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    Urged on by their successful capture of the Gyarados, Henry managed to convince Jared into another daring endeavor. The rain had passed, albeit slowly, and wild Pokémon were beginning to leave the safety of their nests.


    "You owe me," he told the silent man. "That was my fight, and you had no business interfering." Henry wanted to snap more, but he held himself back. For one, doing so would amount to little. For another, well, the man could be terrifying at times.


    Jared paused considering his words before begrudgingly nodding in agreement.


    During the fight with the wild Gyarados, Henry and the battling Pokémon were shocked into inaction. The overwhelming light and noise kept them from reacting properly. However, while they were blinded and deafened by the powerful Thunderstrike, the Hitmonchan was not. While the explosion of lightning from Gyarados''s unexpected Thunderbolt caught them by surprise, the two were quicker to recover.


    Before the giant serpent realized what was happening, Hitmonchan was standing atop it. Henry regained his sight in time to see the boxing Pokémon landing a rapid series of Thunder Punches on the hard scales. The swollen fists struck with crackling booms, the Gyarados jerking with each strike.


    After a series of highly super effective attacks, the Gyarados was twitching into unconsciousness. Lingering muscle spasms from electricity caused the Pokémon''s to jerk randomly, until Jared lazily captured it.


    An anti-climactic end to a fight that he was waiting for over the years.


    It took Henry a while to calm down, ending in them moving away from the Bibarel dam. The structure was too damaged to hold the river back as it did before. There was no point staying, the wild Pokémon already having run away.


    However, he was still high off the adrenaline from the battle, and pushed for another raid. Even over a day later, after the storm had passed, his blood was singing. He was itching for another fight, even though he knew it was far too likely there would be anything near as exciting.


    The nearest Pokémon of note were the local hives, and none of the Vespiquen were recorded as burgeoning Alphas. Not that Henry was foolish enough to fight a Pokémon as monstrous as the rulers of the wilds.


    Rather, it was the highly protective Combee that made battling the queens a difficult endeavor. The swarms surrounded their matriarchs jealously, often going so far as to prevent their evolved counterparts from leaving the hive. While individually weak, a swarm of Combee was not a threat to take lightly.


    Which was why the two men were traveling in the direction of a newly settled hive instead. Reports indicated that this one was established before the primary matriarch was ready. The scouts noted the young Vespiquen as showing signs of an early evolution.


    With the introduction of another queen, a small hive was forced to split off lest the two begin to clash.


    While it was a prime opportunity to claim an evolved Vespiquen, even the Team''s administrators recognized a failed attempt could ruin their long term operation. A single escaping Combee would rile the other hives, drawing the attention of the Rangers as the bees zealously hunted for their missing queen.


    Instead, Henry was aiming for female Combee.


    The honey producing Pokémon were easier to train and raise from a Combee, rather than its more imperious evolution. More importantly, females were often among the first grubs to be born in a newly formed hive. The few that survived would remain as Combee due to the presence of the Vespiquen''s pheromones.


    Henry looked up when his companion grunted lowly. Looking around, he was surprised to see how far they traveled. Already, he could see signs that they were nearing the hive''s territory.


    Dots of honey clung to trees, likely from the bumbling Combee running into the trunks. Plants and flowers were abundant, the pollination that the bugs engaged in bringing the forest into bloom.


    Moving slower, Henry kept a hand near his slot of Poké Balls. If they were not too close to the hive, then there was little risk of being assaulted early.


    "You ready?" Henry asked his companion in a low voice.


    The man nodded in one sharp movement.


    "Ok, remember, we want the females," Henry said. "Alive," he added in warning.


    Jared''s hand curled into a fist and Henry sighed internally. It seemed the event at the river was stirring up the other man as well. Nevertheless, they could not afford him to run off the Route, especially so close to the hive.


    "After this, we''ll move to a drop off point and take a break," he offered.


    Henry recognized that they both needed it, albeit it irked from having to do so. Fortunately, with the capture of a freshly evolved Gyarados and hopefully a few Combee, the payout from this patrol would more than make up for the lost time.


    Jared grunted, likely feeling the same as him, though for different reasons.


    "We already set up the net and, after you catch the bugs, we''ll race towards it," he said, restating their plan to help refocus his partner. "We''ll have to be quick in loosing the net, or we''ll be forced to abandon entirely if the swarm shows up."


    Jared nodded silently, staring in the direction of the hive.


