"Weedle?"
Seeing it come out unscathed and shedding its shell once more, Natsuhiko let out a long breath, his heart finally at ease.
This was the first time using this kind of toxin stimulation method, and it was the most dangerous.
Fortunately, Weedle managed to pull through.
"Huh?" Weedle curiously glanced at the scattered shells on the ground, somewhat puzzled about the situation.
Why did it shed its shell again?
It also couldn't understand why Natsuhiko was so nervous; wasn't it a sure thing?
It wasn't nervous at all.
Weedle the Unfazed
It just went through the motions in confusion.
But the pain was real; the sensation of something piercing through the shell and muscles still made it shudder when it thought about it.
Still, Weedle was genuinely confident, deriving its confidence not only from itself but also from Natsuhiko.
"Weedle, how do you feel?"
Natsuhiko gently adjusted his soaked shirt, which clung uncomfortably to his body.
From the outside, Weedle seemed unchanged, as if it had merely shed an ordinary shell.
But upon close inspection, Natsuhiko noticed that Weedle's originally black, beady eyes had turned a deep purple.
You wouldn't notice if you weren't looking carefully.
Even for someone as familiar with Weedle as Natsuhiko, it took a moment to see the signs.
"Hmm?"
Weedle scratched its head with its tail, unable to articulate its feelings.
It seemed unchanged, yet vastly changed at the same time.
Seeing its expression, Natsuhiko understood and stood up, "Let's go test it out."
"Hey!"
Weedle quickly crawled onto his shoulder, and together they left the room for the training room.
Natsuhiko casually picked up a target used for throwing, and in the usual way he trained Weedle's accuracy, he threw it fiercely.
Weedle instantly understood, squinting its eyes as the tip of its horn glowed with a rich purple hue.
Just using the Poison Needle technique, the changes in itself showed that Natsuhiko's toxin enhancement this time was effective.
Thud, thud, thud—
Three Poison Needles hit the flying target with pinpoint accuracy.
"Hey!"
Weedle curled its tail as if to cheer itself on.
Not bad, this time shedding didn't cause massive physical changes like last time, nor did it warp and deform the use of techniques, which would have required getting familiarized and retrained.
Unlike satisfied Weedle, Natsuhiko's gaze remained fixed on the flying target.
Pop!
The target fell to the ground.
Hiss, hiss, hiss—
With wisps of light purple smoke rising and faint corrosion sounds, the special material target on the ground quickly melted into a pool of indeterminate black viscous liquid, bubbling with tiny bubbles.
"Huh?!"
Weedle's small eyes were filled with shock, pointing at the puddle on the ground and then at itself.
"That's your handiwork. It seems your toxicity has indeed significantly increased, enhancing the destructive power of your Poison Needle technique and greatly improving your resistance to Poison-type techniques."
This was the result Natsuhiko was satisfied with.
It was almost like a small dose of a highly poisonous toxin.
In the past, Weedle's Poison Needle couldn't even poison a person, but now...
If you got hit by Weedle's Poison Needle and didn't use an antidote in time, any delay or hesitation could be fatal.
Very successful!
The three poison sacs he bought weren't wasted.
Weedle curiously touched the tip of its horn, feeling a mix of shock, satisfaction, and sudden realization.
"However, to make sure there are no side effects, we should visit the Poke Center for a check-up," Natsuhiko said to himself.
While the toxin increase was worth celebrating, given the use of a rather antiquated method and Weedle's previous state of poisoning, it's best to ensure everything's fine with a check-up at the Poke Center.
"Hey~~" Weedle responded obediently.
Natsuhiko handed it an Energy Block.
"Don't you feel anything strange?"
Weedle shook its head.
Then, Natsuhiko took Weedle, left the club, and hailed a taxi.
"Driver, to the Poke Center."
"Alright, hold on tight."
The taxi driver was quite skilled, though he was a bit talkative.
"Young man, you're a Trainer too, right? Is this just a Weedle? My kid at home keeps saying he wants to become a Trainer, but it's not that easy, right?" The driver held the steering wheel with one hand, trying to make conversation with Natsuhiko.
"...Mm."
Out of courtesy, Natsuhiko responded softly, the sound coming from his nose.
"Exactly, that's what I tell my kid, but he just won't listen. How can he know that being a Trainer costs so much? You have to pay the League a Pokémon nurturing fee every year, have sufficient bank statements to prove you have the funds to nurture Pokémon, and also make certain contributions to the League. I'm just a taxi driver; where do I get all this money..."
Hearing Natsuhiko's response, the driver seemed to have opened a floodgate.
"He can start without being a League-registered Trainer..." Natsuhiko leaned his head against the window.
The bustling streets of Goldenrod City.
Some stores and malls, which should be very lively, were actually closed at this moment.
"But how can you not become a League Trainer?!" the driver seemed adamant about this.
"Although the League's requirements are a bit harsh, you have to admit that it's because of the League that we have such a stable life and those fierce Pokémon in the wild haven't affected my life..."
"True..."
Natsuhiko responded lightly, without expressing his viewpoint.
Indeed, the existence of the League plays an important role, having its good sides, and most people only see those good sides.
But these don't really impact or conflict with Natsuhiko.
Whether the League is good or bad, it doesn't matter.
His criteria are simple: those who provide resources and opportunities are good; those who don't are not—purely interest-based.
No need for anything pretentious.
In this world, he was all alone, with only Weedle as a companion. So, whether it was the League or Rocket Team, or any other organization, they were the same to him.
"We're here."
Soon enough, amidst the driver's long-winded sermons, the car arrived at the Poke Center entrance.
"Thank you."
After paying and getting out of the car, Natsuhiko showed no expression, but Weedle on his shoulder let out a long sigh of relief.
Was the driver a chatterbox?
Entering the Poke Center again, Natsuhiko put Weedle back into its Pokeball and handed it to Miss Joy, then sat alone in a corner of the Poke Center.
He took out a book and began to read silently.
The title of the book was "On the Characteristics and Guesses of Pokémon Learning Non-native Techniques."
It discussed Pokémon's comprehension and learning of techniques outside their own types; for instance, Natsuhiko's Weedle, a Bug and Poison-type Pokémon, had recently learned the Electric-type move Power Grid.
The book conjectured that when non-Electric-type Pokémon learned Electric-type techniques, a substantial part of the reason was the high concentration of free electrons and electric energy in the environment at the time. This could be due to natural free electron fluctuations or some unnatural factor.
For example, a non-Steel-type Pokémon is more likely to learn Steel-type Techniques if it is in a mineral-rich area.
Natsuhiko possessed rich Pokémon knowledge, even advanced knowledge, but he found it not very helpful in training and nurturing Pokémon.
He knew that Weedle could only learn four moves at this stage, but that didn't mean Beedrill in the future would also be limited to four moves; he was preparing for the future.
These various pieces of Pokémon knowledge were also filling in the gaps in his knowledge.
This had a lot to do with his previous life's occupation.
"Natsuhiko?"
Suddenly, while reading, a familiar voice called out.