The battle was about to begin. Eichi took out the remote and turned off the gravity device. Beedrill instantly relaxed.
Its body felt light, and its fighting spirit flared.
Heracross made the first move. It fired a Bullet Seed straight at Beedrill.
Seeds shot out like a machine gun.
"Beedrill, use Agility!" Eichi shouted.
Beedrill's body blurred. It vanished, dodging the attack with ease.
Heracross didn't stop. It kept firing Bullet Seed in a relentless stream.
Most of the seeds missed, but the barrage was too dense. One or two still struck Beedrill.
A moment later, Heracross finally ran out of seeds.
The instant the move ended, it charged straight at Beedrill with Horn Attack.
Heracross's speed was incredible.
Eichi grinned. "Good one. Beedrill, use Fury Attack!"
Beedrill gathered energy in its tail stingers and lunged forward.
Bang!
The two Pokémon clashed and stopped in place, neither gaining the upper hand.
Heracross went for another Horn Attack.
Eichi quickly ordered, "Beedrill, use Agility to dodge, then use Twineedle!"
Beedrill's body became light again as it dodged easily, leaving only an afterimage behind.
Heracross hit nothing but air.
It turned around just in time to see Beedrill appear behind it, both stingers gleaming as it tried to strike with all its might.
If Heracross was hit, Beedrill's Sniper Ability might activate, ending the fight in an instant.
At the last second, Heracross tilted its body and barely avoided the first strike.
Then, with one arm, it swung down hard.
"Aerial Ace!"
Seeing Heracross's Aerial Ace, Beedrill quickly blocked with its other stinger.
Their attacks collided again.
Both Pokémon were pushed back several meters.
Eichi frowned. "That was Aerial Ace?"
This Heracross wasn't ordinary. Its timing was precise. Even when under attack, it could counter instantly and control the flow of battle.
Realizing its speed couldn't match Beedrill's, Heracross stayed still and waited for Beedrill to approach.
Beedrill circled fast with Agility, searching for an opening.
But every time it was about to strike, Heracross's Aerial Ace would interrupt.
Eichi grew more and more intrigued. He wanted to capture this Heracross.
But first, he had to defeat it.
Beedrill was excited, buzzing with energy.
Eichi smiled. "Beedrill, use Pin Missile!"
Five sharp needles formed behind Beedrill and shot forward.
At the same time, Heracross's back glowed. It launched five of its own Pin Missiles.
The two attacks collided midair, neither side landing a hit.
They fired again and again.
Some Pin Missiles struck the ground, kicking up clouds of dust that blocked Eichi and Beedrill's sight.
Then, in a flash, Heracross burst out of the smoke with another Horn Attack.
"Beedrill, block it with Twineedle!"
The two Pokémon clashed violently once more, both being pushed back.
Eichi seized the moment. "Now, Beedrill, use Rage!"
Beedrill's tail stinger glowed purple as it charged forward.
Heracross couldn't dodge in time and took the full hit.
But as Beedrill closed in, Heracross countered with Feint Attack.
It swung its right arm in a quick slash, but Beedrill blocked with its other stinger.
The two were pushed apart again by the impact.
Heracross vanished into the dust cloud.
"Blow it away!" Eichi ordered.
Beedrill flapped its wings hard, scattering the dirt.
But when the air cleared, Heracross was gone.
"It left?" Eichi murmured. "Strange… It picked a fight with us for no reason, and now it just disappeared before we were done."
Seeing that the sky was darkening, Eichi sighed.
He had to head down the mountain before his father started to worry.
He put the matter aside for now and ran out of the Viridian Forest with Beedrill.
***
Not long after Eichi left, a shadow appeared where the battle had taken place.
Next to it stood the same Heracross from before.
***
The next day, Eichi went to the Verdant Breeding House.
He greeted each passing worker warmly, then chatted briefly with Aunt Keiko before heading to see Amelie.
She was in her office reading when Eichi walked in. She smiled elegantly.
"Congratulations, Eichi. You've been accepted into Silver Academy!"
"When the time comes, I'll give you a gift."
"Really? Thank you, Amelie!" he said, beaming.
Then he added, "I brought some honey. Would you like to buy it?"
"Oh? Honey?" she asked casually, knowing Eichi wouldn't bring her anything ordinary.
He took three jars out of his backpack.
Amelie opened one, dipped in a spoon, and tasted it.
Her eyes widened. "This is Premium Honey! Where did you get it?"
"From a Beedrill colony in the Viridian Forest," Eichi said.
He told her everything that had happened with the Rattata Poaching Group.
When he finished, Amelie gasped. "You never cease to amaze me."
"I've never heard of anyone befriending a Beedrill colony before. Most people run the other way when they see one, yet you made friends with them."
After calming down, she smiled. "So, you want to sell the honey?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. Premium Honey is rare. It sells for 10,000p per 100 milliliters in shops."
"My Day Care uses a lot of it. I'll buy it all at market price. You've got three liters, so that's 300,000p total."
She smiled. "Next time you get more, sell it to me again, okay?"