Hey guys, TheDoctor1998 here with another chapter. Last chapter we saw Caterpie evolve into Metapod and Cinder catch her Pidgeotto, and now it's time to continue the trek through Viridian Forest again. Now, on with the show!
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Cinder and Misty were walking through the forest like the day before, when suddenly the former heard a scream of the latter. When Cinder looked over, she saw Misty's Aura in the Aura of a tree. "What's wrong? Saw another bug?"
"Yes! Gross! Over there!" Misty pointed towards the offending Bug Type.
Cinder followed the direction of Misty's finger, and saw the shape of another Weedle. "Misty, it's just a Weedle."
"Look, I know I said I'd try to be better, but I'm not about to get all chummy with every bug I see!" Misty then felt something brush against her fingers. Looking up, she saw that the Weedle had somehow managed to get up there without her noticing. "AAHHHHH!" She dropped out of the tree and started running away as fast as humanly possible.
"She'll be back." Cinder said, partially to herself and partially to her Pokémon.
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"This whole forest is crawling with slimy, disgusting bugs." Misty angrily muttered to herself. "I wish they'd all just bug off and leave me alone." She hugged herself, slightly shaking. Like she said, she tried to be nice to Cinder's Caterpie and Weedle, but that doesn't automatically mean her general fear of Bug Types vanished.
Unknown to the redhead, someone was watching her from the shadows. Someone who drew a sword, and yelled out with a battlecry. "Hiiiyaaah!"
Misty was understandably startled, seeing a boy dressed as a samurai jump out of the bushes and point a sword in her face.
Before Misty could say anything, the boy talked. "Greetings, oh shrieking maiden. Are you by chance a trainer from Pallet Town?"
"N-no, I'm from Cerulean City!" Misty said, clearly afraid for her life.
"Alas, my search continues." The boy spoke, seething his sword. "I advise you to refrain from further shrieking while passing through this forest. Unless your goal is to attract a swarm of Beedrill." He then walked away, not glancing at the girl he was threatening moments ago.
Misty sank to her knees in relief. "What a weird kid. Why would he be looking for a trainer from-" She started to question, before coming to a realization. "Cinder!"
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Cinder was sitting with her legs crossed, her back against the tree that Misty was hanging from. She was patting both the wild Weedle and her own, who'd come out of her Pokéball, before she saw the Aura of a human in front of her.
"Greetings, fair maiden." He said. "Am I addressing a Pokémon trainer who comes from Pallet Town?"
"Erm, yes?" She said, slightly confused, and not seeing the glint in the stranger's eye.
"I have found you at last." He said, drawing his sword.
"Cinder!" Misty yelled, seeing that the samurai had found his target.
"Hiiiyaaah!" The boy yelled his battle cry once more, pointing his blade in the face of his opponent.
Pikachu, however, was having none of that, and drew his own weapon against the boy. His weapon being, of course, a Thunderbolt. "Pikachu!"
"AAHHHHH!" The boy screamed in pain, falling to his knees as the electricity flowed all across his armor. "Stop! Mercy! I surrender!"
Pikachu, having tired himself slightly from the continuous use of electricity, relented at the screams for mercy. "Chu pi!"
Cinder took a moment after this exchange. "So, who are you?"
"I am Samurai." The samurai replied, standing up again and seething his sword. "I am shrewd, fearless and invincible in combat. I have been searching for you, fair maiden."
Cinder was slightly put off by the guy. "Erm, what do you want from me?"
"A Pokémon match!" Samurai said, drawing out a Pokéball. "Let us see who triumphs!"
"Then why were you threatening her with a sword?!" Misty angrily yelled, actually fearing that he'd have hurt her friend.
"He was threatening me with a sword?!" Cinder exclaimed, eyes widening. At least it explained why Pikachu attacked the guy.
"I wasn't threatening you, I was challenging you for combat!" Samurai said indignantly. "And how could you possibly miss me pointing my blade into your face, maiden?"
Cinder waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Blind."
Samurai blinked. "Apologies, blind maiden, but this does not change the fact that I will best you in battle." He then threw the Pokéball. "Pinsir, asume battle mode!"
