Training Day by: Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are portrayed as underage and are purely fictional. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect is given to their owners. Any similarity to real persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental. Furthermore, there is a prominent micro/macro theme presented within this story. You have been warned.
"You never want to question whether you could have done more.
The one thing you can control is your preparation.
-Angela Ruggiero
The human spirit to be stronger, to be better, and ultimately to be the best is a strong will which is often not easily broken. Such is the purpose of training. To make sure that one goes into a game or a competition or event and can come out on top. The want for that gold medal, for that first place prize, or for whatever the reward may be is often auxiliary to the fervor of the human want to be the leader in any given situation.
This goes for every stay of a person's life, regardless of age. But, of course, with age comes wisdom and so too changes our outlook in how we approach certain stimuli. Tournaments, of course, are no different and provide varied challenges depending on what type of matches were offered. For children, there is a definite need for guidance, elsewise the youth of any given generation might become lost in an eternal struggle for greatness.
Rogziel was a 12-year-old boy who grew in the suburb of Brossard outside of the big city lights of Montreal. It was especially a quiet and quaint location because while it was busy in some parts of the town, other parts were rather quiet. The Riolu's family lived near the Saint-Laurence river with a small one-story house that overlooked the body of water. It was rather a serene location in which the Pokefur's family had bought before the real estate boom.
The cub had recently entered the second year of middle school and was a member of the martial arts club at school. The organization taught all sorts of fighting styles and Rogziel rather liked the variety offered rather than sticking one in particular. Many other kids had joined both human and fur alike but he was one of the only Pokefurs in the group, with exception of a Hawlucha, who went by the name of Hal, who had recently transferred in from the Washington state.
The two Pokefur's had made rather quick friends with each other. Both of them were the same age and shared many of the same classes together as they were in the same grade. It also helped that they bother were rather fond of what the students called "Fight Club." Rogziel had always been a good fighter and especially excelled at Jiu-Jitsu and Kickboxing. But the club had never really been able to help him develop his more specialized skill.
One day Hal approached his Riolu friend. Of the two boys, the Hawlucha was the taller and leaner one. Though they were the same age, the bird pokemon was maturing more quickly than his canine friend. This meant that he was performing both better on the fighting mat as well as in the gym. This made the white Riolu a little self-conscious and he began to seek ways in order to better himself and give himself an edge in the arena.
Rogziel began to look into it and found some interesting articles about a new berry called the Hi-cup Berry which some nutritionists were recommending as a supplement to training. The Riolu began to wonder if the training facility might have some laying around. He decided that the best place to check was with the coaches. When he checked in and began to inquire about it, the boy was shot down and dismissed.
Rogziel couldn't help but wonder why he was dejected so aggressively and began to ponder around and ask questions from some of the students. Many of which offered small bits of information about the berry he had just read about. Apparently, some of the students often saw the main coach, a mare who went by the name of Sable. The Riolu decided it was worth investigation and went to her office.
The room was abandoned when the Pokefur arrived so the cub invited himself in and began to look around. Nothing looked odd or out of place so the Riolu thought about searching through the drawers but decided not to push his luck. Just then the boy found the horses lunch box and began to ponder if what he was looking for might be in there. But before he got a chance to look, he overheard a noise and quickly stashed the bag where it came from.
"Can I help you, sonny?" The tall equine looked over the boy suspecting mischief.
"I just had a question, ma'am. I've been waiting for you." The Pokefur stood up straight to gesture as if he had been waiting a while.
"Very well. What is it?" Sable didn't exactly believe the boy but decided to entertain his face anyways.
Rogziel explained what he was there for and inquired about the berry. The woman listened intently as she circled around him and picked up her lunch bag.
"Is that all your here for? Well, I have some if you want to try them. But you're only allowed to eat one per day. Clear?" The horse pulled out the baggy with bright green berries inside them.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you!" The Riolu bowed deeply before taking the bag and being on his way.
Rogziel still felt a bit guilty about snooping around but was happy he didn't have to steal his newfound treasures. Looking at the little plastic bag, the stuff looked exactly like what he had seen online. Good thing he was hungry he thought to himself.
Once the boy was outside of the office, he made his way back to the locker room. The insides of which were mostly empty. Of course, that didn't change the rather dank odor of musk that hung around the place. But over the years the canine had gotten used to it. The Riolu sat down on a bench and looked at the baggy of berries. He couldn't help but wonder why there was a silly rule of just eating one. The cub decided it wasn't worth the risk and dug out one of the yellow orbs from the plastic bag.
