Chapter 23: Hurt Pride 

"How could you let that stupid penguin beat you!?" I roared. "He's hardly more threatening than a Feebas. After all our training, you're still WEAK!" 

Bagon tried not to cower at my words, but I saw it in his eyes. The fear. 

"Stop looking at me like that," I snapped. "You're going to train until you faint, do you hear me? First, you will run. You're going on a run through the forest. I don't care if you're tired from the battle. Weavile and Honchkrow, stand by." 

I threw their Poke Balls and they appeared in a bright light. "You will follow Bagon as he runs. Bagon, if you're too slow, you will be attacked. If you wish, you can attack back to counter, but to do that you'll actually have to produce a Flamethrower, which it seems like you're too much of a pansy to do." I sneered. "Now go. Come back here in an hour. If you don't, you'll have to run for another hour and this time I'll set Electivire on you as well. Go!" 

With a jolt, Bagon began running, his breath hitching already. After giving him a head start, Weavile and Honchkrow faded into the trees silently. 

And I was alone.  

Steaming, I swore. 

"Hey, Paul?" Dawn made her way through the trees. "Dinner is almost ready. Where's Bagon?" 

"Training," I spat. 

She recoiled at my anger. It seemed like all of her frustration had leaked out of her after proving herself in battle. "What's wrong?" 

"None of your business." I put my hands in my pockets. 

"You're still upset that you lost? It was an Ice attack, Paul. Did you expect Bagon to endure it?" 

"I expected him to not be such a quitter." I refused to look at her. 

She was quiet for a moment. "That's cruel of you. Every Pokemon has its weakness and he can't help that Ice attacks are super effective against him. You even have your weaknesses, I'm sure." 

"I have no weaknesses!" I yelled. Arceus, what insolent thing is she going to say next? 

"You have no right to treat Bagon the way you're treating him right now, even if you both want to be stronger. As a Trainer, you are the one who's failed him, not the other way around. You haven't been training yourself, but you're forcing him to overwork. How is that fair?" 

"How dare you criticize me." My nostrils flared. "You're the one who is traveling with me, seeking my help, not the other way around." 

"Yeah, and you've taught me a lot, Paul. And that's one reason I won." Dawn glared at me. "Another is because I'm nice to my Pokemon and they don't fear me." 

"Go away." I turned my back to her. 

I heard her sigh, but she left, leaving me to think in peace. It troubled me, what she said. Was it really because she was nice to her Pokemon and trusted in them that she had won? 

I couldn't believe that. It had been because of the Ice attack. It had been because I'd been helping her learn what the meaning of 'strategy' was. And, really, I hadn't really been trying my hardest because she was as threatening as a newborn Caterpie. That was all. The only reason she won was because she'd had the type advantage. That ruddy "power of friendship" wasn't the reason we'd lost. 

I thought of Ash. He had beaten me during the Pokemon League in Sinnoh. That, I had to admit. Still, it was a onetime thing. He was one of the only Trainers of late to ever defeat me. The matches between Dawn and I were more for training, not actual battles that meant anything. 

And yet Ash's approach to Pokemon training had overcome mine in the end, fluke or not. 

I grimaced.  

Maybe there was something about Pokemon training that I hadn't seen before. Really, it would be more foolish to sit idly by and not try to be slightly nicer to my Pokemon to see if I could get better results. 

But for right now, Bagon had to become stronger. 

I waited for my Pokemon to come back, my eyes narrowing at the off chance that my own strategy might be changing soon.

An hour after they had begun, Bagon made it through the trees, gasping, unable to stand any longer. He slowly sank against a tree trunk and gave a deep breath, his eyes closing as if embedded with bricks, too heavy to lift. 

Weavile and Honchkrow emerged next. Weavile's claw-like hands glowed as if he'd just used a Metal Claw. 

"Did you attack him often?" I asked softly. 

They nodded and I felt a tinge of regret for my anger and cruelty. "Return." 

They returned to their Poke Balls and I then again laid eyes on my newest Pokemon. 

"Bagon."

I saw his body flinch before he opened his eyes and stared at me, showing fear. For the first time, I imagined how that must feel to be barked orders at, to cower at the sight of a hand, to fear the sound of a Trainer's voice. My  voice. 

Bagon continued to stare at me as I walked closer. He was still breathing heavily and his limbs trembled from exertion. I knelt beside him and hesitantly held out a hand, placing it slowly on the top of his head. "You're improving." 

His black eyes widened and I felt his body freeze from shock. 

I cracked a small smile. "You scare easily for a Dragon Pokemon, Bagon, but you do have the strength of one." I took my hand off his head, feeling pretty ridiculous as his eyes continued to stay connected to mine. "Sleep well." 

I stood up, my mind rushing as I turned to look over my shoulder. Bagon had fallen fast asleep against the tree trunk in seconds flat. He'd really worn himself out and I actually felt touched by his commitment to train.

