Urged on by their

  successful capture of the Gyarados, Henry managed to convince Jared into

  another daring endeavor. The rain had passed, albeit slowly, and wild Pokémon

  were beginning to leave the safety of their nests.

  "You owe

  me," he told the silent man. "That was my fight, and you had no

  business interfering." Henry wanted to snap more, but he held himself

  back. For one, doing so would amount to little. For another, well, the man

  could be terrifying at times.

  Jared paused

  considering his words before begrudgingly nodding in agreement.

  During the fight

  with the wild Gyarados, Henry and the battling Pokémon were shocked into

  inaction. The overwhelming light and noise kept them from reacting properly.

  However, while they were blinded and deafened by the powerful Thunderstrike,

  the Hitmonchan was not. While the explosion of lightning from Gyarados's

  unexpected Thunderbolt caught them by surprise, the two were quicker to

  recover.

  Before the giant

  serpent realized what was happening, Hitmonchan was standing atop it. Henry

  regained his sight in time to see the boxing Pokémon landing a rapid series of

  Thunder Punches on the hard scales. The swollen fists struck with crackling

  booms, the Gyarados jerking with each strike.

  After a series of

  highly super effective attacks, the Gyarados was twitching into

  unconsciousness. Lingering muscle spasms from electricity caused the Pokémon's

  to jerk randomly, until Jared lazily captured it.

  An anti-climactic

  end to a fight that he was waiting for over the years.

  It took Henry a

  while to calm down, ending in them moving away from the Bibarel dam. The

  structure was too damaged to hold the river back as it did before. There was no

  point staying, the wild Pokémon already having run away.

  However, he was still high off the adrenaline from the battle, and pushed for

  another raid. Even over a day later, after the storm had passed, his blood was

  singing. He was itching for another fight, even though he knew it was far too

  likely there would be anything near as exciting.

  The nearest Pokémon

  of note were the local hives, and none of the Vespiquen were recorded as

  burgeoning Alphas. Not that Henry was foolish enough to fight a Pokémon as

  monstrous as the rulers of the wilds.

  Rather, it was the

  highly protective Combee that made battling the queens a difficult endeavor.

  The swarms surrounded their matriarchs jealously, often going so far as to

  prevent their evolved counterparts from leaving the hive. While individually

  weak, a swarm of Combee was not a threat to take lightly.

  Which was why the

  two men were traveling in the direction of a newly settled hive instead.

  Reports indicated that this one was established before the primary matriarch

  was ready. The scouts noted the young Vespiquen as showing signs of an early

  evolution.

  With the

  introduction of another queen, a small hive was forced to split off lest the

  two begin to clash.

  While it was a prime

  opportunity to claim an evolved Vespiquen, even the Team's administrators

  recognized a failed attempt could ruin their long term operation. A single

  escaping Combee would rile the other hives, drawing the attention of the

  Rangers as the bees zealously hunted for their missing queen.

  Instead, Henry was

  aiming for female Combee.

  The honey producing

  Pokémon were easier to train and raise from a Combee, rather than its more

  imperious evolution. More importantly, females were often among the first grubs

  to be born in a newly formed hive. The few that survived would remain as Combee

  due to the presence of the Vespiquen's pheromones.

  Henry looked up when

  his companion grunted lowly. Looking around, he was surprised to see how far

  they traveled. Already, he could see signs that they were nearing the hive's

  territory.

  Dots of honey clung

  to trees, likely from the bumbling Combee running into the trunks. Plants and

  flowers were abundant, the pollination that the bugs engaged in bringing the

  forest into bloom.

  Moving slower, Henry

  kept a hand near his slot of Poké Balls. If they were not too close to the

  hive, then there was little risk of being assaulted early.

  "You

  ready?" Henry asked his companion in a low voice.

  The man nodded in one sharp movement.

  "Ok, remember,

  we want the females," Henry said. "Alive," he added in warning.

  Jared's hand curled

  into a fist and Henry sighed internally. It seemed the event at the river was

  stirring up the other man as well. Nevertheless, they could not afford him to

  run off the Route, especially so close to the hive.

  "After this,

  we'll move to a drop off point and take a break," he offered.

  Henry recognized

  that they both needed it, albeit it irked from having to do so. Fortunately,

  with the capture of a freshly evolved Gyarados and hopefully a few Combee, the

  payout from this patrol would more than make up for the lost time.

  Jared grunted,

  likely feeling the same as him, though for different reasons.

  "We already set

  up the net and, after you catch the bugs, we'll race towards it," he said,

  restating their plan to help refocus his partner. "We'll have to be quick

  in loosing the net, or we'll be forced to abandon entirely if the swarm shows

  up."

  Jared nodded

  silently, staring in the direction of the hive.