He served the small fruit into his mouth before ingesting it. It was sweet but left an aftertaste that wasn't too pleasant. In fact, he was rather glad that he hadn't broken the coaches rule. However, he wasn't keen on discarding them quite yet. Still, he wanted to see if they resulted in any immediate differences. Rogziel left the locker room and was quite glad to be absent of the lingering odor in the area.
The martial arts team was already out and about preparing for a meet. The group met up in a place known affectionately as the Dojo. The sensei for the squad was a Hitmonlee who had long since retired from competitive fighting. Now his life was to pass on his expertise to a new generation and the woman was nothing short of emphatic about being a mentor.
Rogziel was greeted upon arrival, after being chastised for being late. But the woman was never overly harsh as she didn't want to scare any of her charges away. The Riolu lined up next to Hal who had already worked up a sweat during the warm-up. Round two of the session was to be a mock sparring match. The team ended up drawing straws to decide their opponent. Rogziel was paired with an older male who went by the nickname Scar.
He was a lion without a mane and was very similar to the antagonist of the Disney film. After a few turns of waiting, the Riolu and his rival were up. It was to be a no restriction fight, which meant that Rogziel could use his Poke skills. The boy was revved up and began psyching himself up. The Riolu began working up his inner energy, feeling an intense burning sensation began to build up inside of him. The cub continued to focus inward even despite the ever-intensifying pressure building within.
Eventually, Rogziel was able to achieve his aura state. The Riolu's body glowed a bright blue as his form took on almost a shiny look. The cub was ready to spar and just in time as the whistle was blown. Scar was the first one to make a move, acting purely on speed and instinct but Rogziel was able to flank the larger boy, swiftly sweeping out his leg before tripping the Lion. But the older cub was no pushover and leaped back up immediately. Scar tried to underhand the Pokemon into a grapple but Rogziel was able to scatter out of the attempt.
Rogziel was feeling rather energetic. His aura was flaring up and he felt overpowering and even was struggling with his clothing as it was feeling rather tight on him, making it difficult to move more freely. It was rather restrictive and the Pokemon was rather intent on ending the match sooner rather than later, in order to impress the audience. Rogziel got on all four of his hind haunches and leaped forward, pouncing on top of the lion.
Scar found himself unable to move. He thought the canine to be weak and an easy opponent but obviously he had underestimated him. After a count of three, Rogziel was declared to be the victor. Now that the match was over, the boy's aura seemingly dissipated. Standing up, his bones and muscles ached. Strangely the Pokemon didn't feel tired at all and still was rather energetic. Hal approached him as the cub helped the other fur off the floor and they shook paws.
"Nice job, Dude." The Hawlucha helped his friend off the event mat.
"Thanks, I don't know what came over me." Rogziel looked at his hands and then back over at the bird.
Rogziel blinked a second as now he stood eye to eye with the other Pokemon. Hadn't Hal always been taller than he was? Now that he thought about it, he was almost certain of the case. Though it certainly would explain why his clothing suddenly felt tight on him.
"Hey, Hal? I got a silly question for you." The Riolu didn't feel any different.
"Yeah? What's up?" Hal led them to the side where they stood idle watching the next match.
"Do I look...bigger to you?" Rogziel asked before looking at himself once over.
The Hawlucha found it hard to turn his gaze away from the match as the two students were in the middle of a heated spar. It was much closer than Rogziels.
"You look about the same, why?" The Hawlucha didn't give it much thought as he was much too interested in what was going on in front of him.
"O...okay." Rogziel decided to drop the issue and turn his attention to the match as well.
Seemingly it didn't take long before the Riolu became lost in the match as well. It was rather close and ended in a tie after both students were broken up as they were becoming rather tired and unresponsive. The crowd cheered loudly as they retired to the bleachers and were dismissed to the showers.
The matches continued much the same for a good while before the class was finally dismissed. The sensei had made some good notes about all of the competitors and was highly positive about their performance at the competition. Once it was all over, all the students were dismissed to clean up and go home. The talk of the day fell on Rogziel's match and on the match that ended up a tie. Many students came to Rogziel, asking about his aura, and he remained humble brushing them off for another time.
