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As soon as Gloom was absorbed into the Great Ball Sato threw, a buzzing sound, "Bzzz~ Bzzz~," came from nearby. Clearly, the commotion had alerted the nearby patrolling Beedrill.
"Tch, they just don't give up, do they? Zubat, let's show them what we're made of. Use Wing Attack to take one down quickly, then finish the rest fast," Sato ordered as he noticed three Beedrill approaching, acting as the vanguard.
Upon hearing the command, Zubat flapped its wings powerfully, darting toward the angry Beedrill. As it accelerated, its wings were enveloped in Flying-type energy. After a week of training and its recent level-up, Zubat's flight speed had improved significantly. In an instant, it appeared behind the Beedrill on the far left, catching it off guard and delivering a powerful strike to its back with its wings.
With a sharp "Whoosh~," the Beedrill hit by Zubat's Wing Attack was sent flying, crashing down to the ground, too injured to fly again. The remaining two Beedrill, instead of retreating, became even more enraged. They charged at Zubat from both sides, attempting to overwhelm it with a pincer attack.
However, Zubat had no intention of getting caught. It swiftly used Gust, summoning two smaller white whirlwinds that trapped both Beedrill. Using the brief moment the whirlwinds bought, Zubat fired two Shadow Balls at each of the trapped Beedrill with great force.
Three seconds later, the whirlwinds dissipated, and both Beedrill fell to the ground, defeated and unable to battle.
Within just ten seconds, Zubat had managed to defeat all three Beedrill. At the same time, the high-grade PokéBall on the ground stopped shaking as the red button at its center dimmed with a "Ding~," signaling that Gloom had been successfully captured.
Seeing Gloom captured, Sato immediately grabbed the PokéBall and quickly left the area with Zubat by his side.
Shortly after Sato departed, a swarm of at least a dozen Beedrill arrived at the scene. Upon seeing their injured comrades on the ground, their compound eyes turned blood-red with fury. Under the command of a leading Beedrill, the enraged swarm scattered, searching the area for the culprit.
Soon, the nearby bushes erupted into chaos as many weaker wild Pokémon fled in terror. The furious Beedrill, unable to find the one responsible, began attacking any living creature they encountered indiscriminately.
Meanwhile, Sato, the one responsible for the disturbance, was hiding in the dense canopy of a nearby tree. Using the thick leaves as cover and the tree sap he had smeared on himself to mask his scent, he successfully avoided the Beedrill's search once again.
'Hmph, once you understand their behavior, it's easy to avoid them,' Sato thought to himself, waiting for Zubat to signal that the Beedrill had left. When Zubat confirmed the coast was clear, Sato climbed down from the tree.
Without wasting any time, Sato pressed the button on the Great Ball, releasing Gloom. As soon as the ball opened, a foul stench spread through the area.
Instantly, a rustling sound came from the surrounding bushes as nearby wild Pokémon and creatures fled, unable to tolerate the overpowering odor.
Gloom, freshly released from the PokéBall, watched the scene unfold with a mixture of anger and sadness. As the wild Pokémon and creatures left, Gloom lowered her head and buried it deep in the grass, looking dejected.
"Come on, Gloom. Zubat and I are still here, aren't we? This smell is nothing. You're one of my Pokémon now, a part of our team. From now on, let's work together," Sato said, smiling as he and Zubat approached the hiding Gloom.
"Zzz zzz zzz~~" Though Zubat wasn't entirely unaffected by the stench, hearing his trainer's words encouraged him to endure it. He flapped his wings and chirped at Gloom, welcoming her to the team.
"Hm?" Hearing Sato and Zubat's words, Gloom, who had been sulking in the bushes, perked up. Slowly, she emerged, looking timidly at Sato and Zubat.
Ever since she evolved from an Oddish into a Gloom, the nearby Pokémon and animals had begun avoiding her. The reason was simple: due to her Stench ability, she was several times more pungent than other Glooms. Even her old friends couldn't tolerate the overwhelming smell she emitted, and they started to avoid her.
Because of this, she quickly transformed from the once cheerful Oddish into a lonely and self-conscious Gloom. Sato and Zubat were the first creatures since her evolution to say they wanted to be her friends, and this touched her deeply.
"Don't worry, Gloom. We're partners now. I don't mind your smell at all. Here, take this as a gift," Sato said with a genuine smile, handing Gloom a PokeBlock.
To be honest, Sato was initially struggling with the foul odor Gloom was emitting, but after seeing the sadness on her face, caused by being shunned by other Pokémon and creatures, he resolved to endure it. He realized this was a perfect opportunity to bond with the newly caught Gloom.
Upon hearing Sato's reassuring words and seeing his sincere smile, Gloom finally believed that Sato truly wanted to be her friend. A smile spread across her face, and she eagerly accepted the sweet-smelling PokeBlock from his hand.
"Mm~" Gloom gobbled up the PokeBlock in one bite, her eyes widening with delight. She let out a sound of pure enjoyment, clearly savoring the treat.
After about ten seconds, Gloom snapped out of her blissful state. She noticed that not only was her energy restored, but many of the injuries inflicted by Zubat earlier had healed significantly.
"It seems you like my gift. I look forward to working with you, Gloom," Sato said as Gloom recovered, extending his right hand toward her.
Somehow, both Sato and Zubat had started to adapt to the strong smell. While it was still uncomfortable, it wasn't as unbearable as it had been initially.
"Mm, Gloom..." Grateful, Gloom nodded and extended her two blue plant-like arms to grasp Sato's hand tightly. She wore a pure, innocent smile on her face.
Perhaps in her excitement, Gloom's flower bud opened wider, and an even stronger stench burst forth. Sato, being the closest, was hit by the full force of the smell, causing Zubat to retreat to the safety of a nearby tree branch.
"Alright, Gloom. Welcome to the team! Now, follow my orders and go over there into the sunlight to use Synthesis. You need to heal those injuries quickly," Sato said, once again mustering his willpower to endure the smell. He patted Gloom's small blue plant hand before instructing her.
Touched that Sato was willing to tolerate her awful smell and still accept her, Gloom's fondness for him grew instantly. She obediently walked over to a patch of sunlight that filtered through the leaves and began using Synthesis to heal her wounds.
As soon as Gloom moved away, the stench around Sato lessened significantly, making him feel much lighter. At the same time, he gained a bit of confidence about surviving the upcoming two-week trial in the Viridian Forest.
For someone as relatively weak as he was right now, Gloom's Stench ability would greatly increase his chances of survival in the forest. Compared to his life, a little bad smell was nothing at all.