Dawn was just breaking. Another day had begun.
Tetsuya got up as usual and headed straight downstairs to the ATM with his bank card. Only four password attempts remained from the original sixteen combinations.
He hadn't even brushed his teeth or washed his face before doing this; not because he was impatient, but because it was a task to be completed.
Purely a task to complete.
He no longer had any expectations for those passwords.
The result was exactly as expected!
Back home, Tetsuya placed both bank cards alongside the Property Certificate and the signed contract; things he wouldn't need for a while.
As long as he became a Gym Trainee at Ecruteak Gym, the Gym would provide for the feeding and healing of its trainees' Pokémon. It also came with a monthly salary. Of course, the trainees were expected to handle miscellaneous chores like cleaning the Gym grounds and maintaining the training equipment. Sometimes, they even had to serve as referees.
If a Challenger showed up, Gym Trainers and apprentices were responsible for battling them first. Gym Leaders weren't meant to be challenged by just anyone. Normally, their own followers would battle the Challenger first, and only those deemed qualified would get to face the Gym Leader in an official match.
Otherwise, with the sheer number of Challengers, it would be impossible to manage. A Gym Leader could only handle at most two battles a day. If they had to face every single Challenger personally, they'd be exhausted in no time.
Not to mention there were other responsibilities within the Gym, frequent public events to attend, monthly reports to deliver to League Headquarters, and endless inspections to deal with.
Some less responsible Gym Leaders would just delegate everything to their main apprentices and focus solely on administration and keeping their superiors satisfied.
Tomorrow was the Gym evaluation. Today's main task was still Ditto's special training.
After breakfast at home, Tetsuya packed two pieces of bread, six bottles of milk, and three bottles of mineral water into his bag; lunch and drinks for both himself and Ditto.
With everything ready, he headed to the usual spot.
At this time of day, there was naturally no one else around. Training continued just as it had yesterday.
Tetsuya pounded away at Ditto, now in sandbag form. It no longer served much training value for Ditto, this was more about improving Tetsuya's own physical conditioning.
To survive in the wilderness, having powerful Pokémon alone wasn't enough. When it came down to life or death, it wasn't just the Pokémon that would be targeted, Tetsuya himself could be attacked. If he had no ability to defend himself, he might die before his Pokémon had the chance to save him.
That's why physical conditioning was so important. And mastering some basic fighting skills or martial arts was essential too.
After an hour of striking, Tetsuya was about to start the next phase of training, but his natural caution held him back. This wasn't something he could do in broad daylight with others around.
Some forms of training required secrecy. The most lethal "strikes" were often the unexpected ones. Besides, this training could be done at home too.
For the next hour, Tetsuya picked a small patch of shrubbery and used a dagger -Ditto in transformed form- to slice and "destroy" with relentless intensity. Shrubs were much tougher than grass, which made them ideal for strengthening Ditto's resilience and body control.
Naturally, this also placed higher demands on Tetsuya himself. In just one hour, his entire right hand was rubbed raw and bleeding, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.
Thankfully, he had prepared in advance. He cleaned the wounds with alcohol and wrapped them with gauze, completing his own medical treatment.
---◓---
Two hours of high-intensity training left both Tetsuya and Ditto physically drained.
Sitting on the grass, he drank his mineral water while Ditto replenished its stamina with milk.
It was around this time that the first group of people showed up for special training.
Among them was someone.
Raine.
Naturally, both Tetsuya and Raine noticed each other. Their eyes met. The air turned heavy and tense. They wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.
An awkward silence…
Tetsuya let out a snort and looked away.
But at that moment, Raine walked over and said, "Tch. Everyone here's too weak. Why don't we have a battle?"
Tetsuya shot him a sideways glance and gave a cold chuckle.
So, he wanted to test his strength now? Not too dumb after all. If he won, he'd assume Tetsuya was just a paper Arcanine, and the next chance he got, he'd strike without hesitation.
But with the pitiful level he was at right now, Tetsuya didn't even take him seriously. He wasn't just going to beat him; he would beat him so badly he'd start questioning his life choices. Best to crush him completely and kill off any future thoughts of targeting him.
Tetsuya finished his water and casually tossed the empty bottle into his backpack, then stood up.
"Let's go."
Raine's Machop threw punches into the air, full of fighting spirit.
Tetsuya was curious to see what kind of strength someone eyeing Ecruteak Gym might possess, so he whispered a few words into Ditto's ear.
"Transform."
Another Machop appeared, eyes locked on its opponent, arms crossed in a defensive stance.
Raine's training emphasized striking first, and seeing Ditto already in a defensive pose only made him more eager to attack.
"Karate Chop!"
Raine gave the order, and Machop shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Tetsuya snorted. Still too far from ready. He'd show him real fear with just one move…
In a flash!
Machop had already reached Ditto. With the momentum of its charge, it leapt forward, stretched out one hand, and brought it down in a palm strike aimed directly at Ditto's head.
"Now."
Just as the Karate Chop was about to land, Ditto sidestepped. The attack missed entirely. Machop couldn't control the momentum of its fall; it hadn't yet learned to properly control the strength of its own moves. The strike went unchecked, and it stumbled forward, completely off balance.
Ditto dashed in, grabbed Machop's right arm with both hands, and used the momentum to execute a clean Vital Throw, slamming Machop hard into the ground.
One clean hit. Machop never had a chance to recover. This was what a real battle looked like.
Even as Machop hit the ground, Ditto didn't let go. Still gripping tightly, it lifted Machop into the air and swung it around. At this point, Machop was completely disoriented and had no way to fight back.
On the side, Raine was wringing his hands in panic, terrified!
Using the spinning momentum, Ditto flung Machop outward.
"Watch closely… This, is how you use Karate Chop."
Tetsuya's words carried a dominating presence. Raine was completely crushed; his face turned red, and he gulped repeatedly.
Ditto followed close behind the flung Machop. Just as its airborne momentum faded, Ditto leapt into the air and brought down a mid-air Karate Chop aimed right at Machop's neck, pinning it to the ground.
Only when it was clear Machop could no longer battle did Tetsuya order Ditto to stand down.
The difference in strength had stunned Raine. He stood frozen, utterly dazed.
"Hn. Ditto, let's go."
Seeing Raine's expression, Tetsuya sneered. His goal had been achieved. Raine didn't just fear him now… he was doubting his entire existence!
'Ugh… that was a bit too chuunibyou.' Tetsuya shakes his head.
Though there were still a few people scattered around the field, to Tetsuya, they were nothing more than silent background for Raine's shell-shocked expression.
"Not bad performance back there. I know I gave you instructions in advance, but your execution during the battle was solid. Still, this Machop was low-level. We'll be facing far more terrifying opponents in the future."
Tetsuya placed five bottles of milk in front of Ditto and spoke with a serious tone.
Ditto blinked. After that battle, its respect for its Trainer had reached a profound level.