As it would turn out, the Pokemon Floatzel detected wasn't really sneaking up on them after all. The Sea Weasel Pokemon merely detected its presence from further away. How did Mirai come to this conclusion? As soon as the Pokemon in question finally drew closer, the grinding noise it made was certainly not an indication of it trying to be stealthy.

The noisy Pokemon would turn out to be a Klang. As far as Mirai knew, these weren't native to this region and so it was a curious thing to run into one here. The Gear Pokemon was hovering just a few meters away from them and was probably drawn by her presence somehow. Unfortunately Mirai was looking for a battle and so it would have to serve as their first opponent on this training trip. Klang were known to learn Electric type attacks and so it would be dangerous to send Floatzel against it. Luckily she already had someone else in mind.

"Delphox-kun, you're up! Mystical Fire!"

The silver Fox Pokemon emerged from his ball, brandishing his flaming wand. Tracing the outline of a circle, a blast of ferocious flames fanned out and engulfed the poor Klang who tried its best to avoid the attack but the range was simply to wide. More than just heavily damaged, its ability to attack was also weakened. The Gear Pokemon would then begin to glow, releasing a desperate Discharge attack in all directions. She was right in guessing that it possessed Electric type attacks. Delphox quickly put up a Light Screen to block the surging currents.

"Let's finish it off Delphox-kun! Flamethrower!"

Blowing flames even more intense than earlier, Klang once again found itself subject to the unbearable fire, this time unable to remain conscious. It dropped to the ground, no longer ticking. It wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. Floatzel walked on over and gave Delphox a quick high five before he was recalled back to his Pokeball. Their training day had only just begun.

They wouldn't get much of a break after that last battle. Floatzel's ears would perk up again, hearing the approach of wing-beats in the air. It was Noctowl and its eyes seemed to be drawn to the flames conjured by Delphox earlier though they were slowly dying down. Mirai thought for a moment if she should send Floatzel on an air battle. Today's encounters seemed to be hellbent on not being ideal ones for the Sea Weasel Pokemon. For a flying Pokemon like Noctowl, she had a far better match-up in mind. She glanced a Floatzel who understood her intentions and gestured for her to just send out whoever she felt was best.

"Maybe we'll have more luck with the next one. But for now, Mawile-kun, I need your assistance!"

It had been a while since the Deceiver Pokemon last made an appearance in a training match outside. Today's Mawile had been bribed with cake before they set out on this trip so he was being cooperative. Being Floatzel's partner during the last Contest, the Sea Weasel Pokemon looked on to see how much Mawile had improved in these last few weeks. Noctowl was the perfect sparring partner.

Starting things off, Mawile would take to the skies with Magnet Rise. This was something that had already become second nature to him. It was thanks to Mirai's guidance that he had become an expert in aerial combat with the ability to compete with most naturally flying Pokemon. Without waiting for Mirai's instructions, he rushed straight at the Noctowl who was startled that he was capable of flying and was unable to react fast enough to the Deceiver Pokemon's Iron Head. It was a critical hit in addition to causing Noctowl to flinch, opening it up for a follow-up attack.

"Play Rough and then finish it with Charge Beam Mawile-kun!"

Mawile spun around in the air, landing consecutive strikes on the confused and hurt Noctowl. His movements were slowly becoming more graceful compared to his previous rougher style of melee. It wasn't just about looking good however. It was also improving the efficiency of his attacks and making him less susceptible to counters. Noctowl retaliated with Echoed Voice, but the attack would do little against Mawile's Steel typing, allowing him to tank it and not waver with his barrage of strikes. With the Owl Pokemon battered and beaten, the Deceiver Pokemon would end his assault with a powerful Charge Beam, sending super effective electricity coursing through Noctowl's body, knocking it unconscious. This was Mawile's victory.

He landed back on the ground and just like with Delphox, Floatzel approached him for a high five. However the Deceiver Pokemon snubbed it and turned his back. The Sea Weasel Pokemon proceeded to give him head pats instead, which surprised him and caused him to move away really quickly, cursing Floatzel under his breath. Mirai stifled a giggle at their antics.

"Floatzel just wants you to know that she cares. Good work Mawile-kun!"

She smiled and recalled the Deceiver Pokemon back to his ball before continuing to walk on.

When Mirai laid her eyes on their next challenger she finally felt that they had come across a Pokemon that could best showcase Floatzel's growth. It was a Smeargle and such Pokemon were typically only as strong as the one they were battling. So in a way, Floatzel would be fighting herself. Though from the nature of Smeargle's moves, the Sea Weasel Pokemon would have the initiative.

The Painter Pokemon readied his tail brush as Floatzel took position. The order of attacks they chose would determine how easy or difficult this battle would be. Unfortunately for Smeargle, Mirai was quite confident they could end this with just two moves.

"Floatzel-kun, Whirlpool!"

Conjuring a spiraling torrent of water, Floatzel manipulated the Whirlpool to slam in to Smeargle, flattening it on the ground with the impact. A same type attack backed by a level advantage was bound to deal serious damage even if it wasn't especially effective. The Painter Pokemon staggered a bit as it stood back up and as expected used Sketch to copy Floatzel's attack. Summoning a Whirlpool of similar size, it was Smeargle's turn to attack, but Mirai wasn't worried at all.

"Floatzel-kun, catch the current to speed up and attack with Aqua Jet!"

As Smeargle's Whirlpool approached, Floatzel jumped right into it, swimming and gaining speed while barely taking any damage. Her movements in the water were difficult for Smeargle to keep up with. And then when the Painter Pokemon least expected it, Floatzel sped up even further with Aqua Jet, using the whirlpool current like a slingshot and tackling the Painter Pokemon with a powerful impact. The blow knocked the wind out of it and very nearly knocked it out. Mirai would have to congratulate it for its tenacity but it was over now. Barely hanging on, Smeargle lost track of where Floatzel was, unaware that her Aqua Jet had not yet ended. Soaring through the sky and diving straight down at it, Smeargle was smashed into the ground by a second impact from Aqua Jet, this time falling unconscious for real.

"You're as sharp as ever Floatzel-kun. I'll be continuing to rely on you in the future."

Floatzel smiled and the duo started heading back as the day was almost over.