Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Chapter 177

The guards brought Mike to one of the flower-rich areas where the colony regularly collected nectar.

Mike lifted his camera and began filming the Combee gathering nectar from the flowers.

Because Bug Pokémon naturally trusted him, he could approach much closer than an ordinary human without disturbing their behavior.

He used that advantage to record the process in detail, following individual workers from flower to flower.

After filming for a while, Mike continued following the returning Combee all the way back into the hive so he could capture the entire process from gathering nectar to producing finished Honey.

The Combee that returned from the flowers first expelled the nectar they had collected.

Other workers then processed it before spreading or hanging the mixture along sections of the stone wall.

Groups of Combee continuously beat their wings nearby, using the airflow to speed up the evaporation of excess water.

Once the moisture had fallen to the proper level and the Honey had reached the right consistency, the workers transferred it into storage jars.

Finally, they secreted a special wax around the mouth of each container, sealing it shut.

That was how one jar of rich Honey was completed.

Mike recorded the entire process while watching it with genuine fascination.

It was the first time he had ever witnessed the full Honey-making process of bee Pokémon from beginning to end.

After he finished filming, one of the Combee guards flew over and invited him to return to Vespiquen.

Mike let the camera hang from his neck and followed.

...

By the time they returned to the royal chamber, Vespiquen had finished resting.

She was sitting upright on her throne again, looking every bit like the ruler of the Amber City.

"Your Majesty."

Mike greeted her politely.

"Gar—"

Gengar and the others greeted her as well.

Vespiquen nodded and invited them to sit.

Once everyone had settled down, she gave a resonant cry.

After resting, her voice had regained its strength, and the clear tone blended with the low buzzing of her wings.

"Vesp—"

[Thank you for coming to our aid today.]

"If Your Majesty asks for help, I naturally have no reason to refuse."

Mike answered just as politely.

Vespiquen studied him.

"Vesp."

[There is something about your scent that I like very much.]

She flew down from the throne and moved close to Mike, gently sniffing him before showing a visibly affectionate expression.

Snivy blinked once from nearby, though her expression otherwise remained unchanged.

Hatenna’s eyes were hidden beneath her fringe, but they narrowed slightly.

Mike understood what Vespiquen was sensing.

It was his Bug-type affinity.

Just as Mike assumed Vespiquen would continue hovering around him, however, she abruptly turned and flew toward Beedrill.

Then she began circling him.

Beedrill’s eyes widened.

A strange stimulating scent was coming from Vespiquen as she moved around him, and for the first time in a long while, Mike saw genuine alarm break through Beedrill’s normally emotionless expression.

Mike stared.

What exactly was Vespiquen doing?

Snivy suddenly seemed to understand.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she immediately tapped Gengar with a Vine Whip before signaling for him to take out the sunflower seeds Mike had bought.

Gengar handed over the bag.

Snivy grabbed a handful, began cracking the shells, and watched Vespiquen and Beedrill with an unusually interested gleam in her eyes.

Nidoking seemed to understand too.

He gave several excited cries.

Mike turned and smacked him on the head.

"You’re laughing, but do you even know what’s happening?"

Nidoking covered his head and nodded.

"Nido..."

[What’s hard to understand? Nidoran♀ and I acted like that before we had our Egg!]

"You were trying to have an Egg. Vespiquen is just circling Beedrill and—"

Mike stopped speaking.

He looked at Vespiquen.

Then at Beedrill.

Then slowly back at Nidoking.

"Wait. Are you saying Vespiquen is courting him?"

Nidoking nodded as though Mike were unbelievably slow.

"Nido."

[Duh, obviously!]

Mike inhaled sharply.

So Vespiquen really had taken a liking to Beedrill.

The dignified queen had fallen for the brave knight who appeared at the moment of greatest danger and saved her kingdom.

A commanding queen falling for an aloof knight who acted cold but was secretly devoted to protecting everyone around him?

Mike became so invested that he started biting his thumbnail.

He immediately held out his hand toward Snivy.

"Give me some seeds."

Snivy generously handed over the whole bag.

Mike grabbed a handful and joined her in watching.

Gengar, meanwhile, still had absolutely no idea why everyone was suddenly so interested in it.

"Gar?"

[What are you all laughing about?]

"Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Go play."

Mike waved him away.

Gengar’s expression immediately darkened.

(｡・ˇ_ˇ・｡)

He began seriously considering how he should ambush Mike later to get revenge for being excluded!

Since Mike refused to explain, Gengar turned toward Nidoking, but before he could ask, Hatenna softly called out and explained.

"Haten..."

Gengar’s eyes widened.

He slowly turned toward Beedrill, the little dude he had watched grow from Weedle to Kakuna and finally into the powerful Pokémon standing there now.

Then, exactly like Mike, Gengar bit down on his thumb and stared without blinking.

"GAR!"

[Seeds! I want some too!]

Mike tossed the bag over.

Gengar grabbed a handful and threw the sunflower seeds straight into his mouth without even bothering to remove the shells.

Beedrill had originally been waiting for Mike and the others to rescue him from this increasingly uncomfortable situation.

Instead, when he looked over, he discovered all of them comfortably sitting there and treating his predicament like live entertainment.

Beedrill stared at them in disbelief.

Where was his rescue?

When Vespiquen directly expressed her interest, Beedrill shook his head repeatedly.

Vespiquen stopped circling him and looked genuinely puzzled.

"Vesp?"

[Why?]

Beedrill raised both of his stingers across his chest and answered with unwavering determination.

"Bee..."

[I am a knight. I have people I have chosen to protect.]

Vespiquen stopped moving.

For a moment, she simply looked at the powerful Beedrill before her, his entire posture radiating determination.