  Henry eyed him

  silently, trying to gauge his companion's state. It was already normally

  difficult to do so, the burn scars and his intense demeanor serving to hide

  much of his disposition. Shrugging his shoulders, Henry continued.

  "All right, if

  you're ready, then I'll wait for you to circle around," he said. "You

  should hear me start to battle, then that's your cue."

  Instead of

  responding, Jared set off. He easily disappeared into the forest with the help

  of his camouflage and natural skill.

  "Scary,"

  Henry muttered with an exaggerated shiver, hoping the man was still close

  enough to see him. He snickered when a twig snapped, the other man not careless

  enough to make such a simple mistake. Instead, it was simply his partner

  telling him that the other man was still close enough to catch his words.

  Henry crouched in

  place, pressing against a trunk to wait. He kept a close eye on his watch, the

  matte color ensuring that it would not reflect the light while it blended in

  with his gear. The device was entirely mechanical, so as to avoid the curiosity

  of the forest's Pachirisu. The electric squirrels had a habit of investigating

  electronics, often giving away their position or being a general nuisance.

  When he judged that

  enough time had passed, Henry stood up into a crouch and started to move. He

  was careful to avoid any sign of the bees or the few individuals he saw flying

  around. The female Combee would stay closer to the hive. Not to mention the additional

  difficulty in battling so close to the hive.

  However, against his

  intentions, he did not manage to make it much further before he was challenged.

  A small collection

  of Combee, gathering pollen and patrolling their territory, spotted him. Their

  hexagonal bodies contained three faces each, granting the giant bees excellent

  perception.

  This close to their

  hive, the group did not hesitate to attack. It released a Gust, crying out to

  warn the others of the small swarm. Before Henry could release his Hitmonlee,

  the other Combee added their own power.

  "Combee!"

  What was originally

  a strong breeze quickly grew into a storm of air. It slammed into him, shoving

  Henry backwards. Errant leaves and branches were picked up by the wind and

  thrown towards him.

  "Ha!"

  Henry barked out a short laugh and threw up his arms, leaning into the combined

  Gust.

  "This is

  ju-" he was abruptly cut off when a leaf flew into his mouth, causing him

  to choke. When he finally managed to spit it out, Henry continued as though

  nothing occurred. "This is just training!" he shouted.

  Nevertheless, Henry

  could feel the air begin to bruise his arms and body. While the swarm of Combee

  were not enough to blow him away completely, they could definitely hurt him.

  Giving in, he reached for his Poké Balls and unclipped one.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Pointing it away

  from him, he released Golbat out of the brunt of the combined Gust. He had to

  hold the sphere tight, lest it be blown out of his hand. Not wanting to risk

  losing it, he kept hold of the loaned Poké Ball instead of attempting to clip

  it back in place.

  The giant bat

  emerged with a near-inaudible screech, pushed back by the wind before she

  managed to recover. Unlike Hitmonlee, the Golbat was fully rested. So far,

  Henry only used the Pokémon to ward away others, or released it to feed at

  night.

  This would be the

  first test of the bat's abilities. His Hitmonlee was still recovering from the

  battle with the Gyarados, not to mention the Type disadvantage against the

  flying bugs.

  The Pokémon flapped

  her leathery wings quickly, struggling to hold itself in place. The giant bat

  looked disgruntled at being forced into a serious battle. Up to this point, the

  Pokémon was primarily used to scare off undesirables or released to feed at night.

  "It's time to

  see what you got," Henry shouted at the Golbat. "Interrupt them with

  a Supersonic." he ordered.

  The giant bat

  screeched her displeasure before directing the vocals to the swarm of Combee.

  The sound disappeared beyond Henry's hearing, but not the bug's. Several

  faltered, the painful noise their enough to disrupt the attack.

  Henry had to catch

  himself from the sudden loss of wind, lest he fall on his face. Meanwhile,

  Golbat ended up shooting forwards, her efforts to stay aloft in the tunnel of

  wind propelling her closer.

  "Channel your

  energy into a Payback," he called out as the Pokémon faltered. "Aim

  for the ones still fighting."

  The bat screeched,

  shadows seeming to gather in her large mouth. The Golbat singled out a Combee,

  flapping to rise above the bug. She dropped towards the Pokémon, wrapping her

  wings around the beast to hold on.

  Dark shadows lashed

  out as the giant bat bit into her prey, using an impromptu Poison Fang as she

  rode the bee towards the ground.

  "Bee!" the

  faces wailed, the bug's honey filled carapace cracking from the force of the

  bite. The clear, yellow fluid turned discolored as poison seeped through its

  body.