Rogziel began undressed from his gym clothes. They were rather tight and the Riolu was frankly glad that he was free of them, even if it was hard for him to pull them off. The only part of his clothing that didn't cling to his body was his boxers and even that was becoming bothersome around his waist. Once just about naked, the boy looked over his body, examining himself. Nothing seemed off except for the fact he felt rather energetic.
Hal was busy doing the same and before long both boys joined in changing into their school clothes. Although lessons had ended for the day, neither bothered to bring street clothes as it took too much space in their bag. Rogziel noticed that his uniform was just as tight as his gym clothes. He didn't have much choice in the matter and forced the stuff on. Once both of the friends were dressed, they made their way out of the gym and the school.
Outside the weather was temperate for once. There wasn't much wind to speak of and the sky was mostly clear of clouds. Rogziel and Hal came out towards the tail end of the group of other boys and girls who had also recently departed from the club. Some other kids of various ages made it a habit to hang around the place even know they supposedly despised it. It was rather a strange hypocrisy that existed among the youth.
Among the other kids were some boys who were roughhousing. Rogziel and Hal tried to keep their distance from the quarrel but as they were spotted walking by, one of the larger boys called out to them.
"Hey Martial arts, dweebs! So you think you can fight? Prove it." One of the humans called out to the Pokemon.
"How about, No?" Hal called out since Rogziel had decided to ignore the provocation.
"How about, Yes?" The human boy came barreling out of the circle of people and shoved into the bird.
Hal didn't have much of a chance to retaliate or defend himself as he was caught off guard.
"Hey, quit it!" Rogziel stood in front of his friend making sure the human didn't cause any more harm.
"Yeah? What're you gonna do about it pipsqueak?" The taller boy sized himself up to the smaller one.
Rogziel knew it was not to best use his skills so long as he didn't have a reason. But before he could even think about it, he was shoved.
The canine was caught by his friend who was still getting up. Rogziel gritted his hands and teeth feeling a fit of anger come over him. The cub had done nothing to deserve such aggression. The human began gritting his fists, obvious he was hungry for a fight. The Riolu felt the energy building up inside him again. It was rather soft at first but as he saw the human begin to wind up, his aura began to flare up again.
Hal watched as the Riolu's body turned light blue. Rogziel was easily able to catch the human's hand and even held it. The taller boy tried to retract but was unable to break free from the Pokemon's grasp. The human, however, was becoming more desperate to break free and tried using his other hand to hit the Riolu. Rogziel was able to dodge quite easily as he swept one of his legs underneath the taller boy landing him square on the floor by Rogziel's paws.
Rogziel lifted his paw and placed it over the boy, looking over at him knowing he was in the Pokemon's complete control. The canine overheard some tearing as his shirt was beginning to give way. The seems of the fabric coming undone as the button in his pants popped. But just as the cub lost focus, the human was able to escape from being pinned. The Riolu was just glad that the human had decided to leave them be.
Eventually, his aura dissipated as his anger began to subside. But now it was painfully obvious that something was wrong. None of his clothes fit anymore and looking over at Hal, who was not standing up, he was taller than the bird now. There was no doubt about it, he was getting bigger. But the question remained, why? Rogziel's entire body ached even if his thoughts were wondering for answers.
"Hey... you're bigger than me? What happened to your clothes?" Hal noticed it as well.
"I'm not really sure...I think I'm getting bigger." Rogziel stated the obvious trying to keep his zipper from opening up on the fly of his pants.
"Well yeah...but how? It isn't supposed to happen this quickly. Weren't you shorter than me this morning?" The Hawlucha tried to think about the fact and swore it to the case.
"I think so...I can't really explain it." The Riolu had an idea come across his head, was it because of his aura that he was growing?
"We need to get you some clothes until we figure this out. Come on...my brother has some stuff you can borrow. Meanwhile, try to not rip anything else." The bird led onward to his own home.
The two walked together and the now taller cub tried to keep his strides from being too long. He had to cover himself the entire length of the trip and even caught the glimpses of a couple of rubberneckers who thought his appearance to look strange. But fortunately for him, his friends home was but a short distance from the school. The Hawlucha lived in the aviary which was on the north side of town. It was situated in the trees and Hal's own family was located on the 4th block away from the entrance.
