Chapter 3

It was early in the morning, the sun barely had risen on the new day, as a young female made her way through Kazuo's house to the bedroom.

"Father, I am going out to work on my training. I shall return later," called the girl from Kazuo's doorway. He didn't bother to get up, just giving her a nod and returning back to his slumber.

"Alright, have fun and be careful..." he muttered against his pillow.

The girl nodded and trotted off outside the house. It had been 14 years now since Kazuo helped save the clan's village and be welcomed as an official member of their clan. In that time he'd settled down a little, found himself a wife, and had one daughter. He spent much of his time training the young Oshawott to fight once she was old enough, taking it upon himself to be a mentor to her. Now she'd grown so strong, that she'd just evolved a few weeks ago, despite only being 12 years old. He was proud of how quickly she learned and grew, proud of the job they had done raising her to this point. Feeling she should learn her own fighting style as many Dewott did, he let her go train on her own for now before he'd continue teaching her... and train she did.

Kishiko arrived outside the clan's village in the forest, making her way to her usual training area there. She sharpened her focus on a target, pulled her two scalchops from her skirt, and got herself into a ready position. Without hesitation, she made a charging slash at it, leading into a couple more follow-up attacks. After a while she'd move to the next target, and continue practicing her sword techniques for a while.

"Hah, I sense improvement... that is good," Kishiko silently told herself while taking a short break. "I cannot wait until I am more skilled with these blades. I wish to be the best I can be with them."

Despite her young age, she was very determined to become a powerful warrior one day. Inspired by the tales she'd heard of her father's heroic acts for both the clan and his former trainer, and from seeing him in action during training. Much to her dismay, she was too young to fight the dreaded Serpent Clan like her father, and was usually taken with her mother away from town when danger was reported for safety. It made her angry hearing what the Snivy had been doing to her clan, making her only wish she could help teach them a lesson sooner.

For now, Kishiko focused on all her clan's teachings about morals, traditions, and most importantly their fighting styles. She had a very serious nature about her, never stopping to enjoy the same things most kids her age did. All of her time was devoted to training and meditation. She didn't feel there was any need to waste her time with anything else. As a result, she didn't have many friends in town. Many of the others her age thought she was crazy for spending so much time training and always wanting to spar with them instead of do anything else they found fun. But it never seemed to bother her, anyway. She still had her parents who were proud to support her training and do what they could to make her a better warrior. After a while, Kishiko finished her training, did her meditation to let her body and mind recover, and headed back home again. But she'd return again to her usual spot the next day to continue, as she always did.

It'd been a while since Mei-Xiu had last come out this way to train. The Mienfoo was usually afraid those folks from the Ott Clan wouldn't appreciate it very much having someone like her around, but she made sure to avoid them most of the time. She continued along through the forest, looking for a clear area to do her training at. After a short while, the sound of a river flowing came into earshot, and as she came closer to it, noticed something nearby.

"Huh? Looks like someone's here already..." she thought to herself. Carefully she snuck into some bushes nearby and peaked out to see who was there. Sitting on the ground with their legs crossed as a blue furry otter-like Pokémon; obviously a Dewott who probably came from the nearby clan. But why were they just sitting there like that? Were they alright? Are they sleeping? She decided to go and check.

"Uh, hey there, you awake?" Mei-Xiu cautiously called as she approached. But the Dewott didn't respond, only simply flicking an ear to at least show a sign of life. She approached closer, noticing it was a female now as she got a look at her body from the front, and poked at her arm. "Hello? Is anybody home in there?" Much to her dismay, there was still no answer, outside of a slight twitch and her ear flicking again. Determined to get something out of her, the Mienfoo continued poking at her further. Eventually it seemed to work, as the otter girl stirred at last, taking a sudden swipe at her paw to knock it away and make the poking stop.

"May I ask that you refrain from doing that any further?" snapped the Dewott in an angry tone as she stared daggers at Mei-Xiu.

"Whoa, I'm sorry!" she quickly replied while hopping back. "No need to get so mad, I was just wondering what you were doing out here."

"Is it not obvious I am busy meditating? You are interrupting my training!" Slowly she rose to her feet, keeping her glare and serious expression firmly directed back to the Mienfoo. "For that, you shall pay!" Suddenly she brandished her shells from her skirt and extended the water blades as she moved into her stance.

"I had no intention of fighting you, but if you insist!" Mei-Xiu responded as she moved to her own stance, taking note of the blades and hoping to figure out a way around that. "Are you sure this is a fair fight with those swords?"

"Hmph, how ignorant... I shall not harm you too badly with them, I am more responsible than that!" the Dewott scoffed. Wasting no time, she jumped at Mei-Xiu with her blades drawn and took a quick swipe at her with one. "Hah!"

