After returning home, Satoshi went directly to the training room to practice with his Pokémon.
Perhaps because his family was wealthy, his house was quite spacious—though he had no idea exactly how rich his family was. At least, certainly not as wealthy as James's family.
After all, even Growlithe's doghouse was ridiculously huge.
If he had to compare, his entire house was smaller than that doghouse.
Without dwelling too much on the matter, Satoshi refocused his attention on the training at hand.
Specifically, testing Raichu's new move—[Electroweb]—and assessing Grookey's strength.
[Electroweb]:The user attacks and captures the target in an electric net, lowering its speed.
It was the signature move of Gym Leader Iono from Paldea.
From what Satoshi gathered, Iono's [Electroweb] had earned her countless fans online.
Iono: "Your eyeballs are MINE—caught in my Electroweb! Who's streaming? It's me, Iono! Hello, hola, bonjour, ciao! Welcome to the Iono Zone!"
Through this ultra-cute persona, she had become a top-tier streamer.
Satoshi had watched her videos himself.
His conclusion was simple:
Just average.
Her only real charm was that, during battles, she bounced around energetically, almost like Regieleki, giving her a uniquely cute intensity.
Unfortunately, battles weren't particularly popular in Paldea. Even Champion Geeta would often save her support-oriented Glimmora for last—and even after defeating her, one merely gained the title "Champion Rank Trainer," not an actual Champion.
Satoshi couldn't help suspecting Pokémon battles in Paldea were more about connections than actual strength.
Right now, I'm still too weak. I definitely have to improve.
But how exactly…
He shifted his gaze to Raichu and shouted out enthusiastically:
"Raichu! Hit me with [Electroweb]!"
To become a Pokémon Master, he needed to understand every move firsthand.
Hearing this, Raichu didn't hesitate.
"Rai~ Rai!"
Instantly, a golden electric net surged forward, crackling ferociously with overwhelming force.
"Pachi?!" "Kero~ Kero~!"
Grookey's eyes widened in astonishment, while Froakie casually patted Grookey's shoulder as if saying, Don't worry too much.
You'll get used to it.
After all, this was their trainer—Super Rookie Satoshi. His strength was legendary; no further words needed!
"Ah… I'm getting paralyzed again." A powerful jolt surged through Satoshi, sending tingling sensations spreading from his feet upwards.
Yet, despite the seemingly unstoppable attack, Satoshi was largely unharmed. With a strong tug, he tore the [Electroweb] apart and escaped its golden confines.
"Looks like it's not too damaging."
With this test, Satoshi now fully understood [Electroweb's] true effects.
[Electroweb] usually had a 100% chance to lower an opponent's Speed by one stage—but here, once freed, the speed reduction quickly disappeared. Still, the brief trapping effect could be valuable in battle, providing an opening for further attacks.
[Electroweb's]not bad. I'll probably use it often in upcoming battles.
Now, it was Grookey's turn.
[My dear Satoshi, I'll explain Grookey's moves for you~ (●′ω`●)]
[Grookey's Ability: Grassy Surge. Moves: Acrobatics, Grassy Glide, Endeavor, Screech.]
[Grassy Surge] was an ability Satoshi had deliberately changed earlier with an [Ability Patch]. After all, [Overgrow] was completely inferior compared to the incredible [Grassy Surge].
[Grassy Surge]:Activates [Grassy Terrain] upon entering battle, boosting Grass-type moves, gradually restoring Pokémon's HP each turn, and halving the damage from [Earthquake], [Magnitude], and [Bulldoze].
Excluding [Mega Evolutions], Rillaboom was undeniably the strongest Grass starter in single battles.
"Well, you finally came in handy, Furiko~"
[Ehehe~ Impressive, right? If you give me a kiss, I might even steal a Plate from Arceus for you~ (￣ω￣)]
Stop fooling around! If you stole a Plate from Arceus, would I even survive?!
"Alright, next up is testing Grookey's moves. Grookey, could you attack me with everything you've got? Don't hold back!"
"Pachi!"
Satoshi faced Grookey confidently. Grookey, nervously yet resolutely, nodded in response.
As training began, Satoshi quickly engaged Grookey in a one-sided Pokémon battle—taking hits repeatedly.
"We're not done yet! Grookey, again! Froakie, [Water Pulse] on me! Raichu, practice [Electroweb] and find the best angle to throw it!"
"Pachichi!" "Kero~ Kero!" "Rai~ Rai~!"
The intense training continued for nearly two hours before finally slowing down.
Seeing his three exhausted Pokémon collapse on the floor while he remained standing, Satoshi felt oddly accomplished.
Yes! Another day of winning Pokémon battles without actually using Pokémon!
Super Hisuian, Super Rookie—combined!
But just as this triumphant thought crossed his mind, a sudden doorbell interrupted their training session.
Ding dong~~
"Huh? Who would be visiting at this hour?"
Reluctantly, Satoshi paused training to answer the door.
Opening it, he found Nagasaki Soyo standing outside, the "ordinary" girl who always showed an unusual amount of concern for him.
For some reason, Soyo had sent him countless messages last night—far more than usual—making it quite tedious for him to respond.
[My dear Satoshi, isn't this woman totally stalking you? Why else would she suddenly bombard you with messages when you went to Rainbow Feather Mountain? Clearly, she panicked after losing track of you~ Hmph~ I'd love to see this little puppy's tearful face!]
Impossible, absolutely impossible.Maybe Soyo had something important to tell me yesterday.
After all, we haven't done anything special…
Satoshi instinctively rebutted Furiko's teasing.
As far as he recalled, although his memory was hazy, he and Soyo had only known each other these past few years. They definitely hadn't done anything significant.
[Uuu~ Why won't you trust Miss Furiko's brilliant intuition?!]
Because it's probably worse than mine…
"Good afternoon, Satoshi~" Soyo greeted him sweetly as usual, her voice dripping with gentle affection.
"Yeah, afternoon, Soyo. Come on in."
Though confused as to why she wasn't at school, Satoshi didn't dwell on it. But at that moment, Soyo's bright blue eyes suddenly widened, and she abruptly grabbed hold of his arm.
"Who hurt you?!"
Her voice turned cold, utterly unlike her previous tone.
Huh?…Why does this suddenly feel so heavy?
Her words pressed down heavily upon him, and sensing something off, Satoshi immediately felt compelled to explain.
"A member of Team Rocket—but he's already been arrested."
"Oh…already arrested… Then, that's a relief." Hearing this, Soyo's expression swiftly reverted to its usual gentle demeanor.
Her sudden shifts were unsettling enough to suggest she had two entirely separate faces.
As Soyo toyed with her fingers, sliding them gently across one another, her brows creased slightly with irritation.
Team Rocket, hmm… I'm pretty sure they have a hideout somewhere in this city.
Ah~ They really irritate me.
Maybe I'll just destroy their hideout next time.
After all, how should I properly count the crimes of injuring what belongs to me?