"Then let's check it out. Metang, be careful and circle around."
"Meta!"
Seeing that it wouldn't need to participate in the battle, Metang moved out immediately.
Using the flowers as cover, it flew past the battlefield straight toward the rear of the Combee swarm.
The two species were locked in a heated battle and didn't notice Metang at all.
And because the clash was so loud and fierce, all the surrounding Bug-type Pokémon had scattered.
It was rare for Haruki to see the flower field so empty and quiet, but that only made him more cautious.
"Skip~"
All along the way, Skiploom kept sniffing, guiding Metang in the right direction.
Haruki silently observed and thought of the rampaging Beldum in Ravaged Path.
'Could it be that behind the Combee swarm, there was something Skiploom desperately wanted?'
A few minutes later, a Combee appeared in their line of sight.
Metang instinctively came to a halt, not daring to act recklessly.
Skiploom didn't hesitate at all, immediately releasing a thick cloud of Sleep Powder.
Perhaps having never seen such shiny blue powder before, the Combee mistook it for a strange kind of nectar and actually flew toward it on its own.
Then, it fell into a deep sleep.
'…This Combee had clearly paid the price for its ignorance.'
Then Haruki noticed that none of these Combee had seen anything like this. The moment they saw the glimmering Sleep Powder, they couldn't resist flying straight into it, without exception.
"Skip~"
Skiploom didn't care in the slightest. Its tiny eyes only shone brighter, as if the good thing it was searching for was already very close.
Gradually, the number of Combee increased.
Finally, one of them saw its companion fall into the flower field after coming in contact with the Sleep Powder and immediately gave off a distinct buzz to alert the entire swarm.
"Skip~ Skip~"
Skiploom became visibly anxious and tugged at Haruki's sleeve.
"Don't panic. Next, tell Metang where it is. We'll rush over at full speed; if we can grab the treasure, we grab it, if not, we bail instantly. The moment Vespiquen returns, we won't stand a chance of escaping."
Skiploom and Metang both nodded. Now was definitely not the time for stubbornness.
After sniffing carefully again, Skiploom climbed into Haruki's arms and pointed toward the front right.
"Skip~"
Whoosh!
Metang accelerated in an instant, bulldozing its way forward through the sea of flowers without hesitation.
From a distance, a silver streak shot low across the flower field at blinding speed.
The surrounding Combee quickly became alert, flying toward Metang in a converging formation. While they were Flying-types, Combee weren't exactly fast, and it wasn't easy to accelerate quickly enough to catch up to Metang.
In less than half a minute, the chase had grown incredibly intense, with over a hundred Combee now trailing behind them.
"Skip!"
Skiploom suddenly shouted. Metang came to a sudden halt and decelerated sharply.
In the next moment, they entered an open clearing.
At the center of the clearing, two normally sized Vespiquen seemed to be guarding something.
"Skip~"
Skiploom pointed a tiny hand, and Haruki immediately followed its direction toward the so-called treasure.
Lying on the ground was what looked like the root of a banyan tree. In the middle-lower section of that dried-up root, a green crystal glow.
'A Flying-type Energy Crystal!'
After cramming at the Research Lab for a while, Haruki instantly recognized what this was.
Then he looked more closely at the dried-out root and suddenly realized it resembled a Pokémon.
Tropius. A completely fossilized, tree-root-like Tropius!
No wonder Mothim and Vespiquen were at war.
No wonder Skiploom was so drawn to it.
…Because all of them shared the Flying-type with Tropius.
"Metang!"
No doubt about it, Haruki wasn't about to pass up something this valuable.
"Snatch it."
Metang got the message instantly, completely ignoring the two Vespiquen guarding the front and the encircling Combee behind.
When the Trainer says snatch, would a pseudo-legendary like Metang hesitate?
'Heck no!'
Metang's eyes lit up with a pinkish-purple glow, unleashing its full Confusion to forcibly restrain both Vespiquen.
Haruki crouched low, and just as Metang flew above the Energy Crystal, he reached out with perfect timing and snatched it into his right hand.
"Go!"
The moment Confusion was released, Metang's thruster-arms roared, launching them at full speed out of the clearing with Haruki and Skiploom onboard.
Immediately, the two Vespiquen let out enraged screeches, and far away on the battlefield, the giant Vespiquen received the signal, and started rushing back like a maniac!
At this moment, Haruki sat on Metang's back with a grim expression. The Flying-type Energy Crystal he had just seized by force... was cracked.
No wonder Vespiquen, Mothim, and even Skiploom could all sense the crystal from so far away.
It was because the Energy Crystal had been constantly leaking Flying-type energy.
"Can you absorb it while inside the Poké Ball?"
Skiploom hugged the fractured Energy Crystal and shook its head.
A Poké Ball is completely sealed. If it were exposed to the energy leak, the Poké Ball's stability could be affected.
If that happened, Skiploom would be the one getting hurt.
"Then absorb it. Take in as much as you can. Leave the rest to us."
Haruki held Skiploom tightly and spoke softly, then patted Metang again.
"Meta!"
Metang also gave a nod, and its speed ramped up another notch!
"Skip…"
Skiploom was moved, but said nothing more.
It placed the crystal into its flower crown, then closed its eyes and focused on absorbing the energy.
At once, streaks of greenish-blue light lit up around Skiploom before quickly fading again.
Skiploom's expression alternated between calm and strained; clearly, forcing the absorption wasn't easy.
Haruki held Skiploom tightly and reached into his backpack with his other hand, pulling out two cans of Repel, ready for anything.
Behind them, the roaring swarm of Combee only grew more overwhelming.
Among them, the two Vespiquen -supported by countless Combee- kept close on their tail.
Haruki didn't waste time checking behind. His focus was entirely on the wild Pokémon intercepting them up ahead.
Even as Skiploom continued to absorb the crystal, the Flying-type energy kept leaking out.
And every Pokémon with a Flying affinity would be drawn to it.
Fortunately, the pursuit force was enormous. Most wild Pokémon were too intimidated by the Combee swarm to get involved.
But any that weren't scared off… were guaranteed to be trouble.
Sure enough, a wild Pokémon appeared ahead to intercept them.
A Yanmega charged in from straight ahead, its transparent wings glowing white as it aimed directly for the Skiploom in Haruki's arms.
"Stay sharp, slide right!"
In a flash, Metang tilted its body to the side, perfectly dodging Yanmega's Air Slash.
Haruki immediately raised his left hand and triggered the Repel.
A huge burst of Repel sprayed all over the lunging Yanmega.
Yanmega shrieked in agony and flailed uncontrollably, then was instantly devoured by the Combee swarm closing in from behind.