Chapter 4: First Battle Defeat

The story warms up slowly, with little deviation at first, and it will split when Dr. Zheng Hui begins.

……………………

"Weedle, use Tackle!"

Huo La's command just landed, and Weedle immediately arched its yellow body, like a small ball brimming with power, mustering all its strength to charge fiercely toward the opposing Scallion Duck.

But just half a foot off the ground, Mother's gentle rustle of her folding fan drifted in: "Scallion Duck, take to the air and dodge, then use Swift—just one point of force is enough."

Before the words finished, Scallion Duck already clutched a scallion stalk in its claws, its wings fluttered and it rose lightly, and Weedle's charge missed, stumbling in place and swaying twice.

Before it could steady itself, a sharp white light swooped down from the sky, striking solidly on its back; Weedle rolled twice on the grass before stopping.

"Weedle, are you okay?" Huo La hurried forward two steps, his voice full of worry.

Weedle struggled to prop up half its body, shaking the slender horn atop its head, emitting two clear yet stubborn "hiss" sounds. Its round compound eyes held no trace of fear; instead they seemed lit by tiny flames, its fighting spirit surging as if about to overflow.

Huo La watched this and couldn't help but nod—no wonder it's a Pokémon that will evolve into a Beedrill; having just hatched a week ago, it already shows such strong resilience.

"Alright, then let's continue! Weedle, use String Shot, slow and trap the Scallion Duck!"

Upon receiving the command, Weedle sprang up, opened its mouth, and countless fine, faintly glowing threads surged out, instantly weaving a thin net that surged toward the Scallion Duck still hanging in midair.

Scallion Duck flapped its wings frantically to break free, but the threads had already tangled its feathers, like a light veil on its wings, slowing its movements considerably.

"Now! Weedle, use Poison Needle!" Huo La shouted, seizing the opportunity.

Weedle's horn atop its head suddenly glowed a ghostly purple, and then countless fine, hair‑thin Poison Needles shot out from the tip, carrying specks of violet light, rushing straight at the Scallion Duck ensnared by the threads.

"Using String Shot to control the field and follow up with Poison Needle is a good idea," Mother smiled lightly, fluttering her folding fan again, a hint of approval in her eyes, "but playing with poison in front of me is still a bit immature. Scallion Duck, use Poison Strike."

The Scallion Duck, which had been struggling, suddenly froze, its gaze turning sharp.

Its right wing firmly grasped the scallion stalk, and with a slash at the incoming Poison Needles, two deep‑purple energy blades materialized out of thin air, like two sharp little swords, precisely cutting down every Poison Needle without missing a single one; the needles fell onto the grass and vanished quickly.

"Next, Scallion Duck, shred the threads, close‑range use Combo Slash Poison Strike, this time with two points of force."

As soon as the command was given, the scallion stalk in Scallion Duck's hand whirled around its body at high speed; in the flash of cold light, the threads tangled on its wings and claws were cut into fine cotton fluff, drifting with the wind onto the lawn and disappearing completely in an instant.

The next second, its form suddenly vanished; by the time Huo La and Weedle reacted, Scallion Duck had already landed steadily before Weedle—its scallion stalk wrapped in a faint violet glow, moving so fast only an afterimage remained, repeatedly slashing lightly at Weedle, each strike delivering just the right amount of force.

"Bang!" Weedle was blasted away again, crashing heavily onto the grass, its yellow body trembling slightly. The spots hit earlier by the Combo Slash Poison Strike bore faint purple streaks, like a thin layer of frost.

It shook the horn atop its head, struggling to lift its body, but as soon as it rose, it sagged back onto the lawn, emitting a weak "hiss", tinged with a bit of resentful grievance.

"Alright, let's stop for now," Mother folded away her fan, walked to Huo La's side, and when her gaze fell on Weedle, added a touch of gentleness, "Scallion Duck, go rest over there and, while you're at it, pick some berries for it."

Scallion Duck replied with a crisp "ga", shook the lingering fluff on its wings twice, and turned to fly toward the orchard at the corner of the yard. It had used only two points of force the whole time, its breath still steady, but when it glanced back at Weedle, its gaze held the senior‑to‑junior scrutiny of an elder, as if saying "still far away".