The Pokémon that came out looked like a large, bipedal and brown stag beetle with spiked pincers on its head. Needless to say, he looked intimidating as he triggered Cinder's Pokédex.
"Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokémon. A Bug Type.
Abilities: Hyper Cutter and Mold Breaker
Hidden Ability: Moxie
Entry: This Pokémon uses its pincers to fight its foes and prey, and will not let them go out of its grasp until they are defeated. If it wants to, it can easily tear anything between its pincers in half."
"Weedle, come out my friend!" She commanded her Weedle, who was still sitting next to the tree that the other Weedle had fled from after Samurai made his appearance.
"Wee!" She ran onto the battlefield, staring the Pinsir down.
"A mere Weedle?" Samurai smirked. "Your blunder will cost you dearly, novice."
Misty couldn't help but interject. "Why aren't you using Pidgeotto? It's got a Type advantage against Bug Types."
Cinder shrugged. "I don't like relying on a Type advantage."
Samurai pointed at the Weedle. "Let's finish this quickly with a Tackle, Pinsir!"
Cinder frowned, not liking the arrogant tone of the boy. "Poison Sting." She commanded.
Weedle obeyed, and shot a stream of poisonous needles at the oncoming Pinsir. While this did some damage, it did not stop the stampeding beetle. "Weedle!" She cried in fear.
"Jump!" Cinder ordered.
"Vice Grip!" Samurai said, just as Weedle jumped out of the way.
Pinsir immediately turned towards the smaller bug, grabbed her with his pincers and began squeezing.
"This match is already over." Samurai said.
"Use String Shot on his eyes!" Cinder called out.
Weedle stopped panicking for a moment, and did as her trainer commanded. The silk she shot out quickly blinded her opponent, who dropped her in his panic.
"What?!" Samurai was surprised at the unconventional tactic, not expecting anything like this from a rookie.
"String Shot, make sure he can't move a muscle!"
Weedle quickly did as told, and started using the move on various parts of Pinsir's body, binding his limbs and pincers together.
"Keep it together Pinsir!" Samurai cried out.
"Poison Sting, rapid fire!" Cinder said.
Weedle once again fired a stream of needles at Pinsir, though this time she wasn't stopping. And luckily for her, one of those shots managed to poison her opponent, judging from the purple blush coating his face.
"Come one Pinsir, get out of there!" Samurai yelled in panic.
It was no use though, as Pinsir quickly succumbed to the Poison Sting barrage and the toxins flowing through his veins. He tried to hang on, but couldn't help but fall over in defeat.
"Now who's the novice?" Cinder couldn't help but say.
Then, Weedle started glowing, changing her shape like Metapod did earlier that day. When the glow subsided, a yellow cocoon larger than Weedle was previously stood in her place, which triggered Cinder's Pokédex.
"Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon and the evolved form of Weedle. A Bug/Poison Type.
Ability: Shed Skin
Hidden Ability: N/A
Entry: This Pokémon remains virtually immobile while it prepares for evolution, hanging from a tree branch by long strands of silk. It can extend its poison barbs when attacked.
Evolves from: Weedle when strong enough"
"Ohhh, Kakuna, I'm so proud of you!" Cinder exclaimed in joy, grabbing Kakuna from the battlefield and spinning around.
"Kaku!" Kakuna said, happy to be in the next stage of her life.
"Pinsir, return." Samurai said, putting his unconscious Pokémon back in his Pokéball. "Clever, quite clever. But I still have another Pokémon you must defeat, fair maiden." He then grabbed another Pokéball and threw it. "Metapod, go!"
The Pokémon that was released from the Pokéball was, as Samurai announced, a Metapod.
Cinder blinked, then decided to switch to another Pokémon. "Kakuna, return. Get some rest buddy." She then pulled out a Luxury Ball as Kakuna hopped behind her. "Metapod, come out my friend!"
"Oh great, Metapod vs Metapod. Exciting." Misty said, the sarcasm practically dripping from her words.
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Unbeknownst to the battling trainers, a certain group of criminals was still traveling in Viridian Forest. Though, for some reason, they were running around inside a carton box of some kind.
