Chapter 272: The Vespiquen
A month later, Ryan and Lillie finally arrived at Eterna Forest. During this month, they weren't in a rush, but rather leisurely enjoyed the scenery as they made their way through the forest.
During this time, the bond between Ryan and Lillie gradually strengthened. They encountered many people and Pokémon along the way, but with Ryan's current strength, he wouldn't gain experience from battling them anymore. Lillie, however, directed Shaymin and Manaphy to battle others from time to time, helping the two little ones mature quickly.
Compared to the forests Ryan and his companion had experienced, the trees in Eterna Forest were much denser. Even at midday, the forest was dimly lit. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting rays of light through the gloomy woods, creating a unique atmosphere accompanied by the rising mist.
"There are two fragments in Eterna Forest, but they're quite far apart. Which one should we go to first?"
Taking out his tablet from his backpack and locating the two points of light on it, Ryan asked Lillie. Lillie glanced at the two glowing dots on the tablet, then pointed to one and said, "This one."
Ryan looked at the glowing dot; it was closer to them, and the path was relatively easy. He nodded in agreement.
Following the tablet's directions, Ryan and Lillie headed towards the Plate fragments. But as they got closer, the number of Combee increased, and large "honeycomb walls" made of Combee appeared from time to time.
Lillie looked at these swarms of Combee and said, "Are we going to a Combee nest?"
Ryan shrugged and said, "I don't know, who cares. But if there's a Combee nest, then we might encounter Vespiquen. Honey made by the Combee under Vespiquen's command is top-quality; then we'll have a feast."
As he said this, Victini instantly jumped out of its Master Ball, its little paws making a V-sign, circling around Ryan's head and chirping happily. Seeing Victini's appearance, Lillie covered her mouth and laughed, "Looks like Victini heard us. Whether our destination is the Combee hive or not, we're going to go."
Watching the fluttering Victini, Ryan grabbed its hand and said, "Alright, alright. Let's go find the Combee hive, you little foodie!"
Victini nodded excitedly, its little nose sniffing lightly. Soon it made a discovery and began leading the way, flying towards a waterfall. Ryan and Lillie exchanged a glance and smiled, then quickly quickened their pace, running in the direction Victini had gone.
Victini sniffed lightly; the faint fragrance in the air was irresistible. Although the scent was faint, as a true foodie, Victini's nose was still very sharp. Following the scent, it arrived at a waterfall. Victini scratched its little head in confusion: Had it smelled wrong?
Ryan and Lillie caught up. Victini waved its arms at them, pointing to itself and then to the waterfall, indicating that its sense of smell had been disrupted by the water vapor. Looking at the waterfall, Ryan noticed a narrow path leading behind it and pointed to it. Ryan and Lillie followed the path to the back of the waterfall.
Victini saw their movements and flew over from the side of the waterfall. There was a cave behind the waterfall, and as soon as Victini flew in, it took a deep, intoxicating breath, drool dripping from its mouth: "What a sweet smell!"
Ryan and Lillie chuckled at Victini's impatient, greedy expression. This interrupted Victini's reverie. Wiping the drool from its mouth, Victini waved to Ryan and Lillie, meaning, "Let's hurry up and get going!"
Following Victini's lead, Ryan and Lillie wandered through the maze-like cave. Gradually, a light appeared at an exit in the distance. Lillie said excitedly, "Looks like we've arrived."
Ryan nodded with a smile, but when the two stepped out of the cave, they were faced with a huge, deep pit. The entire pit was filled with pale blue crystal formations, emitting a pale blue light—this must be the light they had seen earlier. The pit was densely packed with countless entrances, but there should only be one correct one.
Victini flew down into the pit, looked around, sniffed gently, and then pointed to an entrance, excitedly calling out. Ryan used his Psychic to slowly float down with Lillie, landing outside the entrance Victini had pointed to.
Victini called out a few times, then rushed into the cave. Following Victini into the cave, they found themselves in another maze-like tunnel with so many branching paths that it would have taken Ryan and Lillie three or four days to navigate without Victini leading the way.
Taking out the tablet from their backpacks, Ryan and Lillie checked it and realized they were heading in the direction of the Plate fragment. Lillie said, "They say people who smile a lot have good luck, and it seems this little foodie's luck is quite good too."
Victini flew ahead, leading the way for the two. But after a while, the path ended, and a solid wall blocked Ryan and Lillie's way. Victini called out to Ryan, meaning: the fragrance is behind this wall, but something is blocking it.
As it called, Victini placed its hands in front of its chest, and a ball of light appeared in its hands with V-create. By the light, Ryan and Lillie could see the "wall" in front of them.
This "wall" was not a wall at all, but clearly a wall made up of Combee! Ryan and the others had spotted them, and the Combee had also spotted Ryan and his group. The Combee angrily buzzed, and the sonic waves of their Bug Buzz were directed at Ryan and his group.
"Meloetta, Hyper Voice!" Ryan immediately sent out Meloetta.
As soon as Meloetta appeared, a high-frequency sound wave erupted from its mouth, relentlessly suppressing the Bug Buzz of the Combee. The Bug Buzz of the Combee was utterly powerless against Meloetta's Hyper Voice.
The Hyper Voice suppressed the Bug Buzz of the Combee and then struck them directly. Caught in confusion, the Combee could no longer maintain the integrity of the "wall," which collapsed, and an orange light shot out from the shattered "wall."
A magnificent amber structure floated in the air, supported by a series of amber supports.
Just as Ryan and Lillie were marveling at the structure's design, swarms of Combee flew out of it, surrounding them. Then, a majestic Vespiquen, accompanied by the Combee, flew out of the structure, looking down at the humans before her.
(End of Chapter)
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