"The mission at the Pokémon Center doesn't specify which Pokémon it has to be. If I kill that Arbok, I'd only get 6,000 Pokédollars from the mission, and its materials would sell for just 1 Pokédollar. That's way too little!"
Icarus quickly did the math in his head. Option one versus option two—he would definitely choose the second.
"Let's go, Pidgey. We'll head west this time. If you spot any Metapod, fly back and tell me immediately."
As he spoke, Icarus pulled up a photo of Metapod on his phone. Its body was green and shaped like a blade.
"Pidgey~" Pidgey chirped in agreement, indicating it understood.
Metapod was his target for completing the mission.
Of course, he wasn't planning to attack the Metapod within the Butterfree colony. His real targets were the Metapod guarding the outer perimeter.
To be honest, "guarding" might be too generous. They were stationed outside because they weren't qualified to remain within the core of the Butterfree group.
Most of these Metapod had evolved from Caterpie with low aptitude. After evolving, their energy levels had reached the Normal level—but aside from using Harden, they couldn't do much else.
In the Metapod stage, they couldn't move freely, and evolving again required a large amount of energy.
The Butterfree colony didn't have enough resources to support every Metapod's evolution. Only the more talented ones were nurtured inside the group, fed and protected until they accumulated enough energy to evolve.
Some might ask—why don't these weaker Metapod just leave if they aren't given resources?
Because Butterfree and Metapod are part of the same evolutionary line. Even if resources were limited, the Butterfree didn't want their kin to become prey for other Pokémon.
So Butterfree and even Beedrill would patrol the outer areas from time to time.
Yes, Beedrill.
Butterfree and Beedrill actually maintained a cooperative relationship in this forest. Their colonies were located near each other.
Individually, both species were relatively weak, so cooperation was their way of survival.
If that Arbok from earlier had faced a Beedrill of the same level, Arbok would likely have won.
Additionally, both Butterfree and Beedrill shared similarities in their evolutionary lines—an immobile second stage and high reproduction rates.
The Metapod and Kakuna on the outskirts had essentially burned much of their vitality during evolution. With poor aptitude and diminished life force, they had little combat ability left.
Even if they were Normal-level, no one would waste money buying them—not even the Pokémon House.
However, their materials still held value. That was why Uncle Sam had told Icarus that this area was a good place for a newly promoted Normal-level trainer to earn money.
"Still, I need to be careful. Don't go too far," Icarus reminded himself. Never be greedy.
If these Metapod or Kakuna were overly disturbed emotionally, some of them might burn the remainder of their vitality to force an evolution.
Although their energy levels wouldn't increase and they would only survive for a few days afterward, several Normal-level Butterfree and Beedrill together would still be more than he could handle.
Just as Icarus was planning, Pidgey suddenly flew back.
"Pidgey!" I found them!
"Really? Which direction? Show me."
After confirming Pidgey's meaning, Icarus became even more cautious. These immobile, nearly defenseless Metapod and Kakuna were practically walking Pokédollars.
"Pidgey~" Pidgey pointed with its wing.
"Whoa! There are so many! Both Kakuna and Metapod!"
Through his binoculars, Icarus spotted at least dozens gathered together.
"Spri?" Bellsprout, whose eyesight had improved significantly after its breakthrough, could also see them. It looked worried—there was no way they could handle that many.
"Don't worry, Bellsprout. I'm picking a target."
He gently patted Bellsprout's head.
"Alright, it's you two. Pidgey, Bellsprout, we'll move to the far left."
The trio slowly repositioned. Icarus pointed at the two Metapod closest to them.
"These are our targets."
"Pidgey~"
"Spri~"
Both Pokémon, thinking they understood, prepared to attack.
"Hey, wait! Don't rush. Even though we're at the outer edge, once a battle starts, they'll hear it. Listen to my plan first."
He quickly stopped them.
"First, we'll use powder tactics again. But this time, we'll use Sleep Powder instead of Stun Spore."
"Pidgey?" Why not Stun Spore? Isn't paralysis more effective?
Before Icarus could answer, Bellsprout, having inherited some tactical sense, chirped confidently.
"Spri spri~"
It meant that paralyzed Pokémon could still make noise. If they cried out, it would alert others.
"Cough—correct. That's part of the reason," Icarus said with a smile, patting Bellsprout encouragingly.
"Spri~"
"The other reason is that Metapod and Kakuna naturally try to reduce movement and sleep often to conserve energy. If they suddenly feel drowsy, they won't find it strange."
"Spri spri?" Bellsprout asked another question—why not put a dozen to sleep at once and earn more Pokédollars?
"Ahem. Don't be greedy, and don't underestimate them," Icarus replied seriously. "If too many suddenly fall asleep, the others will definitely notice. Two or three at a time will blend in among the dozens. That way, we won't draw attention."
This was advice Uncle Sam had emphasized repeatedly—never be greedy.
Metapod and Kakuna were easy targets, but if Butterfree and Beedrill noticed, everything would fall apart.
These Bug-types didn't believe in fair fights. Their rule was simple: fight in groups.
Since they were weak individually, they relied on teamwork. Once one was mobilized, several would move together.
Typically, Butterfree handled crowd control while Beedrill focused on offense.
In the forest, encountering a single Butterfree or Beedrill wasn't terrifying.
What was truly frightening was running into a coordinated squad.
As for the author's note—
Earlier, the VIP upload system on my mobile writer assistant malfunctioned, so I had to use my computer to post this. I didn't mean to delay—sorry about that!
I know many readers are eagerly waiting for the evolution. There are only a few chapters left. After breaking through to Normal level, immediate evolution would make the foundation unstable. There will be a brief stabilization period, an important small plot, and then the evolution will happen!
(End of Chapter 93)
---------------Author---------------
Read 40 advanced chapter
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic
U can read 10 chapters ahead just for 5$
Every 50 power stones= 1 chapter
Every 5 reviews = 1 chapters