"Masamune, go and see if Scizor has passed the halfway mark," Muramasa said to Masamune.
Masamune nodded and flew out. Its sensory capabilities were far beyond Scizor's; it could even store Scizor's energy signature in its mind. Whenever it needed to find Scizor, it simply released that signature to locate it in the shortest time possible.
After pinpointing Scizor's approximate location, Masamune flew there immediately. Upon arrival, it was surprised to see Scizor smashed into the dirt.
How ruthless. Looking at the surrounding Scizor and Scizor's expression of utter despair, Masamune checked its injuries. Fortunately, they were mostly minor. Masamune signaled Scizor to get up and prepare for the next attempt. Scizor finally crawled out of the pit and returned to Eichi's side, while the surrounding Scizor dispersed on their own.
When Masamune returned to Muramasa and nodded, Muramasa said with surprise, "That's quite impressive. To reach the Scizor zone so quickly."
At that moment, a Scizor flew out of the Leader's nest in the giant tree and entered the forest. If Scizor were here, it would recognize this as the same one that had previously restrained it. If Eichi were here, he would notice that this was the only Experienced rank Scizor in the entire tribe.
Muramasa watched the Scizor fly off and remarked with interest, "Your nephew is out to play again."
Indeed, that Scizor was the child of the Scizor Leader. It had been away when Eichi arrived in the morning, so Eichi hadn't seen it. It only returned once the trials were underway, making it the only Scizor Eichi had missed.
Back with Eichi, although Scizor returned with injuries, it wasn't as agitated as it had been in the morning. Instead, it sat on the ground to rest. Eichi nodded inwardly, walked over, and used his Bug Force to heal it.
Soon, the second attempt of the afternoon began. Scizor shot out again, using the same strategy of flying low and using the weeds for cover. It knew Scyther would be lying in ambush in the grass, but Scizor had made progress. It use Double Team, splitting into over a dozen clones that flew in different directions.
The ambushing Scyther was stunned. However, it let out a long cry to attract others and then picked a clone at random to chase. Seeing that this trick worked, Scizor felt as if a new world of possibilities had opened up. Whenever a group of Scyther blocked its path, it would use Double Team.
The Scyther, unable to tell which was the real body, had to split up and chase individual clones. Even if a lucky Scyther chased the real one, it didn't matter because they weren't as fast as Scizor. Consequently, Scizor easily cleared the first half of the distance and reached the second half again.
Scizor became extremely cautious. Sure enough, it wasn't long before it was caught by the resident Scizor. Scizor tried to use Double Team again, sending clones flying in all directions, but the tactic failed here. The local Scizor were incredibly fast—some even faster than it. They didn't bother chasing; they simply use Bullet Punch to strike the clones, causing them to vanish instantly.
Before Scizor could fly much further, several pursuers caught up. Its luck was poor; one Scizor reached it and used Bullet Punch with terrifying speed. Scizor had no choice but to block with its pincers, using the recoil to knock itself backward a significant distance. Just as its plan seemed to be succeeding and it prepared to flee, another Scizor lunged out.
Scizor happened to retreat right in front of it. Sensing trouble, Scizor tried to turn and strike, but the opponent was faster. Unlike the others, this Scizor didn't attack. It took Scizor's Bullet Punch head-on and then wrapped its pincers around Scizor's body, tightly locking its neck. It also wrapped its legs around Scizor's torso. Scizor instantly recognized it as the one from the morning.
Scizor was immobilized again. The two fell to the ground. Scizor struggled desperately to break free, but the other Scizor refused to let go. Scizor was speechless. Who even are you? Why are you so different? Other Scyther and Scizor block me with attacks, but you... you insist on this full-body bind. Do you have no Scizor pride left?
The other Scizor said nothing, simply surrounding them as they had before.
After the second failure of the afternoon, Scizor returned to the start and complained to Eichi about the "evil deeds" of that particular Scizor. Hearing this, Eichi was curious. According to Scizor, that opponent wasn't very strong—roughly equivalent to Scizor before its breakthrough. This meant it was an Experienced rank Scizor, but why hadn't he seen it in the morning?
Eichi found the situation interesting. The other Scizor were unwilling to do such a thing, yet this one was dedicated to it. He soon put the thought aside as Scizor began its third attempt.
Scizor used its Double Team tactic to shake off the Scyther and reached the Scizor zone once more. To its dismay, it encountered that same Scizor again. It seemed to be waiting specifically for Scizor. And then... there was no "and then." Several Scizor attacked while that specific one caught it off guard and restrained it again.
Scizor failed yet again. Fortunately, it adjusted its mindset quickly for another try. This time, it was determined. If it met that Scizor again, it would make sure that Scizor lost its ability to fight, even if it meant failing the trial. The sentiment was: The team fight can be lost, but you must die. That Scizor was simply too annoying.
The fourth attempt began. As expected, Scizor met that opponent in the second half. Scizor didn't run or worry about the other Scizor; it focused entirely on its nemesis. It had named it "Cai Kun"—because it was "Cai" (weak) and loved to "Kun" (bind).
Scizor opened with Double Team, instantly closed the distance, and landed a Bullet Punch, followed by a series of Fury Cutter strikes.