Chapter 154: The Ancient Dragonfly
Although Beedrill enjoyed the slaughter, even wild Pokémon could produce powerful individuals. And while there were none at the Elite level, a Gym-Leader-level threat was another matter entirely.
Suddenly, a massive dragonfly-like Pokémon shot up from the jungle below. Its two pairs of wings beat with such force that they created a powerful shockwave, blowing away the surrounding wild Pokémon and even forcing Beedrill back. The sound it produced was deafening. This was a Gym-Leader-level Pokémon, and it was incredibly powerful.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?" one of the Chiefs asked, confused. Not just him, but even Matt had never seen such a creature before.
Giovanni, however, knew it instantly. It was a Yanmega. He even understood the demanding conditions for its evolution: it had to level up at the exact moment it learned the move Ancient Power. It was a notoriously difficult evolution to achieve, even for dedicated trainers.
For a wild Pokémon to have managed it was a testament to its exceptional nature.
It was perfectly normal that they had never seen one before.
"An unknown Pokémon," one of the Chiefs said, his eyes gleaming with greed, "means a lot of money."
"What are you thinking?" another retorted. "That thing is at the Gym-Leader level. You need to have the ability to catch it, or you'll be the one getting caught."
Matt, too, was intrigued. "An interesting Pokémon."
Having been saved by Matt twice, Giovanni decided to offer a piece of information. "Yanmega," he said casually. "A Bug and Flying-type. Its evolution conditions are strict, so it is, indeed, a rare Pokémon."
The Chiefs were stunned. They didn't expect the boy to know what it was, but they didn't dare refute him.
"You seem to be very knowledgeable about Pokémon," Matt said, turning to him. "Are you interested in becoming a Researcher?"
"Perhaps," Giovanni replied without hesitation. "But it is too easy for one's achievements to be plagiarized without sufficient backing. I plan to pursue it later."
"I also considered becoming a Researcher when I was young," Matt said, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "But I realized I lacked the talent for it." He then added, "I know a bit about the process.
If you have ideas, you can record your findings and then register and publish them on the official Researcher platform. I used to have an account; I can help you."
"Thank you," Giovanni said. He had never known about this; his time had always been too tight. With Matt's reminder, he could begin preparing materials and codifying his own unique findings.
"We brought a video recorder," Matt said, a new meaning in his eyes. "You can use it."
"Okay," Giovanni nodded.
The Chiefs exchanged glances. Identifying a single rare Pokémon didn't make him a Researcher. Those were high-level talents, typically decades older than this boy.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The sound of the Yanmega's wings grew louder, a sharp Bug Buzz that signaled its intent to attack. Its red-striped eyes fixed on Beedrill. Among all the Pokémon in the air, Beedrill was the most dominant, its unique aura making it an irresistible target.
The Yanmega used Quick Attack, its massive body rushing toward Beedrill, its huge mandibles open to bite.
"Protect!" Giovanni shouted from the plane.
Beedrill crossed its stingers, a green shield of energy enveloping it— but the Yanmega was at the Gym-Leader level. With a single strike, it shattered the shield and slammed head-first into Beedrill's crossed stingers, sending it flying backward.
Under normal circumstances, Giovanni would have let Beedrill fight— but his Pokémon had not yet fully recovered from its previous battle. He would not risk it being injured again. "Come back, Beedrill," he commanded.
Beedrill swayed, then used Agility to retreat. The Yanmega, however, was not about to let it escape. It let out a sharp cry and gave chase. Just as it was about to catch Beedrill, Matt pointed at it and roared.
"Pidgeot! Air Slash on that Yanmega!"
His Pidgeot, which had been circling above like a sentinel, flapped its wings, sending down a barrage of razor-sharp blades of air. The Yanmega was forced to abandon its pursuit, swerving to avoid the attack.
"I will take care of this Yanmega for you," Matt said to Giovanni. "If there are any noteworthy findings from the battle, you can list me as the second author."
Giovanni nodded. After ordering Beedrill to go and clean up the remaining wild Pokémon, he replied, "Agreed."
A subtle smile touched Matt's stern face. "Defeat it, Pidgeot!"
Pidgeot dove, and the Yanmega, unwilling to show weakness, met it head-on. A battle between two Gym-Leader-level Pokémon was about to begin.
Yanmega attacked first, using Quick Attack to try and overwhelm Pidgeot with its speed— but Pidgeot was equally fast. They brushed past each other in the air, leaving behind trails of afterimages, their continuous collisions emitting fierce, concussive sounds.
Yanmega then used Double Team, its body splitting into multiple illusory copies that circled Pidgeot, making it impossible to distinguish the real one.
But as Matt's ace, Pidgeot was a battle-hardened veteran. It immediately used Air Slash, sharp blades of air slicing through each clone, destroying them one by one.
It let out a disdainful cry, then began to flap its massive wings, unleashing the move Twister. Several ten-meter-tall vortexes of wind formed around it, then rushed toward the now-exposed Yanmega.
From a safe angle, Giovanni observed their battle, learning.
This was one of the reasons he had come.