A moment later, the gates opened and Tetsu emerged, followed closely by a luxurious sedan resembling a Rolls-Royce.
"Eichi, I have to go to class now," Tetsu said. "You can get in the car; the driver will take you to the nearest city, Blackthorn City. From there, you'll have to travel on your own."
"Thank you very much," Eichi replied.
"Mhm," Tetsu replied.
The sedan's back door opened, revealing Tetsu's mother, Mrs. Tsukimi, seated inside. Tetsu's mother invited Eichi to sit down. The interior was very spacious, just like in movies. Instead of two rows of seats like a normal car, it had seats facing each other on the left and right. Eichi sat across from Mrs. Tsukimi.
The door closed, and the car slowly started moving. Tetsu, standing outside the window, waved goodbye to Eichi.
Eichi and Mrs. Tsukimi also waved back. In Tetsu's eyes, the car gradually disappeared. Tetsu stood there for a moment before heading to class.
During class today, everyone noticed someone was missing. After checking carefully, they realized their class monitor, Eichi, was absent. As a result, various speculations began to surface. It wasn't until the last class of the morning, taught by Joylin, that they learned the reason.
With a few minutes remaining before the end of class, Joylin stopped teaching and said, "You must all be curious why Eichi is not here today. I'll explain."
"Eichi has taken a long leave of absence," Joylin continued. "Therefore, during this time, Kelly will temporarily serve as Class Monitor, and Tetsu will temporarily serve as Vice Class Monitor."
As soon as Joylin finished speaking, a student asked, "Miss Joylin, why did the Class Monitor take a long leave? Was there some kind of family emergency?" Kelly was also very curious, wondering why Eichi hadn't told her about this, though Tetsu's expression clearly showed he already knew. However, she was more interested in the reason for Eichi's leave.
"Everyone quiet down, and listen to me," Joylin said.
The entire class fell silent, listening to Joylin.
Joylin continued, "Eichi felt that his pace of improvement was not reaching the speed he desired, so he wanted to go out and learn some new things."
When Joylin finished, the students fell into silence. The Class Monitor is already so powerful, ranked first in the grade! If even he is dissatisfied with himself, what are we supposed to say? Pressure instantly surged over them, and the classroom atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Amidst the silence, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Joylin announced the dismissal, and the heavy atmosphere in the classroom finally dissipated somewhat.
***
Eichi was unaware of the classroom events. He felt quite awkward sitting in the car, as Mrs. Tsukimi kept asking him endless questions. She asked where he lived, how many people were in his family, and why he chose to attend Silver Academy. Eichi felt it was impolite to refuse, so he answered her questions one by one. Furthermore, he was grateful that she did not look down on him when she learned of his ordinary family background; instead, she showered him with praise.
Finally, the driver spoke up. "Madam, we have arrived at Blackthorn City," the driver announced.
Eichi opened the door and stepped out. "I've arrived. Thank you for the ride," Eichi told Mrs. Tsukimi.
"Alright. Remember to visit Goldenrod City next time," Mrs. Tsukimi replied.
"No problem, Auntie. Goodbye," Eichi said.
As Eichi waved, the car door slowly closed and then drove away. Eichi took a deep breath. Now, he was on his own. He had already prepared a plan.
The Johto Region had convenient transportation, with trains connecting every city. However, unlike the bullet trains of his previous life, he couldn't travel directly to any city; he had to buy a ticket to the adjacent city and then purchase another ticket for the next leg. Eichi's plan was to depart from Blackthorn City, take the train to Cherrygrove City, then travel to Violet City, and finally cycle to Muramasa's dojo.
Eichi arrived at the train station and went to the ticket office to buy a ticket. After consulting the staff, he learned that only one train was left that day, scheduled for three o'clock in the afternoon. After buying the ticket, Eichi saw that he still had plenty of time, so he booked a room at the Pokémon Center to stay for a while.
He waited until noon, then went downstairs to eat. Afterward, he returned to the room for a short nap before checking out and going for a stroll. Since he had come to Blackthorn City, he couldn't miss the chance to look around.
The Blackthorn Gym specialized in Dragon-type Pokémon. The Gym Leader, Clair, was Lance's cousin, with both of them hailing from the Dragon Holy Land. The people of the Dragon Holy Land worshipped the Dragon God, Rayquaza, and considered themselves descendants of dragons. Most Dragon-type Pokémon in the world, arguably ninety percent, originated from this place.
The streets were very lively in the afternoon, with people coming and going. Eichi wandered around and, before he knew it, arrived at the Blackthorn Gym.
Since he was already there, he decided to go in and watch. Tickets were being sold right at the entrance. The ticket seller mentioned that the Gym Challenge was scheduled to begin in ten hours. Eichi had arrived just in time. He bought a ticket and went inside.
Quite a few people had already arrived. Eichi found a seat close to the front and sat down. The field below was a Water-type battlefield, and the Gym Leader, Clair, was already in her position.
Clair looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. She had an imposing aura, a fantastic figure, and was wearing light clothing with a cloak draped over her. Her bright blue hair and blue outfit completed her look. In the anime, Clair was ambitious and quite arrogant, so Eichi wondered if she was the same in reality.
As soon as the time arrived, the challenge officially began. Eichi was very curious to see how strong Clair was. The first challenger was a handsome man dressed like an aristocrat.
The battle began.
Clair and the challenger simultaneously released their Pokémon. Clair used Kingdra.
Eichi immediately activated his Eye of the Bug Emperor. This Kingdra's Talent Grade was Outstanding, and its Trainer Rank was Elite.
He couldn't help but feel impressed. Based on the rank, it clearly wasn't Clair's main Pokémon, yet its Talent Grade was still Outstanding. Conversely, the challenger used an Ampharos, with an Excellent Talent Grade and Elite Trainer Rank.
The battle began, and the two Pokémon immediately started fighting; neither of the trainers was weak. Honestly, the challenger's strength was not superior to Clair's, but he had a type advantage(?), and the battle was taking place on a Water-type field. In the end, after a bitter struggle, Ampharos won.
Clair sent out her second Pokémon, Dragonair, with an Outstanding Talent Grade and Elite Trainer Rank. Although its Talent Grade and Rank were similar to Kingdra's, Eichi's intuition told him that this Dragonair was significantly stronger than Kingdra. The subsequent events confirmed his guess; Ampharos was quickly defeated and had to send out its second Pokémon.