"I'll give you another Pokémon—a Yellow Quality Ekans. Don't cry!!!"
The fat man's elder brother knew he was unhappy the moment he saw the fat man's lips curl downward.
"This Ekans has already been tamed and will obey your commands one hundred percent. All right, don't tell anyone about our relationship. Otherwise, we'll be caught by Team Rocket's all-pervasive Dark Department and subjected to cruel punishment."
"If our parents hadn't asked me to take care of you before they died, I really wouldn't want to acknowledge you as my younger brother."
The fat man's elder brother shoved him straight out the door and slammed it shut.
"I'll tear you limb from limb!" Recalling Qing Wu's smiling eyes, the fat man seethed with resentment.
"No, I think I'll still get dragged down by that fat man. I need to hurry and apply to return to the Team Rocket branch."
The fat man's brother knew exactly what his younger brother was like. He hurriedly packed his luggage. His biggest mistake this time had been following him to Trial Island.
When the fat man's brother opened the door, two Team Rocket members wearing masks and black robes were already standing outside.
"Daisaburo, you're suspected of violating the rules concerning Trial Participants. You need to submit to an investigation by the Dark Department. Surely you know what the Dark Department is. Don't resist. Surrender."
The Black Robe's voice, altered by the mask, came from behind it. He was tossing two Poké Balls in his hand.
Daisaburo—who was also the fat man's brother—drooped his head and was led away by the Dark Department with a dejected expression.
At that moment, Qing Wu and Leiming ran into trouble. They had encountered a reproducing colony of Beedrill.
The entire forest was basically filled with Weedle, and the rustling sound could be heard everywhere.
"Boss, are we really going this way? Aren't you afraid of disturbing the Beedrill? A Beedrill swarm isn't something to mess with."
Leiming's scalp went numb when he saw the enormous number of Weedle.
Weedle, Kakuna, and Beedrill were all part of the same evolutionary line. A Weedle that ate quickly would evolve into Kakuna after three days.
Kakuna would generally turn into a formidable Beedrill after seven days.
Moreover, once Kakuna was stimulated by an outside force, it could evolve directly into Beedrill as well. However, its quality would be slightly worse because it had not accumulated enough energy.
Beedrill's real-world counterpart was the Asian Giant Hornet, and it was also a tyrant in the forest.
It wasn't that Beedrill were particularly strong. Rather, they were Pokémon that attacked in groups.
As long as one Beedrill was alerted, an entire swarm would give chase.
"Relax, relax. It's fine. Leiming, come here for a moment."
Qing Wu took a bottle of Insect Repellent Ointment from his Wristband, scooped some out with his finger, and smeared it over Leiming's wrist.
"This is Insect Repellent Ointment. It contains a scent that Bug Type Pokémon hate," Qing Wu told Leiming.
"Meowth gets some too." Qing Wu applied some Insect Repellent Ointment to Meowth's paw.
"For ordinary Pokémon, this scent isn't unpleasant. But to Bug Type Pokémon, it's like smelling the odor they hate most."
Qing Wu explained.
"Let's go." Qing Wu applied some ointment to Zubat as well, then led Leiming and Meowth straight into the depths of the forest.
Sure enough, the Weedle seemed to smell something unpleasant and hurriedly veered away, leaving a clear space ahead.
However, in the primeval forest of Trial Island, even this was troublesome. Shrubs and branches were everywhere, and there was no proper road they could pass through.
Although Qing Wu had Insect Repellent Ointment, that didn't mean they were guaranteed to be safe.
Zubat flapped its wings, spreading the scent of the ointment through the air.
At the same time, countless Wind Blades cut through the shrubs and branches, opening a path wide enough for one person to pass.
Qing Wu led Leiming onward, stopping and starting along the way, until they finally stopped beneath a massive tree whose trunk could probably accommodate the arms of ten people.
Kecleon burst excitedly out of its Poké Ball. It pointed eagerly beneath the tree with its little hand, as if saying there was some treasure buried there.
Just as Kecleon was about to use Rock Tomb to force the treasure out of the ground, Qing Wu looked up and immediately felt his scalp go numb.
The enormous tree was densely covered with insect cocoons that looked like gold.
A huge hive sat high in the tree, with countless Beedrill flying in and out.
"Kecleon, use Dig and retrieve the treasure," Qing Wu whispered to Kecleon.
Faced with such a huge number of Beedrill, even Qing Wu, a former Elite Four Trainer, had no confidence.
He only wanted to retrieve the treasure as quickly as possible and leave.
Even if Qing Wu's Pokémon could deal with some of the Beedrill, they could only hold out for a while.
Once a Pokémon ran out of stamina, it would be like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered and would ultimately become food for the Beedrill.
Kecleon dug a tunnel and burrowed underground. Qing Wu watched as a small mound of earth charged straight toward the ground beneath the tree.
Kecleon kept its movements small, so it did not attract the colony's attention. About ten minutes passed.
Only then did Kecleon emerge from underground and spit out an amber nugget the size of a palm.
A silvery-white stinger was embedded inside the amber.
"This stinger is in perfect condition." It was the first time Qing Wu had seen such a flawless stinger.
Normally, after a Beedrill died, its stinger would become brittle immediately.
Beedrill stingers were extremely rare Poison Type materials, especially those left behind by Beedrill that had died naturally.
The longer they were preserved, the stronger the stingers' venom became.
Judging from the amber's age, Qing Wu suspected that this Beedrill might have been left behind by the first generation of Beedrill on Trial Island.
Qing Wu solemnly placed the amber into his Wristband and patted Kecleon's head.
"Thank you, Kecleon. I'm very satisfied with this." Qing Wu smiled. He had discovered that ever since he had grown accustomed to smiling,
his expressions were no longer stiff, and he could smile sincerely from the bottom of his heart. It seemed that being reborn had changed his personality quite a lot.
"Let's get out of here quickly." Beedrill honey was an excellent supplement.
Only someone trying to get themselves killed would risk provoking countless Beedrill and Kakuna for it.
Just as Qing Wu and Leiming stepped over the tree surrounded by Beedrill and headed toward the Arbok Forest,
Qing Wu heard a distant shout from behind them: "Koffing, use Self-Destruct!"
"What the hell? Which idiot is that?" Qing Wu and Leiming cursed inwardly.
They quickened their pace, trying to escape the Beedrill's territory.
Beedrill had an extremely strong sense of territory. Once they left its boundaries, the Beedrill would stop giving chase.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz." The sound of beating wings rang beside their ears. Qing Wu turned around and saw countless Beedrill flying through the air.
A Trial Participant with a Pidgeotto was in the air, yet he still couldn't break through the Beedrill's encirclement. In the end, he was struck by the Beedrill's Pin Missile.
He fell from the sky. Having lost their original target, the Beedrill quickly shifted their attention to Qing Wu and Leiming.
Qing Wu and Leiming wished they had two more legs. They kept cursing those idiots inwardly.
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