The Samurai Boy, humbled but not broken, pointed Red in the direction of the Scyther clan's territory before departing. With his new destination set, Red began his trek, intending to capture a final, powerful member for his team.
"Aura, reside in my heart," he whispered, closing his eyes and extending his senses into the forest. He filtered through the life energy of the countless creatures around him until he found what he was looking for: a Scyther whose Aura burned significantly brighter than its kin. But its energy was frantic, embattled. It was being attacked.
Without hesitation, Red teleported.
He arrived in a sun-dappled clearing to a scene of vicious betrayal. A lone Scyther was fending off five others. It was a magnificent creature, its exoskeleton a brilliant, shining azure instead of the typical green. This uniqueness, which made it impossible to camouflage itself, had clearly marked it as an outcast. It was being mobbed by its own kind.
The leader of the attacking group shot forward, a blur of motion as it used Quick Attack. The azure Scyther refused to yield, meeting the charge with its own Quick Attack. The collision was startlingly one-sided. The lead attacker was thrown back three full meters, crashing into a tree with enough force to splinter the bark. The azure Scyther didn't give it a moment to recover, finishing it with a clean, sharp Razor Wind.
The remaining four attackers hesitated, their confidence shaken. They had expected to overwhelm the outsider with sheer numbers, but it had dispatched their leader with contemptuous ease.
The azure Scyther let out a defiant, clicking cry, waving its sharp scythes as if to mock them. It was a challenge: Is that all you have?
One of the attackers, emboldened by anger, chirped back aggressively. Red, sensing the meaning behind the exchange, understood the situation. The azure Scyther had been the son of the former patriarch, protected by its father's status. But the old leader's strength had waned with age, and he had been defeated and cast out by a younger rival. Without that protection, the azure Scyther was now a target.
You think you cast me out? the azure Scyther seemed to snarl. I was the one who abandoned your worthless tribe!
It rushed forward, its scythes a blur of motion as it unleashed a furious Fury Cutter, knocking down the Scyther that had challenged it. Fear finally broke the resolve of the last three. They backed away, but the enraged warrior showed no mercy. It used Agility to appear behind them and took them all down with a single, sweeping Air Slash, ending the battle without receiving so much as a scratch.
"Excellent strength," a calm voice said. "I'm impressed, Scyther."
Red stepped out from behind a tree, making no attempt to hide his approval.
The azure Scyther said nothing. It simply raised its arms, the sharp blades glowing with a faint, threatening light. If this human made one wrong move, it would not hesitate to attack.
"Lose to me," Red said, meeting its hostile gaze without flinching, "and you will become my partner."
The Scyther paused, then gave a slight, arrogant nod. A normal trainer would be driven off by its pride. This one, it would defeat openly, shattering his delusion of capturing it.
Red simply placed his hand on his waist. A Poké Ball activated on its own, and the imposing form of Beedrill appeared. As a natural-born warrior of the Bug-type, the Scyther immediately recognized the immense strength radiating from its opponent. This was no ordinary Beedrill.
Since its defeat at the hands of Giovanni's own champion, Red's Beedrill had become obsessed with training, a relentless drive that Red himself had to temper. Now, that focused power was on full display.
(I have no home to return to,) the Scyther thought, glancing back at the forest where its clan resided. (If following this trainer can make me as strong as that Beedrill…) It had already, on some level, accepted. But its pride demanded a trial by combat. It had to prove its own worth.
Its scythes glowed, and a volley of Air Slashes shot toward Beedrill. Without waiting for a command, Beedrill used Agility, weaving between the blades of wind with effortless grace.
The Scyther let out an irritated hiss and charged, unleashing a Fury Cutter.
"Technician," Red stated aloud, a flash of insight in his eyes. "Your ability is Technician. The power of your Quick Attack was far beyond normal." As Professor Oak's assistant, his theoretical knowledge was second to none.
The Scyther didn't react, a silent confirmation. Its Fury Cutter clashed against Beedrill's twin stingers. The result was instantaneous. Beedrill, though smaller, completely overpowered the Scyther with pure, brute force, driving it back and leaving deep gouges in the earth.
(Such power!) the Scyther thought, stunned. (I couldn't even withstand a single blow!)
Realizing a prolonged battle was hopeless, it decided to wager everything on one final attack. It closed its eyes, and its body began to glow as it used Hone Claws, concentrating all of its remaining energy and focus for a single, decisive strike.
Beedrill simply watched, its posture radiating the calm confidence of a true champion.
The Scyther's eyes snapped open. It shot forward, its honed scythes crossed for a final X-Scissor. Beedrill met the attack with its own, the clash of blades ringing through the clearing. Then, with a final, precise strike, Beedrill found an opening and jabbed with a Poison Sting.
The exhausted Scyther was struck in a vital spot. It collapsed to the ground, defeated.
Red threw the Poké Ball he had ready. It connected, and the azure Scyther was absorbed in a flash of red light. The ball didn't even shake. The capture was perfect.
"Come on out, Scyther."
He released his new partner. It emerged panting, the poison already taking effect. Red immediately took out a healing spray and an antidote. As he carefully treated its wounds, the Scyther gave him a long, deep look. Then, it quietly closed its eyes, accepting the cool relief. Even when the medicine stung its most severe injuries, the proud warrior remained stoically silent.
His team was now complete. Having successfully captured the Scyther, Red used his system to grant it the Swarm ability, a power that would only further amplify its ferocious attacks when pushed to the brink.
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