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Trainer: Natsu
Pokémon: Weedle
Body: Medium
Speed: Superior
Movement: Superior
Response: Moderate
Silent understanding: Superior
Overall rating: Excellent
Strength evaluation: Pass
Evaluation: Compared to wild Weedle, he's a f*cking cut above the rest. His move execution is damn smart, and his agility is off the charts, which is rare for a Weedle. Definitely a top-tier fighting individual.
Note: It took him less than a week to jump from mid-rank to high-rank. Trainer Natsu and Weedle are a match made in heaven.
Natsu stared at the data, absorbing the club's analysis of Weedle's evaluation report. This wasn't some random bullshit; it was based on his daily battles and training sessions.
The whole "Low, Medium, High, Special, and etc. Levels" thing was all relative to the average Weedle data in Silph Co.'s gargantuan database. So, yeah, Weedle had officially become a big damn deal among most Weedle in the Pokémon world. As for the "strength evaluation," that was based on the collective results of all Pokémon.
Natsu, thanks to endless hours of hitting the books, had finally wrapped his head around the Alliance's convoluted power hierarchy for Pokémon:
* Primary Pokémon
* Qualified Pokémon
* Excellent Pokémon
* Senior Pokémon
* (elite) Pokémon
* Gym Leader Pokémon
* Quasi-Elite Pokémon
* Elite Pokémon
A Primary level was basically a newborn, fresh out of the egg, untrained, and pretty much useless in a Trainer's eyes.
A Qualified level, on the other hand, was a Pokémon that, thanks to its Trainer, was considered "eligible." Wild Pokémon usually reached this level naturally as adults.
After that came the "Excellent," "Senior," and "(elite)" levels, which were just higher combat power classifications.
Weedle was now a Excellent level, capable of fighting like a seasoned adult Pokémon, and sometimes even better, all thanks to Natsu's commands.
For Weedle to hit the Excellent level in less than half a month? That was a testament to Natsu's training chops and Weedle's damn hard work.
Natsu dropped the report, watching Weedle tumble and spin on the table, chasing his tail, trying to bite it but never quite succeeding.
"Weedle, you're officially a Excellent Pokémon raised by a Trainer now," Natsu announced, breaking the news.
The Silph Pokémon Battle Club's reports really were useful. At least they showed both Pokémon and Trainer their damn progress, preventing them from just blindly training without seeing any results. There was a real sense of accomplishment with each rank-up.
"Wooo~!" Weedle looked up, his tiny eyes wide with surprise.
"Tomorrow might be your first real battle in the field," Natsu continued, gently touching Weedle's tough carapace.
He could feel his surprising softness and rigidity – the undeniable results of all their grueling training. And, of course, the magical effects of Pokéblocks and Moo Milk couldn't be ignored either.
"Woooooo!!" Weedle nodded vigorously, then lifted his head and tail, as if flexing his non-existent muscles.
Weedle's personality had blossomed with every astute observation Natsu had made.
Now, he faced any opponent with unshakeable confidence, never feeling inferior just because he was "just a Weedle." But he wasn't overconfident either; he recognized and accepted when other Pokémon were superior. When he lost, he'd be disappointed, but never defeated. He'd just find a way to improve himself and tackle his shortcomings head-on.
Natsu pulled a glass bottle filled with a milky white liquid from the cupboard. "Get some rest tonight. Drink this bottle of Moo Milk and get some good sleep. The dense forest shouldn't be too dangerous tomorrow, but you still need to be in top form." He popped the lid.
Instantly, the sweet, creamy scent of milk filled the air.
"Wuu~~" Weedle squinted, his tiny nose twitching, sniffing the fragrant Moomoo Milk with a look of pure bliss.
"Drink up," Natsu said, grabbing a bowl and pouring all the Moomoo Milk into it.
"Wooo?" Weedle cried out in pure joy, his soft pink feet scurrying over to the bowl. He practically collapsed, ready to dive in, but then he suddenly stopped. He turned, looking at Natsu.
"Aren't you gonna drink some?"
Natsu understood immediately, chuckling as he shook his head. "Nah, you drink it all. I bought it for you, it'll help you grow bigger and stronger."
"Woo!" But this time, Weedle's stance was firm. He backed away from the bowl, head held high, his small eyes fixed on Natsu.
The message was clear: if Natsu wasn't drinking, neither was he. No matter how tempting that Moo Milk was, he kept his gaze locked on Natsu. It was a level of assertiveness Natsu hadn't seen before.
Watching Weedle's defiant expression, Natsu was utterly speechless. A wave of warmth spread through him. "Weedle, you've really grown up, haven't you?"
Realizing he couldn't win this staring contest, Natsu sighed in defeat and poured some of the Moo Milk into a fresh bowl, all while Weedle watched him like a hawk.
"Wow!" But Weedle still shook his head vigorously. Seeing the clearly uneven amounts of milk in the two bowls, he stubbornly refused to drink.
"Alright, alright," Natsu compromised with a smile, splitting the milk perfectly in half between the two bowls.
Seeing this, Weedle nodded in satisfaction, then immediately, without another second's hesitation, he sprawled at the edge of his bowl and began to drink, guzzling it down.
Natsu's expression was a mixture of amusement and something deeper as he watched Weedle. He'd always thought he was destined to walk this path alone, ready to tough it out by himself.
But just now, the softest part of his heart had been touched, all because of some damn milk. In ancient times, there was Wu Kong and his pears, and now there's Weedle and his milk. Natsu couldn't help but laugh.
He picked up his bowl and downed the milk in a few gulps. It tasted incredible, not a hint of weirdness, and he could feel a clear warmth spreading through his stomach.
No wonder Miltank's Moomoo Milk cost a fortune compared to regular stuff.
By the time Natsu set his bowl down, Weedle had finished his share and was stretching contentedly. When he looked at Natsu, he suddenly burst into happy chortles. "Woooo~~wooo~~" His tail thumped against the table, as if he found something incredibly hilarious.
"What?" Natsu asked, confused. He wiped his mouth. A thin layer of milk foam. Ah, the dreaded milk mustache. Seeing the milky residue on his hand, he chuckled. "Stop laughing, you little sh*t, you should see yourself." With that, he grabbed a mirror and held it in front of Weedle.
In the mirror, Weedle's face was also framed by a perfect circle of milk foam, looking even more absurd and comical than Natsu had.
Weedle's laughter stopped abruptly, stunned. It was almost a reflex; his body curled up, and he tried to wipe it off with his tail, but in his haste, he just smeared it more. In the end, he had to rely on Natsu's help to finally get his face clean.
"Wee—" Weedle exhaled a deep sigh of relief.
Immediately, the Pokémon and the person looked at each other and burst into laughter. Perhaps, this was just another piece of their growing, unspoken bond.
Later, in bed, Weedle's steady breathing filled the room, but Natsu's eyes were wide open. If I remember correctly, Team Rocket is definitely behind Silph Co.
...
(End of this damn chapter!)