Power is never useless. But without knowledge there is only so much it can do."

"How do I teach Teddiursa about concepts?"

"Help him understand what they mean to him," Akira suggested. "Show the difference between a dull blade and a sharp blade. Show the difference between honed claws and unhoned claws. The better your bond, the faster he will learn as he picks up meaning from you. But there is no shortcut. There is no secret trick, no hidden meaning. Improvement and self-improvement are an endless journey, and many abandon the path upon seeing how far they still have to go."

"I won't quit!"

"Good," Akira smiled. "But we are done for the day. Bathe. Eat. Sleep. And come back tomorrow prepared for more."