The next day, Alex made his way out of the apartment with Rattata on his shoulder. They made their way to the market, where they would first pick up supplies for their new diet.
Alex quickly found his way to a stall selling the needed berries and meat. It was relatively cheap, considering his current finances, so he splurged to get enough stock for a month. This stock included his own nutritional needs, so he also bought some Tauros meat, Moomoo Milk, and nutritional supplements for himself.
He also went ahead and bought some protective sparring gear, including padded gloves, a helmet, bracers, a vest, and shin guards. Lastly, he picked up some basic 10 lbs (4.5 kg) weights and a modest punching bag for his own training.
His new body was frail and needed some serious training and nutrition to get into shape. He would not neglect himself, even if the Pokémon were the ones doing all the fighting.
Next, he bought a standard TM, or Technical Machine, that would teach Pokémon new moves for 10,000 Pokédollars, a Focus Sash for 4,000 Pokédollars, an Everstone necklace for 2,000 Pokédollars, and a whole lot of TM disks to teach moves with.
These included Taunt, Thunder Wave, Grass Knot, Dig, Facade, Work Up, Protect, Double Team, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, and Iron Tail, totaling almost 40,000 Pokédollars.
In total, for his first shopping spree, Alex spent more than 50,000 Pokédollars—a sum greater than what he had made stealing from the man and the director.
Of course, this was just the initial investment. His actual maintenance cost was about 1,000 Pokédollars a month, primarily consisting of cheap Pokémon meat and berries for both himself and Rattata. If Alex decided to drink Moomoo milk daily, this monthly expense would immediately balloon up to over 30,000 considering that a single bottle costs 500 pokedollars.
Arriving back at the apartment building while carrying his new space bag that easily contained all the items he had bought, Alex immediately started overloading Rattata with all the moves he had purchased.
The TM looked like a coffee machine, if Alex was being honest. It worked by placing the reusable TM disk in the top slot while placing a Pokéball with the Pokémon inside in a spherical slot on the bottom. Once activated, the data would be "downloaded" into the Pokémon inside the Pokéball.
Once all the moves were taught, Rattata immediately materialized out of the Pokéball in a red flash of light. Its head was spinning from all the new moves it had just learned, and it started complaining to Alex with adorable squeaks.
"Ratta! Rattata-tata! Squeeeak!" Rattata complained.
"Easy there, tough guy. I'm just fulfilling my end of the deal. These new moves will be what you focus on practicing and improving from this point on," Alex said as he coaxed Rattata into forgiving him.
Luckily for Alex, Rattata was an understanding Pokémon.
"Rattata (Hmph!)"
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I'll share some of my Moomoo Milk with you after training. Deal?"
"Ratta." Rattata immediately accepted.
Alex, dressed in a simple shirt, shorts, and running shoes along with his backpack, made his way to the training area on the first floor of the apartment building with Rattata on his shoulder. Rattata was sporting a new Everstone necklace around its neck to ensure it wouldn't prematurely evolve, allowing it to learn all its available moves as early as possible.
Alex planned on having Rattata learn Endeavor even before evolving to save time, making the Everstone indispensable. Research had determined that the timing of a Pokémon's evolution didn't affect its overall potential—any latent abilities and growth were eventually unlocked regardless. The only differences lay in their learnable moves and current stats.
For their first training session, Alex wanted to put Rattata through a full course, which included practicing all of its moves until they reached Basic proficiency, speed training by sprinting around the field, and sparring to develop its combat instincts.
As a former MMA fighter, Alex knew exactly how to maintain awareness of his opponents while guarding his own vital spots. If he could train Rattata to see the same openings he noticed in fights, then Rattata would be able to exploit them even without explicit instructions.
Unfortunately, Alex needed to adjust to training Pokémon, as it was significantly different from his past experiences.
Arriving at the training space, Alex found an indoor grass field where other trainers were working with their Pokémon. Surrounding the field was a track for running, and at the very center were several battle spaces marked with paint.
