Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Seeing the male Scolipede get knocked back by his attack, Arbok's crimson eyes flashed with disdain. Without hesitation, he slithered forward, his serpentine body gliding across the ground with ease.
At the same time, flames ignited in Arbok's mouth as he sank his fangs into the male Scolipede with Fire Fang.
Although Arbok wasn't entirely sure about the Scolipede's exact typing, he had encountered enough Bug-type Pokémon in various forests to make an educated guess.
His sharp instincts picked up on the telltale features of a Bug-type, and his judgment proved to be correct.
As his flame-imbued fangs sank into his opponent, the male Scolipede let out a pained scream, its agony evident.
Not letting his opponent retaliate or escape, Arbok swiftly coiled his massive body around the Scolipede with Wrap, squeezing tightly.
He then continued his relentless assault, opening his fiery jaws again and again to bite down mercilessly.
The air was soon filled with the male Scolipede's anguished cries.
Struggling through the pain, the Scolipede attempted to fight back with Bug Bite, Poison Sting, and Megahorn, but due to Arbok's resistance to these attacks, they felt like nothing more than minor scratches.
Even with the natural tenacity of Bug-types, the male Scolipede stood little chance. After being bitten in the same wound multiple times with Fire Fang, and with Arbok's constriction tightening around him, his struggles weakened until he finally lost consciousness.
Seeing his opponent defeated, Arbok uncoiled himself and disdainfully tossed the Scolipede aside before slithering back to Sato's side, awaiting further orders.
"Well done. Here, this is for you."
Sato smiled approvingly at Arbok and pulled out a thick, juicy deer leg from his bag, offering it to the massive serpent.
Though Sato hadn't had Arbok for long, one meal was enough for him to understand the Pokémon's preferences. While Arbok, as a high-level Poison-type, wasn't particularly picky about food, he clearly preferred raw meat.
More precisely, Arbok had a natural inclination to consume fresh, bloody prey—especially Pokémon flesh.
However, Sato found the idea of feeding Pokémon to Pokémon unsettling, so he only allowed Arbok to eat common, fast-reproducing wild animals like pheasants, rabbits, and deer.
Arbok wasn't entirely pleased with the restriction, but he didn't protest. To him, Pokémon and regular animals were similar—Pokémon just happened to taste better.
Of course, if there ever came a time when it was necessary to dispose of enemies, Sato wouldn't be opposed to letting Arbok devour both them and their "stubborn" Pokémon.
The moment Arbok saw the deer leg, his eyes gleamed with hunger. After such an intense battle, he was feeling a bit peckish.
Without hesitation, he opened his massive jaws and swallowed the entire leg in one gulp.
Sato watched in mild astonishment as Arbok's slightly bloated body quickly returned to its original state. At the same time, the wounds and shattered scales caused by the Scolipede's attacks were visibly regenerating at an incredible speed.
This was a testament to Arbok's powerful regenerative abilities—given enough food, his body could recover at a remarkable rate.
Meanwhile, Golbat, Shiny Beautifly, and Growlithe had already finished their own battles. Their opponents had only been a handful of low-level Venipede and Whirlipede, making for an easy victory.
In less than ten minutes, the entire skirmish had ended. The female Scolipede's ambush, meant to defend her family, had instead resulted in a brutal counterattack from Sato.
The Scolipede family had numbered nine in total, all non-Kanto-native Bug-types, which meant Sato had far exceeded his capture quota for this mission.
Although the female Scolipede had been severely injured, she hadn't actually lost her ability to fight. Her earlier bout with Swampert had only left her temporarily unconscious, and she quickly regained her senses.
However, rather than stand her ground, she immediately turned and fled—completely abandoning her mate and offspring without hesitation.
With her Speed Boost ability, she moved incredibly fast. Sato had no chance of catching her, and in the blink of an eye, she had disappeared from sight.
In the end, Sato captured the male Scolipede, three Whirlipede, and a single Venipede using black PokeBalls. Of the four remaining Venipede, he only took one with a regular PokeBall.
Though the female Scolipede had escaped, she left behind one offspring with decent potential—one that had inherited Speed Boost, just like her.
This Venipede was the only one among the seven offspring to possess the coveted ability.
In fact, the male Scolipede had an individual total value of 162, making him superior in overall potential compared to the female.
Unfortunately, he lacked Speed Boost, meaning he was weaker in battle and less capable of escaping. That was why he had always been overshadowed by his mate.
Sato checked the newly captured Venipede's details:
Pokémon: Venipede
Level: 15
Type: Bug/Poison
Ability: Speed Boost (Hidden Ability)
Gender: Female
Known Moves:Defense Curl, Rollout, Poison Sting, Screech, Pursuit, Protect
Egg Moves: None
Taught Moves:Pin Missile
Held Item: None
IVs:
HP: 22/31
Attack: 22/31
Defense: 30/31
Sp. Attack: 19/31
Sp. Defense: 31/31
Speed: 25/31
Overall IV Rating: Purple (Total IV: 149)
...
While this Venipede wasn't the most talented of the offspring, her Speed Boost ability dramatically increased her value.
Sato was certain that if he put her up for auction, Bug- and Poison-type specialists would eagerly bid high amounts for her.
A Speed Boost Scolipede was a prized asset. Upon evolving, it would naturally learn Baton Pass—a crucial move.
Furthermore, Scolipede could also learn Iron Defense and, most importantly, Swords Dance.
In competitive battles, as long as a Speed Boost Scolipede could stay on the field for a couple of turns, its speed would rise by two stages.
During that time, it could set up with Swords Dance or Iron Defense, and then use Baton Pass to hand off those buffs to a sweeper, practically deciding the outcome of a match.
In short, a Speed Boost Scolipede was an invaluable partner for any ace Pokémon.
When Sato saw the female Scolipede flee, he felt an odd sense of loss. He had hoped to capture her as a powerhouse support for his Swampert or Nidoking.
But fortune hadn't abandoned him entirely—he had still managed to obtain a Speed Boost Venipede, and that was enough to satisfy him.
"Golbat, Nidorino, Arbok… and now this Venipede. Plus, I'll have a Gengar in the future. Am I unknowingly heading down the path of a Poison-type Elite Four member?"
Sato chuckled to himself as he examined the PokeBall containing his new capture. Then, glancing at the loyal Arbok and Golbat by his side, he couldn't help but find the idea amusing.