Silas caught his breath for about 10 minutes before continuing to leap through the trees. The sounds had never stopped.
Whatever was fighting ahead was engaged in a prolonged battle, and judging from the rhythm of the impacts, neither side had managed to gain a decisive advantage.
As the sounds grew louder, he could finally distinguish individual impacts.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
It sounded almost like swords colliding.
The noise echoed through the forest with such frequency that it was impossible to mistake it for anything else.
Silas moved silently through the canopy, using his aura enhanced body to travel from branch to branch. The constant exertion was tiring, but he had improved considerably over the past month.
Before awakening aura, traveling like this would have been impossible. Now it felt natural, even if he could only maintain it for a limited time.
Each jump required precise control. Too little force and he would miss the branch. Too much and he would waste stamina or damage the tree beneath his feet.
After several more minutes, Silas finally arrived at the source of the disturbance.
He crouched atop a thick tree branch and looked down.
There were 4 wild Scyther fighting a swarm of Beedrill. This was a vicious battle between bug pokemon.
Scyther darted through the air with blinding speed, their scythe arms flashing repeatedly.
Every slash carried enough force to cut through thick tree trunks. The Beedrill responded just as fiercely, charging in groups while thrusting their poisonous stingers forward.
They clashed using powerful moves. Scyther used Fury Cutter and Cut while Beedrill used X Scissor and Poison Jab.
The attacks collided repeatedly. The sounds Silas had mistaken for swords were actually the result of bug-type energy clashing at high speeds.
The area was in ruins. Several trees had been sliced apart. Broken branches and wood chips littered the forest floor. Leaves swirled continuously through the air, shaken loose by the force of the battle. Several patches of earth had been churned up from repeated impacts.
Most importantly, corpses were scattered throughout the area.
Beedrill was Silas' least favorite pokemon ever. They were also the pokemon he and his team possessed the most experience fighting.
Silas scanned the combatants and saw that the Beedrill ranged from level 35 to 38.
The Scyther were all at level 42.
Individually, the Scyther were stronger. Their movements were sharper and their attacks were deadlier. Every time a Scyther landed a solid blow, a Beedrill either died or suffered a severe wound.
The problem was the sheer number of Beedrill.
At least 10 Beedrill corpses already lay scattered around the battlefield. Yet another group of roughly 10 was already approaching, wings buzzing furiously as they prepared to replace their fallen comerades.
Even if the Scyther could kill each a Beedrill in 1 blow, they still had to swing their blades 1 enemy at a time. Fatigue and injuries would accumulate before they could defeat them all.
That was the Beedrill way. They didn't thrive in single combat like Scyther or Heracross. They loved to overwhelm with numbers.
Silas' gaze shifted beyond the battle.
Immediately, he noticed the source of the swarm.
A massive tree stood in the clearing. Its trunk alone had to be nearly 100 feet in diameter.
It looked as though the original tree had once been cut down before new growth emerged from the remaining trunk.
The opening carved into the side explained everything. The tree was the Beedrills' territory.
Silas could see numerous bug pokemon moving around the giant tree.
The place was practically a fortress. The thick trunk provided natural protection, while the opening acted as both entrance and defensive choke point.
Any pokemon trying to invade would be forced to fight through Beedrill emerging from a well defended nest.
Territory disputes and food shortages were common among bug pokemon. One of those reasons was almost certainly responsible for the conflict.
Silas stared at the Beedrill.
Immediately, unpleasant memories resurfaced.
The memory of nearly dying to a swarm still lingered vividly in his mind. That experience had permanently changed the way he viewed them. He had been weak then, barely able to survive under pressure.
The blood debt would never truly be repaid but he would collect some interest today.
Seeing the Scyther desperately holding back another group stirred something within him.
Silas made his decision to help. Without hesitation, he released Ursaring and Frogadier.
Both pokemon quickly understood the situation.
Before Silas could even issue detailed instructions, they rushed into battle.
"Target the midsection."
Beedrill had a glaring weak point. There upper and lower halves were connected by a small skinny area.
Frogadier vanished. A moment later, several Beedrill fell from the sky, split in 2. Its Cut attacks were precise and lethal, slicing through the vulnerable point Silas indicated.
Meanwhile, Ursaring charged directly into the swarm. The newly evolved bear was enormous. Its towering frame barreled through the battlefield like an unstoppable force.
Even among the chaos of the battle, Ursaring immediately drew attention. A single slash sent 2 Beedrill crashing into a tree, split apart.
The Scyther quickly noticed the effectiveness of Silas' strategy. They weren't fools. After witnessing Frogadier's success, they immediately began targeting the same weakness.
The results were immediate.
Beedrill began dropping far faster than before. The swarm's momentum faltered as their numerical advantage suddenly began shrinking at a visible pace.
Several members of the swarm attempted to bypass the battle entirely and attack Silas directly.
Monferno appeared beside him and shot a Flamethrower. The approaching Beedrill scattered immediately.
Fire remained one of the most reliable counters to bug pokemon, and Monferno's control was precise enough to punish any enemy that got too close without interfering with Ursaring or Frogadier.
Silas calmly observed the battle while monitoring his pokemon's performance.
Before he intervened, the Scyther had already slain 14 Beedrill. However, they had paid a heavy price. Several carried visible wounds across their bodies. Some wounds were clean cuts. Others were puncture marks from stingers. A few movements were slightly stiff, likely from poison beginning to affect them.