    Henry eyed him silently, trying to gauge his companion''s state. It was already normally difficult to do so, the burn scars and his intense demeanor serving to hide much of his disposition. Shrugging his shoulders, Henry continued.


    "All right, if you''re ready, then I''ll wait for you to circle around," he said. "You should hear me start to battle, then that''s your cue."


    Instead of responding, Jared set off. He easily disappeared into the forest with the help of his camouflage and natural skill.


    "Scary," Henry muttered with an exaggerated shiver, hoping the man was still close enough to see him. He snickered when a twig snapped, the other man not careless enough to make such a simple mistake. Instead, it was simply his partner telling him that the other man was still close enough to catch his words.


    Henry crouched in place, pressing against a trunk to wait. He kept a close eye on his watch, the matte color ensuring that it would not reflect the light while it blended in with his gear. The device was entirely mechanical, so as to avoid the curiosity of the forest''s Pachirisu. The electric squirrels had a habit of investigating electronics, often giving away their position or being a general nuisance.


    When he judged that enough time had passed, Henry stood up into a crouch and started to move. He was careful to avoid any sign of the bees or the few individuals he saw flying around. The female Combee would stay closer to the hive. Not to mention the additional difficulty in battling so close to the hive.


    However, against his intentions, he did not manage to make it much further before he was challenged.


    A small collection of Combee, gathering pollen and patrolling their territory, spotted him. Their hexagonal bodies contained three faces each, granting the giant bees excellent perception.


    This close to their hive, the group did not hesitate to attack. It released a Gust, crying out to warn the others of the small swarm. Before Henry could release his Hitmonlee, the other Combee added their own power.


    "Combee!"


    What was originally a strong breeze quickly grew into a storm of air. It slammed into him, shoving Henry backwards. Errant leaves and branches were picked up by the wind and thrown towards him.


    "Ha!" Henry barked out a short laugh and threw up his arms, leaning into the combined Gust.


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    "This is ju-" he was abruptly cut off when a leaf flew into his mouth, causing him to choke. When he finally managed to spit it out, Henry continued as though nothing occurred. "This is just training!" he shouted.


    Nevertheless, Henry could feel the air begin to bruise his arms and body. While the swarm of Combee were not enough to blow him away completely, they could definitely hurt him. Giving in, he reached for his Poké Balls and unclipped one.


    Pointing it away from him, he released Golbat out of the brunt of the combined Gust. He had to hold the sphere tight, lest it be blown out of his hand. Not wanting to risk losing it, he kept hold of the loaned Poké Ball instead of attempting to clip it back in place.


    The giant bat emerged with a near-inaudible screech, pushed back by the wind before she managed to recover. Unlike Hitmonlee, the Golbat was fully rested. So far, Henry only used the Pokémon to ward away others, or released it to feed at night.


    This would be the first test of the bat''s abilities. His Hitmonlee was still recovering from the battle with the Gyarados, not to mention the Type disadvantage against the flying bugs.


    The Pokémon flapped her leathery wings quickly, struggling to hold itself in place. The giant bat looked disgruntled at being forced into a serious battle. Up to this point, the Pokémon was primarily used to scare off undesirables or released to feed at night.


    "It''s time to see what you got," Henry shouted at the Golbat. "Interrupt them with a Supersonic." he ordered.


    The giant bat screeched her displeasure before directing the vocals to the swarm of Combee. The sound disappeared beyond Henry''s hearing, but not the bug''s. Several faltered, the painful noise their enough to disrupt the attack.


    Henry had to catch himself from the sudden loss of wind, lest he fall on his face. Meanwhile, Golbat ended up shooting forwards, her efforts to stay aloft in the tunnel of wind propelling her closer.


    "Channel your energy into a Payback," he called out as the Pokémon faltered. "Aim for the ones still fighting."


    The bat screeched, shadows seeming to gather in her large mouth. The Golbat singled out a Combee, flapping to rise above the bug. She dropped towards the Pokémon, wrapping her wings around the beast to hold on.


    Dark shadows lashed out as the giant bat bit into her prey, using an impromptu Poison Fang as she rode the bee towards the ground.


    "Bee!" the faces wailed, the bug''s honey filled carapace cracking from the force of the bite. The clear, yellow fluid turned discolored as poison seeped through its body.


