A brilliant glow radiated from the Vespiquen's body.
She raised one elegant arm and pointed toward the intruder, the thieving Mothim, and issued a sharp command to her loyal Combee.
At once, the swarm responded, their tiny wings beating furiously as they surged forward, ready to strike with a [Bug Bite] assault.
But the Mothim was no novice. It had clearly done this many times before.
With a quick flick of its wings, it darted upward out of reach, clutching its stolen honey.
Then it began to flap its wings rapidly.
A shower of glittering dust rained down from above, sparkling like a sky full of stars.
The Combee beneath inhaled the shimmering powder without realizing its danger.
Within moments, drowsiness washed over them.
Thump… thump!
One after another, the Combee crashed to the ground, fast asleep.
Even the Vespiquen was caught in the cloud. She shook her head desperately, trying to fight the growing haze in her mind, but the hypnotic powder was too strong.
Her body grew heavy, and she collapsed beside her fallen swarm, slipping into deep slumber.
The Mothim let out a smug hum, its antennae quivering with delight.
Instead of fleeing, it swaggered deeper into the hive, feasting greedily.
Honey!
Golden, fragrant, abundant, far more than it could ever dream of.
This was paradise!
It slurped from comb to comb, gluttonously devouring the spoils without a trace of shame.
In a dim corner of the hive, a smaller Combee had escaped the powder's effects.
It trembled as it watched the scene unfold, terror and helplessness flickering in its six tiny eyes.
Gathering its courage, the little Combee darted out of the hive, wings buzzing frantically.
It sped through the night air toward the nearby cabin.
Through an open window it squeezed, then began bumping its small head against Megan's shoulder.
Half-asleep, Megan stirred.
Rubbing her eyes, she murmured, "Huh? What's wrong, little Combee?"
"Bee!" the Pokémon cried anxiously, its tone sharp and panicked.
Even without understanding its words, Megan could sense something was terribly wrong.
"The hive, something happened?" she asked, suddenly fully awake.
"Bee! Bee!" the Combee nodded rapidly.
Without a moment's hesitation, Megan threw on her coat and bolted from the room.
In her rush, she didn't even wake her brother Chris.
As she ran past the pond, the six Magikarp resting there noticed her urgency.
Startled, they leapt from the water with loud splashes, trying to catch her attention.
But Megan didn't stop.
She reached the hive, and froze.
Under the pale moonlight, she saw it: the wild Mothim buried in honeycomb, devouring mouthful after mouthful of golden nectar.
Anger surged through her chest.
That honey was the fruit of everyone's hard work!
"Stop!" she shouted.
The Mothim turned lazily at the sound.
Its red eyes regarded the thin human girl with utter indifference before it went right back to eating.
Megan's fury boiled over.
She grabbed a pitchfork from the wall and stepped forward. "I said stop!"
The Mothim's gaze hardened. A faint pink glow filled its eyes.
An invisible wave of psychic energy burst forth-[Psychic]!
"Ah!" Megan cried out as the blast struck her squarely, hurling her several meters through the air.
She crashed beside the pond, the pitchfork clattering to the ground.
Splash! Splash!
The Magikarp who had been watching everything from the water froze for a heartbeat, then a fierce rage ignited within their eyes.
The Mothim, its belly full and its wings heavy with stolen sweetness, drifted lazily out of the hive. Its eyes flicked toward the trembling human girl who dared to stand in its way.
But then, it felt it.
Six piercing gazes, cold and unyielding, locked onto it from behind.
The Mothim turned.
On the pond's moonlit surface floated six Magikarp, their normally vacant eyes now filled with fury.
"Magikarp…?"
Mothim tilted its head in confusion.
"Y-you monster!" Megan shouted, still shaking but forcing her voice steady.
"Give back the honey you stole!"
The Mothim's wings fluttered once, its compound eyes narrowing in disdain.
Honey it stole? Ridiculous. This was the spoils of its own skill; why should it return anything?
With a contemptuous hum, the Mothim beat its wings. A flurry of shining scales burst forth, swirling into a howling gust, [Silver Wind].
The glowing gale swept toward Megan, its shimmering dust cutting through the night like knives of light.
Megan instinctively threw up her arm to shield her face.
She never saw what happened next.
Behind her, the pond suddenly flared with an otherworldly white glow.
The six Magikarp, once small and helpless, convulsed within the light, their bodies stretching, twisting, scales flaring like molten metal.
A low roar rumbled through the air.
In the span of a heartbeat, six enormous serpentine forms erupted from the water, Gyarados.
Their bodies coiled high above Megan, scales gleaming like armor, eyes burning with primal rage.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The air trembled as the six dragons rose in unison, their gazes locked on the Mothim that hovered mid-air.
The thief froze, its wings faltering.
The honey slipped from its claws, tumbling to the ground.
A heartbeat later, one Gyarados opened its maw.
Inside, a milky-white sphere of light gathered, growing brighter and brighter, until it burst forth as a massive beam of energy.
The [Hyper Beam] roared through the night.
The blast struck the Mothim squarely.
For an instant its body glowed like a falling star, then it vanished into the darkness beyond the hills.
Silence.
Only the faint hum of the air remained.
The nearby Combee, still dazed from their earlier battle, stared wide-eyed at the scene before them.
Megan slowly lowered her arm, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. When she opened her eyes, the intruder, the honey thief, was gone.
She blinked in disbelief.
The hive was safe… but something felt off.
A shadow moved behind her.
Cautiously, Megan turned, and froze.
Six enormous serpentine beasts loomed over her, their jaws massive, their scales glinting with reflected moonlight.
"AAAAAAAAH!!"
Her scream echoed through the ranch.
She stumbled backward, falling onto the grass, unable to move.
But the six Gyarados didn't snarl.
Instead, their monstrous faces softened with almost childlike innocence, confused by her fear.
The commotion jolted Chris awake.
Hearing his sister's cry, he bolted from the house, eyes widening at the sight of the towering dragons. Without hesitation, he ran to her side, pulling her behind him protectively.
Moments later, the noise drew the attention of the patrolling knights.
Torches flickered in the dark as they rushed to the ranch, and froze when they saw the six Gyarados looming over the pond.
"By the gods…" one stammered.
Another shouted, panic in his voice, "Go! Summon Lord Geralt and Prince Lucien!"
These were no ordinary Pokémon, they were far beyond the knights' ability to handle.
But none of them noticed what was truly remarkable.
The six great beasts made no move to attack. They simply watched Megan and Chris quietly, their crimson eyes calm and almost… gentle.