Furthermore, just like Ninjask, these moves reached the Skilled level as soon as they were learned.
Seeing that there was still some time left, Eichi decided to let everyone train for a while. This was especially important for Ninjask and Shedinja. Although they were in a special state due to their recent evolution, they still needed training to familiarize themselves with their new moves.
During lunch, Little Yu acted spoiled toward Eichi, begging to hear stories from his travels. She was very interested in them, likely because her usual environment was as small and confined as Eichi's used to be, preventing her from experiencing the outside world.
Since Eichi happened to have the time, he shared a few stories. Some of the protagonists from his tales would also be participating in the Indigo League this time, and Eichi looked forward to meeting them again.
In the afternoon, Eichi skipped training to pay a visit to Teacher Arno's home. This time, Teacher Arno had returned to his usual self compared to a few months ago and didn't say anything strange. Instead, he discussed various Pokémon-related issues with Eichi.
Furthermore, when Eichi spoke of his ideals now, Teacher Arno no longer viewed them as a fantasy. While he acknowledged the difficulty of achieving them, he internally believed that Eichi truly had a chance to become a Bug-type Elite Four.
They chatted for an hour or two like this, and Eichi benefited greatly. In the past, his knowledge had been shallow, and his questions lacked technical depth. Now that he understood more, he gained significantly more insight from consulting Teacher Arno.
After dinner, Eichi took his Pokémon out to train. As the Indigo League drew closer, he needed to conduct some pre-tournament special training.
Although Eichi's primary goal in participating in the Indigo League was simply to gain experience, he still hoped to achieve a high rank. After all, reaching the Top 16 came with a reward of a Stat Booster, and he had been eyeing that for a long time.
He arrived at a small grove just as the sun was about to set, and the evening glow filled the sky. Eichi released his six Pokémon and took out his notebook to begin their session. Since Ninjask and Shedinja had just evolved, he hadn't had time to create specific training plans for them yet, and they hadn't exited their post-evolution state.
A few minutes later, once the Pokémon returned from their warm-up, he began arranging their tasks. Seeing Beedrill, Scizor, and Heracross training so seriously made Eichi feel gratified.
During his three-month journey, he had defeated several Gyms. Although the Gym battles themselves weren't particularly useful for Beedrill and the others, the greatest gain was battling strong trainers on the road. Whether they won or lost, it was highly beneficial for their growth.
Among them, Beedrill had gained the most. Over the three months, it had broken through to the Gym Leader rank. It was currently at the early Gym Leader rank, approximately Level 51. Scizor had risen from Level 44 to Level 49, while Heracross had gone from Level 43 to Level 46.
Beedrill's breakthrough into the Gym Leader rank was the source of Eichi's confidence in placing well at this Indigo League.
In the Pokémon Center of Blackthorn City, Johto Region.
Sato opened his room door, went downstairs, and left the Pokémon Center. Just as he stepped out, he ran into an acquaintance.
"Konan," Sato said.
"Sato," Konan replied.
By coincidence, Sato and Konan met right at the entrance of the Blackthorn City Pokémon Center.
"You're in Blackthorn City too, Sato. Are you here to challenge the Blackthorn Gym?" Konan asked.
Sato nodded. He was indeed about to challenge the Blackthorn Gym.
"Did you just arrive in Blackthorn City?" Sato asked.
Konan nodded in response.
"That's right. I just got here. I plan to rest for a bit in the Pokémon Center before heading to the Blackthorn Gym. Wait for me for a second, and we can go challenge the Gym together."
"...Alright, I'll wait for you in the lobby," Sato replied.
With that, Konan went to find the staff to book a room. Ten minutes later, Konan and Sato headed to the Blackthorn Gym together. Both were in the same situation; they were only missing their final badge. After finishing the Gym challenge, the two came out together.
"Sato, I look forward to meeting you at the Johto League," Konan said.
"Me too," Sato replied.
In the Director's Office of Silver Academy.
Director Yanagi looked at the information in his hands. While the documents sat on his desk, his mind was on other matters.
The participants for the Johto League had already been arranged. The strongest student of this year was participating, along with another student. Oh, right—besides those two, there were also the young ones, Sato and Konan.
He didn't hold much hope for them. If they placed well, that was great, but if they didn't, it didn't matter. Silver Academy's reputation didn't need to be promoted through the Johto League.
His main concern was the Indigo League. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to give Eichi a Stat Booster reward for reaching the Top 16. He had arranged for some of the slightly weaker graduates from this class to go to the Indigo League.
Actually, those who didn't understand would be curious as to why Director Yanagi was so obsessed with sending people to the Indigo League. Was it really just to go to the Kanto region to prove that Silver Academy was stronger?
That was indeed a reason, but it was only the surface. Director Yanagi's true goal concerned the distribution of resources.
Both the Kanto region and the Johto region were within the League's jurisdiction. However, the Kanto region was like the League's favorite child, with all the best resources tilted toward Indigo Academy. This was one of the reasons why Silver Academy had always been inferior to Indigo Academy.
Director Yanagi wanted to change all this. The first step was to change the League's perception of Silver Academy, giving them the illusion that Indigo Academy was no longer capable. Then, he would work behind the scenes to secure more resources for his academy.
However, the things involved in this were too complicated. Director Yanagi was mentally exhausted; he was still in his prime, yet white hair was already appearing.
Suddenly, he thought of Eichi. Eichi was a crucial link in this plan. With him there, the Director felt confident of success. He hoped Eichi would pull through.
On the other side of the Indigo Plateau, at Indigo Academy.
In an office, three middle-aged men sat on sofas. One of them, a middle-aged man in a black suit with grey hair and glasses, frowned and said:
"For this Indigo League, that old fellow Yanagawa will definitely arrange for his academy's students to participate again. This time, just like last time, we absolutely cannot let anyone from Silver Academy win the championship."
"Let's have Katsuyoshi go this time," the man suggested.
Hearing that name, the other two were clearly surprised.
"Director, but regarding the conditions Katsuyoshi proposed... are we really going to agree to them?"
The man with glasses let out a breath and said, "For the honor of our Indigo Academy, we have no choice. The academy leadership and the League already have certain opinions of us. For the sake of the championship, I have to agree to his request."
"Alright. Then, what about the Johto League...?"
"Go. Arrange for more people to go. Tell them that the higher the rank, the greater the reward."