    Despite the success of the attack, Henry frowned at the loaned Pokémon. While it was excellent she followed through with another attack, he would have preferred that the giant bat use her wings to bash the bug instead.


    Now she was on the ground, with enemies in the air around her. Worse, the Pokémon''s innate poison was spoiling the Combee-honey. The bees would not be worth capturing if he was not careful.


    "Gol'', get back in the air," Henry shouted with authority. He had to act quickly before the bat''s instincts overpowered her, admittedly little, training. "You''re exposed. They''re going to attack you."


    Indeed, the Combee were recovering from the sudden assault and turning to face their downed member. Her prey was trying to fight back, weakly struggling against the bat. A low hum started to build, causing the back of Henry''s teeth to ache.


    "Golbat, get out of there!" he shouted. "Use Double Team."


    The giant bat looked up, dazed by the feeding. Fortunately, she still had the presence of mind to listen to his commands and lifted into the air. Her body started to blur as she tried to evade the attack.


    For all that, the Golbat was still too close and the Combee too wide spread. The rapidly vibrating wings shifted into a harsh buzz that shook her body. Golbat screeched in pain and surprise, dropping back to the ground as the beating of her wings faltered.


    "Fight through it, Gol''," Henry shouted encouragingly. "Shake it off."


    While his choice of words was probably not the best, Henry could tell that the Bug Buzz was not nearly as strong as it should have been. Especially if all of the Combee were making use of the move. Likely, one of the bugs figured out the move and the others were merely mimicking it.


    At least, he hoped so.


    Golbat struggled back into the air, the vibrations still shaking her body.


    "Good girl," he said. "Take them out with an Air Cutter."


    The Pokémon bobbed in place before lashing out with her wings. With the training Henry was putting the bat through, her musculature was improving. As such, the slices of wind emerged easier and faster than they did when he was first assigned the Pokémon.


    While accuracy was still an issue, quantity was not. Henry dodged the few that were sent his way with a smile, recognizing a new training regimen for the three of them. The blades of air carved into the bees, interrupting their tooth-grinding buzz.


    Eventually, Golbat had an easier time staying aloft and rose into the air. From above the small swarm, she kept up a steady stream of Air Cutter until the remaining Combee fell to the ground.


    "Excellent," Henry said with a clap of his hands. Pulling free a sack of Net Balls, he captured the bugs worth doing so. "Now, feed and heal up. We''ve still got some fights ahead of us," he instructed.


    The Pokémon screeched with eagerness, only registering the instruction to feed. The giant bat latched onto the remaining Combee and settled into a Roost.


    Putting her Poké Ball away, Henry released his Hitmonlee with a grin.


    "Alright buddy, we''re going to need your help," he told the fighter.


    The Pokémon was still not fully healed, with discolored bruises across his body. Several of his muscular coils were misshapen, the sprains from the battle with Gyarados keeping them from compressing properly.


    Nevertheless, the Pokémon was eager to battle.


    "Hit, hi," he vibrated, wincing slightly from the lingering pain.


    "Don''t worry, we just need to support Golbat," he said.


    Henry could hear a growing buzz in the forest, as the other Combee flew to investigate. He roused the Golbat with a smile, and readied an ambush.


    Together, the three of them fended off waves of Combee. Golbat was liberal with Air Cutters and Henry''s skull ached from the multiple Supersonics she used to disorientate the bugs. Hitmonlee jumped around, never staying in one spot too long. He only landed a few blows, but the ones he did were debilitating.


    Even Henry managed to get in on the action, distracting the bees or fighting with his own body and baton. A simple stick of wood, the weapon was more for self-defense as most Pokémon able to battle would only be annoyed, or at most distracted, by being hit.


    When there was enough of a lull, he instructed Golbat to rest and recover while Hitmonlee did the same. He captured Combee and put their balls away. The female Combee would have an easier time evolving and settling into a new hive with familiar members to assist.


    Eventually, they were interrupted mid-fight by Jared running through the trees.


    "Time to go," he barked shortly, his voice rough from disuse and scars. The man did not bother to slow as he bulldozed through the battle, lashing out violently to any Combee unfortunate enough to be in his way.


    "Hitmonlee, return," Henry said as he snatched up the Pokémon''s ball and returned the fighter. He did so with a noise of complaint, wanting to finish his opponents off. "Next time, buddy."


    Chasing after Jared, he called after Golbat over his shoulder.


    "Gol'', cover our retreat with Supersonic." he shouted, not bothering to lower his voice. "Then Double Team towards us."