  Despite the success

  of the attack, Henry frowned at the loaned Pokémon. While it was excellent she

  followed through with another attack, he would have preferred that the giant

  bat use her wings to bash the bug instead.

  Now she was on the

  ground, with enemies in the air around her. Worse, the Pokémon's innate poison

  was spoiling the Combee-honey. The bees would not be worth capturing if he was

  not careful.

  "Gol', get back

  in the air," Henry shouted with authority. He had to act quickly before

  the bat's instincts overpowered her, admittedly little, training. "You're

  exposed. They're going to attack you."

  Indeed, the Combee

  were recovering from the sudden assault and turning to face their downed

  member. Her prey was trying to fight back, weakly struggling against the bat. A

  low hum started to build, causing the back of Henry's teeth to ache.

  "Golbat, get

  out of there!" he shouted. "Use Double Team."

  The giant bat looked

  up, dazed by the feeding. Fortunately, she still had the presence of mind to

  listen to his commands and lifted into the air. Her body started to blur as she

  tried to evade the attack.

  For all that, the

  Golbat was still too close and the Combee too wide spread. The rapidly

  vibrating wings shifted into a harsh buzz that shook her body. Golbat screeched

  in pain and surprise, dropping back to the ground as the beating of her wings

  faltered.

  "Fight through

  it, Gol'," Henry shouted encouragingly. "Shake it off."

  While his choice of

  words was probably not the best, Henry could tell that the Bug Buzz was not

  nearly as strong as it should have been. Especially if all of the Combee were

  making use of the move. Likely, one of the bugs figured out the move and the

  others were merely mimicking it.

  At least, he hoped

  so.

  Golbat struggled

  back into the air, the vibrations still shaking her body.

  "Good

  girl," he said. "Take them out with an Air Cutter."

  The Pokémon bobbed

  in place before lashing out with her wings. With the training Henry was putting

  the bat through, her musculature was improving. As such, the slices of wind

  emerged easier and faster than they did when he was first assigned the Pokémon.

  While accuracy was

  still an issue, quantity was not. Henry dodged the few that were sent his way

  with a smile, recognizing a new training regimen for the three of them. The

  blades of air carved into the bees, interrupting their tooth-grinding buzz.

  Eventually, Golbat

  had an easier time staying aloft and rose into the air. From above the small

  swarm, she kept up a steady stream of Air Cutter until the remaining Combee

  fell to the ground.

  "Excellent,"

  Henry said with a clap of his hands. Pulling free a sack of Net Balls, he

  captured the bugs worth doing so. "Now, feed and heal up. We've still got

  some fights ahead of us," he instructed.

  The Pokémon

  screeched with eagerness, only registering the instruction to feed. The giant

  bat latched onto the remaining Combee and settled into a Roost.

  Putting her Poké

  Ball away, Henry released his Hitmonlee with a grin.

  "Alright buddy,

  we're going to need your help," he told the fighter.

  The Pokémon was

  still not fully healed, with discolored bruises across his body. Several of his

  muscular coils were misshapen, the sprains from the battle with Gyarados

  keeping them from compressing properly.

  Nevertheless, the

  Pokémon was eager to battle.

  "Hit, hi,"

  he vibrated, wincing slightly from the lingering pain.

  "Don't worry,

  we just need to support Golbat," he said.

  Henry could hear a

  growing buzz in the forest, as the other Combee flew to investigate. He roused

  the Golbat with a smile, and readied an ambush.

  Together, the three

  of them fended off waves of Combee. Golbat was liberal with Air Cutters and

  Henry's skull ached from the multiple Supersonics she used to disorientate the

  bugs. Hitmonlee jumped around, never staying in one spot too long. He only landed

  a few blows, but the ones he did were debilitating.

  Even Henry managed to get in on the action, distracting the bees or fighting

  with his own body and baton. A simple stick of wood, the weapon was more for

  self-defense as most Pokémon able to battle would only be annoyed, or at most

  distracted, by being hit.

  When there was

  enough of a lull, he instructed Golbat to rest and recover while Hitmonlee did

  the same. He captured Combee and put their balls away. The female Combee would

  have an easier time evolving and settling into a new hive with familiar members

  to assist.

  Eventually, they

  were interrupted mid-fight by Jared running through the trees.

  "Time to

  go," he barked shortly, his voice rough from disuse and scars. The man did

  not bother to slow as he bulldozed through the battle, lashing out violently to

  any Combee unfortunate enough to be in his way.

  "Hitmonlee,

  return," Henry said as he snatched up the Pokémon's ball and returned the

  fighter. He did so with a noise of complaint, wanting to finish his opponents

  off. "Next time, buddy."

  Chasing after Jared,

  he called after Golbat over his shoulder.

  "Gol', cover

  our retreat with Supersonic." he shouted, not bothering to lower his

  voice. "Then Double Team towards us."

