Chapter 152
Haruto had barely weathered the first barrage when the Beedrill leader and the rest of the attacking swarm closed in.
Fury Attack, Bug Bite, Fury Cutter—a relentless series of close-range moves came crashing toward him.
Their stingers sliced through the air with sharp whistles, every strike fierce and precise.
Yet once the Beedrill entered melee range, the tension on Haruto’s face eased.
With their companions surrounding him, the Beedrill providing ranged support were forced to stop firing.
Neither Pin Missile nor Poison Sting distinguished between friend and foe. If they continued attacking, they were just as likely to hit their own allies.
A sly glint appeared in Haruto’s eyes.
He immediately moved closer to the Beedrill at the front, using the attackers as living shields while steadily capturing them and transferring them into the Gourmet Restaurant.
One.
Two.
Five.
Within moments, more than half of the Beedrill that had rushed into close combat were gone.
The survivors finally realized that the human before them was not an opponent they could defeat. They hurriedly beat their wings and retreated.
"Think you can leave now?"
Haruto gave a cold laugh.
Now that the battle had begun, he had no intention of leaving them enough strength to launch another attack.
His presence suddenly surged.
The moment he stopped holding back, his speed and power rose several levels. His figure vanished in a blur, leaving only a trail of afterimages behind.
Every time he paused, another Beedrill had been subdued.
The giant leader dove toward him in fury, intense Bug-type energy gathering around its twin stingers.
Its attack was still nowhere near enough.
Haruto seized both stingers after a single exchange and completely immobilized it.
Before long, every Beedrill that had entered close range—including the enormous leader—had been captured.
Once their melee fighters were gone, the remaining Beedrill in the air resumed their barrage without restraint.
Pin Missile and Poison Sting rained down as though their energy were limitless.
The problem was that they refused to descend.
Whenever Haruto approached, they immediately flew higher or retreated.
He could not fly, so there was little he could do against enemies determined to remain in the air.
Fortunately, Beedrill did not possess endless stamina.
After sustaining several rounds of high-intensity ranged attacks, their wings gradually weakened.
One after another, they exhausted their energy and lost the ability to use any more moves.
All they could do was circle overhead and buzz angrily, no longer daring to come within reach.
Haruto glanced at them and decided they were not worth any further effort.
Missing a few ordinary Beedrill would make little difference.
He turned toward the tree occupied by the colony and looked up at the enormous hive hanging among its branches.
The hive had been formed from thick resin bound together with pollen. It was enormous and carried a gentle floral fragrance.
Haruto removed it and examined the interior.
There had to be well over a hundred pounds of pure pollen inside. It was golden in color and released an incredibly rich aroma.
He pinched a small amount between his fingers and tasted it.
A clean floral sweetness immediately melted across his tongue.
The sweetness was moderate, the texture smooth and dense, and there was not the slightest trace of impurity.
It was an excellent culinary ingredient.
Haruto’s eyes brightened.
He removed all the pollen from the hive and stored it away, planning to combine it with fresh fruit later and experiment with making the kind of honey enjoyed by Teddiursa.
After storing the empty hive as well, Haruto happened to glance upward.
His gaze suddenly sharpened.
With the hive removed, several fruits that had been concealed among the shaded branches behind it were now visible.
They resembled mangoes but were pink, with only their lower tips colored yellow. Their skins were smooth and glossy, and they released a distinctive fruity fragrance.
"Those are Mago Berries!"
Haruto’s face lit up.
"I didn’t realize this was a Mago Berry tree."
Berries were a specialty of the Pokémon world.
They served not only as natural food for wild Pokémon but also as essential ingredients for producing Pokéblocks and Poffins.
Different varieties possessed their own special properties, making them far more valuable than ordinary fruit.
Mago Berries were especially sweet, with a rich and fragrant flavor. They were excellent whether eaten directly or incorporated into another dish.
