"Do you like Bug-type Pokémon?"
"Bug-types are really troublesome. They grow quickly, but maybe because of that rapid development, their lifespans are much shorter than those of other Pokémon. If I lived together with a Bug-type and had to watch it reach the end of its life... I think it would hurt too much."
"I hate Bug-types. Just imagining some fat, hairy bug crawling all over me... even if I know it means no harm, I still can't stand it."
"I like Bug-type Pokémon, but Bugs are just too weak. Making it into the main tournament is already my limit."
"Why do you like Bug-types?"
During the first round of the Pikachu Cup main tournament, Ah Hui had faced another trainer who also used a Butterfree.
His name was Ren Liangjun.
After losing to Ah Hui, he fell into the losers' bracket. He fought through two more rounds before being eliminated, ending his Pikachu Cup journey.
Ah Hui had quietly kept an eye on him afterward.
The reason was simple.
Back in that first-round match, Ren Liangjun had asked him a question.
"Brother Hui, have you ever regretted choosing a Bug-type Pokémon as your starter?"
At first, influenced by Chen Mo's livestreams, Ah Hui had preferred cute Pokémon like Pichu.
If not that, then majestic and handsome Pokémon like Pidgeotto.
Bug-types hadn't even been under consideration.
I want to get better soon and meet all those amazing Pokémon!
Lying in a hospital bed, Ah Hui would spend entire days imagining what kind of starter Pokémon he would receive.
Imagining himself traveling alongside those wondrous creatures, just like Chen Mo.
But then—
One day.
When he carried a drunken Chen Haoran into that room and saw the trembling backpack...
Fate quietly changed direction.
For countless nights afterward, Ah Hui would remember the first time he met Caterpie.
The frail Caterpie.
The way it struggled out of the dark, cramped backpack.
The joy shining in its eyes as it stubbornly crawled toward him.
From that moment onward, Ah Hui understood something.
It wasn't him who chose Caterpie.
It was Caterpie who chose him.
"Do you like Bug-type Pokémon?"
Feng Lan had asked.
Chen Haoran had asked.
Xiao Cai had asked.
Chen Mo had asked.
Zhao Xue'er had asked.
Ah Hui remembered every single person who had ever posed that question.
Their expressions.
Their gestures.
Their tone.
Feng Lan had asked casually, as though asking what he'd eaten that day.
Chen Haoran's question carried a trace of guilt.
Xiao Cai had probably asked on a whim.
Chen Mo's question had been full of deeper meaning.
Only Zhao Xue'er was different.
When she asked, Ah Hui could clearly feel her scrutiny.
That girl...
She truly loved Bug-type Pokémon from the bottom of her heart.
Her feelings were completely different from those of someone like him—a trainer who'd had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility of raising Caterpie.
To be honest...
For someone who usually answered "yes" without hesitation...
Ah Hui had hesitated.
And then—
He ran away.
Just like he had done when faced with pressure from school and family.
He escaped again.
After stumbling home, Ah Hui buried himself beneath his blanket.
Despite the middle of summer, he felt no heat.
His mind was blank.
He didn't think.
He didn't dare think.
Time passed.
A long, long time.
When he finally opened his eyes again—
Night had fallen.
Turning his head, he saw Butterfree hovering beside the bed.
Beneath it lay the shattered remains of a Poké Ball.
Clearly, Butterfree had forcibly broken free.
Looking at Ah Hui's sweat-soaked face, concern filled its eyes.
Yet it seemed to sense something.
It didn't make a fuss.
It simply stayed quietly by his side.
"Buu…"
Seeing Ah Hui awaken, some of the worry finally left Butterfree's face.
Flapping its wings, it flew to the windowsill and returned carrying a flower crown whose blossoms had begun to wilt.
Carefully, it placed the crown on Ah Hui's head.
It was Butterfree's most precious treasure.
Originally, it had come from the Butterfree couple they met in Evergreen Forest.
As a symbol of friendship and trust, the pair had woven a flower crown for Ah Hui before parting ways.
Later, Ah Hui had gifted it to Caterpie.
Of course—
The trip to Evergreen Forest had happened a very long time ago.
Fresh flowers couldn't stay vibrant forever.
The crown had withered many times.
But each time, unwilling to let Caterpie feel sad, Ah Hui would buy fresh flowers and weave the crown again.
Again and again.
Until today.
Now, Butterfree was placing its most treasured possession upon Ah Hui's head.
The meaning couldn't have been clearer.
Pokémon were simple.
Butterfree didn't know what had happened.
But it wanted Ah Hui to get better.
As quickly as possible.
Life was never perfect.
The extraordinary growth speed of Bug-types caused them to reach their limits sooner than most Pokémon.
Whether in strength.
Or lifespan.
But perhaps—
Precisely because they were weak.
Precisely because their lives were so short.
Bug-type Pokémon treasured the precious things they encountered during their lives even more deeply.
Even if protecting those things required giving everything they had.
Even Beedrill, fierce and ruthless as it was, was no exception.
"Do you like Bug-type Pokémon?"
Tears streamed down Ah Hui's cheeks.
Dripping onto the wilted flower crown.
This time—
He could finally answer without hesitation.
"I do."
"Ah! So close!"
"Frosmoth's Ice Beam practically grazed Butterfree's wings!"
"Just a tiny bit more!"
"But Ah Hui and Butterfree's coordination is absolutely incredible!"
"Even in this blizzard, with visibility reduced to almost nothing, Ah Hui can still determine the direction of every Ice Beam instantly!"
"He provides the minimum amount of information necessary, and Butterfree understands perfectly and executes flawlessly!"
"This level of teamwork is easily among the very best in the entire Pikachu Cup!"
The commentator's voice echoed throughout the arena.
Inside the staff passageway.
