Except for the brief moments of travel that can be considered relaxing and enjoyable, most trainers and Pokémon spend their time in rigorous training and intense battles.
Tetsuya and the other trainers exchanged knowing smiles—no words were needed.
"Ding~" Tetsuya's watch beeped, startling him.
This couldn't have been Nurse Joy signaling him—he had only just sat down. Then who could be messaging him?
Curious, he opened his watch and began reading the message that had popped up.
After a moment, he nodded in understanding. The message was from Professor Rowan. It was a long text, but in short, he was requesting that Tetsuya temporarily teach younger students at an aristocratic school near Cerulean City as a trainer.
Tetsuya had also inquired about his lack of an official breeder's certification, but Professor Rowan had waved it off. Under his endorsement, no such certification was necessary.
During their week of discussions aboard the ship, Professor Rowan had grown to admire Tetsuya's abilities and dedication to learning. When he later spoke with Professor Oak, he strongly recommended Tetsuya for the position.
Professor Oak, already well aware of Rowan's judgment, looked over Tetsuya's background and readily agreed.
Tetsuya wasn't aware of the exact details, but he knew Professor Rowan had gone out of his way to create this opportunity for him. Otherwise, with Professor Oak's influence, if he had publicly requested a breeder for the position, dozens—if not hundreds—of qualified individuals would have volunteered immediately.
After sincerely thanking Professor Rowan, Tetsuya realized he was about to become even busier.
He needed to come up with a well-structured teaching plan for the students. As for compensation? That was likely nonexistent. After all, who would charge for teaching children? They were the future of the Pokémon League. Was he the type to demand payment for that?
Tetsuya spent some time chatting with trainers from different regions, such as Sinnoh and Hoenn, exchanging stories of their travels and broadening their perspectives.
Each region had its own unique customs, which explained why so many trainers were obsessed with exploring the world. Some things could only be understood by experiencing them firsthand.
For instance, Tetsuya knew that Sinnoh was divided in two by Mt. Coronet and that Gastrodon had different forms depending on whether they lived east or west of the mountain—the eastern ones were blue, and the western ones were pink.
But he had never personally seen this regional difference.
A trainer from Sinnoh excitedly showed off his Pokémon—four different forms of Shellos and Gastrodon.
He explained, "I don't have a special preference for other Pokémon—I just love these guys."
Watching the bond between the trainer and his Pokémon, the mutual trust and affection in their eyes, Tetsuya couldn't help but marvel at the incredible relationships made possible by Pokémon.
Meanwhile, the trainer from Hoenn shared footage of his homeland's breathtaking Dive Islands, a place where land and sea intertwined in spectacular formations. Watching the videos, Tetsuya was left in awe of nature's magnificence.
As time passed, one by one, the trainers left with their recovered Pokémon, until finally, it was Tetsuya's turn.
After saying his goodbyes, he returned to his room with his Pokémon. Evening feeding followed as usual, and as his Pokémon rested, he continued studying.
For most trainers, life was a lonely pursuit—one filled with training, battle, and occasional camaraderie. Few had true teammates they could trust implicitly, like those who specialized in doubles battles.
The light in Tetsuya's room remained on deep into the night, giving the illusion it had never been turned off.
"Combusken, use Fire Punch on its torso!"
"Combusken!"
With a determined cry, Combusken's flaming fist landed hard, causing its opponent to wail in pain.
But Scyther, the warrior of the bug type, was not one to surrender easily. Its willpower was ironclad—it refused to fall, despite the burning agony.
Gritting its mandibles, it launched a flurry of attacks.
It didn't understand why this strange-looking Pokémon, one it had never seen in the forest before, was so agile—dodging every one of its proudest combos with ease.
After multiple failed attempts, its battle-hardened instincts told it one thing: this fight would end badly for it.
Yet its pride wouldn't let it stop. Again and again, it lunged, unleashing Quick Attack, Double Team, Aerial Ace, and Slash.
Its slashes were sharp, precise—an attack most Pokémon couldn't react to in time. But they barely grazed Combusken. Its opponent's speed was only increasing, making every vital strike miss by mere inches.
Combusken, remaining calm, met Scyther's attacks with Thunder Punch and Fire Punch, countering blow for blow. Then, in a flash, two perfectly timed punches struck Scyther simultaneously.
The battle-worn Scyther crumpled, its body unable to withstand the powerful assault. Even so, it stubbornly refused to fall completely, struggling to remain upright despite its injuries.
Tetsuya sighed, shaking his head—not in disappointment, but in admiration.
It wasn't that Combusken had mercilessly beaten Scyther down. Battles between Pokémon followed an unspoken code. Scyther had simply reached its limit. In this world, very few trainers allowed their Pokémon to fight to the death.
In the wild, however, things were different. Life-or-death struggles were part of nature's design, and no human would dare interfere with that balance.
What Tetsuya regretted was the sheer potential of this Scyther.
Judging from its battle prowess and solitary nature, it had likely been exiled from its swarm after losing a leadership contest—much like an old wolf cast out from its pack.
Years of experience had refined its mastery of combat. Its technique was nearly flawless, and its adaptability far surpassed most Pokémon.
Several times during the battle, Tetsuya had noticed that Scyther had the upper hand. It had the perfect counters, the right timing—but its body couldn't keep up. Age and wear had slowed it down.
Combusken had only won because of its Speed Boost ability, which allowed it to gain an advantage over time. Even so, Scyther's precision had forced Combusken into unnecessary mistakes throughout the battle.
After a moment of thought, Tetsuya gently moved Scyther to the side, contemplating his next move.
After simply spraying some medicine on Scyther, Tetsuya told Combusken to keep an eye on it.
