The Beedrill leader asked how the trade would work, and Eichi explained that for every 100 ml of honey, he would give them 10 packs of Pokémon Food.
He took out a pack to show it. The Beedrill leader's eyes lit up.
It thought that 100 ml of honey for 10 packs of Pokémon Food was a great deal. Beedrill didn't eat much; a single pack could feed several of them.
Ten packs would be enough for many. Besides, their colony had plenty of honey. They could trade for a large amount of food. It was a bargain.
The Beedrill leader agreed. Eichi then took out all the Pokémon Food from his backpack. He had bought more than 300 packs this time.
He had already fed them about 30 packs, leaving 300 packs—enough to trade for 3 liters of honey.
The Beedrill leader called for two other Beedrill to bring over two hives. Eichi took out several bottles and carefully poured the honey in.
He filled exactly 3 liters. Then The Beedrill leader told him to keep going, saying it would gift him another 500 ml.
Eichi smiled and poured another 500 ml before stopping.
He told the leader that Pokémon Food could be stored for up to three years, so there was no need to worry about it spoiling.
Once the trade was done, another Beedrill flew over and said something to Eichi's Beedrill.
While buzzing, it raised one of its stingers, and the other Beedrill behind it echoed in agreement.
It turned out that after eating, this Beedrill wanted to battle Eichi's Beedrill. The rest approved excitedly.
The leader explained to Eichi that the colony didn't have much entertainment.
Besides collecting nectar, they loved to battle. For Beedrill, battling was a way to strengthen bonds.
Eichi's Beedrill followed the challenger outside, and the others buzzed after them.
Eichi went too. Looking down from the trunk, a circle of Beedrill and Weedle had gathered, creating a tense battle atmosphere.
Eichi's Beedrill faced another Beedrill, one of the few in the colony with Experienced strength.
The fight began instantly. The other Beedrill fired Pin Missile, but Eichi's Beedrill dodged with Agility.
Then the opposing Beedrill also used Agility. The two Beedrill chased each other through the air, their afterimages blurring together as they collided midair.
Sometimes it was Pin Missile, sometimes Twineedle. They clashed again and again, disappearing and reappearing across the sky.
The entire swarm of Beedrill and Weedle watched intently, their eyes fixed on the high-speed duel above.
In the end, Eichi's Beedrill won. Soon, another Beedrill challenged it, and it happily continued fighting.
While Eichi was watching, the Beedrill leader suddenly spoke to him. It said they had once found two differently colored stones in the Viridian Forest and wondered if they could trade them for some Pokémon Food.
Eichi blinked. "Oh, stones? What kind of stones?"
Curious, he followed the Beedrill leader deep into the tree trunk.
They reached a pile of leaves. The leader used its stingers to peel them back, revealing two stones inside.
"This is…"
One stone glowed fiery red, while the other was entirely green.
"These are Evolution Stones, the Fire Stone and the Leaf Stone."
Evolution Stones, as the name implied, were stones that could trigger a Pokémon's evolution.
Some Pokémon could only evolve with them.
The most famous example in Kanto was Growlithe, which needed a Fire Stone to evolve into Arcanine.
Another example was Eevee, which could evolve into three known forms through different stones.
Of course, Evolution Stones came in different grades: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
A Pokémon evolved with a Beginner Evolution Stone wouldn't see any improvement in its potential.
Using an Intermediate Stone slightly raised its potential.
Using an Advanced Stone greatly increased its quality after evolution.
Naturally, the higher the grade, the rarer and more expensive the stone.
Beginner Stones were fairly common, usually costing around 100,000p.
Intermediate Stones were rarer, worth about 500,000p.
As for Advanced Stones, they were almost mythical. Eichi had never even heard of anyone owning one.
Their prices started at over a million, and even then, they couldn't simply be bought with money.
Judging from the luster and color, the Beedrill leader's two stones looked like Intermediate-grade ones.
Eichi's heart started racing. He was determined to trade for them.
He took out a box of Pokéblocks from his backpack, opened it, and offered one to The Beedrill leader.
He explained what Pokéblocks were and asked it to try one.
After eating it, the Beedrill immediately felt its effects.
The taste was delightful, it loved it instantly.
It quickly told Eichi it wanted to trade the two Evolution Stones for the Pokéblocks.
Eichi grinned and placed five boxes of Pokéblocks on the ground.
The Beedrill leader pointed at the two stones, meaning: They're yours.
Eichi picked up the stones, examined them closely, and carefully stored them in his backpack, completely satisfied.
When he came back out, Beedrill's battles had ended.
He didn't know how many fights his Beedrill had gone through, but judging by its relaxed look, it wasn't tired at all.
That made sense, there was still a large gap between his Beedrill and the others.
Seeing that it was getting late, Eichi said goodbye to the Beedrill colony.
Honestly, he felt a little guilty. Trading just a few thousand Pokédollars' worth of items for over a million's value was too much.
He tried to comfort himself by thinking, I did save them before, but it still felt wrong.
He decided he'd make it up to them someday.
Eichi slowly walked away as the Beedrill colony waved their farewells.
***
After his figure vanished, two dark silhouettes nearby quietly disappeared as well.
Eichi walked along the path out of the forest. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow across the trees.
Suddenly, a figure leaped out in front of him.
A blue, beetle-like Pokémon stood blocking the way.
Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon.
Type: Bug, Fighting.
Abilities: Swarm, Guts.
Hidden Ability: Moxie.
Eichi's eyes widened. He quickly activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor.
His pupils narrowed. This Heracross's strength was Experienced, but its potential was Outstanding, even higher than his Beedrill's.
Heracross spoke a single word: "Battle!"
So, it had come looking for Beedrill to fight.
"Alright," Eichi smiled, "Beedrill, it's your turn."