Cain had plenty of experience in processing and making the best use of wild honey. After all, on his own island he raised a large group of Combee together with his Vespiquen.
However, compared to the honey from his island, the honey here was clearly of a much higher grade and far rarer.
After all, it was extremely uncommon for a Beedrill to reach the Maximum Elite level, so it was easy to imagine how rare the honey they produced must be.
Cain used his psychic power to extract chunks of golden honey from each hive. Just smelling it was enough to clear the mind and invigorate the body. If this honey were refined into special Pokéblocks, it could greatly increase a Pokémon's recovery speed.
They would have to survive on this continent for five months, and the number of battles that might occur would be countless. At that time, this honey would play a crucial role.
However, just as Cain was gathering the resources, Lucario suddenly jumped back to his side. Still wearing his bandages, he stared intently at a certain spot in the forest with a serious expression.
Cain noticed Lucario's reaction and also stopped extracting the honey.
This was the very heart of the Beedrill swarm's territory. What Pokémon would dare to appear here?
Even some Pokémon far stronger than Beedrill would not dare to casually enter the interior of their colony. The number of Beedrill was enormous, and on top of that, they were Poison-type Pokémon. If one were accidentally poisoned, it would be very difficult for a wild Pokémon to recover; if the poisoning were severe, it could even lead to a loss of strength, and in more serious cases, even a drop in level.
Crack!
Crack!
When Cain saw a thick arm pushing aside the branches—looking somewhat clumsy yet cautious—he immediately understood.
Brother, don't you and the Beedrill practically live in symbiosis?
Can you really not live without Beedrill honey?
The Pokémon that carefully emerged before Cain was none other than an Ursaring, a Pokémon that can almost always be found near any sufficiently large Beedrill swarm.
This lone Ursaring seemed to have come here more than once or twice. After confirming that there wasn't a single Beedrill present, a surprisingly human-like look of astonishment appeared on its face.
Immediately afterward, it deftly ran over to a much smaller hive, smashed it apart with one swipe, and began eating without any restraint.
After taking a huge bite, it revealed an expression of pure enjoyment. Evidently, this was far from the first or second time it had come here to steal honey. With its thick skin and sturdy body, it wasn't too afraid of Beedrill attacks. Moreover, its own strength was not weak; if Beedrill did not have the numerical advantage of the swarm, they might not even be able to deal with it.
Pokémon: Ursaring (Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 74
Type: Normal
Ability: Quick Feet
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Crunch, Take Down, Seismic Toss, Metal Claw
Basic Moves: Hammer Arm, Covet, Scratch, Leer, Lick, Fake Tears, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Sweet Scent, Play Nice, Slash, Scary Face, Rest, Snore, Thrash
Learned Moves: Hyper Voice, Low Kick, Gunk Shot, Superpower, Thunder Punch, Seed Bomb, Stomping Tantrum, Ice Punch, Uproar, Throat Chop, Fire Punch, Laser Focus
TM Moves: None
An Ursaring at the Intermediate Elite Four level—if it didn't live here, it could probably devastate a small, unprepared city. However, by living in this place, it could only take advantage of moments when the Beedrill were absent to sneak in and steal honey.
It also had to be said that, perhaps because it had eaten so much honey, its aptitude among wild Pokémon was quite good. Moreover, Beedrill's poison can be neutralized by their own honey—something very few Pokémon know. This gave a glutton like Ursaring the perfect excuse to keep eating endlessly.
But the fact that it was there devouring honey with complete indifference, completely ignoring Cain and the others watching it, was already too much.
"Ahem..." Cain cleared his throat softly.
Who would have thought that Ursaring would completely ignore the sound? At that moment, it had almost its entire head buried inside the hive—its gluttony was obvious.
Three black lines appeared on Cain's forehead. He looked at Salamence beside him, who had already gone on guard while observing Ursaring, and said, "Salamence, greet it a bit. Flamethrower!"
Upon receiving the order, Salamence didn't hesitate for even a moment. It opened its massive mouth, and an intense flame instantly condensed inside. A gigantic stream of fire shot straight toward Ursaring, who was still eating nonstop.
Boooom!
"URRSSAARR!!" Ursaring finally dropped the hive it was holding, slapped its slightly singed backside, and its eyes began to turn red as it glared furiously at the culprit—Salamence.
Salamence, of course, showed not the slightest fear of Ursaring's gaze and stared back with equal ferocity.
Bang!
Ursaring completely let go of the hive, opened its mouth, and accompanied by an angry roar, a sound wave shot directly toward Cain and Salamence.
A Key Stone appeared in Cain's hand.
"Mega Evolve! Salamence!"
In an instant, Salamence was enveloped in the multicolored energy of Mega Evolution. In less than a tenth of a second, the light dissipated, and Mega Salamence appeared before Ursaring.
Facing the shockwave of Ursaring's Hyper Voice, Mega Salamence did not fall behind. It opened its mouth wide and unleashed an even fiercer and more dominant Hyper Voice attack.
The sound waves collided with each other. Ursaring's Hyper Voice immediately lost the initiative, and Mega Salamence's sound wave surged toward it at a much greater speed.
Bang!
Ursaring was sent flying and tumbled violently across the ground.
When it finally managed to get back on its feet, its expression was completely dazed. With its simple mind and well-developed limbs, it probably couldn't understand why its own attack had ended up injuring itself.
Mega Salamence's ability is Aerilate: all Normal-type moves become Flying-type when used, and they also receive a power boost.
Flying is its primary type, so it already benefits from the Same-Type Attack Bonus. On top of that, it carried a fragment of the Sky Plate, which further enhanced the power of Flying-type moves. That was why Ursaring's Hyper Voice couldn't compete with Salamence's at all.
In Cain's plans, highly explosive Normal-type moves such as Hyper Beam or Giga Impact, which are usually used sparingly due to their heavy drawbacks, became truly godlike moves in the hands of Mega Salamence.
With some training time, Mega Salamence could turn these two moves into its greatest trump cards.
When Ursaring finally reacted, Mega Salamence's second Hyper Voice attack was already descending upon it once again.
(End of chapter)