Tetsuya asked Pidgeot and Golem to remain on guard and then began preparing lunch.
There wasn't much more he could do—he wasn't some miracle worker. Treating a Pokémon's wounds in the wild with basic medicine was already a decent effort. Most wild Pokémon that lost their ability to fight wouldn't survive in the wild, so in a way, he was doing Scyther a kindness.
This was exactly why he had always wanted a Pokémon that could use full recovery moves like Heal Pulse or Grassy Terrain. He didn't even care if it wasn't particularly strong—having one with decent potential would be enough.
Survival in the wild required endurance. If a Pokémon couldn't sustain itself long enough, it could be a serious liability, and worse, it could put them all in danger.
For instance, right now, Tetsuya had to return to town nearly every day just to restore the energy of his three Pokémon. That constant back-and-forth drastically reduced his efficiency.
Unfortunately, full recovery moves were rare and difficult to learn. On top of that, only a handful of Pokémon could even attempt to master them. Finding and training one with decent potential was a massive challenge.
Otherwise, the Joy family wouldn't have monopolized the market for so long. It was rumored that they had a secret method for helping Pokémon like Chansey quickly learn healing techniques such as Heal Pulse, Life Dew, and Healing Wish, but no one had ever been able to confirm it.
As he prepared lunch, Tetsuya mulled over the problem of adding a healer to his team.
Strangely enough, most Pokémon capable of learning Life Dew were either Psychic-types or specialized species like Alomomola and Chansey.
Among Water-types, only Corsola, Milotic, and Lapras could use the move.
Unfortunately, getting any of those Pokémon was nearly impossible for Tetsuya.
Corsola was out of the question. Other than the advantage of possibly learning Life Dew, it had too many disadvantages. Finding a Corsola that could even use the move was like dreaming of winning the lottery.
Milotic was a strong candidate, but while Tetsuya knew Feebas evolved via beauty or with a Prism Scale, the former method was still somewhat vague to him. The latter, meanwhile, was practically monopolized by the Sootopolis Gym, which had hoarded a large supply of Prism Scales. Many trainers speculated about why the gym needed such an abundance of what seemed to be useless, decorative scales. Some had even started collecting and hoarding them, convinced they had a hidden purpose.
Tetsuya knew the truth, of course, but he couldn't say anything. Even if he did, it wouldn't help him get his hands on one.
Lapras, on the other hand, was ideal in every sense—powerful, well-rounded, and versatile. Its gentle nature also made it the preferred Pokémon for ocean travel, at least according to countless trainer forums.
Unfortunately, due to illegal overhunting, Lapras had become critically endangered. The Pokémon League had placed strict regulations on their capture, and breeding one was outright forbidden.
In the Alola region, the protection laws were even harsher, and no one knew how the situation would unfold in the future.
Tetsuya sighed. In the end, Grass-types were his best option, which was why he'd been considering Pokémon that could learn Grassy Terrain.
In Kanto and the surrounding areas, there were several possible candidates—Bulbasaur, Tropius, Jumpluff, Grovyle, Seedot, and even Pokémon like Paras, Chikorita, and Tangela could potentially learn the move.
Compared to other full-recovery moves that only a handful of Pokémon could use, Grassy Terrain offered the most variety.
After feeding Pidgeot and Golem, Tetsuya grabbed Combusken's lunch, along with a spare bowl of Pokémon food and a few energy cubes, then turned to Scyther.
"If you're awake, you should eat something too."
Scyther slowly opened its eyes, studying the human in front of it. He didn't seem particularly hostile.
Combusken took the food bowl from Tetsuya and naturally handed one of them to Scyther.
Of course, it had already sensed that Scyther was awake. So had its trainer. But since the Pokémon hadn't moved, there was no reason to call it out.
Combusken had also developed a deep respect for the older warrior before it.
In terms of raw power, it might have been stronger, but when it came to battle technique, experience, and execution, Scyther had completely outclassed it.
After hesitating for a moment, Scyther accepted the food from Combusken.
It wasn't because of the scent—Scyther had lived a long life, eating countless kinds of berries and foods. That wasn't what made it take the offering.
Rather, it knew it wouldn't be able to leave so easily. Pidgeot and Golem were watching it closely, and Combusken, while appearing relaxed, was still keeping an eye on it.
So why not see what this human wanted? A free meal wouldn't hurt.
Scyther placed the food bowl on the ground, picked up an energy cube with one of its scythes, and placed it in its mouth.
The taste was familiar. It reminded Scyther of the spoils it had taken from a trainer it had once defeated. It had savored those treats over time, but it had never come across them again, no matter how many more trainers it had hunted.
Tetsuya, keeping a safe distance, spoke up while eating his own lunch.
"Scyther, are you interested in teaching my Combusken some of your fighting techniques?"
When dealing with Pokémon, it was best to be direct. No need for pleasantries or roundabout negotiations. That was one of the things he loved about them.
Scyther tilted its head in confusion.
"Combusken, that's you, right?"
"Combusken!"
The Fire-type gave a short cry, acknowledging its name.
Scyther nodded in understanding. So, this creature was called Combusken. But… what even was a 'chicken'?
The unfamiliar word briefly puzzled Scyther, but it didn't let it distract from the meal.
"You're agreeing? Great!" Tetsuya grinned, surprised by how quickly Scyther accepted his offer. He hadn't even needed to convince it.
"Well, I'll come here every other day when the sun passes over the treetops. You can train Combusken, and I'll provide meals during that time, as well as when the sun sets."
Scyther had been about to protest—when had it agreed to this? This human was making decisions on its behalf! It wasn't afraid of the three Pokémon watching it, and it certainly wasn't going to follow orders so easily—
But then it heard Tetsuya's next words.
Its stance immediately shifted.