"Should I call Teacher?" Eichi asked.
"Yes," Hara replied, "There are still a few things about Wimpod I don't quite understand, and I need to consult Teacher Takemoto."
Eichi felt a bit confused and glanced at Professor Nobby and the others behind Hara. They naturally noticed his look, and Professor Nobby said with a look of shame, "I'm sorry, I don't know either."
The others turned their heads away, not wanting Eichi to see their faces.
Hara led Eichi to a telephone. This machine was a piece of high technology that allowed for video calls with zero lag. Senior Hara dialed Teacher Takemoto's number, and after a minute of ringing, someone finally answered.
Hara held the receiver to his ear as the electronic screen in front of them flickered on. On the screen, Teacher Takemoto appeared wearing a white coat and holding a file. As soon as the call connected, his voice came through.
"Hello?"
"Teacher, it's me, Hara," Senior Hara said.
Hearing this, Teacher Takemoto put down his documents and looked up, spotting Eichi and the others. They all began to greet him.
"Teacher Takemoto, long time no see."
"Takemoto, how have you been?"
Teacher Takemoto replied with a smile, "Hello everyone. I can tell by your faces that you've been doing well lately. Oh? Eichi, you're here too!"
"It's been a long time, Teacher Takemoto," Eichi said with a laugh.
Teacher Takemoto looked at the group. "Tell me, what do you all need from me?"
"Teacher, it's like this," Hara began, "Eichi has hatched a Bug-type Pokémon that has never been seen before. Eichi says it's from the Alola Region and is called Wimpod."
As he spoke, Eichi held Wimpod up to the screen. The sight of it immediately grabbed the teacher's attention. His eyes lit up, and he stood up abruptly.
He began to observe it closely. Beside him, Hara said, "Teacher, I've already sent over all the data we have on Wimpod. Please take a look."
"Alright, I've received it," Teacher Takemoto replied. He started reviewing the files, occasionally looking up to study Wimpod.
Once he finished reading, Hara began asking questions using technical terms that Eichi couldn't understand. After a while, Teacher Takemoto started answering them. However, there were some questions even he didn't know the answer to, so he began discussing them with the group of researchers.
Eichi couldn't join the conversation, so he simply waited nearby. He recalled the sleeping Wimpod into its Poké Ball and sat to the side.
An hour passed before they finished their discussion. Senior Hara hung up the phone. The others looked like they hadn't had their fill yet, as if they could have discussed it for another day and night.
Hara turned to Eichi. "Alright, Eichi, we're done. Although a few problems remain unsolved, they aren't major issues. More importantly, I've found some inspiration. I need to go to my experimental session."
He prepared to leave, and the others followed suit. Eichi also planned to head out, having achieved his goal for the day.
Hara took a few steps but then turned back. "Eichi, I noticed something. Your Wimpod is a Water and Bug-type Pokémon; it should stay in water to grow better."
Once Hara mentioned it, Eichi realized he had made a serious mistake.
"Senior Hara, thank you so much," Eichi said sincerely.
Hara waved his hand. "No problem. I'm going to my experiment now, so make yourself at home."
He left quickly, and with nothing left to do, Eichi went back. Since he knew Wimpod needed water, Eichi went to Silver Town and bought a fish tank measuring 1 meter in length, width, and height. It wasn't just the tank; he also bought many decorations like coral, aquatic plants, and an oxygen pump.
After returning to the dormitory, he set up the tank. Once everything was ready, he released Wimpod. Wimpod wasn't awake yet, so Eichi placed it into the tank.
Blub blub.
Wimpod slowly sank. Suddenly, its body jerked as it sensed its familiar environment. Feeling exceptionally comfortable, it woke up instantly. Its tail and jaw began to wiggle, and the many fine hairs on its underside drifted in the water. Wimpod swam happily inside, moving very quickly—much faster than it did on land.
It let out a joyful sound. Eichi silently reprimanded himself for not thinking of this sooner; it seemed he had been a bit too careless lately.
Seeing the coral, plants, and shells—things usually only found in the ocean—Wimpod felt a sense of belonging. It swam around the tank incessantly.
That night, Wimpod slept in the tank as well. Eichi removed its old nest; compared to the nest, it much preferred the water tank.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. It was Saturday, and since there were no classes, Eichi planned to start Wimpod's training. For this initial phase, Eichi preferred to train in the forest, just as he had done in the beginning.
He took his four Pokémon to the forest behind the academy, returning to the same waterfall as before. Eichi released all four of them. Seeing the waterfall, Wimpod excitedly jumped into the water.
Watching Wimpod swim constantly, Eichi suddenly changed his mind. Originally, he had planned to make Wimpod run on land. Now, since it liked the water, he would train its speed in the water instead.
Until it evolved into Golisopod, it was basically impossible to count on it for combat. Within its 230 base stat total, its speed talent was clearly better than its other attributes. Therefore, Eichi planned to focus solely on training its speed until it evolved. For the rest of the time, practicing two moves would be enough.
Before evolving into Golisopod, Wimpod couldn't learn any new moves. It only knew the moves it was born with through inheritance. Eichi had previously asked Wimpod to show its inherited moves.
Wimpod truly was a Pokémon with Champion talent; its parents' aptitude certainly wasn't lacking. It had inherited three moves from them: Metal Claw, Aqua Jet, and Wide Guard.
Three inherited moves, and all of them were quite good. Wide Guard in particular was a god-tier move for team battles.
Eichi let his other three Pokémon go into the forest to stretch their bodies.
Swish, swish, swish.
With three sounds, the three Pokémon disappeared.