Mankey

Faced with a known attack, there was nothing to panic about. Xia Yan was not the only one waiting for it to appear; Weedle was also poised and ready.

A glance at Rattata's fur sheen, the wear on its teeth, and the length of its tail made it easy to judge its strength.

With his in-depth knowledge of Pokémon and his continued study of Pokémon breeding, Xia Yan had acquired some basic judgment skills.

Or rather, this was a fundamental ability every Breeder needed. Otherwise, how could they make suitable Energy Cubes for Pokémon?

This Rattata was probably at the Qualified level.

Its somewhat messy fur, severely worn but slowly growing teeth, underdeveloped muscles, and the clearly bitten-off tip of its tail all showed that its strength was limited.

There was a gap in strength, and Weedle had prepared itself while waiting at leisure. There was simply no suspense in this battle.

"Electroweb."

The instant he spoke, a massive web crackling with electric arcs shot from Weedle's mouth, wrapping around Rattata without incident. The current made all its fur stand on end.

Bang—

Rattata fell straight to the ground halfway through its charge. It struggled to get up, but the sticky web bound it tightly, while the electric current made its once-agile movements sluggish.

"Poison Sting."

Thunk, thunk, thunk—

After three poison stings pierced Rattata's body, the potent toxin quickly spread. Given Rattata's strength and condition, it could not withstand the poison's effects at all.

This was a crushing advantage in both raw strength and tactics. Naturally, the outcome of the battle held no surprises.

The more Rattata struggled on the ground, the faster the poison spread.

Once Xia Yan saw that it could no longer resist, he did not linger and continued forward through the dense grass.

What had just happened seemed to become a microcosm of Xia Yan and Weedle's encounters with wild Pokémon along the way.

Though not much time had passed, Weedle's progress was absolutely astonishing.

If they returned to the time when they had fought over the Berries, then aside from that Pinsir, Weedle would not need to fear any of the others. Even if it faced its final evolution, Beedrill, the result would be the same.

This showed just how important a Trainer was to a Pokémon's growth.

After all, wild Pokémon did not train. Surviving, and surviving better, was their entire world.

Other than some exceptionally gifted wild Pokémon or those with particularly strong personalities, most wild Pokémon probably only reached the Outstanding or Veteran Level. Very few could attain Elite Level.

Of course, unusual cases could not be ruled out.

After several battles, Xia Yan and Weedle successfully passed through the dense grass.

Its presence seemed to form a natural boundary.

Beyond it, the forest became more mysterious and dangerous. The complex scents filling the air were enough to explain everything.

The dense trees blocked out the sunlight, making the air in the forest seem several degrees colder.

Animal trails were everywhere, and all kinds of Pokémon footprints appeared and disappeared from view. All of it showed that the Pokémon in this forest were far more active than those in the forests around Goldenrod City.

Rustle, rustle—

The faint sound of flowing water reached Xia Yan's ears.

He compared it with the map and confirmed his location.

"The direction of the current does not conflict with my destination. Staying close to the water also gives me a better chance of encountering some Grass-type Pokémon that like water."

Xia Yan quickly made his decision and followed the current.

Of course, water was the source of all life. Grass-type Pokémon were not the only ones active nearby; there were also plenty of Pokémon that could not leave the water.

Sure enough, when Xia Yan and Weedle approached the water source, they encountered a Pokémon.

It had short pale-yellow fur and a small, somewhat goofy-looking body. It had a pink, piglike nose, along with a slender, flexible tail whose tip was yellowish-brown. It was a primate-like Pokémon.

Its tail swayed behind it as its short legs pumped with all their strength. It rushed into the current in panic, seeming to have tears welling at the corners of its eyes as it cried out.

"Mankey?"

Xia Yan's first impression of the Fighting-type Pokémon Mankey was that it lived in groups and was extremely prone to anger. Once enraged, it completely forgot fear and attacked without regard for anything else.

His second impression of Mankey was that both it and its evolution, Primeape, could learn one of the Dragon-type Pokémon's ultimate moves, "Outrage." Fighting-type Cross Chop and Close Combat combined with Dragon-type Outrage were practically the quintessential expression of violent aesthetics.

But this Mankey was terrified, forced into water it did not particularly like.

Then, the next second—

Xia Yan understood what it was afraid of.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

As the sound rapidly approached, Xia Yan stiffened when he saw its source. He shifted slightly to hide himself better in the bushes, while reaching out to press down on Weedle's head and suppress its curious urge to peek out.

A dense swarm of Beedrill flew out of the woods, brandishing their golden twin lances with murderous fury, as though they bore a deep grudge.

Their target was that Mankey.

With such a huge swarm of Beedrill, let alone one Mankey, even a whole group of Mankey might not be able to stop them.

How could it not be afraid? Was it looking to die?

"What did that Mankey even do to draw such a swarm of Beedrill?" Xia Yan silently swallowed, gaining an entirely new understanding of just how dangerous this forest was.

He did not dare make any moves and obediently stayed put.

Fortunately, Beedrill were not particularly patient Pokémon. Once they sensed that Mankey's aura had vanished, they left in irritation.

Their sharp twin lances and tail stingers spoke of their strength.

"Phew—" Seeing dozens of Beedrill leave the way they had come, Xia Yan let out a long breath.

"Woo—" Weedle imitated him and let out a breath as well.

So in the wild, one could not become excessively arrogant just because one had gained a little strength. Cruel reality would always deliver a crushing blow at the right moment.

Only after confirming that the Beedrill would not return did Xia Yan slowly step out.

"Hoga!!"

Suddenly, after Xia Yan and Weedle left the bushes, a monkey head abruptly popped out of the water. It gulped for air, with a trace of relief and mockery in its eyes.

"Hoga!! Hoga!!"

Mankey seemed to realize belatedly that

it could not swim!

When it saw Xia Yan and Weedle on the shore, it immediately cried out loudly for help.

Xia Yan glanced at Mankey as the river gradually carried it away, but he ignored it and prepared to leave this dangerous place with Weedle. Who knew whether the Beedrill would return?

"Hoga!! Hoga!!"

Seeing that Xia Yan was ignoring it, Mankey immediately panicked. Its eyes darted about, then it reached into its seemingly sparse fur and scratched around. A soft object that gleamed brightly in the sunlight appeared in its hand.

"Woo~~" Weedle sensed something and could not help looking toward Mankey. When it saw the object in its hand, its eyes immediately lit up.

"Hm?" Noticing Weedle's reaction, Xia Yan looked toward Mankey as well.

"This... Beedrill honey?" After confirming what Mankey held, Xia Yan was a little stunned. He also understood why Mankey had been "hunted down" by the Beedrill.

This Bold fellow had raided a Beedrill nest?

Mankey continued crying out, constantly waving the honey in its hand as if it were willing to trade it for its life.

After pondering briefly, Xia Yan said to Weedle, "Save it. Use String Shot."

Third update! Since I promised everyone extra chapters for monthly votes, I can only go all out! The fourth update will be coming shortly! There really are not many people as hardworking as me during a new book's run, so give me some more monthly votes!