"You're strong. That was a great battle." Shingo comforted Scizor a little longer, then recalled it into its Poké Ball. After that, he turned to Reiji and bowed deeply. "Thank you. What you said helped me a lot. I learned something today."
"Hah, it was nothing." Reiji took out one Rock Gem and one Ground Gem, tossed both into Hanhan's big mouth, then sprayed Potion over its hands. "Rhydon, that was a great fight. Good work. Come back and rest."
Rhydon crunched down on the Gems, glanced at the dojo students staring at it, and scared them into backing away before Reiji recalled it.
"You did it," Muramasa said as he came over to Reiji's side.
He looked at the change in his son and still found it hard to believe. Reiji had actually pulled it off.
"Easy." Reiji winked at Muramasa, silently reminding the old man that it was time to keep his end of the deal. Otherwise, Reiji would happily expose their shady little arrangement.
"Cough." Muramasa caught the look and quickly glanced away. With an awkward cough and a guilty smile, he said, "No need to rush. I prepared it for you already. Stay for lunch first. Consider it my thanks."
"Sure." Reiji saw Shingo walking over. Muramasa left his side and called for the household staff to prepare lunch.
The moment Shingo arrived, he asked, "Did you bring your Accelgor? Are you entering the Silver Conference? If you're competing this year, it's going to be amazing."
"I brought Accelgor." Since Shingo did not seem interested in continuing the battle, Reiji had no intention of pushing it either. He took out a Poké Ball and released Accelgor, then answered the other question. "But I'm not planning to enter the Silver Conference. The Orange League tournament is starting soon, and I need to head back for that."
"The Orange League tournament?" Shingo's eyes lit up. "That's a region I've never been to. I'd love to face you properly in a tournament."
"You'll get the chance." Reiji smiled helplessly.
This guy really was strong. If he had not buried himself so deeply in data, his Scizor would not have been that easy to beat.
"Take a look at my Shelmet too. I bought it from a shop." Shingo took out a Poké Ball and released his own Shelmet.
He was obsessed with speed-based battles. There was no way he would ignore a Pokémon like Shelmet once he learned about Accelgor.
"Mii-mii?" Shelmet had barely come out before it saw Accelgor, its own evolved form. It stared, confused. Why was this one a different color?
"Zzzip?" Accelgor had been transferred here through the storage system, so it was just as surprised to see one of its own kind in a region so far away. "Little buddy, what are you doing here?"
"Not bad. Pretty cute." Reiji smiled and rubbed Shelmet's shell.
"I only learned about Shelmet because I watched your match. It was so fast, so I bought one and started raising it." Shingo spoke like he was chatting with an old friend, casually sharing his past.
"Is that so?" Reiji gave an awkward smile.
He knew exactly what had happened. Accelgor's performance in the tournament had been too eye-catching, especially its speed. It moved like a flash, too fast for the naked eye to follow. After it went viral, Reiji had seen plenty of people catching Shelmet.
Who would have thought a Unova Pokémon like Shelmet had become popular because of him? If livestreaming were a thing here, he could have sold products off that hype.
And what would he sell?
Lessons, obviously. Teaching other people how to make money was always the best way to make money.
Reiji and Shingo talked for a long while after that, and the conversation flowed better and better. It almost felt like they had met too late, mostly because speed was Shingo's favorite topic.
Reiji had spent enough time around people to know how young guys like this worked. As long as he was willing to spend the time, he could find a shared topic with almost anyone.
They kept chatting until someone came to tell them lunch was ready. Reiji followed Shingo and Muramasa to the kitchen, where Muramasa quietly gave him a look that basically said, Well done. My son has finally been set straight.
Reiji ignored the signal. Shingo was sitting right there. If he reacted, the kid would notice immediately.
After lunch, Shingo seemed to have something to do and left in a hurry. That left only Reiji and Muramasa.
Once the kitchen was empty, Muramasa stood and said, "Come with me to the study. Everything you want is there."
Reiji set down his bowl and chopsticks and followed Muramasa to the study. Muramasa took a small booklet from the shelf, placed it in front of him, and said, "Don't be fooled by how new it looks. This is a printed copy. I can guarantee the information inside is real and useful. You can read it here, test it here, or take it with you."
"You're not worried I'll spread it everywhere?" Reiji did not open the booklet yet. He took it, looked up at Muramasa, and wondered what the old man was really planning.
"There's no need to worry." Muramasa slipped both hands into his sleeves. "If the materials used in training are poor, the results will only be average. It won't produce anything truly strong. For ordinary people, this booklet is useless. Most of them already struggle just to live. How are they supposed to raise Pokémon this way?"
Muramasa sighed and lowered his head as he left the study, leaving Reiji alone inside.
Only then did Reiji open the booklet and skim through it. It covered three things.
The first was how to raise a Scizor with extreme speed and high defense.
According to the method in the booklet, Scizor's base Speed of 65 could be raised past 100, while its defense could also increase dramatically.
