The spirit of Bug-type Pokémon (please bookmark)

"Mis?"

Misdreavus looked around and suddenly spotted a Poké Ball lying quietly off to one side.

She floated over and poked Dian's cheek, then tilted her head and called out. When he showed no response, she promptly forgot about it and slipped into her own Poké Ball.

As the morning sun slowly rose, the Pokémon sleeping by the lake woke one after another. First, they stared blankly at their reflections in the water, then jumped in fright and hurried away.

Dian was actually awake already, but he was hopelessly hooked on the warmth of his sleeping bag and still refused to get up.

"Mis!"

Lady Misdreavus remembered her grudge over that Water Gun attack again. She tugged at Dian's hair with all her might, her face full of resentment.

"I know, I know."

Dian soothed her with a wry smile. Even after all this time, Lady Misdreavus still held a grudge against the Remoraid.

He reluctantly left his warm sleeping bag, got dressed, and stepped outside.

Bang!

A column of water erupted in the distance and shot straight at Misdreavus.

Three Remoraid had teamed up to unleash a Water Gun attack.

"Mis."

Misdreavus dodged nimbly, forgetting all about the Trainer behind her.

"..."

Dian stared at Misdreavus, drenched from head to toe, his face expressionless.

Misdreavus blinked, then swiftly flew toward the middle of the lake, pretending she had seen nothing.

Dian shook his head helplessly and returned to the tent to get a dry towel.

"What's this?"

He suddenly noticed a Poké Ball in one corner of the tent.

Dian felt around his waist. Beedrill's and Misdreavus's Poké Balls were both there, but his other, empty Poké Ball was missing. "When did that happen?"

He immediately turned to look at Misdreavus and sighed helplessly. This was probably another one of her pranks.

Still, if he had to put it into words, he was more happy than anything.

Misdreavus only played tricks on a Trainer she liked. If she had no interest in someone, she would not even spare them a glance. Teasing someone was simply her way of showing affection.

Dian had just picked up the Poké Ball in the corner when a light flashed, and a pink Hoppip appeared on his sleeping bag.

"Hop, hop!"

Hoppip gave an energetic cry, then looked around, brushing its green leaves against everything within reach. It was curious about absolutely everything.

Dian froze. What was going on? Why was Hoppip in my Poké Ball? Could Misdreavus already catch Pokémon herself?!

Did that mean I could spend my days lounging in a villa, sipping champagne, with an entire army of Pokémon at my back?

"Hop, hop..."

Hoppip sat on the mat and gave a low cry, looking rather listless.

"Are you hungry, or...?"

Seeing this, Dian took some Pokéblocks for Grass-type Pokémon out of his backpack and held them in front of Hoppip. "Want some?"

"Hop, hop!"

Hoppip cried out happily. Not the least bit shy, it went straight up to Dian's hand and started eating.

So soft.

That was Dian's first impression when he touched Hoppip.

Whoosh!

A small, translucent frame appeared clearly before his eyes.

Hoppip—Grass, Flying. The Cottonweed Pokémon.

Ability: Leaf Guard.

Moves: Splash, Synthesis, Tail Whip, Tackle, Fairy Wind.

It actually knew a Fairy-type move!

"Leaf Guard? What kind of Ability is that?"

Dian was a little surprised. He stroked Hoppip's leaves and found that, unlike its pink body, they were cool to the touch, with a few droplets of water on them.

He had never been particularly familiar with Pokémon like Hoppip.

As he focused on the words, a line of small text appeared.

Leaf Guard—Prevents status conditions in sunny weather.

So that was it!

No wonder its companions had all fallen asleep while it could still wander leisurely off in search of food. It was actually immune to the mighty Jigglypuff's Sing. Impressive.

Dian was increasingly coming to appreciate the powerful potential hidden within Pokémon, and how their various abilities could combine and complement one another.

A Sing that even other powerful Pokémon might fail to withstand could be completely ignored by a tiny Hoppip light enough to be blown away by the wind.

And Beedrill, though similarly frail, could strengthen its body and use Status Moves to stand up to Pokémon far stronger than itself.

All these things came together to create a mysterious, wondrous world: the Pokémon World.

"Hop?"

Hoppip raised its head and gave him an adorable look, then lowered it again and continued gobbling down Pokéblocks.

So you're a little glutton. The food in my backpack probably drew you over yesterday.

Dian breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried this might be a Hoppip with an especially strong attachment to its group, but apparently not.

Hoppip were incredibly light. Like Jigglypuff, they could be carried off by a gust of wind, so they generally lived in groups, protecting one another to keep themselves and their companions from being blown apart.

Living in that sort of environment for a long time could create a strong dependence on the group, leaving them instinctively anxious and frightened when alone.

Pokémon like that were not really suited to Trainers, since most Trainers could not raise large numbers of the same species. They were better suited to Coordinators, Breeders, or people in other Pokémon-related professions.

"Hop, hop~"

After finishing the last Pokéblock, Hoppip flopped backward and smiled contentedly.

Dian stroked its head. "I'm heading outside. Be good and stay here."

Once outside, he looked at the training equipment scattered everywhere and sighed. There was nothing for it. "Beedrill, come on out."

After releasing Beedrill, Dian tidied up the equipment with it, and they resumed training.

Bzzzz!!

Light shimmered around Beedrill as it used Focus Energy.

It silently watched the flame in front of it, then swung one of its venomous stingers.

Bang!

The wooden candle toppled backward from the blow.

Dian silently set it upright and lit it again.

This was actually very difficult. The wooden candle had not been driven very far into the ground, and the soil was soft this close to the lake. Even a slight touch against its body would knock it over.

But without enough force, Beedrill could not extinguish the flame. On top of that, the daytime breeze made the flame flicker unpredictably, making it difficult to aim and the task even harder.

Beedrill swung at the flame again and again, while Dian silently righted the fallen wooden candle beside it. This training would probably continue for a very, very long time.

It tested not only Beedrill's patience, but also tempered the impatience and hunger for quick results in Dian's heart.

In the past, he probably would have given up after two or three days without results. Now, however, he could persevere through half a month of continuous failure.

Dian set the wooden candle upright once more, then looked into Beedrill's eyes. His gaze sharpened. There was nothing in those eyes but the candlelight; everything else had been stripped away.