"Mr. Koga, there's actually a better way. We don't need to clear the Beedrill from the hive," Feng Che said, snapping his fingers. "We can turn them."
A yellow streak of light blurred past, bringing a sudden gust of wind. The Beedrill that Koga had previously paralyzed suddenly rose from the ground. Instead of attacking, they swarmed respectfully around Feng Che's Ancient Beedrill as if it were their undisputed monarch.
"How is this possible? I struck their pressure points; they shouldn't have recovered so quickly," Koga noted, seeing that his poison needles had been extracted.
"This is my Bee King. It secretes a signaling hormone that subdues and controls common Beedrill. These workers are now our eyes and our shields."
Koga studied the creature, marveling at its robust build and four pairs of wings. "A true atavism... I can't believe you possess such a rare Pokémon."
"Indeed. It possesses a 'Leader's Aura' that can dominate any hive in this region." Feng Che snapped his fingers again, and the swarm dispersed to resume their patrol—only now, they were reporting to him. "Come, let's head into the hive to discuss the intelligence you've gathered. It's the safest place to hide right now."
The Seven Ninjas' Suspicion
Meanwhile, the Seven Ninjas were advancing through the jungle. Suddenly, the Bee Ninja—a petite, cute girl surrounded by a flurry of Beedrill and Combee—came to a halt.
"Bee Ninja, what's wrong?" asked the Spider Ninja, the group's eldest sister. Her graceful figure was hidden beneath a perfectly tailored shinobi outfit.
"I felt a momentary lapse in my connection with several hives," the Bee Ninja replied. She was a 'Special Ability User' who could communicate with and amplify the strength of bee-like Pokémon. To her, every Beedrill on the island was a living sensor. "I listened to the vibration of their wings; they claim there is no issue, yet the frequency feels... off."
"We must hurry," the Spider Ninja urged. "Hanzo Shura wants Koga found immediately. He wants a final reckoning."
"Understood. I will command every hive to empty. Nothing will hide from the swarm." The Bee Ninja opened her mouth and emitted a sharp, ultrasonic frequency only her kin could hear.
The Swarm Unleashed
Back in the hive, the Beedrill around Feng Che and Koga suddenly went into a frenzy. Even Feng Che's Ancient Beedrill struggled against the primal urge to join the mass exodus triggered by the ultrasonic command.
"Return!" Feng Che recalled his Beedrill to prevent its cover from being blown.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's the work of the Bee Ninja," Koga said grimly. "She can manipulate every bee-type Pokémon in the world. It's a terrifying ability. Luckily, she's limited to Beedrill, Vespiquen, and Combee."
Koga laid out the situation: "Hanzo's Fortress of Venom is crawling with poison-type specialists at the Pseudo-Elite level. He's at the peak of the Elite rank himself, backed by the Seven Ninjas and a small army of lower-level poachers patrolling the woods. He's built quite an empire here while I was busy in the League."
"It makes sense," Feng Che replied. "He's been plundering the world for years. If the World League could have wiped them out with a few Elites, they wouldn't have called us."
"Here is my plan," Koga continued. "We neutralize the Seven Ninjas first. If we take out the Bee Ninja, Hanzo becomes blind. I'll take on three of them; you two handle two each."
"Agreed," Feng Che nodded. "If we move fast, we can save our allies from being spotted by the swarm. But how do we draw them out?"
Koga looked at the massive hive around them and smiled a dark, crazy smile. "Simple. The Bee Ninja shares a mental bond with her hives. If we make a hive 'scream' in agony, she'll come running right to us."