In a lush forest, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patches of light on the ground.
As the battle began, Heracross displayed its formidable presence, its eyes sharp and spirited, as if declaring its dominance to Venomoth.
Wen Qi took a deep breath, striving to calm himself. He knew that in this battle, where there was a gap in levels, composure and strategy were the keys to victory.
"Venomoth, use Supersonic to disrupt it!"
Wen Qi attacked first, shouting loudly.
Venomoth flapped its massive wings, emitting a powerful supersonic wave.
Heracross seemed caught off guard by the sudden attack, its movements briefly slowing.
Wen Qi felt a flicker of joy inside, knowing this was an opportunity.
"Next, use Poison Powder!"
Venomoth quickly released toxic powder from its body, drifting toward Heracross.
Heracross was enveloped by the poison powder, and its body began to show signs of discomfort.
But it was a powerful Pokémon after all, soon breaking free from that state and charging angrily at Venomoth.
"Watch out, Venomoth, dodge its attack!" Wen Qi called out anxiously.
Venomoth agilely flapped its wings, tracing an elegant arc in the air, successfully evading Heracross's charge.
However, Heracross didn't let up. It immediately followed up with a "Horn Attack," its sharp horn gleaming coldly as it thrust straight at Venomoth.
Wen Qi's heartbeat quickened, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Venomoth, use Psybeam!"
Venomoth shot a multicolored beam from its mouth, colliding with Heracross's Horn Attack, creating a powerful shockwave.
The surrounding leaves rustled loudly, and dust flew everywhere.
In the intense clash, Venomoth was pushed back a few steps, but it stubbornly kept flapping its wings, maintaining its balance in the air.
Heracross also retreated slightly due to the recoil.
"Keep it up, Venomoth, we can't give up!"
Wen Qi cheered loudly for Venomoth.
Venomoth seemed to feel its trainer's encouragement, its gaze growing more determined.
It flapped its wings again, flying toward Heracross while using "Sleep Powder."
Heracross didn't see this coming. It inhaled the Sleep Powder, its eyes growing dazed and its movements sluggish.
Seeing this, Wen Qi was overjoyed. "Now's the chance, Venomoth, use Absorb!"
Venomoth swiftly lunged at Heracross, piercing its sharp proboscis into Heracross's body to drain its life force.
After a brief daze, Heracross suddenly snapped awake, violently shaking its body to fling Venomoth off.
Venomoth crashed heavily to the ground, and Wen Qi's heart clenched.
"Venomoth, get up!"
Venomoth struggled to rise from the ground, its wings slightly damaged and its body clearly exhausted.
But its eyes remained fixed on Heracross, showing no sign of backing down.
Heracross was now battered as well, but its fighting spirit remained high.
It charged at Venomoth again, this time using "Megahorn."
Wen Qi's eyes widened.
"Venomoth, use Double Team to dodge!"
Venomoth instantly split into multiple copies, and Heracross's attack missed.
However, this only made Heracross angrier, as it kept attacking the copies, trying to find the real Venomoth.
"Now's the time, Venomoth, use Giga Drain!"
Wen Qi seized the moment to shout.
Venomoth lunged at Heracross again, this time successfully draining a large amount of life force. Heracross's body began to wobble.
Wen Qi watched the battlefield tensely, knowing this was the decisive moment.
Heracross forced itself to stand, attempting a final counterattack.
But its strength was spent, and it eventually collapsed to the ground.
Venomoth, also exhausted, slumped to the ground. Wen Qi quickly ran over and cradled Venomoth in his arms.
"You did great, Venomoth, we won!"
Wen Qi said excitedly, his eyes brimming with emotion.
Venomoth let out a weak cry, as if responding to its trainer's praise.
Though the battle was tough, Venomoth ultimately triumphed through unwavering faith and tenacious will.
Wen Qi noticed the fallen Heracross and quickly took out a potion to treat it, while having his Gogoat use Grassy Terrain to heal both Venomoth and Heracross together.
First, Wen Qi used his Viridian Force to treat Venomoth, and soon it was mostly recovered.
Then, Wen Qi went to help Heracross.
With the combined effects of the Super Potion, Wen Qi's treatment, and Gogoat's Grassy Terrain, Heracross soon woke up, though it still seemed weak.
Mainly because its physical condition had been too poor before, and even with Wen Qi's help, the issue couldn't be fully resolved.
It would likely take a Turtwig with life energy to make a difference, and the final healing effect would depend on the recovery energy of the small world.
Looking at the weakened Heracross, Wen Qi understood that this was partly due to injury and partly due to hunger.
The earlier loss of life force was probably because it hadn't eaten enough before, and after breaking through, it hadn't replenished its energy, leading to the depletion.
Wen Qi took out some energy cubes and handed them to Heracross.
At that moment, the weakened Heracross saw the energy cubes Wen Qi offered, and its eyes lit up instantly, the once-dull gaze suddenly igniting with a spark of hope.
It eagerly opened its large, powerful mouth, biting into the energy cube with a faint crunch as its sharp teeth met the cube.
Heracross chewed heartily, making satisfied gurgling sounds from its throat, with fine crumbs clinging to the corners of its mouth falling off as it chewed.
It ate so eagerly, so greedily, as if it had been starving for a long time. Each swallow seemed difficult yet filled with a craving and enjoyment of the food.
Its tongue kept licking the crumbs around its lips, afraid of missing any bit of flavor.
The chewing grew faster, the swallowing more frequent, and its whole head swayed slightly with each bite, as if completely immersed in the delicious energy cubes.
Soon, the energy cubes in its hand were gone, but its longing eyes still fixed on Wen Qi, as if begging for more.
This food wasn't just tasty; it also felt like its energy was slowly being replenished, speeding up its recovery.
Such high-quality food, Heracross had only experienced before during the annual festival, when it tasted the sap from the leader's thousand-year-old tree.
However, that tree belonged exclusively to the leader, and even other Heracross at the gym level were only granted a tiny portion by the leader each year.
So Wen Qi gave Heracross another pile of energy cubes.
At this point, while eating the energy cubes, Heracross let out a few cries.
Wen Qi understood what it meant.
"Can I really eat these every day from now on?"
"Of course. As long as you become my Pokémon, these are basic food. There'll be even better ones later, so just stick with me obediently."
After hearing Wen Qi's words, Heracross said nothing more and just focused on eating.
Truly a big guy, with an appetite to match—it ate even more than the nearby Scizor.
Looks like another bottomless pit.