Eichi arrived at the classroom door while everyone was still in the middle of class. He knew that entering now might disrupt the lesson, so he specifically waited until there were only three minutes left before the bell. By then, the teacher had finished most of the lecture and felt it was a good time to wrap up.
Eichi stood at the door and called out, "Reporting!"
The moment he spoke, every gaze in the room snapped toward him. When they saw it was Eichi, looks of pure surprise and joy washed over their faces.
The excitement exploded instantly. Some students shouted at the top of their lungs, "Class Monitor, you're back! We missed you so much!"
Eichi didn't maintain his usual stoic demeanor. Instead, he looked at everyone with a warm smile.
"Come in," the teacher said with a nod.
"Thank you, teacher," Eichi replied.
He walked to his seat and sat down, pulling out his books. Tetsu immediately turned around, looking thrilled. "Eichi, you're finally back! I really, really missed you."
"I missed you too," Eichi said as he organized his desk.
Tetsu asked curiously, "Eichi, how was it staying with Mr. Muramasa?"
As Tetsu asked, other students crowded around his desk, forming a tight circle. Those who were too far away to move closer pricked up their ears to listen intently. Eichi noticed this but didn't mind. He thought for a moment before answering Tetsu.
"Mr. Muramasa is incredibly powerful. I only studied there for a month, but Scizor's strength has improved significantly. The trip was definitely worth it."
"If even you recognize him like that, then Mr. Muramasa must be truly amazing," Tetsu laughed.
"Yeah, definitely!" the others chimed in.
The teacher didn't intervene despite the noise; class was almost over anyway. He just smiled, packed his materials, and prepared for the next lesson.
Suddenly, one of the students spoke up. "Class Monitor, you don't know this, but after you left, two new students joined our grade."
This opened the floodgates for conversation. Another girl added, "You have no idea—those two are incredibly arrogant. They've been going around challenging everyone."
Someone else cut in, "Exactly! They went to every single class to provoke people and pick fights. But their strength is genuinely formidable. Did you know that up until now, neither of them has lost a single match?"
One student said indignantly, "Our class was challenged too, and we all lost. Kelly, Tetsu, and Hirota all lost to them. The worst part is that they don't just stop after winning; they humiliate us. Tetsu was humiliated by them."
They all spoke at once, giving Eichi a clear picture of the situation.
"Tetsu, is this true?" Eichi asked quickly.
Tetsu gave a bitter smile. "What if it is? It's just because my skills weren't up to par."
Anger began to brew in Eichi's heart. "They're that arrogant?"
Just as he finished speaking, a loud shout echoed from the doorway: "Is Eichi here?"
Everyone turned their heads to see several students standing at the door. Two boys led the group. One had purple hair and held his head tilted slightly back, looking down his nose at everyone with a gaze full of pride and disdain.
The other boy had a strange way of walking; he had red hair and his hands in his pockets, leaning his body slightly forward. He was decent-looking, but he gave off a very unpleasant vibe.
Tetsu leaned in and whispered an introduction to Eichi. "The purple-haired one is Matsumoto, and the red-haired one is Ishida."
Eichi nodded to show he understood. The two boys, followed by a crowd, walked toward Eichi since that was where most of the students were gathered. As they drew near, a student behind them whispered into Matsumoto's ear while pointing at Eichi, "That's him. That's Eichi."
Matsumoto pointed a finger at Eichi. "So you're the number one in the grade, the winner of the Freshmen Tournament, Eichi?"
"That's me," Eichi said expressionlessly. "Do you need something? Also, I just curious—I only just got back, how did you know I was here?"
"Someone in our class saw you walking down the hallway," Matsumoto replied.
"I see," Eichi said.
"Eichi, I challenge you. Have a Pokémon battle with me!" Matsumoto declared.
Someone nearby chimed in, "There are only ten minutes left before the next class starts. How is that enough time for a battle?"
"Ten minutes is plenty," Matsumoto said arrogantly.
Eichi smiled. "Indeed, ten minutes is enough. I accept. Let's go to the battle field next door."
The moment Tetsu saw Eichi's smile, he knew Eichi was going to win. He had absolute confidence in him.
The large group of students made their way to the adjacent battle field. Students from other classes soon caught wind of the news.
A student burst into another classroom, shouting, "Matsumoto and Ishida are challenging Eichi! They're at the battle field next to Class 1!"
The classroom exploded instantly.
"Let's go! Hurry!"
"Oh man, I can't miss something this exciting!"
"I have to see this. Eichi has to win; Matsumoto and Ishida are way too full of themselves."
Similar scenes played out in several other classes as students rushed toward the battle field. In just over a minute, the spectator stands were packed.
Upon reaching the field, Tetsu patted Eichi on the shoulder. "You have to win."
"Just watch," Eichi said. He walked to the trainer box on the right side, while Tetsu stepped to the center of the field to act as the referee.
Just as Matsumoto was about to step forward, Ishida blocked him. "Matsumoto, let me go first."
Matsumoto thought about it. Both of them knew that Ishida was slightly weaker than him. Ishida was clearly afraid that if Matsumoto won, there would be nothing left for him to do, so he wanted to grab the spotlight first.
"Fine," Matsumoto said. "You go first."
Ishida broke into an excited grin and walked to the left trainer box. Once both were ready, Tetsu announced, "This will be a one-on-one match. The battle ends when one side's Pokémon is unable to battle. Please release your Pokémon!"
"Go, Scizor!"
A burst of white light coalesced on the field into a Scizor. Eichi was slightly surprised that his opponent chose a Scizor. He opened his Eye of the Bug Emperor.
Scizor Talent Grade: Outstanding Trainer Rank: Experienced
Eichi smiled; this was getting interesting. He had originally planned to use Heracross, but he changed his mind. He swapped for a different Poké Ball.
"Go, Scizor!"
Two Scizor now stood on the field. In terms of size, they were roughly equal, and their talent grades were similar. Ishida knew Eichi had a Scizor, so he wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he grew even more excited.
"I'll show you what a real Scizor looks like!" Ishida declared.