During this attempt, Scizor discovered that the two currents of energy experienced repulsion and disorder when they spiraled around each other. After thinking for a moment, it realized that X-Scissor is a Bug-type move, while Razor Wind is a Normal-type move. Previously, it had only focused on mobilizing Bug-type energy and forgot about the Normal-type energy.
This time, while mobilizing the energy, Scizor continuously absorbed Normal-type energy particles from the surroundings during the winding process. It merged these with the two currents before allowing them to flow and interconnect. Finally, the two energy currents stopped repelling each other or losing control.
However, Scizor's joy didn't last long. The energy suddenly exploded, impacting its body. Scizor's face once again showed a pained expression, making Eichi worry as he watched from the side.
After the failure, Scizor opened its eyes. Teacher Muramasa knew it had failed again and prepared to offer some guidance. "You—" he began.
But Scizor didn't give him the chance. It had only just opened its eyes before closing them again. The words Muramasa intended to say got stuck in his throat. Feeling a bit awkward, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and clear his throat twice to hide his embarrassment.
This time, Scizor felt completely capable of succeeding. The previous failure happened because it was too impatient and started winding before the two types of energy had fully merged. For this attempt, Scizor performed every step with extreme care, seeking success over speed.
The two energy currents gathered in Scizor's dual claws once more. As they accumulated, it slowly absorbed Normal-type energy particles from the outside, merging them with the Bug-type energy. Once the fusion was complete, two entirely new currents of energy were formed. Scizor began to interconnect them, making them flow at the junction of its claws according to the Taiji pattern.
This time, the energy neither lost control nor went wild. Scizor felt a surge of excitement. However, it wasn't time to celebrate yet. It calmed its heart, and once the two currents truly formed a Taiji diagram, Scizor knew it was close to success.
This attempt was significantly slower than the previous ones. It took Scizor nearly several dozen minutes to complete the fusion. Eichi had a premonition that it might actually succeed this time.
Muramasa's expression turned solemn. Did it actually manage to pull it off? he wondered.
Meanwhile, Masamune sensed the same energy fluctuations it felt when using its own Air Slash. It knew Scizor was about to succeed.
Suddenly, Scizor snapped its eyes open and turned toward the forest, swinging its dual claws with great force. As it swung, the gathered energy within its body was drawn into a small cross shape by its movements.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, messing up Eichi and Muramasa's hair. This small cross-shaped wind blade struck a large tree. The tree swayed slightly as leaves showered down, leaving a small cross-shaped mark on the trunk.
Scizor stared blankly at the cross mark. I succeeded. I finally used it.
Eichi immediately burst into applause. "You did it, Scizor! You did it! You're truly incredible," he shouted happily.
Eichi was so excited that he lost his usual composure. Muramasa, seeing the success, looked dazed. "It succeeded... and it only took this long to learn it," he muttered.
Behind Muramasa, Masamune wore a gratified smile.
Scizor was overjoyed. After the initial excitement, Eichi turned to Muramasa. "Teacher Muramasa, did you see? Scizor succeeded!"
Muramasa snapped out of it, coughed twice, and spoke in a serious tone, "Ahem. Very impressive. To learn it in just two short hours... I originally wanted to give Scizor some pointers, but I didn't expect it to figure it out on its own. This part was meant to be a test for Scizor that I didn't mention, yet it still gained the insight. But don't get arrogant yet."
"While Scizor learned Cross Slash, it took nearly half an hour, and its power is barely worth mentioning—it's not even as good as a normal move," Muramasa continued. "Therefore, rigorous training is still required. Furthermore, who will give you time to enter the state of Perception during a battle? You must practice more."
"I understand, Teacher Muramasa," Eichi smiled. "We will definitely train harder."
"That's the spirit," Mr. Muramasa said. "Since Scizor has learned it, practice a while longer. In another week, we can move on to the final training session."
"Understood," Eichi replied.
Muramasa nodded and headed back. Behind him, before Masamune left, it extended one claw in a gesture that Eichi guessed was the equivalent of a human's thumbs-up.
Scizor nodded in response. After they left, Eichi said, "Scizor, tell me about how you felt when you used Cross Slash."
After listening to Scizor's description, Eichi had a general idea of what the move was like. He then had Scizor continue practicing. Succeeding once didn't mean it would succeed every time.
Fortunately, Scizor succeeded on its second attempt as well. It seemed it had mastered it thoroughly. There were reasons Scizor learned Cross Slash so quickly: first, Scizor's high natural talent—Eichi had seen Muramasa's Pokémon and knew his own Scizor had higher potential. Second, Eichi frequently taught it to sense its own energy flow and joint movements, which was incredibly beneficial for learning Combination Moves.
Next came continuous practice. First, they needed to reduce the charging time, then increase the move's power, and finally ensure it could be used in battle without being interrupted. After deciding on the plan, Eichi let Scizor practice a bit longer. In that short time, Scizor made even more progress.
Eventually, Eichi took his three Pokémon back for dinner. On the way, he felt quite emotional; half a month had already passed since he arrived at the Dojo. Time truly flew. He wondered how Tetsu and the others were doing.
At that moment, Tetsu was training. His expression was very serious, lacking his usual casual attitude. Once training ended, it was already late. As Tetsu walked out, he ran into Sato, and the two greeted each other.
"I heard you lost to those two," Sato said. "Judging by your look, you must have been quite discouraged, otherwise you wouldn't be training this hard."
At the mention of those two, Tetsu's mood immediately soured.