A Beedrill??!
It had a yellow body, red eyes, and black stripes on its abdomen. Its hands were the iconic long, white stingers.
There was no mistake—it was definitely a Beedrill!
In the Kanto region, this was one of the favorite Pokémon used by the Bug Catcher kids you'd see on the side of the road. Even though it was a fully evolved Pokémon, its strength... how should one put it?
It was usually... disappointing.
But Giovanni, the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto—and now a world-class Trainer fighting evenly with the Champion, Lance—had thrown out a Beedrill in such a critical battle??
"This... did Giovanni bring the wrong Pokémon by mistake?"
Even Platinum couldn't help but speak up with doubt the moment she saw the Beedrill.
It wasn't that she looked down on Beedrill, but... could a Pokémon like this really survive a battle of this level?
Yes, people often said there are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers.
However, the difference in strength between species was a real thing.
At the same level, how many Beedrill could a Dragonite take down?
The gap in power was obvious. That was reality.
Damian let out a light chuckle when he heard her. He wasn't surprised by Platinum's reaction.
After all, unless you saw it with your own eyes, who would believe that Giovanni—a man who wrote the legendary book The Secrets of the Earth—had a Beedrill as his partner?
Actually, that wasn't quite right. Ever since Groudon joined him, Groudon was now his strongest.
But to Giovanni, Beedrill was still extremely special.
"Giovanni's Beedrill is very different," Caitlin said calmly, glancing at Platinum.
She had seen this Beedrill in action before, so she understood how powerful it was.
"It's that Beedrill!"
On the other side, Wallace was very excited. He still remembered that this Beedrill had saved him!
In fact, Giovanni was his life-saver. The Beedrill had saved him once, and the Dugtrio had saved him another time.
Leader Giovanni! I'm a fan for life!
"Yes, Giovanni's Beedrill is truly strong," Steven agreed.
He had wondered about this point many times. How did Giovanni train a Beedrill to reach this level of power? In a head-on fight, even his Mega Metagross was no match for this Beedrill.
It simply wasn't scientific!
He could understand Leon's Charizard since Charizard was already a strong species. But a Beedrill? That was truly shocking.
"Leader Giovanni must have put in more effort and sweat than anyone can imagine. He must love it deeply. Otherwise, a Beedrill could never grow to this stage," Wallace said with a, touched expression.
He could imagine a young Giovanni working hard and training with his Beedrill every day.
"True." This time, Steven didn't argue with Wallace. He strongly agreed.
To raise a Beedrill to this level, you needed time, effort, sweat, persistence, trust, and a deep bond. Every one of those was necessary.
"But all that work has paid off. Giovanni is really going to become famous across the whole world today," Steven remarked as he watched the middle-aged man in the suit and the Beedrill.
In the Galar Region:
Seeing this Beedrill, Chairman Rose had a strange look on his face. He turned to Leon.
"It's hard to believe, but Chairman... would you believe me if I said my Gigantamax Charizard is only an even match for this Beedrill after it Mega Evolves?" Leon said with a very odd expression.
"That's impossible!"
Before Rose could speak, his secretary, Oleana, shouted in shock.
To everyone in Galar, Leon's Charizard was "invincible."
A Charizard trained by Leon was powerful beyond words.
But Leon was saying that his Charizard was only an even match for a Beedrill?
"It's true." Leon laughed and shook his head. A strong fighting spirit appeared in his eyes as he watched the screen. "That Beedrill is a powerful enemy I could never forget."
Back on the Field:
"A Beedrill?!"
Even Lance had a hard time keeping a straight face when he saw it.
A Beedrill? Was Giovanni trying to insult him?!
But Lance was still Lance. That thought only lasted for a second. He quickly realized it made no sense.
This was a Champion challenge match—the most important moment for Giovanni.
Having come this far, Lance didn't believe Giovanni would tell a joke on this stage.
Besides...
Lance, who possessed the Viridian Power, had incredibly sharp senses. After looking closely at the Beedrill, he noticed something.
The Beedrill's aura carried a terrifying sense of danger. This Beedrill was definitely very strong!
Lance's expression became serious, though he also looked dangerously excited.
"I thought you would think I was mocking you, Champion Lance," Giovanni said.
He gracefully pulled his left hand out of his pocket—the hand he had kept there since the start. He adjusted his shirt collar and smiled.
"If that was all you were thinking, it would only prove you aren't worth my time," Lance said flatly. "But you did surprise me. A Beedrill? Heh..."
It was hard to tell what Lance meant by that. Was it mockery? No, it was probably mostly shock.
Giovanni didn't care either way.
"After all, not everyone is as blessed by heaven as you, Champion Lance. Your first Pokémon was a Dratini."
Giovanni looked at the back of his Beedrill. His eyes looked a bit nostalgic.
"Oh?" Lance became slightly interested, but only slightly. He didn't agree with Giovanni's words.
"What right do you have to say that to me?"
Lance let out a cold laugh.
"Giovanni, you and I were both chosen by the Viridian Forest. What is the difference between us? A Weedle? A Dratini? Are you complaining that life is unfair?"
"That is just useless whining. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Do you think a Dratini is a superior starting Pokémon for a new Trainer?"
As Lance said himself, Dragon types were very hard to catch. But once they were fully trained, they were unrivaled!
