Time skip 1 week, M.C. P.O.V.
I got out my sleeping bag before the sun came up, alongside Metal and Braveheart. We all moved without talking, running out of the hut we had been sharing for the past week. Ikaika had made it a point that I would be training alongside them from now on. We all ran to the training field to find other small gray dragons standing in rows side by side. We took our spots in front of the group as Ikaika positioned himself in front of us.
Without saying anything to us or the other dragons, he gave the group a once-over to make sure everyone was present. After another five minutes of waiting, he turned around and started running, with the group following him in practice order. We ran in small groups, making sure to keep pace with Ikaika. This was how I would start every morning. In the past week, we ran to warm up our bodies so we would not hurt ourselves during later training. The run went on for about two hours until we reached a clearing for more of our training. The three of us split ourselves off into different groups, with Braveheart joining the other fighting dragons. Metal and I followed Ikaika further down the path to another clearing for our training.
"Metal, start working on your claws," Ikaika said as we entered the clearing. Metal didn't miss a beat and ran to the largest tree, beginning to strike it with his claws glowing with purple energy. Knowing what Ikaika wanted me to do, I kicked off my shoes and got into a horse stance. Ikaika circled me, making sure I was doing it right, and then nodded, grabbing a stick. This was the hardest part of daily training. I had to hold this pose for 30 minutes, and whenever my stance became sloppy, I would be struck with the stick.
The 30 minutes passed without much happening. After doing this for a week, I had gotten used to it. I stood and walked to the sandpit that Ikaika had created using a small earthquake. He handed me a wooden spear, and I started going through the forms he had taught me. He was training me in an ancient martial art from their homeland, Alola. This was what warriors who fought alongside them used when they lived among humans. The island was not far from Alola, but they chose not to live there because they did not wish to fight with other fighting dragons.
The humans who were coming here were also from Alola, so that's where I would be going after leaving the island. I asked Ikaika about them and Alola, and he was kind enough to tell me what he knew. The humans who were coming were the descendants of the trainer of the first fighting dragon that came to this island. The clan agreed to let them take young fighting dragons with them for this reason. Also, when the trainer passed, the dragon more often than not came back here stronger. It was almost a symbiotic relationship where both sides benefited. It made sense; humans needed strong Pokémon, and Pokémon wanted to become stronger.
I was also able to ask him about why my aura was that of dragons, and what I found out was shocking. Ikaika told me that a human's aura is like a sponge, able to take in Pokémon's type energy and aura. Normally, this helps humans, making them closer to nature and giving them a better understanding of their Pokémon. But the problem arises when humans spend too much time with one type of Pokémon. In my case, being dragons, because of this, my aura took on characteristics of that of a dragon Pokémon. Ikaika said this normally does not happen unless a human spends years around strong Pokémon of that type, so I'm not sure how my aura did this. There are many pros and cons to this situation.
The pros are that I'll be able to get close to dragon Pokémon without much problem, and other Pokémon will also treat me like a dragon type. This is mostly good; weaker Pokémon will run from my aura, so I won't run into an army of Zubats in caves. Dragons are also mostly known for being honorable, so most Pokémon will also take me at my word. I'll also be able to train dragons faster than other trainers. But the cons are also great; fairies will always hate me no matter what I do. I also won't be able to train Pokémon of other types as effectively as dragons. This is because my aura has been attuned to dragon type energy. So if a Pokémon does not have the dragon typing or is unable to use dragon type energy, my aura would hinder them rather than help.
"Thwack!" a stick hit my side, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. I didn't have to look to know it was Ikaika punishing me for being distracted. "Focus," he said. "I am," I replied. His tail swept across the sand, knocking me off my feet. He grabbed my head in his claw as I fell, bringing me to his eye level. Knowing what he meant, I nodded with all the seriousness I could muster. He let me go, and I resumed the forms. "Remember, brother of my youngest, that dragons can be weak but never lack honor, and the most dishonorable act is to lie," he said. I nodded, taking in the lesson and making sure not to get distracted again.
