Chapter 221: Queen Bee

"Hello, Combee!"

Rex smiled and greeted the Combee.

However, the Combee showed no reaction. Instead, they continued to confront Rex without launching an attack.

Faced with this situation, Rex considered retreating from the valley to reconsider his approach. But after taking a few steps back, he noticed that the path he entered from was also blocked by Combee, clearly indicating they didn't want him to leave.

Rex was momentarily at a loss. If the Combee had attacked directly, he could have commanded his Pokémon to counterattack without hesitation.

But now, with the Combee neither allowing him to leave nor attacking, Rex felt uneasy, unsure if he should strike first.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. A Vespiquen, surrounded by many Combee, flew over. The sky was filled with Combee, clearly indicating a complete colony led by this Vespiquen.

Vespiquen resembled a bee, with red eyes and white pupils, and a structure resembling a ruby above its eyes. Small wings flanked its orange face, and its hands and body were black. The lower part of its body expanded and had black and yellow stripes, resembling a beehive when viewed from below.

The Vespiquen's body served as a nest for its offspring. It nurtured them within its beehive-like body, feeding them with nectar collected by the Combee. In times of crisis, the offspring would emerge from six hives to fight back.

A Vespiquen leads only one colony, releasing various pheromones to freely command its offspring in battles. The more pheromones it releases, the more Combee it can control. Once its underlings build a nest, any intruder will be dealt with and turned into its food.

Using his Pokédex, Rex learned about some of Vespiquen's habits. He suspected that Vespiquen now considered him an intruder, and if his strength wasn't enough, the outcome wouldn't be favorable.

At this moment, Vespiquen was also observing Rex. As the queen of the colony, its experience surpassed that of ordinary Combee. It knew that human trainers could be formidable foes, capable of raising powerful Pokémon despite their own weakness.

Vespiquen faced two options: either drive the human out of the valley, risking exposure of the colony, or kill the intruder to ensure the colony's location remained secret. But it hesitated, unsure if Rex's Pokémon were too strong and might bring disaster to the colony.

While Vespiquen pondered, Rex released his Swellow. He knew he needed to display his strength to make Vespiquen cautious.

His move made Vespiquen wary, though it resisted the urge to order an attack, as it hadn't fully recovered its strength.

Vespiquen sensed a powerful aura from Swellow, and involuntarily took a few steps back.

After Rex revealed his strength, Vespiquen finally abandoned the idea of commanding an attack. It signaled the Combee blocking Rex's path to step aside, planning to let him leave.

However, Rex had no intention of leaving after finding a Combee colony. He wanted to negotiate with Vespiquen, asking for permission to capture some Combee.

But Rex struggled to find a reason that would convince Vespiquen to agree to such a bold request.

If Rex directly asked to capture some Combee, Vespiquen might immediately attack, despite its wariness of Swellow's power.

Rex was confident that his Pokémon could defeat Vespiquen and the Combee, capturing them all. But doing so would make him no different from Pokémon hunters.

Such actions could become a slippery slope, and Rex felt it was important to maintain some principles. If he couldn't uphold even basic standards, his moral boundaries might keep eroding, which was not what he wanted.

Vespiquen grew increasingly impatient as Rex hesitated. It felt it had already compromised, but the trainer still showed no intention of leaving its territory, fueling its anger.

Realizing that further delay would lead to a battle, Rex decided to leave the valley and search for solitary Combee elsewhere or return to Hoenn.

As Rex prepared to leave, he noticed a scar on Vespiquen's waist, which seemed to be festering rather than healing.

Normally, wild Pokémon's strong self-healing abilities allow them to recover from most injuries. But when a wound refuses to heal, it becomes a serious problem, causing pain and significantly reducing the Pokémon's strength. In severe cases, it could even threaten the Pokémon's life.

"Vespiquen, I can help heal your wound and even boost your strength. In return, could you allow me to capture some Combee?"

Rex pointed to Vespiquen's injury and asked.

Hearing that Rex wanted to capture Combee from its colony, Vespiquen's eyes flashed with anger. But upon hearing he could heal its wound, it hesitated.

The scar on Vespiquen's waist was inflicted by a Drapion that had previously invaded the valley. Although Vespiquen had driven the Drapion away, it had left a wound mixed with Drapion's poison and dark-type energy, making it impossible for Vespiquen to heal on its own, causing it constant pain.

This injury was one reason Vespiquen hadn't immediately ordered an attack on Rex upon his arrival. Its strength had diminished, and it couldn't afford to take more damage.

Vespiquen warily eyed Rex. If this human could heal its wound, allowing him to capture some Combee might be worth it, as long as it could recover and continue leading the colony.

But Vespiquen feared Rex might deceive it and take advantage of its weakened state, so it couldn't fully trust his words.

"I can treat your wound first, and once the treatment is complete, you can decide whether to let me capture some Combee. How does that sound?"

Rex noticed Vespiquen's concerns and offered to treat the wound first. He believed that once Vespiquen experienced the benefits of his treatment, it wouldn't regret making the deal.

Of course, if Vespiquen betrayed him after the treatment, Rex would have reason to subdue it and capture some Combee as compensation for his services.

(End of Chapter)