"I'm doing quite well over here. Let me tell you, I've seen many new Bug-type Pokémon," Teacher Takemoto said.
"There are several Bug-type species here in Sinnoh with very impressive base stats."
Eichi guessed that there were likely only a few Bug-type Pokémon in the Sinnoh region that Teacher Takemoto hadn't seen before. It's probably Burmy, Wormadam, Mothim, Vespiquen, and Skorupi, he thought.
"I might stay here for a while longer," Teacher Takemoto continued. "By the way, how are you getting along with Asen?"
Asen was Teacher Takemoto's assistant. Because Eichi had been busy with other matters, he hadn't visited Asen very often. They weren't very close, but while Asen was a man of few words, he was a good person.
"Pretty well," Eichi replied with a smile. Then, he asked, "Teacher, have you seen Aaron?"
Teacher Takemoto's tone suddenly became intense and filled with wonder. "I've seen him. I must say, Aaron is truly a genius."
"I watched one of his battles. He uses nothing but Bug-type Pokémon, and every single one of them is at the Elite Four rank."
"I truly cannot imagine how he managed to train those Pokémon. Most importantly, Aaron's family is quite unique."
Then, Teacher Takemoto's voice turned somber. "I visited his family recently wanting to exchange some knowledge. Although I learned something, I felt like they were hiding a lot from me."
"I offered some of my research results in exchange, but they said they needed to consider it. I haven't heard back since."
"Oh, right, there's something I should tell you. Aaron is going to participate in the Master Tournament this year to challenge the Elite Four."
Holding the communicator, Eichi felt a bit dazed by Teacher Takemoto's words. Is it finally starting? He wondered how much of a stir it would cause the moment Aaron became a Bug-type Elite Four member.
Half an hour later, Eichi hung up the phone and went to train Beedrill and the others as usual.
Upon entering the Battle Hall, Eichi released his three companions: Beedrill, Scizor, and Heracross. Thanks to his meticulous care, all three were now significantly larger than the average members of their species.
He activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor. The cyan flames within the three Pokémon were burning very vigorously. Beedrill's flame was the largest, followed by Scizor's, while Heracross's was the smallest. However, the gap wasn't large. Furthermore, Eichi had a premonition that his next Pokémon would definitely have Champion talent.
Walking over to the move-testing machine, he flipped the switch and adjusted the energy panel.
Buzz...
Several thick layers of energy panels combined to form a massive display, five meters long and three meters wide.
"Don't use any moves," Eichi instructed the three. "Just hit the energy panel directly. I want to see how much you've improved."
The three Pokémon exchanged glances before Heracross stepped up first.
"Heracross!"
Heracross's gaze sharpened. It vibrated its wings and took to the air, pointing its single horn toward the energy panel. Suddenly accelerating, it charged forward and slammed hard into the panel.
Bang!
Heracross was delighted to see that the number on the electronic screen was 500 higher than last time. It flew back to Eichi's side, chirping away—it wanted a reward.
Next was Scizor. Scizor took a deep breath and vibrated its wings, hovering in mid-air. Staring at the distant energy panel, its muscles tensed. It suddenly burst forward, swinging its claw mid-flight. Concentrating all its strength, its eyes locked on the target, and it delivered a heavy blow.
Bang!
Scizor looked at the number on the screen and seemed dissatisfied, returning to Eichi's side gloomily.
"Don't be upset, Scizor," Eichi said, patting its head with a smile. "You've improved by 800, which is even more than Heracross."
Finally, it was the big boss's turn: Beedrill. Eichi was eager to see what kind of value Beedrill could produce now. Would it be 3,500? Or maybe 3,800?
Beedrill didn't seem to need any preparation. It vanished from its spot and reappeared in an instant.
Bang!
Eichi's eyes widened. It was staggering! Compared to the last test, Beedrill had improved by 1,200! This was an incredible pace. Even Scizor looked on in disbelief.
"Beedrill, you're amazing!" Eichi said excitedly as he walked over.
Beedrill nodded, accepting the praise. It was also a bit surprised by its own progress, but considering the effort it had put in to grow stronger, it didn't seem so strange after all.
While Eichi was still training, over at the Indigo Academy on the other side of the Indigo Plateau.
As Asen dismounted from Pidgeot, someone ran up to him. "Asen, the Director said to go find him as soon as you returned."
Asen gave a cool nod. "Thanks, I know."
He headed straight for the Director's office. Inside, Asen sat across from the Director, who poured him a glass of water. "You're finally back. I thought you might stay out for a few more days."
Asen didn't drink the water. "I said I'd be back before we left, so I'm back."
The Director took a sip of water and nodded. "Well, since you're back, get some good rest tonight. We officially depart tomorrow."
Asen nodded. The Director then asked, "How was your training trip?"
"Very good," Asen replied simply.
"I believe in your strength, and I believe you will win and bring honor to our Silver Academy."
After saying this, the Director stood up and handed a stack of documents from his desk to Asen.
"What is this?"
Seeing Asen's confused expression, the Director explained, "These are your opponents—the participants from the Silver Academy for this exchange match. Go back and study them. Although they might not be a match for you, 'know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.'"
"Pay special attention to the first one, this boy named Eichi. You should look at him closely; he might be your strongest opponent in this exchange."
"Is that so?"
Curious, Asen took the files. He picked up the first page, which featured the name "Eichi" and a photograph. Looking at the person in the photo, he felt the face was familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
Skipping the unimportant information, he read further down.
Commonly used Pokémon: Bug-types—Beedrill, Scizor, Heracross.
Beedrill?
The other two Pokémon were normal enough, but what was the deal with this Beedrill?