"Spri spri."
Bellsprout looked at the sleeping Spearow with ill intent and immediately followed Icarus's instructions.
"Let's try again…"
Icarus took out a brand-new Poké Ball and recalled the Spearow into it.
"Click… click…"
The Poké Ball began shaking violently once more. Icarus stared at it without blinking. Every sway of the ball made his heart lurch with it.
"Crack!"
With a crisp snap, the Poké Ball split open again.
"Oh? You've got quite the personality." Icarus let out a frustrated laugh. "Bellsprout, keep watch around us."
He pulled out yet another Poké Ball.
This time, the shaking was noticeably weaker.
After all, the Spearow had already lost its ability to fight due to Bellsprout's Absorb, and it had now struggled mentally twice in a row.
"Click."
This time, it was the sound of the Poké Ball locking. The red light in the center stopped flashing.
"Finally caught it. Bellsprout, let's get out of the forest."
Suppressing his excitement, Icarus quickly picked up the Poké Ball and called to Bellsprout, who was still on guard.
"Spri!"
Just as the two were about to turn and head for the exit, a purple figure shot out like lightning and lunged at Icarus.
"What—!"
A sharp pain came from the back of his thigh.
"Cha!"
The attacker instantly retreated into the grass after failing to bite through, letting out a threatening hiss.
"Spri! (◣д◢)"
Only then did Bellsprout react, quickly stepping in front of Icarus, glaring furiously at the uninvited guest.
"Thank goodness I'm wearing intermediate protective gear…" Icarus gritted his teeth, fear lingering in his heart. "I thought I was the oriole, but I didn't expect a mantis behind me."
It was an Ekans.
Judging by the bits of unshed skin still clinging to its body, it had just broken through to the Normal rank.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
After calming himself, Icarus immediately threw three knives in quick succession and shouted, "Bellsprout! Use Growth, then Vine Whip!"
"Spri! ψ(｀)ψ"
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Ekans didn't even bother dodging. Though it had just shed its skin, these knives—barely reaching mid-level attack power for the beginner rank—couldn't pierce its scales.
"Cha!"
Opening its mouth wide, Ekans fired seven or eight Poison Stings at Bellsprout.
"Bellsprout, dodge right! Aim Vine Whip at the seam between its old and new skin!"
"Spri!"
The twin vines lashed out instantly.
"Chaa!"
The area where the old skin hadn't fully shed was torn open by the thorn-covered vines.
"Whew… Luckily it's not even three yet. The sunlight's still strong."
Rubbing his thigh, Icarus glanced at the sunlight filtering through the trees and silently thanked his luck.
This Ekans was likely the one that had injured the Spearow earlier. It had probably just advanced to the Normal rank.
When it opened its mouth, Icarus had glimpsed a few red feathers still stuck between its fangs, along with the unshed skin.
It must have swallowed one of the Spearow's companions before advancing. While preparing to shed its skin and break through, it likely loosened its hold, giving the injured Spearow a chance to escape.
"Still… I can't afford to face a freshly advanced Ekans head-on."
Though panic churned inside him, Icarus forced himself to speak boldly.
"Ekans! I didn't expect you to come out before fully completing your transformation. I spotted you long ago. How do those two Vine Whips feel?"
"Cha…"
Having survived in the wild for so long, Ekans understood most of his tone. Fear flickered in its eyes.
It had assumed that once it bit the human, Bellsprout wouldn't stand a chance.
It hadn't expected the human's clothing to be so tough. Its once-proud bite couldn't pierce it.
And that Bellsprout, clearly weaker in rank, had unleashed such powerful attacks.
Its strength wasn't fully stabilized yet, and the remaining old skin hindered its movements. It had wanted to eliminate the human first—but couldn't get past the protective gear.
Suddenly, Ekans widened its eyes at Bellsprout and let out a piercing hiss.
"Ekans!"
"Spri! (○Д○)!"
Fully focused on its opponent, Bellsprout froze in fright, its body momentarily stiff.
It was Glare.
But instead of pressing the attack, Ekans immediately retreated into the grass.
"That was Glare… Even an Ekans is that intimidating. I can't imagine how terrifying an Arbok would be."
Recovering from the shock, Icarus hurried to Bellsprout's side and gently patted its head.
"You did great. No one could've predicted a Normal-rank Ekans lurking here. I'm fine."
"Spri spri… (òó)"
Bellsprout sounded aggrieved, clearly upset that it had been intimidated so easily.
"Hey, it's Normal rank, and you're still Beginner rank. You'll build resistance in the future. Let's head back. I'll design a proper training plan for you."
"Spri."
With that, the two cautiously made their way out of the forest without further incident.
"Now that we're out, let's pick up the pace. We'll sell everything, rest a bit, and head out again tonight."
As they walked, Icarus calculated quickly.
"We caught twelve Caterpie and five Weedle. The stingers should sell for around 8,500 PokéDollars. The Weedle bodies for about 500. Keeping all the Bug meat except the Weedle, that should still sell for around 3,000."
"That's roughly 12,000 PokéDollars total. Not bad."
A smile spread across his face.
And that wasn't even counting the live Spearow.
If its aptitude was Normal–Medium, he could sell it for 56,000 PokéDollars. That would cover Bellsprout's energy crystal easily.
The price difference made him want to curse the profiteers.
The Alliance's Pokémon House had a rule: Pokémon with low aptitude wouldn't even be accepted. And even when they were, the purchase price was only 80% of the selling price.
"Wait… why did I forget about the black market?"
He suddenly realized.
"For expensive Pokémon with a huge price gap, I'll sell them on the black market instead. No way I'm letting the Pokémon House profit that much—or test them for free."
"Of course, if the aptitude is high, I'll keep it myself. Heh. Spearow's way more practical than Zubat, even if it's a bit ugly."
As a poor man, practicality mattered most.
Among all the Flying-types he managed to capture, he would keep the one with the highest aptitude.
The rest would be sold.
(End of Chapter)
---------------Author---------------
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