It was time for Spinarak's training to begin. As for what approach to take, Tetsuya knew it better than anyone. There was no need to seek guidance from anyone else.
Even in his previous life, among all those who used Spinarak and Ariados, Tetsuya had never encountered anyone who surpassed him, despite the fact that his methods had always been extremely ruthless.
Spinarak continued watching its companions train, yet it had no idea how it should move its own body.
"If you want to become as strong as they are, there's only one path! Training. Shall we begin, Spinarak?"
Tetsuya asked.
Spinarak nodded without hesitation, its resolve firm!
Deep within the mountains, where the forest was dense and the trees flourished, was the perfect place for Spinarak to move about.
"Our training will begin with String Shot. See those trees? Climb onto the branches and use String Shot to move between them. Don't stop."
Tetsuya had Spinarak begin with this "basic" exercise. In reality, whether it was Spinarak or Ariados, their offense, defense, and evasion were all built upon the basis of String Shot. If this move was fully mastered, it could realize both offense and defense, allowing them to advance and retreat freely while completely controlling their opponents.
After Tetsuya finished speaking, Spinarak swiftly climbed up a tree trunk. It then fired String Shot onto the branch of another tree. Pulled forward by the silk thread, Spinarak reached the next tree. In this way, it continued moving from tree to tree, training both its String Shot move and its physique.
During its first training session, Spinarak fell from the seventh tree because it ran out of stamina. Fortunately, Golurk reacted in time and caught it before it hit the ground.
After helping Spinarak recover, Tetsuya continued walking through the forest. The next time he stopped to rest, Spinarak resumed its training. Tetsuya had chosen this method because he wanted to build a solid base for Spinarak.
---◓---
Over the next two days, Tetsuya searched the forest for his target while training Spinarak at the same time. As for Spinarak's food, it had to catch it by itself. Many Bug-type Pokémon were its prey. By now, Spinarak could continuously use String Shot to move across twelve trees in succession.
The twelve trees intertwined with one another, and the silk threads formed bridges connecting them. After repeated use, they became a giant web trap. Bug-type Pokémon such as Venomoth, Butterfree, and… Beedril0,l would become stuck in the web if they were not careful.
Once trapped, escape was impossible, and they would simply become Spinarak's food!
Of course, Spinarak's appetite was still small. Just one such Pokémon was enough to feed it for an entire day. Therefore, Tetsuya spared the Beedrill it caught, which naturally made Beedrill feel even more attached to him.
Spinarak continued its training, becoming increasingly proficient at moving between the trees with String Shot. Tetsuya had remained in the area for the entire day, and by then, the dozen or so trees had been almost completely connected by Spinarak's silk.
It was mealtime when the web suddenly began to tremble.
Taking a bite of the bread in his hand, Tetsuya said, "Spinarak, your food has arrived again."
Tetsuya then stood up. When he saw the Pokémon caught in the web, he could not help but smile with delight!
To his surprise… six Scyther had been caught in the web all at once!
In Kanto, Scyther could be considered the strongest Bug-type Pokémon. Moreover, Scyther was not normally afraid of spider silk. It had razor-sharp forearms and excelled at using slashing moves.
Under normal circumstances, there was no way this web could have trapped those Scyther. Yet not only had it trapped them, it had caught an entire group of six, which was simply unbelievable.
'…Oh?'
Tetsuya observed them carefully and realized that all of the Scyther had already been seriously injured and were on the verge of death. They had obviously been through a battle beforehand. It seemed he had stumbled upon quite a bargain.
He had just gripped a Poké Ball in his hand, preparing to catch the Scyther.
"Wait…!"
A rough voice stopped Tetsuya.
Turning around, Tetsuya saw a burly man accompanied by two others dressed in identical outfits, who appeared to be his minios. He had already guessed the identities of the three men.
Their distinctive aura made it obvious. After all, Tetsuya knew them all too well from his previous life. They were clearly Pokémon Hunters, the very people who had seriously injured the Scyther.
"Were you three calling me?" Tetsuya asked in return.
"That's right! Our Scyther… accidentally, got caught in your web, so we'd appreciate it if you returned them immediately," The leader of the "Trainers" said.
"If they're your Pokémon, then you can simply recall them with your Poké Balls. Why waste your breath here? Tche… you don't even have the decisiveness a Pokémon Hunter should have! I'd say you should find another line of work as soon as possible, bois~"
Tetsuya mocked them sarcastically.
However, Tetsuya himself had once been among the very best Pokémon Hunters. Situations like this were nothing new to him. There was no way he would expose his own background. The only option was to understand his opponents and adapt accordingly.
The three Pokémon Hunters were furious after hearing Tetsuya's words.
"You little kiddo… so you know we're Pokémon Hunters, huh. Then you'd better be smart and hand over our prey. Otherwise… heh~ Don't blame us for what happens next!"
As soon as they finished speaking, all three Hunters threw out three Poké Balls each, sending out three Primeape, three Fearow, and three Onix.
Tetsuya was certain that the three Pokémon Hunters had far more Pokémon than these. Otherwise, they could never have injured all six Scyther so severely. Releasing only three Pokémon each was simply a precaution, leaving themselves with enough aces to escape if necessary.
The moment those Pokémon appeared, there was no need for further words. The three Fearow immediately charged toward Tetsuya with Drill Peck!
However, Tetsuya's Pokémon were no pushovers. Golurk charged forward first, grabbing one Fearow in each hand before hurling them away. The third Fearow was intercepted by Beedrill with [Fatal Pursuit].
Although the battle had only just begun, the three Pokémon Hunters no longer dared underestimate Tetsuya. Under normal circumstances, Pokémon required commands before taking action. Pokémon capable of acting on their own initiative like this could only have reached that level through long-term intense training.
Golurk fought two Fearow by itself, battling them as they ascended higher into the sky. Beedrill and the third Fearow also charged upward into the air.
The impatient Primeape could no longer restrain themselves. They charged recklessly without any regard for their own safety, completely intent on fighting to the bitter end.
There were many different ways to deal with Pokémon like that. At that moment, Tetsuya called out, "Drapion, those three are yours. Miltank, use Helping Hand."
Drapion's combat power could only continue to grow through constant battles. With the support of Miltank's Helping Hand, its capabilites would be greatly enhanced. The rest depended on Drapion's own performance.
Battles like this, where Drapion faced three opponents alone, were especially effective at helping it develop the coordinated use of both its pincers and tail.