Breakthrough (Please Bookmark, Please Vote)

The referee announced, "Mankey has lost its ability to battle. Weedle wins.

Therefore, Eichi is the winner."

The battle ended very quickly. It had been a complete stomp.

Everyone around them was stunned!

When had Weedle become so powerful?

Why was the gap between people so huge?

Just look at other people's Weedle and Eichi's Weedle—the difference was far too great!

When Aji saw Mankey fall, he hurried over and helped it up. "Mankey, how are you? Are you okay?"

Mankey cried weakly, its face beginning to turn purple. It had been poisoned.

Eichi also ran over and checked Mankey's condition.

He then crouched down, took out an Antidote Spray and Potion from his backpack, and carefully sprayed Mankey's injuries.

Then he said to the worried-looking Aji, "It's fine. Just a minor injury."

Aji let out a sigh of relief. After a while, Mankey recovered.

It began bouncing around again. Once Aji saw that Mankey was all right, he said to Eichi, "Eichi, your Weedle is amazing. Even my Mankey couldn't beat it.

And during the battle just now, I was incredibly nervous. The moment I saw Mankey get hurt, I panicked.

I even forgot to give commands. You're really something."

Eichi smiled. "Not at all."

After the battle, everyone dispersed, but Eichi's Weedle had become completely famous.

As he passed by the school, a handsome man in his twenties, dressed in black and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, stopped in front of Eichi.

When Eichi saw him, he cried out in surprise, "Teacher Arno, you haven't left yet?"

Teacher Arno smiled. "I need to talk to you. Let's walk and talk."

"Okay."

Teacher Arno and Eichi continued walking as they chatted.

"Teacher Arno, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Eichi, tell me. Do you want to become a Trainer?"

"That's right."

"Then do you know how difficult it is to become a Trainer?"

"With your family background, it'll be very difficult for you to become one.

And even if you do, do you know how hard it'll be to move forward on this path?"

"I know. I'll work hard. I believe that with enough effort, I can do it.

Because this is my dream."

Eichi spoke the words he had kept hidden in his heart with absolute determination.

Seeing Eichi like this, Teacher Arno seemed to see his former self.

Teacher Arno steadied his emotions before continuing, "Eichi, graduation exams are in two months. Have you decided which school you want to apply to?"

"Not yet. I still need to think about it," Eichi said, shaking his head.

"There isn't much time left. Some advanced schools have already begun preparing their entrance exams, which will be held in a month.

If you miss them, you'll never get another chance."

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Arno."

"Hey, why are you being so polite with me?"

And so, Eichi and Teacher Arno chatted as they walked, soon arriving home.

Teacher Arno also lived in Tokiwa Town. After saying goodbye to him, Eichi went inside.

Teacher Arno was Eichi's favorite teacher. Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable and understood many things that other teachers did not, but he also took especially good care of Eichi.

Eichi had borrowed many of his books from Teacher Arno. The other teachers did not have them.

It was said that Teacher Arno's childhood dream had also been to become a Pokémon Trainer.

Later, he left to study and was gone for several years without any news.

Then one day, he suddenly returned and became a teacher at Tokiwa Primary School.

Teacher Arno must have been a man with a story.

That day, Eichi was training Weedle in the Small Woods.

Its physical training was no longer just about finishing a run. It also had to finish within a set time.

Over the past few days, Eichi had begun setting time limits for its runs to train Weedle's stamina.

Then came tree-climbing training. Weedle had to climb from the base of a tree to the top in the shortest possible time, which could train its explosive power.

There was also defense training. To strengthen Weedle's defenses, Eichi had it ram into trees.

On the first day, Weedle ended up covered in injuries.

Eichi took Weedle to the Pokémon Center in Tokiwa City for treatment.

Then he had to endure Nurse Joy's disapproving glare, leaving her with the impression that he abused Pokémon.

Fortunately, they were only superficial wounds and were easily treated at the Pokémon Center.

While Weedle was being treated, Eichi also registered as a Pokémon Trainer.

Eichi was now a Pokémon Trainer as well.

The tree-ramming training method was extremely effective. Weedle could now be considered thick-skinned and tough.

Eichi timed its training sessions. If it failed, it received extra punishment. If it passed, it received rewards.

Ever since he had begun raising Weedle, Eichi had tried making delicious and nutritious food.

As someone who had come from a great culinary nation in his previous life, he could not embarrass himself, could he?

Fortunately, Eichi had a decent talent for cooking and managed to make several dishes.

They left Weedle drooling, so Eichi used food to tempt it into training.

Emmmm...

The results were pretty good.

Next came skill training. Eichi had a feeling that

today, Weedle's mastery of its skills should reach proficiency.

First was String Shot practice. Eichi had changed the plan again.

Instead of throwing the steel balls one at a time, he threw several at once.

Before all the thrown steel balls hit the ground, Weedle had to wrap every one of them in String Shot.

Yesterday's best record had been wrapping three balls at once.

Today, he used four. Once Weedle was ready,

Eichi grabbed four balls and tossed them into the distance. The moment the marbles left his hand, Weedle's string shot out.

With four swishing sounds, all of them were wrapped up.

This time, Eichi added another ball, making five.

Eichi grabbed them and threw them. Weedle fired its string like a machine gun.

But it only wrapped three of them. Eichi said nothing.

He took out another five balls and threw them. This time, it got four.

Eichi continued.

Four.

Again.

Three.

Again.

Four...

In the end, Weedle was too exhausted to shoot any more string.

Eichi let Weedle rest, then walked over and gave it a bottle of MooMoo Milk.

"Later, keep it up! I believe you can do it."

Weedle responded with several "shoo, shoo" cries.

After ten minutes, they continued practicing.

Eichi clapped his hands and took out five marbles.

He threw them, and String Shot activated.

Four. Still not enough.

Eichi shouted, "Weedle, you can do it!"

Then he grabbed another five marbles and threw them. Weedle focused its attention, aiming at every one.

It used all its strength to unleash String Shot.

Then—

Five rapid shots of string.

Every single one hit.

Weedle felt as though something about its body had changed, but it could not put its finger on it.

Eichi gave Weedle an emphatic thumbs-up. "Amazing!"

Eichi let Weedle rest for a while, then moved on to Poison Sting and Bug Bite practice.

With its breakthrough in String Shot, Bug Bite and Poison Sting improved quickly as well.

Weedle had now reached proficiency in all three of its skills.

This was more or less Weedle's limit. Tomorrow, they would battle a few people and see how much it had improved.

They could also gain some experience. It was almost time for Weedle to evolve.

It just so happened that Eichi had not contacted that group of Bug Catchers in a long time.

Tomorrow, he would find them for some Pokémon battles.

He could also see how much they had improved.