Faced with the series of questions and dissatisfaction Misty brought up, Ash could only respond with silence.
“Fine.
In any case, train your Pokémon first.” In the end, Misty could only sigh helplessly.
“Who told me to get stuck with a guy like you?”
After struggling internally for quite a while, Misty ultimately did not abandon Ash and leave Viridian Forest on her own.
This moved Ash greatly.
Although the two of them had only known each other for a short time, they could both tell that the other was a friend worth making.
“Thank you for understanding.
I definitely won’t let down your expectations!” Ash waved his fist, his face full of confidence.
The two of them and Pikachu walked through Viridian Forest.
Trees and plants stood all around them.
In this forest filled with danger, they could be attacked by wild Pokémon at any moment.
In a place like this, Ash thought for a moment and released Pidgey from its Poké Ball.
“Pidgey, go search for nearby wild Pokémon or other Trainers.” Ash entrusted the task of searching for opponents to the only Flying-type Pokémon in his team.
“Pidgey~”
Pidgey flew in midair and nodded twice in response, then flew off into the distance.
Ash’s idea was simple.
The easiest way to improve a Pokémon’s strength was battling.
And if Pokémon wanted to evolve, they needed to possess enough strength.
Ash and Misty did not have to wait in place for long.
Pidgey soon returned from afar.
“Pidgey, Pidgey~”
Pidgey kept crying out, indicating that it had already found a Trainer.
A smile appeared on Ash’s face.
“Great!
In that case, Pidgey, hurry and lead the way!”
Pidgey nodded and turned to fly off.
Ash and Misty quickly followed with Pikachu.
Under Pidgey’s lead, Ash soon encountered a boy.
The boy had dark skin and was dressed very simply.
His upper body wore a white short-sleeved shirt that had been washed until it was a little loose and baggy, while his lower body wore an ordinary pair of black shorts.
He also wore a straw hat on his head.
“You’re a Trainer, right?
Since we’ve met, let’s battle!” Ash rushed forward and stopped the Bug Catcher.
The Bug Catcher glanced at Ash, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile as he readily accepted.
“Sure, let’s battle!”
“Come out, Caterpie!”
The Bug Catcher sent out his Pokémon.
A Caterpie stood proudly in front of him with its head held high.
Seeing such a plump, juicy bug appear, Pidgey could not help drooling.
If Ash, its Trainer, had not been present, it would definitely have swooped down and enjoyed a hearty meal.
“Pika, Pikachu.”
Pikachu took the initiative to jump forward, looking eager to try.
Unfortunately, Ash grabbed Pikachu back in one motion.
“Pikachu, you need an Evolution Stone to evolve, so the battles in Viridian Forest this time have to be left to the other Pokémon,” Ash said apologetically.
Pikachu looked somewhat dejected, but it did not say anything more.
It merely stood quietly in the back, side by side with Misty.
Pidgey, who had been flying in midair, was also a little tired.
It landed beside Pikachu, watching Ash and the Bug Catcher’s battle together.
“Since your Pokémon is Caterpie… then I’ll choose Weedle!” Ash immediately made his choice and threw out the Poké Ball in his hand.
The earth-yellow bug with a sharp horn appeared in front of Ash, also holding its head high.
Its defeat at the Pokémon Center last time had left Weedle feeling frustrated.
Now that Ash had sent it out to battle again, Weedle decided that it would wash away its previous shame.
“Ugh… so many bugs.” Seeing the two Pokémon facing each other, Misty could not help feeling her scalp go numb.
Goosebumps rose all over her body, and she subconsciously took a step back.
Her actions had no effect on Ash and the Bug Catcher, who were about to begin their Pokémon battle.
“You’ve got good taste.
You actually chose to capture a cool Pokémon like Weedle,” the Bug Catcher praised.
“Hehe, you’re not bad yourself.” Ash rubbed his nose.
“But even if you say that, I won’t hold back.”
After saying that, Ash’s eyes sharpened.
“Weedle, use Poison Sting!”
Weedle nodded repeatedly.
It inhaled deeply, and in its mind, it could not help recalling the movements of Jessie’s Ekans when it used Poison Sting.
“Jiji!”
Weedle cried out loudly, and several Poison Stings spat from its mouth.
[Weedle’s Poison Sting proficiency has increased from Beginner to Skilled.]
Move proficiency was divided into four levels: Beginner, Skilled, Proficient, and Max Level.
As a move’s proficiency continued to increase, its power and release speed would both change accordingly.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~”
A series of piercing sounds rang out one after another.
The speed was so fast that Caterpie had no way to dodge before being struck by Poison Sting, its body sent flying backward.
One-hit knockout.
“Jiji!!”
After defeating Caterpie, Weedle’s entire body burst with brilliant light.
This scene left everyone dumbfounded.
“This is… evolution!” Ash instantly realized what was happening.
The Weedle in front of him raised its head toward the sky and spat out large amounts of silk thread from its mouthparts.
These silk threads fell rapidly, wrapping around it.
A moment later, the light of evolution disappeared, and Weedle had finished forming its cocoon.
[Name: Kakuna]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Bug, Poison]
[Ability: Shed Skin (Has a chance to shed its outer shell, thereby curing status conditions.)]
[Moves: Poison Sting (Skilled), String Shot (Beginner), Harden (Beginner)]
After evolving, Weedle became Kakuna.
Its Ability changed as well, and it also learned a new move.
“Not bad.
Your Weedle evolved into Kakuna.” The Bug Catcher looked at this Kakuna, his eyes full of fondness.
“But I won’t lose to you.”
As the Bug Catcher spoke, he recalled the Caterpie that had lost its ability to battle and took out a new Poké Ball.
“In that case, I’ll leave it to you, Weedle!”
The Bug Catcher also sent out a Weedle.
However, the Bug Catcher’s Weedle was clearly two sizes smaller than Ash’s Weedle had been.
Size was also one of the factors that determined a Pokémon’s strength.
A Pokémon’s strength was generally proportional to its size.
The larger the Pokémon, the stronger its power would be.
“Kakuna, you’ve worked hard.
Come back.” Ash took out the Poké Ball and recalled the evolved Kakuna.
After Weedle evolved into Kakuna, it lost its ability to battle and could only use Harden or String Shot.
This was because it needed to accumulate power inside its pupa form in preparation for its next evolution.
Moreover, that time would not be too far away.
It would arrive very soon.
This was also one of the characteristics of Bug-type Pokémon.
They grew extremely quickly!