    Huffing after his companion, Henry heard the bees wail as they were bombarded by the high-pitch sound waves.


    Racing through the forest, the two barreled through obstructions and dodged around those they could not push through. There was no point trying to hide as the Combee''s pheromones clung to his body, and likely Jared''s as well. While the chemical signals were nearly undetectable to most, any Combee or Vespiquen would be able to track them for days.


    Fortunately, they already had a plan for that.


    Sprinting through the forest, Henry was pleased to see Golbat catch up, the illusionary doubles lingering behind her. He did not bother returning her, both due to the difficulty doing so while in a sprint and so she could deal with any Combee that evaded their trap.


    As the one in the lead, Jared was the first to see the tag they wrapped around a tree to denote the location of the trap. Slowly, he carefully navigated through and hid behind a tree. Henry followed, making sure to touch plants and trees in an effort to spread the clinging pheromones.


    Golbat settled on an upper branch while Henry and Jared panted from the long sprint. They were past the trap, with the manual trigger close to hand.


    Well, I''m panting, Henry thought as he eyed his partner.


    The man barely looked out of breath. The only indication of the run was his expanding and contracting chest, moving in a controlled, regular rhythm. The sight was enough to make Henry frown and think himself out of shape.


    It took a surprising amount of time for the angry buzz of the Combee to be heard. A strange noise heralded the swarm, light thumps and rustling of bushes, that he attributed to a Pokémon fleeing. Unable to contain his curiosity, Henry leaned around to spy the creature in question.


    His eyes widened when he spotted the figure racing through.


    A child, a boy if he was not mistaken, was dodging behind trees and looking back at the rapidly approaching swarm. The Combee bore expressions of fury, humming violently as they chased him. There was an odd bundle in his arms, slowing him significantly. More eye catching was the colorful Beautifly that flew just ahead, crying out to lead to the kid.


    Henry clenched his jaw, realizing the outcome if the swarm were to catch the boy. He heard Jared shift beside him as the other man spotted the kid as well. Cursing internally, Henry eyed the swarm''s distance to the trap.


    Suddenly, the boy screamed in pain and Henry snapped his head around. The kid was on the ground, his only indication the desperate Beautifly whining as it bobbed over him anxiously.


    Lunging at the trigger for the net, Henry started to cut it free. Jared watched him work with a blank face, the eyes painfully unexpressive.


    "I know," he snarled at the man.


    Not a moment too soon, as the Combee were readying to bombard the fallen kid, the capture net fell.


    It dropped from the forest ceiling, catching the swarm by surprise. The expanded Net Balls immediately started to capture the bugs, dematerializing them in flashes of light. As the Combee struggled, they continued to disappear and the net bound them tighter.


    Henry waited, his chest tight, until he saw the kid stand up. The boy stumbled, shouting something intelligible to the concerned butterfly. As he stumbled away, limping heavily, several Combee rose into the air. He seemed unaware of their presence, but the same could not be said for the bugs.


    "Golbat," he shouted up to the Pokémon. "Take out the rest of them." A few managed to avoid the net by virtue of the swarm''s size and the bat eagerly attacked with Air Cutter.


    Henry stepped up the net and used free Net Balls to catch the Combee still stuck. They wailed with a buzz, their multiple faces creating a migraine inducing cacophony. He spotted the boy jerk around in surprise with wild eyes before he ducked behind a tree.


    Jared stood and watched, his face still blank. His eyes moved from where the kid was hiding to Henry and back.


    "Don''t even think about it," Henry warned quietly.


    "Dangerous," the man said lowly.


    Henry leapt up and strode towards the man. Standing in front of him, he ignored the charred skin and permanent grimace to stare into his partner''s empty eyes.


    "I know," he snarled. Placing a hand on Hitmonlee''s Poké Ball, he continued. "But I''m a poacher, not a killer."


    Jared met his glare evenly, unfazed by Henry''s clear threat. After a beat, he bowed his head once and brushed past Henry to begin removing the Net Balls.


    Henry released a shuddering breath, cold sweat dripping down his face. Swiping it away, he cleared his throat and moved to quietly help his partner. Working with ease born of long repetition, they packed away the Poké Balls and wrapped up the capture net.


    With only a lingering glance at the hidden kid, Henry followed Jared into the forest.


    "We''re definitely taking that break," he muttered.