Zhou Yichuan stood near the exit, watching the two Bug-type Pokémon dancing through the snowy battlefield.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Turning around, he saw a familiar figure approaching.
"Xiao Mo?"
His eyes landed on the bright flower crown in Chen Mo's hands.
Confusion immediately appeared on his face.
"What's with the flower crown?"
A grin spread across his lips.
"Don't tell me some pretty fan gave it to you?"
"Not at all."
Chen Mo glanced at the crown and smiled.
"I'm just holding onto it for someone."
"Huh?"
"Holding it for someone?"
Zhou Yichuan became even more confused.
"Brother Chuan."
"Hmm?"
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Chen Mo smiled softly.
"I just believe even more now that this era is going to become better and better."
"...You're impossible."
Zhou Yichuan rolled his eyes.
He hated riddlers.
"How's the match going?"
Chen Mo asked again.
That immediately reignited Zhou Yichuan's enthusiasm.
"It's fascinating."
"The difference in strength between Butterfree and Frosmoth is huge."
"Before the match, everyone thought Zhao Xue'er would win fairly easily."
"She predicted Ah Hui's opening move and established a favorable snowstorm immediately."
"But somehow…"
"Ah Hui and Butterfree look like they're playing with full-map vision."
"They keep dodging everything."
"It's absurd."
"Just listen to the crowd."
"That'll tell you how exciting this match is."
The cheers from the audience grew louder and louder.
Meanwhile—
For Ah Hui, the world had become silent.
Only the howling wind and snow remained.
He could see.
Within the dim white world—
Using the falling snow and faint traces of light—
He could clearly observe every tiny movement Butterfree made in the sky.
His perspective seemed to rise with it.
Higher.
Higher.
Until he was floating amidst the snowstorm himself.
BOOM!
A wave surged through the darkness ahead.
Snow scattered.
Wind exploded outward.
Rushing toward him.
Ah Hui's eyes widened slightly.
He could see it clearly.
Countless multicolored points of light appeared before him.
They formed a pathway.
Perfectly outlining the trajectory of the Ice-type energy.
The world seemed to slow down.
"BUTTERFREE!!!"
At the sound of Ah Hui's voice—
The butterfly dancing in the sky moved as though connected to him by heart.
Its wings fluttered.
Its body traced a graceful arc.
Leaving the Ice Beam's trajectory at the perfect moment.
A storm roared past an instant later.
"It dodged it!"
"Butterfree dodged Frosmoth's Ice Beam again!!!"
The commentator had risen to his feet.
Staring at the elegantly dancing Butterfree, he felt as though he were witnessing some monster with maxed-out evasion.
He had never seen a battle like this before.
On the opposite side of the field.
Zhao Xue'er's expression had become extremely serious.
Being able to manipulate weather was proof of Frosmoth's strength.
But no Pokémon—except perhaps Legendary Pokémon—possessed limitless energy for weather control.
Whether it was Gible's sandstorm.
Or Frosmoth's snowfall.
Maintaining weather consumed enormous amounts of energy.
"We can't keep going like this."
Zhao Xue'er quickly made a decision.
But instead of ending the snowfall—
She intensified it.
"Now!"
"Frosmoth, Blizzard!!!"
"Frooooth!!!"
Accompanied by a clear insect cry, Frosmoth beat its wings amidst the snow.
Taking advantage of the weather it controlled.
Pushing its energy to the limit.
Using the strongest Ice-type move it possessed.
Blizzard!
"A decisive choice."
Arms crossed, Zhou Yichuan watched the storm intensify.
"Since Ice Beam can't hit Butterfree, she chose not to conserve energy."
"Instead, she's gambling everything on Blizzard."
"Honestly, I never expected that girl Zhao Xue'er to have such a reckless streak."
"But against a move with such massive area coverage…"
"This should be the end."
"There shouldn't be anywhere left for Butterfree to dodge."
"The game of cat and mouse is over."
At that moment—
Chen Mo smiled faintly.
"Not necessarily."
"Huh?"
Zhou Yichuan turned toward him—
Only to freeze.
High above the battlefield.
Butterfree's body had become a blazing sphere of fire.
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
The commentator stared at the burning Butterfree in complete disbelief.
"Impossible!"
"This makes no sense!"
"Butterfree shouldn't be able to learn Fire-type moves!"
"What is that attack?!"
"I don't understand it at all!"
Zhou Yichuan shared exactly the same confusion.
Butterfree was one of the most extensively researched Pokémon in existence.
The Bureau had already catalogued nearly every move it could learn.
Grass-type.
Psychic-type.
Bug-type.
Flying-type.
All perfectly consistent with its typing.
But Fire-type?
That was unheard of.
"It's not a Fire-type move."
Chen Mo gazed at the blazing Butterfree.
And spoke softly.
"This is the flame that represents Ah Hui and Butterfree's life."
Back on Mount Taibai.
When Entei had healed Caterpie's congenital defect—
Something small had happened.
At the time, Ah Hui didn't understand that Entei's flames were meant to heal.
The moment Caterpie was engulfed in fire—
He threw himself forward without hesitation.
Embracing Caterpie with his own body.
And naturally—
The flames engulfed him as well.
Sacred Fire.
The sacred flame inherited by Entei from the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh.
From that moment onward—
The fire connected trainer and Pokémon.
A pair willing to risk even their lives for one another.
Waiting for the day...
It would burn once more.
"I can see it…"
Under the resonance of the flames—
Ah Hui saw a pathway emerging from within the endless blizzard.
Blizzard covered an enormous area.
But that didn't mean every point within it was equally strong.
At this moment—
In Ah Hui's eyes—
He saw a flaw.
A single opening hidden within the storm.
"That's it!"
"Straight through there!"
"BUTTERFREE!!!"
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