Teacher Arno could cook, and surprisingly, he cooked quite well.
That afternoon, Eichi arrived in Viridian City again for a major shopping trip.
He especially needed to prepare a Weighted Vest for Scyther.
The streets of Viridian City were as lively as ever.
People of all kinds filled the sidewalks, and many new Trainers in uniform could be seen everywhere.
The new Indigo League was about to begin.
Walking along the road, Eichi saw the Johto Department Store ahead. Just as he was about to enter, a car that looked very much like a Rolls-Royce from his past life drove out of the building.
Sitting in the back seat was a ten-year-old boy in a small suit. His face was handsome and neatly composed.
That boy was Sato, who had ranked second in the Silver Academy entrance exam.
Sato had just returned from his family's department store. Looking out the window, he spotted Eichi heading toward the Johto Department Store.
It's him, Yoshino Eichi, the top scorer of the entrance exam, Sato thought.
When the results had been released, Sato had already received Eichi's photo, so he recognized him at once.
We'll meet at Silver Academy, he thought as Eichi gradually disappeared from sight.
***
Eichi entered the Johto Department Store, determined to buy Poison-type and Flying-type Pokéblocks this time.
First, he restocked general Pokémon food on the first floor, then went up to the second to pick Pokéblocks, heading straight for the Poison-type section.
He examined them one by one. After studying breeding for so long, Eichi had learned some ways to choose Pokéblocks. After a careful selection, he found five types.
He placed the five Pokéblocks together, channeled his Bug Force, and gathered energy in his hands. Then, he injected that power into the five Pokéblocks.
Upon close inspection, the Pokéblocks' energy had all increased to varying degrees after the infusion.
After comparing them, Eichi selected the one that had gained the most energy and bought several packs of that kind.
The method he had just used was something he had recently discovered.
Its principle was to use Bug Force to simulate Beedrill's energy fluctuations, making them react with the Pokéblocks.
Every Pokémon, even of the same species, had different energy patterns.
Once the reaction occurred, the Pokéblock's energy waves strengthened.
Eichi had tested this method several times at night using Beedrill's Bug-type Pokéblocks and confirmed its effectiveness.
He then used the same method to select Scyther's Flying-type Pokéblocks.
After paying, Eichi went up to the fifth floor. Skillfully, he found the same female clerk as before and explained what he needed. She measured Scyther's size efficiently and told Eichi to return in two days to pick it up.
Finally, he went to the sixth floor to buy TMs. Beedrill could still learn two more moves.
As for Scyther, Eichi planned to buy several for it so he wouldn't need to come back anytime soon.
Beedrill didn't lack offensive moves now, but it still needed some defensive techniques.
After browsing, he chose Protect and Substitute.
Both were extremely useful but also very expensive.
Protect cost 120,000p, and Substitute cost 150,000p.
Next came Scyther's moves. It still lacked offensive variety, both in close and ranged combat.
So Eichi selected Brick Break, Double Team, Hidden Power, Swords Dance, and Steel Wing.
A few days ago, Scyther had finally learned Slash, and once it mastered Brick Break, its proficiency would improve drastically.
In total, Eichi bought seven TMs, spending over 600,000p.
Half his money was gone instantly, and it felt like his heart was bleeding.
After finishing his shopping, he left the department store and headed to the Verdant Breeding House.
The place was just as lively as ever. As soon as he walked in, the staff greeted him warmly.
"Yo, Eichi's here!"
"Morning, Eichi!"
"Hey, long time no see, Eichi!"
"Hey, everyone, long time no see!" he replied cheerfully.
After greeting everyone, he looked around for Aunt Keiko but couldn't find her, so he asked a staff member.
She had gone out and wouldn't be back for a while.
Eichi then went to Amelie's office and knocked.
"Knock knock."
"Come in," came her voice.
He opened the door and saw Amelie as usual, reading a book.
Seeing him, she smiled in surprise. "You're back from your journey? When did you return?"
"Yesterday," Eichi answered, sitting on the sofa.
Amelie sat down too and poured him a glass of water. "So, how was your trip this time?"
Eichi repeated what he'd told Teacher Arno that morning.
Then Amelie asked a few more questions, mostly about breeding, which Eichi answered honestly.
"How's your studying going?" she asked.
"I've finished three books," he replied.
"Good pace," Amelie said approvingly. "It seems your travels didn't slow down your learning. Keep it up. The Beginner Breeder exam is in half a year, so time is tight. You need to take it seriously."
"Half a year, huh? Don't worry, Amelie, I'll be ready," he said.
They continued chatting for a while about breeding techniques.
***
Meanwhile, in an underground base somewhere in another city, a dimly lit office held two men in black uniforms.
One of them, sitting in a boss chair, looked around thirty years old. His face was ordinary, but his presence was dark and cold.
The other was kneeling before the desk. The man sitting spoke first. "How's that kid been performing on missions lately?"
"Every mission has gone perfectly," the kneeling man replied. "But he doesn't get along with others. He always works alone."
The man in the chair nodded. "As expected of the top of the trial. The strong are always like that. Leave him be."
"The boss has given him a new assignment," he continued. "He's to take on a freshman identity at Indigo Academy and infiltrate the school. He'll cooperate with our agents to gather Pokémon research data."
"Our studies have hit a wall, and it seems the academy holds the information we need. After all, it's the best school in the Kanto region."
"Yes, sir. I'll arrange it and inform him immediately."
As the subordinate stood and left, the red metallic letter 'R' on his uniform gleamed faintly in the dark.
Once he was gone, the man at the desk picked up a folder. Inside was a photograph of the same boy Eichi had met when he returned home.
The man smirked. "Interesting, kid."