Over the next several days, Arthur frequently took Goldie and Bella out for battles.
Unlike before, Arthur now handled most of the fighting solo. Goldie and Bella hovered nearby as sentries, ensuring no "Mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits behind"—guarding against third-party ambushes.
While this was more time-consuming and exhausting for Arthur, the results were undeniable.
[Beedrill]
Potential: Blue
Level: 27
Type: Bug / Poison
Ability: Swarm
Height: 2.0m
Weight: 70kg
Moves: Twineedle, Bug Bite, Poison Sting, String Shot, Harden, Fury Cutter, Laser Focus, Focus Energy, Venoshock, Assurance
A week had passed, and Arthur had widened the gap between himself and the others. While Goldie and Bella were around Level 22, Arthur had surged to Level 27.
At this level, he was officially in the top tier of the Arbok's territory. Only the two or three "bosses" in the center—those above Level 30—could still be considered stronger than him.
Furthermore, the scale of their squad had increased significantly. It could now truly be called a small swarm. While the number of fully evolved Beedrills remained at five, they had added 6 Kakunas and 13 Weedles to their ranks.
Arthur had realized it was nearly impossible to "recruit" wild Beedrills; they were almost always part of established hives deeper in the forest.
However, Weedles and Kakunas were different. At the absolute bottom of the food chain, solitary larvae had a near-zero survival rate in this primeval wilderness.
Small Beedrill swarms from the inner forest would occasionally send scouts to the outer rings to "collect" these strays and bring them back for protection.
Arthur was now the only one doing this in the outermost ring.
He learned from his recruits that while the outer forest was "safer" due to fewer apex predators, the inner rings offered something else—though he hadn't figured out what yet.
"Why go deeper if it's more dangerous?" Arthur wondered. For a Beedrill swarm, the outer edge seemed like the perfect place to thrive. For now, he had no intention of moving inward.
"Focus on the goal: Level up, defeat the Arbok, and make this territory ours."
One afternoon, after a heavy meal, Arthur flew to a nearby stream to quench his thirst. As he leaned down to drink, a floating shape in the water caught his eye.
He looked up, and his heart nearly stopped.
A human?!
Floating in the shallows was a small human girl. Whether she was alive or dead, he couldn't tell. After a moment of hesitation, Arthur flapped his wings and darted across the water.
He hooked his dual stingers into her sturdy cloth tunic and easily lifted her out of the stream.
He didn't linger. The lake and its connected streams were home to Water-type Pokémon he hadn't scouted yet. He flew straight back to his territory.
Goldie, Bella, and the others buzzed over as their leader returned with a strange biological cargo. Bella hovered close, perhaps wondering if Arthur had brought back a particularly large and exotic snack.
"Do not harm her," Arthur commanded the surrounding Beedrills and Weedles.
Bella and several hungry Weedles drifted away, visibly disappointed. Whitey and Brownie, however, stayed close, staring at the strange new creature with curiosity. They had never seen a Pokémon of this "type" before.
She's still breathing...
Arthur watched the rise and fall of her chest and nodded.
It had been nearly a month since he was reborn as a Weedle. This was his first encounter with humanity.
In the Era of Pokémon, humans lived in isolated tribes or early kingdoms, constantly struggling against the "monsters" that ruled the wilds.
Most humans were terrified of Pokémon, making it extremely rare for a child to be found this deep in the forest.
For the next two days, Arthur stayed by her side. He sent Goldie and the others out to continue their training.
The local "neighbor" Pokémon had grown used to the Beedrill Gang; those who hadn't fled realized that if they didn't fight back too hard, the Beedrills wouldn't eat them.
Some even hovered near Arthur's borders, figuring that being "bullied" by Beedrills was safer than being eaten by the Arbok.
On the second night, the girl began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, landing directly on the two-meter-tall, armored giant hovering over her.
Her eyes rolled back, and she promptly fainted again.
"..."
Arthur scratched his head with a stinger. He found two Oran Berries, crushed them into a pulp, and carefully dripped the sweet, medicinal juice into her mouth.
The girl's eyelids twitched. The sweetness and the healing properties of the berries were working. She was conscious now, but her eyes remained squeezed shut, her small body trembling with terror.