Just then, a sudden explosion echoed from the middle of the battlefield. A Sandshrew had just uppercut an Eevee from underground, knocking it out instantly. The Dig attack had landed perfectly, striking the Eevee's weak spot right under the chin and leaving a gaping hole where the Sandshrew had emerged.
'Maintenance must be quite tedious,' Alex noted as he made his way to the track.
A good jog was always the best way to start any routine—after some simple stretches, of course.
"Rattata, I want you to sprint around this track while continuously using Quick Attack. I'll try to follow along, but you have to remember—never stop moving. Even if you get tired, just run normally to recover. If running is too much, walk. We need to build up your stamina and speed, okay?"
"Ratta." Rattata nodded and immediately took off, occasionally failing to activate Quick Attack but still managing short bursts of speed.
Rattata easily outran Alex's own sprint, completing multiple laps around the track in the time it took Alex to finish just one. This truly hammered in the sheer physical prowess of Pokémon compared to normal animals.
It was effortlessly hitting speeds of 20–25 mph (32–40 km/h), occasionally going even faster when successfully activating Quick Attack in short bursts.
After about 30 uses, Rattata stopped using Quick Attack and settled into a slower trot. It was visibly exhausted from the excessive continuous use of the move, though still managing a steady pace.
After five minutes of running and fast walking, both Alex and Rattata were completely drained. It couldn't be helped—Alex was still frail, and Rattata had been sprinting while spamming moves.
They simply walked for the remainder of the 30-minute cardio session.
Next came move training—the core of their regimen. Rattata needed to be able to use all of its newly learned moves consistently, making repetitive practice unavoidable.
Unsurprisingly, after exhausting itself with Quick Attack, Rattata could only manage one move per minute due to the strain. Alex decided to ensure that all moves reached at least Basic proficiency before shifting focus to specific ones, aside from Quick Attack, which remained a priority along with Endeavor and Sucker Punch—moves that had yet to be learned.
Progress was slow, but at least training was getting done.
Meanwhile, Alex focused on basic exercises—push-ups, squats, sit-ups, burpees, and more. He was determined to get his current frail body back to a professional fighting standard eventually.
An agonizing hour passed before Alex finally called Rattata over for a sparring match. The goal was to teach Rattata how to bypass guards and develop a sense of rhythm in battle. Plus, sparring was apparently a great way to strengthen the bond between trainer and Pokémon.
Alex donned his full sparring gear while explaining the rules.
"Rule number one: no using moves. I will die if you accidentally use a move against me. Rule number two: only target the pads. I'm still too frail to take hits anywhere else. Rule number three: no biting. These pads are cheap and will be torn apart in a single bite, so focus on using other blunt parts of your body—head, body, tail, and paws are fine. Rule number four: never stop thinking. It doesn't matter if you slow down to observe—be mindful of how and when you attack. Got it?"
"Ratta." Rattata accepted.
Once the spar began, Alex immediately shifted into a basic boxing stance—left foot positioned forward, right foot slightly behind, about shoulder-width apart, with his right heel slightly raised. His knees bent slightly, weight evenly distributed between both feet. His left hand was held at chin level, slightly extended, while his right hand stayed close to his cheek. His elbows remained tucked in, and his chin was slightly lowered.
Rattata immediately sensed the shift in aura. When it first saw Alex fighting its former owner, he had seemed like a desperate child punching above his weight.
Now, Rattata saw something different.
This was no longer just a relaxed training session—this was a battle.
Rattata squared up, eyes locked onto Alex, and immediately started considering its options, just as Alex had instructed.
Unable to decide on an attack angle, Rattata chose to fight as usual and see how it played out. He immediately rushed in for a tackle at Alex's left leg, only for the leg to kick back in retaliation just as Rattata was about to leap.
Rattata was sent tumbling from the kick, greatly surprising him. The impact didn't hurt due to the pads, but it served as a wake-up call—this spar was serious. Determined, Rattata adjusted his strategy, opting to take quick, passing shots at Alex while maintaining mobility.
This back-and-forth continued for five minutes before they were suddenly interrupted by a shout.
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