Thinking quickly, she jumped back to dodge the oncoming attack, taking advantage of her vulnerable opponent, delivering a swift hard kick into her stomach, before pulling her foot away to get reset. The Dewott made a sharp gasp and grabbed at her stomach, taking a moment to regain her breath and stare angrily back to her.

"Ngh... you shall pay for that as well!" She tried once more to thrust her blades at the Mienfoo, only to have her sidestep out of the way, causing her to go right past her. "Wh-what the? Mei-Xiu gave a sly smile, sending another kick into the Dewott's back before she could get turned around. She stumbled forward from the blow, growling as she looked back again. "Enough of your games!"

"What's the matter? Not quick enough with those blades?" Mei-Xiu teased. "You must not be very good if you can't hit me."

"I shall make you eat those words!" the Dewott scowled, tightening her grip on the shells and pulling them back towards her body, gathering an energy that caused the blades to glow a faint green. Mei-Xiu stood and watched, confused what she was doing, and growing somewhat fascinated by the bright glow illuminating the otter's weapons. Slowly she came a little closer, wanting to get a better look at the source of the shining light. With a very faint smirk, the Dewott launched her Air Slash at her unsuspecting foe, hitting her solidly in the chest. Mei-Xiu was sent stumbling backwards, losing her balance and falling to the ground as a result.

"Oof! Man, that hurt a lot...!" she groaned, picking herself back up. "What was that thing?"

"It is an Air Slash, a move my father taught me. Now prepare yourself!"

Without waiting, she charged once more and used Razor Shell again, hoping to get luckier this time. This time she was successful, catching her vulnerable foe across the chest as she went to stand. Mei-Xiu fell back to the ground with a pained groan, glancing back up at the other while clutching herself.

"Gah, d-damn..." she grumbled to herself. Slowly she climbed up onto one leg. "That sure is one strong attack, too... you seem pretty tough with those blades..."

"Of course I am. Why would I not be strong with them?"

"So I see..." Mei-Xiu stopped and smirked as she climbed back to her feet, looking at the Dewott's legs curiously. "But how about without the blades then? How good are you that way?"

"Wh-what? What sort of non-sense are you talking about?"

The Dewott sounded nervous about that question, like she may not be confident in fighting that way. But Mei-Xiu still wanted to find out, so continued pushing for it.

"You just don't come off as the type who's ever fought unarmed before... am I right?" She gave a sly look up to her face, watching her closely.

"That... I... hmph, we shall see about that then!" she shouted, sounding flustered and bothered by such accusations. Then placed her shells back on her skirt and awkwardly tried to mimic what Mei-Xiu was doing for a stance. Mei-Xiu kind of chuckled to herself at her response and dropped back to her stance.

"Here, I'll even be nice and let you come at me first. Show me what you can do!"

The Dewott growled and tried to charge at her, lunging forward with her claws to swipe at her. But Mei-Xiu effortlessly dodged the attack, countering with a swift kick to her side. She coughed for a moment before turning to look back at her, growling as she tried to attack again, only to miss once more. Mei-Xiu chuckled again at her efforts, stepping to the side.

"Geez, you look so sloppy with your claws!" she shouted and gave a smug look. "Here, show me how good your legs are, give me the best kick you can!"

With another growl at the taunting challenge, the Dewott dug in and ran at her again, and very awkwardly threw a kick towards Mei-Xiu's chest. Just to humour her further, she didn't even budge, allowing the kick to connect. If anything she just wanted to see how strong it was; after all, she was a Fighting type and raised for fighting, a simple kick wouldn't be that hard to withstand. The Dewott's foot reflected off her stomach as she barely flinched, slowly beginning to laugh at the effort.

"Wow, is that really all you got?" she scoffed. "That can't be right, try it again, but with more oomph!"

Frustrated by the reaction, the Dewott snarled as she tried another kick with all the strength she could muster. This time it at least managed to cause Mei-Xiu to stumble back a couple steps, but still didn't seem to bother her much.

"Oof... hm... better, but..." Mei-Xiu trailed off as she stopped to consider things. It was clear to her that this Dewott was utterly lost without weapons, as her unarmed attacks were lacking severely in any sort of power or form. 'I wonder what she'd think if I offered to help her out with those kicks...'

"But what, if I may be so bold to ask?" she snapped indignantly.

"It's still rather weak. You could use a LOT of work to improve your kicking, you can't rely on weapons for everything after all," Mei-Xiu answered, before coming over closer in a friendly manner. "How about this... I could help teach you how to kick better, and my brother could help you with your punches. How does that sound to you?"

The otter raised an eyebrow at the offer, curious about what she was getting at. "And what do you expect from me in return for such services?"

"Oh, nothing you can't handle, I'm sure... you seem to have a really good work ethic and a lot of focus, it's impressive," the Mienfoo replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Quite honestly I haven't really ever cared as much about training and things as most in my family. I'm more into playing around, having fun, all that kind of stuff. So maybe you could help give me some help on being more focused like that?"

