"Woo woo..."
Weedle lay on Natsuhiko's shoulder, looking at him with a bit of grievance and heartache.
It seemed like Natsuhiko spent too much money on it, yet only bought himself a piece of cheap clothing, making Weedle feel sorry for him.
It knew clearly how hard it was to earn that money.
Natsuhiko faced so much ridicule and was rejected countless times to find a job.
For Weedle, it's safe to say he had given everything he could.
"Don't feel sorry for me; your best reward to me is to grow strong." Natsuhiko smiled, taking out a crystal Energy Block from an exquisitely packaged box.
"Woo woo!!" Weedle nodded firmly, gazing at the Energy Block in his palm, swallowing salivating quietly.
Seeing its craving, Natsuhiko laughed even happier.
He intentionally held the Energy Block against the sun.
Sunlight shone through the translucent dark green Energy Block, which was free of any visible impurities, and the Intermediate Energy Block emitted a faint fragrance mixed with a hint of stench.
"Tsk, is this the Energy Block combining Insect Energy and Poison Energy?"
He deliberately stretched his voice, glancing at Weedle from the corners of his eyes.
Weedle's eyes were fixed intently on the Energy Block, looking eager yet not daring to express anything.
It actually seemed a bit cute.
Its pea-sized eyes were filled with nothing but the shadow of the Energy Block.
"Won't tease you anymore, here, have it."
He chuckled lightly and handed the Energy Block to Weedle.
"Woo!" Weedle let out a joyful cry.
Its tail bent agilely, quickly taking the Energy Block and started nibbling on it on the shoulder.
Taking a few bites, it couldn't help but let out a few moans.
Seeing it so content, Natsuhiko felt relieved but couldn't help reminding, "Since you've eaten the Energy Block, you have to digest and absorb all the energy inside; otherwise it's wasted. So, starting today, we'll ramp up our training. Be prepared."
He had been restraining the training, worrying that excessive exercise might overstrain Weedle's already fragile body.
Now, he could intensify Weedle's training.
"Woo woo!"
Weedle lowered its head and responded quickly, though who knows if it heard Natsuhiko's words.
He shook his head helplessly.
Returning to the club.
Anai, who was at the front desk busy polishing her nails, saw him with many parcels and teasingly said, "Natsuhiko, spent so much payday advance yesterday, and today splurged a lot, huh?"
"Yes." Natsuhiko nodded in acknowledgment.
"Well, you should exercise some restraint, after all..." her eyes darted to the Weedle on his shoulder.
"Mm."
He wasn't affected by her veiled mention of Weedle.
Not everything aligns with others' understanding or awareness. Not minding others' views, and adhering to one's own convictions and determination, can achieve what others cannot.
Returning to the room.
He placed everything neatly, packed a few Energy Blocks, and brought Weedle to the training room.
After running a few laps for warm-up around the training room, just as he was preparing for real training,
Anai came looking for him again.
Along with her was Kenji, the teenager eager to hire Natsuhiko full-time yesterday.
Seeing Natsuhiko already breaking a sweat from sticking to training without a sparring task, Anai was genuinely impressed.
People who work hard always leave a good impression on others.
"0451 is right here, I won't intrude on you anymore," said Anai, closing the door and leaving at once.
"Natsuhiko, I'm here again. Are you guys planning to train?" Kenji spoke familiarly without any hint of shyness.
"Mm." Natsuhiko softly responded, "What kind of sparring do you need today? Battles or training?"
"Hehe, we're just here to train along."
Following Natsuhiko's words, Kenji called out Bulbasaur, eager to start.
"Da-na~~"
Seeing Weedle as soon as Bulbasaur appeared, it wiggled its chubby little butt and ran up to Weedle, softly cooing.
"Woo!" Weedle greeted back.
After yesterday's battle and training, Weedle and Bulbasaur got acquainted.
Just as Kenji admired Natsuhiko's commitment to training, Bulbasaur looked up to Weedle, whose training intensity was several times higher.
"Let's start then; you can try to follow along or go with the routine I showed you yesterday."
Speaking of which, Natsuhiko ignored Kenji and called Weedle to continue training.
"Alright, alright, you guys do your thing."
Kenji, lacking any sense of entitlement, waved his hand casually.
His eyes were darting around, appearing scheming, seemingly plotting something.
Natsuhiko paid it no mind.
Finished running warm-ups, the first phase of the first-round training began with Technique accuracy training.
Enhancing the proficiency of existing skills was always placed prominently in training content by Natsuhiko.
Pokémon can learn many Techniques; some are realized as they grow, others require specialized training, while others come from ancestral lineage, known as inheritable skills.
No matter how.
Understanding and mastering a Technique is difficult.
And mastering a learned Technique is even harder.
But the hardest is exploiting an existing Technique to its fullest.
In the limited time, skills are not pursued in quantity but in mastery; a well-understood Technique, harmonious with fighting style and inherent conditions, often can perform better than two or three less proficient Techniques.
Weedle didn't have the concern of Technique numbers; hence it focused more on mastering the learned Techniques.
This is a process of accumulating over time, which can't be achieved overnight.
Training becomes the necessary component of accumulation.
The second phase focused on Techniques that could be learned. Natsuhiko prioritized "Insect Bite" for Weedle.
As an Insect-type and Poison-type Pokémon, with Insect-type as its primary attribute, lacking an Insect-type Technique makes it hard for Weedle to unlock its full potential.
Now that it consumed an Energy Block, theoretically, Weedle should be able to sense Insect Energy and learn it quicker.
The first training round concluded.
Panting heavily, Natsuhiko and Kenji leaned against the training room wall, watching the still-energetic Weedle and Bulbasaur frolicking around.
"Natsuhiko, why train with Pokémon? Trainers aren't they supposed to just command during battles?" Kenji puzzled aloud.
Sigh—
Natsuhiko let out a long breath, wiped away his forehead sweat, glanced at the lively Weedle, nodding in approval.
The effects of the Energy Block were starting to show; Weedle's stamina increased, enduring more intense training.
He answered meanwhile: "A trainer is called so because they have Pokémon and can lead them. Being a 'Trainer' doesn't refer to an individual, but rather anyone possessing Pokémon. Pokémon and humans are a unity; separating them doesn't fit with the 'Trainer' term.
Training with Pokémon is not just to earn more acknowledgment from them but also to gain a deeper understanding of their condition, behavior, and personality. Only with this understanding can one make accurate judgments and decisions during battles from the Pokémon's perspective.
Do you get it?"
Kenji nodded thoughtfully, "Is it what teachers often say, thinking from the Pokémon's viewpoint to solve problems and the Trainer's bond with Pokémon improves?"
"A great summary," Natsuhiko agreed.
See, this is the benefit of knowledge.
People like Kenji have, in fact, accumulated vast knowledge.
But acquiring knowledge and being able to apply it are entirely different concepts.
Like how subjects learned in a past life—language, math, English—knowledge is gained, yet how to use it remains unclear.
Kenji looked enlightened, his eyes turning again, he was about to say something more but suddenly heard....
"Da-na!!"
Bulbasaur's voice of pain was heard.