"Ding-ling!"
The sudden ringing of a bell shattered their excitement.
"Oops, I got carried away! Bellsprout, stay alert—it's the bell on the right!"
They hadn't expected to successfully catch a Zubat on their very first attempt. The success had completely exceeded Icarus's expectations, so it was only natural that he had gotten a little excited.
"Spri!" (òó)
Bellsprout instantly shifted into a battle stance.
"Wooo! Wooo!"
Two Weedle poked their heads out. When they saw Bellsprout, they immediately turned to retreat.
They weren't nocturnal Pokémon and had no night vision. On top of that, the strings tied to the bells were extremely thin and nearly transparent. Their small horns had brushed the line without them even noticing.
"Wooo~ wooo!"
They seemed to be complaining inwardly about being disturbed in the middle of the night, fleeing as fast as they could.
"Oh? Since you delivered yourselves to my door, it would be rude not to accept!"
"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!"
Seeing the frightened Weedle, Icarus felt as though the funds for his intermediate protective suit were already secured.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two vines instantly wrapped around the Weedle from behind.
"Wooo! Wooo!"
Pierced by sharp wooden thorns and yanked backward, the Weedle screamed in pain.
"Sleep Powder. Let them go quietly."
The noise was noticeably louder than when they captured the Zubat earlier. Icarus frowned—he didn't want to attract more trouble.
"Spri spri."
Bellsprout nodded and released a large cloud of Sleep Powder.
"Shusha~"
The already-dazed Weedle, freshly awakened, quickly fell asleep after inhaling the powder.
"Spri~ (￣▽￣～)~"
Bellsprout began using Absorb, slowly draining their energy.
"Wooo… (_ )"
Before long, both Weedle lost their ability to fight. Icarus stepped forward and finished dealing with them.
"Bellsprout, quickly retrieve the bells and the ultrasonic horns. I'll stand guard!"
He swiftly stuffed the two Bug-type corpses into his backpack. He didn't dare process them here—the scent of blood could easily attract nocturnal Pokémon.
Many night-active Pokémon were extremely sensitive to blood. If several more showed up, they'd be in real danger.
"Spri!"
"Shua! Shua!"
Bellsprout used its vines to gather the scattered ultrasonic horns and place them in front of Icarus, then hurried off to untie the nearly invisible strings and retrieve the bells.
"Hurry, Bellsprout! We're heading straight for the forest exit. We've already exceeded tonight's goal."
"Spri!" (òó)
Looking excited, Bellsprout moved ahead to scout the path.
"Hisss—hisss—"
Knowing that moving too fast at night could lead to accidents, Icarus continuously sprayed Repel around himself.
"Xi xi!" "Duoo!" "Wooo!"
Several dark shapes burst out of nearby bushes, unable to tolerate the strong smell of the spray.
Finally—
"Haa…"
After a tense retreat, Icarus and Bellsprout safely exited the forest.
"Don't stop. Let's go a bit farther before we rest."
"Spri~ spri~"
Panting, Bellsprout nodded.
Soon, they reached a large rock and sat down to catch their breath.
"There shouldn't be any blood scent here. Stay alert while I handle these."
Icarus opened his spatial backpack and began processing the two Weedle.
"It's fine… we moved fast enough. That 100 Pokédollars for Repel wasn't wasted."
Looking at the intact thread sacs in his hand, he felt relieved.
Paying 100 Pokédollars to secure two thread sacs worth 1,000 Pokédollars total—definitely worth it.
"Alright, let's finish up."
With practiced movements, Icarus cut and prepared the Bug meat.
"Here you go, Bellsprout. Fresh Bug meat."
"Spri spri~"
After eating, Bellsprout followed as Icarus headed back toward the city.
Before long, the brightly lit city gates came into view.
"Oh? It's you again! Get anything tonight?"
"Hahaha! First time in the forest at night? Got scared and ran back?"
The guards on duty surrounded Icarus, teasing him.
"Heh, yeah… the forest at night is dangerous. I'm planning to buy an intermediate protective suit before going out again," he replied with a wry smile.
"Oh? Going again? Looks like you made a decent haul tonight."
"No, no, big brothers! I'm just trying to earn more money. I'm only a civilian trainer. If I don't work hard, how can I give Bellsprout the best training?"
He quickly took out the two thread sacs, claiming that was all he had hunted, hoping to dispel suspicion.
The appearance of Flying-types on the outskirts was still a secret—for now. Most gate guards were ordinary-level trainers, and very few had Flying-type Pokémon.
If they found out about the Zubat, there would be no share left for him.
"Ah… you've got determination, kid. But safety comes first. Civilian trainers don't always make it home," one guard said, patting Icarus's shoulder.
The group quickly drifted into reminiscing about their own struggles.
Seizing the opportunity, Icarus slipped away and returned home.
After closing the door, he took out the unregistered Poké Ball containing the Zubat.
"Should I register it and brand it with my information… or sell it directly? The problem is, I don't know its aptitude."
If he had a Pokédex, this wouldn't be such a headache.
"Ask Uncle Sam? Or ask Luna at the Pokémon Center? No… neither works."
Both had families. If they saw him with a Zubat, they'd never believe he caught it on the outskirts. The secret would be exposed within a day.
"But if I don't register it, getting it to obey me will be nearly impossible…"
Still, having a Zubat would make hunting over the next few days far more convenient.
Icarus fell into deep thought.
Some might suggest taming it first, using it temporarily, then evaluating aptitude later and keeping the best one.
But Pokémon feedback was real.
Subduing a Pokémon provided feedback to the trainer—the better the aptitude, the stronger the feedback. And once six Pokémon of the same major tier were subdued, there would be no room for rejection.
This was tied to his extraordinary path.
Therefore, Icarus's minimum standard for a Flying-type was at least above average aptitude.
The decision was far from simple.
(End of Chapter)
---------------Author---------------
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