Multicolored beams intertwined in the air, forming a shimmering rainbow, which slowly faded away with the fall of the queen.
Deep within the forest, the Pokémon quietly gazed skyward, their eyes fixed on the shimmering form of the shiny Vespiquen and the Combees surrounding her.
"Petilil, Vileplume, come over and help treat the Combee," Aven called out, his gaze not lingering on the sky for too long.
With that brief instruction, he strode toward the fallen Combees on the ground.
"Lil!" "Plume~"
Petilil and Vileplume nodded, their bodies glowing faintly green.
The Grassy Terrain move spread rapidly across the area, covering the ground and enveloping the collapsed Combee in a soothing field of grass energy, aiding their recovery.
"Bzzz bzzz bzzz~"
Up above, the exhausted shiny Vespiquen slowly descended from the air.
Although the previous battle had ended rather quickly, the burden was still heavy for a newly evolved Vespiquen.
But she knew this was not the time to rest—her Combee swarm still needed her help.
"You've worked hard, Vespiquen," Aven said with a nod toward her.
Petilil and Vileplume let out cries of acknowledgment, their green light enveloping the shiny Vespiquen as well, helping her restore her stamina.
"Bzzz bzzz~"
The shiny Vespiquen expressed her gratitude to Petilil and Vileplume.
Once some of her strength had returned, a green glow began to radiate from her body again.
Immediately afterward, the same green light began to shine from the bodies of the Combee hovering in the air, wrapping around every injured Combee lying on the ground.
This was the move Heal Order. Previously, the former Vespiquen had used this move to restore her own strength—but shiny Vespiquen was now using it to heal the Combees instead.
As Heal Order was used, the green light surrounding the fallen Combees flickered brightly, and their injuries began to heal rapidly.
Perhaps because the move had a special effect on Combees, their recovery speed actually surpassed that of Grassy Terrain.
"Bzzz bzzzt~"
Shiny Vespiquen closed her eyes slightly, feeling through the connection.
Through the Heal Order, she could sense that a spiritual bond had been established between her and the Combee present.
She realized that with the three command moves—Attack Order, Defend Order, and Heal Order—she could now freely direct these Combees in battle.
It was clear that by using these moves, her pheromones had been transmitted to the Combees, officially making them part of her swarm.
Gradually, the Combees who had been unconscious began to stir awake, struggling to flap their wings and fly toward the shiny Vespiquen.
Through their spiritual link, they had already acknowledged her as their new queen.
As for the former ruler who had passed away, the Combee paid little attention. The change of queens was not exactly common, but it was far from unheard of.
After all, the old queen had only recently ascended to that role, and she had not held it for long before being replaced by the new one.
This was the way of the Combee species—the swarm would only ever have one Vespiquen.
When the reigning queen grew old, she would begin to nurture new potential queens.
Those female Combee raised by the queen would continually absorb her pheromones, accumulating the energy required for evolution.
However, there was never only one such female in the process of evolving.
The first to complete evolution into Vespiquen would then order the elimination of all the other potential queens that had not yet evolved.
If two female Combees happened to evolve into Vespiquen at the same time, a battle of queens would erupt—only one Vespiquen would survive, and she would become the sole ruler of the swarm.
"It's over. Although it didn't go exactly according to my plan, this isn't a bad outcome either," Aven murmured with a faint smile.
Watching shiny Vespiquen healing the Combees, he signaled Petilil and Vileplume to assist her, while he himself walked toward the white Apricorn trees in the distance.
This was one of the main reasons he had come here. With these white Apricorn trees in hand, he would have a continuous supply of material to craft Poké Balls.
"Rhy!"
Rhydon followed closely at Aven's side, rubbing its fists together in anticipation—it was itching for a fight.
"Nido, nido, nido~"
The Nidoking leader chewed leisurely on some Pokémon food, curiously eyeing the white Apricorn trees ahead.
When it learned that these trees could bear fruit, its eyes lit up and it swallowed eagerly. Anything that could get Rhydon this excited had to be delicious.
"These white Apricorns aren't for eating. Their value is far greater than you imagine," Aven said with a small smile.
He circled the white Apricorn trees, inspecting their growth.
Perhaps because the Combee had built their hive here, these trees were thriving exceptionally well.
"The next step is protection. These white Apricorn trees must be safeguarded," Aven mused, rubbing his chin.
Originally, he had intended to leave the previous Vespiquen and her swarm here to continue guarding the Apricorn grove. But now, unexpectedly, he had ended up capturing the entire Combee colony.
In theory, he could still leave shiny Vespiquen here to guard the Apricorns.
However, the orchard in Fruitvale Village still needed the Combee for manual pollination.
Perhaps splitting the Combee into two groups could work, but the range of the queen's pheromones was limited, and managing both sides at once would be too much to ask of her.
That left only one option—station some Grass-type Pokémon here as permanent guards.
Meanwhile, with the Combee swarm protecting Fruitvale Village's orchards, the village's security would take another major leap forward.
