The Secret of Beedrill

Heiduo suddenly understood. As a Bug-type Gym Leader, it was perfectly normal for Bugsy to be able to distinguish the scents of Bug-type Pokémon.

Still, calling him an encyclopedia of Bug-type Pokémon was a bit of an exaggeration. There were countless Bug-type Pokémon in the world, and the few species found in Kanto were far too limited.

Before he had seen Genesect, a candidate for Bug King, and Volcarona, Bugsy did not deserve that title.

...That said, Bugsy was undoubtedly countless times more knowledgeable than Heiduo. His research into the Pokémon of Kanto and Johto was far beyond anything Heiduo could compare to.

Heiduo took a deep breath and released Beedrill.

"If you're interested in my Beedrill, please examine it as much as you like. If possible, could I ask you some questions about Beedrill?" Heiduo intended to use this opportunity to ask Bugsy about training Beedrill.

Since Bugsy was interested in Beedrill, learning from him should not be a problem.

Bugsy froze briefly, then smiled. "Of course! I can answer any question from anyone interested in Bug-type Pokémon!"

These days, there were not many Trainers interested in Bug-type Pokémon. People either pursued coolness or beauty; those who truly cared about how to raise Bug-type Pokémon were few and far between.

Bugsy's Gym had not had any apprentices for a long time. Of course, that also had something to do with his devotion to ruin excavation, surveying, and similar work.

Heiduo was delighted by the affirmative answer. Having an expert to consult was who knew how many times more efficient than reading books himself, and he did not even need to pay a price for it.

"That girl..." Bugsy turned to look at Shuangye behind Heiduo, and Heiduo smoothly explained Shuangye's identity.

Inside the off-road vehicle.

Heiduo sat in the back seat, gripping the handle above the door. Gible, drowsy and half-asleep, lay on his lap.

Bugsy sat beside Heiduo. In front of him was Beedrill, its wings folded as it obediently allowed Bugsy to inspect it.

"...So, the slow increase in its Energy Level is only because Bug-type Pokémon have short Evolution cycles and need to accumulate a great deal of energy for Evolution. It is not because your Beedrill has any physical problems."

Bugsy rubbed Beedrill's abdomen. Heiduo's Beedrill was slightly different from ordinary Beedrill: its abdomen had four black stripes.

That was not to say Heiduo's Beedrill was especially gifted. It was simply a distinctive feature that allowed Heiduo to recognize his Beedrill.

At Bugsy's strong insistence, Heiduo had no choice but to get into Bugsy's car and travel with him to Azalea Town. Fortunately, Bugsy said he knew a very skilled Breeder, the one who usually handled his Pokémon's healthcare.

If Heiduo did not mind, Bugsy could introduce him to that Breeder. As long as Heiduo prepared enough tuition, learning Pokémon massage would not be difficult.

Gym Leaders really did have extensive connections.

Naturally, Heiduo thanked Bugsy profusely. The last person to treat him this well had been the best friend he had grown up with. If Bugsy had not shown Heiduo his level-sixty Beedrill, Heiduo would have truly thought Bugsy had his eye on his Beedrill.

The facts proved that Bugsy simply loved Bug-type Pokémon too much, and that affection had extended to Heiduo as well. After all, the Pokémon world was not like the relationship-driven society of his previous life. People acted only out of their love for Pokémon and their desire for a harmonious society.

Having experienced those horrific wars of ancient times, every member of the Pokémon League's upper ranks was making their own efforts for peace.

"That's good. Thank you so much." Heiduo let out a breath of relief. What he feared most was that Beedrill had some physical problem. Its other aptitudes or slow growth were not his main concerns.

Bugsy laughed loudly. "No need to be so formal! Just call me Bugsy! I'm only sixteen this year, not some old veteran."

The new generation of Gym Leaders were generally under twenty-five. Their strength might not match that of veteran Gym Leaders, but they were not inferior at all when it came to dealing with people.

The off-road vehicle drove along the mountain road. Since they were not taking the main road, the ride was extremely bumpy. Heiduo could not understand how Gible had managed to fall asleep under such conditions.

When they had crossed a steep rise just now, Heiduo had nearly been launched out of his seat.

Yet even in those conditions, Gible did not wake up. Its little red belly rose and fell, looking unbearably adorable.

During the consultation that followed, Heiduo came to understand the hardships of raising Bug-type Pokémon.

As a dual Bug- and Poison-type Pokémon, Beedrill first needed to get enough nutrition from its daily food. Then, the toxin glands in its two hardened Poison Stings had to be stimulated to produce venom. Compared with the thick, short Poison Sting at the end of Beedrill's tail, the Poison Stings on its arms were much more important.

Naturally, that did not mean the Poison Sting on Beedrill's tail was unimportant. It was simply used less often by comparison.

