Watching A-Cheng gradually grow, Xinhai could not help marveling at how quickly time had passed.
The last time he had seen the boy, he had still been a beginner just setting foot on the path of a Trainer. Now, he was already capable of holding his own in training.
"With your current strength, you can already challenge Gyms," Xinhai said frankly.
A-Cheng paused slightly, then his eyes lit up. "Really? I've been thinking the same thing, but I always felt like I wasn't ready yet."
"No one waits until they're completely ready before setting out." Xinhai patted his shoulder. "At your current level, as long as you prepare properly beforehand, succeeding in a Gym challenge shouldn't be a problem. Besides—real combat is the best training."
A-Cheng fell silent for a moment, as though weighing the significance of those words. Then he nodded firmly. "Yeah, I understand."
"But I don't want to rush into challenging Gyms just yet. Since you're here today, Brother Xinhai, could you give me some guidance?"
Seeing the earnest light in his eyes, Xinhai smiled and nodded. "Sure. I haven't had a relaxed battle in quite a while either. Use the Raticate and Beedrill you were training just now. I'll use similar Pokémon, and we'll have a friendly match."
A-Cheng's eyes immediately lit up. He promptly turned and returned to the center of the clearing, beckoning to Raticate and Beedrill.
The two Pokémon quickly gathered around him. Raticate sat crouched beside its Trainer's feet, its large brown eyes gleaming with eagerness;
Beedrill hovered in midair, the frequency of its wingbeats increasing slightly. Clearly, it too was full of anticipation for the coming battle.
"Then let's have two one-on-one matches," Xinhai said, taking a Poké Ball from his waist and lightly spinning it in his hand. "Eevee, Beedrill,