Without waiting for Jason's next command, Scyther rose into the air and began unleashing Air Slashes wildly.
Wind blades tore through the campsite from multiple angles as he flew around Manectric, attacking with raw anger rather than calm judgment.
Despite the frenzied nature of the assault, it was effective.
The random angles made it difficult for Manectric to predict the next attack, and several Air Slashes struck its body in succession.
Manectric endured them with gritted teeth, but the pressure was obvious.
Jason's expression tightened.
"Scyther, get it together. Calm down."
The loud scolding snapped through Scyther's rage.
Clarity returned to his eyes.
Manectric seized that moment and charged in with Quick Attack.
This time, Scyther did not panic.
He shifted sideways and met Manectric's charge with Double Hit.
The rapid succession strikes momentarily dazed Manectric.
Before it could recover, Scyther followed with Brutal Swing, twisting his body and slamming the electric type back across the ground.
Manectric struggled for a moment before lowering its head in defeat.
The battle was over.
Scyther stood in triumph, chest rising and falling heavily. He had won, but the scorch marks on his arm and the lingering tremor in his body proved it had not been easy.
Tropius walked over and refreshed the Grassy Terrain while Silas approached with more potion sprays and healing berries.
He treated both fighters carefully, making sure neither carried lingering injuries from the spar.
Jason crouched beside Scyther and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well, but don't lose yourself like that again. Rage can help you push through pain, but if you stop listening, you'll eventually get yourself killed."
Scyther lowered his head slightly.
The lesson seemed to reach him.
Silas noticed and silently approved. Jason was improving as a trainer. Scyther's temper had not vanished, but the fact that he listened at all was already progress.
The remaining battles were less eventful.
Jason's Krokoroc defeated a few of the Manectric, but with his typing advantage, the fights did not provide as much pressure as Jason had hoped.
Electric attacks were mostly meaningless against him, and although the Manectric tried to compensate with fangs and speed, the matchup remained poor.
Vibrava benefitted the most from the training.
Silas intentionally restricted him to steel type moves and Quick Attack. He couldn't rely on Sandstorm. It would be an easy terrain disruption against an electric type.
If Vibrava wanted to improve, then he needed to sharpen the tools that had proven insufficient against Tyson's team.
To increase the pressure, Silas had 3 Manectric attack him at once.
The result was immediate chaos.
Vibrava darted through the air using Quick Attack, his wings buzzing violently as he tried to avoid being surrounded.
One Manectric came from the left with Ice Fang, another circled from below, and the third waited for his retreat path.
"Steel Wing, then Iron Tail. Don't let them control your movement."
Vibrava's wings shone with metallic light as he dove toward the closest Manectric. Steel Wing struck the electric type across the shoulder and forced it back, but the second Manectric caught him almost instantly.
Ice Fang bit into his side.
Vibrava cried out in pain.
He twisted sharply and slammed Iron Tail into the attacker, but before he could create distance, the third Manectric lunged in and caught one of his legs with another Ice Fang.
The cold seeped into his body.
Vibrava's eyes turned fierce.
He tore himself free and beat his wings harder, trying to rise above them, but the three Manectric worked together better than expected. Every time he created an opening, one of them pressured him from a blind spot.
Silas watched without interfering.
This was the kind of pressure Vibrava needed.
Another Ice Fang grazed Vibrava's wing.
That was enough.
Vibrava's anger erupted.
Dragon type energy burst from his body in a powerful wave, spreading outward before condensing along his frame in a reddish glow.
The aura around him became wild and aggressive, completely different from the controlled coating of Steel Wing or Iron Tail.
Silas' eyes sharpened.
Vibrava roared and charged.
He crashed into the first Manectric, knocking it back with brute force. Without stopping, he slammed into the second, then twisted through the air and drove his body into the third.
The attack pattern had lost most of its precision, but its raw power was undeniable.
Outrage.
Silas realized what had happened immediately.
Vibrava had learned Outrage through anger.
For a short while, the 3 Manectric were forced back simultaneously.
Vibrava fought with terrifying ferocity, his body wrapped in dragon type energy as he battered them from one direction to another.
However, the drawback soon appeared.
His movements became erratic and his eyes lost focus, a clear sign of confusion setting in.
The dragon energy still burned fiercely around him, but he was no longer choosing his attacks properly. Instead of exploiting openings, he charged at whatever was closest.
The three Manectric recovered quickly.
