**Chapter 16: The First Battle of Ditto**

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The sun was shining brightly on yet another morning.

Kane followed his routine, getting up and heading straight downstairs to the ATM with his bank cards, entering the last four numbers of the sixteen-digit password.

He didn't even brush his teeth or wash his face before doing this—not because he was impatient, but because he had a task to complete. Pure and simple. 

He already lost all hope he had left for those passwords.

The result, as expected, was no success. Kane returned home, putting the two bank cards alongside the property certificate and agreement—essentially items that were useless for now.

Once he successfully became an apprentice at Ecruteak Gym, the gym would take care of training and medical care for his Pokémon, and he'd receive a salary every month. Of course, that would come with certain responsibilities, such as cleaning the gym, maintaining training equipment, and handling minor tasks. Sometimes, he'd even have to act as a referee during battles.

If a challenger came to the gym, it wasn't a free-for-all. Most of the time, the disciples would handle battles first. Only those challengers deemed worthy after these preliminary matches would proceed to an official gym battle.

Otherwise, with so many challengers, a gym leader battling multiple challenger's multiple times daily would be overwhelmed. Plus, a gym leader has additional responsibilities—handling gym affairs, attending events, and making monthly reports to the League headquarters. Gym inspections also happened regularly.

Some gym leaders even irresponsibly dumped these tasks onto their disciples, only taking care of appearances when they had to report to their superiors.

Tomorrow was the apprentice exam at Chiyama Gym, and today's main task was Ditto's special training.

After breakfast, Kane packed two loafs of bread, six bottles of milk, and three bottles of mineral water. This would serve as lunch and hydration for both him and Ditto during the training session.

Once he was ready, Kane headed to his usual training spot.

There was no one around at this hour, which was exactly what he expected, given the time. He picked up where he left off with yesterday's training.

Kane punched the sandbag that Ditto had transformed into. This wasn't just for Ditto's benefit—it was also an exercise for him to train his own physical strength.

If he wanted to survive in the wilderness in the future, it wasn't enough to just rely on powerful Pokémon. At the critical moment, it wouldn't only be his Pokémon in danger—he himself would also be a target. If he had no ability to defend himself, he could be dead long before his Pokémon came to his rescue.

So, his own physical fitness was equally important as his Pokémon's fitness. There were also basic combat skills that had to be mastered.

After an hour of intense training, Kane prepared for the next phase of Ditto's special training. But, given his cautious nature, he chose not to conduct this part of the training in such a public place.

Some special training required a degree of secrecy. After all, unexpected moves often packed the deadliest punch. Such training could easily be conducted at home.

For the next hour, Kane chose a small bush, holding the dagger that Ditto had transformed into, and carried out a relentless barrage of cuts and strikes. The bushes were far tougher than grass, their increased hardness serving to hone both Ditto's tenacity and Kane's physical stamina.

Of course, this meant the demands on Kane's body were also higher. After just an hour, his entire right hand was chafed and bleeding, and his clothes were drenched in sweat.

Fortunately, he had prepared for this. After disinfecting with alcohol and wrapping his hand in gauze, he was ready to continue.

After two hours of high-intensity training, both Kane and Ditto were physically drained.

Sitting on the grass, Kane sipped his mineral water, while Ditto replenished itself with MooMoo milk.

By this time, the first wave of people had arrived at the training grounds, though they appeared relaxed and unfocused.

Among them was Thunderstorm.

Kane and Thunderstorm naturally noticed each other. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere grew heavy. Both seemed to want to speak but didn't know how to start.

An awkward silence.

Kane snorted in disdain and turned his attention elsewhere.

However, Thunderstorm approached him, saying, "I think the others here are too weak. How about we have a battle?"

Kane squinted at Thunderstorm, his expression cold and dismissive.

So, he wants to test my strength? Well, at least he's not completely stupid. If he wins, he'll think I'm a dog who's all bark and no bite, and he'll look for the first opportunity to get rid of me.

But Kane's mind was elsewhere. Winning wasn't enough—he needed to crush Thunderstorm so thoroughly that the thought of opposing him would never cross his mind again. He needed to make him doubt his own abilities.

Kane finished his water, tossed the empty bottle into his bag, and stood up.

"Sure, let's do this."

Thunderstorm's Machop flexed its muscles and let out a battle cry, radiating sheer intensity.

Kane, wanting to see how skilled someone aiming to infiltrate Ecruteak Gym could be, whispered a few instructions into Ditto's ear.

"Transform."

Ditto transformed into an identical Machop, standing across from Thunderstorm's with a focused gaze, taking a defensive stance.

Thunderstorm's Machop didn't hesitate, rushing forward at Thunderstorm's command.

"Karate Chop!"

The Machop sprinted like a bullet, leaping towards Ditto with tremendous force, its arm stretched back for a downward chop.

Kane remained calm. He scoffed.

It's over already. Let me show you what real terror is.

Ditto sidestepped the Karate Chop at the last possible moment. Thunderstorm's Machop, unable to stop its momentum, stumbled and fell forward, its arm crashing into the ground.

Ditto wasted no time. It seized Machop by the arm, pivoted, and slammed it hard into the ground.

If that had connected fully, Thunderstorm's Machop wouldn't have stood a chance.

Though the throw wasn't a knockout, Ditto kept a firm grip on Machop's arm. It spun the helpless Pokémon around, swinging it through the air like a ragdoll.

Thunderstorm stood on the sidelines, his face flushed with frustration. He stomped in place, unable to hide his anxiety.

Finally, with a great heave, Ditto hurled Machop into the air.

"Watch closely—this is how you use Karate Chop."

Kane's voice dripped with confidence and superiority. Thunderstorm was speechless, his face red, swallowing nervously.

As Machop began to fall, Ditto leaped into the air, raised its arm, and delivered a clean, powerful chop to Machop's neck, slamming it back down to the ground.

Thunderstorm's Machop was finished. Kane, seeing this, called for Ditto to stop.

The gap in strength was clear. Thunderstorm stood frozen, his soul seemingly shattered.

"Let's go, Ditto."

As Kane turned to leave, he couldn't help but smirk. The look on Thunderstorm's face said it all he had achieved his goal—his spirit had been crushed.

Even with a few others still scattered around the field, it was Thunderstorm's stunned face that stood out the most.

"Your performance today was impressive," Kane said to Ditto. "Even though I gave you instructions beforehand, your control of the battle was excellent. But remember, this Machop is still at a very basic level. We'll face far stronger opponents in the future."

He set down five bottles of MooMoo milk in front of Ditto, his voice serious.

Ditto blinked in response, its admiration for its young master already deeply rooted.

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