First Special Training, Ditto

After wandering around the black market, there was no harvest.

Drapion or Skorupi from the Sinnoh region generally lived in deserts or wetlands, hiding during the day and coming out at night. They lived solitary lives after leaving their territory and were extremely rare. It would be considered a great fortune to encounter one in the black market here.

In the Unova region, Scolipede or Whirlipede and Venipede inhabited a wider range of areas, usually living in forests. However, Whirlipede could also be found in dark, damp places like city sewers, and they were not too difficult to catch.

Cain remembered that there had been multiple occasions where Whirlipede mass panics in several cities in the Unova region, leading to a large number of Whirlipede being captured and sold on the external market, causing their prices to fluctuate significantly.

In any case, as long as there were no special circumstances, he would visit the black market every night, hoping to stumble upon a talented Pokémon.

After returning home that night, he checked his expenses and found that he had spent a total of 2580 pokedollars in the past three days. The expenses were still within a manageable range, so he slept soundly.

To avoid being harassed by the orphanage, he got up early, there were two important things to do that day.

After having breakfast with Ditto, he went out.

The second attempt to guess the bank card password failed four more times.

He felt helpless but knew that it was a matter of luck and couldn't be forced.

He got on their bicycle and headed back to the Ecruteak Gym.

Upon arriving at the Ecruteak Gym, even though it was still early, there was already a bustling crowd.

This showed how high the status of a Gym Leader was; every family wanted to cling to this big tree. If he was fortunate enough to become an official disciple of Yan, his path as a Pokémon trainer would naturally become much smoother.

He looked at the registration rules and selection criteria posted at the entrance.

Applicants must have a Pokémon and register it.

All applicants would be assessed three days later.

The first round was a written test on basic Pokémon knowledge, with only the top eight advancing.

The second round featured one-on-one battles, with the winners advancing.

The third round required the ability to catch a Ghost-type Pokémon in the Bell Tower.

The fourth round involved battling with the help of the captured Ghost-type Pokémon, with the winners advancing.

In the end, only two would be accepted.

After reading the rules, he got in line.

A bit more time was wasted, and now he couldn't see inside at all. Most of the children were accompanied by their parents, making the crowd even larger.

The one in charge of registration was the disciple named Leo, with Yan personally supervising.

Quite a few parents tried to give gifts to pull some strings.

Seeing this, Cain couldn't help but find it ridiculous. These ignorant people didn't know how much money a Gym Leader could make. Even if they moved all their savings over, it probably wouldn't make a dent.

Watching one parent after another being rejected, Cain couldn't help but curse.

"Idiots, not even weighing their own worth."

It wasn't until noon that it was finally his turn. The Pokémon Cain registered was naturally Ditto.

After registering, Cain checked the time and it was already 1 pm. He had a quick meal near the Ecruteak Gym to fill his hunger.

It seemed too late to head to Thunder Town today, so he decided to go early tomorrow morning.

So what should he do in the afternoon?

Cain was a bit troubled.

It was time to deal with Ditto's troubles. All it had done these past few days was eat.

There was a grassy area in the eastern suburbs of Ecruteak City, which was relatively safe and rarely had wild Pokémon.

That was the place, an excellent spot for special training.

Upon arriving at the destination, Cain was a bit dumbfounded.

Quite a few people had already gathered here, all commanding their Pokémon to train.

Most likely, they were all candidates who had signed up for the Ecruteak Gym apprenticeship exam.

Cain took a brief look and concluded, "Too poor."

In his previous life, he had already attained Elite Four-level strength. Watching these kids' play-like training now seemed underwhelming.

Cain took off the hat on his head.

"Ditto, transform into a dagger."

Holding the dagger that Ditto had transformed into, Cain squatted in the bushes and began a frantic grass-cutting session.

His hands danced non-stop, and the tender grass was cut in half at the sound.

This was an excellent way to exercise Ditto's physical fitness and toughness.

About half an hour later, Ditto couldn't hold on and transformed back to its original form.

Cain grabbed Ditto and threw it to the ground, glaring furiously at the Ditto on the ground.

"Did I tell you to transform back?"

Ditto was completely scared, and although the fall hurt, it didn't even dare to take a breath while looking at Cain's expression.

"Skip dinner tonight and stay as a dagger, or next time if you disobey orders and transform back on your own, it won't be so simple."

Cain's seemingly murderous gaze completely intimidated Ditto. Despite being in pain all over, it still transformed into a dagger.

Cain picked up the dagger and began an even more frantic grass-cutting spree. Ditto had no choice but to 'grit its teeth' and not dare to make any more movements.

Ditto transforming back on its own was an extremely dangerous behavior, and Cain had to intimidate it.

Ditto's role was to be responsible for disguises. In future operations, getting injured was a common occurrence. If it transformed back when injured, wouldn't that expose them? Then, what use would Ditto have?

What Cain needed was a Ditto that could withstand any situation, even if it was engulfed in flames, it would remain unwavering, willing to sacrifice itself but not expose its companions.

Clearly, this Ditto still had a long way to go.

Cain continued cutting grass for another hour before stopping.

He was also panting and sweating profusely.

Although Cain stopped cutting the grass, Ditto still didn't dare to transform back.

It wasn't until Cain spoke that Ditto finally transformed back into its original form.

At this point, Ditto was covered in injuries, lying limp on the ground.

"Is this all you're capable of?"

Cain looked at Ditto with a disdainful expression.

Facing Cain's disdain, Ditto forcibly cheered up and stood upright.

There's still hope!

Seeing Ditto looking fairly strong, most of Cain's anger from before dissipated.

They didn't train anything else today, they just cut grass for another hour.

Cain was tired himself, and Ditto's stamina had reached its limit.

Cain recalled Ditto, prepared to leave, and noticed that none of the people who were there at the beginning of training were around anymore.

Cain sneered.

"With this little perseverance, they deserve to be at the bottom for their entire lives. It's laughable to think they can compete with me as a Gym apprentice."

By the time he returned to Ecruteak City, it was already late.

Originally, Cain could have easily treated Ditto's injuries himself, but it would have required buying medicine at a pharmacy, so he decided to go to the Pokémon Center for convenience sake.

Registration, payment.

The Pokémon Center is like a hospital, with its procedures. Free services are only available for a small number of direct-line trainers within the League.

Ordinary treatment and stamina recovery cost 100 dollars.

Nurse Joy took Ditto, looked at its injuries, and then glanced at Cain, the child.

"What's the matter with you, letting your Pokémon get hurt so badly? How can you take care of Pokémon like this, and how can you be a good Pokémon Trainer?"

Nurse Joy began to lecture Cain.

Cain glanced at Joy with narrowed eyes, thinking she was really putting on an act.

Nurse Joy was taken aback by Cain's gaze and couldn't help but shiver.

Awkward atmosphere...

Nurse Joy closed her mouth and took Ditto into the treatment room.

It must be said that the healing techniques of the Joy family were the best in the world. In about half an hour, Ditto had recovered its spirits.

Cain took Ditto back, said "Thank you," and turned to leave.