Sympathy

"But their overly gentle nature leaves them lacking in drive. They are content with the status quo, which doesn't mesh very well with most trainers these days."

Mori frowned.

He was describing a glaring reality among modern trainers.

They were frivolous and impatient, eager to reach the heavens in a single step. They placed enormous importance on a Pokémon's Energy Level and lacked the patience to wait for one to grow.

And Pokémon like Heracross, with their clearly slow-paced growth, were certainly unsuitable for them.

"Once the trainers who catch them fail to get sufficiently high returns, they abandon them and casually dump them in other forests. Little do they know they're damaging those forests' ecosystems." Mori's expression was troubled. "This month alone, I've already taken back three Heracross born in Heracross Forest."

When Pokémon were released into a forest, they could never immediately blend in.

There was bound to be a long adjustment period.

And they would cause a certain degree of damage to that forest.

"I see!" Heiduo clapped his hands. Different Pokémon had different growth curves. Although Heracross was a Bug-type Pokémon, according to Mori, it was the kind that matured late.

"In the forest across from here, there's a Pokémon called Pinsir. It's powerful too, and it matures very quickly. If you don't mind, you can go catch one." Mori smiled. "Don't let its ugly appearance fool you. It's impatient and fierce, but for most trainers, Pinsir is a capable helper in Pokémon battles."

Pinsir?

Heiduo rubbed his chin, then dismissed the idea.

Sorry, but he was a looks person. Pinsir simply did not fit his tastes.

"Thank you." Heiduo thanked Mori. Since Heracross was a slow-growing Pokémon, it was not very suitable for Heiduo, whose time was somewhat tight.

Never mind whether it could mature within three years; such a short period meant that Heiduo was destined to be unable to cast a wide net.

For now, he had set his number at nine.

Six official members and three reserves. That number would not place too much burden on him, nor would his Attribute Points be stretched too thin.

As for which nine Pokémon they would be...

Heiduo felt it was best to let fate decide. Who knew when he might catch each other's eye with some little fellow?

Right, the Starter Trio should be able to reach the level he wanted within three years.

He wondered whether he would have Ash's luck and encounter every member of the Starter Trio.

After chatting for a while longer, Heiduo bid Mori farewell. He planned to visit Pinsir Forest; even if he did not catch anything, it would be good to take a look.

It would be even better if he happened to encounter a Pokémon that caught his eye.

Heiduo and Shuangye walked one behind the other until they reached a cliff.

A wooden bridge connected the two cliffs. The long wooden bridge swayed back and forth in the wind.

Looking down into the bottomless abyss, Heiduo felt a little dizzy. Before experiencing it, everyone thought they were not afraid of heights.

Fortunately, although the bridge swayed, it was sturdy. Holding the rope handrail, Heiduo crossed it step by careful step.

Elekid had long since reached the other side and was laughing at Heiduo.

The little guy was fearless, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. It did not know what fear was at all and had darted across in a flash.

Wasn't that why Pokémon were so simple-minded?

Before long, Heiduo safely reached the other side and pinched Elekid's cheek.

Serves you right for gloating! Be careful or you won't get dinner tonight!

Elekid, threatened with dinner by Heiduo, expressed its disdain. Then, under the threat of Heiduo's resin, it promptly begged for mercy.

For the sake of those few jars of resin, it had worked so hard that its level had even risen by one.

Although leveling up was easy in the early stages, one could imagine just how hard it had worked.

Through this, Heiduo learned that Pokémon did not level up only through battle. Even ordinary training could grant experience and raise a Pokémon's Energy Level.

Heiduo was delighted by this, and he also understood why Gary's Pokémon in Pokémon Adventures had been raised so quickly.

He must have had some special training methods.

At that moment, Shuangye was still on the bridge. Heiduo looked up and could not help laughing.

At first glance, the girl seemed to be crossing as leisurely as if strolling through a courtyard. But if one looked closely, her calves were trembling.

A minute later, Shuangye stepped onto solid ground and let out a small breath of relief. She shot Heiduo an irritated look but still said nothing, as though she had shut herself off.

Heiduo looked away and pretended not to notice as he continued forward.

After entering Pinsir Forest, the number of Pokémon they encountered dropped sharply.

As Pokémon with strong territorial instincts and violent temperaments, it was perfectly normal for Pinsir to reject other Pokémon.

But that also dashed Heiduo's hopes of encountering certain Pokémon. He lowered his head and checked his watch.

It was still early. At his pace, reaching East Gate Town before dark should be easy, so he could take his time exploring Pinsir Forest.

Maybe he would run into one or two Pokémon he liked, such as Cyndaquil, Cyndaquil, or perhaps Cyndaquil.