Really, why should I feel any sympathy for Bagon? He was a Pokemon. All Pokemon should strive to be their best, to be the toughest, to be invincible. No one becomes invincible by being a soft, kind hearted pushover. 

Dawn popped into my head unwillingly at the word "pushover". "Kind hearted".... "Soft". 

My breath froze as I slammed the thoughts down in my brain. 

Training. I needed to train. 

Instantly, I was down on the ground doing pushups. All that existed was the rhythmic up and down, my lungs filling and unfilling with air, my hair tickling my ears as it moved as my stinging muscles worked. My Pokemon were not the only ones who had to be strong- I knew that long ago and that was why I always strove to be my best as well. 

Ten. Twenty. Thirty. 

I stopped, then stood up and stretched, allowing my breathing to slow before beginning lunges. 

Twenty minutes later my body was covered in a layer of sweat. I removed my jacket and shirt and walked over to a tree to begin chin ups. My hands gripped a thin yet sturdy branch and I started to hoist my body up and down. The bark bit into my palms, but I ignored the stinging. As I lifted my chin towards the branch, I refused to flail my limbs around like a pathetic Magikarp. 

I am not a worthless fish, I thought furiously after finishing my twentieth, then resumed my chin ups. 

From the shadows of a nearby tree, something moved the leaves on a bush, then stopped.  

I dropped down from the tree branch, ignoring the stabbing pains in my hands and arms. My eyes flickered to Bagon who was asleep, unable to defend himself from whatever could be watching us. I walked swiftly over to Bagon and crouched low and wrapped my hand around Torterra's Poke Ball, wondering what cowering being was hiding in the bushes. 

"Paul?" a voice called, sounding astonished. 

I stood up as Dawn appeared from the foliage. 

"Hi, miscreant." I peered at her curiously, standing up. "Why were you hiding? Don't you know it's rude to remain hidden like a filthy Rattata?" 

"Yes, of course." She sounded flustered, but different somehow. Not offended like she usually was when I called her a name, but still very flustered. "It's just that I was so shocked to see you training alone and...." 

I finished the sentence, which she seemed incapable of finishing, for her, "You decided to enjoy the show." 

Her silence answered "yes", as did her red cheeks. It was odd, seeing her cheeks redden for once with something other than rage at something I had said about her. 

I read my reaction to her expression and actions slowly. Firstly, I felt amused by her attempt to hide from me and her obvious embarrassment at being caught. Secondly, a pleasurable smugness trickled into me, followed by a smidge of self consciousness at what she'd seen while she'd annoyingly spied on me. It was a strange mixture of feelings and I tried to dissolve the self consciousness as I replied, "What was your favorite part? The part where I started doing chin ups shirtless? I'm sure Ash and Contest Boy never really trained themselves, did they?" I paused and couldn't help but slowly add, "They certainly didn't train their brains, that's for sure." 

"Actually," Dawn began slowly, "my favorite part was where you complimented Bagon." 

The growing smile on my face, which I hadn't noticed was forming until Dawn had spoken, slid away and I said threateningly, "I don't know what you're talking about." 

She sighed. "Paul, I saw the whole thing." 

"Then you must have seen the part where he fainted from exhaustion and I went over to check his pulse to make sure he wasn't dead," I hissed, walking closer so that I was right in Dawn's face, ready for her to give up, to give some sort of cheery stupid optimistic response and move on with life, for her to whine about how fighting is horrible and shouldn't happen. 

Instead, her blue eyes were strong as she replied, "You're lying. I don't care if you keep up this intense training, or your cruel snide remarks about my life, or if you think I'm some stupid little girl who doesn't know anything. What I do care about," she stepped even closer to me and I refused to show alarm at her sudden nearness and ferocity, "is how you treat Pokemon. You deny it all you want, but you're changing. You're turning soft." 

I refused to even think that that was true and instead retorted quietly, leaning in closer, "And you, Dawn? What happened to the prissy little girl who collected ribbons for fun? Look at you now." I locked my eyes with hers and saw them widen. "You've grown a backbone. I'm actually impressed." 

She took a step back, trying to be less confrontational, to prove she was less like me than I said, "People change."  

"I've noticed." My eyes flashed in amusement. 

She was still for a minute, and then said, "Really, I just came to tell you I'm going to bed. Don't wake me up when you get back to camp." 

"Since when am I that loud?" I raised an eyebrow. 

"Just don't make any noise," she said exasperatedly, as if she was both mad at me and herself for such a lame excuse. "Good night." 

"Good night."

Without another word, she took the path back to our campsite. I went to Bagon and scooped him into my arms, where he slept as I followed Dawn. His head nuzzled against my chest and I clutched him tighter as I strode through the darkness.