Her eyes slowly narrowed.

Then she nodded.

"Vesp."

[Then I will remain here and wait for you.]

Beedrill froze.

He had no idea why she intended to wait for him when he had just rejected her.

Mike sighed when he realized Beedrill had turned Vespiquen down.

What a shame.

For a moment, he had genuinely believed one of his Pokémon might bring a queen home with them.

Snivy continued watching Vespiquen as she returned to the throne.

Something unusual flickered through her eyes, and judging by the faint expression on her face, whatever she was thinking probably wasn’t anything good.

Once Vespiquen moved away, Beedrill immediately flew back behind Mike and stared at him resentfully.

Mike shrugged.

"What was I supposed to do? She’s a queen. I’m just an ordinary commoner."

He lowered his voice.

"Besides, having a queen interested in you sounds pretty good to me."

Beedrill’s eyes widened.

"Bee?"

[You’re still talking about this?]

Mike immediately shut his mouth.

Vespiquen settled back onto her throne and quickly regained the calm dignity of a ruler.

She looked toward Mike and gave another clear cry.

"Vesp—"

[Once again, on behalf of every resident of the Amber City, I thank you, Beedrill, and your companions for helping us.]

"You’re welcome. It was our honor."

Mike answered politely.

Vespiquen nodded, then gave a louder commanding cry.

Several Combee soon flew in carrying jars of Honey and placed them on the table.

"Vesp."

[These are gifts of thanks for all of you.]

Vespiquen indicated the jars.

"Your Majesty is far too kind. Helping Pokémon in need is something every traveling photographer should do."

Mike spoke with impeccable dignity while simultaneously signaling Gengar to store every jar.

Vespiquen smiled.

Then she waved again.

Several more jars of Honey were brought over.

Gengar’s eyes nearly began glowing.

Mike blinked.

There was more?

"Vesp."

[The first jars are gifts for all of you. They were made last year using nectar from Gracidea flowers and are especially delicious. These jars, however, are a personal gift from me to Beedrill.]

Mike, Gengar, Snivy, Nidoking, and Hatenna all immediately turned toward Beedrill.

Beedrill had barely opened his mouth to refuse when Gengar swept every jar into storage.

Beedrill slowly turned toward him.

"..."

Mike reached over and lightly smacked Beedrill on the head.

"Well? Aren’t you going to thank her?"

Beedrill looked toward Vespiquen.

Then he crossed his two spear-like stingers over his chest and gave her a slight, formal bow.

"Bee—"

Vespiquen watched the knight-like gesture and Beedrill’s cold, serious expression.

Her claws unconsciously tightened around the armrests of her throne.

"Vesp."

Her voice became noticeably softer.

The nearby Combee guards exchanged glances and struggled desperately not to laugh.

Vespiquen’s eyes swept over them.

Every Combee immediately looked away.

Their expressions practically said, ’Wow. These wings sure are fascinating.’

Vespiquen then had another set of Honey jars brought forward.

Mike looked at them curiously.

Who were these for?

Could they finally be his personal gift?

It would make sense. After all, he had played an important role in saving the Amber City.

Mike straightened his back and subtly puffed out his chest while waiting for Vespiquen to explain.

Vespiquen looked toward him.

"Vesp."

[These are for you to enjoy while you are our guests today.]

Mike’s proud expression froze.

Gengar quietly produced a red clown nose and placed it directly on Mike’s face.

"Gar—"

[This really suits you.]

Mike ignored him.

He took one of the bowls filled with Honey, scooped up a spoonful, and tasted it.

The sweetness immediately spread through his mouth, rich enough to fill every corner of his tongue without becoming cloying.

The Honey flowed smoothly down his throat, and Mike even felt a subtle refreshing effect that seemed to clear away some of his fatigue.

His eyes widened.

This was extremely good!

Adding a little of this Honey to certain dishes would probably be incredible.

No wonder the Teddiursa, Beautifly, Mothim, and Ursaring had been willing to launch a full-scale raid on the Amber City.

This Honey really was worth fighting over.

By the time everyone finished enjoying the Honey, Mike checked the time and realized it was already getting late.

Glameow and Nidoran♀ still hadn’t eaten dinner.

He stood and politely said goodbye to Vespiquen.

She nodded and ordered several Combee guards to escort them outside.

Once Mike stepped out of the hive, he drew in a deep breath of fresh forest air.

The Amber City had smelled wonderful, so sweet that staying inside felt like being immersed in an enormous jar of Honey, but Mike still preferred the clean scent of the natural forest after spending so long surrounded by sweetness.

He looked toward Beedrill, who was flying silently beside him.

Mike reached up and gently patted his head.

"Thank you."

Beedrill turned toward him.

Mike smiled.

"I’ll be relying on you to keep protecting this weak little human in the future too, my bravest and most loyal knight."

Beedrill’s expression became serious.

His entire presence seemed to sharpen as his determination rose.

"BEEEEEEEEE!"

The powerful cry echoed through the trees.

Mike clapped his hands together and looked toward the rest of his team.

"That goes for you too, Gengar, Snivy. I’ll be counting on all of you from now on."

"Gar!"

[Leave it to me!]

"Sni~"

Snivy narrowed her eyes with a gentle smile.

Hatenna quietly watched the exchange without saying anything.

Mike turned toward the path leading back to Nidoking’s cave.

"Come on. We should head back. Let’s bring some of the Honey with us so Glameow and Nidoran♀ can try what we got today too."

Mike led the group away.

Inside the hive behind them, a pair of crimson eyes continued watching their retreating figures through the entrance.

Vespiquen did not turn away until Mike and Beedrill had disappeared completely from sight.

Only then did she return to the depths of the Amber City.