The prolonged battle was taking its toll.
Fortunately, the addition of Ursaring and Frogadier shifted the balance dramatically.
One Beedrill after another fell. The swarm gradually lost momentum.
Eventually, after suffering devastating casualties, the remaining Beedrill retreated toward the hive.
The battlefield finally fell silent.
Silas exhaled slowly.
That had been a useful test. More specifically, it had been an excellent opportunity to evaluate Ursaring.
The results exceeded expectations.
After activating Belly Drum, Ursaring's offensive power became terrifying. It was exactly what Silas envisioned when he began investing Dragon Essence into Teddiursa's growth. On top of helping Ursaring learn Dragon moves, it improved his physique.
The newly evolved pokemon moved with far more power than before, and every strike carried enough force to overwhelm Beedrill within the same general class.
The newly evolved pokemon had personally killed 9 Beedrill.
Frogadier accounted for another 6.
Hermes updated him.
"You have slain 15 pokemon in the level 30-39 range. At 30 points each, you have earned 450 points but after doubling for the kill bonus, you earned a total of 900 BP."
"This gives you a total of 1,905 BP."
Silas smiled.
The number was steadily climbing.
Every BP mattered, and battles like this were exactly why he needed to keep seeking stronger opponents. He enjoyed the video game like experience of racking up points.
The battlefield itself represented another reward. Silas had his pokemon begin harvesting useful materials.
Beedrill stingers and their poison cores, anything valuable was carefully collected.
There were roughly 45 corpses present. Most of the Beedrill possessed C- Talent. Nothing extraordinary individually. However, quantity had value. In bulk, the materials would sell for a considerable amount.
The harvesting process was efficient. Silas' pokemon had grown used to this sort of work by now. Frogadier cut cleanly. Ursaring moved bodies. Monferno kept watch. Silas inspected the materials and stored anything useful.
While the harvesting continued, Silas studied the giant hive.
A thought suddenly occurred to him, a very profitable but dangerous thought. More importantly, a satisfying one.
Silas looked toward the nearest Scyther.
"Do you wish to get rid of the Beedrill entirely?"
The Scyther visibly jumped. The telepathic communication startled them.
After realizing the voice belonged to the human who had just helped them, they relaxed. Their eyes remained cautious, but no hostility was directed at him.
"These Beedrill have terrorized this area for a while now. We wish to destroy them and preserve our way of life."
Silas nodded.
Perfect, their goals aligned completely.
He proposed attacking the hive directly to address the root problem. They needed to kill the queen. If the Beedrill were allowed to recover, they would simply rebuild their numbers and continue causing problems. A temporary victory meant nothing.
The Scyther exchanged looks.
One finally responded.
"The queen is very powerful."
Silas smiled.
That was exactly what he wanted to hear. A peak pseudo advanced tier opponent. This would be a genuine challenge.
Defeating her would not be easy. However, with proper support and favorable matchups, victory was certainly possible. More importantly, Ursaring needed exactly this kind of opponent.
Fighting a powerful enemy in a desperate battle would yield great rewards if successful.
The Scyther released several loud shrieks into the forest. The sounds echoed through the trees.
Moments later, reinforcements arrived. A group of Scyther descended from the canopy.
Silas quickly scanned them.
The 6 newcomers were strong. There were 2 of them at levels 41, 42, & 43.
An impressive force indeed. This would be their strike team. Together, they would eliminate the hive.
Silas released the rest of his pokemon; Electabuzz, Monferno, Excadrill, Tropius, and Eevee.
Everyone would participate. This battle represented an excellent training opportunity, particularly for Eevee.
Silas had been carefully developing a training regimen around her affinity for psychic energy.
Stored Power increased in strength depending on the number of stat boosts currently affecting the user.
Calm Mind boosted 2 separate stats. Every use increased Stored Power's power by 40 base power.
Currently, Eevee could comfortably sustain 3 uses of Calm Mind.
The psychic crystals from Cerulean Cave had transformed her compatibility with psychic techniques.
She still wasn't strong, especially when compared to the rest of the team but wasn't the point. Today's goal was experience.
Silas crouched beside her.
"Eevee."
The young pokemon immediately looked up.
"I want you to stay beside me."
Eevee nodded seriously.
"Use Calm Mind repeatedly until you can't anymore. Then use Stored Power to target weakened enemies. Do you understand?"
"Eevee! EEE!"
The excitement practically radiated from her. Despite her enthusiasm, she maintained a surprisingly serious expression.
Silas resisted the urge to laugh. She genuinely wanted to contribute. He respected that determination.
Around them, the Scyther strike team assembled near the hive entrance. Their bladed arms gleamed under the sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Silas' own pokemon gathered nearby.
Ursaring cracked its knuckles. Monferno rolled its shoulders. Electabuzz stared toward the hive with anticipation. Excadrill sharpened its claws against a nearby rock. Even Eevee looked eager.
The atmosphere gradually changed. They all understood what came next.
The Beedrill had retreated and they knew the hive location.
The strike force had assembled. There was no turning back now.
Silas looked toward the massive opening in the giant tree. Somewhere inside waited the queen. The ruler of the colony. The source of the Beedrills' dominance over the region.
Silas smiled.
Then he gave the signal to prepare for the assault.