Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 11 - Brewing Storm

"Thanks." I let out a sigh.

"Nelly!" Darragh called for her over at the bench.

"Coming!" She shouted back and waved to us both as she walked away.

Kudou was writing something down on a clipboard and looked up as she came near, when he then immediately began speaking to her as he finished off what he was doing.

"Watch out – incoming!" Hikaru shouted.

"Toby!" Kiria yelled.

"Huh?" I turned to see a large icicle flying through the air. Kiria's Ninetales had fired it, and Hikaru's Greninja had dodged, allowing it to shoot beyond their battlefield.

I watched the sharp ice shoot towards me, but the fatigue from breaking the bond with Grovyle hadn't lifted from my body. Just as I somehow willed my legs to move, a wave of heat blew past my face, and a stream of fire intercepted the icicle, burning it into steam in an instant.

Shu's hand was raised forward, and his Delphox had its wand raised, embers flickering.

"Shu, you..." I blinked.

"Phew..." He eased up and dismissed his bond effortlessly. "I didn't think we'd make it in time."

"Thanks." I breathed.

"Don't mention it."

"Are you all right?" Kiria called.

"I'm fine!" I held up a hand.

"Sorry about that!" Hikaru pressed her hands together and bowed slightly.

Meanwhile, Kudou had handed his clipboard over to Nelly. He stepped forward and looked around. "I need someone to go and help with buying supplies." He said, gesturing towards Nelly who had a shopping list in her hands.

I opened my mouth to volunteer, but Kudou picked out someone almost as soon as he had made the announcement. "Shu-ling, go with Nelly."

"Oh? Yes, sir." He nodded. "Good work, Delphox."

His Pokemon was called in and Shu walked across as Nelly made her way to the steps.

"Oh..." I watched them climb up as she explained to him what they needed to get. Then they walked along the path towards the shops, and I felt pangs of jealousy.

"Stop it." I shook my head, trying to dismiss those unnecessary thoughts.

Now I was the odd one out, with no training partner.

"Toby!" Xene called to me. "Come here a minute!"

"A-all right!" I returned Grovyle to his PokeBall and made my way over.

*

Xene ran me through the data he had collected regarding my bond with Grovyle, including video recordings of our battles with Shu, alongside several vitality monitors for both me and my Pokemon. "Looking at you and Grovyle, and then Shu and his Delphox, it's actually quite difficult to tell what makes his bond more potent." Xene said. "As you can see, when you and Grovyle are linked, your heart rate and breathing are almost perfectly synced, which is exactly how it is for him too.

"Really? Then what is it...?"

"I'm not sure," He went on. "But I do have some ideas."

"Shoot."

"Well, obviously, there's the time factor. Like Coach Kudou said, Shu and his Delphox have been dabbling in the Bond Phenomenon for much longer than you and your Grovyle. Naturally, they'll have a better grip on it at this point. But then, the only other key difference I've noticed is the way you and Shu actually activate your bonds."