Chapter 228: Notes of a Gym Founder
Xiu observed Scizor's struggle with a critical eye. The Pokémon's powerful upper body and heavy pincers created a high center of gravity, making one-legged stances inherently difficult. It's still new to this evolved form. This will require significant practice. Xiu noted.
"Easy, Scizor," Xiu encouraged, his voice calm. "Don't force it. Feel for the balance. Small adjustments. Use your whole body, not just your leg." He guided it verbally, "Your arms, your wings – they can act as counterweights. Open your wings slightly; they're key to your maneuverability, they can help stabilize you on the ground too."
Slowly and patiently, Scizor began to find its equilibrium. Under Xiu's guidance, leveraging its natural talent and relentless focus, it started to master the basic one-legged stance.
And by the time it could hold the pose steadily on either leg, the sun was high, radiating down its warmth mercilessly. Half a day had passed under the oppressive summer heat.
"Alright, break time," Xiu called, leading Scizor to the shade of the withered tree. He provided fresh water and a specially formulated nutrient gel to replenish its energy.
As Scizor rested, Xiu outlined the next phase. "You've found balance, but it's fragile. Any external force, any sudden movement, and you'll lose it. The next step is to maintain that balance while moving the raised leg. Controlled kicks, feints, shifts in posture."
Unlike the more indolent Pokémon in Oak's care, Scizor possessed an unyielding will, a deep-seated drive for improvement. It rested only briefly before rising, eager to continue.
Back under the tree, it began to practice, lifting one leg, then attempting small, controlled movements as Xiu had instructed. As predicted, even the slightest motion initially threw it off balance.
Xiu continued to guide it. "Engage your core! Use your arms as counterweights – extend them, retract them. Flare your wings for stability! Good! Hold it… now slowly extend the kick…"
Gradually, Scizor began to internalize the principles, its movements becoming smoother, more controlled. It was, in essence, relearning its own body, filling in the gaps in proprioception and coordination that had been overlooked during its initial adaptation to its evolved form. This training is yielding faster results than I anticipated. Xiu thought.
"Okay, that's enough foundational work for today," Xiu finally called a halt to the lower body training. "Back to your regular drills." He knew this new aspect of its training was a long-term project, not something to be mastered in a single day.
Scizor needed time to adapt, to build new muscle memory. Varying its training would also prevent burnout and allow its body to adjust. He offered a few more pointers for its solo drills, then left Scizor to its relentless practice.
He had his own work to attend to.
The books and notes salvaged from the Bug-Type Gym beckoned him. He settled down in the shade, pulling out one of the older, leather-bound journals – the personal notes of a former Gym Leader. Perhaps there are insights here, techniques or observations that could benefit Scizor's training.
While Xiu immersed himself, Xiaochun continued her patient attempts to befriend the injured Pidgey. With Ditto's help – the little mimic often transforming into a Pidgey itself to act as a go-between – she was slowly making progress. A tentative touch here, a shared morsel of food there. It was a slow process, but a start.
The summer afternoon grew heavy with heat. Pallet Town seemed to doze under the sun. Even Xiu, usually driven, felt a languor creep over him. He wandered down to the small stream, plunged his face into the cool water, and came up refreshed.
The shock of the cold water cleared his mind, and the contents of the journal he'd been reading resurfaced with new clarity.
He'd started with the oldest volume, seemingly the writings of the Gym's founder. It was less of a technical manual and more of an autobiography, chronicling the journey from a humble Bug Catcher to a respected Gym Leader. Over two hundred pages, and Xiu had skimmed through them in half a day, finding little training techniques.
The founder, a young man from a family of farmers and part-time herbalists, owned only a single Butterfree – typical for an ordinary family of that era. One day, while gathering herbs deep in the Viridian Forest, he stumbled upon a fierce battle between several powerful wild Pokémon.
The raw, brutal display of their power left a profound impact on the boy. When the dust settled, a single, immensely strong Heracross stood victorious. As its prize, it consumed the vibrant purple blossoms of a rare, unfamiliar plant before lumbering off into the forest.
The boy, though young, recognized the significance of the plant. Such a fierce battle wouldn't have occurred over something ordinary. He carefully dug up the remaining roots and transplanted them to a secret, secluded spot he knew, deep within the forest. Being an herbalist's son, he possessed some knowledge of plant cultivation. Nurtured by his care and the potent ambient energy of Viridian Forest, the plant survived.
Knowing the plant's alluring fragrance would attract powerful Pokémon when it bloomed again, the boy cleverly sprinkled insect-repelling powders around it, masking its scent.
He then began to prepare, dreaming of capturing a strong Pokémon of his own. His options were limited – the common trio of Viridian Forest: Caterpie, Rattata, and Pidgey. He could only wait, hope for an opportunity.
Fortune, it seemed, favored him. A few days later, his father returned from a village patrol meeting with news: a small colony of Beedrill had been discovered near the village, already laying eggs. For the safety of the villagers, the elder was organizing a party of Trainers to eliminate the nest.
The boy, seeing his chance, begged his father to let him participate, to borrow the family Butterfree. His father, fearing for his son's safety, adamantly refused. But a few days later, his father returned from the 'crusade' against the Beedrill nest, not empty-handed, but bearing a single Pokémon Egg – a Beedrill egg, with distinctive yellow and black stripes. He had participated in the dangerous task himself and used his contribution as leverage to claim an egg for his son.
The boy was overjoyed, overwhelmed by his father's quiet sacrifice. He now had his own Pokémon, a chance towards power. He abandoned all other pursuits, spending his days at his secret base, tending the mysterious purple plant, anxiously awaiting the hatching of his Beedrill egg.
The plant, thriving in the potent forest soil, began to bud again. The boy then grew more nervous with each passing day, diligently reapplying the insect-repelling powders, praying his egg would hatch before the plant's irresistible fragrance once again drew the forest's most powerful Pokémon.