Beedrill?
Zhenzi fluttered her eyelashes.
The Silver Pokémon Battle Club isn't just any club. The pay for trainers here is high, but the required skills are correspondingly strong.
If Natsuhiko had captured another Weedle, or perhaps evolved a Kakuna not long ago, she would understand.
But with a Beedrill, that's a bit...
Although a month is usually enough time for an ordinary Weedle to evolve into a Beedrill, can such newly evolved Pokémon compare to those that have been evolved for a long time?
Zhenzi held a skeptical attitude towards this.
However, since it's the club's rule that trainers who unexpectedly leave have this opportunity, she couldn't refuse.
"Please wait a moment," Zhenzi said and walked towards the manager's office.
Soon after, a tall woman in a professional suit appeared in Natsuhiko's line of sight.
"The manager is right here," Zhenzi guided the way.
The woman didn't show any reaction to Natsuhiko's current appearance and asked with a smile, "Are you Natsuhiko? Missing for a month?"
Natsuhiko calmly nodded and replied, "It's me."
"I'm the newly appointed manager. You can call me Manager or Aiwei, either is fine," Aiwei introduced herself simply.
Looking at Natsuhiko, who appeared scruffy but had particularly bright eyes, Aiwei continued, "It so happens that Drifloon doesn't have a member right now, come with me. Zhenzi, go call the technical and human resources departments."
Zhenzi stuck out her tongue slightly with her head lowered, obediently saying, "Okay."
"Right this way, please."
Aiwei extended a hand and led Natsuhiko through the internal passageway.
Natsuhiko silently followed behind her, his hand unconsciously sensing the warmth of the smooth Pokémon Egg through his backpack.
Its birth wasn't far away.
Without noticing Natsuhiko's actions, Aiwei suddenly asked, "I'm curious, Mr. Natsuhiko, why did you disappear for a month?"
Natsuhiko released his hold on the Pokémon Egg, calmly stating, "Due to some matters, I had to stay outside for some time."
"Oh? For a whole month?"
Aiwei tilted her head slightly, her peripheral vision glanced past Natsuhiko, gaining some understanding of his current appearance.
"It's impressive to survive alone in the wild for so long," Aiwei casually praised.
Compared to Lotto from before, this manager seemed more talkative and approachable, with no airs about her.
Her reaction clearly showed that the Rocket Team didn't care about such a small, insignificant figure.
His disappearance didn't matter.
"We're here."
Shortly, amidst questions and answers not showing any impatience, they reached a training room.
Inside was a youth with black, short hair and a shaded face, training his Pokémon. Among them, the most eye-catching was undeniably the Beedrill with wings vibrating at an incredibly high frequency.
It was precisely the Beedrill that joined the club as an intermediate trainer, Drifloon.
"Manager Aiwei."
Upon seeing Aiwei arrive with someone, Drifloon immediately stopped his training.
"Drifloon, this is Natsuhiko, who was an intermediate trainer with a Weedle at our club some time ago. Now his Weedle has evolved, and he'd like to have a battle with you," Aiwei explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Drifloon's face darkened considerably, his narrow eyes scanning Natsuhiko, filled with hostility.
It's said that rivals are foes, and in the Silver Pokémon Battle Club, trainers using the same Pokémon are even fiercer foes.
Undoubtedly, only one of them could stay.
From the moment Natsuhiko appeared here, the conclusion was predetermined.
The job at the Silver Pokémon Battle Club offers the highest pay and best benefits among all clubs. Nobody wants to lose such a position.
But he quickly composed himself, managing his expressions effectively, and smilingly said to Aiwei,
"Since this gentleman wants to try, let him have a shot. We need to give him a chance, right, Manager?"
Aiwei maintained her smile with no change in expression, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
That's when she saw Natsuhiko extending his hand towards Drifloon.
Drifloon hesitated for a moment, almost instinctively accepting the handshake.
By the time he realized, Natsuhiko had already moved to his position on the battlefield, leaving Drifloon foolishly staring at his still rather pale hand and the dark handprint upon it.
It emitted a faint foul smell.
Drifloon: "..."
The anger he had been suppressing now became somewhat uncontrollable.
He walked heavily towards Natsuhiko on the opposite side.
In terms of psychology alone, Natsuhiko had the upper hand.
At that moment, Zhenzi, who had left earlier, returned with the technical and human resources staff from the club.
"The rules are simple. Both sides can only send out Beedrill. As soon as one Beedrill loses its ability to fight, the other person wins and gains the right to stay," Aiwei explained briefly, leaving the field to the two trainers.
Since it was confirmed that both were using Beedrill, there was no need to determine which Pokémon would be sent out first.
"Go, Beedrill." Drifloon pointed to the field. Accompanied by a buzzing noise, his Beedrill, which seemed to be quite well-raised, appeared in the arena.
Natsuhiko had noticed Drifloon's Beedrill as soon as he arrived here.
Among all the Pokémon, Natsuhiko was unapologetically most familiar with Weedle and Beedrill. Just one look was enough for him to roughly assess Drifloon's Beedrill.
It resembled a large hornet, with four legs, a body divided into three segments, a round head with red eyes, a black and yellow striped abdomen with a Poison Needle at the end, and two pairs of thin, cicada-like wings adorned with intricate patterns.
This was Drifloon's Beedrill.
Natsuhiko took out the Pokeball from his waist, gazing through its red glass at the excited Pokémon inside, a slight smile forming at his lips.
"You've been holding back, haven't you."
With that, he tossed the Pokeball, revealing a yellow Pokémon amid the red light.
It was also a Beedrill.
But the difference between the two Beedrill was evident.
Firstly, Natsuhiko's Beedrill was noticeably larger. Though not as exaggeratedly large as when it was a Weedle compared to an average Weedle, it was clear that Natsuhiko's Beedrill was bigger.
Secondly, the coloring on Natsuhiko's Beedrill differed significantly from Drifloon's. Its yellow was more vibrant, mixed with an unknown bright waxy color, and the black stripes subtly reflected a dark purple light. Its compound red eyes were brighter.
The biggest difference, however, lay in their wings.
The patterns on Drifloon's Beedrill's wings were made of black lines, while the patterns on Natsuhiko's Beedrill's wings were constructed by yellow lines, forming intricate yellow arcs resembling electricity upon first glance.
The moment Natsuhiko's Beedrill appeared, the biggest reaction came not from others but from Drifloon's Beedrill, which suddenly turned restless. It buzzed around, seemingly able to control its emotions only by doing so.
Natsuhiko raised his hand, gently stroking the sharp arm sting of his Beedrill, feeling its coldness, and said softly, "After all your efforts, it's time to show your worth, Beedrill."
"Buzz-buzz!"
Beedrill nodded firmly, its red compound eyes full of excitement.
Finally!
It could finally appear by Natsuhiko's side in the form of a Beedrill.
Pokémon: Beedrill
Attribute: Insect-type + Poison Type
Trait: Sniper
Strength Evaluation: Senior Level
Mastered Techniques: Spinning Silk, Poison Needle, Power Grid, Insect Bite, Double Needle, Chaotic Strike, Anger, Qi Gathering, Poisonous Liquid Impact, Tailwind, Acrobatics, Shadow Clone
The benefits from the Pure Gold Feather for Beedrill were beyond expectations.
In actual combat, it would display even more!
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Brothers, I did my best... This is an extra chapter for the grand reward of Milk-Flavored Blue Boss!
Why does it seem like I owe another extra monthly ticket chapter? Did I repay it? Did I not?