"Good job, Bellsprout. This is your reward for following orders."
Icarus took a piece of Pokémon meat from his backpack and handed it over.
"Spri~!"
Bellsprout accepted it happily and tossed it straight into its mouth.
This time, even more corrosive saliva dripped down, hissing as it hit the ground.
"Bellsprout, control your saliva!" Icarus immediately corrected it. "Once you can fully control it, you'll have taken the most important step toward mastering Acid."
"Spri… spri…"
Hearing his words, Bellsprout consciously tried to regulate the saliva while chewing the Caterpie meat.
By the time Icarus finished cleaning up the corpse, Bellsprout had already eaten and resumed standing guard nearby, alert and scanning the surroundings.
Seeing how obedient it was, Icarus nodded in satisfaction.
Through these battles, it was clear that Bellsprout regarded him as a parental figure and executed his commands without hesitation.
That eased the anxiety in his heart.
In the wild, before reaching elite level, a Trainer's safety depended almost entirely on their Pokémon. They were both shield and weapon.
Earlier, when he had ordered it to continue attacking, Bellsprout hadn't questioned him—even though it had already secured its favorite food.
It put his orders first.
But Icarus knew this obedience had to be shaped carefully.
He couldn't have it killing opponents automatically every time.
If he entered an official League match or challenged a Gym and Bellsprout killed the opponent outright, he'd immediately be put on a wanted list.
Or worse—what if he intended to capture a Pokémon, but Bellsprout killed it instead?
That would destroy future opportunities.
So on the way here, he had repeatedly explained what to do after defeating an opponent.
Thankfully, Bellsprout listened well. It was an excellent executor.
"Alright. Let's find another Caterpie."
One human and one Pokémon continued their hunt.
Before long—
"Wuu…"
Another Caterpie let out a weak cry before falling silent.
Their coordination had become smoother, their ambush tactics more efficient.
Icarus always stayed hidden at a distance. Aside from throwing stones as support, he never exposed himself directly.
After all, wild Pokémon could and would attack humans.
Many that had survived long enough understood: if they killed the Trainer, even if they couldn't defeat the enraged Pokémon afterward, they might escape in the chaos.
Without a second Pokémon to guard him, Icarus knew he had to be cautious.
After skillfully harvesting the silk sac and processing the corpse, he checked the time and glanced at the darkening sky.
That was enough for today.
He pulled out the notebook he had brought and reviewed the goals he had written before coming.
---
[-] Primary Goal: Test Bellsprout's obedience through real combat and increase battle experience.
✓ Completed.
He looked at Bellsprout. Though its level hadn't broken through yet, its aura had changed. There was now a sharpness to it—no one would mistake it for a harmless pet anymore.
---
[-] Secondary Goal: Hunt at least two Caterpie to subsidize income.
✓ Completed.
They had taken down four.
Four silk sacs would sell for about 2,000 pokedollars.
The meat totaled around 20 catties. Books listed the average Caterpie weight at roughly 2.9 kg, so the estimate was reasonable.
If sold, it would bring in over 1,000 pokedollars.
In one afternoon—even after spending time carefully searching for lone targets—they had earned more than 3,000 pokedollars.
"Trainers really do make money…"
He had just earned what an ordinary worker might make in a month.
Still, he had no intention of selling the meat.
He planned to eat it with Bellsprout.
That would save food expenses, help train Acid, and even slightly improve his own physical condition over time.
As for capturing Caterpie and selling them for higher profit?
That wasn't realistic.
No proper shop would accept poorly trained, low-potential Pokémon.
While stores listed ordinary Caterpie at 6,000 pokedollars, they rarely stocked them. If someone wanted one, they could easily catch and train one themselves in half a day.
The Caterpie sold in stores were typically bred from Butterfree lineages and had at least decent potential.
"Let's go. We're heading home."
"Spri!"
Bellsprout nodded happily, still keeping watch as they returned toward town.
On the way back, Icarus didn't run into Uncle Sam.
He had originally planned to gift two silk sacs and ten catties of meat as thanks for the guidance and assistance.
Even if Uncle Sam—captain of the town guard and at least high-tier in strength—didn't care about such small gifts, offering them was still important.
Whether the other party valued it or not was one matter.
Whether he showed gratitude was another.
In his previous life, Icarus hadn't been well-educated and had occasionally acted rashly. But he understood one principle:
Kindness should always be repaid.
Besides, building connections with a high-level Trainer would only benefit him in the future.
"It's a shame. Going to his house directly would feel too deliberate."
Shaking off the thought, he entered the Pokémon supply store with Bellsprout and sold the four silk sacs.
He wasn't familiar with the shop owner, but he had heard that the town guards frequently conducted transactions here. The store likely had official backing.
He didn't worry about being cheated.
The deal went smoothly.
He received 2,100 pokedollars.
One Caterpie had an unusually large silk sac and sold for 600 pokedollars alone.
The pricing seemed fair.
He decided he would trade here more often in the future. He had heard they even sold TM machines. Though he couldn't afford one yet, visiting regularly would broaden his knowledge.
With the transaction complete, he and Bellsprout left the store.
Today's harvest had been satisfying.
But this was only the beginning.
(End of Chapter 12)