At dawn, the chirping of Taillows and the rustling of Caterpies in the tall grass filled Helena's vast campsite.
Dune, Gardevoir, Helena, and Blaziken were having lunch outside their tents, using the tree trunk Dune had cut the prior night to put plates on.
The lunch was filling and delicious as always; today's recipe was Kingler curry. Helena and Blaziken had eaten feverishly. Helena was accustomed to luxury foods but was tired from last night's "exercises" and Blaziken because this was her first time eating such high-quality meat.
Dune, on the other hand, didn't eat in a hurry and just stared at his plate; he had eaten wild Pokemon, uncooked and not even washed when he lived in Meteor Falls, but seeing a Pokemon like Kingler being served as a delicacy poke something in his brain.
'Master Dune, is something bothering you? Have I done something wrong to you, or do you dislike my food?' Gardevoir asked as she stared at Dune.
"Gabite..." (Nothing, it's just that the taste is so different from what I used to eat...) This piqued Blaziken's interest; she thought Dune had always been a spoiled lab Pokemon who had everything ever since hatched from the egg; if not, how could he have those rare yellowish scales? May had told her he was a "Radiant," and Professor Birch was excited to study him, but considering Helena's family, it wouldn't be strange to her that he was a lab Pokemon.
"Blazi!, Blaziken?" (Really!? and what did you eat when you were fresh out of the egg, maybe Azumarills or Joltiks!) Blaziken joked and laughed out loud as if she had said a clever insult.
"Gabite" (Not really, I used to eat Machokes and Golbats) Dune answered, thinking back to those days when the only light he ever saw were the occasional [Flamethrowers] of Bagons in the deeper parts of the cave.
Blaziken looked to the sides in shame and ate silently before standing up and leaving to train by herself.
After Blaziken left, Dune could finally speak without using Pokemon language. "So, why are May and Lopunny still asleep? Not that it bothers me, but those girls normally have more energy than a Pikachu," Dune asked Gardevoir, who was already taking out the dishes, to go and wash them.
'I used [Hypnosis] on May so she could sleep peacefully without hearing your "late night training" with Master Helena; as for my friend Lopunny, she spent all night eavesdropping on you two; she didn't sleep until three in the morning.' Gardevoir said that as she cleaned up the dishes using a low output of [Mystical Fire], it came in handy whenever she had to do chores in the open.
"Um... Gardi, how do you know when Lopunny went to sleep?" Helena asked innocently, seemingly out of pure curiosity, but Gardevoir blushed and started trembling.
'Um..yeah... Um, it's not what it looks like, umm, I was, umm, it's not that I was waiting for you two to go to sleep so I could eat Helena's pussy out, I just... um, made sure no wild Pokemon bothered you two, I have to go and wake up Lopunny, that naughty Pokemon needs to take a shower.' Gardevoir disappeared into a tent, leaving Dune and Helena alone again, wondering what luck they had to end up with two perverted Pokemon.
"Well, let's continue your lesson and then start walking up again; Mount Chimney is close enough to arrive at the base today," Dune hugged Helena out of nowhere and held her close. Helena stiffed and became hard as a rock as she felt Dune's cold scales touch her soft skin.
"So, this lesson is about the most important aspect of a Pokemon team, the core; in Pokémon battling, a "core" refers to a strategic combination of two or three Pokémon on a team that synergizes to cover each other's weaknesses and provide overall team support. Cores serve as the backbone of a team's strategy, united by a strategy revolving around a certain aspect of them, some teams are based on speed control, others on the weather, some are made solely to adapt to various opponents and situations."
Helena heard Dune's explanation attentively; it reminded her of the rants her brother and father would go about rocks and fossils they bought. Helena never truly understood their fascination with stones. Still, now that she had become interested in Pokemon battles, she felt closer to understanding how her family felt whenever they explained things they loved.
"In Pokémon battles, various core types serve specific strategic purposes. Offensive cores feature Pokémon with complementary offensive capabilities, applying consistent pressure, like Blaziken, who cannot be allowed to set up or else she will single handedly beat the opposing team by herself," Dune explained as she held Helena's voluptuous figure between his claws, he felt the impulse to head at her.
"Defensive cores utilize Pokémon with high defensive stats or abilities to switch into attacks and provide sturdy support. VoltTurn cores rely on moves like [Volt Switch] and [U-turn] for momentum and strategic switching; if Wattson played his cards well, he could have switched from Luxray to Macnetric, and if you switch, he would have free damage into Rotom-wash. This cycle would chip away the hp of me, Lopunny, and Gardevoir."
Dune's impulse to head pat Helena won over him, and with his claw, he began to play around with Helena's silky black hair. Helena didn't say anything, but he felt how she made a humming sound that he thought sounded like the theme of Steven when he was champion of Hoenn. "Moving on, Weather cores exploit weather conditions like rain or sun. Speed control cores manipulate the Speed stat with tactics like [Trick Room] or [Tailwind]. Regardless of the kind, strong cores are necessary for team success and a solid foundation for diverse strategies. Trainers tailor specific cores to their fight style and team composition, considering factors like type coverage and defensive synergy, but most importantly, their knowledge about the team itself, it's better for a team core you know how to play than one that seems better at first glance."
"Pokemon battles are like chess; they are all about memorization, theory, and how you react. A good chess player memorizes thousands of plays, and a good trainer memorizes thousands of moves and strategies. However, one can be the best through experience, to be comfortable in your strengths and strategies; strength comes from repetition, not talent."