  Huffing after his

  companion, Henry heard the bees wail as they were bombarded by the high-pitch

  sound waves.

  Racing through the

  forest, the two barreled through obstructions and dodged around those they

  could not push through. There was no point trying to hide as the Combee's

  pheromones clung to his body, and likely Jared's as well. While the chemical

  signals were nearly undetectable to most, any Combee or Vespiquen would be able

  to track them for days.

  Fortunately, they

  already had a plan for that. Sprinting through

  the forest, Henry was pleased to see Golbat catch up, the illusionary doubles

  lingering behind her. He did not bother returning her, both due to the

  difficulty doing so while in a sprint and so she could deal with any Combee

  that evaded their trap.

  As the one in the

  lead, Jared was the first to see the tag they wrapped around a tree to denote

  the location of the trap. Slowly, he carefully navigated through and hid behind

  a tree. Henry followed, making sure to touch plants and trees in an effort to spread

  the clinging pheromones.

  Golbat settled on an upper branch while Henry and Jared panted from the long

  sprint. They were past the trap, with the manual trigger close to hand.

  Well, I'm panting, Henry thought as he eyed

  his partner.

  The man barely

  looked out of breath. The only indication of the run was his expanding and

  contracting chest, moving in a controlled, regular rhythm. The sight was enough

  to make Henry frown and think himself out of shape.

  It took a surprising

  amount of time for the angry buzz of the Combee to be heard. A strange noise

  heralded the swarm, light thumps and rustling of bushes, that he attributed to

  a Pokémon fleeing. Unable to contain his curiosity, Henry leaned around to spy

  the creature in question.

  His eyes widened

  when he spotted the figure racing through.

  A child, a boy if he

  was not mistaken, was dodging behind trees and looking back at the rapidly

  approaching swarm. The Combee bore expressions of fury, humming violently as

  they chased him. There was an odd bundle in his arms, slowing him

  significantly. More eye catching was the colorful Beautifly that flew just

  ahead, crying out to lead to the kid.

  Henry clenched his

  jaw, realizing the outcome if the swarm were to catch the boy. He heard Jared

  shift beside him as the other man spotted the kid as well. Cursing internally,

  Henry eyed the swarm's distance to the trap.

  Suddenly, the boy

  screamed in pain and Henry snapped his head around. The kid was on the ground,

  his only indication the desperate Beautifly whining as it bobbed over him

  anxiously.

  Lunging at the

  trigger for the net, Henry started to cut it free. Jared watched him work with

  a blank face, the eyes painfully unexpressive.

  "I know,"

  he snarled at the man.

  Not a moment too

  soon, as the Combee were readying to bombard the fallen kid, the capture net

  fell.

  It dropped from the

  forest ceiling, catching the swarm by surprise. The expanded Net Balls

  immediately started to capture the bugs, dematerializing them in flashes of

  light. As the Combee struggled, they continued to disappear and the net bound

  them tighter.

  Henry waited, his

  chest tight, until he saw the kid stand up. The boy stumbled, shouting

  something intelligible to the concerned butterfly. As he stumbled away, limping

  heavily, several Combee rose into the air. He seemed unaware of their presence,

  but the same could not be said for the bugs.

  "Golbat,"

  he shouted up to the Pokémon. "Take out the rest of them." A few

  managed to avoid the net by virtue of the swarm's size and the bat eagerly

  attacked with Air Cutter.

  Henry stepped up the

  net and used free Net Balls to catch the Combee still stuck. They wailed with a

  buzz, their multiple faces creating a migraine inducing cacophony. He spotted

  the boy jerk around in surprise with wild eyes before he ducked behind a tree.

  Jared stood and

  watched, his face still blank. His eyes moved from where the kid was hiding to

  Henry and back.

  "Don't even

  think about it," Henry warned quietly.

  "Dangerous,"

  the man said lowly.

  Henry leapt up and

  strode towards the man. Standing in front of him, he ignored the charred skin

  and permanent grimace to stare into his partner's empty eyes.

  "I know,"

  he snarled. Placing a hand on Hitmonlee's Poké Ball, he continued. "But

  I'm a poacher, not a killer."

  Jared met his glare

  evenly, unfazed by Henry's clear threat. After a beat, he bowed his head once

  and brushed past Henry to begin removing the Net Balls.

  Henry released a

  shuddering breath, cold sweat dripping down his face. Swiping it away, he

  cleared his throat and moved to quietly help his partner. Working with ease

  born of long repetition, they packed away the Poké Balls and wrapped up the

  capture net.

  With only a

  lingering glance at the hidden kid, Henry followed Jared into the forest.

  "We're

  definitely taking that break," he muttered.