Was that excessive?
Not at all.
Xia Chi felt completely unruffled.
Flying-type moves dealt double damage against Bug-types, and one use of Hone Claws had boosted physical attack.
If Sprigatito still couldn't kick a frail Beedrill down in one hit, that would be letting down the support from the system's bond and equipment.
Just as he was thinking about the system, a voice suddenly sounded in Xia Chi's mind.
[Ding~ Your Pokémon Sprigatito (lv.14) defeated Beedrill (lv.15) and gained 0.2 fear!]
Could a mere level 15 Beedrill really provide 0.2 fear?
Xia Chi thought for a moment. A few days ago, Sprigatito had earned only 0.1 fear for defeating a level 15 Poochyena at school.
Maybe a Beedrill was stronger than a Poochyena at the same level?
Whatever. It didn't matter.
Xia Chi turned his attention back to the battle before him.
The first Beedrill's fall didn't scare the others off. Instead, it only stoked their fury.
Can't win one-on-one? Then gang up!
The dozen or so remaining Beedrill took up attack stances and surrounded them, their buzzing echoing through the dense forest.
The particularly large Beedrill leading them sharpened its stingers while staring down Sprigatito, looking utterly arrogant.
Out here, it's all about connections and backing. What crew do you run with?
Some little punk of a cat thinks it can challenge our Beedrill gang? Who gave you the courage?
Buizel?
Get them, boys!
At the leader's signal, the swarm spread their insect wings and charged ferociously at Sprigatito, bearing down with the terrifying menace of black clouds looming over a city.
Xia Chi calmly commanded, "Sprigatito, use Quick Attack to get behind them, then Acrobatics!"
The Beedrill swarm had just charged up to Sprigatito when, to their shock, a flash of white light streaked past and their target vanished.
Where did it go?
The leading Beedrill was utterly confused.
"Meow!"
How about looking behind you?
Having circled around their pointed stingers, Sprigatito appeared behind the swarm and brought down another clean, decisive Acrobatics.
Down came the paw. Down went the bee.
[Ding~ Your Pokémon Sprigatito (lv.14) defeated Beedrill (lv.16) and gained 0.21 fear!]
Another one-hit knockout.
But even after defeating two by breaking the fight into individual matchups, Sprigatito still faced plenty of Beedrill.
Under their leader's direction, they turned their stingers around and prepared to attack Sprigatito again.
Xia Chi frowned slightly. At this rate, even if Sprigatito won, it would take considerable damage.
That wasn't good news out in the wild.
He turned toward Pachirisu, who was now out of danger, and called loudly, "Pachirisu, do you know Electroweb?"
Pachirisu froze, then nodded hastily once it realized Xia Chi was calling to it.
Xia Chi wasted no time on formalities. "Use Electroweb to split the Beedrill swarm in half as best you can!"
Pachirisu knew this human and cat had come to help it. Setting its Berries on the ground, it gathered all its energy into a huge Electroweb and fired it out.
Whether by luck or something else, the timing was perfect. The web cut straight across the flight path of several Beedrill at the back.
To attack Sprigatito, they would have to either take a long detour or pass straight through it.
Whichever they chose, Xia Chi had already achieved his goal.
Now Sprigatito only had to face four or five Beedrill.
With the Bloodthirster sustaining Sprigatito, this was pure easy mode. All it needed to do was keep using Acrobatics.
Not only could the move deal tons of damage to the Bug-type Beedrill, but Protean could also turn Sprigatito into a Flying-type that resisted Bug-type attacks.
What did wild Beedrill know about type matchups? They charged in, swinging Fury Cutter.
I'll take you all on! Sprigatito seemed to say.
As more and more Beedrill fell to the ground, their leader's initial disdain turned to fear.
Wait, what powerhouse came here to stomp on weaklings?
You're even stomping on Beedrill? Have you no shame?
Retreat, boys!
The moment the signal went out, the scattered remaining Beedrill lost all desire to fight.
The boss has already given up. Why should we risk our lives?
But it was already too late to run.
Xia Chi snorted coldly. "Hmph. Trying to escape?"
Every last one of you is becoming my fear!
Understanding his intent, Sprigatito sprang up and pursued them relentlessly. Pachirisu piled on, flinging an Electroweb across their escape route.
In little more than ten seconds, the remaining Beedrill crashed to the ground.
With that, the little Beedrill gang haunting Mingchong Mountain's southern foothills had been wiped out!
Xia Chi wasn't concerned about how the Beedrill were doing. He hurried over to Sprigatito and asked anxiously, "Are you okay, Sprigatito?"
"Meow~"
Sprigatito tilted its head up with a proud, smug smile.
Hurt?
As if they could manage that.
"Beedrill: You're asking if Sprigatito is okay? Hello? Could you please check on me?"
"666! Not even pretending anymore!"
"One against ten, and a total wipeout! How did Mr. Shui raise that Sprigatito?"
"It wasn't one against ten. Pachirisu got a few assists too, okay?"
"Does watching count as an assist?"
"I thought Mr. Shui was already amazing at games. How is he even better at raising Pokémon? How are we supposed to compete?"
"Bro Shui's Sprigatito is definitely some veteran's fresh account, right? Whose unevolved Starter Pokémon is that strong?"
"Bro Shui, and you still claim you don't know how to battle!"
"."
With the battle over, Xia Chi finally had time to look at the chat.
As expected, this brief, one-sided beatdown had done more than keep the livestream's existing viewers watching.
It had also drawn in a huge wave of new viewers.
Although the battle itself hadn't been particularly high-level, an unevolved Sprigatito had utterly demolished a sizable Beedrill swarm.
The sheer spectacle was something even most battles between professional-level trainers couldn't match.
But I wanted to use this training trip in the wild to cement my image as a rookie trainer. How did it end up doing the exact opposite?
Setting all that aside, having defeated the Beedrill, Xia Chi naturally seized their hive.
This was good stuff. The honey Teddiursa loved most was made from nectar collected by Beedrill and mixed with fruit.
Rich in nutrients and delicious, it would be perfect for taking home and mixing into salads for Sprigatito.
Still, Xia Chi didn't go too far. He left a little under half the hive for the Beedrill.
Otherwise, if they woke up and discovered their entire home had been stolen, they might follow his trail and fight him to the death.
The Pachirisu Xia Chi had rescued was a grateful little creature. Seeing him turn to leave, it insisted on holding him back by biting his trouser leg.
"Meow!"
Sprigatito stood angrily beside Xia Chi's feet, loudly scolding Pachirisu for overstepping its bounds. Whether it was protecting its trainer or feeling jealous was hard to tell.
Xia Chi smiled. "It's okay, Sprigatito. Pachirisu doesn't mean any harm. We were about to have lunch anyway, so we can treat your injuries while we're at it."
After packing the hive into jars and stuffing them into the enormous backpack on his back, Xia Chi followed Pachirisu into the woods as it kept looking back every few steps.
Before you continue