"I'm tired." One of them whined.
"James, stop whining!" The other angrily said.
"But Jessie, what's the point of dragging this tank around?"
"To protect us from Beedrill." Jessie said. "Ever been stung by one? Because it hurts like hell."
"Quit chattering down there!" Meowth said, riding on top of the supposed tank. "Get a move on!"
"What are you doing up there?!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Why don't you come down here and help?" James asked.
"Wish I could, but I'm riding lookout." Meowth said smugly. "Besides, I'm too short to help ya here, so you're on your own."
"Well, look out for this!" Jessie yelled, just as she and James tilted the "tank" to make Meowth fall off.
"Hey, wait! Come back!" Meowth yelled as he hurried after his teammates.
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"Metapod, use Harden over and over again!" Samurai said, starting the fight. "Metapod has perfected his defenses, you'll never be able to breach them!"
"String Shot, bind him to the ground. Then keep using Tackle" Cinder cooly ordered, not being in the mood to deal with Samurai's antics any further.
Metapod did as his trainer said, and like Kakuna did before him, he made sure his opponent couldn't move by covering him in silk. Once he made sure that the other Metapod couldn't move, he hopped towards his opponent and slammed his outer shell against the other cocoon over and over again.
"Metapod, use Tackle yourself! You'll be able to endure with your defenses!" Samurai yelled out.
It was of no use though. Despite the fact that Samurai's Metapod had the greater defenses due to spamming Harden, the String Shot that Cinder's Metapod used prevented him from moving. And seeing as Tackle was the only offensive option he had, he was practically helpless.
"Give up, Samurai. Your Metapod's unable to move and attack mine, and all my Metapod has to do is ram himself against yours enough times to win." Cinder said, wanting to end the fight that she's already won.
"Grr, fine, you win! Metapod, return!" Samurai growled as he returned his own Metapod, freeing him from the webbing of his opponent.
Before Samurai could congratulate Cinder on her victory, the trio of humans and the Pokémon who weren't in their Pokéballs heard buzzing all around them.
"W-what's that noise?" Misty asked, already knowing and fearing the answer.
"A Beedrill swarm approaches." Samurai said in fear, watching as the swarm rose above the trees.
They looked like some kind of bees or wasps, but with an additional set of stingers on their foremost limbs. When the swarm came into range, they unknowingly triggered Cinder's Pokédex.
"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon and the final evolved form of Weedle. A Bug/Poison Type.
Abilities: Swarm and Sniper
Hidden Ability: Secretion
Entry: This Pokémon is highly territorial and normally lives in colonies. It's especially concerned with the welfare of the Weedle and Kakuna in the colony, and will respond aggressively to those that disturb them.
Evolves from: Kakuna when strong enough"
"The wild Weedle that you were with before must've informed the rest of its kind." Samurai said. "Run!" The armored guy then ran away from the swarm of aggressive wasp Pokémon.
"Metapod, Kakuna, return!" Cinder tried recalling her Pokémon. But before either beam of the Luxury Balls could hit their targets, a pair of Beedrill grabbed the cocoons and flew away with them. "No!" Cinder cried out at seeing her bugs being kidnapped.
Unbeknownst to her, another Beedrill was flying up behind her, intending to attack. Thankfully, Pikachu intercepted the bug with a Thunderbolt.
"We've got to go!" Misty shouted, grabbing on Cinder's arm and dragging the blind girl with her.
Cinder was resisting though. "I won't leave my Pokémon behind!"
"If we don't run now, we won't be able to get them back at all!" Misty shouted back.
Cinder stopped resisting then. As much as she hated to admit it, it would be smarter to run now and get her bugs back at another moment.
The girls quickly reached up to Samurai, whose armor was weighing and slowing him down. "We're almost at my cabin! We can seek shelter there!" The boy yelled, quickly grabbing his key and unlocking the door. When everyone was inside, he bolted the door as fast as he could.
And not a moment too soon, as the hind stingers of several Beedrill penetrated the wooden door. A few tense moments later, the stingers got pulled out again.
Misty sighed. "That was way too close."
