12: Section 12

Chapter 18: Caterpie and Metapod (Begging for Flowers, Monthly Tickets, and Review Tickets)

“Hmm?”

Just as Zhang Yu was about to say more, his footsteps, which had been moving forward, suddenly halted.

Then, he lightened his steps and walked towards a large tree ahead.

Once he was close enough to the large tree, he saw several Pokémon resembling caterpillars clinging to it.

However, compared to regular caterpillars, these Pokémon were exceptionally large, with their bodies measuring at least half a meter in length.

Their backs and heads were green, but their undersides were yellowish-white, and they had a pair of Y-shaped red antennae on their heads.

The moment he saw these Pokémon, Zhang Yu recognized their identity—Caterpie.

What he found particularly interesting was that, besides these Caterpie, higher up on the same large tree hung a green Pokémon that looked like a pupa.

Although its body appeared very hard, like a lump of iron.

However, at the front of its body, some faint traces of facial features could still be seen, indicating that it was also a Pokémon.

And this Pokémon was none other than Caterpie's evolved form—Metapod!

“Anchor did great! I’ve been annoyed with those people for a long time!”

“Exactly. While their experiences are sympathetic, it’s no reason for them to arbitrarily vent their malice on other Pokémon!”

“Heh heh, don’t mind those people claiming they were attacked by Pokémon. Who knows what really happened? Maybe it was just an excuse for them to vent their emotions. Besides, by watching Anchor’s live stream, I believe everyone has realized that getting attacked by Pokémon isn’t actually an easy thing. Heaven knows what they did to provoke Pokémon to attack them.”

“No matter what happened, it’s not a reason for them to randomly vent their malice on an unfamiliar Pokémon. Otherwise, it’s not like a thief stealing his things means he should take revenge on everyone in the world, right?”

“I also find those people’s thoughts somewhat incomprehensible. Although I was attacked by Magical Beasts before and once harbored extreme animosity towards them, after watching Anchor’s live stream, my impression of Magical Beasts has changed. Just as there are good and bad people among humans, the same applies to Magical Beasts. Even if I might still dislike certain Magical Beasts in the future, at least I won’t hate other Magical Beasts because of them.”

“Compared to all that irrelevant stuff, what I’m actually more interested in is, Anchor seems to have encountered Pokémon again? And a group of them?”

“Indeed, so many giant caterpillars.”

“Giant caterpillars, really? You’re calling them that because you think they aren’t much different from regular caterpillars, right?”

“Although it might not sound good, the name of this creature is indeed ‘Giant Caterpillar’ or ‘Gigantic Caterpillar.’ After all, besides their size, they really aren't much different from regular caterpillars.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember. The United States seemed to be promoting this Magical Beast as extremely dangerous? Anchor, you’d better run!”

“Run for what? What the United States says isn’t necessarily true, or rather, precisely because the United States said it, it might be wrong. Don’t forget the Oddish incident before!”

“Wait! Not just giant caterpillars, there seems to be another kind of Pokémon here!”

“That seems to be a Pokémon like a pupa? This Pokémon is really amazing, isn’t it?”

“If I’m not mistaken, this seems to be the first time we’ve seen two kinds of Pokémon living together, right? I wonder if there’s any special relationship between these two kinds of Pokémon?”

The Water Friends all expressed strong approval of Zhang Yu's actions.

After all, those few troublemakers were seriously affecting their live streaming experience.

However, they didn't dwell on this matter for too long, as it quickly passed, because at this moment, Caterpie and Metapod had already appeared before them.

Upon seeing Caterpie and Metapod, some Water Friends also noticed a problem they had always overlooked.

Although there seemed to be no conflict between Pokémon, this was the first time they had seen two different Pokémon living together like this, wasn't it?

“Since you Water Friends are so interested in these two kinds of Pokémon, I’ll give you a good introduction to them.”

Upon noticing the bullet comments in the live stream, Zhang Yu didn't hesitate and walked directly towards the large tree where the Caterpie and Metapod were located.

However, to avoid startling them, he deliberately lowered his voice and lightened his footsteps significantly.

Seeing this, Charmander, who was beside him, also learned from his previous lesson and, imitating Zhang Yu, tiptoed towards the Caterpie.

“This Pokémon that looks like a large caterpillar is called Caterpie. It’s a very weak Bug-type Pokémon.”

“This Pokémon’s nature is inherently gentle, and coupled with their weakness, they are also extremely timid. Unless you truly provoke them, they won’t casually attack people.”

“However, it’s best not to think about bullying Caterpie, after all, even a cornered rabbit will bite.”

“Moreover, the antennae on Caterpie’s head can actually release a foul odor. Not only is that odor extremely unpleasant, but once it gets on you, it’s not that easy to wash off.”

“So, I suggest everyone not to court death.”

“And after listening to my introduction, I believe everyone has already discovered that Caterpie is not dangerous at all; in fact, it can be said to be an extremely safe Pokémon.”

“As for why the United States still propagates how dangerous Caterpie is under such circumstances, that remains unknown.”

While Zhang Yu was introducing Caterpie to the Water Friends in the live stream, he himself had slowly walked up to a Caterpie.

