"Haha, lot of good it did me!" Eleyna grinned despite herself and rubbed the back of her neck. "The answer on the League channel was always, win more badges and strong Pokemon will respect you! I don't know about all of that anymore. I got this thing only<i>after</i>Growlithe and I learned to work together."<br/><br/>"But the Pokeball makes them obedient to some degree." Eleyna leaned back, pondering. "It sort of... aligns them with the trainer. That's why they can communicate so easily once they're captured. But you probably know how all that works better than I do. And honestly, looking at Tentacruel, its obvious that its not so simple as catching them to get them to battle for you."<br/><br/>"Azumarill is sort of like Growlithe was, now that I think about it... a Pokemon that's probably stronger than its trainer is really ready for. I got Growlithe because I stole him from my mom's stuff. You got Azumarill because we all battled it together. I mean... we won't really know until you let Azumarill out."<br/><br/>Eleyna stretched out her arms and flopped down on her back looking up at the emerging starlight. "But Growlithe didn't listen to me because I thought training was about giving orders... but Brollem taught me that the reason he didn't listen to me was because he didn't have a reason to. He knew what he was doing better than I did... and he knew it. He had to face an opponent better than him to realize that we could do more together... and I had to learn that just telling a Pokemon what to do doesn't help them. Hmm..." Eleyna considered a metaphor for it. "Its like... its like trying to write a book or something but your face is jammed all up against the page. You know where every word is, see its every problem, where the ink was a little dry or something... but when your that close you can't see the whole thing at once. You can only sort of imagine what it looks like. Actually, I think a painting would be a better example... but whatever! A Pokemon in battle is sort of like that. They're too close to it to see what's really going on. A trainer is standing behind them, seeing the full picture, watching the field and the opponent in a way that the Pokemon can't. Growlithe has to be concerned with dodging a blow, where to put his feet, channeling the energies needed for flamethrower. That doesn't leave a lot of room for larger strategy. I think some general or something in the Great War said like, a battle plan never survives the first hit... or something. That's sort of what it is with Growlithe. He's the best fighter on my team by far... and he could take on Scyther and Tentacruel at the same time, easy. But when he gets hit, he gets angry and all of that goes out the window. Its hard enough seeing the big picture when your in the thick of it, and when you lose your cool you might as well be blind. But by trusting Growlithe to know how to battle, I can be his eyes and his mind, spotting weaknesses or enemy tactics, coordinating a team and keeping them focused and level headed. That's what being a trainer really is. You're the rock the team is built on," she poised her fingers like a gun and closed one eye, pointing at a star overhead, "you're the steady point that they can rely on when things get rough to carry them through it."<br/><br/>Her arm flopped down onto the ground. "And Pokemon want to battle, Naomi... I mean, however much you might be afraid of Tai getting hurt... its in his nature to want to get stronger and grow. That Azumarill didn't get that strong by looking to get some all day, if you know what I'm saying. You've got the skills and your Pokemon trust you... you just gotta trust them and help them achieve their own success."<br/><br/>"But I'm still a rookie at this, so who knows? Up until today I thought you could only get Pokemon to join you by battling them. Maybe you could give Azumarrill a little something something." Eleyna smirked. "Or is Tai the jealous type?"<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>