A typical Beedrill stands at about one meter tall.
But this one reached an astonishing 1.5 meters.
Its twin stingers were long and thick, gleaming with a cold, lethal sheen under the sunlight.
It was clearly the leader of this Beedrill swarm.
"Bzzzz…"
The Beedrill leader looked down at its fallen swarm members and let out an angry buzz toward the Pinsir.
"Krrr—!"
The Pinsir, however, remained completely unfazed, responding with a scornful, grating cry.
"Bzzz—!"
"Krrr—!"
The two sides plunged back into battle once more.
...
Aaron, with Sceptile at his side, climbed up into a large tree and observed the clash below.
The moment he spotted that unusual Beedrill, his eyes lit up.
He immediately activated the system scan, and the Beedrill's status panel appeared before him:
[Name: Beedrill]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Calm]
[Type: Bug, Poison]
[Ability: Sniper]
[Base Stats Total: 395]
[Level: Advanced (Peak Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Champion]
[Moves: Twineedle (Mastery), Fury Attack (Mastery), Focus Energy (Mastery), Venoshock (Proficient), Pin Missile (Proficient), Poison Jab (Proficient), Agility (Proficient), Fell Stinger (Proficient), Pursuit (Basic), Endeavor (Basic)…]
[Description: Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon and the evolved form of Kakuna. It attacks by repeatedly striking enemies with the three poison stingers on its arms and tail…]
...
Aaron's pupils contracted slightly.
Hidden Ability: Sniper.
Its potential had reached Champion level.
Focus Energy + Fell Stinger + Sniper…
One strike was all it would take.
A gleam flashed in Aaron's eyes.
This Beedrill…
He wanted it.
It was rare to encounter a Pokémon of this caliber in the wild.
"Ding~ Triggered quest: Capture the Beedrill!!"
"This Beedrill has an exceptional build and an imposing presence. Its three stingers radiate a chilling lethality—an ideal addition to your team."
"Move fast… bring it under your command and strengthen your lineup."
"Quest Reward: Pressure Infusion (Shinigami-Modified Version) (Skill Card) ×1, Pokémon Candy (Elite) ×1…"
The system's voice rang out again, and a smile spread across Aaron's face.
Perfect.
A powerful Pokémon—and a free reward on top of that.
At this point, only the Beedrill leader remained standing.
But it was already covered in wounds and clearly wouldn't last much longer.
Aaron's gaze sharpened.
Time to move.
He and Sceptile leapt down from the several-meter-high tree.
(His physical abilities had long surpassed those of an ordinary human, having grown alongside his Pokémon.)
"Sceptile—Agility, then Leaf Blade."
"Sceptile!"
Sceptile vanished instantly.
In the next moment, it appeared directly above two Pinsir, emerald blades forming along its arms.
With a swift downward slash—
Bang! Bang!
Two heavy impacts rang out.
"Krrr—!"
The two Pinsir cried out in pain as they were slammed into the ground.
Although Grass-type moves normally dealt reduced damage to Pinsir, Sceptile's boosted power—enhanced by its Ability and its mastery of Leaf Blade—completely overwhelmed them.
The two Advanced Peak Pinsir were knocked out instantly, their eyes spinning.
"Sceptile—follow up. Keep using Leaf Blade. Finish them."
The sudden turn stunned both the Beedrill leader and the remaining Pinsir.
Before they could react—
"Sceptile—!"
Sceptile moved like a shadow through the forest.
Flashes of emerald light cut through the air, and the remaining four Pinsir were swiftly brought down.
Sceptile's extreme speed was a nightmare for powerful but slower Pokémon like Pinsir.
With its enhanced Agility and permanent Speed boost, it ranked second on Aaron's team in terms of speed.
Naturally, Greninja still held first place.
Aaron immediately threw out special Poké Balls, capturing all the Pinsir.
Now, only the Beedrill leader remained.
"Bzzz…"
A hint of surprise flickered in the leader's eyes as it gave Aaron a slight nod, as if expressing gratitude.
To earn its trust, Aaron took out a Pokémon healing spray and treated the injured Beedrill.
The Beedrill that had been lying motionless moments ago soon recovered enough to take flight again.
"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz…"
They circled around Aaron, their buzzing filled with gratitude.
A faint smile appeared on Aaron's face.
"I'm glad you're all alright."
He then turned to the Beedrill leader, his expression turning serious.
"Beedrill… come with me."
"You're capable of far more than this. With me, you can grow even stronger."
"You'll have the strength to protect your colony."
Aaron spoke directly, targeting the Beedrill's deepest concern.
After that battle, it had undoubtedly realized its own weakness—its inability to protect its swarm.
That desire to grow stronger…
Was exactly what Aaron needed.
"Bzzz…?"
The Beedrill leader froze for a moment, then fell silent.
…Yeah.
It was too weak.
It couldn't even protect its own colony.
If Aaron hadn't intervened, they would have been wiped out.
Seeing Sceptile's overwhelming strength, a deep longing stirred within it.
If only it could become that strong…
"Bzzz, bzzz…"
The other Beedrill seemed to understand their leader's thoughts and began buzzing around it, urging it on.
Encouraging it.
"Bzzz…"
A tear slid from the corner of the Beedrill leader's eye as it gave a firm nod.
Then it turned to Aaron and let out a resolute buzz.
It had accepted.
A bright smile spread across Aaron's face.
"Don't worry."
"I'll arrange a safe zone for your colony. They won't be threatened by Pinsir anymore."
With that, he had resolved the Beedrill's final concern.
"Bzzz…"