Scizor, like a red flash of lightning, dodged all the small steel balls.
Eichi was aware of some of Scizor's thoughts. It desperately yearned to grow stronger, and given Eichi's current abilities, its rate of progress was already fast enough, but it still felt insufficient. Eichi felt that his own accumulation of knowledge was inadequate; Scizor needed some special training methods.
Suddenly, Eichi recalled a person. In the anime, when Ash traveled to the Johto region, he met a man named Muramasa in a forest. Muramasa had a very powerful Scizor named Masamune. That Scizor had left a deep impression on him; it was very strong.
Muramasa was rumored to have won many championships and likely possessed some unique training methods, so Eichi wanted to visit him for guidance.
However, this matter required careful consideration. Even if he wanted to go, the Academy might not approve.
The students competing for a spot in the Inter-Academy Friendship Exchange were working incredibly hard. Students in every class had noticed that the top performers in their class were busy every day. When asked, everyone was busy training their Pokémon, preparing for the selection in December.
A month passed quickly, and Eichi continued his usual routine: studying, training his Pokémon, and making Pokéblocks.
Because of the 2.3 million pokedollars transferred by Tetsu, Eichi was much more financially comfortable. After this month, he was able to successfully make the Intermediate Pokéblock recipes he redeemed from the Logistics Department, and the quality was at the Perfect Grade. However, he was currently stuck making only a few portions at a time and could not produce them in large quantities. He still needed some time to adapt.
Meanwhile, his Pokémon training hadn't fallen behind.
Recently, Scizor had mentioned to him that it felt its pace of improvement was too slow and wanted Eichi to find a way to increase the training difficulty or change the training plan.
Eichi thought of Muramasa again and decided to request a leave of absence to go find him. He was currently on his way to Director Yanagi's office.
He arrived, knocked on the door, and the door immediately opened. It was a teacher Eichi didn't recognize.
Eichi greeted him, "Hello, Teacher. I'm here to see Director Yanagi."
The teacher turned to Director Yanagi, who was sitting on the sofa inside. "Director, someone's here for you." Then, he added, "I'll be leaving now."
"Alright," Director Yanagi said to the teacher.
The teacher nodded to Eichi and exited, so Eichi walked into the office.
"Eichi, sit down," Director Yanagi said.
Eichi sat down across from Director Yanagi.
Director Yanagi had brewed tea while chatting with the other teacher earlier. He poured Eichi a cup of tea, and before Eichi could speak, he started in a teasing tone, "Eichi, my student, what business brings you here? Knowing you, you wouldn't come to see me unless you had a reason."
"Hehe," Eichi chuckled.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Tell me, what's up?" Director Yanagi asked.
Eichi organized his words and asked, "Teacher, do you know Muramasa?"
"Which Muramasa?" Director Yanagi asked. "I know several people named Muramasa. I don't know which one you're referring to."
Eichi emphasized, "The Muramasa who uses a Scizor."
Director Yanagi suddenly realized. "Ah, him! I know him. What do you need him for?" But he spoke immediately, before Eichi could even answer. "Wait a moment, let me guess. Muramasa is most famous for his Scizor. And you just happen to have a Scizor. Are you trying to learn his training methods for Scizor?"
Eichi nodded and smiled. "Director Yanagi, you're amazing! You guessed it."
Director Yanagi laughed proudly. "That was too easy. I figured it out right away."
"Director Yanagi, do you know where Mr. Muramasa lives?" Eichi asked.
"He lives in a forest between Violet City and Azalea Town. He runs a Dojo there. However, Eichi, as a student of our Academy, you can't just leave," Director Yanagi said.
"I recall that students are allowed to apply for leave from the Academy," Eichi replied.
"You want to take a leave of absence to study at Muramasa's Dojo?" Director Yanagi asked.
"That's right. And I'll only be gone for a short time, not too long," Eichi said.
Director Yanagi was silent for a moment, then firmly refused. "No. If you take a leave of absence, what about your academic work?"
"Director, trust me, I won't delay my studies. Furthermore, I have already self-studied all the courses for this semester," Eichi said.
Director Yanagi clearly looked a little less firm when he heard that Eichi had finished self-studying the semester's courses, but he still refused. "Still no. You say you finished self-studying, but who's going to believe that? No, I disagree."
After Director Yanagi's strict refusal, the atmosphere in the office instantly solidified. After a moment of silence between the two, Eichi spoke up, "Director, you should know my character. If I say I've finished studying, I definitely have. I wouldn't lie about something like this. I know you still have concerns, which is why you disagree."
Director Yanagi didn't speak, essentially agreeing with the statement. Eichi then suggested, "How about this? Director Yanagi, you can give me an assessment. It can be a theoretical exam or practical battles. If I pass all of them, will you agree to let me go?"
When Eichi finished speaking, Director Yanagi stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then agreed. "Fine, I promise you. If you pass the assessment, I will approve your leave of absence."
"Thank you, Director," Eichi said. "But please don't go back on your word."
"Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Director Yanagi said angrily. "I'm the teaching director! I would go back on my word? What a joke."
Eichi quickly apologized. "Please don't be angry, sir. I apologize; it was my fault. I shouldn't have doubted you."
"That's better," Director Yanagi said. "You should go back for now. Once the specific time and assessment content are decided, I will notify you."
"Alright, Director, I'll be leaving then," Eichi said.
"Go, go," Director Yanagi said impatiently.
Eichi opened the door and left.
After closing the door, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally succeeded. Eichi knew that during the first three years at Silver Academy, students were not granted long leaves unless there was a matter of extreme importance. Furthermore, Eichi wasn't asking for a one or two-week leave, but a break of over a month, nearly two months. Director Yanagi must have agreed because of his good grades and the bonus of being the Freshmen Tournament champion.
After Eichi left, Director Yanagi sat down again, poured himself another cup of tea, and slowly took a sip. He murmured to himself, "If Professor Kant hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that you, little Eichi, possess an Outstanding breeding talent. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have agreed to your request."