The next morning Booth heads off with Damon to the Tiered Trainer center. From there they head to a training room. Much like the room from yesterday, this room is made to be sturdy to absorb pokemon attacks. The room is not invincible however, as the walls are considerably damaged.
Today Damon said he would teach Booth different exercises to improve his coordination. A pokemon's senses are only better physically, while a trainer is able to understand what these senses mean after training. The importance of coordination comes from how a trainer manages what they see through their own eyes versus what they see through their pokemons.
The difficulty of understanding so much information is why tier 1 trainers can only give commands at first. Despite this, the strength of a tier 1 trainer far surpasses the strength of normal trainers.
"The first exercise will focus on visual perception. What you did yesterday with throwing the ball was good. This time you should close your eyes and try to catch the ball while only looking through Pansear's eyes. After that you can try to give different instructions to Pansear to find the best ways for him to throw a ball. A pokemon's body is different in a lot of ways and it's important for you to get used to them."
Booth trains with the exercise while Damon works with his own pokemon on the other side of the training room.
'This is like looking into a mirror. I keep moving to the right to catch a ball coming on the left. I realize why this is, yet knowing why doesn't make it any easier. Teaching Pansear to throw the ball also has more to it than I thought. From how to move the feet, turning of the body, and where to release the ball. Everything is different from how I would throw it.'
After taking a short break to evaluate the exercises Booth plans ways to adjust his movements along with Pansears. Booth starts the exercise again. This time he is more confident in his movements than before, and makes better judgments from his second set of eyes.
With more experimentation Booth discovers different ways for Pansear to throw. Here Booth understands much of what Damon had meant by getting used to your pokemon. Certainly just looking at something won't tell you everything you need to know.
Seeing that Booth has understood the previous exercises, Damon stops Booth to complement his progression, "You're making good progress. How would you like to try battling later today?" Damon asks.
"Sure, I'd love to." Booth replies.
"Good, I can help you find an opponent later today."
"Thanks, I'll be ready."
While Damon leaves to find his own opponent first, Booth continues to work on different exercises. At noon Ben brings some sandwiches by for lunch. "How are you feeling on the exercises Booth?"
"Pretty good. Damon is a great teacher too. If it wasn't for him I'm sure I'd be stuck for quite a while."
"Yeah, hard to believe that it's only been about a month since he started. As for me, I started about 3 weeks ago, so not too long after Damon started."
"It seems like you guys have made good progress then. Were you a trainer before?" Booth asks.
"No, although Damon and I have played some pokemon battle simulators for fun. Before I started as a tiered trainer I worked at a restaurant part-time, while Damon worked as a tour guide in another city. I guess that's what makes him good at explaining things." Ben takes a quick bite of his sandwich. "What did you do before this?"
"I worked part-time at a marina. I was a college student too, but I found that going to college wasn't really for me. Battling with pokemon on the other hand, is something I always wanted to do."
"If it's battling you want then you're sure to get your fill as a tiered trainer."
"I'm counting on it." Booth says.
They talk for a while as they eat. Eventually Booth tells Ben about his upcoming battle and Ben decides to stay and help Booth figure out how to use pansear's moves.
As Ben explains, a pokemon has a set of moves that they learn naturally and others that are taught. Moves a pokemon learns naturally are learned simply from gaining experience. The moves they learn in this case will be in their most basic functional form. A tiered trainer changes this, however.
"As I'm sure you know by now, tiered trainers have a much higher degree of control over their pokemon. Let me give you an example-" Ben is suddenly cut off.
"Ah, Let me explain, Ben." Damon asks as he walks in the room.
"Hey, Damon you're back. Be my guest, then." Ben says.
"I assume you guys are talking about how tiered trainers use moves, right?"
"That's right," Booth replies.
"Alright. What Ben said is correct. Even if you haven't learned how to directly control your pokemon, you can still influence how they use their power to an extent. There's a couple different kinds of influence tiered trainers can use."
"Will I have time to learn this? Wasn't I going to try to have a battle later?" Booth asks, surprised.
"The battle is at two, so we'll just cover some basics."
"No time to waste then."
"Good! Let's begin then. The most basic form of influence doesn't require direct control over your pokemon. In fact, you should already be familiar with it. The exercises you did earlier with your pansear is an example of this.
In the exercise you modified the way that pansear threw the ball. You decided whether you wanted to throw the ball for accuracy, speed, or long distance. By choosing a specific purpose you can influence how you want your moves to function."
"Ah, I think I get it. It's like using Ember for opponents at a distance or Scratch as a quick move to keep opponents away." Booth says, sounding inspired.
"That's right. You just want to figure out what moves work best for each situation. Why don't you give them a try." Damon answers.
Ben scans pansear with his phone and pulls up a list of moves pansear can use. Booth takes a look at the list for a second to memorize the moves. Booth practices the moves with Pansear, while taking note of their approximate range, speed, and effects.
Booth gives another command through the Integrator, 'Good, now use Incinerate.'