While the Hawlucha could fly, he decided it was better manners to take the elevator with his friend. The two rode it up to the floor where the bird's house was. The place was buzzing with activity as many of its residents were recently coming home from work or school. But no one paid much mind to the two cubs. Hal took his friend to his home which was but a short walk from the elevator. The feathered one opened the door and welcomed Rogziel inside.
Indoors was much cooler than outside. It was still early in fall so the temperature wasn't quite as cool as it would have been later in the year. Still, the fact the AC was on was a welcome addition to the boys who were still hot and sweaty from their martial arts club. Hal welcomed his friend inside as he shut the door beside him. Looking at Rogziel once over, examining him for any sudden changes. He didn't seem any different, at least he hadn't gotten any bigger he thought to himself.
Hal lead over to the room where he and his brother shared. The bird's brother was a Combusken who had recently evolved. As such many of his clothing was now useless. The Hawlucha thought it might be useful to borrow the stuff as Rogziel was in dire need of something to wear. The bird went over to the dresser and began to look through the top draws where his brother kept his things. Eventually, the boy found something that seemed suitable.
"Here, take this. This should work for now...until we figure out what's going on with you." The smaller boy handed the larger one a bundle of clothing.
"Heh, thanks." Rogziel took the wadded fabric and headed over to where the other cub's bed was and sat down on top of it.
The Riolu didn't bother even taking off the clothing that was now tattered on his form. Instead, he just ripped it. Not worried about showing himself naked as the two had seen each other in the nude plenty of times before. Hal peeked over at the canine who was busy changing to see if anything else had changed about him. Nothing seemed off or different except that he was bigger. Well, that was good, he thought to himself.
It didn't take long before Rogziel was dressed again. Hal's brother's stuff fit him like a charm and looked rather handsome on the Riolu.
"I'm glad it fits you. Though we should probably figure out what's going on with you." Hal was innately curious why the boy had grown so suddenly and quickly.
"And just how do you expect to do that?" The canine had no idea what the other cub had in mind.
"Well, I was thinking we could just try some things and see what happens." The Hawlucha had a few things he wanted to try out.
"Erm....alright. Just be careful. I don't want to end up getting too big for the house or anything like that." Rogziel was a bit cautious wanting to be safer rather than sorry.
"Alright, great. I want you to spar me." Hal thought it might have to do something with the Riolu's fighting style.
"You what? Didn't you get enough from the club and the fight afterward?" Rogziel just wanted to make sure he heard right.
"Come on, don't you want to see if I'm right?" Hal never mentioned his thought and so Rogziel wasn't clear on his intent.
"Fine, fine. Whatever, let's go outside so we don't make a mess." The canine picked himself up from the bed before discarding his shredded clothing in a small trashcan.
The two friends headed back outside and down the elevator so that they could have space to spar. Hal was the first one to take a stance as he was keen on getting underway. Rogziel was a bit surprised that the Hawlucha wanted to spar so quickly but he wasn't one to turn down a match.
"Alright, get ready. I'm not going to go easy on you." The Hawlucha flapped its wings and hovered off the ground.
Rogziel blinked several times as he knew technically the bird had the upper hand on him. But he wasn't about to give in.
The bird swooped in and tried to pick up, or at least knock down the Riolu but Rogziel was able to step aside. The Riolu huffed as he prepared for the next dive.
Hal knew he couldn't try the same trick twice and instead wrapped around and tried a beamline approach, streaming just above ground level. Rogziel watched as his friend honed in on him and jumped just in time as the bird went underneath him. But he couldn't stay on the defensive. He knew he had to try something. Perhaps it was time to give aura sphere a go. It was a move he hadn't tried before but lately, his aura had been more active, so maybe today was the chance he was waiting for.
Rogziel decided it was worth a shot, waiting for Hal to make a final move before he tried to build up aura. Closing his eyes, he decided to trust his senses, channeling his inner energy within. Eventually, his body glowed a light blue as his trance state had finally achieved. Hal knew it was now or never, swooping in making the last stitch effort to use sky drop. The Riolu allowed him to grasp the larger cub, going higher up in the sky little by little.
Not surprisingly his friend was heavy for him and the emanation of aura was burning his talons. It wasn't long before the Hawlucha had to drop him. Rogziel was able to land on his feet and in retaliation let out a burst of blue energy. The ball of flame spit out of his hands as it hit Hal and sent him reeling to the floor. As soon as the aura had dissipated, Rogziel's body lost the sense of strength that had just then taken over him.