Among Johto's Starter Trio, the one Heiduo liked most was undoubtedly Cyndaquil. Compared to the rambunctious Totodile, the soft, adorable Cyndaquil from the Pokémon Original Series was unquestionably his favorite.

After walking for roughly half an hour.

The view ahead opened up again, and another massive tree appeared before Heiduo.

But it was different from the one in Heracross Forest.

This giant tree was covered only in countless Pinsir. They crowded together and argued, each wanting to claim multiple openings that oozed resin despite having only one mouth.

"I really am not suited to this kind of Pokémon." Heiduo looked away. Pinsir's pitch-black gaping mouth was too frightening, making him deeply uncomfortable.

However, an empty grassy clearing not far from the giant tree caught Heiduo's attention.

There, a boy with dark purple hair held a Poké Ball. A Pinsir followed beside him, while he kicked at something beneath his feet.

Heiduo focused his eyes and discovered that beneath the boy's feet was a rather miserable-looking Weedle.

What was going on here?

Heiduo frowned. Seeing the boy muttering something, he pricked up his ears.

"Go away... I don't need you..."

Fragmented words reached Heiduo's ears.

Was he releasing a Pokémon? There was no need to go this far, was there?

Unable to stand it, Heiduo turned to Shuangye and said, "Aren't you going to do something about this?"

"I can't interfere." Shuangye said coldly, "We have no authority to interfere with trainers releasing Pokémon."

"You call this releasing it? And how are you so sure he's releasing it?"

Heiduo pointed at the Weedle. It struggled beneath the boy's feet. The boy kicked it away several times, yet it stubbornly crawled back to him.

"One wants to hit, and the other wants to take it! I can't interfere!"

Fire flashed in Shuangye's eyes as she shouted angrily.

Heiduo looked into her eyes. He could not tell who her anger was aimed at, but that was no longer important.

"Fine. If you won't handle it, I will." Heiduo stepped forward, with Elekid following behind him, unaware of what was happening.

"Hey, you over there!"

Kurozawa walked over and stopped the boy's actions.

When the boy saw Kurozawa suddenly appear, he froze briefly. His foot stopped moving as he asked, "Huh? What is it?"

"What's going on here?" Kurozawa smiled, hoping to get a sense of the situation.

The boy smiled. "Oh, I caught a pretty talented Pinsir, but my team's full, so I'm planning to release one. Weedle are everywhere, so there's no loss in releasing it. Is there something you need?"

No loss...

Heiduo's heart clenched.

"Well, seeing Weedle like this... I feel a little sorry for it."

Heiduo blamed himself for meddling. This was clearly something that had nothing to do with him, yet for some reason, the sight of the boy kicking Weedle felt especially harsh.

The boy looked at Weedle, then at Heiduo, as though he suddenly understood something. He let out a scornful laugh and said, "Heh! I was wondering who it was. So it's another one of you idiots from the Fan Club. What, you want to meddle in things the law can handle, and things it can't handle too? Are you the Police or a judge?"

It seemed he had suffered at the hands of the Fan Club before, judging by his extremely nasty tone.

Heiduo shook his head. "I'm not..."

"Don't bother! I don't care whether you are or not. I'm releasing it today, so what? Hit me! If you dare hit me, I'll send you to prison!"

The boy seemed to be sick of Weedle clinging to him, and he poured all his pent-up anger onto Heiduo.

Seeing his tense stance, then Pinsir's readiness to attack at any moment, Heiduo bent down and picked up Weedle.

"Since you've released it, it shouldn't have anything to do with you anymore, right?"

When the boy saw Heiduo take out a towel and carefully wrap Weedle in it, he gave a cold laugh. Without saying anything, he turned and left.

Pinsir glanced at Weedle, then silently left as well.

Heiduo ignored the boy too. He had not stepped in to teach the boy a lesson. If Weedle had not looked so pitiful, he would not have had the slightest interest in meddling.

When he opened his backpack and took out a Potion, he discovered that Weedle was struggling free of the towel, trying to chase after the boy.

It propped up its battered body. It clearly had no strength left; even a single wriggle required several seconds of rest, yet it still struggled stubbornly, refusing to give up as it crawled toward its former trainer.

Its small, round eyes gleamed like gemstones.

Heiduo actually saw emotions like sadness, pleading, and helplessness in those eyes.

"Damn..."

Holding gauze and a Potion, Heiduo was shaken by the sight.

Sometimes, it was not only magnificent mountains and rivers or the boundless starry sky that could leave one spellbound. When the emotion struck, even an ordinary bowl of plain noodles could render someone speechless.

To put it bluntly, Heiduo had been moved by the look in a Weedle's eyes.

Unfortunately, at this moment, he was completely at a loss for words, unable to describe it with any beautiful language.

Truly, a man without culture could conquer the world with one "damn."

"Stop chasing him. He doesn't need you. Even if you catch up to him, it'll be useless."