Cinder couldn't help but think of something. "Why aren't they stinging the crap out of this cabin?"
"I've coated the outside of my cabin in a special Beedrill repellant." Samurai said, taking his helmet off. "It won't hurt them, but they won't like the smell either. My own bugs don't like it much either, but it's the only defense I could create that works against those stingers,"
Misty looked through one of the holes, eyeing the Beedrill. "When do you think they'll leave?"
"It shouldn't be too long, maiden. The Beedrill may be aggressive, but their concern lies with their hive above all else. They'll give up soon in order to prioritize protecting and caring for their pre-evolved relatives."
Cinder started bawling up her fist. "I need to get Metapod and Kakuna back. Do you know where the Beedrill could've taken them?"
Samurai started pondering. "It's most likely that they've been taken to their hive. The Beedrill must've mistaken Metapod for another Kakuna, and their instincts demanded that the Beedrill would take both of them to their home."
Cinder then put her sightless gaze on Samurai. "Can you help me get them back? I don't care what it costs, I will bring my Pokémon to safety."
Unbeknownst to the heterochromatic girl, Samurai was now sporting a slight blush on his face. Which he tried to cover up, despite knowing the girl he was speaking to was blind. "Very well. We will depart as soon as the coast is clear. It seems that your courage and honor both exceed those of the other Pallet Town trainers."
"Other trainers?" Cinder questioned. "Leaf, Damian and Gary came through here, then?"
"Ahh, there were three spectacular matches." Samurai said nostalgically. "Those trainers really knew how to raise and train their Pokémon. Gary was the first, and though he was arrogant, the defenses of his Squirtle exceeded those of my Metapod. Then Damian came through, and though he fought without honor, his Charmander easily beat my Pinsir. Then came the maiden, Leaf. She fought with great honor, and though her expertise clearly lied more in catching than battling, her Bulbasaur managed to take my Pinsir down. Ever since then, I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the final trainer from Pallet Town, intending to finally beat one of them."
"So that's why you were looking around for Cinder." Misty said.
"Indeed." Samurai said, stepping towards the door and taking a peek through one of the holes. "The coast seems to be clear, but I'll go outside and double check to see if the Beedrill have given up." He then picked his helmet and put it on before going outside again, looking around before fully stepping outside and closing the door.
A moment of silence passed between the girls as they sat down before Misty broke it. "So, Leaf, Damian and Gary, huh. Friends of yours?"
Cinder scoffed. "Hardly. Gary is nothing more than a bully, and I barely know anything about Leaf and Damian. They're just some kids who grew up in the same town as me, that's all."
"Huh." Misty simply said, thinking of the Cinder's general attitude towards humans. "Do you have any friends back home?"
Cinder shook her head. "Not really. I've got my mom, Professor Oak, and a few friendly Pokémon belonging to other trainers, but no human friends." She then started hugging her legs, putting her head on her knees. "I just hope Metapod and Kakuna are okay."
Before Misty could say another word, Samurai stepped inside again. "The Beedrill seem to have returned to their home, and they should be resting now. Now would be the time to seek out your Pokémon, fair maiden."
"Let's go." Cinder stood up, not willing to wait a moment longer than needed.
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The trio was quietly sneaking their way through the forest, on high alert for any member of the Weedle family. "The nest will be just behind those trees." Samurai whispered to the girls.
Sure enough, once the humans passed the trees, they came upon another tree. A tree with branches that were filled with Beedrill, had several Kakuna hanging from silk strings or on the bark of the tree itself, and a bunch of Weedle that were also among the branches. Most of the Pokémon there were asleep, aside from two. An out of place Metapod, and a sobbing Kakuna.
"Over there." Cinder whispered, creeping forward.
Then, out of nowhere, Team Rocket's Meowth decided to jump on Cinder's head. "Do you know what my favorite game is?"
"Get off, asshole!" Cinder whisper yelled, practically punching the cat Pokémon.
"Oof!" Meowth clutched his stomach. "And I had such a good line about scratch and sniffles!"
"Guess who?!" The voice of James came.
"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie said.