Huo La hurried over, gently cradling Weedle, his fingertips feeling the little creature's slight tremor, a wave of frustration rising instantly: "Does it hurt? It's all my fault; you were only a week old and I rushed you into battle training..."

Weedle gently nudged his palm with its head; the ghostly purple glow atop its horn dimmed slightly, yet it stubbornly lifted its head toward the direction where Scallion Duck had gone, as if saying "I can keep going".

Huo La, seeing its unyielding demeanor, suddenly recalled the day Weedle first hatched—just after breaking out of its shell, it saw him and immediately jabbed him with the needle on its head, causing him to foam at the mouth; after taking the Antidote, he stayed in bed all day.

Back then he laughed at the little creature's "fiery temper," but now he realizes that beneath that fieriness lies an unyielding drive to never lose.

At that moment, a deep‑green tentacle reached out from the side, bearing a small bottle of silver Healing Spray—It was a Vileplume, which had somehow moved from the flower bed and was now looking at Weedle with its round eyes gently.

"Apply it to the wound," Mother's voice came, "this is a medicine neutralized with Beedrill venom sac extract, specifically for treating minor injuries caused by Poison‑type moves; it won't irritate it."

She paused, watching Huo La lower his head to apply the medicine to Weedle with a serious profile, and continued: "Your thinking just now was fine—using String Shot to bind and limit movement, then Poison Needle for ranged suppression is a common tactic for Poison‑type Pokémon. But you overlooked one thing..."

"I understand." Huo La took the spray, his fingertips gently avoiding Weedle's wound, his voice tinged with realization, "When I saw the String Shot entangle it, I rushed to have Weedle use Poison Needle, without considering that Scallion Duck could directly use Poison Strike to knock the needles down and also close in with speed..."

"Not just speed." Mother crouched, picked up a dead branch from the lawn, and drew a simple battle diagram on the stone table, "Look, Weedle's String Shot is fast, but the threads are too scattered, only wrapping Scallion Duck's wings and not tightening its joints—if the String Shot had been concentrated around its ankles or wing bases, even if it could shred them, it would have taken an extra second. That one second would be enough for your Poison Needles to hit its body."

She marked three spots on the diagram with the grass stalk: "And the angle of the Poison Needles. If you have Weedle fire straight at Scallion Duck's front, it can simply block left or right with the scallion stalk to knock them down; but if you split the Poison Needles into three paths—one toward the head, one toward the wings, one toward the feet—given Weedle's current control, it may not achieve precise hits, but at least it will disrupt its rhythm and won't be so easily countered."

Huo La stared at the grass‑stalk diagram on the stone table, his mind suddenly clear, and nodded: "So that's it! I was only focused on the name of the Combo Skill, without honing the details of each move..."

At that moment, Scallion Duck returned, carrying a bunch of bright red berries in its beak.

It gently placed the berries on the stone table, then used the scallion stalk to push the largest one toward Weedle, its gaze softening slightly, adding a touch of warmth.

Weedle hesitated, then opened its mouth and bit into a berry; the sweet juice spread inside, and its tense body gradually relaxed.

"The advantage of Poison‑type Pokémon has never been 'brute force' but 'calculation'," Mother picked up a berry and handed it to Huo La, "Your father studied Ghost‑type, relying on using the environment to hide his form and catch opponents off guard; Poison‑type, however, wears down the opponent's stamina bit by bit with moves, even causing them to lose combat ability after being poisoned."

She pointed at Weedle, now nibbling a berry: "It's still young; the Poison Needle's toxicity is weak, and the String Shot's control isn't strong, but its advantage is rapid growth—if you can perfect the 'details' and 'tactics', when it evolves into a Beedrill, these fundamentals will become its sharpest weapons."

Huo La lowered his head, watching Weedle in his palm; the little creature was earnestly munching the berry, the horn atop its head flickering occasional ghostly purple light, as if silently digesting the recent battle experience.

"Mom, are we still training tomorrow?"

Mother smiled, ruffling his hair: "Of course. But next time, I'll have Scallion Duck use three points of force—both you and Weedle must keep up with the pace."

The sunset filtered through the orchard at the corner of the yard, scattering tiny light spots that fell on the man and the insect, warm and gentle—he suddenly understood that this seemingly "crushing defeat" of the first battle was more meaningful than any victory.