"Bagon, Dragon Dance!"
"Horsea, Focus Energy!"
Cain gave instructions to the two small Pokémon.
Bagon's Dragon Dance had already been trained to a fairly smooth level.
Cain's team still included Altaria, a veteran Dragon-type Pokémon. Although she could no longer be considered the strongest of the group, she remained the most skilled in mastering Dragon-type moves.
Bagon and Horsea completed their stat boosts.
They looked at each other and headed together into the Combee Forest.
As soon as the Combee detected Pokémon invading their territory, an entire swarm launched at them.
"Greet them with Dragon Pulse," said Cain as he stood still under the protection of Slowking and Mismagius.
Upon hearing him, Bagon and Horsea simultaneously spat out a beam of light-purple energy that struck the group of Combee head-on.
Combee are a typical example of a matriarchal species.
Only the females can evolve into Vespiquen.
The males, for the most part, can't aspire to anything beyond being workers or Vespiquen's escorts.
Only Vespiquen can continuously produce new Combee.
Cain preferred Combee over Beedrill.
Additionally, Combee are experts in honey production, something Beedrill can't match.
If possible, Cain was quite interested in capturing some good Vespiquen and taking them to his island.
A Combee colony with Vespiquen could not only produce large quantities of high-quality honey for making Pokéblocks, but would also be profitable simply by selling the honey.
And even more: if trained uniformly and with planning, a large number of decently strong Combee could become a true defensive force for his island.
Just imagine: Combee everywhere—no wild Pokémon would dare cause trouble there, and no Pokémon could casually enter.
Even if someone tried to invade the island by force, the Combee—present in every corner—could instantly neutralize them.
And compared to Beedrill, Combee were easier to control and coexist with.
The first wave of Combee wasn't very strong and was soon defeated by Bagon and Horsea.
It was no effort for them.
But it wasn't long before, alerted by the sounds of battle, a newer and larger wave arrived.
This time, a Vespiquen came among them.
She was surrounded by a swarm that escorted her with an imposing air.
Under Cain's orders, Bagon and Horsea didn't hesitate in the slightest—they charged directly at them.
Both radiated a spirit that clearly declared they wouldn't stop until the entire Combee swarm was eradicated.
Time flies in the midst of battle.
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.
Bagon and Horsea already showed some injuries, but the number of defeated Combee and Vespiquen at their feet was considerable.
At that moment, both Pokémon emanated an intense and sharp aura.
Of course, after so long fighting, the Combee that continued to appear were much more powerful.
They weren't opponents that could be taken down quickly.
Even so, neither of them showed fear, which greatly pleased Cain.
His Pokémon got along well with each other, probably influenced by more aggressive companions like Tyranitar, Aggron, and Blaziken. That combative attitude seemed to have spread to the rest.
Bagon, by nature, was a very competitive Pokémon.
The fact that Larvitar—who used to be his equal—had turned into a massive beast was an infinite motivation for him.
In his mind, perhaps he too could become as powerful as Tyranitar someday.
Horsea, on the other hand, was more like the former Poliwag: without major personal desires, fought when it was time to fight, trained when it was time to train. Her life was methodical and well-planned.
That was fine with Cain; he never forced her. So far, she didn't show any signs of lagging behind.
Boom— boom— boom—!
While Cain was deep in thought, a sound of heavy footsteps began to rumble through the forest.
Upon hearing it, the remaining Combee and Vespiquen—who just a second ago had been charging in—suddenly froze, as if deeply frightened, and scattered in all directions.
Seeing this reaction, Cain immediately frowned.
Such heavy footsteps indicated that a large Pokémon was approaching. And since it was coming from within the forest, it was clear the Combee already knew exactly what it was.
The sound came closer and closer.
And with it, metallic noises also began to be heard.
As if metal plates—or some extremely hard material—were rubbing against each other.
It was a sound similar to the scaled armor of ancient generals clashing as they moved.
It also resembled the jingling of a massive bell.
"Slowking, detect its presence," ordered Cain.
From the sound, it shouldn't be far.
And the direction of the footsteps made it clear it was coming straight toward them.
Boom— boom— boom— boom—!
Clang clang— clang clang—!
Slowking extended his psychic perception and soon located the source of the sound.
Unfortunately, Cain couldn't use his own telepathy to see what Slowking was sensing.
But after detecting the Pokémon, Slowking's expression changed drastically.
He turned completely pale.
Cain didn't need anything else to know they were in trouble.
Slowking had been detected while using his psychic ability, and judging by his expression, it was clear the approaching Pokémon was truly strong.
"Slowking, be ready to use Teleport at any moment," said Cain.
Slowking nodded gravely. His psychic energy enveloped everyone present, ready to act.
However, Bagon seemed to have sensed something.
He stood frozen, staring intently in one direction, without moving closer to Cain.
"Bagon..." Cain managed to say, but trailed off.
Rays of bright light began to reflect from inside the forest.
As if someone were playing with multiple mirrors among the foliage.
Zing— zing—!
The sound of scales rubbing together was now intense. That meant it was very close.
Cain looked up and finally saw it: a figure moving forward with its chest high and an imposing stride, the scales on its body clashing as it walked, reflecting flashes of light throughout the forest.
A huge tail covered in thick scales hung behind it like a massive hammer, swaying back and forth like a bell.
"Kommo-o!" Upon seeing the Pokémon emerging from the forest, Cain's pupils contracted violently.
(End of chapter)