"Bellsprout, take a break first—and keep watch around us."
"Spri spri."
Bellsprout nodded, rooted itself into the soil, began absorbing energy, and scanned the surroundings with its big, round eyes.
Seeing that Bellsprout was on guard, Icarus took a knife from his backpack and walked toward the Caterpie's body.
"Hiss… what a miserable sight. But a Pokémon's body really is tough. Even with a fruit knife, it's hard to cut through—especially now that it's completely dead."
He sliced open the wound on Caterpie's body, then reached inside and searched carefully.
"Found it."
After feeling something with a wool-like texture, Icarus pulled with all his strength and tore it free.
"This is Caterpie's silk sac."
He looked at the green, blood-streaked mass that resembled a large ball of yarn and couldn't help but marvel at nature.
"Selling this to a general store should bring in about 500 pokedollars. That's a solid profit."
"If I sell the meat to a butcher shop, it goes for about 50 pokedollars per catty."
Icarus worked part-time at a butcher shop and had seen the owner process Pokémon meat before. Caterpie, Weedle, Magikarp, and Rattata were the most common—generally low in strength and talent.
At the shop, Magikarp sold for 40 pokedollars per catty, Caterpie for 60, Weedle for 70, and Rattata for 80.
After all, Pokémon bodies contained energy. Their meat was far more valuable than ordinary livestock. More than once, he had been tempted by the business.
Unfortunately, the owner handled Pokémon meat personally. Icarus had no opportunity to get involved.
"But this Caterpie is for Bellsprout. After removing the organs and skin, there should be about four to five catties of meat left. That's around 200 pokedollars. I'd have to work several days at the butcher shop to earn that much."
He sighed.
"Trainers really do make money fast… and spend it just as fast."
Following the butcher's methods, he processed the corpse efficiently. He cut the edible meat into chunks, sealed them in a fresh-keeping bag, and placed them into his backpack along with the silk sac.
Then he walked over to Bellsprout, placed a piece of bug meat in front of it, and said,
"Bellsprout, eat."
"Sprout."
Although it had never eaten Caterpie before, instinct told it the meat was rich in energy.
It swallowed the piece in one bite.
"Spri~!"
Its natural bug-eating instincts kicked in immediately, and it began secreting corrosive saliva to aid digestion.
Drip. Drip. Hiss—
Droplets fell onto the grass, corroding it on contact.
"As expected. It's corrosive."
Icarus watched the melting grass thoughtfully.
"If I gradually feed it more insect meat, it'll develop the habit. It should learn Acid soon."
"Sprout! Spri spri~!"
Having tasted the sweetness, Bellsprout was clearly excited.
"Control the saliva," Icarus said calmly. "That's not just for eating. Acid is a proper move. You'll need control."
Though he couldn't hear its thoughts, he could tell from its eager expression that it no longer resisted his ambush tactics.
"Spri."
Bellsprout stopped drooling and tugged at his pant leg with a leaf, as if urging him to find the next target.
This time, it searched actively for another lone Caterpie.
They did spot a solitary Rattata during their patrol. Bellsprout grew eager to charge forward, but Icarus stopped it in time.
"This is our first real outing. Even if that Rattata looks about the same strength as you, it reacts much faster than Caterpie. If it makes too much noise, it might attract others."
"Sprout…"
"It's better to bully slow-moving Caterpie. And Rattata isn't worth much more anyway. Why fight it to exhaustion? With the same stamina, we could take down two Caterpie instead."
"Spri spri."
Bellsprout nodded as if understanding.
Why would a Pokémon assist its Trainer in doing things like this?
Because a Pokémon's worldview is shaped by its Trainer. To them, what their Trainer teaches is correct.
Pokémon that spend long periods with poaching groups or criminal teams often develop twisted perspectives. That was why, when authorities captured such criminals, their primary Pokémon were sometimes dealt with directly.
"Let's go. I found another one."
Through his binoculars, Icarus spotted a Caterpie leisurely eating leaves on a branch ahead.
"Spri!"
Bellsprout pulled him forward eagerly.
"Wait. Let me check for others first."
"Spri."
They advanced carefully. Icarus scanned the surrounding trees.
"Good. Just one."
He lowered the binoculars.
"Move closer and hide. I'll try to knock it down. If I miss, disturb it. Then use Vine Whip to finish it."
"Spri."
Bellsprout crept forward.
Its plant-like body blended naturally into the jungle. Icarus, unfortunately, did not.
"This distance is a bit far… but let's try."
He estimated quickly and threw a stone.
Thud!
The rock struck the branch beside Caterpie, shaking it.
As expected.
He shook his head slightly and shouted in a low voice:
"Vine Whip, Bellsprout!"
The Caterpie panicked, squirming in confusion.
Crack!
A vine lashed out and struck it midair, sending it flying.
It writhed in pain, losing balance.
"Hit it again! Full force! Then bind it—block its mouth!"
"Spri!"
Another Vine Whip slammed it down to the ground. Before it could recover, a second vine wrapped tightly around its mouth.
The Caterpie's cries were reduced to weak, muffled sounds.
"Don't stop."
Bellsprout obeyed immediately.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each strike grew heavier.
The Caterpie's struggles weakened. Its movements slowed. Eventually, it stopped entirely.
"Spri?"
Bellsprout looked at the motionless body, confused.
"Keep going," Icarus said coldly. "Make sure it's dead."
"Spri."
The vine rose and fell again.
Only when Icarus was satisfied did he step forward to process the body.
Soon, this Caterpie too filled his backpack.
(End of Chapter 11)