After a few days of rigorous training and research after school, Harold finally registered for the Mauville Little Cup.
When it came to choosing a second partner, Harold knew exactly what he needed: a Pokémon that could deal with flying targets. Ideally, this partner would either be a special attacker or have the ability to fly itself. He had turned to Grandpa Arthur and Grandma Martha for help, but unfortunately, they didn't have any suitable options available. Since Harold needed an active Pokémon rather than an egg—and specifically a special attacker or a flying type—the daycare's current inventory couldn't provide what he needed.
However, his grandparents did offer a solid piece of advice, along with a few Poké Balls. They suggested Route 117, where wild Surskit were known to live in the ponds. If Harold could catch one and evolve it, he would gain a Masquerain—a Bug- and Flying-type Pokémon.
Harold immediately accepted the suggestion for three specific reasons. First, as a Bug-type, Surskit would evolve into Masquerain relatively quickly, which was perfect for his tight timeline. Second, Masquerain was a natural special attacker with full flight capabilities. Third, most Masquerain possessed the Intimidate ability, which would lower an opponent's physical Attack right at the start of a battle.
Even so, Harold still had to spend hours flipping through textbooks to verify his strategies. The school library's resources were incredibly frustrating; many of the reference books were outdated, insisting there were only seventeen types of Pokémon, completely missing the existence of the Fairy type.
Down by the edge of the pond on Route 117, Harold sat on the grass, looking out over the water.
"Ted, did you know that sacrifice is usually necessary in exchange for the things we want most?" Harold spoke seriously to Teddiursa.
"Teddi?"
Teddiursa paused, its paw covered in honey, and tilted its head in utter confusion. It was simply too many big words for the little bear to process.
"I'm going to need some of your honey to attract a Surskit. Deal?" Harold tried to convince Teddiursa to share.
"Teddiursa!" Teddiursa shook its head vigorously, trying to hide its jar from Harold.
I guess that's a no, Harold thought.
"Sigh... That's a shame. I heard that Surskit can secrete an incredibly sweet fluid from the tip of their heads. I guess someone here won't get a chance to taste it~" Harold said, carefully peeking down to check Teddiursa's reaction.
The moment Harold mentioned "sweet fluid," Teddiursa's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, it immediately pushed its honey jar toward Harold.
"Teddiursa~" it chirped, shaking the jar to urge Harold to take some.
"Look at that, someone changed its mind," Harold smiled, taking a small portion of the honey. "Great. We'll have a special sweet treat on our bread tonight."
According to his textbooks, Surskit were naturally drawn to sweet scents and sugary liquids, which was exactly why Harold needed the honey.
To help the scent travel as far as possible, Harold picked a few wide leaves from the grass and carefully coated them in honey. Once they were covered, he gently placed the leaves onto the pond's surface, giving them a soft blow to send them floating toward the center. The sweet aroma began drifting across the water.
Teddiursa was incredibly impatient. It hopped from foot to foot, staring intently at the pond to see if any Pokémon would appear.
"Teddiursa, Teddiursa~" it chirped, running in a happy little circle. It was clearly already imagining how delicious that sweet Surskit fluid would taste.
"Be patient, Ted. It's going to take some time," Harold said, comforting the excited bear. As he spoke, he handed Teddiursa a heavy stone.
"The moment you see a Surskit, hit it with Fling." Harold pointed to a picture of Surskit in his open book, ensuring Teddiursa knew exactly what their target looked like.
Luckily, the trick worked. Surskit weren't particularly rare, and within just a few minutes, a small group came skating across the pond toward the honey-coated leaves.
Harold quietly signaled for Teddiursa to calm down. Since there were multiple targets, he had a perfect opportunity to select the best choice using the observation skills he had spent years practicing at the daycare.
The first Surskit was the fastest to reach the bait. However, it was noticeably larger than the others and possessed thicker legs, suggesting it relied more on physical strength than special attacks.
The second Surskit arrived next, but it was the smallest of the three. It was highly cautious of its surroundings, even peeking suspiciously over at Harold and Teddiursa while it nibbled on the honey.
The third Surskit was the last to arrive, but easily the greediest. It was average in size, yet it boldly claimed both of the remaining honey leaves for itself. Surprisingly, the other two Surskit didn't even try to contest its behavior.
Interesting, Harold thought curiously. Could the third one be the leader?
"Ted," Harold called out, narrowing his eyes. "Aim for the one eating the two honey leaves."
Without a moment's hesitation, Teddiursa hurled the heavy stone straight toward the third Surskit.
The cautious second Surskit spotted the incoming attack and skittered away instantly. The large, physical Surskit didn't notice a thing. The greedy leader, however, caught the sudden noise and peeked up just in time to see the heavy rock flying its way.
But its reflexes weren't fast enough. The Fling struck it dead center.
Thud!
It was a brutal hit. After days of rigorous training, Teddiursa's speed and precision had drastically improved. The sheer force of the impact left the third Surskit completely flinched and unable to move.
Hearing the heavy impact, the first Surskit finally snapped to attention, immediately rushing forward to defend its leader.
Since the battle was taking place on a pond and Harold lacked any long-range options, he had devised a tactical plan before even arriving.
He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and hurled it directly at the third Surskit. Before the large Surskit could react, the ball struck the flinched leader and drew it inside. The momentum carried the spinning Poké Ball backward, causing it to bounce right onto the grassy shore—exactly as Harold had intended. Even if the capture failed, fighting the Surskit on land would give Teddiursa a massive advantage.
Harold and Teddiursa rushed toward the shaking Poké Ball, but the large Surskit was quick to follow, skittering out of the water to defend its leader.
"Take him down first, Ted! Scratch!" Harold commanded.
Teddiursa lunged forward, claws bared. The wild Surskit didn't back down, countering instantly with a blinding Quick Attack. The sudden burst of speed slammed hard into Teddiursa, but the little bear pushed through the pain, landing a deep Scratch across the wild Pokémon's legs that left it pinned to the ground and unable to move.
Pop!
The Poké Ball burst open, and the third Surskit broke free. Instantly reading the situation, the leader unleashed a barrage of thick mud toward Teddiursa. That must be Mud Shot, Harold realized.
"Ted, roll to the side and dodge it! Get close and use Scratch!"
Teddiursa threw itself into a clumsy but effective roll, letting the mud splatter harmlessly into the grass. As it scrambled back to its feet and charged, the leader tried to halt its advance with a rapid-fire Bubble Beam. However, Teddiursa swung its arms wildly, its sharp claws easily tearing through the incoming stream of bubbles.
Without the surface of the water to glide on, the wild Surskit lacked the mobility to escape. Teddiursa's Scratch connected squarely with the leader's head, leaving it dazed and off-balance.
"Finish it with Close Combat!" Harold shouted. Even though Bug-types resisted Fighting-type moves, Harold couldn't help but feel that finishing a battle with Close Combat was incredibly cool after their match with Lileep.
A rapid flurry of punches rained down on the wild Pokémon, rendering the third Surskit completely unconscious.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
This time, the ball barely even shook.
Click.
The light dimmed, signaling a successful capture. Harold walked over and picked up the Poké Ball. He had finally caught a wild Pokémon all on his own. It was a completely different feeling from how he had partnered with Teddiursa through daycare bonding.
"Now, we just have one last thing to do," Harold said, looking down at the injured, large Surskit still stranded on the grass. Impressed by its loyalty, Harold decided to patch up the tough defender before sending it back into the wild.