11. Training and Tribulations

[X] Stay here and train with Red. The physical training sessions can't be that hard, can they?

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You collapse to the floor, gasping desperately for breath. "T-Time out! Time out!" you wheeze. 

"Aww, already?" Red pouted, looking as fresh as ever. You have no idea how that was possible considering her personal training was just as hard as yours. Blood gifts are just bullshit. 

The dark skinned Amazon in charge of your training prodded at your form with her toe before sighing at your lack of response. "Very well then. We'll end the session here for today. Lady Blue, make sure to drink plenty of fluids and do the exercises I thought you every morning. Lady Red, please don't forget to do them as well. In fact, I want you to do another twenty reps while I take your friend to rest."

"Okie dokie!" your friend chirped, sounding completely unworried at the idea of even more training. You resisted the urge to say something uncomplimentary under your breath as the pokegirl lifted you over her shoulder and began carrying you to the tiny infirmary attached to the gym.   

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Lady Blue." your trainer said quietly once Red was out of earshot. "You have done very well - much better then I had been expecting, to be honest. But Lady Red has been training for many years now. To try to match her after only a few days of work would be impossible."

You remain silent. 

"You may lack her natural gifts, but you are definitely no slouch in the physical department." the Amazon continued. "Simply continue the exercises I have shown you and I'm sure that you will be able to maintain the level of fitness needed for a wandering Tamer."

You groan incoherently, quietly horrified at the idea of doing an hour of exercise every morning just to be able to keep up. 

Judging from the pokegirl's chuckles, you don't quite manage to hide your concerns. "Oh, you'll be fine." she said, a hint of amusement in her tone. "After a month or two you won't even blink at this level of training. Besides, despite what a lot of young Tamers seem to think, training isn't just for pokegirls. When you have to run from an angry feral, you'll be happy that you actually put some effort into staying fit."

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A few days later, you receive word from the hospital. It seems that your mother has woken up at last. You beg off training for the day and make your way over as quickly as possible. 

Once you arrive, you find your mother sitting up and barking orders to the various assistants surrounding her bed. You decide to wait outside as she chews up one particularly slow young man for accidentally deleting some of her research files.

"-and it'll take us weeks to get everything running properly again. Maddox, when did you say the new equipment is arriving?"

"About two to three days, ma'am, but they say they need your signature before-"

"Just bring over the paperwork and we'll sort it out tomorrow. Farley, I want you to talk to the police and see if they're done with the forensic work yet. I can't do any proper work with a dozen detectives scurrying around underfoot."

"Yes professor."

"And Charlie? Find the backup files. If I have to redo all those experiments because of your fuckup I will personally kick you out the door. Got it?"

"Y-Yes professor!" 

"Good. Now get out of here. I want to speak to my daughter."

Your mother's assistants file out of the room, most of them nodding politely to you as they go past. 

Except for Charlie, who looks like he's about two minutes away from a nervous breakdown. He shambles down the hall like a man walking to his execution, mumbling something to himself under his breath as the tiny Fairycute sitting on his shoulder tried to cheer him up.   

"Don't worry master!" she squeaked excitedly. "It was just a little mistake. I'm sure we can fix it in no time. Right? Right? Uh, master?"

As the doomed pair disappear around the corner, you slip into the room and take a moment to examine your mother. She's looking paler then usual, her right arm still wrapped in a sling. But her expression brightens up noticeably when she catches sight of you and she responds to your hug enthusiastically. 

"Gods, Blue. I was so worried about you!" she whispered, her one good arm squeezing you tightly. "If you hadn't been staying over at your friend's place..."

"I'm fine, mom." you insist. "But you... what happened? All I know is that someone broke into the lab and wrecked everything."

Your mother sighed, finally relinquishing her grip. "I'm afraid I don't have all the details myself, darling. I was just starting work when alarms went off. I didn't even see what happened - I ran into the foyer and got hit by some kind of explosive device. Next thing I know, I was in the hospital with a bunch of doctors running around and screaming for more bandages."

You sat on the bed, one hand still holding onto your mother's. "Well, the police haven't found anything either. They think it's one of the new Teams that are popping up lately, but there's no real evidence yet."

"Of course there isn't." your mother sighed. "Well, I suppose it could be worse. We lost most of the pokegirls, but our data is still intact. We'll just have to rebuild and redo our work. Urgh..." she leaned back into her pillow with a frown. "I'll have to sit through so many meetings to get this all straightened out..."

"So they were just after the pokegirls?" you asked. "That's kinda weird." You still weren't sure what exactly your mother was working on, but why raid a Lab if you weren't interested in the research?

Your mother shrugged, obviously unconcerned. "Who knows how these criminals think? They probably just saw all the starters being taken in and decided it'd be easier then trying to attack a Ranch."

You frowned. "Yeah, but still..."

"Don't worry about it, honey." your mom said, smiling slightly. "Leave that kind of work to the police. That's what we pay them for, after all. Now, I hear that you've been staying at the gym for the last few days. How's it going?"

"Well, it's a bit... tiring?" you attempt. "I can't last very long, but Red just keeps going and going."

Your mother coughed, blushing slightly. "Ah! Well, I suppose you're only young once. So... while I'm glad you didn't decide to go rushing off to 'avenge' me or something equally idiotic, I want to know what you're planning to do now that I'm awake. Any thoughts on how you're going to get a new starter?"

[] "I'll wait here until the next batch of starters arrive. Even if it takes a few more weeks, I can be patient."

[] "I might take a trip to the nearest city and just get a starter there. Red's mom said that she's planning to go there on a business trip in a few days, so I can probably tag along."  

[] "Red wants to go to the nearest Ranch tomorrow and collect a starter from them. It's only about an hours ride away from town, so we should be completely safe."

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Body Training: 25/100 needed for next level!

SL with Red gains 7 points!