Haruto would never ignore a treasure that had practically delivered itself to him.
He picked every ripe Mago Berry and stored them away.
Then he uprooted the entire tree and transferred it into the Gourmet Restaurant.
With the Mago Berry tree safely collected, Haruto continued searching through the Beedrill colony’s territory.
He encountered several more unevolved Weedle and Kakuna along the way and took those as well.
Once he had thoroughly searched the area, Haruto resumed his journey.
He had not gone far when the sounds of an intense aerial struggle rang out above him.
Looking up, he saw two bird Pokémon fighting in midair, feathers scattering as gusts of wind swept through the canopy.
One was a Pidgey with cream-colored tips on its plumage.
The other was a Spearow with a ragged crest of brown feathers.
Both were common bird Pokémon, but they were currently locked in a furious battle.
Haruto’s attention settled on the Pidgey.
Its evolutionary line was straightforward, and its final form, Pidgeot, possessed a powerful body, magnificent wings, and an impressive presence.
After Mega Evolution, it became even more striking—easily one of the most handsome early-route bird Pokémon.
Haruto had no intention of passing up a Pokémon that looked that good.
As for base stats, talent, or combat potential, he could not have cared less.
He had no intention of becoming a Trainer who relied on Pokémon battles, so their fighting strength was not particularly important to him.
Having made up his mind, Haruto immediately approached the two battling Pokémon.
Pidgey and Spearow both noticed him, but after a brief glance, they continued fighting.
To them, humans were weak creatures that posed no threat.
Haruto was more than happy to let them think that.
Once he reached the proper distance, he kicked off the ground and shot into the air toward Pidgey.
Focused on Spearow, Pidgey still managed to sense the sudden danger. It beat its wings rapidly, releasing a violent gust directly at Haruto.
Unfortunately, the wind was nowhere near powerful enough to stop him.
He charged straight through it, caught Pidgey around the body, and landed back on the ground.
"Good instincts. Too bad they didn’t help."
Haruto smiled down at the struggling Pokémon.
After briefly checking its condition, he sent it into the Gourmet Restaurant.
Whatever its natural talent might be, Haruto was confident it would eventually evolve into Pidgeot under his care.
With Pidgey collected, Haruto turned to continue on his way.
He had no intention of pursuing Spearow. Without Pidgey holding its attention, catching the bird in the air would be far more troublesome.
Spearow, however, had other ideas.
Haruto had interrupted its battle, and the aggressive Pokémon was furious.
It shrieked, beat its wings, and dove straight toward him.
Spearow was hardly attractive, and its evolved form, Fearow, was no better.
Still, Haruto saw no reason to reject something that willingly delivered itself into his hands.
He easily subdued the impulsive Spearow, stored it away, and continued deeper into the forest.
Various Pokémon appeared along his path, including Wurmple and Poliwag.
Even when they could not produce useful ingredients, Haruto generally collected one or two whenever he encountered them.
Not every new discovery was useless, however.
Two species in particular left him extremely satisfied.
The first was Oddish, an adorably round Pokémon with several tender green leaves growing from the top of its body.
Once it evolved into Gloom, it could secrete an exceptionally sweet nectar that would make an excellent ingredient.
The second was Paras, a Bug- and Grass-type Pokémon with two small mushrooms growing from its back.
Those mushrooms could be harvested, possessed high nutritional value, and regenerated after being removed. They were a perfect renewable ingredient.
However, once Paras evolved into Parasect, the mushroom would completely take control of the insect’s body, turning its eyes pure white.
At that point, the mushroom itself became the true organism, so Haruto would no longer be able to harvest it casually.
Aside from Pokémon, Haruto also discovered several more Berry trees and transferred them into the Gourmet Restaurant without hesitation.
As he continued forward, the trees around him gradually became thinner.
More sunlight began filtering through the gaps between the branches.
Haruto immediately understood what that meant.
He was finally approaching the edge of the forest.