Just as Cain had anticipated, when he led his Pokémon deep into the heart of the entire Beedrill swarm, he encountered the Beedrill leader who possessed the Maximum Elite level, along with a large number of ordinary Beedrill and several Beedrill at the Elite level.
According to Cain's original temperament, he would undoubtedly have summoned some more powerful Pokémon to resolve the confrontation as quickly as possible and save time.
But now, Cain's mindset and ideas had changed somewhat. He preferred that Salamence, Gardevoir, Lucario, and Venusaur handle these Beedrill entirely on their own. Even if the pace of the battle was somewhat slower, and even if the Pokémon had to endure certain injuries, he considered it acceptable.
An unpolished gem cannot become a valuable tool. No matter how outstanding a Pokémon's aptitude is, no matter how great its talent may be, without the refinement of real combat, it is ultimately useless.
Moreover, both Salamence and Gardevoir already possessed Elite Four–level strength. Against the Beedrill leader, they were not at a disadvantage; as long as they acted normally under Cain's command, wiping out the entire Beedrill swarm would not pose great difficulty.
The idea was good, of course, but sometimes things do not progress as smoothly as one imagines.
High-intensity battles always carry high risks. At the beginning, under Cain's command, the four Pokémon fought in an orderly manner, and the Beedrill could not do much to them. However, as time passed, mental and physical exhaustion began to show. As the battle dragged on, injuries became inevitable.
At that moment, it became evident whether a Pokémon was truly competent.
Some Pokémon began to falter. It was not that they did so intentionally, but that they had not experienced such long and difficult battles before. Beedrill are Poison-type Pokémon; after being poisoned, the body can lose control to a certain extent, which easily leads to a vicious cycle of increasingly severe injuries.
Among them all, Salamence's will was the firmest. Even while injured, it did not reduce its combat effectiveness in the slightest.
This showed that a Pokémon's strength cannot be evaluated solely by the superficial data it displays, but also by its character and the many internal qualities it possesses.
That is why situations sometimes arise in which the weak defeat the strong: because the visible numbers do not truly reflect a Pokémon's inner strength.
The reason Cain did not summon more Pokémon in this battle against the Beedrill swarm was precisely to force their internal weaknesses to surface. Only in this way could he address the problem at its root and find an appropriate solution.
Sometimes it must be said: the power of example is truly immense. Salamence's tenacious and unyielding fighting spirit managed to inspire Lucario, Gardevoir, and Venusaur.
As the saying goes, those who keep good company learn good things. Salamence succeeded in influencing Lucario and the others, helping them understand the attitude with which they should face prolonged and difficult battles.
When all the Beedrill in the interior of the swarm fell to the ground without combat capability or fled, the forest sank into a brief silence.
Only the heavy breathing of Salamence, Lucario, and the others could be heard, bearing witness to how exhausting the battle had been.
Cain crouched beside them, took out some special preparations and healing sprays from his backpack, and began treating the injuries of Lucario, Venusaur, and the others.
With just a single battle, a tremendous change could already be perceived in the eyes of Lucario and Venusaur, as well as in their overall demeanor.
Although the battle had been harsh and Cain's consumption of resources had not been small, as long as the Pokémon could grow from it, everything was worth it.
Moreover, with Cain being an advanced-level breeder, in a continent so rich in resources, how could he worry about such a small expense?
"Lucaarr!" Under Cain's care, Lucario lowered its head slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Cain smiled at the sight of Lucario sitting on the ground with an embarrassed expression and could not help but pat its head, feeling the somewhat short fur beneath his hand.
"You haven't experienced many battles. Although your master Blaziken taught you a lot of knowledge and combat techniques, all of that was learned through real combat and does not necessarily suit you completely. You should know that when Blaziken was young, he cried in his very first battle! Compared to that, what you're going through now is nothing."
Although Cain was talking about how Blaziken cried after being injured in his first battle, for Lucario this was not its first battle, but rather the first one of such high difficulty and with such a great risk of being injured.
Upon hearing Cain's words, Lucario looked at him with an expression of disbelief, as if asking: really?
In Lucario's mind, its master Blaziken had always been a Pokémon full of energy and passionate about combat, as well as extremely strict during training. It had never imagined that he had also gone through such a moment.
Cain smiled and nodded. In his heart, he could only apologize to Blaziken for revealing that little "secret" in front of his apprentice, though he was sure Blaziken would understand.
Seeing Cain nod, the determination in Lucario's eyes grew stronger and stronger.
Lucario had never been a Pokémon that feared combat. It was simply that its living environment from childhood and the atmosphere Cain provided had caused it to come into contact with combat relatively late. Fortunately, as a Pokémon endowed with the power of aura, whether in physical condition or personal growth, it possessed an excellent foundation.
"So work hard. Catching up to your master is not an impossible dream; you also have that potential," Cain gave Lucario his final encouragement.
"Lucaarr!" Lucario expressed its anticipation for the arrival of that day.
In addition to Lucario, Gardevoir and Venusaur also received Cain's comfort. These Pokémon had either been by his side since birth, receiving meticulous care, or had followed him from a very young age, without previously participating in truly harsh battles.
In short, they lacked experience in difficult fights.
The only one Cain was not worried about at all was Salamence. The strength of its heart was probably among the top three of all Cain's Pokémon.
After treating the physical injuries and overcoming the emotional blow suffered by Lucario and the others, Cain finally had time to properly investigate the forest where the Beedrill swarm was located.
Here, most ordinary Pokémon could not enter, so many resources had been preserved exceptionally well. Collecting them took Cain quite some time.
However, what interested him the most was the enormous hive located in the central tree: inside, there must be a large amount of wild honey!
(End of chapter)