"A single Pidgeot is enough for me? Don't underestimate me—I have even rarer Pokémon!"Yozora laughed, his gaze sharp and chilling.
"Oh? Then hurry up and show me!" Bai stopped in his tracks, shouting excitedly.
He had noticed the disdain and mockery in Yozora's eyes, but he simply dismissed it.
To him, Yozora was nothing more than an ant, incapable of stirring any real waves.
As for himself—Bai was someone who could be counted among the elites even on the global stage. With his strength, his confidence and arrogance naturally surged from within.
Yozora said no more. He pulled out three Ultra Balls and released three Pokémon in succession.
"Hm? A blue Psyduck!"
"Hiss… A golden Geodude!"
Bai's eyes widened in disbelief.
Impossible! How could this brat, just a rookie trainer, already possess such rare Pokémon?
Two Shiny Pokémon, plus a Pidgeot with extraordinary potential… Tsk, tsk, tsk. The total value of those alone would exceed thirty million!
His lips dry, Bai licked the corner of his mouth, the smile on his face twisting into something warped.
"And the third one is… a golden Beedrill! Hm? Wait, Beedrill is golden by default…"After the first two, Bai instinctively thought the third would also be Shiny.
But then he realized—the Beedrill was indeed naturally golden. Except… why was its size so enormous?!
Before he could process it, the Beedrill raised its twin lances and shot forward like a golden lightning bolt.
"Courting death!"
Bai sneered coldly and commanded, "Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!"
Electabuzz grinned viciously. From a cunning angle, it lined itself up with Beedrill and Yozora in a straight line, unleashing a bolt of lightning at Beedrill.
Electabuzz's ploy was obvious. Either Beedrill takes the hit itself—or its Trainer dies along with it.
The choice was yours.
Beedrill's ruby-like eyes remained utterly cold, without the slightest flicker of emotion.
Years ago, Yozora and Beedrill had already reached a state of spiritual resonance. Now, after years of battling together, their bond had deepened further, to the point of nearly sharing vision.
It was a terrifying realm of synchronicity. With Yozora behind it, Beedrill essentially had a second pair of eyes, granting it an even wider field of perception.
Without hesitation, Beedrill took Electabuzz's Thunderbolt head-on.
Bzzzzt—
Electricity engulfed its body.
But the Thunderbolt only left some charred scars across its shell. Beedrill remained standing, its state completely unaffected.
"Impossible!" Bai's expression froze. In his understanding, Beedrill was nothing but a glass cannon.
Even against weaker opponents, Beedrill often couldn't endure a single solid hit.
It was a Pokémon that survived by relying on speed to make up for its fragile defense.
"Unless… unless the level difference is astronomical! Could it be—has that Beedrill reached Elite-tier, maybe even Elite Four level?!" Bai's heart clenched, dread creeping in. But that was absurd.
That kid was only fifteen, sixteen at most, barely a beginner. How could he possibly command a Pokémon of that level?!
His thoughts faltered.
In that instant, Beedrill darted forward like a streak of golden lightning. Its lance pierced straight through Electabuzz's body, blood spraying across Bai's face.
His eyes widened in horror, his mind blank. His entire brain short-circuited into stunned disbelief.
Beedrill showed no mercy. After felling Electabuzz, it drove its other lance through Bai himself, ending him in a single strike.
It needed no verbal command. With their bond, Beedrill always understood the deepest intent within Yozora's heart.
Recalling Psyduck and Geodude, Yozora walked up to Bai's corpse, his gaze complicated as he let out a heavy sigh.
If possible, he didn't want to kill.
His father was a hero. With such a figure shaping his upbringing, how could his son be anything less?
Deep down, Yozora carried his own sense of justice.
But the truth was clear—if he hadn't killed Bai, Bai would have killed him.
Capture him alive with Beedrill's power, then hand him over to the League?
That wouldn't just fail to shake Team Rocket's foundations—it would paint a target on Yozora's back, making him the focus of every high-ranking Rocket.
If he possessed Elite Four, even Champion-level strength, that might be another story.
Even if he declared war against Team Rocket itself, so what?
As an Aura Guardian, if he lacked the courage to stand against evil, then what meaning did the Aura truly hold?
An Aura Guardian was meant to be the embodiment of justice.
Sometimes Yozora feared—should he ever lose that sense of justice within, his Aura would wither and eventually vanish altogether.
But.
He was brave, not reckless—and he valued his own life deeply.
Until he fully matured, he would never do something that could shake the entire world order.
"My strength still isn't enough," Yozora admitted silently.
Right now, when facing true powerhouses, he had only Beedrill to rely on.
His other partners all carried immense potential, but raising them to full strength would take time—it could never happen overnight.
"Then I must hone Beedrill's strength to the absolute limit! It will be my shield against all unknown dangers."
At present, Beedrill had reached the peak of Elite-level.
Its raw power already rivaled that of the Elite Four.
Speed, its natural specialty, was also now on par with the Elite Four average.
The flaw lay in defense.
Even at the peak of Elite-level, Beedrill's defenses ranked among the lowest in its tier.
It couldn't be helped—this was its inherent weakness.
Speed could compensate somewhat—but what about large-scale attacks?
At higher levels, the battlefield grew brutal. Moves like Hurricane or Surf struck entire areas, unavoidable regardless of speed.
Strengthening Beedrill's defenses—or at least its endurance—was essential.
Protective barriers?
Not enough. There was no such thing as perfect immunity in this world. At most, resistances helped against equal or weaker foes. Against stronger enemies, even resistance crumbled.
And Beedrill lacked the "invincible typing" of Pokémon like Eelektross or Water Absorb Swampert. With so many weaknesses, protection abilities could only go so far.
Beedrill existed as the quintessential assassin—maxed out attack and speed. What remained?
A shield—or a second life.
A shield, wielded well, could block lethal damage.
A second life… was simply another chance at survival.
Both had their merits.
In Yozora's mind, for Beedrill, the best answer was simple—have both.
(End of Chapter)