In the morning, everyone ate Breakfast together. Scizor also returned, carrying some Berries in its claws, likely as thanks to Eichi for feeding them.
After the meal, Eichi packed up the Tent and continued his journey. He waved goodbye to the wild Pokémon and set off.
Eichi was radiant and smiling; if his classmates saw him like this, they would surely doubt their sanity. Is this still our aloof Class Monitor?
At the City Gate of Cherrygrove City, a Cross-Country Vehicle was also setting out. Azuma was sitting in the passenger seat.
***
Three days later, Eichi was cycling down the road, enjoying the very charming scenery along the way. His three Pokémon were not by his side at the moment.
Suddenly, the sound of a Car approached from behind. Eichi turned his head and saw a Cross-Country Vehicle. It was driving quickly and reached Eichi's side in the blink of an eye. Eichi saw the people in the Car but only glanced at them before continuing to ride his Bicycle.
Azuma in the Car also saw Eichi. The moment he saw Eichi's back, he felt a sense of familiarity, but only when the Car pulled alongside Eichi could he clearly see the face. Azuma immediately recognized him as the person who had taken down the out-of-control Rhyperior and Ursaring that day.
"Little brother, where are you headed?" he asked Eichi. "Do you want us to give you a ride?"
Eichi recognized Azuma as well. "No need," he replied. "I'm fine riding my Bicycle."
Seeing Eichi decline, Azuma felt a little disappointed but did not press the invitation further. The Cross-Country Vehicle quickly overtook Eichi, then sped away, disappearing from his sight. Eichi did not dwell on the encounter.
As the sun was about to set, marking the end of another day, Eichi decided not to continue traveling. He planned to find a place nearby to camp. He hadn't gone far when he saw a Pokémon Center appear before him.
Perfect, Eichi thought. I won't have to sleep in the forest tonight. So, Eichi quickly cycled toward it.
When he reached the entrance, Eichi saw a Cross-Country Vehicle parked outside. Based on the Car's appearance, it was likely the one driven by the person who had offered him a ride earlier that day. Eichi waited outside for a while until Scizor and Heracross returned. Then, Eichi went inside and booked a Room.
He took a hot Shower, which felt wonderful, and then went downstairs for Dinner. After ordering his Meal, Eichi found a Corner Table and sat down to enjoy the Food.
Halfway through his Meal, a person sat down opposite him, and his Companion also took a seat. The flat-headed person spoke first. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Azuma, and this is my Senior Brother, Jin."
Jin offered a greeting. "Hello."
Seeing their friendly attitude, Eichi relaxed his guard slightly. "I'm Eichi," he replied.
Azuma smiled. "Eichi, little brother, this must be our second meeting, right? Do you remember where we first met?"
"Blackthorn City," Eichi answered.
"That's right," Azuma confirmed. "By the way, you were the one who stopped Rhyperior and Ursaring that day, weren't you?"
Jin interjected, "Is that the thing you told me about?"
"Yes, it's the incident I told you about yesterday," Azuma said.
Eichi admitted without concealment, "That was me."
Azuma was delighted. "I knew I hadn't been mistaken! I was originally going to step in that day, but I saw you had already taken down both Pokémon, so I held back."
Eichi nodded to show he understood. Azuma continued, "Speaking of which, I saw you had a Scizor. It's very well trained. It took down the out-of-control Ursaring with a single blow. Also, what was the other Pokémon you used that day? It was too fast, I couldn't get a clear look."
Eichi was initially surprised that Azuma had clearly identified Scizor. Good eyesight, he thought. He then answered, "It was a Beedrill."
Azuma realized the truth. "Ah, so it was a Beedrill!" Suddenly, his expression changed, and his eyes bulged. "What? A Beedrill! Are you kidding me?"
Eichi was unconcerned. "Believe it or not."
Azuma looked at Eichi and saw that he didn't seem to be joking. He exchanged a look with Jin, unsure what to say. Finally, he managed to blurt out, "Eichi, you're truly amazing."
Eichi accepted the compliment without undue pride or modesty. "You flatter me."
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, and Azuma felt a little awkward. He spoke up, "So, Eichi, where are you going? Are you traveling?"
Eichi had finished eating, wiped his mouth with a Napkin, and answered honestly. "I plan to go to Mr. Muramasa's Dojo. I don't know if you two know who he is."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Azuma and Jin looking at him with strange expressions.
"By the looks of it," Eichi said, "it seems you know Mr. Muramasa."
Azuma and Jin exchanged another look. "Of course, we know him," Azuma said. "Mr. Muramasa is my Master."
Now it was Eichi's turn to be surprised. What luck! As soon as I set out, I ran into two of Mr. Muramasa's disciples.
Jin asked, "By the way, Eichi, what do you need my Master for?"
Eichi felt much closer to them now that he knew they were Muramasa's Disciples, so he began to explain. "I'm a Student at Silver Academy, but recently I've felt that my Scizor's strength is too weak. I know that Mr. Muramasa's Scizor is incredibly powerful, so I wanted to come and learn from him."
As soon as Eichi finished, Azuma countered, "You think your Scizor is weak? I saw your Scizor that day, and it's very strong. If that counts as weak, then there are no strong ones."
"There are," Eichi argued. "Mr. Muramasa's Scizor is very strong."
Azuma and Jin were speechless. What you said isn't wrong, they thought. I don't even know how to refute you.
Finally, Azuma suggested, "We took leave to go home to visit relatives, and now we're heading back to the Dojo. Eichi, why don't you come with us?"
Eichi thought for a moment to consider, but seeing Azuma's sincere invitation, he agreed. "Alright, thank you both for the trouble."
"It's no trouble at all," Azuma said. "The more the merrier, and we'll have someone else to talk to."
The next day, Eichi organized his things and went downstairs for Breakfast. After eating, he sat down in the Lobby to wait. Time passed slowly. It wasn't until ten minutes later that Azuma and Jin came down. "You're early, Eichi," Azuma said. "Since everyone is here, let's set off."
Eichi then got into Jin's Car. Jin drove, and when he got tired, Azuma took over. Eichi simply rode along. After three days of travel, they finally arrived at Muramasa's Dojo. Just like in the anime, Muramasa's Dojo was built in the Forest, about three or four kilometers away from the nearest small Town.