In addition, his plan to bring the Black Coast Forest into his territory would have to be accelerated—only by fully incorporating the Apricorn grove into his domain could it be properly protected.
The next three days passed in a blur, spent mostly tending to the Combee's recovery.
At the same time, Aven led the Nidoking tribe on patrols around the grove, eliminating any potential threats in the area.
"Rhy!"
As always, Rhydon charged at the front of the group.
'Come on! Isn't there anyone worth fighting around here?!' it bellowed in frustration. Not even one opponent worth my time!'
Another three days later, Sutter arrived at the Apricorn grove with a team of patrol members.
Aside from leaving behind a group of Grass-type Pokémon to guard the area, a team of patrol members skilled in cultivating berries was also required.
Fortunately, the grove was not far from Fruitvale Village and was much safer than the journey to Nidoking Valley of the Black Forest.
As a result, there were plenty of volunteers eager to sign up as rangers to protect the Apricorn grove.
Of course, the treatment here could not compare to that of the rangers in Nidoking Valley—those in the valley were considered official rangers, while the ones here would be more like a reserve force.
On the other hand, the grove was a perfect training ground for future rangers.
Aven planned to discuss this with Matthew later, arranging for experienced rangers with strong survival skills to come here for training.
This way, Nidoking Valley could serve as the main base for the rangers, while the grove would act as a training camp, producing a steady stream of qualified rangers to serve on the front lines.
"Simon, this Apricorn grove will be under your care from now on," Aven instructed.
Hearing this, Simon immediately dropped to one knee and vowed to protect the trees with his life.
Simon was now an official knight, though he still served as vice-captain of the patrol team, which was under the Knights' jurisdiction.
After giving detailed instructions on how to cultivate the Apricorn trees, Aven left a group of Grass-type Pokémon behind and set off with the Combee swarm back to Fruitvale Village.
By now, thanks to days of treatment, the Combees had fully recovered.
They swarmed closely around the shiny Vespiquen, having completely accepted her as their new ruler.
Thus, Shiny Vespiquen led her swarm out of the Black Forest and toward Fruitvale Village, where they would take up residence and become valuable assistants in pollinating crops.
In Fruitvale Village, at dawn, Mike and a group of berry farmers gathered outside the village to welcome them.
When they saw the Vespiquen leading a massive swarm of Combee, the farmers' eyes lit with amazement.
Combee were not unfamiliar to them—some had even tried to capture them before, as the Sweet Honey they produced was a rare and valuable product that could be sold for a high price.
But none had ever succeeded—Combee existed only in swarms and could not be domesticated alone.
"As expected of Lord Aven—he even managed to subdue a Combee swarm!"
"I wonder how Lord Aven plans to raise them… If we could harvest Sweet Honey from them, we'd make a fortune!"
"Yeah, and imagine if we could catch some ourselves—it'd be way more profitable than just growing berries!"
"I think, knowing Lord Aven, it's not impossible. But of course, to catch a Combee, we'd have to earn its trust first."
The farmers chatted excitedly, their eyes constantly drawn to the Combee.
Over time, their perception of Pokémon had changed completely.
In the past, they had feared "magic beasts" and dreaded their attacks. Now, they saw them as Pokémon—partners who could help them live better lives.
In their daily interactions, humans and Pokémon were becoming increasingly inseparable. What had once seemed unthinkable had now become almost instinctive.
"Uncle Mike, how's the orchard prepared?"
Leaving the swarm where they were, Aven approached Mike to check on the arrangements.
They had long prepared for the Combee's arrival, choosing a location within Mike's farm to establish their new hive.
Since the Combee were new to the village, they would need time to adjust to living alongside humans.
Housing them at Mike's farm would make it easier to care for them during this transition.
"Don't worry—it's all ready," Mike replied with a nod. "Didn't expect you to actually bring back so many Combee, though."
"All credit goes to Vespiquen—she's the one who united the swarm," Aven said.
"From now on, they'll live in the orchard. I hope everyone gets along well with them."
These last words were directed to the farmers, since the orchard's trees would now rely on the Combee for pollination.
"Of course, Lord Aven! We'll treat them well!"
One farmer then hesitantly asked, "Lord Aven… would it be possible for us to catch a Combee ourselves?"
Aven smiled. "Naturally—if you can convince a Combee to willingly leave the swarm."
His tone carried no hesitation. If a Combee truly wished to leave, he would not stop it.
And if that Combee were female, he could even help her evolve into a Vespiquen and start her own colony.
As the territory expanded, more orchards would appear, and relying on a single Vespiquen to manage them all would be impractical.
"Bzzzz bzzzt~"
At Aven's side, Vespiquen also nodded.
If a member of her swarm wished to leave, she would not object—she wanted her companions to live freely, not confined under her wings forever.
"Thank you, Lord Aven! We promise to take good care of them!"
The farmers' joy was evident as they bowed respectfully, their eyes burning with interest as they looked at the Combee swarm.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Ok now that there's only one Vespiquen I'll stop referring to her as shiny, only in situations that point it out.)