However, Dragons were not just hard to catch—they were also incredibly hard to raise!
Why were pseudo-legendaries like Dragonite called "late bloomers"? It was because they grew so slowly.
But what about Beedrill?
Even though Weedle was weak and Beedrill wasn't naturally strong, as a starter Pokémon, was Beedrill really that bad?
In a general sense, Beedrill's potential was far below Dragonite's. But for a brand-new Trainer just starting their journey...
It was hard to say which one was actually better.
At least Lance understood the hardships he faced when he first started raising a Dratini. But that was in the past.
Now, all people saw was the Dragon Master standing at the peak of Kanto—shining, cold, and proud.
"Heh... Lance, you really do surprise me."
Giovanni narrowed his eyes. He stared at Lance for a long moment before his mouth curled up.
"Hmph!" Lance scoffed.
"Then..."
Giovanni slowly raised his arm. He wore a luxury watch on his wrist. Set into the strap was a beautiful Key Stone.
"Beedrill!"
The Mega Stone on Beedrill's body sparkled at the same time. The light of evolution burst out.
In the blink of an eye, a sharp and powerful Mega Beedrill appeared. It waved its four stinger-arms.
It was the Bug and Poison-type Mega Beedrill!
Lance's eyes sharpened. This Mega Beedrill was incredibly strong!
"Lance, from this day forward, the strongest man in Kanto will be me—Giovanni!"
Giovanni lightly adjusted his watch. The smile on his face was full of wild confidence.
"Oh? Stop telling such funny jokes."
Lance's face twisted strangely before turning into a fierce, excited smile.
"My dragons haven't agreed to that yet!"
"Dragonite, Fire Blast!"
Lance's Dragonite No. 2 flapped its wings and flew up. Intense fire gathered in its mouth. A blast of high-temperature flame in the shape of the character for "big" (大) shot toward Mega Beedrill.
"Brick Break," Giovanni said calmly with a smile.
Facing the rushing wall of fire, Mega Beedrill didn't even move from its spot. It raised one of its arms, which looked like a knight's lance. The arm glowed with a bright white light.
BOOM!
The Brick Break slammed into the Fire Blast. Under the shocked eyes of the audience, the powerful Fire Blast was literally split in two by the Brick Break.
Lance's pupils shrank.
The rushing flames flowed past both sides of Mega Beedrill's body. Amidst the red heat, Mega Beedrill's eyes remained cold and calm. It wasn't affected by the temperature of the fire at all.
It swung another "lance" horizontally. The wind from the swing instantly blew away the remaining flames.
Hiss—!
The sound of people gasping in shock filled the audience.
"That's way too strong?!"
Serena was truly shocked.
Compared to its Physical Attack, Dragonite's Special Attack was usually considered average. But that was only compared to its own massive physical strength.
In reality, Dragonite's Special Attack was not weak at all, especially one belonging to Lance.
But seeing Mega Beedrill handle it so easily was just too ridiculous!
"Poison Jab!"
Giovanni spoke again.
Mega Beedrill raised its stingers. Its body turned into a yellow blur as it charged toward the Dragonite.
"Dragon Claw!"
Lance refused to back down. He ordered Dragonite to fight back directly.
Run? Running was impossible!
Lance understood that this Mega Beedrill was terrifyingly strong. Because of that, he needed to learn more about it.
Dragonite No. 2 wasn't at full health anyway. It was perfect for testing the opponent. If it could cause even a little damage to Mega Beedrill, that would be for the best.
Facing the high-speed charge of Mega Beedrill, Dragonite showed no fear. Its sharp Dragon Claws glowed, and it swung them right at Mega Beedrill.
Mega Beedrill thrust its deep-purple stinger forward in a straight line.
Poison Jab vs. Dragon Claw!
BANG!
The stinger and the claws collided heavily. The struggle only lasted for a split second. As Mega Beedrill pushed with more power...
The Poison Jab smashed right through the Dragon Claw! It stabbed deep into Dragonite's chest.
Dragonite let out a roar of pain. Its whole body was sent flying like a cannonball. It crashed heavily into the ground.
The ground of the battlefield shook from the violent impact.
Lance's face went pale. Crushed in one hit? How was that possible? Even his ace Dragonite couldn't defeat Dragonite No. 2's attack that easily.
But the truth was right there. Mega Beedrill's Physical Attack was extremely high, and it was boosted by its Adaptability ability.
Mega Beedrill's offensive power was terrifying!
"Pin Missile."
A moment later, Mega Beedrill raised its four stingers. White light gathered and glowed.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
A massive wave of Pin Missile beams shot through the air. They exploded all over the spot where Dragonite had fallen.
The loud sounds of explosions were deafening and didn't stop. After a long time, thick dust still filled the air.
Mega Beedrill waved its arms. A strong gust of wind blew away all the dust.
The battlefield, now full of holes and completely ruined, appeared before everyone. This was the result of the Pin Missile bombing.
In the middle of a deep crater, Dragonite was already unconscious. It lay at the bottom of the pit.
Most of the audience stared at Mega Beedrill floating in the air with their mouths open. It was like they were seeing this Pokémon for the very first time.
"Holy crap! A Beedrill!!!"
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This novel is already complete.