"Woo..." Weedle let out a low cry, its eyes fixed on the two fruits hanging from the tree in the middle.
Natsuhiko gently patted Weedle's back to calm it down.
"In our current situation, rushing in would be as good as suicide. We should wait until these wild Pokémon start fighting first."
The wild Pokémon here vary in strength, but since this area is not far from Goldenrod City, Trainers often come through, so the wild Pokémon here aren't extremely powerful.
At least Weedle hadn't encountered a Pokémon that frightened it to the point of not being able to face it.
"Wait, just wait a bit more, it should be soon."
"Woo!"
Weedle withdrew its gaze and responded.
The fruit's allure was strong, but not enough to make it lose reason. In its heart, Natsuhiko's safety came first. If there was truly no chance, it would resist the temptation and urge Natsuhiko to retreat.
Time slowly passed.
The glow on the fruits became increasingly bright, hanging on the tree like two small moons.
The surrounding Pokémon grew more restless, with various low cries echoing around, showing signs of impatience.
Natsuhiko pursed his lips; after squatting in the bushes for too long, his legs started tingling, so he had to stretch a bit to keep the blood flowing, preparing to run when the time came.
"Judging by these Pokémon's reactions, the fruits are about to ripen. If they ripen and these Pokémon start fighting, it won't be good for us. We need to find a way to make them start fighting early, so we'll have a chance once the fruits are fully ripe."
With this thought, Natsuhiko carefully moved through the bushes, making some noise, but the Pokémon's attention was clearly not focused on their surroundings anymore.
He moved to the back of Weedle and Beedrill.
He glanced at the Pinsir occupying a spot not far away; it seemed to be the strongest among the Pokémon present.
"Weedle, get up the tree and use Poison Needle on that Pinsir."
Natsuhiko's subtle voice reached Weedle's ear.
"Woo?"
Weedle glanced at him in surprise but didn't hesitate. It climbed to the tree's crown, hiding among the thick foliage, its tiny eyes targeting Pinsir nearby.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
With three subtle noises, the Poison Needle darted quickly through the leaves towards the sturdy Pinsir.
Thud—
The fine Poison Needle struck Pinsir's hard shell.
The usually infallible Poison Needle was unable to pierce the shield, instead getting stuck on it.
But it didn't matter.
The effect had already taken place.
"Kyeeh!!"
Suddenly ambushed, Pinsir roared, its eyes fierce, and the pair of large, sharp pincers on its head clashed, focusing directly on the group of Weedle and Beedrill nearby.
Pinsir was naturally an aggressive Pokémon, only keeping calm because of its focus on the fruits.
But the sudden attack had triggered its fiery temperament, and it charged straight toward the closest Beedrill with its large horn, surging with layers of swirling Qi.
The Beedrill had clearly not grasped what was happening.
Seeing Pinsir charging at them, the equally hot-tempered Beedrill couldn't hold back.
Pinsir was strong, but there were four Beedrills on their side.
"Hissss—"
With an angry roar from the leading Beedrill, the Beedrills immediately joined in the brawl with Pinsir.
It was like a drop of water into scorching oil, erupting instantly.
The surrounding Insect-type Pokémon, already itching for action, also became agitated, even the typically gentle ones didn't hold back.
The Butterfrees, who never saw eye to eye with the Beedrill, joined the brawl with Beedrill and Pinsir. Meanwhile, several Paras sneakily set their sights on the central Tree Fruit, but their approach incited a strong counterattack from the Caterpie.
After releasing the Poison Needle, Weedle immediately climbed down from the tree and, with Natsuhiko, crouched in the bushes, hiding among the leaves and fallen grass.
The melee had erupted.
Pokémon all joined in the fight one after another, with various Insect-type Techniques flying around.
"Now that it's chaotic, we have a chance," Natsuhiko thought, focusing his attention on the Tree Fruit.
The next step was to wait for these two Insect Fruits to fully ripen, then look for opportunities to approach through the battling Pokémon.
"According to the book, an Insect Fruit is fully ripe when it shines like the moon. Now, this one's mostly covered, with only a small area at the end remaining."
Being the weakest, timing their actions was extremely important.
In the melee, Pokémon constantly lost fighting capabilities.
Two of Beedrill's side had fallen, and one Butterfree was down, while Pinsir, though covered in wounds, seemed even fiercer and posed the greatest threat in the three-way battle.
As for Weedle and Caterpie, countless had already fallen.
On another side, Caterpie and Paras's fight had reached a fever pitch, with casualties on both sides.
Yet Natsuhiko and Weedle remained patient.
Natsuhiko, from observing the fruit, had roughly determined its ripening speed and calculated an approximate time.
His finger gently traced lines in the dirt, counting seconds silently in his mind.
"Almost," Natsuhiko lifted his head and said to Weedle beside him, "Head out there and go from the ground, not too fast, just steady enough not to attract attention. As you reach the fruit tree, no need to climb up, just use Spinning Silk to pluck the fruit, then don't worry about anything else, run back the way we came."
Weedle nodded, indicating understanding.
Natsuhiko picked up a bundle of grass he'd prepared, covering Weedle's back, gripping its body tightly.
Counting silently in his mind.
Suddenly, a flash of determination swept through his eyes, "Go!"
Releasing his grip, Weedle immediately left the bushes, moving steadily toward the fruit tree. Natsuhiko, now holding a stick, kept his gaze fixed on the Tree Fruit.
It was evident now; the fruit's surface was nearly fully covered with light, only leaving a small shrouded spot at the end.
As Weedle approached, the light on the Tree Fruit's surface grew more pronounced, and its fragrance intensified, influencing nearby Insect-type Pokémon.
Their combat actions slowed as they turned their attention back to the Tree Fruit.
It was almost ripe.
Natsuhiko gripped his stick, counting silently.
"Ripened!"
A low shout echoed from within, and he stood abruptly.
Amid the Insect Pokémon's gaze, the fruits on the tree ripened at the very moment his heart resonated.
The interplay of light and shadows, the harmony of brightness and darkness.
In that instant, the fruit's surface light retracted completely, and the fragrance also vanished abruptly.
The transient change caught the Insect Pokémon off guard, leading to a brief pause in their movements.
Just as they were about to dash madly toward the Tree Fruit, they suddenly heard...
"Boom!!"
Beside the tree, Natsuhiko tightly gripped the stick, pounding it against the tree trunk, producing a dull thud.
In such silence, the sound stood out starkly.
They instinctively turned towards the noise, seeing a human figure, moving agilely as it sprinted or leapt through the thick bushes.
As they regained their senses, turning back towards the Tree Fruit, they only saw two bright white threads, wrapping the ripe Tree Fruit, pulling them down effortlessly.
The source of the threads was a Weedle hiding under a grassy cover.
Hand it over!
Having seized the fruits, Weedle hesitated not, following Natsuhiko's instructions, bolting back toward their original path with all its might.
The two Tree Fruits swiftly retreated, wrapped in silk threads.
For a moment, the wild Insect Pokémon were bewildered by the rapid changes.
When they finally grasped the situation, they saw the human figure rendezvous with Weedle, dragging the two Tree Fruits, quickly vanishing into the forest depths.
Instantly.
All the Insect Pokémon vying for the Tree Fruits flew into a frenzy!