This Is a Weedle?

"Wait."

As they passed a clothing store, Xia Yan suddenly stopped.

Lance looked at him in confusion.

Just moments ago, they had agreed to head to the public training grounds at the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center for evening practice.

Xia Yan had originally wanted to go straight to the Silph Pokémon Battle Club, since he was more familiar with the place.

But then he considered that Team Rocket might be lurking behind the club. Lance was not yet an investigator, much less an Elite Four Champion, so he would not be paying attention to Team Rocket for now. But if he remembered it someday and connected it to innocent Xia Yan, that would not be ideal.

Besides, Xia Yan wanted to visit the Pokémon Center to give Weedle a thorough examination and treatment, to see whether its usual intense training had caused any hidden problems, and whether the two Berries had brought it any adverse effects.

Since Weedle had started following him, it had never received the Pokémon Center's most comprehensive treatment.

So he agreed to Lance's suggestion.

"Wait for me."

After saying that, Xia Yan took Weedle into the clothing store.

Soon enough.

He emerged with something resembling a black curtain in his hands.

"What is that?" Lance paused.

Xia Yan did not answer. He merely gripped both ends of the cloth and gave it a gentle shake. It was actually a black cape.

Under Lance's astonished gaze, Xia Yan draped it over his back.

Lance already looked exceptionally upright and proper. With the cape added, he now had a bit of a swashbuckling, superhero-like air about him.

Looking at his handiwork, Xia Yan nodded in satisfaction. "Now there won't be any misunderstandings."

"Misunderstandings?"

Lance touched the cape behind him. The material was not particularly good, but for some reason, he found that he really liked this outfit.

It perfectly matched certain thoughts he had always held deep inside.

He had always felt as though something was missing, yet he had never been able to figure out what it was. Now he knew.

It was a cape.

A dragon trainer was only truly cool with a cape!

In Xia Yan's memories, Lance always appeared wearing a stylish cape. He must have been someone who liked capes very much.

"It's nothing. Think of it as thanks for the information you told me. A return gift," Xia Yan said.

He could not exactly tell him that without the cape, he would sometimes instinctively feel that the person before him was Ash wearing Lance's skin, could he?

"A return gift?"

Lance nodded and accepted the Present. His sense of approval toward Xia Yan rose a little further.

"Let's go."

They were already in the center of Goldenrod City, so the Pokémon Center was not far away.

Soon enough.

The two arrived at the Pokémon Center.

This was Xia Yan's first time visiting a place so steeped in Pokémon League influence.

The lobby was not lavish, but it was clean and efficient. Pokémon Trainers carrying Pokémon or holding Poké Balls came and went, while professional nurses moved about alongside Chansey pushing medical carts.

Nurse Joy was the only one standing behind the counter. The rest were ordinary nurses.

The Pokémon Center represented the Pokémon League's highest standard of medical care, as well as a benefit and safeguard for Registered Trainers. Only Registered Trainers could receive free basic medical services at Pokémon Centers. Unregistered Trainers like Xia Yan had to pay out of pocket.

Even so, the Pokémon Center remained constantly crowded, because only here could Pokémon receive the most comprehensive and reassuring medical treatment.

Lance led Xia Yan through the bustling lobby and into the training and battle grounds behind the Pokémon Center.

These were also open to Registered Trainers free of charge.

After Lance presented his Trainer identification, Xia Yan followed him without being stopped, and they made their way to a training field in the corner.

The training equipment and facilities were not as comprehensive as those at the club, but the lively environment made for a different sort of experience.

Lance nodded at Xia Yan.

Xia Yan understood.

Since they were only training, they could each do their own thing.

Lance opened a Poké Ball. With a flash of red light, a Pokémon with an orange-red body appeared on the field. It resembled a bipedal Western dragon, and a flame burned at the tip of its thick tail.

The moment Xia Yan saw it, his eyes lit up.

Charizard!

Affectionately known as Old Spitfire!

The final evolution of Charmander, one of Kanto Region's Starter Pokémon. It was a Fire-type and Flying-type Pokémon with Dragon-type blood, capable of learning some Dragon-type moves.

One glance told Xia Yan that Lance's Charizard had been raised exceptionally well. Its sturdy limbs, blazing flame, and confident gaze were all signs of an outstanding Pokémon.

Lance stroked Charizard and asked proudly, "What do you think? My Charizard is excellent, right? It was my very first partner."

Xia Yan nodded firmly.

Everyone only knew that Lance was the Dragon-type Champion whose ace was a Dragonite. Few knew that his starter Pokémon, Charizard, was also extremely powerful and outstanding, having contributed greatly to his path toward becoming Champion.

At the same time, Xia Yan secretly felt fortunate that he had not agreed to Lance's request for a battle.

Charizard versus Weedle?

What had he been thinking?

Seeing Charizard also reminded Xia Yan that Lance, the future Dragon-type Elite Four member and even Dragon-type Champion, owned a Fire-type and Flying-type Charizard, a Rock-type and Flying-type Aerodactyl, and a Water-type and Flying-type Gyarados.

Their names all had "dragon" in them, yet none of them actually had the Dragon-type. That was the defining feature.

He might as well have been called the Flying-type Elite Four.

The title Dodo Bird truly lived up to its name.

"Weedle, let's start training," Xia Yan said to the Weedle on his shoulder.

"Wuu!" Weedle answered.

Its eyes were full of envy as it looked at Charizard.

So cool.

"Stop daydreaming. Once you evolve into Beedrill, you'll be even cooler." Xia Yan flicked its little head.

Weedle bashfully curled in on itself before immediately jumping down to prepare for training.

"Same as always. Warm up with a run."

Xia Yan took off the small suit and top hat he had just bought, loosened up his joints a little, and prepared to train alongside Weedle.

After the incident involving the Berries, he became even more convinced that he needed to strengthen his own training as well.

"Wuu!"

Then the two began running laps around the training field to warm up.

One lap around the field was four hundred meters. Their goal was twenty laps before beginning the actual training.

Lance was surprised to see Xia Yan running alongside Weedle.

What surprised him even more was the amount of training Xia Yan and Weedle did.

Only when Xia Yan was drenched in sweat from head to toe did the warm-up finally come to an end.

Weedle was breathing hard, but it did not look particularly exhausted. It seemed to still have energy to spare.

Once Xia Yan and Weedle immersed themselves in training, they no longer cared about outside attention. Xia Yan did not explain Lance's confusion. He simply said to Weedle:

"Your body changed dramatically after eating those two Berries. At this stage, our training is to test where your physical limits are. Only after we determine your upper limit can we continue digging deeper."

"Wuu, wuu!"

After warming up, Weedle could clearly feel the changes in its body as well.

It felt as though it had endless strength, as if it could exert itself without ever running out of energy.

"Then keep running. Run until you can't keep going anymore," Xia Yan said, catching his breath.

"Wuu?"

What about you?

Weedle blinked at him.

"Me? I've already reached my limit."

Weedle: "???"

So it was running by itself?

"I need to take some time to study Poison-type development. Once we determine your stamina limit, we'll begin skill training. Every move needs to adapt to the changes in your body. But your foundation is there, so I believe it won't take much time.

Go on."

He gave Weedle a push.

Since Xia Yan had said so, Weedle stopped dwelling on it. Compared with its current stamina, Xia Yan really could not keep up.

It lowered its head and shot forward.

Lance, who had been watching Xia Yan and Weedle train, grew increasingly astonished.

Watching Weedle race around the field at incredible speed, seemingly without knowing fatigue, a thought flashed through his mind.

Is this really a Weedle?

Are you sure it isn't a Pikachu wearing a Weedle costume?