In a lush green forest, even the noon sunlight was dim.
Amid the sea of green, a Beedrill radiating authority, wearing what looked like a vest, flew swiftly toward a certain direction.
Following behind it was a young man in a tight sports outfit, Yoshino Eichi.
Over the past few days, Beedrill had fully adapted to the doubled gravity.
With the help of the weighted gear, its speed had increased again.
Its training in all kinds of moves had also improved; Eichi felt that Beedrill's move training was nearly complete.
He planned to buy some TMs to teach it new moves, but he was short on money.
Then he suddenly remembered something. Within Beedrill colonies, there was a kind of special honey they produced, known in stores as Premium Honey.
The honey Beedrill usually drank came from the nectar they collected daily.
However, that was the most common kind of honey.
It was said that within Beedrill colonies, there existed a superior honey that was extremely rare.
The price at the Department Store was ridiculously high.
Eichi had seen a 500 ml bottle selling for 50,000p.
That was daylight robbery! Just thinking about it made him envious.
It was said that this honey greatly boosted the speed of any Pokémon.
Unfortunately, it was produced in very small quantities. This time, Eichi planned to visit a Beedrill colony to see if he could trade for some.
After they met a wild Beedrill instructed his to ask for it to guide them to its colony. He followed this wild Beedrill as it led the way through signals unique to its species, guiding them toward the colony's nest.
Along the way, they encountered many different kinds of Pokémon. The Bug-type ones didn't flee when they saw him, and even allowed Eichi to pet them without fear.
He knew this was the effect of his Bug Force, which granted him extraordinary affinity with Bug-type Pokémon.
After about an hour of walking and resting, they finally arrived.
The Beedrill colony's nest was deep in the forest. At the center stood a towering giant tree.
Its massive trunks intertwined, the thick foliage blocking most of the sunlight, surrounded by other trees that stood like stars encircling the moon.
Colorful flowers blanketed the ground beneath, spreading a sweet fragrance through the air.
On the huge tree hung countless Kakuna, and countless Weedle played nearby. It was a spectacular sight.
As Eichi and Beedrill stepped into the giant tree's area, countless red lights flickered across the trunk.
A swarm of Beedrill burst out. The leading one saw Eichi's Beedrill and stopped in front of it.
Eichi activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor and discovered that the leader's potential was Good, and its strength level was Experienced.
Only a few Beedrill in the colony had Good potential; most were Ordinary.
Only a handful had Experienced strength, while the rest were Rookie level. But there were simply too many of them.
The Beedrill began to communicate among themselves and Eichi quietly activated his Bug Force to listen in.
They were basically welcoming Eichi and his Beedrill as guests.
They also introduced the colony members to Eichi's Beedrill.
Eichi felt dizzy, there were too many of them, and they all looked almost the same, so he didn't bother remembering them.
But judging from Beedrill's expression, it seemed to remember every one of them. Incredible!
Then Eichi's Beedrill told the leader that Eichi could understand their language.
The leader turned to him and spoke in Beedrill's own buzzing voice:
"Human… welcome."
Eichi replied, "My name is Eichi. You can call me Eichi."
"Eichi…" repeated the Beedrill leader.
After a brief exchange, the leader invited Eichi and Beedrill to come inside.
Eichi agreed, and they followed the leader up the giant tree.
Beedrill lifted Eichi by the armpits with its twin stingers and flew upward.
Once atop the giant tree, he felt like he had stepped into another world.
Dense tree roots wove together everywhere. In one corner, heaps of structures resembling beehives were piled up.
The thick canopy above blocked most of the light, allowing only small rays of sunlight to pierce through.
Though dim, it was still bright enough to see everything clearly.
Eichi found a spot to sit down. The Beedrill leader took one of the hive-like structures from the pile.
There was a small hole at the top. Using one stinger, it pierced through and brought it to Eichi and Beedrill.
"For you… eat…" the Beedrill said.
Eichi quickly took out two bowls and spoons from his backpack.
He used the spoon to widen the hole and poured out the golden, crystal-clear liquid inside.
He filled one bowl halfway, then poured half to Beedrill and kept the rest for himself.
He scooped a little with the spoon and tasted it.
"Mmm! So sweet."
It was delicious, and judging from Beedrill's expression, it agreed.
Eichi praised the honey, and the Beedrill leader looked pleased.
He took another taste; it was even better the second time. Soon, he had finished his share.
After drinking someone else's gift, Eichi couldn't leave empty-handed. He took out some Pokémon Food from his backpack.
He also pulled out several feeding bowls and poured the food inside.
He explained to the leader that it was Pokémon Food and invited them to try.
The Beedrill leader tasted it, finding that it wasn't as sweet as honey, but still had a strangely pleasant flavor.
Then it called the other Beedrill over to eat. There were a lot of them.
Fortunately, Eichi had brought plenty. The food was basic, cheap Pokémon Food, but enough to share.
That was all Eichi could afford anyway.
While they ate, Eichi chatted with the Beedrill leader.
The leader told him that the honey they gave him was their finest honey.
It was produced in very small quantities, and even they rarely drank it, only doing so once in a very long while.
They usually drank the ordinary honey, but with so many in their colony, even that was often not enough.
Every day, they had to go out and collect nectar to make more.
The Beedrill leader also told Eichi about the time they went out to fight another Pokémon colony, only to be ambushed by poachers. Many had died or been injured.
Hearing this, Eichi finally understood how difficult life was for the Beedrill colony.
Individually, they might not be strong, but together, they had countless companions.
Then Eichi proposed a trade.
The Beedrill leader tilted its head in curiosity. "Trade?"
Eichi smiled. "Yes. I'd like to exchange this Pokémon Food for some of your best honey."