During the day's training, most of the focus was still on Ditto's resilience and ability to disperse force. Of course, there were also a few chuunibyou kids who came to challenge Tetsuya.
Even though these battles usually ended in one-hit KOs and didn't hold much real combat value, Tetsuya never refused.
Ditto was different from other Pokémon, it needed broad exposure. Only by battling a variety of Pokémon and transforming into different ones could it accumulate enough battle experience. The next time it fought the same species, it would naturally perform much better.
Throughout the entire day, Raine and his Machop trained listlessly, frequently sneaking glances at Tetsuya.
---◓---
There were still some supplies he needed to buy, so Tetsuya decided to head back to Ecruteak early.
When Raine saw Tetsuya preparing to leave, he panicked a little and rushed over.
"U-Um, Tetsuya…!"
Raine called out just as Tetsuya was packing up.
"Go on. What is it?"
Tetsuya continued sorting through his things, not even needing to look to know who it was.
"Um… the agreement we made last night still counts, right?"
Last night, Raine had believed that Tetsuya was only threatening him with words. But now, faced with Tetsuya's strength, he started to waver. In his eyes, Tetsuya was fully capable of breaking the deal unilaterally.
The hesitant, conflicted look on Raine's face said it all.
Tetsuya knew he had him completely cornered. Slinging his backpack over one shoulder, he patted Raine on the shoulder.
"Relax. As long as you do exactly what I say, I'll make sure you complete your 'mission' smoothly~"
Though Raine was far stronger than the average boy, his mental maturity wasn't as developed as he liked to think.
With that, Tetsuya didn't look back. He got on his Bicycle and rode off.
Back in Ecruteak City, Tetsuya bought two archery targets and carried them home.
Since Mr. Shellby had already purchased a Venipede, there was no need to rush buying the Skorupi either. After all, once he bought it, he'd have to start feeding it, and that would only add to his burden. Besides, with the cash he had on hand, he could probably only afford one Skorupi.
Tonight, he'd continue with his secret training… [Trainer Move: Shadow Dagger].
Tetsuya set up the two archery targets and stepped back five meters.
"Ditto, transform into a dagger. I'm going to throw you at the center of the target. We'll need perfect synchronization, this move is going to be crucial in the future."
Ditto nodded and turned into a dagger, which Tetsuya gripped in his hand.
Why train this… [Trainer Move]?
For sneak attacks.
The future world would be full of danger. He had to prepare for everything. If he ever faced an enemy far stronger than himself, his only hope would be to ambush the opposing Trainer. If he and Ditto could coordinate an attack from within twenty meters, hitting the target with precision, it would be one more lifeline in battle.
Five meters was still a short distance.
Even so, their coordination was far from perfect. By the time training reached 11 PM, Tetsuya was still only hitting the 7 or 8 rings consistently.
This was something that couldn't be rushed.
The Ecruteak Gym evaluation would start tomorrow, so Tetsuya decided to rest.
Lately, maybe he'd been a bit too eager for success. After a shower, he felt a dull headache and laid down to collect his thoughts.
'Night falls, insects vanish, the moonlight spills through the window… Heh~ I'm a "Poet-type" now?'
It was too quiet.
Looking back, almost every single day had been spent in a flurry of tasks and planning; like he was trying to cram decades into a few short days. But excess always led to failure. He needed to slow down. If he got careless and made a major mistake because of his ambition, the price would be too high.
Tetsuya finally got a good night's sleep.
---◓---
There were so many people registering for the Ecruteak Gym Trainee program that Leader Matsuba had no choice but to borrow a school conference room for the first written test.
Tetsuya received his exam paper and skimmed through the questions.
Multiple choice was worth 80 points, essay questions 20.
To Tetsuya, these questions were child's play. But for most of the normal seven or eight-year-old kids, they weren't so simple. Matsuba probably included so many multiple-choice questions just to keep the test results from looking too bad.
Watching most of the candidates scratching their heads, Tetsuya felt even more confident. Then, by chance, he spotted Raine, calmly and methodically filling in answers, not stuck on anything.
He really had come prepared.
Tetsuya started with the essay question. It was a standard one, naturally related to Ghost-types, which were Ecruteak Gym's specialty.
[What are the similarities and differences among Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar…?]
[What was the…]
[Who…]
[Is…]
Gastly evolves into Haunter through accumulated experience. Haunter, under the influence of a special kind of electromagnetic wave, evolves into Gengar. 'Since the concept of Trade Evolution wouldn't be discovered until about five years later by Professor Oak, this was the only acceptable answer for now.'
Gastly and Haunter both have the Ability Levitate, while Gengar gains Cursed Body after evolving.
Gastly and Haunter both weigh 0.1 kilograms, though Haunter becomes larger in size. But when Haunter evolves into Gengar, its size actually decreases slightly, while its weight undergoes a drastic change, soaring to 40.5 kilograms or even more, over 400 times heavier than Haunter.
Tetsuya still couldn't figure that one out.
All three belonged to the same Ghost-type evolutionary line, so why did such a massive weight shift occur, especially when their size was nearly the same? Where did those extra 40 kilograms even come from?
Professor Oak would later offer an explanation, attributing it to gene mutation caused by "electromagnetic waves". But that theory felt far-fetched. In ancient times, when electromagnetic waves didn't exist, how did Gengar evolve then?
It was truly baffling.
After finishing the test, Tetsuya reviewed everything again from start to finish to ensure there were no mistakes. By then, many others had already turned in their exams. With multiple-choice questions making up most of the score, finishing quickly wasn't too unusual.
Tomorrow morning, the test papers would be distributed at Ecruteak Gym, and the names of the top eight candidates would be announced.
Tetsuya followed the crowd as they left the school.
---◓---
Outside the school gate, a black car was parked. As people started coming out, the window rolled down.
"…Can we get access to these candidates' results?" asked a man in sunglasses sitting in the front passenger seat.
"Kurusaki-sama, Leader Matsuba is not the type to be swayed by pressure. I… I'm afraid there's no way," replied the driver hesitantly.
"Mmh. No matter. The top eight will be revealed tomorrow anyway. Assign someone to keep an eye on all eight of them. If any match the Shadow Phantom Team's[1]¹ candidate standards, notify me immediately.
Haah… we still haven't secured this year's batch of one hundred, and half the year is already gone. We're running out of time."
Kurusaki Sō wore a troubled expression.
"Please rest assured, Kurusaki-sama. I'll give my life for the Shadow Phantom Team if I must!"
The driver flashed a flattering smile.
'What's 'giving your life' got to do with this…?'
"…Handle this well, and there will be rewards for you."
•
¹. Since most villain groups in the Pokémon world are called "Teams", in the future any of them will always be named with "Xxx Team". However, they can also be referred to as "Crime Groups/Teams/Forces" or "Underground Groups/Teams/Forces".
[1] Since most villain groups in the Pokémon world are called "Teams", in the future any of them will always be named with "Xxx Team". However, they can also be referred to as "Crime Groups/Teams/Forces" or "Underground Groups/Teams/Forces".