Lumiose University - A Degree In Pokemon

Chapter 31: Absol-ute Recovery

Author's Note:

Hi all. Yep, long time no update again. I'm not going to bother with explaining it...just a hell of a month. Hopefully on the right track now...but I've said that before. Thanks for the patience, though.

Anyways, a couple of questions about the last few chapters. Just wanted to clarify how I'm thinking when it comes to some of these battles. First of all, Pikachu's loss a few chapters ago. Won't get into whether or not it should have happened, but the idea was Ash not fighting in his right frame of mind, which to me affects the Pokemon's success over something like a power level. However, I made sure Pikachu was hit by a few Metal Sound attacks before that Zap Cannon. He was left very vulnerable. So...this is all part of the reason for a relatively quick turnaround when it came to the battle with Flint, despite Hawlucha being less of an "ace" for Ash. Ash was more prepared, fighting on his terms. And the battle was barely started. Hawlucha had a strong showing, but wasn't necessarily going to win.

Hope that clears some stuff up. On to the chapter.

Chapter 31: Absol-ute Recovery:

Ash could barely sit still as he, Pikachu, Serena and Riolu sat at the back of Reggie's class, anxiously waiting for his lesson to finish. Clemont was with them as well, but he seemed fairly busy trying to control the squirming Skitty, who clearly wanted to be back with Shauna at the moment. Ash felt bad for his friend as he glanced at the Kitten Pokemon attempting to claw her caretaker's hands, thinking of how difficult it had been to separate her from Shauna that morning. Of course, it wasn't like Riolu had been easy to handle so far, but at least he seemed quite fond of both Ash and Serena.

Ash turned his gaze to the baby Aura Pokemon, who was staring around the classroom curiously, looking at the various pictures, notes and Pokemon breeder equipment everywhere. Ash could see that Riolu's body was tensed up, and knew he had to be ready in case the curious Pokemon ran off again. The past week had definitely not been a walk in the park with his desire to see...everything. The only ones who were capable of keeping him back seemed to be Absol and Hawlucha.

The thought of Hawlucha brought Ash's thoughts back to his interrupted battle with Flint. It was definitely fortunate that Hawlucha had been so quick to act, despite already having taken a few hard blows from Infernape and being fairly worn down. Although Ash was fairly sure that battle could have still gone on a little longer, as it had only just seemed to be heating up when Riolu had jumped onto the field. He wasn't too upset by it, however. In fact, he had been happy enough to get a taste of his regular feel for battling. He may not have been quite on Flint's level, but he was seeing things far more clearly, understanding the opponent, rather than fearing and over analyzing himself, and understanding Hawlucha, rather than worrying how Infernape might control the battle.

Ash knew he still needed to be sharper, more prepared and more assertive in his battles as he often had been before. Alain, Anton, Sumato...they were all skilled trainers, but, as Dawn would say, there was "no need to worry." He just needed to approach things the way he always did. Pikachu and the others were always stronger when he and them were on the same page, doing what they loved. And Riolu would be no different. Whether he went down the path of performing with Serena, or battling with Ash, he'd learn to be one with his trainer.

"And essentially, that's how Phione are bred. Make sure to remember that, because it will be on the written exam." Ash nearly stood up from his seat, suddenly realizing he hadn't heard anything in the past few minutes. He looked up at Reggie nervously, relieved to see that he hadn't noticed. However, a quick glance in Serena's direction showed that she had, as she was giving an exasperated shake of her head, while Pikachu sighed, staring up at his trainer from the desk.