Chapter 55:
With the guidance of the Pidgeotto, Hayashi Kaede walked smoothly even in the intricate Aogiri Forest, and soon encountered the first caterpie.
No...
It should be said that it was a yellow caterpie.
Because it was a different color...
The skin all over its body was yellow.
Moreover, it seemed to be a caterpie that had just emerged from its cocoon. The hairs on its body were still very fine and tender, and its whole body looked so delicate it felt like a touch could pierce its skin.
More importantly, as soon as it saw Hayashi Kaede, it started trembling in fear and even forgot to run away.
Of course Hayashi Kaede knew the Caterpie wasn't afraid of him, but of the Pidgeotto behind him.
The Caterpie froze for a moment, then finally remembered it could spin silk. It immediately spat threads toward Hayashi Kaede and the Pidgeotto.
Puff~!
Part of the snow-white, delicate silk was burned to ashes by flame from Pidgeotto before it even reached them.
The rest missed and fell to the ground.
Hayashi Kaede crouched, grabbed a loose thread, and snapped it easily.
"It really is a newly born green caterpie."
[Elf: Caterpie]
[Gender: Female]
[Features: Scale Powder]
[Qualification: Green]
[Individual stats: HP (5) Attack (8) Defense (14) Special Attack (28) Special Defense (16) Speed (10)]
[Strength: Level 3]
[Skills: Spinning, Impact]
[Introduction: A newly born green caterpillar of a different color.]
[Intimacy: 0 (It doesn't know you)]
[Happiness Value: -75 (Why are there birds eating leaves so early?!)]
Hayashi Kaede grew interested and produced a Poké Ball.
Although Caterpie is one of the most numerous Pokémon in any forest, and Shinies are relatively common for them, few of these yellow-skinned Caterpie survive the first stage. From birth they face predators and a rough start.
So Hayashi Kaede felt he was saving it.
When the Caterpie saw its silk fail, it thought the sky was falling.
My heart is about to jump out, I am about to be eaten...
/(ㄒoㄒ)/
But after a little while, the imagined pain didn't come. Opening its eyes, it saw only a human standing there. He spoke in a voice it could understand.
"What are you doing with your eyes closed? Do you want to come back with me?"
Go back? Where to go back to?
(っ° - °;).
The Caterpie peered out cautiously.
Then Hayashi Kaede took out green dumplings from his storage ball. "If you come back with me, you can eat this every day~"
Caterpie: ?!
The moment the dumplings appeared, its eyes brightened.
The sweet aroma made even the plain green dumplings smell special.
It smelled so good… so good.
Looking from the dumpling to the Pidgeotto overhead, the Caterpie decided that even if this was its last meal, it would be worth it.
Resolved, it climbed onto Hayashi Kaede's arm and began to nibble.
Hayashi Kaede watched it finish with a smile, then asked, "Do you want to come back with me? You can eat like this every day, and you won't have to worry…"
Eat like this every day...
By the time the Caterpie understood, its head was already nodding.
"Okay, I'll take that as your agreement."
Hayashi Kaede pulled out a Poké Ball and captured the baby Caterpie. After three red flashes, the ball stilled.
A faint smile appeared as he clipped the Poké Ball to his waist.
He'd only meant to catch a common caterpie — instead, he'd snagged a different-colored one. After evolution, the plantation would be more colorful.
In high spirits, Hayashi Kaede pressed on.
But then luck ran dry — the Pokémon he met afterward were ordinary: Beedrill, Sandshrew, and Diglett.
Though he considered catching a Diglett, he thought of the one at Takagi-ojii-san's house and gave up. That little Sandshrew was honest and wouldn't like being put to work; if it knew Hayashi Kaede had captured a Pokémon that could do the job, it might stop helping him.
"Well... let's continue looking for Gardevoir..."
He sighed and kept walking east.
But the search yielded nothing until sunset.
Finally Hayashi Kaede stood by a lake, watching the setting sun dye the water orange, and fell into thought.
"Maybe this Gardevoir doesn't like humans..."
He had been in the eastern Aogiri Forest for a long time, carrying energy cubes dusted with fragrant powder.
Gardevoir wasn't attracted, though many other Pokémon were — and thankfully Servine and Pidgeotto were strong enough to "kindly" scare them off.
"Servine?" (Are you still looking?) the Servine asked.
Hayashi Kaede sighed inwardly. Maybe he'd been too obsessed with convenience — after watching Mewtwo pick fruit so effortlessly, he'd wanted the same ease.
"Let's stop and go back."
He glanced up. "Servine, return to your Poké Ball. I'll have Pidgeotto take us back — otherwise it'll be late."
This time Servine didn't refuse and entered its Poké Ball.
Hayashi Kaede grabbed Pidgeotto's feet and took to the sky.
By the time he got home it was six o'clock and the breeding house was locked.
Before Hayashi Kaede could open the door, a red Rotom swooped down, speaking urgently:
"Rotom, Rotom! Master, you're finally back. At five o'clock this afternoon, a Gardevoir teleported into the plantation and took control of Milotic..."