The method required two materials. The first was Metal Coat, Scyther's evolution material. The higher the quality, the better. The second was Float Stone. Reiji had already guessed that much, but the real technique lay in the mixing ratio, and that was something he did not know.
Metal Coat was made from metal powder shed by Steelix. In the older method, the powder was smeared over Scyther's body for a period of time, allowing it to evolve into Scizor.
These days, there was a much easier way: have Scyther hold a Metal Coat and evolve through a trade.
The booklet included both the original method and Muramasa's own notes.
According to Muramasa, when he was young, they all evolved Scyther by coating them in metal powder. But technology had changed quickly. Now, as long as the metal powder and Float Stone were mixed in the right ratio, Scyther could simply hold the evolution item and trade evolve.
Muramasa also wrote that his son's Scizor had used this newer evolution method, and the results had been surprisingly good.
To perfect the method for his son, Muramasa had run many tests. He had even evolved the Scyther belonging to the dojo students free of charge.
The second section explained how to increase Scizor's Fire resistance.
During one of those Scyther evolutions, Muramasa discovered that the trade evolution method could also incorporate Fire-resistance materials into the evolution item.
Fire-type attacks were resisted by Fire, Water, Rock, and Dragon.
He tested materials from all four categories and eventually settled on Water-type materials.
Fire-type materials conflicted with Scizor and were ruled out.
Rock-type materials did not work as well as Water-type materials and were also ruled out.
Dragon-type materials were too expensive, so Water remained the cheapest and most practical option.
Back in Muramasa's generation, not only were evolution methods crude, but improving Scizor's Fire resistance afterward was also painfully slow. It was nothing like the faster approach available now.
All they needed to do was mix the Fire-resistance material with metal powder and Float Stone powder in the correct ratio. The booklet contained the recipe for that evolution item.
Metal powder was the main evolution material. The booklet stressed that higher quality was always better, ideally Elite Four-tier quality. Low-quality material produced poor results, and in some cases no result at all. With high-quality metal powder, Scizor's base Defense of 100 could be pushed beyond 200.
Float Stone powder was the key to controlling Scizor's weight. Better metal powder meant more weight, and Float Stone powder did more than suppress that extra burden. It also reduced Scizor's body weight after evolution.
Then came the Fire-resistance materials: Damp Rock and Occa Berry.
Damp Rock covered the Fire-resistance side while still being a stone-like material. Occa Berry was what tied the mixture together. It improved the flavor, and Bug types liked sweet food anyway. Adding a little Honey also helped.
But this Fire-resistance mix could not be fed to Scyther in large amounts. During evolution, it only needed to form a thin layer across the armor's surface. Afterward, its resistance could be improved through diet, which led into the final section of the booklet.
The third section was Scizor's diet.
The materials used to evolve Scyther were only the foundation. The real work came after evolution. If the Trainer had enough money, they could follow the recipe and use ingredients at the same quality level as the evolution item, or even higher, then mix them in the right ratio to make food for Scizor.
With long-term use, Scizor's defense and Fire resistance would both rise as it grew stronger. But past a certain point, the Fire-resistance materials had to be stopped. After that, it should only continue with metal powder and Float Stone powder.
Fire resistance was only an extra benefit for Scizor. If it absorbed too much of those materials, its red metal armor would begin turning into stone armor, and its type would change. Muramasa had tried it before.
One Scizor he studied had taken in too much stone material and begun to petrify. But the result did not last long. The Scizor died on its own.
Muramasa had not dared continue that research. After cleaning away every trace, he destroyed the experimental data. He was the only one who knew about it, and he intended to take that secret to the grave. He had not written it in the booklet he gave Reiji.
That kind of experiment was forbidden research under League rules. If the League discovered it, he would be arrested. Muramasa did not want to drag his family into that mess, so he treated it as if it had never happened.
In truth, Muramasa had almost created a Kleavor.
In Hisui, Scyther could evolve into Kleavor under the influence of Black Augurite. Parts of its body would become stone-like.
Its type would change to Bug and Rock. It would be weak to Rock, Steel, and Water, with only two resistances.
That type profile was not as good as Scizor's. Scizor only had one x4 weakness to Fire, and it had nine resistances. If that x4 Fire weakness could be reduced, this kind of Scizor would be almost unbeatable—fast, tough, and hard to kill.
If it could take a Fire Blast to the face and still stand up, what more could anyone ask for?
Now that Reiji had the booklet for evolving Scyther and raising Scizor, his purpose here was complete. It was about time to leave.
As for whether the evolution and training methods in the booklet were real, he planned to test them as soon as possible. Muramasa probably would not lie to him. With a family and a dojo this large, the old man could not exactly run.
The booklet was also a money pit.
At each stage of Scizor's growth, it needed different grades of ingredients. As Scizor's level rose, the materials naturally had to get better too.
