manynovel Chapter 36: Heracross
Chapter 36: Heracross
Every time Luo Yan said a name, Hou Hao would let out a scream.
"Mina! Two starter Pokémon! And Lapras!?"
Listening to Luo Yan's introduction, Hou Hao's mouth was practically watering.
Just kidding, even elementary school students know very well how valuable these Pokémon are.
I won't go into detail about the first three. Lapras Pokémon generally live on ice fields, making them extremely difficult to capture. You can only encounter them during their migration each year.
Regardless of its strength, its rarity alone is enough to drive many trainers crazy.
This is why Lapras Pokémon eggs are always in high demand but short supply; if an ordinary person had one, they would instantly become a self-made millionaire.
Looking at Hou Hao, who was all talk and no action, Luo Yan couldn't resist giving him a piece of her mind. "Forget about the dragons. It's not their migration season right now, you definitely won't encounter them."
"And even if you were incredibly lucky and encountered one, I've calculated that with your current combat strength, it would be very difficult for you to catch one."
"...Don't rub it in, bro! Can't I even have a tiny bit of hope?!"
"In short, that's the situation." Luo Yan ignored Hou Hao's screams and continued, "Let's start with the simpler ones and not focus too much on rarity. After all, some common Pokémon can also unleash powerful combat abilities. The key is how you train them."
Luo Yan was not joking about this. In the Kingdom of Locke, there are many very common little guys who show considerable fighting power in battle.
For example, Yibei powder.
Because there were no well-developed fixed paths or officially planned rest areas, the two of them traveled quite casually, basically going wherever they felt like, as long as they used a compass to roughly determine the direction and not completely get lost in the depths of the jungle.
As you venture deeper, the characteristics of the area known as the "Black Forest" begin to emerge.
The tall trees blocked out the sun, their canopies layered upon each other, making the light under the trees very dim even during the day, as if dusk had arrived early.
The air was damp and heavy, and a thin, grayish-white mist silently spread through the forest. As visibility decreased, the surrounding scenery was shrouded in a hazy hue.
"Hiss—it's foggy, all damp and uncomfortable."
Hou Hao shrank back, cautiously scanning the damp ground and tree trunks around him, taking each step with utmost care.
"Brother Luo, do you think there might be leeches or something around here? I'm terrified of those things, they suck blood, they just stick to you silently and you can't get them off, they just keep burrowing into your flesh..."
Luo Yan seemed unconcerned. While keeping an eye on the surroundings and any possible Pokémon tracks, he casually replied, "The ecology in Rank B areas is quite diverse, so nothing is surprising. We'll just be more careful."
The two spoke in hushed tones as they cautiously explored forward, time slowly passing in the quiet and somewhat oppressive forest.
After walking for about an hour, the fog in the forest seemed to have thickened.
Suddenly, Luo Yan, who was walking in front, stopped without warning and raised her hand to signal Hou Hao behind her not to make any rash moves.
"What's wrong?" Hou Hao immediately became nervous, lowered his voice and asked, his hand already reaching for the Poké Ball at his waist.
Luo Yan simply turned slightly to the side and pointed towards a large tree not far ahead. "Look what's that."
Following the direction Luo Yan pointed, Hou Hao squinted and peered carefully through the thin mist.
Beside the rough trunk of the ancient tree, a creature, about the height of a person, stood with its back to them, head slightly bowed, seemingly intently licking something.
It has a dark blue carapace and a huge Y-shaped horn at the front of its head.
Most striking are its two strong and powerful forearms, which are now clinging to the tree trunk.
"It's Heracross!"
Hou Hao almost cried out in surprise, and quickly covered his mouth, but he couldn't suppress the joy in his eyes.
Heracross, a Bug-type Pokémon attacker, along with Pinsir and Scyther, forms the Bug-type starter trio, a creature that combines rarity and combat prowess.
Hou Hao excitedly turned to look at Luo Yan. "Brother Luo, do you want it? If you don't, I'll take it!"
Although he said that, the expression on his face clearly said, "Say no, say no."
Luo Yan looked at him with amusement and stepped aside. "Weren't you always saying you wanted to catch Water-type Pokémon to expand your Water-type team? Why have you changed your target again?"
"Hey! What do you mean by Water-type!" Hou Hao waved his hand dismissively. "These rare Pokémon are a matter of chance. If you happen to run into one, it's fate. Who cares about its type? It's not like I can't afford to raise it."
"Fine, you're rich, do whatever you want."
Upon hearing this, Hou Hao didn't hold back.
"I choose you—go for it, Mosquito Coil Tadpole!"
With a flick of his wrist, the Poké Ball traced an arc.
A flash of red light appeared, and the shimmering mosquito coil tadpole with a pale blue belly and a mosquito coil-like pattern landed lightly on the ground covered with fallen leaves, blinking its beady eyes curiously.
Hercules seemed to be startled by the commotion, stopped licking the sap, and slowly turned around.
"Mosquito tadpole, use [Wag Tail]!"
When catching Pokémon in the wild, it's always a good idea to use type moves first, especially when facing Pokémon that are already quite strong.
For example, Heracross at this moment was not very clear about what the Poliwag was doing, but he could feel that he seemed to be affected, and then instinctively launched an attack.
"Get out of the way, then we'll unleash a barrage of slaps!"
Mosquito Tadpole leaped lightly into the air, and the next moment, the ground where it had been was struck by Heracross's punch, leaving a shallow crater in the ground.
Before Heracross could react, the Poliwag twisted its body and slapped its thick, fan-shaped tail directly at Heracross.
*Clap clap clap clap!*
A perfect four-hit combo left Heracross completely disoriented.
But the horn on its head quickly flashed with a milky white light, which was the prelude to the horn-ramming attack.
"Oh no, mosquito tadpoles! Use the water gun to create distance!"
"Beep beep!"
The mosquito coil tadpole opened its tiny mouth, and a stream of water rushed towards Heracross's face, while Heracross himself used the force to retreat rapidly.
However, Hou Hao clearly underestimated Heracross's power. With a single swing of its horn, the water jet was instantly split in two, and the horn directly cleaved the water jet, striking the mosquito tadpole's belly.
"Oh no, mosquito coil tadpoles!"
The two are too different in size, so the mosquito coil tadpole must have been seriously injured by being hit like that.
Seeing the mosquito coil tadpole being swatted away, Hou Hao took a step forward, ready to rush over, but the next moment, Luo Yan grabbed him.
"Wait, don't rush, look."
Upon hearing this, Hou Hao looked up.
But then, the mosquito coil tadpole was enveloped in a white light—
...