I restarted my training, clearing my mind of any other messy thoughts and going back into the forms. After about an hour, Ikaika told me to stop, and then we moved on to unarmed forms. The forms were also an important part of the martial art, with a focus on bone-breaking, joint locks, throws, and pressure point manipulation. During this week of training with Ikaika, I had learned a lot about my fighting and hunting. I let those thoughts drift away from my mind as I fell into the rhythm of training. After about another hour, the sun had come up, signaling that it was time to head back to the group.
We retrieved Metal from his training area and made our way back to Braveheart and the others. After that, we all went into the forest in small groups. Metal, Braveheart, and I headed towards our normal hunting grounds. I had taken my spear to make the hunt easier, and Braveheart and I got behind Metal as it became our normal formation. We all hid in the tall grass near a large river where Pokémon liked to come to drink.
We fell into silence, not moving or talking, not wanting to give away our location. We waited for about 30 minutes until our prey showed themselves. Two small pink and green deer came to the river and began to drink. I tapped Braveheart's head and motioned towards them. She nodded, and then we both went to Metal's side. He had already seen them and waited for me to make the plan. I pointed to the pink one and then to Braveheart. She nodded in understanding, and then I pointed to the ground while looking at Metal. I moved my hand in a circle around the deer, and he understood what I meant, nodding. With a final deep breath to calm my mind, I signaled to my partners, and we began our plan. Metal went first, rocks breaking from the ground and moving around him before he fired them toward the deer, enclosing them with rocks as Braveheart and I attacked.
I rushed towards the green deer, and she went for the pink one. The deer, realizing they were being attacked, tried to run but found themselves trapped by the rocks. They turned to us with looks of fear on their faces and tears in their eyes, almost making me stop. But having done this for the last week, I continued to attack. Seeing that we were not stopping, the deer jumped apart. Having already decided which one to go for beforehand, I threw the spear into the legs of the small green Pokémon. The spear lodged into its legs as it fell, and I ran towards it as it came down. Just as I was about to close in, it let out a sharp growl so loud that I felt my eardrums pop.
I dropped to my knees as the pain shot through my body, and then the noise stopped as the deer started glowing in a green light. Taking my hands away from my head and seeing blood on them, I knew my ears had started to bleed. That made me angry. I grabbed my knife and ran towards it again, but the deer, having recovered from the spear wound, jumped away from me. It tried to get over the rock wall, only for it to get taller as another layer of rocks was placed on top by Metal. Seizing the opportunity he had given me, I ran and stabbed the deer's legs. The cuts were shallow as it got away from me.
Locking eyes with the deer and seeing the look of pleading and helplessness in its eyes, I felt myself wavering. It rammed itself into me at a faster speed than it had shown before, knocking me to the ground. Feeling the pain and anger build up again, I grabbed it as I fell, pulling it down with me. Getting it into a chokehold and pulling on its neck with all the power I could muster, it thrashed its legs like crazy, trying to break free. It kicked the air, almost hitting me a few times. I kept hold around its neck, hoping it would pass out soon, but it kept flailing and crying out. I don't know how long it took, but finally, it passed out, twisting its neck and breaking it for good measure. I dropped it, finally able to take a deep breath and calm down. Braveheart had finished her fight before me and made her way over with her prey.
"Did you need help?" she asked me. I laughed; she must have been there for a while. She had been much stronger than the deer, but she still did not act to help me. I knew she did not do it out of any malice; she thought that every dragon would rather die than accept help in a fair fight. "No," I said after my laughter died down. I picked up the deer, and then both of us made our way back to Metal. "Why do you always laugh at me?" she asked as we got to Metal. "I'm not laughing at you," I said, but she just looked at me impishly. "I'm laughing at myself," I said. She just looked at me in confusion, so I continued, "The way you think is so different from me, but it also makes sense to me, so I can't get mad at you for it. I know you're only doing what a dragon should do, and I feel like it's right, but at the same time, I've been raised differently my whole life. So my mind wants me to do something else."
She fell into silent thought at what I said. I'm not sure if I was able to convey my feelings, but it was the best I could do right now. She looked up at me, wanting to ask more, but I guess she understood that I would not be able to give her a more satisfactory explanation. We all fell into a comfortable silence and made our way back to the others with our catch. It took us about 10 minutes to meet up with the others and then head towards the village.