...
As the battle began, the Rattata moved with the stiff, unnatural quickness of a robot.
A Rattata is a pretty common Pokémon, not as ubiquitous as a Weedle, and not exactly a favorite among Trainers. But compared to a Weedle, it still had a distinct advantage in Species Strength. And in terms of pure speed, this Rattata was significantly faster than Weedle.
But its shortcomings were glaring. No Trainer command, just rigid, programmed combat and predictable moves. It was like fighting a glorified punching bag.
"Keep your head down, you idiot! Don't forget what I taught you! Watch carefully, don't panic!" Natsu barked.
This was the Weedle's first real fight, and he was a little flustered. But when he heard Natsu's voice, it was like a cold splash of water. He felt like he was back in training, and Natsu's presence gave him a jolt of reassurance. He flattened his body to the ground, his small eyes locked onto the Rattata.
Suddenly, the running Rattata pivoted, a sudden swoosh, instantly closing the distance between the two Pokémon.
"Don't be impulsive! Hold your breath! Hold your breath!" Natsu narrowed his eyes. The Rattata was fast, and relying solely on dodging, the Weedle's success rate would be too damn low.
"Woo!" the Weedle whimpered, cheering himself on, or maybe just complaining.
"Now!" Natsu yelled. Just as the Rattata's movement ended, a brief wiggle, briefly holding its direction, its trajectory became simple, predictable.
"String Shot!"
Hissssss!
A bright white thread shot out from the Weedle's mouth, anticipating exactly where the Rattata was going.
Pop!
The sticky silk thread wrapped precisely around the Rattata's feet, causing him to stagger violently. But the Rattata seemed to be utterly oblivious, like a damn zombie. He stumbled, then kept moving, just a hell of a lot slower than before.
"Again!" With Natsu's order, the Weedle, now more confident seeing the Rattata's pathetic slowdown, spat out another thread. No doubt about it, another direct hit.
"Run!"
After two slowdowns, the Rattata was less of a threat to the Weedle. With enough strength, the Weedle began to run, using the running training to expertly avoid the Rattata's clumsy charges.
"Poison Sting!"
A purple halo lit up above the Weedle's head, and three Poison Stings with purple auras shot out rapidly. While the Rattata's old momentum was gone and his new momentum hadn't fully kicked in, the Poison Stings all sank into its retreating form.
But what made Natsu feel a little uncomfortable was that even though he was attacked, this Rattata seemed to feel absolutely no pain. He just silently endured the impact of the Poison Stings and stumbled, then immediately turned around and locked onto the Weedle again.
No poison effect, but a definite limp. This Rattata was either a robot or a total masochist.
Suddenly,
Whoosh!
The Rattata's body lit up with white light, and his speed surged. Quick Attack! He quickly closed the distance to the Weedle.
"Continue String Shot," Natsu commanded, perfectly calm.
If the Rattata started with Quick Attack at full speed, the Weedle would have to pay a heavy price just to limit him.
But now?
The two String Shots had already limited his speed, and the Poison Stings made it harder for him to use his hind legs. This Rattata was truly in no position to pose a big threat to the Weedle.
Hissssss!
The thread shot out, and after it snagged the Rattata's body, his Quick Attack was abruptly halted.
Immediately after, "Run, limit him completely!" At Natsu's command, the Weedle ran quickly, his mouth spitting thread constantly, circling the Rattata over and over until the Rattata was completely covered, only his head exposed, utterly incapacitated.
Although the Rattata was still conscious, there was clearly no need to continue fighting in this pathetic situation.
Anna, who witnessed this whole goddamn spectacle, announced the result in time. "Congratulations, you won."
The Weedle returned to Natsu's shoulders, looking sympathetically at the restrained Rattata's dead eyes. He rubbed Natsu's neck, murmuring a few times. They didn't give a damn about anyone else right now.
After Natsu left with Anna, the research staff, still expressionless, transferred the data collected on their small computers to the supervisor's main computer. The researcher walked to the center of the field, in front of the immobile Rattata, picked him up, carried him to a dark, cramped, cold, hard room, and unceremoniously tossed him in. His eyes were cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. Just another data point.
In the Director's office, Rotto received the information from the technical department. He skimmed the various data ratings for Natsu and his Weedle, listed in the table.
Trainer: Natsu
Pokémon: Weedle
Body: Low
Speed: Medium
Move: Medium
Response: Inferior
Tacit understanding: Superior
Overall rating: Medium
Strength assessment: Primary level
Evaluation: Compared to a wild Weedle, this one is a bit better, but that's about it, with no distinguishing features other than a surprisingly good understanding with its Trainer.
Note: Trainer Natsu has some potential.
"It's a truly unremarkable Weedle, but this Trainer is a bit interesting," Rotto muttered, idly playing with the pen in his hand. He'd seen fifty, if not a hundred, of such Trainers. The main point was that a Trainer who chose a Weedle as his primary Pokémon was destined for mediocrity. What a joke.
"Just as a sparring partner is enough." After a few simple comments, Rotto didn't pay much more attention. After all, he was just a Trainer who trained a Weedle; at most, he could only be considered a slightly outstanding bug catcher. Big whoop.
He pressed a special button on his phone. "Anna, arrange a basic contract."
"Okay, Director," Anna's voice chirped on the other end of the line.
In the lobby, Anna presented the contract. "Here's the contract. Take a look at it. If there are no problems, sign it."
Natsu nodded, taking the contract and scrutinizing it carefully. In his previous life, he'd gotten screwed over by not reading the fine print, ending up lost and helpless. So this time, he read every damn word.
After a while, he finished reading all three copies of the contract. Natsu pursed his lips and couldn't help but ask, "Everything else is fine, but this last one: if my Weedle evolves, what does it mean if the contract is automatically terminated?"
Anna gave him a deep, knowing look. "It's literal. As a future colleague, I can only give you one piece of information: our club specializes in providing optional sparring for all Pokémon. The previous sparring partner who used a Weedle, his Weedle evolved yesterday, which is why you even got a chance today, you lucky bastard."
Natsu was taken aback. "So that's it." After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Then if my Weedle evolves into a Kakuna, but I still want to continue working at the club, is there any other way?"
"Have another better Pokémon, or defeat a sparring partner who also has a Kakuna in battle," Anna replied. Then, she added a warning, "But that's just… not as easy as it sounds."
"Thanks, I understand." Natsu picked up the pen and scrawled his name.
"As a basic contract, your salary structure is relatively simple: basic salary plus commission. The basic salary is 8,000 Alliance Coins a month, and the commission is 20%. You'll receive 20% of the compensation paid by club members who partner with you." These details were already written in the contract; Anna was just reiterating them.
8,000 Alliance Coins was a pretty damn good basic salary, enough to be considered well-off in Saffron City. But for a Trainer trying to make it big, it was still a drop in the bucket. And Saffron City's cost of living wasn't exactly cheap.
"Can I get an advance payment?" Natsu asked, ever the pragmatist.
Anna glanced at Natsu's worn clothes, then thought for a moment. "Yes, but you can only advance up to 40%. You can go to finance with the contract later."
"Thank you," Natsu replied.
"You start work today. This is your personal number plate and the number of your exclusive room," Anna said, taking a number plate from the counter.
"0451."
...
(End of this chapter)