The Beedrill that appeared this time looked completely different from before.
Although its twin stingers were still damaged, its spirit and energy were noticeably stronger than last time, and the skin around its abdomen appeared smoother and firmer.
Unbelievable.
In just a matter of days, such a drastic change had taken place.
"Bee-bee?"
Beedrill glanced at Lin Feng, then at its own trainer, and finally at the cake before it. With hesitation, it buzzed softly. (Didn't you say this was a sweet cake? Are you sure this is sweet?)
Why did it look so bitter?
"If it's bitter, just say you don't want it. So, are you eating it or not?"
Perhaps because he saw Beedrill's improved condition, Liam's mood felt younger and lighter. He patted Beedrill's abdomen with a laugh. "This cake was made by Lin. Are you sure you don't want it?"
"Bee…?"
Beedrill turned to Lin Feng, respect shining faintly in its single good eye.
"It's alright. Once you eat this cake, you'll be fine. After that, you can go home and eat something sweet too," Lin Feng reassured it.
This cake had been crafted from mutated vegetables bitter melon and cabbage.
Though it was a bright green, it had an elegant name: the Dream Cake.
[S-Rank Dream Cake A cream cake crafted with 'Joy-in-Bitter' bitter melon, lush cabbage, and Oran Berries, possessing extraordinary effects.
Cooking Effect 1: Colorful Dream. Eating a large amount of Dream Cake causes the Pokémon to instantly enter a dream world where it encounters the things it loves most. The cook, by consuming the same Dream Cake, can also witness the eater's dream.
Cooking Effect 2: Fully restores all injuries the Pokémon has sustained.]
"Bee…"
Hearing Lin Feng's words, Beedrill hesitated, staring again at the cake.
If any other breeder had said such a thing, it would never have believed it.
But a few days ago, it had already tasted Lin Feng's Pokéblocks. Maybe it didn't fully believe him, but it wasn't entirely doubtful either.
Because this claim was simply too unbelievable.
Eat this cake, and all its wounds would heal?
Then what had all those years of pain meant?
What about the dull, weakened stingers it had endured for so long?
Tentatively, it used one stinger to pick up a bit of cream and tasted it. Immediately, it frowned.
This was without question the most bitter thing it had ever eaten. The bitterness filled its entire mouth with an odd refreshing clarity.
But the very next second, Beedrill froze.
It could distinctly feel its long-standing injuries rapidly healing.
A warm current swirled in its abdomen, then spread outward through its body. Even its broken stinger began to burn with heat.
Layers of dead tissue fell away like rust flaking off old steel, revealing a fresh, gleaming surface beneath hard and sharp as polished metal.
And the change did not stop there. Its blinded right eye grew hazy and indistinct, but even that faint blur carried with it a spark of vision.
Beedrill shook its head, utterly astonished.
It felt as if it had returned to its youth.
Stingers sharp, spirit blazing, strength surging through every vein.
"Go on, finish it. Once you're done, you'll be completely healed."
Lin Feng's calm voice reached its ears.
Beedrill snapped out of its daze and turned to its trainer, its intent clear:
Feed me. Quickly.
Its stingers were still regrowing, and it could not use them to eat.
Liam was stunned by the sight before him, but Beedrill's urging brought him back to his senses. Without hesitation, he scooped up spoonfuls of cake and fed them to his partner.
As he watched the wings regain their strength and the stingers grow sharper with each bite, Liam's eyes blurred with tears. His emotions surged uncontrollably.
How many years had it been since he had seen his Beedrill looking this majestic?
When most of the cake was gone, the difference was night and day. Compared to the weakened, dim-eyed Beedrill of before, the Pokémon before him now radiated overwhelming power. Its eyes glowed with razor-sharp brilliance, as if no opponent could make it falter.
Even the nearby Combee, who had been curiously gathering nectar, no longer dared approach.
"Bee-bee!"
Beedrill's wings buzzed, and through its sharpened senses it immediately detected the aura of another Pokémon in the sky. Spotting the Dragonite above, it surged with fighting spirit and flared its wings, eager to battle.
"Beedrill!"
Liam also sensed his partner's burning determination, but before he could speak to it, the fiery Beedrill suddenly drooped its eyelids and collapsed to the ground.
"Beedrill?"
"Don't worry," Lin Feng explained gently. "When cells regenerate, drowsiness sets in. This is the time for it to dream. Do you want to see what kind of dream it has?"
Liam's eyes widened. "You mean I can see Beedrill's dream?"
Lin Feng nodded casually, keeping up his mystique. "Of course. My Viridian Force can shape its dreams, since it ate food I made."
He cut a small piece of the Dream Cake and tasted it. Instantly, a strange connection formed within him.
Guided by this link, his hands moved as if molding clay. Like blowing a bubble, he formed a colorful cloud of mist between his palms.
Within the mist, an image appeared clear and vivid.
It was a Shiny Weedle.
The little bug looked around in confusion, unsure why it had returned to the past.
The next moment, a Caterpie appeared beside it.
And then came the familiar shout of a young trainer.
"Weedle, don't just stand there, use Poison Sting!"
Turning its head, Weedle saw the young Liam, brimming with excitement.
A strand of sticky silk shot past its side, landing close by.
Weedle suddenly remembered exactly when this was.
This was its very first battle after being caught.
It recalled how this human had sneaked up behind it, struck its head with a stick, and captured it while it was unconscious.
Naturally, it hadn't wanted to listen to Liam back then.
And so, in its very first battle against a Caterpie, it had been defeated.
But now…
Weedle's eyes grew sharp.
Its body might still be frail, nowhere near its Beedrill strength, but its battle experience was unmatched.
It had returned to the "Novice Village."
And this time, it would not lose.
This time, it would help Liam win every single battle.
"Caterpie, use Tackle!"
As the opposing trainer's blurred figure shouted, and the Caterpie clumsily lunged forward, Weedle's excitement surged.
With just a small sidestep, it evaded the attack.
Liam's younger voice rang out with delight. "Good, Weedle, now use Poison Sting!"
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