"The Mankey is unable to battle. Weedle wins."
"The victor is Yoshino Eichi."
The match ended quickly. It was a total sweep.
Everyone around was shocked.
Since when was a Weedle this strong?
How could there be such a huge gap between people?
Look at other people's Weedle, then look at Eichi's. The difference was too big.
Aki rushed over when Mankey collapsed, holding it up. "Mankey, are you okay? You're not hurt, right?"
Mankey cried weakly, its face turning purple. It was poisoned.
Eichi also ran over. He checked Mankey's condition, then crouched down and pulled out an Antidote and a Potion from his bag. He carefully sprayed the wounds.
He turned to Aki, who looked worried. "It's fine, just a small injury."
Aki let out a sigh of relief. After a short while, Mankey recovered and bounced back to life.
Seeing it fine, Aki said to Eichi, "Your Weedle is really strong. My Mankey couldn't beat it. During the battle, I got too nervous. When Mankey was hurt, I panicked. I even forgot to give commands. You're way better than me."
Eichi smiled. "Not at all."
The battle ended, and the crowd dispersed. But Eichi's Weedle was now completely famous.
On his way past the school, a man in his twenties blocked Eichi's path. He wore black clothes and golden-rimmed glasses, looking very sharp.
Eichi's eyes lit up. "Teacher Arno, you haven't left yet?"
Teacher Arno smiled. "I wanted to see you. Let's talk as we walk."
"Okay."
They walked together.
"Eichi, tell me honestly. Do you want to become a Trainer?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how hard it is to become a Trainer? With your family background, it won't be easy. Even if you succeed, continuing down this path will be even harder."
"I know. But I'll work hard. I believe my effort will pay off. Because this is my dream."
Eichi's voice was steady, full of determination.
Teacher Arno looked at him and saw his younger self reflected in that expression. He steadied his feelings before speaking again.
"In two months, the graduation exams will begin. Have you decided which school you'll apply to?"
"Not yet. I'm still thinking," Eichi shook his head.
"There isn't much time left. Some Advanced schools are already preparing entrance exams. They'll start in a month. If you miss them, you'll lose this opportunity."
"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Arno."
"Hey, no need to be polite with me."
They chatted until they reached Eichi's home. Since Teacher Arno also lived in Viridian Town, they split ways there.
Teacher Arno was Eichi's favorite teacher. Not only was he knowledgeable about many things other teachers didn't know, but he also cared deeply for Eichi.
Most of the books Eichi read were borrowed from him. Other teachers didn't even have them.
It was said that when Teacher Arno was young, his dream was also to become a Pokémon Trainer. Later, he went off to study. He was gone for years with no word, until one day he suddenly returned and became a teacher at Viridian Primary School.
Teacher Arno must have a story of his own.
***
One day, in a small grove, Eichi was training Weedle.
For stamina, Weedle no longer just had to run laps. It now had to finish them within a set time. These days, Eichi was timing its runs to build endurance.
Then came climbing. Weedle had to climb trees as fast as possible, from bottom to top, to build explosive strength.
Next was defense. To toughen Weedle's body, Eichi had it ram trees.
The first day left Weedle covered in injuries.
Eichi took it to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City for treatment, and Nurse Joy gave him a scolding. She even thought he was abusing his Pokémon.
Luckily, they were only surface wounds. Treatment healed them quickly.
During that trip, Eichi also registered as an official Pokémon Trainer. Now, he too was recognized as one.
The tree-ramming training worked well. Weedle's body grew sturdy.
Eichi always timed its drills. If Weedle failed, it would be punished. If it passed, it would be rewarded.
Since he began raising Weedle, Eichi had also been trying to cook nutritious meals for it. As someone who was raised in a nation of rich cuisine in his past life, he couldn't embarrass himself.
Thankfully, he had a talent for cooking and managed to make several tasty dishes.
Weedle loved them, so Eichi used food as motivation for training.
Emmmm… it worked pretty well.
Next came move training. Eichi had a feeling.
Today, Weedle might reach Mastery with its moves.
They began with String Shot. Eichi changed the plan. Instead of tossing one marble at a time, he threw several at once.
Weedle had to wrap them all in silk before they hit the ground.
Yesterday, its best record was three marbles at once.
Today, Eichi tried four.
When the marbles left his hand, Weedle shot silk.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. All four were caught.
Next, Eichi added one more. Five marbles.
Weedle tried, but only wrapped three.
Eichi said nothing. He tried again.
This time four. Then three. Then four again.
At last, Weedle was exhausted.
Eichi let it rest and gave it a bottle of Moomoo Milk.
"Rest a bit, then give it your all. I believe in you."
Weedle chirped in reply.
Ten minutes later, they tried again.
Eichi tossed five marbles.
Weedle spat silk.
Only four were caught. Still not enough.
Eichi shouted, "Weedle, you can do it!"
He threw five again. This time, Weedle focused hard, locking on each one.
It used all its strength.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
All five were caught.
Weedle felt its body changing somehow, though it couldn't explain how.
Eichi raised his thumb high. "Awesome!"
He let Weedle rest, then practiced Poison Sting and Bug Bite.
After the breakthrough with String Shot, the other two also improved quickly.
Now Weedle had reached Mastery in all three moves.
That was probably its current limit. Tomorrow, Eichi planned to battle others to see how much it had grown.
It would also build experience. With that, Weedle should be ready to evolve.
It had been a while since he last met the Bug Catchers. Tomorrow he would find them and challenge them to battles.
That way, he could also see how much they had improved.