"And make it double!" James continued.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the-"
Cinder interrupted the trio, urgently whispering. "Quiet down you idiots, you'll-"
Jessie cut her off. "Never interrupt the Team Rocket motto!"
Samurai countered. "Morons, you'll wake up the Beedrill!"
Jessie just continued, not listening to the kids in any way shape or form. "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James also continued, acting like nothing happened.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
Misty interrupted them again, fear clearly audible in her voice. "Shhh, Beedrill!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie continued again, completely ignoring Misty.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" James also continued.
"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth finished, having recovered from the stomach punch and igniting the fireworks behind his teammates.
This, understandably, woke the Beedrill swarm up, who started flying out of the tree and towards the humans that dared disturb them.
The idiots who woke them didn't seem to notice the angry horde of pain awakening, though. "Little girl." Jessie said condescendingly. "There's no use in trying to resist Team Rocket, so you might as well hand over that Pikachu of yours."
"Cinder, we've gotta go!" Misty yelled, seeing the Beedrill come closer and closer.
Cinder stared at the criminals in front of them. "Fuck off you old hag, you'll never get my Pokémon!" And then started to run towards her Pokémon.
"Come back here!" Jessie and James yelled, the former with extreme rage, and started running after the girl.
"You fool!" Samurai yelled, worried for Cinder's safety.
Just as the Beedrill were about to descend on her, Cinder started rolling, diving below the Bug Types and letting the swarm focus its attention on Team Rocket.
Speaking off, the criminals finally noticed the angry bugs heading towards them, and stopped in their tracks. "The tank will surely come in handy now." Jessie said to her partner.
"It was worth the struggle dragging it here." James replied, then went on to grab the "tank", which they thankfully parked in a bush right next to them.
Unfortunately for them, they weren't the first to find it, as a bunch of Weedle had started eating through the material.
"They're eating the tank!" Meowth yelled in panic. "You numbskulls, did you build this thing from carton?!"
"We needed to reduce the weight!" James said, also panicking.
"Run!" Jessie yelled, leading the charge as they ran from the angry Beedrill, who were far too busy chasing them to mind anything else.
"Metapod, Kakuna!" Cinder yelled with joy, quickly grabbing both cocoons and running away from the tree, wanting to get away from the Beedrill as fast as possible. "I'm sorry for what happened guys, but I'll go through hell and back if it means you guys will be okay." Then, she tripped, not being able to see the rock that she stepped on.
"Cinder!" Misty yelled, her and Samurai both watching in horror as a Beedrill headed towards the girl with its Twineedle.
Suddenly, Metapod jumped between the two, using Harden to up its defenses and tank the attack. This act of protection resulted with Metapod gaining a deep gash in its shell, and the attacking Beedrill to break off one of its stingers.
Cinder quickly ran to catch Metapod. "Metapod, are you okay?!" She said worriedly, not even paying any attention to the fleeing Beedrill.
Suddenly, Metapod started glowing, changing his shape for the second time that day. When the glow subsided, a butterfly-like creature started flying from the place Metapod once was, which triggered Cinder's Pokédex.
"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon and the final evolved form of Caterpie. A Bug/Flying Type.
Abilities: Compound Eyes and Tinted Lens
Hidden Ability: Secretion
Entry: This Pokémon's wings are covered in a poisonous and water repellent powder, which allows it to defend its young and fly in the rain. It will roam up to ten kilometers from its nest in search of food.
Evolves from: Metapod when strong enough"
"Butterfree." Cinder muttered with a smile on her face.
"Even Misty, despite her fear of bugs, couldn't help but smile along with Cinder and Samurai. "It's so beautiful."
"Free! Free!" Butterfree yelled, overjoyed that he'd achieved his dream of being able to fly.
"Kaku Kaku!" Kakuna yelled, tears glistening in her eyes at the sheer joy of her friend.
Before the group could celebrate any further though, the Beedrill decided to make a return, trying to attack with the full power of their hive this time.
Samurai was the first to notice. "The Beedrill have returned, fair maiden!"
"Free!" Butterfree flew in front of his trainer, clearly intending to fight.
