On the screen, a teenage Charles Chen gripped a wooden stick, his youthful face carrying a stubborn fierceness.
It was as if the Weedle before him was his sworn enemy.
In reality, however, Charles's face now held a touch of embarrassment.
Back then, his relationship with Weedle had truly been strained.
During battles, Weedle had flatly refused to listen to him, no matter what he said. In desperation, Charles finally tried talking to it, asking how he could earn its obedience.
Weedle's response had been to raise its poisonous stinger at him, the meaning unmistakable defeat me.
And so, their very first "battle" began.
Charles endured Weedle's poison sting, pushing forward through the pain until he stood before it, then struck it twice with his stick.
After those two strikes, something changed. Weedle's eyes cleared, brightened, and it let out a series of sharp "Pupu" cries.
Charles couldn't understand a word of it. But from that day forward, Weedle became much more obedient.
Yet the scene playing now was slightly different from what he remembered. Unlike before when Weedle had managed to defeat some of its past opponents this Weedle still lashed out, sinking two stingers into the young Charles before taking those two strikes.
And when "defeated," even though the boy's face turned purple from the poison, he still laughed heartily, walking up to Weedle with pride.
"Hahaha! You can't beat me! I'm your boss! From now on, you're going to help me defeat every single Trainer we face!"
Then he promptly collapsed to the ground from the poison.
Weedle crawled forward, stopping in front of its young Trainer. Its eyes grew serious.
"Pupu?"
"Pupu..."
"What... is Weedle saying?" The older Charles outside the dream froze at the sight.
Even after more than ten years with his Beedrill, it had never openly shared its feelings with him after the Pokémon League tournament. He had no special ability to understand Pokémon speech, and in this dream Weedle was still just Weedle.
So he couldn't quite grasp what it meant. Only faintly, he could guess.
Lin Feng quietly said, "It's saying... it already helped you defeat every Trainer."
Charles blinked, stunned. Then, slowly, his lips curved into a smile. He drew in a deep breath, laughter spilling from him again, his face contorting with too many emotions to hold.
But soon the laughter faded into a tight-lipped expression.
That careless declaration back then had only been the whim of a naïve boy. Yet Beedrill had carried those words as its ultimate mission?
Was that why it had fought so desperately, all those years?
Charles gently touched the gleaming twin stingers that had once again flared with life. It felt like he was explaining not only to Lin Feng, but also to Beedrill itself.
"That was just a childish joke at the time..."
Lin Feng softly added, "But it took it seriously."
Then he whispered, "And now... it's about to wake up."
The dream was fading, signaling its end.
Beedrill's greatest wish had been resolved at least in this dream.
At that moment, Lin Feng's system voice rang out in his mind:
[Congratulations! You raised Beedrill's Happiness from -10 to 70%. Rewards: One Mega Evolution set for Beedrill, three Rare Candies, and ten bags of High-Grade Miracle Fertilizer.]
Lin Feng murmured under his breath, "Finishing it now isn't too late, is it?"
And right then, Beedrill's eyes fluttered open.
It looked disoriented for a moment. Then, upon seeing its Trainer again, it realized it had only been dreaming.
In reality... it still hadn't fulfilled its Trainer's goal.
But then Beedrill spotted the Dragonite standing proudly behind Lin Feng. Its eyes flared with determination once more.
Charles fell silent for a long moment before finally asking, "Do you want to challenge his Bisharp again?"
"Buzz?"
At once, Beedrill's eyes shone brightly. In its dream, it had crushed that Bisharp with ease.
But now... it had barely trained in ten years. Even though its body felt stronger than ever, could it really withstand another battle with Bisharp?
And more importantly, would Charles even allow it?
"Yes. Let's rise again. We'll challenge him once more. This year's Pokémon League tournament is about to begin. We'll train hard for a few months, and then we'll face him together!"
Looking at Beedrill's eager expression, Charles patted its body. The gesture carried him back to his youth, when he used to do the exact same thing, brimming with unshakable confidence.
Beedrill raised its twin stingers high.
"Buzzzz!" (Battle!)
When the excitement finally ebbed, Charles realized they were still standing in Lin Feng's garden.
The sky had already gone completely dark.
This birthday celebration had lasted much longer than expected.
Charles bowed deeply to Lin Feng. "Thank you, Lin."
Lin Feng shook his head. "Not at all. To see a former Bug-type Champion regain his fighting spirit that's exactly what I hoped for."
"You flatter me..." Charles scratched his cheek awkwardly. He thought back to his earlier, weary self, and chuckled at how far this night had turned.
He had only wanted Beedrill to spend its last birthday peacefully.
He never imagined it would be completely healed instead.
He sighed with emotion.
"I originally planned to bring in Indeedee to help collect Beedrill's emotions and care for it. But it seems their child was the true key to Beedrill's recovery. Don't worry, Lin I'll raise them properly and bring them to you."
He patted Beedrill again, then bowed deeply to Lin Feng once more.
Lin Feng didn't stop him, though he briefly wondered if he should ask for Indeedee right away.
But no better to let the parents raise their child. The bond would be stronger that way.
After Charles finished his bow, he bid farewell and prepared to leave.
Lin Feng called after him. "Wait a moment."
"Hm?" Charles turned.
Lin Feng hesitated, then said, "If you really plan to enter Beedrill in the League, bring it back here a few days before the tournament begins. If not, then there's no need."
Charles paused, then nodded seriously. "Understood."
Carefully, he climbed onto Beedrill's back. With a resonant buzz, Beedrill took to the skies.
Lin Feng watched them grow smaller against the night, lost in thought.
The Pokémon League tournament...
Held every New Year. Just over four months away.
Now that Beedrill had a new purpose to live for...
Could it endure those four months?
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