"Hayato, do you have another new idea?" Minato Namikaze touched his increasingly empty pocket and asked with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
The excitement stemmed from the fact that Hayato's ideas were always very useful, effectively improving their strength.
The apprehension was because his wallet couldn't afford it.
Hayato belonged to the Uchiha Clan; his parents had left him a considerable inheritance. He, on the other hand, was merely a civilian orphan discovered to have Ninja talent, living solely on the Village's subsidies, and possessed far less wealth than Hayato.
After becoming partners with Pikachu, his already modest family finances became even more strained. Fortunately, he only had one Pokémon for now; if he had more Pokémon, he would have to consider survival issues.
"Pika (≧▽≦)" The Pikachu in his arms made a cute Growl while eating its snack. Minato was touched by it, yet silently shed tears in his heart.
Uchiha Hayato didn't answer. Instead, he found it amusing to watch Kushina, who was tightly clutching the Pokémon egg in her arms like a mother hen incubating an egg.
"Kushina, it will hatch when the time comes. You don't need to be so nervous and stare at it every moment."
Kushina shot him a look of feigned displeasure: "That won't do. This is the Pokémon you gave me. I must witness its birth with my own eyes."
Uchiha Hayato was speechless. That's not a reason to hold it all day long, he thought.
"Alright, Kushina, I have a question for you: How do Ninja fight?"
Kushina sat cross-legged on the ground. This was a simple question, but Uchiha Hayato's sudden inquiry still made her brain freeze for a moment.
"Don't Ninja just fight using Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu?"
Uchiha Hayato nodded.
"Not only that, Ninja must also learn to control the enemy's intelligence while hiding their own information to gain an advantage. If you know all of an enemy's intelligence, then their fate is sealed."
The renowned T0 Ninja, Jiraiya, came to be known this way.
"Minato, what I'm about to say is related to how we Ninja fight. The enemy doesn't know our intelligence. At the same time, we also have Pokémon, these mysterious creatures from another world. Doesn't that mean the enemy knows even less about us?"
"Indeed, intelligence is to our advantage." Minato clapped his hands, agreeing with Hayato's point.
"But, have you understood your Pokémon? How much of a bond do you share?" Uchiha Hayato asked.
Since he hadn't yet drawn a Pokédex, Minato and the others' understanding of Pokémon was still very superficial. Only when he obtained the Pokédex in the future would their Pokémon training truly get on track.
Minato Namikaze looked at Pikachu and shook his head. So far, he only knew that Pikachu could unleash various levels of Thunder Shock attacks and sometimes moved very fast; he knew nothing else.
[Name: Pikachu]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Static (Chance to paralyze enemies when attacked at close range)]
[Type: Electric]
[Held Item: Light Ball]
[Skills: Nuzzle, Nasty Plot, Charm, Sweet Kiss, Friendship, Tail Whip, Growl, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Electro Ball, Thunderbolt, Volt Tackle, Double Team]
Uchiha Hayato looked at Pikachu's panel. After these days of growth, Pikachu had automatically learned a new skill: Double Team.
Uchiha Hayato smiled. Next up was the skill demonstration segment.
"Pikachu, show us all the skills you know, one by one."
Pikachu looked back at Minato Namikaze, and seeing him nod, it stood proudly in the center of the training ground.
"Pikachu, use Double Team!"
"Pika, Pikapika Pikapika..."
In an instant, six Pikachu appeared in the field. Each Pikachu's figure seemed both real and illusory, making it impossible to distinguish the genuine one from the fakes.
"Is this the Shadow Clone Technique?"
Even the usually calm Minato was a little startled. Pokémon shouldn't be using Ninjutsu.
"This is Double Team, a skill that confuses enemies through Agility. It's not a true clone," Uchiha Hayato explained. "The number of clones depends entirely on how fast Pikachu is."
Minato Namikaze's mind settled slightly. Even so, it was still quite remarkable.
"Alright, Pikachu, next move, use Quick Attack on the wooden stake."
"Pika!"
Minato's excellent dynamic vision caught Pikachu's shadow. It crashed into the wooden stake at an extremely high speed, sending broken wood flying rapidly.
"Body Flicker Technique..." Minato Namikaze was shocked. Even he couldn't do that yet, but Pikachu's speed was already faster than his.
"Next is Charm. This is a Genjutsu-like skill that can paralyze enemies."
Since there was no target to demonstrate on, Minato only felt that Pikachu was cuter than before, with no other sensations.
"Thunder Shock."
"Growl."
...
"Thunderbolt."
The forest was now completely devastated, looking nothing like it did before.
Minato was utterly numb. He could accept Hayato being stronger than him, but could he not even surpass Pikachu? No, this simply wouldn't do!
Uchiha Hayato nodded slightly. He wanted to ignite Minato's competitive spirit and accelerate his growth.
"Next is Pikachu's ultimate move, Volt Tackle." Uchiha Hayato stroked the Pikachu, which was already covered in dust. "You've worked hard, Pikachu. Rest after you use this move."
Pikachu nodded its small head and began to gather electricity around its body.
Dazzling yellow light rose around Pikachu. Pikachu began to charge, and currents erupted from its cheeks, crackling. The air was filled with a scorching electrical smell.
It suddenly crouched down, pushed off with its legs, and dashed towards the big tree at high speed, leaving scorch marks on the ground with every step. Its movements became faster and faster until it turned into an afterimage.
"Pikapika Pikapika—chu!"
With a violent 'crunch,' several towering trees crashed to the ground, their thick trunks falling and making the surrounding leaves rustle.
"Pika (｡ŏ﹏ŏ)"
The little yellow mouse emerged from the branches, looking a bit listless. After using this move, it would also take considerable damage itself.
"You did great, Pikachu." Uchiha Hayato praised it, pulling out a bottle of Lemonade and handing it to Pikachu.
"Pikachu (ヾﾉ≧∀≦)o" The electric mouse licked the Lemonade and let out a cute Growl.
"This is Pikachu's current ability. How is it? Not bad, right?"
Minato Namikaze just kept nodding. He knew he had to redouble his efforts.
"From now on, send people to specifically plant trees in the forest."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene in the crystal ball and ordered the Anbu. His heart was burning with excitement; the power of natural energy was far from just this!