The first thing Nidoqueen did was use Earth Power.
She slammed her foot into the ground, and a pulse of energy rippled outward. The loose terrain shifted, collapsed, and then hardened, sealing the holes that had been carved out earlier. The softened earth compacted into dense stone, slowing down any Beedrill that tried to burrow back through.
Several of the intermediate Beedrill attacked first.
They represented the weaker members of the tribe—but the irony was clear. Even the "weak" among this swarm could easily dominate most other Beedrill groups. Their movements were sharp, coordinated, and aggressive in a way that spoke of constant combat.
Nidoqueen responded immediately.
A dense blue orb formed in her palm, swirling with compressed water energy before she drove it into the ground. The moment it made contact, it detonated outward into a massive wave that surged across the battlefield, sweeping up the incoming Beedrill mid-flight.
"Electabuzz, use Thunder Shock on the wave."
Electabuzz stepped forward, planting his feet firmly as his arms began rotating like wheels, building momentum as sparks gathered at the top of his head. When he released the attack, the electricity surged into the wave and spread through it instantly, using the water as a conduit to carry the current through the clustered Beedrill.
Several of them seized midair as the current passed through their bodies, their movements locking up before they dropped into the water below.
Madam and Silas moved at the same time.
They threw multiple Pokéballs into the chaos—not to make the captures easier, but to secure any successful ones immediately and prevent captured Beedrill from breaking free and rejoining the fight. In a battle like this, even a single secured capture reduced pressure.
For a moment, the strategy worked.
Then the battlefield shifted.
A massive Combee formation entered from above, forming a dense wall in the air as their wings beat in unison, producing a low, continuous hum that filled the cavern.
Then they attacked.
Dozens of Air Slashes carved downward, slicing through the air in overlapping arcs and gouging deep cuts into the ground wherever they struck. The attacks were powerful, but their speed was slightly lacking.
Nidoqueen and Arcanine adjusted their footing and began dodging, weaving between the incoming strikes without taking a direct hit.
"Now," Madam ordered.
Twin blasts of fire surged upward, expanding as they climbed and roaring toward the Combee wall.
At the last second, an emerald barrier flared into existence and absorbed the attack, dispersing the flames across its surface before they faded away.
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"So it seems that you will not be getting a Combee today."
Silas gave a small, knowing smile. "Yeah, agreed. We should get out of here while we still can."
He had already scanned them. None were female, which meant there was no chance of obtaining a Vespiquen. Without that, continuing the fight offered little long-term value.
Silas and Madam didn't hesitate.
They recalled all of their Pokémon except Dragonair and Arcanine and mounted Arcanine in one smooth motion. They had deliberately kept the exit to their backs without advancing too far into the cave earlier, and now that positioning made their retreat much easier.
"Damn it," Silas muttered, glancing back. "All those Beedrill we captured and we couldn't even secure one—"
Madam smacked him upside the head.
"You can't really be thinking about that right now?"
She didn't even look at him as she spoke, but inwardly she sighed. There really is something wrong with this kid.
They burst out of the cave just in time.
Moments later, the ground behind them erupted as the stronger Beedrill returned, tearing through the hardened terrain using Drill Run before immediately locking onto the retreating group and giving chase.
Arcanine accelerated without hesitation.
Even at full speed, it couldn't outrun them, but it could maintain the distance, which was enough for now.
Behind them, the Beedrill launched attack after attack.
Hyper Beams streaked forward in blazing lines of destructive energy while Sludge Bombs arced through the air and burst into clouds of corrosive poison wherever they landed. Arcanine adjusted its stride constantly, weaving between attacks with precise control to avoid being hit.
Then the King Beedrill moved.
It vanished from formation and reappeared at Arcanine's side, its stinger already driving forward in a Poison Jab aimed directly at Madam.
Arcanine reacted instantly.
Flames ignited along its fangs as it lunged sideways and clamped down on the stinger mid-strike. Fire surged outward, engulfing the King Beedrill's body before Arcanine twisted its head and flung it away.
The brief delay was enough for the rest of the swarm to close in.
"Now," Madam said sharply.
She released all of her Pokémon at once.
"We will fight as we retreat. Silas, handle any of the lower-level Pokémon that approach."
