Kazuki skimmed through the mission details. The rewards were fairly standard for early-game progress—but still not bad.
What he hesitated over was how to catch a high-potential one.
After all, Caterpie was a common Pokémon most Trainers used as nothing more than experience fodder.
He couldn't exactly go around catching every single one he saw.
Kazuki recalled from memory that one special Caterpie was a bit dopey—and could be captured without even fighting.
So he took out a Poké Ball without hesitation.
"Wait, Kazuki! You're supposed to battle first and weaken the Pokémon before catching it!"
Even though Misty was still clinging fearfully to his back, she still managed to offer him a kind-hearted reminder.
"Pika!"
Pikachu perked up, excited to join the battle.
"No need."
Kazuki didn't explain, and simply tossed the Poké Ball.
A flash of red light engulfed the Caterpie—
the Poké Ball's red indicator blinked a few times, then went still.
Capture complete.
[Ding! Mission complete. Basic Rare Candies ×3 added to system inventory!]
The system chimed right on cue.
Looks like he got lucky—first try and he'd already snagged the high-potential Caterpie.
This would make the early stages of the journey much easier.
After all, Caterpie evolved rapidly. Kazuki could use the six Basic Rare Candies he already had and instantly evolve it into Butterfree.
But… that felt like feeding ginseng to pigs.
Kazuki had no intention of being wasteful. He quickly recalled the Poké Ball and opened the stats panel.
[Pokémon: Caterpie]
[Base Stats: 195]
[Level: Lv6 (Normal Tier)]
[Potential: Gym Tier]
[Ability: Shield Dust – Prevents additional effects of moves]
[Moves: String Shot, Tackle]
A Gym-level potential! While not earth-shattering, that was already rare for a Caterpie.
For Bug-types that evolved quickly, even reaching Quasi Gym tier was uncommon. Gym-tier was a rare find.
Which is why Giovanni's Beedrill reaching Elite Four tier was considered nearly miraculous.
Misty peeked from behind Kazuki, confirming the Caterpie was gone before finally stepping out from his shadow.
"Whoa, you've got some real luck! You actually caught it without even battling!"
"But that still doesn't excuse your lack of training knowledge!"
Now that the bug was out of sight, Misty's usual prideful air returned.
Seeing how casually Kazuki caught Pokémon reassured her somewhat.
Sigh… all that worrying for nothing.
I really thought he had some kind of secret training method… turns out he's just winging it! No way this guy's winning a championship!
And I can't believe I seriously thought about which swimsuit to wear for him. Ugh, so unnecessary!
"Mhm, yep, you're totally right."
Kazuki didn't want to waste time on anything that wouldn't raise their bond level.
He brushed it off with a vague reply, then summoned Caterpie to offer a proper welcome.
"Hey there, Caterpie. From now on, you'll be fighting alongside me and Pikachu!"
"Chii~"
Caterpie tilted its head, then gave him a cheerful expression.
And the moment Misty saw the bug again, all her confidence melted.
She shrieked and instantly dove behind Kazuki again.
"Hey! Why'd you let it out again?!"
Kazuki just chuckled, gently petting Caterpie while enjoying Misty's soft body pressing against him.
With his new teammate officially welcomed, Kazuki and Misty continued on through the forest.
Every time they encountered another Caterpie or Rattata, Kazuki had Pikachu and his newly caught Caterpie grind for EXP.
Most of those Pokémon were only Elite Tier at best—not worth raising—so they made great experience fodder.
As they walked and battled, Misty slowly stopped shying away and eventually clung to Kazuki's arm by habit.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level Lv6 → Lv7]
[Pokémon: Caterpie, Level Lv6 → Lv7]
Both Pokémon reached level 7.
At that moment, Caterpie lifted its head and began spinning silk into the air, slowly wrapping itself up—
it was evolving into Metapod.
Even though Kazuki had known this would happen, seeing his own Pokémon evolve for the first time was still an exciting moment.
And Misty…
she began looking at Kazuki in a new light.
He's using such basic training methods… yet everything's going so smoothly.
I've been raised in a Gym, studied Pokémon since I was a kid, and I'm still not this efficient!
Wait no—that must be because I hate bugs! Yeah, if it were a Water-type, I'd definitely be better!
Even while still hugging Kazuki's arm tightly, she mentally wrestled with herself—
yet something in her feelings toward him was clearly shifting.
Kazuki could feel her soft body pressing against his side.
He turned his head and smiled at her. "Wanna come see Metapod? It's not a bug anymore."
"Eh? I—n-no, thanks!"
Misty hastily pulled her arm back. "I'll just… stay right here and look from a distance!"
Though not as scared as before, her fear was definitely instinctual—deep-rooted and unshakable.
Kazuki laughed and crouched beside Metapod, running his fingers along its metallic surface.
Metapod only had one move: Harden. But that couldn't be used carelessly.
Wild Metapod only used it when they felt threatened—
each use of Harden made it harder for them to emerge successfully as a Butterfree.
[Ding! Perfect Mission Triggered: Wait Seven Days for Metapod to Emerge Perfectly!]
[Mission Reward: Health Biscuit ×2 – Feeding this to a Pokémon greatly extends its lifespan!]