With a thunderous "Boom," the shockwave from the explosion's residual energy forced Beedrill and Scizor back a considerable distance. A large cloud of black smoke enveloped the entire area. Nearby Pokémon fled in all directions. As a light breeze blew through, the black smoke began to dissipate, revealing the two Pokémon.
Eichi clapped his hands. "Alright, that's enough for now."
He jumped down from the tree and walked over. With a flick of its right stinger, Beedrill removed the black silk ribbon covering its eyes. Scizor used its pincers to pull its own ribbon off.
Next, Eichi shouted toward the sleeping Heracross on the branch, "Heracross, get down here!"
Despite the shout, Heracross continued to sleep as if it hadn't heard a thing. Eichi glanced at Scizor, who immediately understood. Scizor approached the tree and struck the trunk with a heavy pincer blow. The entire tree shook violently. Caught off guard, Heracross fell straight down.
With a heavy thud, Heracross hit the ground and finally woke up. It rubbed its head, clearly having taken a nasty fall. Upon looking up and seeing Eichi's displeased expression, it scrambled to its feet and stood behind him. Eichi took out a black silk ribbon and blindfolded Heracross.
He then blindfolded Scizor again and said, "Heracross, have a match with Scizor. Let me see how much you've improved lately."
Heracross flew out reluctantly; it knew it was about to take another beating. A short while later, a chorus of miserable cries echoed through the forest, scaring away the Pidgey and Pidgeotto nesting in the trees.
In a training room, several Pokémon were currently practicing. Based on the imposing aura they radiated, it was clear their strength was extraordinary. Sato stood by the side, watching them train. Looking at the Pokémon before him gave him a boost of confidence.
He had taken leave to go home specifically to select several powerful Pokémon. As for why he didn't go to the Pokémon Breeding Center, it was because he looked down on the Pokémon there, viewing their aptitude as too low. His family's Pokémon were superior. Furthermore, truly high-quality Pokémon required a vast amount of credits to obtain, so he made a trip home. All of this was for the sake of the Two-Academy Exchange Match one month from now.
His most important goal, however, was because that person would also be attending this exchange match. He wanted to show her his progress and strength.
Meanwhile, in another training room, Konan was also training her Pokémon. Like Sato, she had requested a month of leave to return home and select her team. These were all raised by her family and were at the Experienced rank. Several of them were specifically traded from other regions. This was all for the sake of the Two-Academy Exchange Match, as the competition was not just a matter of personal victory or defeat, but the school's honor.
Not just these two, but other students were also preparing for the upcoming tournament.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the final exams officially began. For Eichi, these exams were far too simple, lacking any real difficulty. Once they were over, the academy went on break, and students began packing their bags to go home.
A segment of students participating in the exchange match also took leave to go home, while only a small number chose to stay behind. Eichi was among those who stayed. He had three reasons for not requesting leave.
First, he had already taken leave once; he wasn't sure if Director Yanagi would approve another. Second, and most importantly, the duration was too short; he would barely reach home before having to turn around and come back. Third, he wanted to stay at the academy to use the extra time to train his three Pokémon.
Currently, having only three Pokémon felt a bit lacking. Eichi knew that families like Sato's and Konan's would surely provide them with many Pokémon. In the exchange match, there would be many people like them. While this put Eichi at a slight disadvantage, he wasn't afraid. Even if there were type disadvantages, he didn't believe he would necessarily lose.
After the exchange match, I'll go redeem a Pokémon Egg, Eichi thought to himself.
In the Director's office, the Vice Principal sat opposite Director Yanagi. Yanagi had brewed a pot of fine tea for him. The Vice Principal took a sip, his brow relaxing. "Excellent tea. Yanagi, how are the preparations for this field trial coming along?"
Director Yanagi took a small sip. "Almost everything is ready. I'll be responsible for leading the first-years this time. I won't be handling the second and third-years."
"I see," the Vice Principal said. "Just ensure the safety of the first-years. Remember, safety is the top priority."
Director Yanagi voiced some concern. "Principal, I still feel that going into the wilderness for training might not be ideal. Perhaps you should speak with the Principal and the board of directors again?"
The Vice Principal shook his head. "Yanagi, this has already been decided and cannot be changed. Besides, field trials only benefit those children; there is no harm. I know you are very careful and cautious, but you must have confidence in our academy. We will be sending extra teachers along the way to protect the students."
Director Yanagi looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm just worried about them."
The Vice Principal laughed. "I know."
At the other academy on the Indigo Plateau—Indigo Academy—another grade director was also in his office. However, his visitor was different. Opposite the director stood a cold-looking youth.
The director spoke with concern, "Asen, the Two-Academy Exchange Match is in one month. How are your preparations? For the next month, we will conduct intensive training. The school hopes your strength can reach a new level. I heard this year's freshman class at Silver Academy has several genius Trainers. Do you feel pressured?"
Asen replied meticulously, "Rest assured, I won't lose. It's not just them who have genius Trainers; we have them too."
The director smiled. "Right, we have geniuses as well. We can't praise others while belittling ourselves."
Asen spoke again, "By the way, Director, I came to ask for a month's leave. I plan to go out and train on my own. But don't worry, I will definitely be back before the departure date."
Hearing this, the director hesitated, but then decided that with Asen's strength, there shouldn't be any issues. He agreed, "Very well, I approve. Student Asen, remember to return before the competition begins."
"I will," Asen replied.
Upon leaving the office, Asen didn't return to his room. He walked straight out of the school gates, released a Pidgeot, and stepped onto its back.
Pidgeot let out a long cry and soared toward its destination with a flap of its wings.