Kecleon (Seeking Flowers, Seeking Collections, Seeking Evaluation Tickets)

"I didn't expect there'd be a Mama Fruit here." Qing Wu looked up at the lightning-shaped fruit hanging high on the tree, pleasantly surprised.

Mama Fruit could be used to make high-grade paralysis potions—for Qing Wu, currently in a dangerous situation, this was a rare means of defense.

Brewing a high-grade paralysis potion would require many other rare ingredients.

But for a Pokémon Breeding Master like Qing Wu, he had a better way.

Qing Wu picked up two pebbles of just the right size from the ground and weighed them in his hand.

"Go." Qing Wu threw the pebbles toward the Mama Fruit, mimicking the motion of tossing a Poké Ball.

"My body's still lacking—I haven't adapted yet." The first pebble Qing Wu threw fell short of the Mama Fruit.

The second pebble struck the stem of the Mama Fruit precisely, knocking it down.

The Mama Fruit landed with a thud on Kecleon's head.

"Haha, Kecleon looks like it's wearing a yellow hat." Qing Wu laughed.

Using the same method, Qing Wu knocked down a few orange-yellow fruits and handed them to Kecleon.

These were Orange Fruits, a type of tree fruit used by Pokémon to restore stamina.

Kecleon ate several in a row before recovering some energy, struggling to get its limbs on the ground and carefully avoiding the small puddles.

Seeing that Kecleon had regained its strength and was in much better spirits, Qing Wu took a bite of an Orange Fruit—sweet and sour, juicy and refreshing.

Qing Wu carefully stored the seeds of the Orange Fruit; ground up, these seeds were also a good remedy for restoring stamina.

But the seeds of the Orange Fruit were extremely bitter, and many small Pokémon didn't like eating them.

Kecleon nestled against Qing Wu's pant leg, showing affection for its trainer.

In Qing Wu's mind, the figure that had stood before him, guarding him even unto death, surfaced.

That figure slowly overlapped with the Kecleon now huddled at his feet, and an indescribable mix of emotion and bittersweet sorrow flowed into his heart.

What he had scorned in his past life was now what he most wanted to obtain and protect.

Qing Wu walked carefully along the muddy path, with Kecleon following behind, leaving a trail of footprints.

From a distance, Qing Wu heard the gurgling sound of lake water.

Sure enough, after pushing aside the grass, Qing Wu saw a shimmering lake, with many Tricolor Piranhas leaping in the water.

In the clear river, there were also some fish.

Animals existed in this world, and they served as food for some carnivorous Pokémon.

Generally, in this world, humans did not treat Pokémon as food.

"Kecleon, use Rock Tomb—aim at that fish." Qing Wu pointed at a large fish not far from the lakeshore.

Kecleon nodded, channeled Rock-type energy, and struck the ground hard with its silvery forelimbs.

A huge rock burst up from the lakebed, violently knocking the large fish out of the water.

The fish landed on the lakeshore, flopping wildly, mud, leaves, and grass clippings sticking to its body.

"What a big fish!" Kecleon was an omnivorous Pokémon and would eat anything.

For Kecleon, this fish wasn't even enough to fill its stomach.

Qing Wu picked up a branch with a sharp end from the ground and drove it deep into the fish's head.

The fish died on the spot, a sharp wound appearing on its forehead, from which fresh red blood flowed.

Qing Wu looked around for a container to hold the fresh blood.

His gaze finally settled on a large Pitcher Plant growing by the lakeshore.

Qing Wu picked one of the Pitcher Plants, about the size of a palm.

He hung the fish by its tail with a vine, letting as much fresh blood as possible flow from the wound into the Pitcher Plant to be stored.

This blood would be the food to tame a Zubat.

Just then, a purple Pokémon suddenly burst out from the bushes.

The Pokémon stared greedily at the large fish dripping blood in Qing Wu's hand.

It was an Ekans—the most ferocious hunter in this forest.

A regular Ekans was non-venomous, but it would use its body to crush its prey's bones.

This Ekans had just woken from sleep, and its tongue had caught the strong scent of blood.

It had been drawn by the fresh blood.

The Ekans bared its fangs and flicked its tongue threateningly at Qing Wu, all for the bleeding fish in his hand.

Pokémon: Ekans (Red)

Gender: Male

Level: 15

Type: Poison

Ability: Intimidate

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: None

Basic Skills: Wrap, Leer, Poison Sting, Bite

This Red Potential Ekans, having just awakened from slumber, is ravenous and extremely aggressive.

Moreover, the Ekans is three levels higher than Kecleon.

But type advantage cannot be fully reflected by level alone, let alone with a trainer's guidance.

This is an unavoidable battle. The Ekans is one of the few highly aggressive Pokémon on Trial Island, and is also known as a Rookie Killer.

Often, an Ekans that fails to be tamed will flee into the wild, becoming a menace to the area.

"Since it's appeared, Kecleon, let me see your true strength."

Qing Wu knew the scent of blood would attract some wild Pokémon, but he hadn't expected it to come so quickly, nor had he imagined it would draw an Ekans.