After a night's rest, Zhao Feng went to Ouyue Lake early in the morning, ready to complete his system task.
After searching for a while, he didn't find any Berries like yesterday, but his attention was quickly drawn by a faint rustling sound.
The sound came from a dense patch of grass by the lake. Zhao Feng grabbed the cleaver from his bag, held his breath, and stealthily approached.
When he pushed aside the grass, a uniquely shaped Weedle appeared before him.
Common Weedle are usually yellow, but this one was completely black, as if it had been soaked in ink for a long time.
(Due to some Pokémon's Shinny forms being too ugly, like green Dragonite, I've modified the setting a bit; Shinny Pokémon can be any color.)
This Weedle was thin and weak, covered in dense scars, with new and old wounds crisscrossing, some still showing unhealed bloodstains.
Before he could recover from his shock, a buzzing sound came from not far away, and a swarm of Beedrill was flying towards them.
Zhao Feng's hair stood on end in fright, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the cleaver.
But strangely, after the Beedrill swarm approached, they only circled in the air a few times before turning and flying away, as if this black Weedle didn't exist at all.
Zhao Feng was full of questions but didn't dare to act rashly.
He recalled the information he had looked up in the library: some Shinny Pokémon, due to their unique fur color or form, were often ostracized by their own kind.
Combining this with the Weedle's miserable state, Zhao Feng concluded that it had been bullied by the Beedrill swarm because of its Shinny form, leading to its current scarred and weak condition.
Zhao Feng slowly squatted down and pulled a Poké Ball from his backpack.
He kept calling out, "Don't be scared," trying to soothe the Weedle's anxiety, while slowly extending the Poké Ball towards it.
The black Weedle seemed to sense Zhao Feng's goodwill. Originally wary, his small, black-bean eyes were full of curiosity, staring at the Poké Ball in Zhao Feng's hand.
When he was only one step away from the Weedle, Zhao Feng decisively pressed the Poké Ball button, and a red light instantly shot out, enveloping the black Weedle.
The Poké Ball shook violently, each shake impacting Zhao Feng's heart. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating, and his eyes were fixed on the constantly shaking Poké Ball.
Finally, with a "click," the Poké Ball stopped shaking, and Zhao Feng successfully caught this Shinny Weedle.
Zhao Feng eagerly pressed the button again. With a "whoosh," a red light flashed, and the Weedle reappeared before him.
Weedle (Shinny)
Rank: Beginner
Gender: Male
Type: Bug, Poison
Ability: Run Away (Greatly increases Speed when running away.)
HP: 15
Attack: 30
Sp. Atk: 15
Defense: 17
Sp. Def: 20
Speed: 31
Total: 128 / 186 (Blue)
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot
Shinny Talent: Speed and Attack base stats each increase by 50.
(Beedrill has 90 Attack base stat, plus 50, that's 140, on par with Salamence. After Mega Evolution, it's a bit weaker, similar to Mega Alakazam's Attack and Speed. Don't worry, it won't be too overpowered. In the later stages, it's like a pseudo-legendary that can't be a mixed attacker.)
(Shinny talents are not exclusive to the protagonist's Pokémon; all Shinny Pokémon may have them, but some may not.)
Zhao Feng's original thoughts were completely disrupted by this Shinny Weedle.
Initially, looking at its scrawny, scarred appearance, and considering its short lifespan as a Bug-type Pokémon, even with the rare Shinny title, its aptitude was just barely passable. He had planned to sell it to exchange for resources to fully train his Charmander.
In his current state, resource allocation had to be meticulously calculated, and Charmander was his most promising main Pokémon.
But when he learned of this Weedle's incredible Shinny talent, Zhao Feng felt a "buzz" in his head, and his previous thoughts instantly vanished.
Speed and Attack base stats each increasing by 50 – what did this mean?
This was like giving the future Beedrill a Mega Evolution-like leap without any drawbacks!
Normal Beedrill are already known for their fierce Attack and agile Speed. If this terrifying base stat increase was added, their combat power would grow exponentially.
The Weedle looked at Zhao Feng, whose expression kept changing, constantly wondering if he also disliked his skin color.
His horn swayed uneasily, and his body curled slightly as painful memories of being ostracized by his kind instantly flooded his mind.
Images of being driven away and isolated by the Beedrill swarm flashed repeatedly in his mind.
Each time he was rejected or attacked because of his Shinny form, it left him with deep internal scars.
He cautiously moved his body, trying to get away from Zhao Feng, afraid of being hurt again.
But as soon as he moved, a sharp pain shot through his old wounds, causing him to let out a faint "sizzle."
This subtle sound roused Zhao Feng from his thoughts.
Zhao Feng suddenly snapped back to reality, just catching the Weedle's eyes, full of fear and inferiority. His heart tightened, filled with pity.
He then realized that his conflicted expression had caused this suffering little guy to misunderstand.
Zhao Feng quickly squatted down, gently picked up the Weedle, and spoke softly, like a spring breeze: "Little one, don't be scared. I'm not looking down on you; on the contrary, I'm incredibly surprised. You have an incredibly powerful talent, and we'll become super strong together!"
