As Lucas and Luxray stood up, the rustling of leaves and clothes alerted the Combee and Vespiquen, who all turned their attention toward them.
Nemona held her breath, hiding silently in the grass, while Growlithe and the others guarded her closely.
Revealed, Lucas and Luxray weren't attacked immediately; instead, all the Combee looked to Vespiquen.
For Combee, Vespiquen's orders were absolute. If she told them to attack, they'd attack. If she told them to stand aside, they'd stand aside.
Vespiquen, evolved from female Combee, drove the male Combee to build the hive and raise offspring using pheromones. To her, any intruder—human, Pokémon, or helpless animal—was a threat to be mercilessly driven away.
But as her gaze fell on Lucas and Luxray, Vespiquen hesitated. They looked weak but radiated confidence.
And the big cat was even stranger. Though it exuded no aura, Vespiquen's wild instincts screamed a warning.
Run! This is not an opponent I can defeat!
Vespiquen stayed silent for a while. Lucas and Luxray waited calmly for her verdict.
Finally, Vespiquen's ruby eyes blinked. She waved her arms, signaling the Combee to let Lucas and Luxray pass.
She wasn't certain of victory, and the human and cat didn't seem hostile. She'd see what they wanted first.
Under Vespiquen's order, a path opened through the Combee, and Lucas and Luxray exchanged glances before proceeding.
To be safe, Lucas didn't call Nemona out—just in case.
Up close, Lucas couldn't help but marvel at the Pokémon's craftsmanship. The hive's layers of hexagonal cells formed a giant, sturdy structure that could probably withstand normal Pokémon attacks.
With Vespiquen and the Combee, this hive was a local powerhouse. No wonder Lucas and Nemona hadn't seen other wild Pokémon nearby—they'd all been chased off by the swarm.
"Bzzz."
Vespiquen emitted a low buzz, seemingly asking what Lucas and Luxray wanted by intruding on her territory.
Lucas understood the culture and hierarchy of many Pokémon. The best approach with a high-status leader like Vespiquen was—
Lucas unzipped his backpack, took out neatly portioned Pokémon food, and smiled. "Vespiquen, I'd like to trade some of this Pokémon food for a bit of your honey. Would you be willing?"
Vespiquen hesitated, then suddenly flew down from the hive, making Nemona nervous.
Lucas remained calm, confident Vespiquen wouldn't attack—and that even if she did, he could handle it.
Vespiquen quickly landed in front of Lucas, looked him over, and signaled for him to follow.
Safe!
Lucas grinned and called toward the grass, "Nemona, Growlithe, Fidough, you can come out now!"
Facing Vespiquen's puzzled look, Lucas smiled, "It's alright if I bring my companions, right?"
Vespiquen nodded indifferently.
…
"Wow, this is…"
Lucas raised an eyebrow at the scene before him.
Nemona commented curiously, "Looks like the honey storage was broken into."
Vespiquen led them to the side of the giant hive, one of the places where the Combee stored nectar.
Now, there were holes of all sizes, precious honey spilled everywhere, and much more had clearly been eaten by some unknown Pokémon.
After much effort—and with Luxray helping translate—Lucas understood Vespiquen's meaning.
Vespiquen was fine with trading honey for food and was very interested in the nutritious Pokémon food, as it would help her raise stronger offspring.
But, she was troubled by a mysterious thief who kept stealing honey from the hive. If Lucas could solve this problem and find the culprit, then whenever he needed honey in the future, Vespiquen would provide it for free—as long as he didn't take the whole storage.
After thinking, Lucas accepted the task. Though it delayed Nemona's own Pokémon hunt, the benefits were too great.
The hive wasn't far from the farm—solving this would make it a stable, high-quality honey source. And if he built a good relationship, he might even get a rare female Combee for his farm.
Nemona didn't mind; she smiled, "Catching Pokémon isn't urgent. If all else fails, Teacher Lucas, you can let me catch the honey thief~"
Lucas nodded, studied the hive's damage, and quickly narrowed down likely suspects.
First, bear Pokémon and those who love sweet tastes were the top suspects. Humans were unlikely—no person would waste so much honey on the ground!
Given Paldea's wild Pokémon distribution, Teddiursa, Ursaring, Cubchoo, and Beartic were most likely.
The hive's damage was indeed caused by sharp claws, and the culprit had a keen nose—only targeting honey-filled cells. Plus, Lucas found bear Pokémon tracks nearby.
Vespiquen mentioned the thefts usually happened before sunset, when the Combee's vision was poor—explaining why they'd never caught the cunning thief.
After a moment, Lucas laid out his plan under the expectant gazes of Vespiquen, Nemona, and the Pokémon.
"The plan is simple: a classic bait-and-trap. We'll fill a container with honey and leave it in a set spot. Pawmo will use Dig to hide nearby. The Combee will patrol as usual—if the thief shows up, Pawmo will make some noise, and Luxray will take over."
Nemona worried, "But with such a keen nose, the honey thief might notice anyone hiding nearby. What if it escapes before we can get there?"
Vespiquen also looked at Lucas with concern.
Lucas smiled, patted Luxray's back, and said confidently, "Just a short distance. With Luxray, that's more than enough."