To a certain extent, the tail sting was mainly a last resort. Because it was closer to the vital organs in the abdomen, Beedrill usually would not use it. Once used, it would secrete an extremely terrifying Toxic that could poison an enemy to death in an instant.

However, releasing that venom would cause "irreversible damage" to Beedrill's own body.

For wild Beedrill, using the tail sting meant it was time to fight for its life.

Beedrill's two arm stingers were hollow inside. The venom glands were located at their ends, secreting venom through small holes in the center to the tips of the stingers, injecting it into enemies while piercing them.

If one wanted Beedrill to become strong, properly maintaining its Twinneedle was essential.

Bugsy recommended a maintenance oil to Heiduo. He had made it himself, specifically for maintaining the hardened cuticle of Bug-type Pokémon. Its effects were excellent, and it was sold in major stores throughout Johto. It was one of the sources of funding for his Gym's daily upkeep.

In the end, Heiduo bought five bottles at the discounted price of fifty each. Bugsy then gave him another five bottles, half-selling and half-gifting them, on the condition that Heiduo had to treat Beedrill well.

This was the first time Heiduo had met someone who loved Bug-type Pokémon so much. To Bugsy, Bug-type Pokémon seemed to be an inseparable part of his life.

After maintaining the all-important Twinneedle, the next priority was Beedrill's transparent wings. As Beedrill's main means of movement, these four wings were somewhat fragile and could not withstand heavy blows. During daily training, they had to be kept from getting hurt.

All in all, these were the two areas Beedrill needed to pay the most attention to. A powerful Beedrill would surely have a pair of long, thick stingers and wings tough enough to endure punishment.

After gaining a basic understanding of Beedrill's ecology, Heiduo asked about Bugsy's Pokémon.

He had two level-forty Metapod, two level-forty Kakuna, one level-sixty Beedrill, one level-sixty-two Heracross, and one level-sixty-three Scyther.

These seven Pokémon were the result of Bugsy's painstaking efforts over many years as a Gym Leader. Daily training could no longer raise their levels quickly unless Bugsy, like Red, frequently made them engage in intense battles.

But that was clearly unrealistic. A ruin investigator's job was never easy. Once Bugsy became busy, he simply did not have enough time to seek out powerful Trainers for battles.

When Heiduo asked why Bugsy did not let his Pokémon evolve, Bugsy smiled and explained that every form of a Pokémon had strengths waiting to be uncovered. Evolution did not necessarily mean strength, nor did a lack of Evolution mean weakness.

Heiduo reserved judgment on that. Most Pokémon greatly increased their base stats after evolving, and those base stats improved their physical abilities. The benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

At the very least, between evolving and not evolving, Heiduo would choose to let his Pokémon evolve.

At two in the afternoon, after five hours of traveling through the mountains, the off-road vehicle finally returned to Azalea Town.

Azalea Town was a coastal city, separated from the vast ocean by only two mountains. The people here were close and friendly with Pokémon, and people accompanied by Pokémon could be seen everywhere on the streets.

Even in the Pokémon world, not everyone was close to or owned Pokémon. Even those who did own Pokémon rarely kept them by their side at all times. But in Azalea Town, it seemed that everyone had a Pokémon beside them, regardless of its type or whether it was cute or ugly.

In just a short time, Heiduo had already seen many Pokémon that only existed in other regions.

"Mr. Bugsy! Look over there!" Heiduo poked Bugsy's shoulder and gestured for him to follow his gaze.

Not far away, a little girl with twin ponytails sat atop a huge purple centipede-like Pokémon.

"That is..." Bugsy's eyes lit up. Bug-type Pokémon were generally small, and it was rare to see one with such an enormous body.

Heiduo said, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be a Pokémon from the Unova region. It's called Scolipede, a dual Bug- and Poison-type."

He remembered this Pokémon clearly because it looked quite cool. In his memories, Scolipede's base form, Venipede, was as common as Caterpie, and there had even been cases where they became a disaster.

"Scolipede..." Bugsy's eyes were full of stars. He loved every Bug-type Pokémon, and upon encountering a species he had never seen before, he would definitely be unable to look away for a while.

To repay Bugsy, Heiduo gave him a detailed introduction to Scolipede's habits and traits, especially praising its speed.

"I've decided! I'm going to Unova!" Successfully swayed by Heiduo's pitch, Bugsy decided to head to Unova next month just to catch a Venipede.

In the front passenger seat, Shuangye looked somewhat envious when she heard Bugsy was going to Unova. She wanted to return to Unova too, but the important task before her made it difficult to get her wish.

It was all because of this guy!

Shuangye shot Heiduo a resentful glance. If not for Heiduo, she should have been working as an inspector in Unova right now!

I miss Casteliacones so much!

Heiduo, in the back seat, suddenly shuddered as an indescribable chill surged through his heart.

Who's thinking about me?