A day passed just like that, and Eichi continued his usual routine as if nothing had happened. Because of the previous night's events, he had become even more famous; now, even senior female students were proactively approaching him to chat. However, Eichi remained grounded and did not let it go to his head. Even when they sought him out, he merely declined them politely.
During lunch, Tetsu suddenly spoke up, "Eichi, I'm planning to host a small gathering for the top ten of our grade. It's happening tonight. Sato and Konan have already agreed to come, so you have to show up too."
Although Eichi didn't know why Tetsu was suddenly organizing this, he figured that since Sato was going, there was no harm in attending. He nodded and replied, "Sure, I'll be there."
"It's a deal then," Tetsu said. "Don't go changing your mind at the last second."
"By the way, where is this gathering taking place?"
"At my house. My mom bought a villa in Silver Town, remember?"
In Director Yanagi's office, the teapot and the tea-making process remained the same, though this time it was Director Yanagi himself serving the tea. He poured a cup of freshly brewed hot tea for the Vice Principal.
After pouring a cup for himself and taking a sip, he asked, "How is Keita doing now?"
The Vice Principal calmly sipped his tea and replied, "Since his defeat yesterday, he still hasn't been able to accept the fact that he lost to Eichi. He's still in a slump."
"Actually, it isn't that embarrassing for Keita to lose to Eichi," Director Yanagi comforted him. "You know how rare a talent like Eichi is, Vice Principal. If he hadn't chosen to specialize in Bug-types—even if it were just Grass-types—I would be ninety percent certain he could reach the level of an Elite Four member or even a Champion."
Then, Director Yanagi added with a chuckle, "Looking at you, it seems you aren't worried about him at all, even though he's your grandson."
The Vice Principal remained unperturbed. "It's precisely because the family cared for him too much that he turned out this way. I actually want to thank Eichi. If he hadn't defeated Keita, I don't know when the boy would have finally woken up."
Director Yanagi didn't know what else to say, so he pivoted to another topic.
Eichi skipped dinner that evening because he was headed to Tetsu's house for the gathering. Once classes ended in the afternoon, he took his Pokémon out for training and then returned to his room for a shower. At 6:50 PM, Tetsu gave him a call.
"Hey, Eichi, you can head over now."
"Okay, give me a moment, I'm on my way."
After leaving the dormitory, Eichi walked to a wide-open area and released Heracross.
"Heracross," Eichi said as he hopped onto its back. "Do you remember Tetsu's villa? The big house with all the delicious food from last time?"
"Heracro! Heracro!" Heracross nodded vigorously. It remembered that house full of treats very clearly.
Eichi patted its head. "Good that you remember. Let's head there now."
Heracross followed the order, vibrating its wings and taking flight. Flying was not prohibited within Silver Academy; as long as you didn't cause trouble, you could fly as you pleased.
The landscape blurred beneath them as Heracross sped through the air. The wind whipped against Eichi's face, feeling quite refreshing. In the distance, the last remnants of the sunset were fading away as night descended. Heracross remembered the route perfectly from the last visit, seemingly waiting for the day it could return there to eat.
Heracross was true to its word; even without Eichi's reminders, it flew straight to the villa. The estate was brightly lit at night, with the central building glowing brilliantly against the dark surroundings. Heracross landed by the main entrance, where a small guardhouse stood by the iron gate.
A middle-aged man inside noticed Eichi and immediately stepped out. He asked kindly, "You must be Master Tetsu's friend, Eichi, right?"
"You know me?" Eichi asked, surprised.
The man smiled. "Master Tetsu showed us photos of you all and instructed us to let you through immediately. Please, head inside; I suspect Master Tetsu is getting impatient."
He pressed a button on a remote, and the heavy iron gate began to slide open. Heracross vibrated its wings and flew inside. "Thank you," Eichi called out from its back.
He hadn't had a good look at the entire manor during his last visit, so he had Heracross slow down. He took his time taking in the sights until they reached the central villa.
He hopped down from Heracross and walked inside. The architectural style of Tetsu's home was very vintage. Instead of electric bulbs, the interior was lit by candles, and only a few maids were busy working. Shortly after he entered, Tetsu arrived.
"Eichi, you're here!"
The voice came from the right. Tetsu was wearing a black formal uniform, similar to the noble attire seen on television. Several others were with him: Sato, Konan, Ami, and Kosei were all there. Even Matsumoto and Ishida had come. Of the top ten first-years, only Shinta was absent.
Tetsu felt Shinta's character was too poor, as evidenced by the time he ordered someone's Exeggutor to use Self-Destruct. It wasn't just Tetsu; no one else liked Shinta either. Matsumoto and Ishida, on the other hand, were merely arrogant but otherwise fine.
"It looks like I'm the last to arrive," Eichi said with a smile.
"We were all waiting for you," Tetsu said, leading Eichi in.
The group sat down at the dining table in the hall. Besides the large main table, there were two other large tables nearby. They were laden with delicacies that looked incredibly appetizing. Tetsu took the center seat, with Eichi and Kelly sitting beside him.
"The two tables on the side are for the Pokémon," Tetsu laughed. "So, everyone, please release your Pokémon."
Since Tetsu made the suggestion, everyone began releasing their teams.
"Come on out, Beedrill, Scizor, Scizor, Wimpod!"
"Everyone, come out and eat! Gardevoir, Umbreon, Togetic!"
"Charizard, Electivire..."
"Cloyster, Blaziken..."
The hall suddenly became much livelier as everyone's Pokémon appeared. Under the guidance of the maids, they headed to the adjacent tables to eat.
Eichi whispered a final instruction to Beedrill, "Beedrill, remember to look after Wimpod. It's too timid."
Beedrill glanced at Wimpod and nodded.