Chapter 39: A Chance Encounter with Barry

Eterna Forest

Located near Eterna City, the forest is a natural labyrinth with dense foliage, home to a variety of wild Pokémon.

On this day, Paul had brought his Pokémon here for training—both for battling and capturing wild Pokémon.

He let his Pokémon scatter to find different opponents, observing their performance during battles while offering guidance when needed.

"Poké Ball, go!"

A Poké Ball arced gracefully through the air, striking a Vileplume and successfully capturing it.

Paul picked up the ball and scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Too old... too untalented..."

After assessing the Pokémon, Paul dismissed it as unfit for his team, releasing it back into the wild.

Standing beside him like a vigilant bodyguard, his Ursaring suddenly sniffed the air, its sensitive nose picking up a sweet, distinct aroma.

The bear Pokémon was momentarily captivated by the delightful scent and instinctively moved toward its source, only to stop and regain its composure upon seeing Paul.

"Is something there?" Paul asked, noticing Ursaring's reaction.

"Ursa! Ursa!" Ursaring pointed in a direction, taking a deep breath to emphasize the smell.

"A unique scent? Let's check it out."

Paul signaled to his other Pokémon, calling them back.

"Vulpix, let's go."

The fox pokémon, in the middle of a duel with a Pachirisu, decisively used Disable to interrupt the electric squirrel's move. It then flung the Pachirisu into a bush with its psychic powers before leaping onto Paul's shoulder, activating Gravity as part of its training routine.

"Elekid, come on."

Elekid, who had been sparring with a Breloom, immediately shifted from friendly training to an all-out offensive. A swift Low Kick knocked the mushroom pokémon off balance, followed by a barrage of Thunder Punches that left Breloom incapacitated.

Grabbing Breloom by the leg, Elekid tossed it at Paul's feet. Paul swiftly captured it, scanned it with his Pokédex, and released it, all in one seamless motion.

As Paul finished, he noticed one of his Pokémon was missing.

"Where's Gible?"

"Ursa!"

"Vul!"

"Bzzt!"

All three Pokémon shook their heads, unsure where Gible had gone.

"Bzzzt!"

Elekid pointed in the same direction as Ursaring, indicating where Gible had run off to.

"Let's go."

As Paul and his team followed the trail, they noticed several Pokémon, such as Mothim and Aipom, heading toward the same area, seemingly drawn by the alluring aroma.

"Is someone using Honey here?" Paul wondered.

In the Pokémon world, trainers sometimes spread Honey on special Honey Trees to attract rare Pokémon.

Sure enough, when Paul arrived, he saw several wild Pokémon gathered around a large tree, licking the golden honey smeared on its trunk.

Not just one tree—several nearby trees had been coated with Honey at various heights, attracting Bug-types and other Pokémon with a sweet tooth, such as Aipom and Cherubi.

Hidden in a nearby bush, a blond-haired boy watched the scene intently, clutching a Poké Ball like a hunter waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Not yet… Just a bit longer… Maybe something even rarer will show up." He muttered.

His patience paid off when a Gible emerged from the underbrush, chasing a Beedrill with flames spewing from its mouth.

"Yes! A Gible! Today's my lucky day!"

The boy was about to make his move when a massive shadow loomed over him, sending a chill down in his spine.

Turning stiffly, he found himself face-to-face with an enormous Ursaring, its hungry eyes locked onto him.

"Ah!"

Startled, the boy fell back in shock but quickly regained his composure.

"This Ursaring's massive! I have to catch it!"

He grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it.

"Piplup, it's your time to shine!"

The blue penguin appeared, puffing out its chest confidently as it stared down the intimidating bear.

"Piplup, use—wait!"

The boy, Barry, froze mid-command as he noticed a purple-haired boy stepping out from behind Ursaring.

"Paul? What are you doing here? Wait… Is this Ursaring yours?"

"Yes." Paul replied curtly, scanning the scene. He spotted the Gible chasing Beedrill and noted the cluster of Pokémon drawn by the Honey.

The Gible, flames still blazing in its mouth, was leaping at the Beedrill, trying to bite its wings. But as soon as it noticed Paul, it cleverly burrowed underground and reappeared beside Elekid, feigning innocence.

"Don't wander off again." Paul said sharply. "If you're that energetic, I'll make sure you get extra training."

The Gible scratched its head sheepishly, remembering the grueling drills Paul's Ursaring had endured during training.

Barry, meanwhile, was lamenting his luck.

"Why do you get all the good Pokémon?! Ursaring, Gible, Vulpix, even a Blissey!" he exclaimed, visibly frustrated.

"Did you smear the Honey?" Paul asked, ignoring Barry's complaints.

"Yeah." Barry admitted, his mood dampened. "It's hard to find good Pokémon, so I figured I'd try this method."

"If you're not capturing them, I will." Paul stated matter-of-factly, eyeing the rare Pokémon gathered around the trees.

"Of course I'm capturing them!" Barry shot back, reinvigorated.

He turned to the Honey Trees, his eyes lighting up as he spotted a Heracross and a Munchlax among the crowd.

"Roselia, use Giga Drain on Munchlax!"

"Piplup, Whirlpool on Heracross!"

The coordinated attacks startled the other Pokémon, scattering them, but successfully subdued their targets.

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