Although Scizor was very surprised that Scyther could see through its use of Double Team, the Battle had to continue. Scizor released its claws and retreated, then began circling Scyther constantly, much like Scyther had done earlier, searching for an opening.
Scizor was extremely cautious. After a while, it found an opportunity and charged again, striking with both claws. Although Scyther managed to block the attack, Scizor noticed that the opponent was finding it quite difficult to withstand its strength. Furthermore, while Scyther could locate its position, its Speed was still slightly inferior to Scizor's.
In the ensuing combat, Scizor stopped trying to hide. Even though Scyther could sense it coming, Scizor launched direct, upright Frontal Attacks. It relied purely on Brute Force, and after several exchanges, Scyther was clearly reaching its limit.
"Stop, that's enough," Muramasa suddenly shouted.
"Scizor, stop," Eichi quickly added upon hearing the command.
Scizor had no choice but to cease its assault. Having given the opponent a taste of its power, it felt it had successfully avenged its earlier struggle. However, Scizor knew it had only won because its Base Strength was higher than Scyther's. If the opponent had been a Scizor as well, it might have been the one to lose.
It quickly returned to Eichi's side, while on the other side, Scyther removed the Blindfold with its Scythe and returned to Muramasa.
"I know you must have many questions," Muramasa said, turning to Eichi. "Ask away, and I will answer them all."
Eichi thought for a moment before asking, "Teacher Muramasa, how did your Scyther see through Scizor's Double Team?"
"I knew you would ask that," Muramasa replied. "It is actually quite simple to explain. It relies on Sensing. Bug-type Pokémon have very strong Sensory Capabilities. With proper training, anyone can do it."
But that's basically a non-answer, Eichi thought.
"The most important point," Muramasa continued, "is that when a Pokémon uses Double Team, the Clones and the Original Body are different. Their Speed might be identical, but the Energy Flow in their bodies is completely distinct. The Energy of a Clone is light and sparse, while the Original is dense and solid. As long as you focus your Heart on sensing it, you can tell them apart. Scyther has spent an untold amount of time since birth reaching this level."
"I see," Eichi nodded. "Then how did Scyther find Scizor's location while blindfolded?"
"I've already answered that," Muramasa said. "Every Pokémon has Sensing Abilities, and Bug-types have quite a good Talent for it. You just need to train their Perception properly."
Teacher Muramasa made it sound easy, but Eichi felt the difficulty was immense.
"What you need to learn today is how to enhance Scizor's Perception," Muramasa concluded. "Didn't you say you wanted to increase Scizor's strength? That was a very good training method just now. Every day, bring Scizor to the Forest, blindfold it, and let your other Pokémon attack it constantly. Force it to stay in a state of danger. This will continuously stimulate its Potential and provide Practical Combat experience. It needs a high volume of Battle to undergo a transformation."
After Muramasa finished speaking, Eichi stood in place, digesting the Teacher's words.
"Think about it later," Muramasa suddenly said. "Let's go back and eat first."
Eichi nodded and followed after him.
In the afternoon, Muramasa brought Eichi to the side of a large Waterfall. The River crashed down from the top, hitting the water below with a loud, splashing roar. In the River, there were several Rocks that had been worn smooth by the water.
Eichi and Muramasa sat cross-legged on Rocks by the Riverbank. Scizor sat on the Rock next to Eichi, while Masamune sat next to Mr. Muramasa.
"Close your eyes," Muramasa said slowly from the center.
The two humans and two Pokémon followed the instruction.
"Take two deep breaths and clear your mind of distracting thoughts."
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Under Muramasa's guidance, they took two deep breaths before he spoke again. "Try your best to perceive everything around you. Feel the objects in Nature."
In Eichi's Perception, the surroundings were filled with colorful Elemental Energy Particles. He had started learning about this long ago, but it was Scizor's first time encountering such a thing.
Scizor closed its eyes and calmed its Heart. After a few minutes, it could vaguely sense that there were people nearby. However, it was very blurry, and the crashing sound of the Waterfall kept breaking its concentration.
It would manage to enter the right state with great difficulty, only to be interrupted instantly. Scizor tried again immediately. It slowly felt itself entering the state again, but the Waterfall sound broke it once more. Scizor did not lose heart and continued to try.
At this point, Eichi had stopped trying. Humans do not have the strong Perception of Pokémon, so he and Muramasa were only going through the motions to accompany the two Pokémon.
Muramasa stood up, and the two of them moved to sit on Rocks further away.
"Human Perception isn't very strong," Muramasa suddenly remarked, "but there is one class of people who are exceptions."
"Psychics, right?" Eichi asked.
"Correct," Muramasa said. "Psychics are born with Perception many times stronger than ordinary people. They can enhance their Psychic Powers through exercise and do things beyond the reach of normal humans. My method for training Perception was adapted from the training methods of those Psychics."
"I see," Eichi praised sincerely. "Teacher Muramasa, you truly are amazing."
"Save your praise for later," Muramasa replied. "You should worry about your Scizor first. Its current state is a bit off."
Eichi turned his head to look and saw that Scizor's condition was indeed wrong. It looked like it was trying too hard; its body was covered in sweat, and its expression was distorted and grim.
This isn't good, Eichi thought. Scizor was being too impatient. Being interrupted time and time again as it tried to enter the state was causing its mood to become increasingly irritable.
Eichi hurried over and placed his hand on Scizor's head. "Scizor, calm down," he said.
He mobilized the Energy within his body, letting it flow down his arm and gradually into Scizor's body. The originally frantic Scizor suddenly felt a surge of Energy within it, which was very cool and refreshing. Its agitated Heart gradually quieted down, and the grimace on its face relaxed.