Pansear finds its footing and takes a breath. A flash appears from Pansear's mouth and a crackling noise sounds through the air. Two fireballs roughly the size of a soccer ball launch forward at a wall. The fireballs singe the already beaten up wall and dissipate after a second or two.
'It looks really cool, but the problem is how easy it is to see coming. The buildup takes long enough for a ranged opponent to be able to react and defend. On the bright side I'm not calling the move out loud. And the fire keeps burning for a bit even after impact which is good.'
"That's good for now. You should take a break until the battle." Damon says.
Booth reflects on his training, while Ben and Damon continue to talk. A few minutes later they head to the battle site outside a little early. With the trainer already there, Booth greets him and gives him a few minutes to get ready.
Booth's opponent has only been practicing for a week. His starting pokemon is an Electrike. As an electric type pokemon, Electrike is a bit quicker than other pokemon. Its moves match this as well. Shock Wave and Quick Attack are both speedy moves that keep their opponents on their toes.
A few minutes pass. Booth and his opponent stand on either side of the court. The court is a square 20x20 meter court and the floor is mostly dirt. Both trainers let out their pokemon beforehand then activate their Integrators.
Seeing Booth and his opponent have both activated their Integrators, Damon gives a countdown. "Three, two, one, Go!"
Electricity builds up on Electrikes fur as soon as the trainer hears 'go'. Booth also reacts quickly.
'Pansear, he's going to launch an attack, get ready to take it.'
Pansear understands Booth's intention and gathers its power to withstand the attack.
*Crack*
A stream of lightning flies forward and hits Pansear. 'Ouch, thanks to Pansear powering up, we offset some of the damage. I know the Integrator is supposed to lessen the pain, but it still hurts.'
Thanks to Booth being distracted the Electrike starts to close the distance.
'Never mind that, Pansear, retreat and use Incinerate. Fire one head on and the other to the left.'
Since the Integrator shares thoughts between trainer and pokemon it takes no time at all to send commands. Pansear hears Booth and fires two fireballs a foot long each at the Electrike as per Booth's instructions. Booth quickly gives another command.
'Let's follow up on the right, he shouldn't try to force his way in, but go just in case.'
Pansear moves towards the right of the fireballs. Like Booth thought, the trainer chose to recall his Electrike and retreat.
'He shouldn't be able to launch another electric attack so soon, close in on him and use fury swipes.' Booth commands.
The opposing trainer sees that he put himself in a corner. With the Electrike's back turned and the fireballs still simmering on the ground. The trainer has Electrike turn around to counterattack. Booth sees this and directs Pansear. 'Slow down and let's try to work him further into the corner with Fury Swipes.'
Claws strike Electrike multiple times. Seeing the sudden unfortunate situation Electrike's trainer has Electrike charge forward in a reckless action to get out of the corner. Thanks to sharing Pansear's vision, Booth can clearly see Electrike's actions. 'Move out of the way it's going to Quick Attack. We can catch him after.'
The Electrike breaks out, but it has used a lot of energy in return. Not letting up, Pansear follows after the Electrike. Pansear catches up with the Electrike in a matter of seconds. 'Use Scratch' Booth calls confidently to Pansear.
Pansear's sharp claws bite into an unguarded Electrike. Massive damage is taken as Pansear continues to attack with his claws.
*Beep Beep Beep*
The opponent's Integrator sounds signifying that Electrike can't go on. Electrike's trainer recalls his pokemon, looking quite worn-out. The trainer approaches Booth afterwards to congratulate him. "Good battle. It's hard to believe you're new to this too. My heart is beating out of my chest."
Booth responds amicably, "I was feeling pretty nervous as well. Although I've studied quite a bit on Pokemon in the past, it doesn't compare to a real battle."
"Studying pokemon, huh... I'll make sure to do the same. I hope we can battle again some other time."
"Sure, another time then." Booth replies.
Damon and Ben also come to congratulate Booth. Ben speaks first, "That was a good battle! Your commands were very good for a beginner."
"I agree, you picked your spots well. You quickly recovered from each hit and followed up better than I expected." Damon adds with a nod.
"Thank you. I was fairly shaken at the beginning. Having a real battle is exciting… and more painful than I expected."
"Hahaha, It gets better after a while. It's like hanging out with an annoying cousin that grows on you overtime." Ben says as he cracks up laughing.
"Anyhow, should I go have Pansear taken care of or will he be fine after resting?" Booth asks.
"Pokemon are pretty resilient; they should heal naturally for most injuries. As long as it's nothing serious you should be fine. For now I think you should let Pansear rest. I'm going back to do a little more training, so take it easy." Damon replies.
"Alright I'll do that."
"I'll be going too. See you later Booth." Ben says.
"Yeah, see you later Ben." Booth waves to Damon and Ben as they head off.
'That was really fun. The battle style is already more engaging than I ever could've thought. I think I'll take a break though. Things have been so hectic since I got here that I haven't really stopped to get to know the place.
I guess I'll go check out some stuff in town.'