The next morning, Eichi woke up early, packed his belongings, and cleaned his room. He waited for the wake-up bell to chime before heading downstairs, where everyone else was already awake.
An hour later, everyone gathered at the dojo entrance to see Eichi off.
"I'm leaving now, everyone. No need to see me out further, please go back inside," Eichi said, looking at the group. "Goodbye, everyone."
"Goodbye!" Azuma and the others replied.
With that, Eichi walked away without looking back. His silhouette gradually vanished from their sight.
After Eichi left, Takuya said with a hint of sadness, "I don't know why, but I feel so reluctant to let him go. I really wish we had a junior disciple like him."
Azuma and the others remained silent. None of them wanted to speak; they were all feeling the same reluctance to part with Eichi.
After walking for a while, Eichi suddenly heard a sound from beside him. He turned and saw that Scizor had returned. It hadn't come back all night and only just reappeared, nodding to Eichi upon its arrival.
Eichi released Beedrill and Heracross from their Poké Balls. "Come out, everyone," Eichi said.
Now that everything was over and it had been more than a month since he left school, Eichi suddenly missed Tetsu and the others.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed since Eichi left the dojo. Along the way, he encountered many trainers on their own journeys. Generally, Eichi wouldn't initiate challenges; he would first observe their Pokémon, and if their strength seemed decent, he would step forward to challenge them.
Naturally, he won every match. This attracted the attention of others who wanted to challenge him, but Eichi turned them down if he saw their levels were too low. However, some people insisted on battling, so he agreed and left them with a lasting impression.
Eichi thought defeating them would be the end of it, but one person still followed him. The two were now traveling together. The boy beside Eichi was named Yuki Shimura, though he asked Eichi to call him Yuki. He was one year older than Eichi, twelve years old this year.
He was currently traveling through Johto with the goal of participating in the Johto League. Since Yuki's next destination was Violet City, they were traveling together for this leg of the journey.
The reason Eichi agreed to travel with Yuki was entirely because Yuki was a commoner trainer. Eichi had seen his Pokémon, and they were all common species: Raticate, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto. All three were Experienced rank, but their talent wasn't great, only reaching the Good grade.
Eichi felt that Yuki was a bit like his former self, so he wanted to help him. During their time together, Eichi would offer guidance whenever they had a break. Yuki seized this opportunity, never letting his pride as the older boy stop him from asking questions.
Time passed quickly, and they soon reached Violet City, where Eichi bid Yuki farewell. He hoped Yuki would achieve a good ranking in this year's Johto League.
After parting ways with Yuki, Eichi went to the train station to buy a ticket for the following day and then booked a room at the Pokémon Center.
That night, in Cherrygrove City, within the underground base near the Lake of Rage, a roar echoed out. However, the roar vanished quickly. In one of the rooms, a man in a black uniform recalled the Pokémon in front of him into a Poké Ball.
Once it was put away, he yelled at the staff member working at a computer nearby, "What is going on? Have you still not figured out how to control the electromagnetic waves? This is the third time it has lost control!"
A staff member wearing glasses and a white uniform broke into a cold sweat, bowing and apologizing repeatedly. "Sir, we are investigating. This project is still in the research phase. Please, just give us a little more time."
The man in the black uniform waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, just hurry up and find a solution."
The man with glasses breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to his station to continue operating the computer. Meanwhile, the man in the black uniform handed the Poké Ball to an unremarkable-looking subordinate nearby. "Keep a close watch on this."
The subordinate immediately saluted. "Understood, sir!"
The man in black nodded and left the room. His subordinate placed the Poké Ball on his belt. However, he didn't notice that the Poké Ball shook slightly, and a tiny crack appeared near the release button.
Eichi rested at the Pokémon Center for a night and took the train to Cherrygrove City the next day. Upon arrival, he followed his usual routine: he got off the train to buy a ticket for Blackthorn City for the following day, then planned to head to the Cherrygrove City Pokémon Center.
As he walked toward the Pokémon Center, the streets were bustling and lively. Everything seemed peaceful. This was the most prosperous road in Cherrygrove City. Just as Eichi passed an intersection, an ordinary-looking man walked toward him. The man's appearance was so unremarkable that Eichi didn't pay him much attention.
The two brushed past each other. Eichi didn't notice, but after the man had only walked a few steps, a Poké Ball on his belt shook slightly. Cracks began to spread across the surface of the ball.
There was a loud bang.
The Poké Ball burst open, and a massive silhouette emerged.
"Roar!"
The deafening roar drew the attention of everyone nearby. The man was stunned. How did it get out? His face darkened as he realized he was in deep trouble.
A burst of white light coalesced into a towering figure on the street. Eichi, who was not far behind the man, naturally heard the roar. He turned around and saw the Pokémon.
Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon.
Type: Water / FlyingAbilities: Intimidate (Standard), Moxie (Hidden)Talent Grade: GoodTrainer Rank: EliteDescription: A massive, serpentine Pokémon covered in blue scales with a yellow underbelly. It has large, gaping jaws filled with sharp teeth and three white fins on its back. Known for its destructive nature and incredible power.
Opening his Eye of the Bug Emperor, he saw that this Gyarados had a Good talent grade and was at the Elite rank. Furthermore, its eyes were bloodshot and bulging. It looked exactly like the two Pokémon that had lost control in Blackthorn City over a month ago.
Eichi's eyes narrowed. He knew this was another Pokémon that had lost control. As soon as Gyarados emerged, it roared at the sky and began gathering energy in its mouth.
A massive jet of water blasted toward a building, instantly destroying it. Screams erupted as people began to scatter in panic. The scene descended into chaos. Seeing this, the man realized things were bad. Without a moment's hesitation, he abandoned the Gyarados and fled immediately.