The 2 men made their way to a training arena.
Silas took his position on one side while Jason stood across from him.
"Ursaring and Espeon, let's go."
Both Pokémon stepped forward.
"Scizor and Gabite, let's go."
Scizor appeared beside Gabite with his crimson armor glinting in the light. Clearly, he was well trained. The sheen in his armor was a surefire sign of a well nourished steel type Pokémon.
Silas looked between the 2 Pokémon.
Scizor had only recently evolved and reached the advanced tier, while Gabite had also clearly improved during Silas' absence.
"Jason, you may have the first move."
Jason didn't hesitate.
"Scizor, use Bullet Punch! Gabite, use Swords Dance!"
Scizor disappeared into thin air. Its body became little more than a blur as it crossed the battlefield at blinding speed.
His pincer coated in Steel type energy slammed directly into Ursaring. The impact knocked the large bear Pokémon backward several feet.
Ursaring dug his feet into the ground and stopped himself from going any farther.
At the same time, Gabite began performing the peculiar movements of Swords Dance.
Energy gathered around its body as its attack power rose significantly.
Silas smiled slightly.
"Your Scizor has gotten stronger to push my Ursaring back like that."
Jason looked pleased.
"There's more to come. Gabite, use Brick Break."
Gabite immediately charged toward Ursaring.
Fighting type energy gathered around its arms as it prepared to strike.
Silas remained calm.
"Espeon, use Psychic and fling him in the air. Ursaring, use Swift."
Espeon's eyes glowed.
Gabite suddenly stopped in the middle of its charge.
Initially, he flailed wildly but his body eventually froze under the psychic pressure.
Before it could break free, Psychic force lifted it completely off the ground.
Gabite struggled helplessly in the air unable to defend itself.
Ursaring was already prepared and grinned.
He raised his large paws into the air as several glowing yellow stars appeared around him.
The projectiles condensed and shrunk in size before they flew upward and bombarded the defenseless Gabite.
One after another, the stars detonated against its body. Each explosion caused Gabite to wince but he toughed it out while crashing back into the ground.
Silas immediately followed up.
"Espeon, use Future Sight."
Jason reacted quickly.
"Scizor, use Flash Cannon."
While Espeon began setting Future Sight, metallic energy rapidly gathered near Scizor's pincer.
A concentrated blast shot across the battlefield.
Espeon was struck cleanly.
The force pushed her backward, but she quickly recovered and brushed the attack off.
Gabite slowly got back onto its feet after being assaulted by Ursaring.
Despite the damage it had taken, the Dragon type stared defiantly at its opponent.
Silas almost felt bad for what he was about to order, almost.
"Apologies in advance. Ursaring, use Ice Punch."
A chilling Ice type energy soon covered Ursaring's fist, enlarging it before he charged at Gabite.
Ursaring swung his fist fiercely but Gabite narrowly dodged.
Without needing commands, Ursaring threw a second Ice Punch from another direction.
Gabite managed to avoided that one too along with a third attempt.
Once again, Gabite managed to escape by the smallest margin.
"Not bad, Gabite's close range instincts are impressive."
Jason smiled.
His Pokémon was handling the pressure better than Silas expected.
Ursaring suddenly opened his mouth as a deep orange beam of energy burst from his mouth.
The Hyper Voice erupted at point-blank range and the blast struck Gabite before it could react.
Gabite was launched backward and slammed directly into the wall of the training room.
Jason's expression changed.
"When did your Ursaring develop its special attack to this extent?"
Silas smiled.
"Both Ursaring and Espeon have used Calm Mind at least twice. What do you think my Pokémon were doing when they endured your attacks?"
Jason stared at him.
The answer suddenly became obvious.
Silas had been allowing some of those attacks to connect because his Pokémon were using the openings to boost themselves.
Jason shook his head.
"Even fresh out of a coma, you are still as annoying as ever to deal with."
Silas shrugged his shoulders.
"Haha should I start trying?"
Jason narrowed his eyes.
"You will respect us. Double Swords Dance, let's go."
Both Pokémon immediately prepared to boost themselves.
Unfortunately, this was exactly when Silas' earlier preparation paid off.
Future Sight activated and a large orb of Psychic type energy suddenly appeared above the battlefield.
Several smaller orbs shot towards Scizor and Gabite at blinding speed from the giant one in the air.
Before Scizor or Gabite could finish their movements, the barrage of attacks crashed into them.
The psychic explosion disrupted both Swords Dance attempts.
For a moment, both Pokémon were left reeling.
Silas didn't waste the opening.
"Ursaring, use Fire Punch, then Ice Punch."
Ursaring charged.
Fire covered one fist and struck Scizor with his flaming fist.
Ice surrounded the other fist and he used Ice Punch on Gabite after closing the distance in a few steps.
Both attacks were super effective and knocked both pokemon back a considerable distance.
Ursaring roared provocatively while Espeon looked extremely smug.
