It seemed that his special ability only worked on Bug-type Pokémon.
Then he might as well call it Bug Power!
Emmm… that sounded too cheap. Maybe something different.
How about King of Bugs?
No, that was way too chuunibyou.
Eichi cringed so much that he could hardly stand it.
Forget it, he decided. Something more normal.
He'd call it Bug Force.
And with that, Yoshino Eichi's special ability finally had a name.
After deciding on that, Eichi remembered his eyes.
That day, his vision had suddenly become sharper, and he could see everything clearly within fifty meters, whether a person or a Pokémon.
He could even see flames and energy flowing within Pokémon bodies.
Eichi guessed that the blue flame represented a Pokémon's potential.
The amount of energy surrounding the flame, he thought, might indicate its strength or energy level.
This must be another form of his special ability, he thought, so he decided to name it too.
Eye of the Bug Emperor!
That name was a bit chuunibyou, but it worked.
Over the next two days, Eichi roamed around the Viridian City area, testing his vision.
He found that ordinary people's Pokémon usually had blue flames the size of marbles, surrounded by only a faint layer of energy.
Only trained Pokémon had flames the size of an egg, with thick rings of energy encircling them.
Many Pokémon's energy was much stronger than his Beedrill's.
Few had flames as big as a fist, but there was one, just one, that surpassed Beedrill's.
At Amelie's Day Care, the Dragonite there had a blue flame the size of a baby's head, surrounded by dense layers of energy filling nearly its entire body.
Eichi had been stunned at the sight.
How extraordinary must its talent be? How strong must it have become?
Teacher Arno had once told him that, in the Trainer world, Pokémon strength was roughly divided into six stages: Rookie, Experienced, Elite, Gym Leader, Elite Four, and Champion.
Talent, meanwhile, was classified into five tiers: Ordinary, Good, Excellent, Outstanding, and Champion.
Ordinary referred to completely average Pokémon.
Good was what most Trainers had.
Pokémon belonging to League Conference quarterfinalists were generally Excellent.
Gym Leaders and Elite Four members often had Outstanding Pokémon.
Their teams usually ranged between Excellent and Outstanding.
But Champion-level talent was extremely rare.
Ordinary Pokémon almost never reached that level.
Only pseudo-legendaries had a good chance of having Champion-level potential, while Legendary Pokémon were naturally above it.
It was said that only Lance's Dragonite from the Johto region possessed a confirmed Champion-level talent.
Teacher Arno didn't know about other regions.
Eichi guessed that Ash's Pikachu must be one too.
As well as Steven's Metagross and Cynthia's Garchomp.
There were also likely Champion-level Pokémon such as Alain's Charizard, and possibly Ash's Charizard and Greninja.
As he thought about all this, Eichi drifted off to sleep.
During the next two days, he redesigned Beedrill's training plan. When it felt ready, he decided to visit Teacher Arno to ask a few questions, since only four days remained until the entrance exam.
When Eichi arrived at school, he looked up to see every classroom filled with students.
They were listening to their teachers attentively. Graduation was only twenty days away.
None of that mattered to Eichi anymore. He made his way to Teacher Arno's office.
But Arno wasn't there; he must have gone to class.
So Eichi decided to wait, using the chance to carefully look around the office for the first time.
Arno had lit an incense stick. It was said that incense had been invented in another region.
Made from special materials, when burned indoors, the scent benefited Pokémon that inhaled it.
Eichi didn't know whether that was true, but it did smell nice, and each time, the fragrance was different.
He noticed that the books on Arno's desk were unlike anything at the school, deep and technical works.
After some time, Arno returned with a book in hand.
He froze for a moment when he saw Eichi waiting there, then smiled. "Eichi, you're here. What brings you to me?"
Eichi smiled back. "Yes, Teacher Arno, I came to ask you something."
"Alright," Arno said. "Tell me in detail."
After sitting down, Arno looked at him and asked, "Eichi, that person who defeated the poaching group, that was you, wasn't it?"
Eichi froze, then nodded honestly. "Yes, it was me. But I was just lucky to win."
Arno's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He then asked Eichi to recount the entire event.
Eichi answered each question carefully.
After listening, Arno became curious about his Beedrill.
Then, suddenly, Arno stood up. "Come with me."
Eichi blinked but followed as Arno led him out of the office.
They walked to the small forest behind the school, stopping at an open area.
Arno unhooked six Poké Balls from his belt. "Come out, everyone!"
Six Pokémon appeared in flashes of light: Delibird, Dugtrio, Magneton, Golduck, Nidoqueen, and Nidoking.
Eichi stepped forward and activated Bug Force.
At once, the world changed before his eyes.
He could see every detail within those six Pokémon.
Five of them had blue flames about the size of a fist. Excellent talent.
Their energy levels were all roughly equal, within Gym Leader range.
Only the Delibird's energy was lower, slightly above Beedrill's, at the Experienced level.
Then there was the Nidoking.
Eichi was sure it was Arno's ace.
The blue flame within it was as big as a baby's head, its energy layers far denser than the others.
That must be a Nidoking of the Elite Four level, Eichi thought in awe.
Teacher Arno is this strong!
He must have an incredible history. Someone like that couldn't be ordinary.
As Eichi pondered, Arno turned toward him and smiled. "These are my Pokémon."
"This Delibird, I caught it just a few days ago."
Eichi nodded. "Teacher Arno, why did you bring me here?"
Arno smiled warmly. "I brought you here to test your Beedrill's strength."