The next morning, after waking up, Eichi glanced at his Weedle.
It seemed to have grown a little. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He got out of bed, brought over the scale, and weighed Weedle. He also measured its height.
When it first hatched, Weedle had been 0.27 meters tall and weighed 2.8 kilograms.
Now it was 0.3 meters tall and weighed 3.1 kilograms. It was growing fast.
According to the official data, Weedle's average height was 0.3 meters, and its average weight was 3.2 kilograms.
He had thought it would take two more days to reach that point, but it had already caught up.
Though puzzled, Eichi didn't dwell on it. He figured it was thanks to Weedle's natural talent and his careful feeding.
***
After school in the afternoon, he headed back to the small grove.
He put down his backpack, stretched his body, and began training with Weedle.
Now that it had grown, Weedle looked full of spirit.
When running, it immediately dashed ahead of Eichi, who followed behind at a steady pace.
After three laps, Weedle wasn't as exhausted as yesterday. It still had energy to spare.
Without hesitation, Eichi told it to run one more lap.
This time, Weedle was tired when it finished.
Eichi gave it honey water to drink and let it rest.
Once it had recovered, he started training its moves.
First was String Shot. Yesterday, Weedle had only been able to use it ten times, reaching up to five meters.
Today, it managed thirteen times, with a range of six meters.
After another rest, it moved on to Bug Bite practice.
Yesterday, it could only leave shallow tooth marks on a small stick. Today, its bite nearly tore it in half.
Finally, there was Poison Sting. Eichi told Weedle to use it against a small tree.
This time, Weedle's speed in releasing the move was clearly faster than yesterday.
The moment it heard the command, it acted without delay.
Weedle launched the attack quickly. At the spot it hit, there was now a hole about three centimeters wide, with purple liquid seeping out.
Soon, the tree's leaves withered, and the roots began to rot.
Eichi nodded at the strength of the move, making a mental note.
He had to remember to buy more Antidote. Accidentally poisoning an opponent's Pokémon in battle would be troublesome.
He recorded the data he had just gathered.
Then he had Weedle continue using Poison Sting, checking how many times it could use it.
The final count was eight, two more than yesterday.
Overall, Weedle's progress was beyond Eichi's expectations.
Clearly, his original training plan wouldn't work anymore.
He decided to double the amount of training from yesterday.
Of course, he wouldn't just stand around. He would train alongside Weedle.
In his previous life, most of his martial training had been superficial. He had never studied true combat techniques.
But he had learned kickboxing for half a year. Now it was time to pick it up again. It might come in handy someday.
Practicing martial arts had its benefits. At the very least, it trained balance, loosened stiff movements, and improved reaction speed.
The day passed quickly.
That night, as usual, Eichi prepared a nutritious and tasty meal for Weedle.
Weedle endured the hardship, yet felt joy.
After dinner, Eichi gave it another massage. Soon, like yesterday, it fell sound asleep.
***
The next day, Eichi added an accuracy drill on top of the previous training.
He took out a bag of discarded bottle caps and picked one out.
He said to Weedle, "When I throw this cap, use String Shot to knock it down."
"Wee wee."
Weedle nodded.
The first throw wasn't fast. Weedle easily shot a web that hit the cap and knocked it down.
On the second throw, Eichi clearly increased the speed, but Weedle still hit it.
Then he threw one with all his strength, and this time Weedle missed.
Eichi nodded and shouted, "Again."
He kept throwing caps at the same speed. Weedle missed several in a row.
The problem was clear: its String Shot wasn't fast enough, and Eichi's throws were too quick for its reactions.
He wrote this down. More training would be needed.
***
On the third day, Eichi repeated the same drills with Weedle.
After three days, he felt Weedle's training intensity was sufficient.
It was ready for real battle.
That night, sitting at his desk, he carefully summarized the results.
Now, Weedle's height was 0.35 meters, and its weight was 3.4 kilograms, well above average.
It could skillfully use String Shot, Bug Bite, and Poison Sting.
String Shot: up to 16 times
Bug Bite: unlimited, as long as it had stamina
Poison Sting: up to 10 times
Eichi also had it ram into trees to toughen its body and improve defense.
But raising Weedle cost money. Every day, his expenses piled up, and he had started feeding it the most expensive Pokémon food.
Now he had just over 1,000p left.
Things would only get more expensive. He needed a way to earn money.
Part-time jobs wouldn't bring in much.
The best option was to head into the Viridian Forest and gather rare berries and medicinal herbs.
And tomorrow was the perfect time for Weedle's first real battle.
***
Time slipped by, and dawn came.
Eichi got up, packed all his supplies, and set out.
He first went to a shop and bought two bottles of Antidote, spending 400p.
His thinning wallet made his head ache.
He comforted himself. Soon, money would come in.
On his way to the Viridian Forest, he ran into some of his old Bug Catcher friends.
They greeted each other warmly, then parted ways.
Taking a small, secluded path, Eichi soon encountered a wild Caterpie.
He released Weedle.
"Come out, Weedle!"
With a flash of white light, Weedle appeared.
The Caterpie blinked in confusion, not sure what Eichi was up to.
Eichi shouted, "Now, Weedle, use Bug Bite!"
Weedle shot forward and bit down hard on Caterpie.
Before Caterpie could react, it collapsed, unable to fight.
"Well done, Weedle," Eichi praised.
Weedle beamed. Winning its first battle filled it with confidence.
Eichi walked over to the fainted Caterpie and sprayed it with Potion.
As it slowly recovered, he pulled out some Pokémon food and placed it in front of it.
"Go on, eat."
Caterpie happily dug in. Though it had been beaten out of nowhere, being fed afterward made it feel content.