The Weedle looked up, its black-bean eyes still holding a trace of doubt and unease. He tilted his head, seemingly trying hard to understand Zhao Feng's words.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng leaned slightly closer to the Weedle, his gaze gentle and firm, and continued: "Do you know? Your Shinny form isn't a flaw; it's a special gift from heaven. With this talent, when you evolve into Beedrill, your combat power will definitely astound everyone!"
As he spoke, Zhao Feng stood up, holding the Weedle in one hand and gesticulating in the air with the other, describing the Weedle's powerful future appearance: "By then, you'll be like a black lightning bolt, so fast that opponents won't even react. Your Attack will be even more incredible, easily piercing through any Defense!" Zhao Feng's description was full of passion and anticipation, his voice unconsciously rising a few octaves.
The Weedle seemed to be infected by Zhao Feng's enthusiasm. His originally curled body gradually stretched out and began to sway happily.
He let out two "sizzle" sounds, his voice less timid than before and more excited.
Zhao Feng squatted down, gently tapped the Weedle's forehead with his fingertip, his gaze burning: "Try using Poison Sting, aim for that dead tree trunk over there."
The Weedle looked up at him, seemingly confirming the command.
The next moment, a black Poison Sting shot out with a whooshing sound, "thwack"ing into the rotten wood three steps away.
Only shallow gray holes were left on the surface of the tree trunk, but three seconds later, dark brown sap seeped out. Zhao Feng leaned in to observe, finding that the corrosive range was only about the size of a thumb, far less effective than he had imagined, but for a beginner Pokémon, this was already quite good.
"Good power," he said with a smile, rubbing the Weedle's antennae. The little guy immediately shook his head proudly.
"Next is String Shot." Zhao Feng pointed to a Caterpie slowly crawling ahead, which he had deliberately left nearby as a "test target."
The Weedle turned and aimed at the target, and a white-to-gray silk thread suddenly shot out, accurately sticking to the Caterpie's back.
The Caterpie tried to Speed up and escape but was like it had been coated with glue, its Speed sharply reduced.
"Good! This move is perfect for restricting an opponent's movement."
Zhao Feng clapped his hands in praise. Hearing the compliment, the Weedle shot out two more short threads, weaving a triangular tripwire on the ground.
The moment the Caterpie was stuck by the silk, it let out a sharp "hiss."
He struggled desperately, but the silky substance on his back tightened, restricting his movements to within half a meter.
Zhao Feng noticed that this Caterpie was larger than its ordinary counterparts, and the green shell on its back was shiny, perhaps indicating a good-aptitude individual.
"Now's my chance!" Zhao Feng quickly pulled a Poké Ball from his waist, his thumb pressing a dent into the red button.
The spherical red light accurately enveloped the struggling Caterpie. The ball landed and shook violently — once, twice, thrice! As the third ripple was about to dissipate, a soft "click" sounded, and the Poké Ball's indicator light turned solid.
The Weedle came over, curiously touched the still Poké Ball, and let out a "sizzle" of inquiry.
Zhao Feng smiled and picked him up: "Well done!"
Zhao Feng carefully checked the Caterpie's information through the system. Its aptitude, nearly blue from green, could fetch a good price.
Zhao Feng continued his search around Ouyue Lake. Unexpectedly, good fortune followed, and he discovered two more Caterpie.
Although these two Caterpie's aptitudes were far inferior to the first one, they were still decent. Zhao Feng seized the opportunity and successively threw Poké Balls, catching them.
With this, he only needed one more Pokémon to reach the system's requirement of five.
Just then, a Pidgey entered Zhao Feng's sight.
This Pidgey was leisurely pecking at grass seeds in an open patch of grass.
Zhao Feng dared not act rashly. He first quietly approached the Pidgey, trying not to make a sound.
But Pidgey are naturally alert. When Zhao Feng was still more than ten meters away, it sensed something amiss and flapped its wings, preparing to fly away.
No sooner said than done, Zhao Feng immediately shouted: "Weedle, String Shot!"
The Weedle reacted quickly, opening his mouth, and a thick, white-to-gray silk thread shot towards the Pidgey.
The Pidgey nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the String Shot Attack.
But this also gave Zhao Feng an opportunity. He quickly rushed forward while the Pidgey was dodging the String Shot.
Zhao Feng seized the moment, leaped high, and swung the cleaver in his hand towards the Pidgey.
The Pidgey was startled and sharply ascended, but the blade of the cleaver still grazed the edge of its wing, and a few feathers floated down.
The Pidgey cried out in pain, shaking a few times in the air, its flight becoming somewhat unstable.
The Weedle seized this opportunity, shooting out several more String Shots, successfully entangling one of the Pidgey's wings.
The Pidgey struggled desperately, trying to break free from the silk's restraint. Zhao Feng took the chance to approach again, picked up a stone, aimed at the Pidgey's body, and threw it hard. The Pidgey was hit and became dizzy.
Zhao Feng then threw a Poké Ball. The Poké Ball arced through the air, accurately hitting the Pidgey.
The Pidgey was enveloped in red light and disappeared into the Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball landed on the ground and shook violently.
Zhao Feng nervously stared at the Poké Ball, his hands unconsciously clenched, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
One, two, three… Finally, with a crisp "click," the Poké Ball stopped shaking, and the capture was successful!
Zhao Feng let out a long breath, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
He picked up the Poké Ball from the ground, looking at the Poké Ball in his hand, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment.