I Sting (Pokemon Poison Type Specialist)

Chapter 14

“Nitro, Roost,” as ordered, Virah's Weedle sat still, closed its eyes, and a second later, glowed a dull white.

Virah frowned.

Nitro used Roost well enough, but why did he have to close his eyes? Virah sought to correct it, “you don't have to close your eyes Nitro, it's fine if you just focus on the move and use it,”

“Weedle?” Nitro looked at her questioningly.

Virah nodded, “yeah,” she shrugged, “you don't really need to bother with things like closing your eyes, that'll just make it hard for you during battle,”

Nitro looked pensive but then swiftly nodded, “Weedle!” He hopped down the branch he was on and stared at her, “Weedle!”

“Okay,” Virah took his suggestion clearly, “you want to try using Roost again this time without all your fancy shmuck,” Nitro nodded, “Nitro, Roost,”

Her Weedle focused and then shook but a second later, his quivering stopped and the similar white glow from earlier appeared on his entire body. Virah nodded at the sight and Nitro beamed.

“That was a good attempt but I feel that it wasn't enough,” Nitro was shaking at the start of that and that simply couldn't do, “Nitro, Roost.”

It had taken Nitro two weeks (and a few days) to learn the move and with it being so new, it's only understandable that he's going to have flaws when using Roost, especially since this move of his is, again, new. But those flaws needed to be ironed out and fixed before they could go and use it during battle, otherwise it's simply not a valid option.

Nitro focused in on himself again and this time, there wasn't any shaking, but then it took him two seconds to use Roost instead of the single second it took him earlier.

Virah frowned at that, what was going on?

“Are you okay Nitro?” Her Weedle nodded at her. 

“Hm…” Virah crossed her arms and started tapping her elbow with her index finger, “okay, so you clearly don't have problems,” mostly because she believed Nitro to not lie to her about body pains, “so what took you so long to use Roost?..”

Virah idly scanned the branch he was on and the serene image of Nitro appeared in her mind, “huh,” she said in self reflection before turning back to her Weedle, “Nitro, I think you should relax while using Roost, it's not something that you need to force out like Poison Sting,” Nitro nodded and called out his name, “okay, let's do it again, Nitro, Roost,”

Her Weedle again closed its eyes and Virah stopped him before he could continue, she waved her hands around frantically, “okay, okay, stop, Nitro, that's not- I told you not to close your eyes remember?”

“Weedle?” Nitro tilted his head and then perked up, “Weedle!”

“Right, that's what I said, I… did tell you to relax,” Virah replied with an exasperated sigh, “okay, I want you to relax while using Roost, and this time, don't close your eyes, Nitro, use Roost.”

Nitro nodded and did what he was told, and he stood there, a second passed, then a third, and by the fifth second, he finally glowed and Virah frowned.

Her Weedle was clearly having a hard time using Roost- or maybe that's just the case for non-flying types using this kind of move?

After all, how would a Weedle even Roost?

Virah eyed the branch, ‘well they'd go up a branch and sit there I guess- oh.’ She finished dumbly.

“Okay, Nitro,” she decided to go along with her Weedle's way of using the move instead of pushing what she felt like it should be, her Pokemon clearly knew what it was doing, even if instinctually, so Virah deemed it was better to just let him and his method of using Roost be.

“- I think it's fine if you close your eyes,” her Weedle looked at her in confusion and Virah rubbed the back of her neck, “yeah, I'm sorry about earlier if I was being confusing… or was just confused, myself too- really,” 

She sighed, “anyways, it's fine if you close your eyes while using Roost, so uh, do that,”

Virah ordered her Pokemon to use the move again, “Nitro, Roost.”

Her Weedle closed its eyes and Virah watched him glow white a second later, “good,” she said in approval, eliciting an excited sound to come from the tiny Pokemon.

Virah tossed Nitro an oran berry, “now, use Roost again,”

Virah watched him close his eyes and took out an oran berry, just as he glowed, she tossed it towards him and her Weedle's head snapped forward to grab it without even opening his eyes.

Virah clapped, startling Nitro, “good job! I want you to keep reacting like that okay?”

Nitro, now excited, nodded, “Weedle!”

“Yes, yes, I'll use oran berries to do this,” if before Nitro was excited, now he looked pumped and Virah only smiled at the fiery look he was giving her.

Their training went on like this and until Virah had spent 5 oran berries in an attempt to make her Weedle react to an attack immediately after using Roost- which for now was just him catching oran berries.

So far, Nitro has not failed in catching the thrown berries but Virah wasn't sure if it would continue in the heat of battle, for all she knew, Nitro might just panic and focus too hard on his relaxation while using Roost and give their opponent an opportunity for an attack.

That particular flaw was present in Pokemon that were taught Roost but hadn’t been trained how to use it.

Virah was training her Weedle, yes, but he wasn't a Flying Type so the move Roost comes a bit hard for him.

She sighed and picked up her pace.

Virah walked along the streets of Goldenrod with Nitro's Pokeball in hand, which right now was hidden in the pockets of her jacket because she wanted both the element of surprise in an accidental battle as well as the ability to quick draw if the need arose.

And she's starting to think that the need might just arise, because everyone around her seemed on edge, especially the people coming from the direction she was heading to.

She stopped a kid, “hey,” she called out, the boy, who wore the standard cap, shirt, and pants youngsters preferred, flinched and turned to her, “what's going on up there?”

She pointed to the direction she was going to.

“Uh, Team Rocket,” the kid's answer made Virah's eyebrows shoot up.

“Team Rocket?” She said, emphasizing the last word.

 “Yeah, it's not just some random cult this time, it's uh, I think I heard that the jennies are trying to take down one of their lieutenants?”

“Oh,” Virah looked in the direction again and decided that it wasn't worth it, she nodded at the kid, “thanks for the heads up, I'll uh, just go another way,”

“Better that way,” he nodded, “well, I better get home, see ya,”

“Thanks again!” Virah waved to the kid as he made his way out.

She sighed and stared longingly in the direction where Team Rocket was apparently being arrested, if she only had stronger Pokemon, she could have joined in… but that's a stupid thought and most likely a suicidal one, so she shook it off and headed for her right, towards the pathways that she has preferred to go through during school days.

Unlike the crowded streets, the narrow path had almost nothing in it save for the everpresent walls of houses and buildings, there was the occasional Meowth on it sure but other than that? Nothing.

Virah passed by a potted plant and stared at it idly, then a moment later, she focused on her front and kept walking.

Eventually, she turned a corner and saw something strange; a distorted image of space- it was… something she had never seen before, not even in professional battles and she was curious as to what kind of Pokemon could have caused it-

It disappeared in a blink and all proof of its existence was gone save for the image of a circular rend in space in Virah's head, one that she had a hard time forgetting- at least until she saw a wounded Team Rocket member slumped against a wall.

The hand holding Nitro's Pokeball tightened its grip around the spherical device and Virah weighed the risks and wondered if it was worth it to release her Pokemon and fight the grunt but decided that it wasn't.

For all she knew, the wounded man might still have a spare Raticate or worse, a Golbat.

So she waited with bated breaths, not willing to turn back the way she came.

The rocket grunt started talking, “yeah, I don't think there's- no, they didn't follow me sir, but I'm sure that they destroyed it, Cyrus is going to be mad but it's fine, that madman doesn't know what he's talking about- no- I mean yeah, I understand,” Virah heard a sigh, a tired one, “I'll try to get him to rebuild the particle accelerator again,”

Silence, and then- “boss, can I ask you something?” No answer, “why do you want to open up wormholes?” silence, followed by, “ah, got it, I know it's not my place to pry,”

Virah heard the sound of footsteps and strained moans as the Team Rocket grunt walked away, she waited for a few more minutes and when the footsteps sounded far enough, she heaved out a sigh of relief and made her way out of the pathways as fast as she could.