The Bug-type Pokémon in this forest might be under the influence of an unknown power, leaving them with nothing but the primal urge to feed and reproduce, Feng Che mused.
"Torracat, do you sense anything unusual?" he asked. The cat shook its head immediately.
"In that case, let's test a theory. Come out, Scyther!"
The moment Scyther emerged from its Poké Ball, it stiffened.
[Scyther: Didn't I just eat breakfast? Why do I feel like I'm starving again?][Scyther: That tree sap... it smells so irresistible. I have to taste it.]
"Return, Scyther!" Feng Che recalled it instantly. He now knew for certain: this influence specifically targeted Bug-types.
Activating his psychic senses to scan the area, Feng Che detected a strange, rhythmic sound—two long beats followed by one short, repeating with mechanical precision. He pulled a laptop from his storage bracer, connected to a custom-made high-sensitivity radar.
"Exactly as I thought. There's a specific frequency being broadcast across the forest. Humans can't hear it, but Bug-type Pokémon receive it perfectly. It's a sonic pulse designed to trigger an uncontrollable feeding frenzy. Is this a natural anomaly... or is it man-made?"
As Feng Che prepared to venture deeper into the woods, a swarm of Heracross and Pinsir burst through the thicket.
Heracross is a large, bipedal beetle encased in a deep blue carapace. It sports a massive, powerful horn on its forehead, flanked by two antennae. Though usually docile, a Heracross whose feeding is interrupted will use its immense strength—capable of lifting a fighter jet—to toss its opponent aside.
Currently, these Heracross were anything but docile. Their eyes glowed a berserk crimson. Several lowered their heads, charging toward Feng Che with a devastating Megahorn.
Feng Che used Teleport, vanishing as the beetles slammed into the earth where he had stood. They tumbled over each other in a comical heap of flailing limbs.
Heracross are notoriously shy; they never initiate attacks on humans. This frequency has completely rewritten their personalities, turning them into engines of aggression, Feng Che noted.
Behind them, a group of Pinsir brandished their heavy, spiked pincers. Pinsir are brown insectoids with horns capable of snapping massive trees. They possess the raw power to lift twice their own body weight with ease.
"Go, everyone! Torracat, Frogadier, Corvisquire, Farfetch'd, Vulpix, and Alolan Vulpix!"
Feng Che released six of his partners in a single flash. "Show them your training. Especially you, Farfetch'd—I found you a whole forest of sparring partners. If you don't make progress today, you know the consequences."
[Farfetch'd: Oh, I'm sure you did this just for me. Thanks a lot...]
The duck swung its meter-long leek, batting away the incoming Pinsir like pesky flies. Torracat unleashed a series of precision flames, charring the charging beetles mid-stride. Frogadier condensed a massive Water Pulse, launching it into the air before slamming its palms onto the ground, instantly freezing the drenched Pinsir in blocks of ice.
Corvisquire beat its wings to create a localized gale, sweeping the bugs into the air before delivering surgical Pecks to their carapaces. Meanwhile, the two Vulpix coordinated their Flamethrower and Ice Beam in a perfect elemental crossfire.
"Your strength is quite impressive."
A youth holding a bug-catching net emerged from behind a tree, leaves fluttering from his hair. "I saw the flames and feared a forest fire. I arrived just in time to see your Pokémon in action. I am Bugsy, the Gym Leader of Azalea Town."
"I'm Feng Che, a traveling trainer," Feng Che replied with a polite nod as his team finished off the first wave. He used his telekinesis to toss Poké Balls, capturing the defeated specimens for further screening.
"Gym Leader Bugsy, there's a specialized sonic wave deep in the forest controlling these Pokémon," Feng Che explained. "It's forcing them to feed and breed at an accelerated rate. If your team is primarily Bug-type, I suggest you keep them in their balls for now."
"I see. In that case, I'll rely on my only Grass-type, Jumpluff."
Bugsy released the round, blue Pokémon. Jumpluff isn't a powerhouse, but its Cotton Guard makes it an excellent defensive support.
"The evolution cycle here has reached an insane speed," Feng Che continued gravely. "Caterpie are becoming Metapod and then Butterfree in mere hours. The entire forest is being devoured."
"We must stop it," Bugsy said. "If the forest is pushed to the brink, the Guardian, Celebi, will appear to save it."
Celebi... I finally understand, Feng Che thought, a flash of insight connecting the dots. This is the work of Pryce, the Masked Man. He's orchestrating this catastrophe to force Celebi out of hiding so he can capture it.
He's likely using the high-frequency broadcast device he stole from the Lake of Rage. Does he really want to go toe-to-toe with me?
Feng Che harbored a healthy fear of Pryce. The old man was a monster in battle. However, with Bugsy present, Pryce likely wouldn't reveal his true identity or full strength for fear of exposure.
"Let's head deeper," Feng Che said.
Deep Within the Forest
An elderly man stood before a glowing green shrine, his eyes filled with a fanatical, weary longing. "Soon... Celebi won't be able to ignore the forest's agony much longer."
Beside him, a large industrial machine hummed, broadcasting the frenzy-inducing waves.
"Last time, I failed because my Poké Ball wasn't strong enough," Pryce muttered. "But now I have a Master Ball. I will capture the Voice of the Forest and claim the power of time."
His lifelong obsession was to return to the past and rescue the Lapras he had lost in a glacier years ago. For this, he had controlled Ho-Oh and Lugia, and kidnapped talented children to serve as his "Masked Children." Everything was for this moment.
"Lapras... I'm coming for you." Tears filled the old man's eyes.
Suddenly, he stiffened. "My ice traps have been triggered. Infuriating... someone is always interrupting at the critical moment. Sneasel, Weavile, go! Turn the intruders into ice!"
Pryce flicked two Poké Balls into the snow.