Monferno and Electabuzz moved into position beside him immediately.
"Use the blazing sandstorm combination."
Nidoqueen tore up the ground as a swirling tornado of sand rose into the air, and Arcanine followed by unleashing a Fire Blast into it, igniting the storm from within and transforming it into a blazing vortex that trapped several Beedrill inside.
Even so, the swarm continued pressing forward.
Five Beedrill broke through and rushed directly at Madam.
Jolteon stepped forward and unleashed Discharge, sending electricity exploding outward and engulfing them mid-flight before they dropped at her feet, their bodies twitching from the residual current.
Silas didn't stop moving.
Whenever a Beedrill slipped past the defensive line, he threw a Pokéball. Even when the capture failed, the brief delay gave them enough time to respond with a follow-up attack.
Through this method, they steadily weakened the swarm as they retreated, with roughly a third of the Beedrill defeated or captured.
But Madam's Pokémon were nearing exhaustion.
Lower-level Beedrill continued to swarm, abusing their numbers advantage to create pressure. Monferno countered them repeatedly with Flame Wheel, tearing through their ranks like a flaming wrecking ball as a faint bluish energy mixed into the flames, stabilizing and refining the attack.
Electabuzz remained in the best condition, but it would not be enough against the stronger opponents.
The King Beedrill returned to the front lines, clashing repeatedly with Arcanine. Despite the level difference, Arcanine held it in check, but the cost was becoming clear.
Poison had begun to spread through its body.
Madam fed it Pecha Berries while they moved, but the poison from an elite-tier Pokémon was not easily neutralized.
As Arcanine's movements slowed, even slightly, the group began to fall behind.
At one point, an intermediate Beedrill slipped through completely.
Madam and Silas reacted together, striking its bright red eyes with their short blades at the same time. Blood sprayed outward before it collapsed lifelessly.
"Now, Silas."
He didn't hesitate.
Multiple Pokéballs flew from his hand, striking the Beedrill one after another. Red light engulfed it repeatedly as capture attempts triggered in rapid succession, and each time it broke free, it was immediately met with another heavy attack.
The King Beedrill roared in fury.
It nearly got captured itself, only to break free and immediately take a Fire Blast midair.
Then Silas got an ominous feeling and the image of Vespiquen came to mind. .
"Madam, I think that Vespiquen is back. If it joins up with the Beedrill, we will be doomed if we stay."
"Agreed."
Within moments, all Pokémon were recalled except for Arcanine, and as soon as they mounted, Arcanine pushed itself to the limit, using Extreme Speed repeatedly despite the strain and poison coursing through its body.
The tunnel stretched forward before opening into a cavern where an underground river flowed through.
Madam didn't hesitate.
"Jump."
Arcanine leapt as far as it could before plunging into the water.
They did not resurface.
The moment they hit the water, Madam retrieved breathing masks from her pouch and handed one to Silas as they sank, both securing them in place underwater before continuing to dive deeper.
Above them, the water quickly darkened as the Beedrill flooded it with Toxic, releasing waves of poison that spread rapidly through the upper layers.
Silas and Madam continued diving.
The deeper they went, the more the pressure increased, and the visibility dropped sharply. The poison followed for a time, but eventually it stopped abruptly, as if it had reached an invisible boundary it could not cross.
Below that point, the water felt different—clearer, lighter, and faintly warm, as though it carried some kind of purifying property.
At the same time, the current began to shift.
What had once been still water turned into a pull, subtle at first but steadily growing stronger until it began dragging them downward regardless of their movement.
They were no longer swimming—they were being pulled.
Silas glanced toward Madam.
She remained calm, conserving her energy rather than struggling against a force that could not be resisted.
Silas followed her lead.
The current carried them deeper into the cavern, the last traces of light from above disappearing completely as a faint glow began to rise from below.
As they descended further, the source of that glow became clear.
A massive golden ring stood embedded in the depths, its surface etched with faint patterns that pulsed with energy while water spiraled violently around it, forming a powerful vortex.
The closer they drifted, the stronger the pull became, until it felt less like water and more like something actively drawing them in.
The current accelerated, dragging them forward as the vortex expanded in their vision, the swirling water and radiant energy blending together into a single overwhelming force.
Moments later, they were pulled into it.