Eichi kept looking for wild Pokémon. Soon, a Rattata jumped out of the grass.
The Weedle following him quickly rushed in front.
"Weedle, use String Shot."
Weedle aimed at Rattata and spat threads. Rattata tried to dodge, but it failed.
The silk wrapped tightly around its body.
"Weedle, use Poison Sting."
Weedle curled its tail and stabbed forward.
Unable to escape, Rattata took the hit straight on.
It let out a sharp cry, then collapsed.
Seeing Rattata faint, Weedle looked at Eichi and chirped.
It swayed its body side to side. The battles had clearly made it proud.
Eichi patted the back of its head and smiled. "All that hard training was so you could defeat opponents easily like this."
Then he walked to Rattata, pulling off the silk.
He took out a Potion from his bag. Rattata wasn't poisoned, but it was badly hurt.
He left some Pokémon Food as well.
Of course, it was the cheapest kind.
It was his way of making up for it, since he felt sorry for the little guy.
Beating them up for no reason didn't sit right with him.
Compared to Trainers who just battled and left, he thought he was too soft-hearted.
Next, Eichi planned to pick some rare Berries.
He sometimes picked Berries to sell.
But usually they were just common ones. Tasty, nutritious, but not useful.
Only once in a while would he find an Oran Berry or Pecha Berry, and never many.
And big Berry trees were usually guarded by strong Pokémon.
If he got too close, they would attack to drive him off.
This time, he got lucky. He found a small unguarded tree with some Oran Berries.
Oran Berries restore 10 HP in the games.
In real life, they also restored energy.
Eichi picked all the ripe ones.
He pulled out a box made for storing Berries.
Most rare Berries were small, about the size of strawberries.
He counted seven Oran Berries.
After packing them, he went to search for more.
But his luck ran out.
An hour passed, and he found no new Berries.
He only ran into Pokémon: Caterpie, Weedle, Rattata, and Venonat.
Weedle defeated them all.
Then, they faced a Pidgey.
It was the first time Weedle saw one, and it got nervous.
Pidgey was fast, dodging every String Shot.
Finally, Eichi got a lucky hit with Poison Sting, and they won.
Weedle looked down, disappointed. Eichi comforted it. "Don't worry. Train more, and next time you'll do better."
They wandered all over the Viridian Forest, but no Berries turned up.
Most trees near the edge had already been picked clean.
If he wanted more, he'd have to go deeper.
That meant danger.
Eichi weighed the risks, but the lure of Berries won.
He decided only to go a little farther, not too deep.
As he walked deeper, the light dimmed.
They said the forest's core was pitch black, day or night.
Eichi moved carefully, but after half an hour, nothing strong appeared.
His fear faded. He chose to stay in this area.
Then he heard a bird cry.
Listening closer, it sounded like a Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot!"
He looked up, and sure enough, there it was.
Pidgeot, the evolved form of Pidgeotto, final form of Pidgey.
Its wings shone beautifully. Many Trainers raised it because of how beautiful its crest was.
It could intimidate foes with its wings and soar at Mach 2 speed.
Eichi quickly hid, peeking out to watch.
One look told him it was far too strong to provoke.
Soon, another bird flew over.
It was a Fearow.
Fearow and Pidgeot were rivals. Their flocks often fought for territory.
Soon after, a group of Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot arrived.
Behind them came Spearow and Fearow.
Bird cries filled the sky.
Pokémon nearby scattered in panic.
In the chaos, Weedle crawled out, nudging Eichi with its horn.
"What is it, Weedle?"
Weedle pointed its horn in a direction, then took a few steps.
"You want me to follow you?"
Weedle nodded, then ran. Eichi followed.
After weaving around, they reached a hidden grove by a cliff.
It looked like a Pokémon nesting ground.
Eichi crouched in the grass, sneaking closer.
He saw a Pidgey and many Pokémon Eggs.
"Is this where the Pidgeot flock lives?"
He whispered, "Why bring me here?"
Weedle crawled ahead to a wall of vines.
Through them, Eichi saw a grove of Berry trees.
Even at a glance, there were many rare Berries.
Weedle wiggled proudly.
"Nice work," Eichi grinned.
Most of the Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot were gone.
Only one Pidgey remained.
If he wanted those Berries, he had to deal with it.
Eichi crept close and hid.
He whispered, "Listen. When I say, use String Shot as fast as you can. Cover it with as much as possible."
Weedle nodded.
"Ready."
"Go!"
Threads shot out furiously.
Weedle gave its everything.
The Pidgey sensed danger, but before it could react, the silk bound it.
"Yes!"
"Good job, Weedle!"
Weedle cheered too.
Eichi rushed with it to grab the Berries. As many as they could.
He felt the Pidgeot would return soon.
They had to finish fast, then run.