"I was wondering why that name sounded familiar. Turns out it's that kid.
Becoming a Bug-type Elite Four member, not a bad goal at all.
When I said that aiming to be a Bug-type Elite Four or even a Champion was nearly impossible, that boy argued back, saying, 'How would I know if I don't try?'
That kind of mindset isn't bad, but I've studied Bug-type Pokémon for more than thirty years. I've met many people like him who dreamed of becoming Bug-type Elite Four members.
Aside from Scyther, Heracross, and Pinsir, it's extremely difficult for other Bug-types to break through to the Elite Four level.
I poured an enormous amount of resources into one, and it finally succeeded, but honestly, it wasn't worth it.
The resources I spent could have raised two or three Pokémon to the same level, and even then, the success rate wasn't high. So, I gave up."
Teacher Takemoto shook his head as he spoke.
After listening carefully, Director Yanagikawa took a slow sip of tea and said, "Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe that kid Eichi really can succeed."
Then he asked, "Do you know who Eichi's teacher is?"
Takemoto asked casually, "Who?"
Yanagikawa said quietly, "It's Arno."
That caught Takemoto's attention. "Him? How did he end up becoming that kid's teacher?"
Yanagikawa explained, "Arno went back to his hometown and started teaching at a primary school.
Eichi was a student there. Arno told me that Eichi is a genius.
He learns incredibly fast and has his own ideas and methods for training and raising Pokémon.
He said Eichi raised all of his Pokémon by himself; Arno didn't help him at all.
And the Beedrill he raised is exceptional, even stronger than the one you trained back in the day."
Takemoto said in surprise, "Oh, really? My Beedrill took countless hours of effort to raise.
If he says that kid's Beedrill is stronger than mine, then that's quite something."
Yanagikawa smiled. "In a month, the Freshmen Tournament will be held. We'll see for ourselves then."
After talking about Eichi, the director changed topics. "By the way, Takemoto, there's something I wonder if you've heard about."
"What is it?"
"It's something from the Sinnoh Region.
Apparently, there's a family there that specializes in Bug-type Pokémon, and a young genius has emerged from that family named Aaron.
All his Pokémon are Bug-types, and he's said to already be close to Elite Four level."
That shocked Takemoto. "Really? He's already that strong?"
Yanagikawa said, "Don't get too excited. They say he's close to that level, not quite there yet.
But it seems his family hopes he'll become the first Bug-type Elite Four member."
Takemoto replied, "Sinnoh is quite a distance from us, and it's only in the past two years that we've started forming stronger connections.
We don't know much about the Pokémon from that region.
Maybe they have Bug-types as strong as Scyther, Heracross, or Pinsir.
If that's true, then maybe a Bug-type Elite Four really could appear.
I should make a trip to Sinnoh, maybe even meet this Aaron myself."
Yanagikawa hurriedly said, "No need to rush. It's still early. You can wait a while longer."
Takemoto sighed. "Alright, I'll wait."
***
Meanwhile, Teacher Rondo walked over. Seeing how exhausted everyone looked, he started lecturing them.
"When traveling outside, you can't do it without a strong body.
Do you think traveling is easy? Out there, you could encounter all kinds of dangers.
If your poor physical condition ever causes you to lose your life, that would be a disgrace to your parents.
You're students of Silver Academy, destined to become powerful Trainers.
Someday you'll be taking on all sorts of dangerous missions, and you can't expect your Pokémon to protect you at every moment.
They can't always be there for you. I'm doing this for your own good.
Just look at your fitness; it's obvious none of you trains regularly.
You can't even handle such a short run.
And this is just the beginning. There's plenty more training ahead.
After class, don't just focus on training your Pokémon. Train your own bodies too.
You should all learn from your class representative, Eichi."
A while later, class was dismissed.
***
Once class ended, Eichi and Tetsu slowly walked back to the dormitory.
They rested for a bit, then went to the cafeteria to eat.
While eating, Tetsu asked, "Do you know about the Hoenn and Sinnoh Regions?"
Eichi nodded. "Of course. Why?"
Tetsu continued, "Then do you know what Pokémon live there?"
Eichi gave him a puzzled look. "Why are you asking that?"
Tetsu explained, "I heard from my family that even though several regions have been discovered, real cooperation and exchange have only started in the last couple of years.
So I only know a few Pokémon from Hoenn and a little about Sinnoh's.
But I heard the academy is compiling detailed information.
Maybe in a year or two, we'll have full data on both regions.
Though for the Unova and Kalos Regions, that might take much longer."
He added, "The academy has already imported some Pokémon from Hoenn and Sinnoh.
They're being raised in the forest behind Silver Academy.
I want to catch one or two to raise as my future Pokémon.
But I don't know much about them, so I wanted to ask you.
Not that I'm expecting much."
At this time, there was no Pokédex yet, so students could only learn about Pokémon from books.
Eichi finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and said, "You're in luck. I actually know quite a lot about Pokémon from both Hoenn and Sinnoh."
Of course he did. Eichi was familiar with Pokémon from Unova and Kalos too.
Tetsu's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! Tell me about them!"
***
In the days that followed, during both battle and P.E. classes, Eichi stood out, fully displaying his strength as a Trainer.
Battle class was simple: the teacher brought out a few ordinary Pokémon,
and the students used the same kind to battle them.
Eichi had no reason to hold back. He gave quick, precise commands,
and ended each battle within a minute.
He showed his talent openly, unlike those fantasy stories where someone hides their strength out of fear of envy.
In the Pokémon world, the more talented you are, the more attention and resources you receive.
It's a snowball effect, growing stronger and stronger.