Chapter 125:
In the video, the teenage "Ryō Fū" holds a wooden stick, a fierce look on his childish face, as if the Weedle before him were his enemy.
In reality, Ryō Fū's face flushed with embarrassment.
Back then, his relationship with Weedle had indeed been quite strained.
During their battle, the Weedle refused to listen to him, leading Ryō Fū to have a heart-to-heart talk, asking how he could get it to obey. Unexpectedly, the Weedle flashed its poisonous stinger at him, its intention clear: defeat it.
And so, they had this "battle."
He endured the Weedle's Poison Sting, walked up to it, and struck it twice with the stick.
After these two blows, the Weedle's eyes cleared considerably.
It cried out to him, "Weedle! Weedle!"
which he couldn't understand, but from then on, the Weedle behaved much better.
Unlike previous instances where the Beedrill had defeated its opponents, this time, the "Weedle" spat two Poison Stings again, piercing Ryō Fū's body before taking two blows from him.
After being "defeated," Ryō Fū, though his face was turning purple from the poison, laughed heartily as he approached the Weedle. "Hahaha, you can't beat me! I'm your boss now, and from now on you have to help me defeat all the other Trainers!"
Then, overcome by the poison, he collapsed to the ground.
The Weedle crawled in front of him, looking at the younger Trainer with a serious expression in its eyes. "Weedle?"
"Weedle..."
"What... is the Weedle saying?" Ryō Fū, watching from outside the dream, was stunned.
Although he had been with Beedrill for over a decade, Beedrill had been unwilling to confide in him since the incident at the tournament.
Furthermore, Ryō Fū had no special ability to understand the meaning of Pokémon's words, and in this current dream, it was still a Weedle.
Therefore, Ryō Fū still had no idea what it was saying.
He could only make a vague guess.
Hayashi Kaede replied, "It said it will help you defeat every Trainer." "
..."
Ryō Fū was startled, then his mouth fell open. He took a deep breath and smiled again, his expression seemingly uncontrollable.
Then, immediately, the smile tightened into a pursed-lip expression.
He had said this casually back then, but Beedrill had made it its ultimate goal?
Was that why it fought so desperately in every subsequent battle?
He touched Beedrill's twin stingers, which had regained their luster, as if explaining to Hayashi Kaede, or to Beedrill itself, "It was just a joke from when I was young and foolish."
Hayashi Kaede added, "But it took it seriously, didn't it?"
Finally, he added, "It's waking up."
By now, the light in the mist had begun to fade, indicating the dream was about to end.
Beedrill's deepest desire had been fulfilled.
Even if it was only in a dream.
At the same time, a voice echoed in Hayashi Kaede's mind.
[Congratulations, Host. You have raised Beedrill's Happiness Value from -10 to 70%. Reward: Beedrillite (Mega Stone that allows Beedrill to Mega Evolve into Mega Beedrill) , three Rare Candies, and ten bags of High-Grade Fertilizer.]
Hearing the system's reward, Hayashi Kaede said quietly, "It's not too late to fulfill it now, is it?"
Coincidentally, Beedrill also opened its eyes from its slumber. It looked visibly dazed.
However, upon regaining full consciousness and seeing its Trainer again, it immediately realized it had just been a dream.
In reality,
it had not yet completed its Trainer's goal.
But then, Beedrill spotted the Dragonite behind Hayashi Kaede again, and its eyes sparkled once more.
Ryō Fū was silent for a moment, then finally said to it, "Do you want to challenge his Gallade again?"
"Buzz?"
Beedrill's eyes lit up at this. Just now in the dream, it had been overwhelming the Gallade.
But then again.
It hadn't trained seriously in ten years.
Although its body felt better than ever, it wasn't sure if it could withstand a battle with a Gallade now.
Besides, would Ryō Fū be willing to let it fight again?
"Okay, then let's regroup and challenge him again. This year's Horizon Cup is about to start. Let's train hard for a few months and then fight him!"
Seeing Beedrill's expression, Ryō Fū patted its body. His memory seemed to return to his youth, when he had patted Beedrill in just the same way, full of passion.
Beedrill raised its stingers high, "Buzz~!" (Let's fight!)
After the excitement died down, Ryō Fū remembered they were still in Hayashi Kaede's garden.
It was now completely dark.
A birthday celebration shouldn't have taken this long.
He addressed Hayashi Kaede solemnly, "Brother Kaede, thank you so much."
Hayashi Kaede shook his head. "It's okay. Seeing the former Bug-type King, now rejuvenated and full of fighting spirit, is what I wanted to see."
"This... I'm sorry..." Ryō Fū suddenly recalled the dejected state he was in when he first arrived and couldn't help but let out an awkward laugh.
He also found the situation truly bewildering. He had originally just wanted Beedrill to have a peaceful last birthday, but he hadn't expected it to be completely cured.
He said with emotion,
"Originally, I planned to find the Indeedee to take care of Beedrill. Now it seems their children have also indirectly help Beedrill's recovery.
Don't worry, brother, I'll raise them well and bring them to you."
He patted Beedrill and bowed deeply to Hayashi Kaede.
Hayashi Kaede didn't try to stop him, though he wondered if he should ask for the Indeedee first.
Then he thought it wasn't necessary.
If he raised them himself, they might grow up well, but they certainly wouldn't be as close as if they were raised by their parents.
After bowing, Ryō Fū said goodbye and was about to leave.
Hayashi Kaede stopped him, "Wait a moment."
"Hmm?" Ryō Fū turned.
Hayashi Kaede pondered for a moment. "Look, if you really want to bring Beedrill to the Horizon Cup, you can bring it back to me a few days before the competition."
"If you don't want to bring it, then you don't have to."
Ryō Fū was stunned, then nodded seriously. "Okay, I understand."
He then carefully stepped onto Beedrill's back, which soared into the sky with a powerful buzz.
Behind him, Hayashi Kaede watched Beedrill fly away, a complex feeling in his heart.
The Horizon Cup...
is held every year around the New Year, still more than four months away...
Now with the goal of survival...
can it last those four months?