"Hm... it seems like a fair trade off... I admit it would not hurt to sharpen my skills in other areas, to become a better all-around warrior..." she stopped to think about it. After a moment she looked back to the other female, and said "I guess I shall accept. It is not like I have friends already after all, so perhaps you could be one."

"Great, I'd love to be friends," Mei-Xiu said with a smile. "While we've got the chance, my name's Mei-Xiu. What's your name then?"

"I am Kishiko, the lone daughter of Kazuo, hero of the Ott Clan."

"Kazuo, huh? Hm... can't say I'm familiar with him, but I guess I was right to assume you came from there. My brother and I come out this way to train every so often and we always pass by there. Usually we're afraid to bother you guys because you're so secluded and stuff."

"I see... it is not often we allow outsiders into the clan, for we are still at war with the Serpent Clan. I cannot say I know for certain where they live besides far from here... but they always try to attack us to steal our land during the spring and summer months. I hope to one day join in our fight against them when I am older."

Mei-Xiu nodded as she listened, then glanced around. "Well, that's all well and good, but how about we find something to do?"

Kishiko thought for a moment about how long she'd been gone for, and looked back to her new friend again. "Perhaps another time then we can begin our training together. For now I should get back home, I do not wish to worry my parents," she remarked, before starting to walk off again towards the village. "If you will excuse me..."

"Hey, wait a second... what about if I come with you? I wouldn't mind meeting your dad, especially if he's as great as you say," Mei-Xiu asked quickly before it was too late. Kishiko stopped and slowly turned her head to glance back. She looked at the Mienfoo curiously for what seemed like forever before finally nodding her head.

"Fair enough... I guess it would do no harm to let you meet him... especially if we are to train together." Mei-Xiu smiled and wagged her tail a bit with excitement.

"Alright, lead the way, Kishiko." She gave a nod back and the two walked off together.

A short while later, the pair of Pokémon arrived back at the house again, Mei-Xiu receiving plenty of strange and untrusting looks from other Otts. After all, it wasn't very often they saw different types of Pokémon peruse their village. Shrugging it off, the two entered the house. Kishiko signaled her return to the elder Samurott, calling out "I have returned from my training, father, and I have brought a guest for you to meet."

"A guest, hm?" Kazuo inquired as he walked into the room, flashing a surprised look at the Mienfoo before him. "Oh, well... for a moment I thought you'd found a friend within the village."

"Of course not, nobody around here understands how serious training is! Nobody my age is worth such effort if they will not work hard." Kishiko grumbled in response. Mei-Xiu couldn't help but chuckle at it before looking back over at Kazuo.

"Well, I kind of ran into her outside in the forest while I was out walking. Noticed her sitting there on the ground like she was asleep or something, thought I'd check to make sure she wasn't dead or whatever else," she began to explain, but was cut off shortly after.

"I was meditating and she started poking me constantly, which was most annoying. I grew frustrated by these antics and quickly tried to deliver swift punishment, as I was uncertain who my opponent was," Kishiko finished for her. Kazuo stifled a laugh at how sudden and brash his daughter's reaction was, then allowed for them to continue with a simple, "Go on."

"She is lucky I was coming out to train anyway, caught me off guard and impressed me with those shells. So I convinced her to show me how well she fights without them, and it was... well, short of anything else, really funny to watch," Mei-Xiu replied, chuckling to herself again at the thought. Kishiko merely scoffed at gave her a bitter stare for it. "As a result, I suggested I could help with that, I can at least teach her some kicks and other ways to use her legs in combat. My brother could help with her punching and arms."

"Oh my, how fascinating..." Kazuo nodded, smiling a little at the offer. "That would be a good idea, you never know when you might be faced with a situation where you have no weapon to use. It's good to be prepared for that kind of thing. By the way, what was your name again, miss?"

"Oh, right! Totally forgot about that..." she hesitantly and awkwardly chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm Mei-Xiu, good meeting you, sir."

"As she said, father, I wish to train with the two of them so I may learn more about being a great warrior. I did not want to do this without your approval, however," Kishiko chimed in.

"Of course, Kishiko. Perhaps can show her a thing or two yourself, while you're at it. Besides, it'll do you good having a friend and training partner. Just be careful you don't take it too far now either."

For the first time since they met, Mei-Xiu witnessed Kishiko actually crack a small smile and bowed politely to her dad while saying "thanks." With that taken care of, they could proceed with everything as planned. Mei-Xiu offered to take her to meet her brother, which Kishiko agreed with completely. The faster she could see him, the faster she could resume training and learning more techniques. But first they got some food from the kitchen to replenish their energy, taking the moment to relax and rest up. Once they had finished, the pair bid farewell again to Kazuo and headed out the door, Mei-Xiu leading the way back to her home so they could meet with the other Mien sibling.