Cinder grinned. "Butterfree, fly around and knock out as many as you can with Sleep Powder!"
Butterfree flew high into the sky, and started shaking some kind of orange powder from his wings. He was careful enough to aim away from his allies, but aside from that he made sure everything in the area got a good whiff of his attack.
One by one, the Beedrill fell down, clearly asleep. The same happened to the Weedle and Kakuna, as well as Team Rocket, who'd somehow ended up running in a circle.
Once everything was asleep, Butterfree flew down, closer to his trainer's level. "Ohh, I'm so proud of you Butterfree!" Cinder said, hugging her Pokémon while being careful not to hurt his new wings.
"She's able to command her Butterfree so well, and so soon after it's evolved." Samurai muttered, a slight blush on his face.
Misty couldn't help but grin at the boy. "I know, right?" She said, teasing and clearly noticing the boy's feelings. She then stepped towards the butterfly. "Butterfree, thanks." She said with a smile.
"Free!" Butterfree said, slowly coming closer towards her before stopping just outside her personal space. He knew he could scare her, and didn't want to push her against her comforts.
Misty only smiled though, and suppressing a shudder of fear, she slowly reached out and patted the butterfly's head for a few seconds.
Cinder herself couldn't help but simply smile.
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Samurai had led the girls towards the edge of Viridian Forest, towards a trail leading through a meadow. "Here is the exit of the forest closest to Pewter City, my friends. This trail will lead you to your destination."
"Thank you for the help, Samurai." Cinder said.
"You're welcome, fair maiden." He replied. "I will remain in the forest, and train as much as I can. Hopefully we shall battle again, some day." He couldn't help but grin as he looked at Pikachu. "Just don't electrocute me at our next meeting."
Cinder grinned right back at him. "Then maybe you shouldn't point your sword at people next time?"
"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded. He had no trouble with Samurai now, but you couldn't blame him for defending his trainer.
"Just don't do a Metapod vs Metapod battle next time." Misty said. "Who knows how long that battle could've gone for."
The girls started walking. "See you next time, Samurai!" Cinder said with a smile.
"See ya!"
Samurai simply watched them walk away. "Farewell, fair maiden." He quietly said before walking back towards his cabin.
Once the girls were out of the forest's earshot, Misty couldn't contain herself any longer. "That guy totally has a crush on you."
Cinder almost tripped and fell before snorting. "He doesn't."
"Oh, he does. You might not be able to see his face, but I can. And I know how guys look when they've got a crush."
Cinder couldn't help but grimace a bit. Sure, Samurai was a nice guy, but she really couldn't see herself dating him. "Yea, no." She shot Misty down. For some reason, the idea of kissing a guy never really appealed to her.
"Oh well, I tried." The redhead shrugged, and the two simply continued walking.
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Back at the Beedrill tree, the Team Rocket trio had hastily wrapped themselves in the remnants of their cardboard tank, having awoken just before the wild Pokémon. Somehow, their shoddy Kakuna costumes seemed to fool the colony, though they're stuck until the Beedrill leave.
"Any more bright ideas?" James sarcastically asked his partner.
"At least I had an idea!" Jessie whisper yelled in reply.
"Yea, and they're all bad." Meowth deadpanned.
"Who asked you?!" Jessie yelled, momentarily forgetting her predicament.
The Beedrill, figuring out that these weren't real Kakuna, started attacking the members. Some of the actual Kakuna even started evolving into more Beedrill, just to partake in the stinging. A few even started stinging the faux Kakuna with their barbs before the trio ran away, screaming in fear and pain.
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Pokémon Seen: 22
Pokémon Caught: 8
Cinder's Pokémon: Pikachu (M), Butterfree (M), Kakuna (F), Pidgeotto (F)
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And that's a wrap. Weedle and Metapod evolved, and Butterfree has finally achieved his dream.
And for those of you who're wondering about the Secretion ability, it's part of one of the Fakemon regions I intend to put in this story. Be patient though, as it will take a while before we're entering that territory. As for what the ability does, just look it up on the Tofrug's Swamp wiki, as that wiki's all about that particular fakemon region.
TheDoctor1998 here, signing out.