Neither Gabite or Scizor were able to recover from Future Sight quickly enough to defend themselves.
Gabite nearly collapsed and dropped to 1 knee.
The battle was over.
Silas looked toward Jason and he immediately understood. To continue now would only cause his Pokémon harm so it was better to stop here.
Naturally, he agreed. He could tell that both Pokemon had taken significant damage and could only fight for a little while longer anyway.
"Jason, you have improved for real. You just have to work on keeping a cool head. You were so eager to prove yourself that you made a fatal error leading to your defeat."
Jason remained silent for a moment before nodding thoughtfully.
He couldn't disagree.
Silas was right.
Jason had a bad habit of becoming too focused on achieving the decisive victory.
Sometimes it worked. Other times, it caused him to overlook key details in battle. In a double battle, both Pokémon using boosting moves is a reckless gamble.
"You should work on incorporating Swords Dance into your movements to increase the opportunities to use it."
Silas looked toward the side.
"Infernape, demonstrate."
Infernape immediately approached.
He moved toward Silas at a quick pace, although nowhere close to his maximum speed.
At first, Jason didn't understand what Silas wanted him to see.
He soon noticed the rhythm of Infernape's movements. Each step naturally flowed into the next, almost like a dance.
His arms shifted, his body turned, and his legs moved in unison. The movements didn't look like a Pokémon stopping to execute Swords Dance.
The dance had been incorporated directly into his movement.
Jason's eyes widened slightly.
"I think I get it now. Thanks for the lesson."
Jason meant every word. He'd rather recognize his shortcomings now than expose a weakness to a real enemy.
Silas nodded.
"Keep in mind that you still lose speed unless you can integrate it perfectly. Infernape has a long way to go before he truly masters the move, so don't feel discouraged."
Jason accepted the advice.
A thought soon occurred to him.
"So how did I do on the battle test?"
Silas laughed.
"Haha. You performed satisfactorily."
Jason frowned.
"How could I have exceeded expectations?"
Silas answered immediately.
"Make me need to use Belly Drum and Stored Power."
Jason stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding.
He seemed to commit those words directly to memory like a diligent student.
Silas believed in Jason's potential and hard working nature. That was one thing he had come to appreciate about Jason. The man genuinely grinded on a daily basis.
He wasn't someone who complained about being weaker than Silas or became jealous whenever Silas progressed faster.
Jason simply trained harder. He even genuinely listened to criticism and improved based on that advice. It was difficult not to like a subordinate like that.
More importantly, Jason had repeatedly proven himself reliable in battle and trustworthy in general.
Silas could trust him when things became dangerous.
That mattered far more than anything else.
After their battle, Silas realized how hungry he was.
Months of hospital food had also made him appreciate the thought of eating something normal again.
He headed toward the dining hall along with Jason.
Silas ordered a large salmon steak while Jason ate lamb chops.
For several minutes, both simply enjoyed their food.
Jason eventually broke the silence.
"So what's the plan, boss?"
Silas cut into his salmon.
"Same as always. Get stronger. We also have to be prepared for the trials. The other participants have gotten stronger, same as us."
Jason nodded slowly.
"Haha, good to know, but that's not what I mean."
Silas looked up.
Jason had an irritating smile on his face.
"A certain redhead was helping to take care of you while you were unconscious, so I'm curious how you intend to pay her back."
Jason stood up and thrust his hips while saying the words before bursting into laughter.
Silas stared at him.
"There's nothing going on, if that's what you are implying. She's just a thoughtful friend."
Jason immediately nodded with exaggerated seriousness.
"Right, right. With gorgeous friends like that, who needs a wife or girlfriend, right?"
Silas couldn't hold it in.
Both men began laughing loudly.
After the laughter died down, Silas shook his head.
"In all seriousness, I am going to train indoors for a few more days before venturing out. You can do your own thing as well. You don't have to babysit me. I can handle myself."
Jason nodded.
"I get it. I just wanted to be sure."
His expression became more genuine.
"Thanks, Odin. I appreciate the directness of our relationship."
Silas nodded.
"Indeed. We aren't teenage girls."
There was a brief silence.
Then both men burst out laughing again. This time, the laughter lasted much longer.
Ironically, Silas neglected the fact that he was also a young teenager.
Once they finally finished eating, Silas returned to his room.
He originally intended to take a short nap.
For the first time in months, he was able to lie down in his own preferred bed.
The familiar comfort immediately hit him.
Silas closed his eyes.
It was only midday. He expected to sleep for an hour or 2 before getting back up.
Instead, his exhaustion caught up with him. His short nap quickly became real sleep.
Silas remained asleep through the afternoon, then the evening, and finally, the entire night.
When he opened his eyes again, sunlight was already entering the room.
It was the following morning.
Silas stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before realizing what had happened.
He had overdone it earlier with that battle by using his psychic powers. Silas knew that he was in no shape to act as he pleased but he couldn't help it.