Giving Up Resistance?

The densely packed Rattata surged forward like a tidal wave.

Even Xia Yan and Weedle, who had come prepared, were startled.

It looks like this mission will be much harder than I imagined, Xia Yan thought.

But surprise was surprise; it was not yet time to panic.

"Weedle, Electroweb!"

"Wuu!"

Weedle opened its mouth and spat out a broad web covered in crackling yellow arcs of electricity.

The moment it made contact, quite a few Rattata were wrapped up in the Electroweb. The current running through it stimulated them, drawing out a chorus of cries.

"Poison Sting!"

Xia Yan backed down the stairs as Weedle on his shoulder continuously fired Poison Stings. There was no need to aim; it only had to keep firing over a wide area, and clusters of Rattata fell.

But even so, there were simply too many Rattata pouring out, forcing Xia Yan back to the stairwell entrance.

He glanced at the narrow doorframe.

An idea struck Xia Yan, and he immediately said, "Weedle, use String Shot to seal this doorway."

Weedle's eyes lit up at once upon hearing that. It instantly understood what he meant.

While the Rattata's advance slowed due to their collisions and the bodies of their fallen companions, Weedle spat out silk and sealed the entire doorframe with tough strands.

Only a few small gaps remained, just large enough for sight to pass through, perfectly blocking the Rattata from advancing further.

Next.

All Weedle needed to do was keep firing Poison Sting through those gaps at the incoming Rattata.

Though there were many Rattata, Xia Yan could clearly tell that they were not particularly strong. They were not much different from the Rattata beside Assef that had blocked them at the entrance earlier.

Weak, crazed, and undisciplined.

As long as they found the right method, dealing with them was not difficult.

"This is actually a pretty good training opportunity, Weedle. It's rare to have so many living Pokémon as training targets."

Having successfully blocked their advance, there was no longer any need to panic. Xia Yan even saw this as a decent opportunity for training.

A thought even flashed through his mind.

If this were a game, with so many Rattata, even if their levels were low, Weedle's level was low too. How much experience would they provide?

After this battle, Weedle would probably evolve, right?

He then smiled and shook his head, dismissing the pointless thought.

"Wuu!!"

Weedle was very serious, continuously firing Poison Stings through the silk-sealed doorframe and hitting the Rattata behind it.

Whenever it saw signs that the Rattata might break through the silk, it temporarily stopped attacking and reinforced the barrier with more silk. If that was not enough, it fired an Electroweb. That was sure to stop them.

And so.

Using a method similar to grinding experience against a wall corner, Xia Yan and Weedle gradually cleared out clusters of Rattata.

At the same time, Xia Yan noticed something rather unusual.

After being hit by Poison Sting, these crazed, swarming Rattata should not have lost their ability to fight so quickly.

Yet the Rattata struck by Poison Sting seemed to awaken from their madness all at once, regaining their instincts and reason. After casting wary glances at Weedle, they turned and fled, disappearing without a trace in moments.

That sped up the cleanup.

So very soon.

Behind the silk-blocked doorframe, aside from a small portion of Rattata, most had fled.

The Rattata blocking Xia Yan and Weedle had finally all been dealt with.

The resilient silk web that even the Rattata had struggled to break through was sliced open with a light flick of Weedle's tail.

They stepped onto the stairs again and continued upward.

"Wuu?" Weedle called softly.

Xia Yan took out an Energy Cube. This was the last one he had left. Whether or not they completed today's mission, he had to go back and buy more. These things were highly beneficial to Pokémon, and it was best not to let the supply run out.

"Do you know what's going on with those Rattata? They were obviously being controlled by something, and that is our target this time."

"Wuu?!"

Weedle looked utterly shocked.

What kind of being could control so many Rattata?

"You've just never seen anything like it before, so of course you're surprised. But..." Thinking of the mission file Loto had given him, Xia Yan said, "This mission target is indeed a little unusual."

"Wuu."

"You'll understand once you see it."

They climbed the stairs.

He did not know which floor the target was hiding on, but it did not matter. Weedle had more or less an instinctive sense of it.

Before they realized it, they had reached the top floor of the dilapidated apartment building.

At the top of the stairs was a nearly completely enclosed small space. There were no windows and no lights, leaving the area dark and stifling.

Places like this were often used by residents to store miscellaneous clutter.

But when Xia Yan and Weedle arrived, they found the place unusually tidy, without even a speck of dust.

"Wuu!"

Weedle cried softly, its tiny eyes fixed tightly on a corner.

Noticing its reaction, Xia Yan followed its gaze.

There, in a cramped corner shrouded in near-total darkness, sat a thin, withered figure.

With the faint starlight, Xia Yan could barely make out a yellow-and-brown body, a pair of pale ears atop its head, and a neither long nor short nose swaying back and forth.

The moment he saw its appearance, Xia Yan was certain it was the mission target.

A Psychic-type Pokémon, Drowzee!

Xia Yan and Weedle's arrival did not seem to draw Drowzee's attention. It merely sat quietly atop a box.

Only after approaching.

Did Xia Yan discover in surprise that Drowzee was actually holding a book.

A book that was not profound in the slightest—in fact, it was extremely simple. It was a children's book, printed with little stories that only children would enjoy hearing.

Yet this Drowzee appeared to be reading it with great interest.

That was apparent from the upturned corners of its mouth and its constantly twitching ears.

Remarkably, Xia Yan did not interrupt it. He simply pulled over a box and sat down some distance away from Drowzee.

Weedle blinked its curious eyes.

This was the first time it had ever seen a Pokémon that liked reading.

More importantly, how could a Pokémon understand the words in a book?

An odd silence gradually spread through the room.

Finally.

Snap!

Drowzee, looking slightly reluctant to part with the story, slowly closed the book. It carefully placed it on the box before it, aligning the book's corners perfectly with the box's edges, then smoothed down a slightly folded page corner.

It turned to look at Xia Yan and Weedle, pausing on Weedle for a moment before finally settling its gaze on Xia Yan.

A pale blue glow suddenly lit up in its eyes.

Weedle shuddered and rushed in front of Xia Yan.

But before it could take an attacking stance, Xia Yan gently patted its back, signaling it to stay calm.

Because a rather childish voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

"Hello~"

"Telepathy?" Xia Yan looked at Drowzee in slight confusion. The glow in its eyes and the voice in his mind both confirmed it.

"Yes." The voice sounded again.

It seemed that as long as Xia Yan formed a response in his mind, Drowzee could hear it.

"So, you were the one controlling the Rattata downstairs, right?" Xia Yan was somewhat surprised, but only somewhat.

"Yes." Drowzee nodded calmly.

It looked at Weedle again, then said evenly, "You were sent by them, right? Thank you for letting me finish the last story. I am ready. Do it."

Its voice was somewhat halting, but the general meaning was understandable.

The blue glow in Drowzee's eyes dimmed. It spread its arms, looking as though it were calmly accepting its fate.

This...

Had it given up resisting?