In the Dojo, everyone ate together in a dedicated Dining Area, and even Mr. Muramasa was no exception. After the Meal, Azuma took Eichi on a tour of the entire Dojo.
That night, Eichi lay in Bed. It was his first time sleeping on the Floor, and he felt a bit unaccustomed to it. Unable to fall asleep, his mind began to wander. How strong is Mr. Muramasa's Scizor exactly? From what he saw today, that Scizor already possessed the Energy Level of a peak Elite Four Rank. He wondered how it would compare to the Dragonite in Amelie's Breeding House.
The next morning at 7:00, the Wake-Up Bell rang throughout the Dojo. Eichi did not linger in Bed and got up immediately. After washing up and eating Breakfast, he gathered with the others in the Open Area.
The Morning Exercise followed. The Trainers ran alongside their Pokémon. Eichi's three Pokémon did not join the run because they could all fly, so running provided no benefit for them.
After the Morning Exercise, the Students moved on to Independent Training. While the others left to train, Eichi remained standing in place. Muramasa walked over and said, "Follow me."
He led Eichi out to a Clearing within the Forest. Once there, Mr. Muramasa spoke. "For this Month, you won't be training with the others. I will teach you privately. Director Yanagi mentioned that you felt your training methods weren't good enough and that your Scizor's progress was too slow. Is that why you came here to study?"
"That's right," Eichi replied.
"Good," Muramasa said. "Release your Scizor."
Eichi did not hesitate and immediately released Scizor. A burst of White Light converged on the Ground to form the Pokémon. Suddenly, Muramasa shouted, "Masamune!"
A Red Figure suddenly darted from a distance, charging straight toward Scizor. Scizor dodged at an extremely fast speed, but the red, lightning-like Figure pursued it instantly.
Now, both Red Figures were moving in a blur as they chased each other. Eichi knew that the other Red Figure was Teacher Muramasa's Scizor, Masamune.
Muramasa enjoyed using his Scizor to test the strength of other Pokémon. In the Anime, Team Rocket had been sent flying instantly, while Pikachu's keen senses allowed it to track Scizor's movements.
Eichi understood that Teacher Muramasa was testing Scizor's strength. Masamune was clearly not using its full power; otherwise, that first strike could have knocked Scizor out of the Battle immediately.
Eichi and Muramasa watched the chase from the sidelines. Eichi did not give any Commands, allowing Scizor to perform on its own. It wasn't just a chase; they were also clashing. With Eichi's eyesight, he could fully keep up with their movements.
Scizor constantly switched between using Brick Break, Fury Cutter, and Vacuum Wave. Its opponent mirrored these Moves exactly. No matter what Move Scizor used, Muramasa's Scizor used the same one, appearing completely at ease.
Scizor's eyes gradually grew fervent. This opponent was incredibly powerful. No matter how much it increased its Speed, the other Scizor always adjusted to be just slightly faster. Furthermore, Scizor felt as though the opponent was reading its mind. Whatever Move it wanted to use, the opponent would use the same one, almost simultaneously.
Scizor suddenly recalled the events from a few days ago. On that night, many Pokémon had gathered from the surroundings, including the leader of that area, a wild Scizor. When Eichi's Scizor had ventured out, it encountered that leader. After a brief exchange, they had battled.
Eichi's Scizor won in the end. The wild leader told it that among the various Pokémon leaders nearby, its strength was the greatest. That was when Scizor truly felt it was strong, but it still wasn't enough. Later, it invited the wild Scizor family to eat together.
Scizor had then gone to sleep with the Scizor family for a night. During that night, the wild leader's mate chatted with it, letting it know that survival was not easy. This once again ignited its desire to become stronger.
Back in reality, Scizor was filled with Fighting Spirit. Its Speed unknowingly became very fast, and its attacks grew more incisive. After a while, having seen enough, Muramasa spoke. "Masamune, return."
One of the Red Figures stopped its attack instantly and appeared to the back left of Muramasa. Eichi's Scizor also returned to Eichi's back right, panting heavily while keeping its eyes fixed on Masamune.
Muramasa nodded and said, "Very good, Eichi. Your Scizor has massive Potential and has been raised exceptionally well. Even if I didn't teach you and you followed your own methods, it wouldn't be weaker than Masamune in the future."
Eichi shook his head and said, "That's in the future. Right now, it is still too weak. Its progress hasn't been as fast as I imagined."
Muramasa nodded in understanding. "I don't know why you are so desperate for it to get stronger, but since you want me to teach you, I will definitely pass on everything I know. As I said yesterday, how much you learn depends on you."
"I will work hard," Eichi said firmly.
Muramasa continued. "Good. First, let me tell you that Scizor's current Foundation is exceptionally well-built. It has already passed the Foundational Stage, so it's normal for its progress to slow down. Ordinary training can no longer provide rapid improvements. It needs Special Training and a large amount of Actual Combat."
"To be honest," Muramasa added, "although your Scizor is very strong, I can tell at a glance that it has experienced very few Battles, and it has never faced a life-or-death situation. Of course, I don't want your Scizor to face death, so we will start with some Special Training first."
After saying this, he took out a Black Blindfold, walked over to Eichi's Scizor, and tied it around its head, covering its eyes.
"I will have a Pokémon attack it, and it cannot take off the Blindfold," Muramasa explained.
Eichi said nothing. Once Muramasa finished speaking, he released a Pokémon from its Pokéball: a Scyther. Eichi activated his Eye of the Bug Emperor. This Scyther's Talent Grade was Excellent, and its Trainer Rank was Elite.
"Scyther, use attack on Scizor," Muramasa commanded.
Upon hearing the order, Scyther vibrated its wings and dashed out. Although Scizor's eyes were covered, it could still rely on hearing, perception, and intuition. Scyther appeared before Scizor like a bolt of lightning and swung its Scythe down.
However, Scizor detected it. It raised its claws and blocked the strike. Seeing that the blow failed, Scyther used Agility and vanished instantly. Muramasa took Eichi back a significant distance to watch the battle between the two Pokémon.