"Bulbasaur!!"
Kenji rushed forward, taking three steps in two, and ran to Bulbasaur's side.
Natsuhiko also jumped up from the ground and jogged over to where Weedle and Bulbasaur were playfully frolicking.
Bulbasaur lay on the ground with its eyes closed, while Weedle looked bewildered, staring blankly at Bulbasaur on the ground, not knowing what to do.
"What happened?" Natsuhiko asked sternly.
"Ugh... ugh..." Seeing Natsuhiko seemed to finally give Weedle a sense of stability, it wiggled its body to try to explain, but couldn't express itself clearly no matter how hard it tried.
"Bulba... bulba..."
Bulbasaur opened its eyes. Once the initial pain subsided, it recovered quickly. After all, it's a Pokémon and isn't easily injured, possessing great resilience.
Seeing Bulbasaur quickly recover, both Kenji and Natsuhiko breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened earlier?"
Weedle and Bulbasaur exchanged glances, but the incident didn't cause any rift between the two Pokémon.
"Bulba!"
"Ugh!"
Then the two Pokémon began reenacting what had just happened for Natsuhiko and Kenji.
Earlier.
When Weedle and Bulbasaur were playing together, Bulbasaur wanted to demonstrate the strength of its Vine Whip to Weedle, so it pulled out its Vine Whip and bit on it.
No movement at all.
Weedle was also very curious about Bulbasaur's ability to produce Vine Whips from its body.
So it wanted to try biting it too.
To this, Bulbasaur did not mind at all. After all, it had great confidence in the strength of its Vine Whip.
But who knew that when Weedle bit Bulbasaur's Vine Whip, it suddenly recalled the scene from Natsuhiko's training when it bit tree trunks, and a magical energy within was suddenly triggered.
It could have been the result of accumulated training, or perhaps because it had consumed an Energy Block today, somehow triggering its potential.
Suddenly, it comprehended the Insect-type Technique, Insect Bite.
The results were predictable.
Bulbasaur's Vine Whip suffered significant damage in Weedle's mouth.
After watching the display by the two Pokémon and seeing the luminous green glow from Weedle's open mouth, both Natsuhiko and Kenji were stunned.
In the game, Insect Bite is a technique learned by Weedle at level 9, but Weedle usually evolves into Kakuna at level 7. Only by preventing Weedle's evolution can it learn the technique. Or in the game, it can only be learned through the Move Tutor.
But that's in the game; in the real world, there's clearly no concept of learning skills automatically through leveling up, nor is there such a thing as a Move Tutor. Learning techniques depends on Pokémon encountering specific opportunities or by continuous targeted training, mastering the skill through practice.
Weedle had been in training under Natsuhiko's guidance for some time, but in his estimation, even with the help of Energy Blocks, it would take at least a week or longer to learn. Yet unexpectedly, it suddenly comprehended it while playing with Bulbasaur.
This indicates that although Natsuhiko's Weedle may appear ordinary in many ways, its comprehension is relatively outstanding.
Of course, the early training and Natsuhiko's repeated guidance played a crucial role.
But undeniably, Weedle may indeed have a natural gift in this aspect.
"Ugh..." Weedle looked at Natsuhiko with confusion, still not quite understanding the situation, and it even felt a bit guilty for hurting Bulbasaur.
It wasn't until Natsuhiko picked it up that it finally snapped back to reality.
"Is this what the books refer to as Pokémon comprehending a technique?" Kenji murmured.
He wasn't angry, as it's quite normal for Pokémon to accidentally overdo it a bit while playing, and Bulbasaur only felt a momentary pain and wasn't actually hurt.
However, seeing Weedle comprehend a technique while playing was somewhat beyond his understanding.
Just moments ago, he had seen Natsuhiko training Weedle on the Insect Bite technique.
How could it suddenly comprehend it?
"Don't worry, you've learned a new technique, which means our training has been effective and your hard work has paid off." Natsuhiko said, soothingly patting Weedle's back.
This not only rewarded Weedle's efforts, but also validated Natsuhiko's training methods.
It boosted his confidence to continue training and developing Weedle using his approach.
"Ugh!"
Weedle's small eyes sparkled.
So this is what it feels like to comprehend a technique. It's amazing and enchanting.
Overall, it felt quite good.
"Alright, go apologize to Bulbasaur. Later, we'll have a special training session for the Insect Bite technique to help you use it more flexibly in battles." Natsuhiko put Weedle back down.
This comprehension further solidified his confidence.
There's no such thing as a useless Pokémon, only a useless Trainer. If Weedle can maintain this state of comprehension, it might not be too apparent in the Weedle stage, but once it evolves into Beedrill, he is confident in grooming it into a formidable battle finisher.
"Ugh ugh!!" Weedle obediently nodded, crawled over to Bulbasaur, and apologized sweetly.
And clearly, Bulbasaur wasn't a petty Pokémon and showed understanding.
Seeing the two Pokémon happily playing again, Natsuhiko smiled.
This comprehension held significant importance for him.
Finally, Kenji snapped out of it, looking at Weedle playing with Bulbasaur, then at the now more confident Natsuhiko.
"Is this what it means to be a Trainer..."
He truly admired Natsuhiko this time.
Witnessing Pokémon technique comprehension for the first time, it felt very different from what was simply glossed over in books.
Choosing a Weedle, a Pokémon often underestimated by Trainers, as the Initial Pokémon and training it so effectively, was completely different from those Trainers who started with powerful Pokémon and ample resources.
"Was there something you wanted to say earlier?" Natsuhiko asked.
They had been interrupted by Bulbasaur's cry of pain earlier.
Hearing his question, Kenji suddenly responded, his expression slightly complex, and said: "Next week, our school is organizing an adventure to Dense Wood Forest outside of Goldenrod City. For safety reasons, the school allows us to invite a Trainer to accompany us, so I..."
"You want to invite me?" Natsuhiko's eyes flickered.
The club indeed offered this service, but the price for external training companions was higher.
"Yes." Kenji nodded.
He had hesitated before, but seeing Weedle comprehend the Insect Bite technique, his hesitation vanished.
"Why not invite a stronger Trainer? Isn't that safer?" Natsuhiko was well aware of his own limitations.
"The school rule is that to help us better understand and engage with the wild environment and wild Pokémon battles, we can't invite trainers too strong or with more than two Pokémon." Kenji explained.
He then added: "Don't worry, the wild Pokémon in Dense Wood Forest aren't strong, and the school will do a final sweep of the area before our activity begins. The goal is for us second-year students just getting into Pokémon to better understand them, and a battle may not even occur."
So it's essentially free money?
Plus, there's an entire week left.
Natsuhiko considered it. Whether from a financial perspective or from the angle of training Weedle, he had no reason to refuse.
"Sure, I agree to it."
What he needed most right now was money.
He had just spent all his advanced salary today and realized the supporting role Energy Blocks played for Weedle; he needed more money.
This external task was a faster way to earn.
"Then I'll come find you when the time comes." Kenji said, a bit excited.
For students like them, there was nothing more enjoyable and exciting than the prospect of an outdoor adventure.
"Alright."