Ditto's First Battle, A Decisive Hammer Strike

As the sky began to lighten, another morning arrived.

Cain woke up as usual, first taking his bank card to the ATM downstairs. Of the sixteen sets of passwords, only the last four remained.

Cain didn't do this before brushing his teeth and washing his face because he was impatient, but because he wanted to complete the task.

Simply to complete the task.

Because he had already lost hope in these passwords.

As expected, after returning home, Cain put the two bank cards with the property certificate and the agreement together, as they were items that wouldn't be used for now.

As long as he successfully became a trainee at the Ecruteak Gym, the gym would take care of the trainee's Pokémon's feeding and treatment, and provide a monthly salary. Of course, they also had to take on responsibilities like cleaning the gym's venue, maintaining training equipment, and handling other miscellaneous tasks within the gym. Sometimes, they would even serve as referees.

If challengers appeared, trainees were responsible for battling them. Gym leaders couldn't be challenged by just anyone; their disciples would usually battle challengers first, and only those deemed qualified would participate in the real gym match.

If it wasn't like this, there would be too many challengers, and a gym leader could only participate in a maximum of two gym matches per day. If they had to handle everyone's challenges themselves, they would be exhausted.

Not to mention, there were gym matters to handle, various events to attend every now and then, monthly reports to submit to the league headquarters, and numerous inspections to deal with.

Some irresponsible gym trainers even left everything to their disciples while they focused on handling affairs and pleasing their superiors.

Tomorrow was the gym assessment, so today's main task was Ditto's special training.

After eating breakfast at home, Cain put two pieces of bread, six bottles of milk, and three bottles of mineral water in his backpack, which would serve as lunch and drinks for himself and Ditto.

After packing everything, Cain set off to the usual spot.

It was inevitable that no one would be around at this time, so he continued yesterday's training.

Cain struck the sandbag transformed Ditto, which didn't offer much training value for Ditto anymore. It was more about improving Cain's physical fitness.

To survive in the wild in the future, having powerful Pokémon alone wouldn't be enough. In life-or-death situations, not only Pokémon would be targeted, but also their trainers. If one had no ability to resist, they might die before their Pokémon could save them.

Thus, one's physical fitness was also crucial, as well as mastering basic combat skills.

After an hour of striking, Cain was ready for the next special training session. Being cautious by nature, he didn't choose to do it in such a public place.

Some special training required a certain level of concealment. Unexpected attacks were often the most lethal, and this training could be done at home as well.

For the following hour, Cain chose a small patch of bushes and wielded a dagger transformed by Ditto, wreaking havoc. Bushes were harder than grass, which further trained Ditto's resilience and physical fitness.

Of course, Cain's own requirements were also higher. In just an hour, his entire right hand was chafed and bloodied, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

Fortunately, he was prepared. A simple alcohol disinfection and gauze bandaging completed his treatment.

After two hours of high-intensity exercise, both Cain and Ditto were somewhat physically drained

Sitting on the grass and drinking mineral water, Ditto began drinking milk to replenish its strength.

At this time, the first group of people came for special training, scattered and relaxed.

Among them was a person named Raikou!

Cain and Raikou naturally noticed each other, their eyes met, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.

A moment of awkwardness.

Cain scoffed and ignored it.

However, at this moment, Raikou walked over and said, "I think the people here are too weak. How about we have a battle?"

Cain glanced at Raikou and chuckled.

Not bad, wanting to test my strength now? It seems he isn't too foolish, thinking that if he wins, he will see Cain as a paper tiger, and seize any opportunity to put Cain in mortal danger.

However, Cain didn't take Raikou's current level of skill seriously. Not only did he want to win, but he also wanted to make Raikou doubt his life, thoroughly intimidate him, and ideally break his intention of challenging Cain.

Cain finished drinking water, threw the empty bottle into his backpack, and stood up.

"Let's do this."

Raikou wielded his fists with great force, an imposing presence.

Cain was also curious about how much the person daring to challenge the Ecruteak Gym weighed, so he whispered a few words to Ditto.

"Transform."

Ditto transformed into Machop.

Cain sent a powerful gaze, staring intently at the opponent, he crossed hands in a defensive posture.

Raikou's training emphasized striking first. Seeing Cain's Ditto already in a defensive stance, he couldn't wait to attack.

"Karate Chop."

Upon Raikou's command, the Pokémon charged forward like an arrow leaving the bow, leaping ahead with great strides.

Cain snorted coldly, far from enough. With just one move, he would show the terror.

In a flash, the Machop was already close to Ditto. Taking advantage of the momentum, it leapt up and swung its arm straight down towards Ditto's head.

"Counter."

Just as the Karate Chop was about to hit Ditto, Ditto dodged to the side. The Machop's strike missed, and its inertia caused it to stumble and fall forward.

At this moment, Ditto quickly stepped forward, grabbing the Machop's right hand and using its momentum to throw it forcefully to the ground.

With a single successful strike, the Machop would have no chance to turn the tide. This was the reality of battle.

Although Machop was knocked down, Ditto didn't let go of its tightly gripped hands. It lifted Machop up and swung it in the air. In this state, Machop had been spun around, completely unable to fight back.

Machop was flung away by the centrifugal force of the spinning.

"Watch carefully, this is how you use Karate Chop."

Cain's words had an air of condescension, leaving Raikou completely breathless, his face flushed red, and constantly swallowing saliva.

Ditto followed the flung Machop, and as the force of the throw diminished, Ditto leaped up, using Karate Chop from mid-air, aiming right at Machop's neck, until Machop was pressed down to the ground.

When Cain saw that Machop had lost its ability to fight, he ordered Ditto to stop.

The gap in strength left Raikou stunned on the spot, like a lost soul.

"Ditto, let's go."

Seeing Raikou's expression, Cain sneered, knowing his goal had been achieved. Now, Raikou not only dared not make a move against him but probably doubted its own life.

Although there were still many people scattered on the grassland, they were just the backdrop to Raikou's stupefied expression in Cain's eyes.

"Your performance in the battle just now was not bad. Although I gave you some pointers beforehand, your control of the situation was satisfactory. However, this Machop's level is still at the bottom, and in the future, we will face even more terrifying powers."

Cain placed five bottles of Moomoo Milk in front of Ditto and spoke seriously.

Ditto blinked its eyes. After the recent battle, its admiration for its seven-year-old master had seeped deep into its bones.