Since its birth, Eichi's Beedrill had only encountered very weak Beedrill. The strongest one it had ever seen was the leader of its Beedrill swarm, which was at the Experienced rank. None of the others were stronger than itself. However, today it encountered an incredibly powerful Beedrill.
This Beedrill was so strong that it made Eichi's Beedrill feel a little afraid. Although the older Beedrill was not actively releasing its imposing presence, its sharp senses perceived this Beedrill before it like a massive source of danger.
Nonetheless, when it learned this powerful Beedrill belonged to its Trainer's elder, it relaxed and began to communicate with it.
Meanwhile, Teacher Takemoto's Beedrill was very surprised to see Eichi's Beedrill. It had never encountered this Beedrill before; it appeared very young. Furthermore, from its unique Beedrill perspective, this Beedrill was exceptionally robust. In fact, it was stronger than it had been at the same age.
The older Beedrill had become so strong only through its Trainer's meticulous care since it was a Weedle. It was the strongest of all the Beedrill in the Trainer's family, with a few others having decent strength. However, the Trainer had told it those others had reached their limits and could no longer advance. Only it had managed to break through to the Elite Four rank, reaching a new level.
Despite reaching the Elite Four rank, the Beedrill had felt unable to improve further for many years. Recently, its strength had even begun to decline.
Upon first seeing Eichi's Beedrill, it noticed a profound difference between them. This Beedrill possessed a vibrant, rising energy, giving the older Beedrill a peculiar feeling. It had a premonition that this young Beedrill might surpass it in the future.
Seeing the two Beedrill begin to communicate, Teacher Takemoto remarked with emotion, "This Beedrill has been with me for many years. Over a decade ago, there were no Beedrill that had reached the Elite Four level. I was studying Bug-type Pokémon at the time. Other types of Pokémon had Elite Four-level members, but only Pinsir, Heracross, and Scizor among the Bug-types were capable of breaking through to that rank. I refused to believe that no others could, so I spent countless resources to acquire an Outstanding-Talent Weedle.
Outstanding-Talent Weedle are extremely rare, even more so than pseudo-Legendary Pokémon. Then, I expended immeasurable resources, commissioning Senior Breeders to custom-make Pokéblocks and food, in addition to some of the basic ability-enhancing medicines we developed in our research.
Finally, it managed to break through to the Elite Four level. Since then, no matter how much I've trained it, its progress has been incredibly slow. At that point, I knew it had reached its limit, and I accepted it. The resources I spent would have been enough to raise several Elite Four-level Pokémon of other types. Moreover, Bug-type Pokémon have a very short lifespan. After all these years, it has begun to gradually age. Recently, its strength has even started to regress."
Teacher Takemoto sighed after speaking. Nevertheless, the two Beedrill were having a pleasant exchange.
Because Eichi possessed Bug Force, he could understand what his Pokémon was saying. Therefore, he knew Teacher Takemoto's Beedrill held great admiration for his own.
"I told you all of this so you could clearly understand how difficult it is to become a Bug-type Elite Four," Teacher Takemoto said. " Despite this, are you still determined to become one?"
"I've known for a long time that becoming a Bug-type Elite Four is incredibly difficult," Eichi replied seriously. "I even hesitate to talk about my goal with others. I've only told one person, and even they weren't optimistic about my chances. If I were to tell others my goal is to become a Bug-type Elite Four, they would surely mock me. Consequently, I don't often share my dream, but I still will not abandon this goal."
Seeing Eichi's firm gaze, Teacher Takemoto felt moved. After a moment of silence, he said, "Since you are unwilling to abandon your dream of becoming a Bug-type Elite Four, then I will help you."
"Really? Thank you, Teacher," Eichi exclaimed in surprise.
"I will only assist you," Teacher Takemoto clarified. "Ultimately, whether you become a Bug-type Elite Four still depends on you."
Eichi was excited and thrilled by this news. His usual mature expression had completely disappeared in this moment.
"Alright, calm yourself," Teacher Takemoto continued. "I will first break down some analysis for you. Our research has shown that every Pokémon has inherent species potential. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon like Dragonite and Tyranitar have the highest species potential, excluding Legendary Pokémon. Meanwhile, Bug-type Pokémon like Beedrill have the lowest species potential. We also found that the higher a Pokémon's species potential, the higher the average talent grade of its species is. Therefore, an Outstanding-Talent Weedle is extremely rare. I suspect your Beedrill is also of Outstanding-Talent. This goes to show how lucky you are. However, there are some Bug-type Pokémon with high species potential, and you know who they are."
Eichi nodded and said, "Pinsir, Heracross, and Scizor."
"Correct," Teacher Takemoto affirmed. "If you want to become a Bug-type Elite Four, you should ideally have those three Bug-type Pokémon. These three are only Pokémon from the Kanto and Johto regions. There are other excellent Bug-type Pokémon in other regions, and their species potential is also quite good. I have already begun researching them, including those from the Hoenn, Sinnoh, and even Unova regions. In recent years, as exchanges with other regions have deepened, the variety of Pokémon species has continued to increase. As a result, several Bug-type Pokémon with good species potential have appeared. I have a feeling that a Bug-type Elite Four might genuinely appear soon. Speaking of which, I forgot to mention that in the Sinnoh region, a genius named Aaron emerged from a family specializing in Bug-types. It is rumored that his family intends to have him aim for the Elite Four rank."
Hearing the news about Aaron from Teacher Takemoto, Eichi was very interested. He then asked, "Teacher, how old is that Aaron?"
"I'm not sure," Teacher Takemoto replied. "I heard from that Director Yanagi fellow that this Aaron is about 17 years old. I don't know much more than that. Of course, this is just what I've heard; I haven't seen it with my own eyes. However, next month I plan to take a trip to the Sinnoh region to visit that family and meet Aaron. I'm very curious to know why his family is so confident that he can become an Elite Four member."
After Teacher Takemoto finished speaking, Eichi fell into contemplation. Based on the timeline, he could deduce that Aaron would likely become a Bug-type Elite Four member within the next few years. Truthfully, Eichi wanted to meet Aaron and talk with him. However, it was too early for such plans. For now, he needed to diligently train his Pokémon.