One dodged his reckless charge. The second struck from the side with Ice Fang. The third followed from above, and the first returned a moment later to complete the encirclement.
Triple Ice Fang landed almost at the same time.
Vibrava fell out of the air and hit the ground hard.
Silas stepped forward.
"Enough."
The Manectric immediately backed away.
Vibrava tried to rise, still trembling with anger and confusion, but Silas placed a hand on his head and gently pressed him back down.
"Rest."
Vibrava resisted for a moment before slowly settling.
Tropius refreshed Grassy Terrain again while Silas treated him with a potion and fed him a healing berry.
The cold damage from the Ice Fangs had been painful, but there were no serious wounds. That was exactly why this kind of sparring was valuable.
Once Vibrava recovered enough to understand him clearly, Silas spoke calmly.
"You lost, but that doesn't mean the battle was wasted."
Vibrava lowered his head, clearly frustrated.
Silas understood. Vibrava was proud and ferocious. Learning a powerful move only to lose immediately afterward was difficult for him to accept.
"You learned Outrage. That is a powerful dragon type move, but now you also understand its flaw. It can give you explosive strength, but if you use it carelessly, you lose control. Once confusion sets in, a good opponent will punish you immediately."
Vibrava listened silently.
"It is better to learn that in a spar than in a real fight. If this had happened against an enemy trying to kill you, the result could have been much worse."
After a few moments, Vibrava nodded.
His pride was still wounded, but the lesson had reached him.
Silas rubbed the side of his head.
"Good. We will train it properly later. Outrage is not a move to rely on casually, but if used at the right moment, it can decide a battle."
That seemed to comfort him somewhat.
After all the battling was complete, Silas made sure to tend to every lingering wound on both sides.
Potion sprays, berries, and the steady support of Grassy Terrain helped the Manectric family recover from the spars without lasting harm.
Only after confirming that everyone was stable did Silas bring out more food.
The Manectric family ate with barely restrained hunger. Even the proud leader lowered his guard once food was placed before the Electrike.
The young pokemon were far less restrained than the adults, eagerly digging into their portions while occasionally glancing at Silas and his team with growing curiosity.
The camp gradually became lively again.
Jason leaned back near the fire, clearly pleased with Scyther's victory. Scyther acted proud, but he occasionally looked at the arm Manectric had bitten, as if remembering the danger of losing control.
Krokoroc seemed less satisfied with his own battles, likely because winning through typing advantage did not feel especially rewarding.
Vibrava remained quiet for a while, but Espeon eventually approached him and said something Silas could not hear clearly.
Whatever it was made Vibrava huff, though his mood seemed to improve afterward.
Silas watched everything calmly while eating the rest of his meal.
This was a good night.
No one had died. His pokemon had gained real combat experience, Vibrava had learned Outrage, Jason and Scyther had taken another step forward, and the Manectric family had received food and treatment.
Not every encounter in the wilderness needed to end in bloodshed.
Sometimes, mutual benefit was enough.
Once dinner ended, the campsite settled into a quieter rhythm. The fire burned lower, the portable kitchen was cleaned, and the remaining food was packed away properly.
Silas was careful with supplies. Even though he had stocked up before leaving, wastefulness in the wilderness was foolish.
The Manectric did not leave immediately.
Instead, the leader approached Silas and lowered his head slightly.
"We will rest nearby tonight. Your food and healing saved us trouble. We will help stand guard tonight."
Silas studied him for a moment before nodding.
"I appreciate it."
Jason raised an eyebrow after the Manectric walked away.
"Looks like you made friends."
"Temporary allies,"
Silas quickly corrected him but he wasn't fully wrong.
Jason laughed.
"Sure, boss."
Silas ignored his tone.
The rest of the night was peaceful.
The Manectric family remained near the edge of the campsite, and true to their word, they worked themselves into the lookout rotation.
Their sharp senses and electric typing made them useful night watchers, especially with the Electrike sleeping safely between the adults.
Silas eventually entered the portable tent to rest, but his mind remained active for a while.
Outrage was valuable, but dangerous. Vibrava needed control, and Silas needed to determine when such a move should be used. A powerful attack that destroyed judgment could become a liability if treated carelessly.
Still, progress was progress.
Tonight had proven that wilderness training held opportunities that controlled sparring could not provide.
Silas slowly closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, they would continue toward the desert.
For now, under the protection of his team and the Manectric family resting nearby, he allowed himself to sleep.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 200k views and chapter 200.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!