Upon sensing his approach, the Caterpie immediately turned its head, opened its large, black eyes, and looked at Zhang Yu with a puzzled expression.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu immediately reached out and poked Caterpie’s small head.

You know what, its body is soft, and poking it feels really good.

Chapter 19: Evolution (Begging for Flowers, Monthly Tickets, and Review Tickets)

Of course, the reason he did this, besides genuinely feeling a bit itchy, was also to increase the persuasiveness of his words.

After all, as the saying goes, seeing is believing.

For those who are willing to be reasonable, this method is always somewhat effective.

“It looks like this is another very harmless Pokémon.”

“That’s right, let alone a Pokémon, even a person, if they had a slightly worse temper, an action like Anchor’s, directly reaching out and poking, would definitely make them angry, right?”

“You know what, seeing Anchor poking it with such enthusiasm, I’m getting a bit antsy too.”

“Although I don’t agree with some of Anchor’s actions, I think he’s right. The reason humans and Magical Beasts fight is largely due to the United States.”

“Exactly. The United States was one of the first countries to break out in war with Pokémon, and the theory of Magical Beast threats was also first proposed by them. Who knows what their true intentions are?”

“What else could their intentions be? They want to profit from war, of course.”

“So, the war between humans and Pokémon is indeed wrong?”

“At least from the current situation, that seems to be the case.”

“By the way, Anchor hasn’t introduced the other Pokémon yet. Don’t keep us in suspense, tell us quickly!”

“I wonder what that Magical Beast is called? Why do I have no impression of it at all?”

After hearing Zhang Yu's introduction of Caterpie, most of the Water Friends nodded in agreement.

After all, with Caterpie's current behavior, even if someone told them that Caterpie was actually a very ferocious Pokémon, they wouldn't really believe it.

Indeed, even if a few individuals had some opinions about Zhang Yu's statements, they didn't know how to refute them for the time being.

There was no way around it; the current Caterpie simply looked too harmless.

(Ding! Congratulations on successfully popularizing the Pokémon: Caterpie! You have gained: 1 point of popularization, 1 point of influence!)

(Ding! Congratulations on successfully popularizing the Pokémon: Caterpie! You have gained: 1 point of popularization, 1 point of influence!)

(Ding! Congratulations on successfully popularizing the Pokémon: Caterpie! You have gained: 1 point of popularization, 1 point of influence!)

(Ding! Congratulations on successfully popularizing the Pokémon: Caterpie! You have gained: 1 point of influence!)

At the same time, Zhang Yu also heard a series of system prompts and nodded with great satisfaction.

It seemed his hands-on introduction method was indeed very effective.

Thinking this, he immediately released his hand, no longer poking the Caterpie, and instead looked up at the Metapod above.

After feeling Zhang Yu's sinful large hand leave, the Caterpie immediately turned around and crawled away little by little.

“That Pokémon that looks like a green pupa is called Metapod. It’s also a Bug-type Pokémon.”

“I believe you’ve already noticed that this Pokémon’s shell is extremely hard; ordinary weapons simply cannot harm it.”

“What you don’t know, however, is that unlike its hard shell, its body inside is actually very soft.”

“However, due to the confinement of its shell, it is almost unable to move in this state. Similarly, it is almost unable to attack and can only rely on its hard shell to defend against enemy attacks.”

“And the reason Metapod lives with Caterpie is very simple: they are evolved from Caterpie.”

“Evolution, as it’s called, is a phenomenon that occurs during a Pokémon’s growth process. When a Pokémon meets certain conditions, it can evolve into another kind of Pokémon.”

“Generally speaking, most Pokémon in their initial form can evolve once or twice. This is also a special way for Pokémon to grow.”

“After evolving, Pokémon not only change their appearance but also their strength and personality. Some Pokémon even change their type. However, the biggest changes are in strength and appearance. Most Pokémon undergo significant changes in these two aspects after evolution, and their minds also become more mature.”

“Compared to creatures on Blue Star, evolution is a leapfrog growth that allows Pokémon to directly enter the next stage of development. If we were to use humans as an analogy, it would be evolving from a child to a teenager, and then from a teenager to a young adult.”

“Not just Caterpie, most Pokémon can actually evolve. Whether it’s Charmander by my side or the Oddish you’ve seen before, it’s all the same.”

“Only Beedrill is an exception, but it’s not that this Pokémon cannot evolve; rather, it is a Pokémon that has already evolved.”

After Zhang Yu finished introducing Metapod to the Water Friends in the live stream, he then briefly explained the concept of evolution.

The matter of evolution was clearly not something that could be explained in a few sentences, but considering that he might encounter more and more evolved Pokémon in the future, it was indeed necessary for him to give them a general concept of evolution first.

“Hiss~ Pokémon are already so powerful, can they still evolve?”

“Anchor, you’re not joking, are you?”

“This joke isn’t funny at all.”

“I think Anchor probably isn’t joking. From Caterpie’s appearance, it has almost no difference from the caterpillars on our Blue Star. And as is well known, a caterpillar, after growing to a certain extent, will turn into a pupa and finally emerge as a butterfly. Although Pokémon are different from creatures on Blue Star, they clearly share some commonalities.”