The canine stepped over to his friend, feeling a bit guilty, even if he had won. Hal wiped off some dust but wasn't seriously hurt. Though his body had been slightly singed by the flame. Rogziel offered to help his friend up.
"Sorry...guess I got carried away." Rogziel scratched the back of his head as if he was slightly confused by his own action.
"It's alright...hey look. Your clothing... you're bigger!" Hal compared himself just to be sure.
It wasn't much but now he was more than a full head bigger than the Hawlucha. Hal barely came up to his friend's shoulders.
"Looks like I was right. Your body is responding to your outbursts of aura." The bird was still a bit stupefied by the attack.
"So what does that mean?" Rogziel asked looking himself over, examining his now seemingly tight clothing.
"You have to learn to control it." Hal responded simply and to the point.:
"I mean your right but how am I supposed to do that?" The Riolu asked before thinking about it to himself quietly.
"Heh, well I think it just takes practice like anything else." Hawlucha kept it short and simple before thinking about it as well.
"And just how are we going to train to keep me from getting bigger?" Rogziel was full of questions and doubt.
"Well, like Nike says. Just do it." Hal recovered shortly after and shot back into the sky.
Despite the fact that the bird had too recently been defeated by the Canine, he was keen on winning. In fact, he was rather keen on seeing just how big his friend could get. As the idiom went, curiosity killed the cat.
Hawlucha flapped his wings in order to keep afloat. He was ready for another round with his friend. Rogziel simply sighed as he was getting rather restless from the repetition. But the canine was not one to turn down a battle. This time Hal decided to use something different and began charging up Sky attack as his body began to absorb light. This was a move that the Riolu had never seen before and didn't know how to counterattack.
Thinking about it cost the time he needed to react. Hawlucha unleashed a dashing dart towards Rogziel as the boy was hit and thrown backward. The Riolu tried to recover but was becoming more desperate as he didn't want to lose. Hal looked down making sure he didn't seriously hurt his friend. Meanwhile, Riolu began to search for his inner self, working up the need for his aura to build up. He had never been able to call up his aura without being in dire straights.
Hal knew what was going on and decided to launch a wing attack but as soon as he was able, Rogziel seemingly grappled him and threw him to the floor. This time not only did the Riolu's body glow blue, but his entire body emanated in an aura. The canine stepped on his friend seemingly lost in his own domination as the fire burned around his body, his paw stepped over the Hawlucha in a steeped sense of victory.
Bit by bit more and more of the Riolu's paw gradually covered the smaller cubs body. While Rogziel wasn't putting too much pressure on his friend, Hal could feel the ever-increasing mass of his friend. Before long the clothing gave way and the cub was all but in his birthday suit. Rogziel was growing again and this time there were no signs of it stopping as quickly as it did before. Eventually, the boy's shadow eclipsed the bird.
Hal was becoming worried that maybe he had gotten too far. The heat from the aura was almost burning him and Rogziel's weight was becoming more and more of an issue. He began to struggle, trying to free himself and luckily he was able to manage. By the time he finally did and stood up, the sight he saw before his eyes was nothing short of huge. Hal barely came up to his friend's kneecap now. The Riolu was essentially a giant now.
Rogziel's aura eventually faded as he came back to his senses. His body began to wobble as he tried to keep his balance. However, the massive shift in weight was causing him to be rather clumsy. Hal watched as his friend struggled with walking. The canine's muscles and joints were aching as he fell down into the side of the compartment where the elevator was situated. The structural integrity of which began to crumble and cave in as the boy's body settled to the floor.
Rogziel's face was blood red, he was embarrassed and unsure what to do. He looked around and saw the devastation. Trying to pick himself up, he felt one of his ears scrape against the bottom of the Aviary. Some of the soil began to fall and the cub became concerned that it might collapse at any moment. Walking away from it, he almost stepped on Hal who flew away in fear that he might have created some sort of clumsy monster.
The Riolu just wanted to be away from the destruction he'd created. He overheard sirens as his nerves began to peak. He began to run away, feeling rather alone since Hal was nowhere to be seen. Once he was a far enough distance he looked back. Smoke was rising and there was a pillar of dust and smoke left in his wake. He couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty and started to want to help. But he was in no situation to offer any assistance currently.
The real problem remained, how would he return to his normal size? Would Rogziel be able to fix all of the damage he wreaked? Would Hal ever return to his side? Only time would tell...
