"Froakie, now we move on to the second stage of training—tree-trunk jumping! There are plenty of trees here. You need to be able to predict where your next foothold will be. My prediction must match Sceptile's, and yours must match mine. Understand?"
Ash looked at the countless tree trunks ahead and explained patiently to Froakie.
"Froga!"
Froakie nodded firmly.
"Sceptile, let's begin!"
"Cha-mo!"
Sceptile gave a confident thumbs-up toward Ash and Froakie. Then its gaze drifted toward another spot—Servine had just finished eating and was now quietly watching their training session.
Sceptile's glance made Servine flinch. Our Servine instantly turned her head away and shook it as if to deny being caught staring.
Without further distraction, Sceptile leapt up and began bounding gracefully between the tree trunks.
Ash followed, and Froakie was right behind them!
"Wow, Ash looks so motivated! He really sets such a good example for us to learn from!"
Clemont clenched his fist, clearly inspired. He almost wanted to leap along too—but then remembered his own physical limits. Unlike Ash, who moved like a superhuman, Clemont was… well, just a regular human.
"Go Froakie! You can do it!"
Bonnie shouted encouragement, with Dedenne squeaking along.
"Melo Melo!"
Meloetta joined in, her melodious voice harmonizing encouragement, while she and Gardevoir had already finished helping the other Pokémon with their food.
"Sceptile, speed up!"
Ash, sensing Froakie still barely managing to keep pace, quickly shouted the command.
Sceptile nodded, and its speed suddenly surged!
"Shua-shua-shua!"
A flash of emerald blurred among the trunks, darting faster and faster. With its green body blending seamlessly with the leaves, Sceptile was practically invisible as it zipped from branch to branch!
Ash managed to keep up—barely. Froakie, however, was dripping with sweat.
"Fro… ga… ga…"
It tried desperately to match them, but suddenly—its foot slipped!
"Froakie!"
Ash's reflexes kicked in instantly. He pushed off from a trunk, launching himself like a spring, and caught Froakie in midair.
But the cost—both trainer and Pokémon began plummeting toward the ground. The trees here stood over seven meters tall!
"!!!"
The sudden danger made Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena's hearts lurch in panic.
"Cha-mo?!"
Sceptile's speed was too great. By the time Froakie fell and Ash leapt after him, inertia had already carried Sceptile far ahead. Still, when it noticed the situation, Sceptile instantly blasted forward at full throttle, wind leaves trailing from its tail to accelerate its dash.
But even Sceptile couldn't compare to another partner when it came to speed of rescue—Gardevoir.
Her beautiful eyes flared with a soft blue glow.
Psychic!
In an instant, Ash and Froakie were enveloped by telekinetic energy, gently levitating until they landed safely on the ground.
"Melo?"
"Garde~ voir!"
"Servine?"
Meloetta, Gardevoir, Servine, and the other Pokémon quickly gathered around. Servine, however, shot Sceptile a glance—one that almost seemed reproachful.
After all, Servine had already extended her vines, prepared to catch Ash herself.
"Cha-mo…"
Sceptile scratched its head awkwardly. Truthfully, it could have caught Ash and Frogadier before they hit the ground if Gardevoir hadn't acted first. But with Servine watching so intently, it had unconsciously tried too hard to show off its speed.
"Servine, it's alright. Don't blame Sceptile—it was my order to speed things up. And besides, this is what Froakie wanted too. This little guy… he really does want to get stronger. Leveling up alone won't cut it."
"Froga!"
Ash and Froakie exchanged a look, and Froakie nodded with determination.
"Servine, servineee ~"
"Good. Let's leave tree-trunk prediction training for later. For now—we'll practice running on water. Lucario, it's your turn!"
The group moved to a small lake nearby.
At its center lay a patch of land, about ten meters away from the shore.
"Froakie, your advantage lies in agility and lightness. Running on water will train your body control. Lucario will show you how it's done."
Ash gestured to Lucario.
"Luca!"
Lucario nodded, crouched low, and suddenly dashed forward!
Its short-range sprint was unmatched—so fast that even Sceptile couldn't compare at equal levels.
"Shua-shua-shua!"
Lucario spread its arms slightly for balance, feet tapping rapidly over the surface. The water rippled faintly under each step like dragonflies skimming the surface.
In the blink of an eye, Lucario had crossed to the island's center.
"Luca!"
"Lucario is so cool!"
Bonnie's eyes sparkled with stars.
"Did you see clearly how Lucario moved? Now it's your turn, Froakie."
"Froga!"
Froakie braced himself, then bolted toward the water's edge.
But after just a few steps—"Glug, glug…"—he plunged straight down.
Soaked but unyielding, he clambered back up.
Try again!
"Glug, glug…"
Again!
"Glug, glug…"
Again!
Half an hour later, Froakie finally managed to skim five meters across the surface before sinking. A breakthrough—he had found a bit of the trick.
"Lucario, show him again."
Ash waved, signaling another demonstration. This type of training wasn't something you mastered in a single day.
Lucario dashed again, flawless. This time, Froakie's eyes locked intensely on its every footstep.
Then— Froakie charged forward once more.
"Froooogaaaa!"
Suddenly, his body split into multiple copies—Double Team!
His relentless speed drills had awakened a new move!
Excellent.
But—
"Glug, glug, glug…"
Every single copy tumbled into the water.
Yet, this attempt carried him seven full meters. Closer than ever to the goal.
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T/N:
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