Even Elite-tier and Advanced-tier materials were hard to obtain. Each item could cost hundreds of thousands, even millions, without blinking. Elite Four-tier materials were worse. For ordinary people, this method really was useless. Poverty was the real wall.
Unless a Scizor already had excellent talent, with the potential to reach Elite Four tier, most Trainers would simply raise it normally. Normal speed, normal defense, normal Fire resistance. Everything normal.
Muramasa's method burned money. Low-grade materials would eventually stop working and only add weight. The stronger Scizor became, the higher the grade of material it would need. Its future ceiling depended on how high-quality a resource the Trainer could obtain.
No wonder Muramasa called it useless for ordinary people. Still, the effects were obvious. Light metal also help reducing weight.
That speed would be enough to surpass even legendary Pokémon, and that was only Scizor's own speed. Add a +6 boost and Tailwind again, and the name The Crimson Streak suddenly made perfect sense.
When Reiji finally left the study, the sun was already setting. He had not expected to spend that long reading. The moment he stepped out, a maid called him over and told him dinner was ready.
He had originally planned to leave, but they were keeping him for dinner too. He did not refuse. His stomach was already growling.
"Finished reading?" Muramasa asked with a cheerful smile once Reiji sat down.
"I finished." Reiji nodded lightly and made no move to return the booklet. There was no way he could memorize that much text in one sitting. He would keep it in his bag and study it slowly when he had time.
"Will you stay the night? The dojo has plenty of rooms."
"No, but thank you for the hospitality. I want to return to the Orange Archipelago as soon as possible. The tournament schedule is tight." Reiji shook his head and declined.
The Orange League tournament was about to start.
He had spent too much time in Johto. There was no longer enough time to collect the four Orange League qualifying badges, so he could only enter through the preliminaries. If he beat four opponents, he could advance into the group stage and join the tournament that way.
"I see. Then I won't keep you." Muramasa was in an excellent mood now that his son had finally found his way again. After dropping the subject of whether Reiji would stay, he started telling Reiji and Shingo stories from his youth.
It was Reiji's first time hearing them, so he listened with genuine interest. Shingo, on the other hand, had clearly heard them who knew how many times and kept looking distracted.
After dinner, Reiji stood to say goodbye. Muramasa and Shingo both walked him to the dojo gate.
"The Orange Archipelago," Shingo said as he shook Reiji's hand, then let go. "Tropical islands in the south, right? I've always wanted to see them."
The meaning behind that farewell was obvious.
"You're welcome anytime. If you come, I'll show you around." Reiji smiled at Shingo, while inside he was already thinking, Come on, come on. I'll set up a trap sooner or later and drag you in. Spider needs a strategist, someone to coordinate its operations.
"I hope the next time we meet, it's on the battlefield." Reiji waved goodbye, then turned and headed toward Union Cave.
"It will be." Shingo waved back and watched Reiji disappear down the road under the sunset.
After Reiji left, Shingo did not turn around. He knew his father was standing behind him.
"Father, I want to go on a journey."
"Go," Muramasa said.
He had already seen what his son was thinking. This was exactly the result he had wanted, so of course he would not object. If anything, he would raise both hands in support.
"You're not going to ask where?"
"I trust you."
Man. If Reiji had been there, he would have been impressed. The old fox had learned fast. He had taken Reiji's lesson about trust between Trainer and Pokémon and applied it straight to a father and son. For a sentimental teenager like Shingo, that was more than enough to hit hard.
"Father…" Shingo was already crying, but he did not turn around. He did not want his father to see that embarrassing face. Tears slid down his cheeks and fell to the ground.
For a long time, he stayed silent. He thought about everything his father had done for him, all the effort he had spent searching for Trainers who could reignite his passion for battles.
Only now did Shingo realize his father had never been annoying or troublesome. He had been the immature one.
His voice came out choked, and he sniffled once before he managed to speak.
"Father, I won't talk about giving up again. I'll keep going until there's nowhere left to go."
"I'll always support you. The world is a big. Go for it." Muramasa turned and walked away after saying that.
If he stayed any longer, he might see his son's crying face and ruin the father-son relationship they had finally repaired.
This was good enough. Their relationship had not only recovered, it had improved. From now on, even if Shingo did not obey everything he said, at least he would listen patiently and remember it. Someday, that might be enough.
"Father, tell me about your old journeys." When Shingo heard his father's footsteps, he wiped away his tears and hurried after him.
"Come to the study. I'll ask your mother to pack what you need for the road." Muramasa walked ahead and pinched his own arm hard.
He absolutely could not lose the act now. He had to stay cool until the end. His image as a great father could not collapse here.
"Okay." Shingo followed behind him, happiness written all over his face.
His father's old journeys were his most valuable treasure and experience. There was still so much Shingo needed to learn.
And the Orange Archipelago…
There had to be plenty of unfamiliar Trainers there, Trainers he had never seen before. Would they be interesting like him? Would they be strong opponents?
He was already looking forward to it.
"Orange Archipelago, here I come."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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