Combee my friend!

Serena and I, both carrying our pokémon with varying degrees of exhaustion, trek through the summer-time forest. Thankfully, in this northern-ish region, it doesn't get that hot, but we do have heat waves from time to time.

Already thinking about a coolant system under the trench coat, perhaps a radiator as well for the snowy areas. That might be a fire hazard, but sometimes sacrifices must be made in the name of comfort.

Serena, meanwhile, has been carrying Fennekin between her…generous bosom the entire day. The fire fox has an ambient core temperature of enough to cook a pizza in about 20-30 minutes, so, with that black tank top absorbing heat, she's definitely going to get tired in—oh, I don't know—about 10 minutes ago?

"Do you want to stop for lunch?" I proffer, eyeing her physical health, and perhaps her…never mind.

She stiffens. "U-Uh, sure? I want to get to the Pokémon Center before the sun sets, though…" I look up, shielding my eyes from the blazing sun overhead. Even if we continued at the current pace, we might not make it until after dark.

"Wanna try roughing it?" I have other options, but they're…rash.

Her eyes widen, glancing back and forth wildly. Past trauma? Or perhaps she's simply unprepared? "I'd be willing to share a tent if you forgot yours."

"N-No, it's not that… I'm just—not really used to camping…out in the woods."

"Well, that issue aside, you look like you need a break. So, sit down and rest." An Octillery Arm shoots out from underneath the trench coat, forcefully grabbing her torso and placing her down on a nearby rock.

"Here," I say, offering her a sandwich. "Turkey and provolone. You should probably set some food out for your pokémon, too." She takes the sandwich, listlessly following my advice as she sets out some generic, spicy, fire-type pokémon chow.

Following my own instructions, I set out a bowl of dragon-type food. Robin takes to it like a fish to water. Hazel, however, doesn't have a mouth, but still needs nutrients.

I pull out some chunks of chromium, creating a little campfire circle, and place Hazel in the center. She gives me the barest notion of a nod with her eyes.

"Wash dat?" Serena asks from the side.

"Chew your food."—she swallows—"It's chromium. While Hazel here is a grass and steel type, she's prone to rusting. That isn't an issue as the caves Ferroseed's are found in are dry as bone, but out here? She'll take every rust prevention method she can get."

Serena adopts a look of confusion; her eyes scrunching up and her mouth opened slightly. She reaches into who-knows-where and pulls out her pokédex.

"Ferroseed, the Thorn Seed Pokémon. Ferroseed absorb minerals from rock by penetrating the walls of caves using their spikes. When threatened, it attacks by shooting a barrage of spikes, which gives it a chance to escape by rolling away."

"Huh. It looks different than it does in here."

"Yeah, she is also galvanized, which is a process where we…coat her with zinc as another rust prevention method." Now, I have to do something carefully. I have a plan that involves Hazel, essentially, ingesting large quantities of salt.

"Hazel, I need you to do a few things for me?" She gives me her equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

———————————————————————————————————————

We're back on the road, oh the dirt-pathed road. Doesn't have quite the ring to it that it needs.

Anyway, we're continuing on Route 4. It's a direct access to Santalune City, with a few minor stops along the way, such as Pokémon Centers dotted here and there; a very basic beginner's route.

Of course, for the physically unfit, it's anything but.

And it's for that reason that I must drag Serena along—by Octillery Arm, of course—if we are to make it to her beloved Pokémon Center before sundown.

"AaAhH! PuT mE dOwN!" Serena, fruitlessly, bangs once of her arms against the claw; the other holding onto Fennekin for dear life. However, I do have somewhat of a conscious, so I, begrudgingly, oblige and set her down.

Fennekin jumps out of her arms while Serena puts her hands on her knees, somehow out of breath.

"Fen!" Fennekin turns towards me, charging an ember in her maw.

"Do you want to do that?" I ask, pulling out all eight arms and clicking their claws in a threatening manner. Each arm twists through the air, unshackled by gravity. Even if I don't use the two pokémon in my roster, one of which is 4x weak to fire, I'm pretty sure I can beat Fennekin the old-fashioned way.

"Why…" Serena begins, still gasping for air, "are you like this?"

I tilt my head in confusion. "Elaborate, please. You wished to get to the Pokémon Center before the sun went down. If I didn't carry you, then we would likely be camping tonight. I am, albeit spitefully, acquiescing towards your demands." Might have been a little too formal and stand-offish there, but she's the one with the demand to get her beauty sleep tonight.

"Bu—Wel—…You could have at least asked before picking me up!" She's…shouting at me with her eyes closed and fists thrown back, feet together. Almost as if this were…muscle memory? Unsure.

"…I'll grant you that…" I mumble, then continue, louder, "but still, we need to hurry. The sun will start setting in about"—I check my watch—"ten minutes."

She pouts, puffing up her cheeks. "Fine." Right as the claw is about to grab her though, a, frankly loud, rustle is made behind me.

I slowly turn, prepping my arms for a fight. Robin uncurls around my neck, and Serena's Fennekin turns her attention to the bush.

"Comb! Bee!" A lone Combee flies out of the bush, then it is no longer lone as it—she is followed by another, then another.

"Okay…Serena, we might need to run…"

"Why?" She asks with sparkles in her eyes. "That pokémon looks so cute."

"Serena, Combee might be safe, but they're usually followed by—"

"Bzzz!" A swarm of Beedrill fly from the shadows within the forest. Let's see...one, two, three… Hmm, okay, even with the arms, we're seriously outnumbered. I, uh…fuck.

"Serena, stay calm," I command; my tone taking on a serious tone for once. Obviously, saying to stay calm doesn't mean she'll actually do it as one of the arms sees her jittering, eyes glancing back and forth.

Through one of the cameras, I see something quite interesting. A Vespiquen, commanding her forces, hidden in the shadows.

"I…have somewhat of a plan. I'll need Fennekin's and your help." She nods, somewhat resolute. "Right…right. Serena, Fennekin, just distract as many as you can. Combee are mostly just drone workers here, not combatant forces. If you are to target anyone, go for the Beedrill."

"O-Okay." Absolutely filling me with confidence here, Serena. Marvelous job. Well, I'm not better. This haphazard plan of mine relies on some poor chances.

"Robin, I'm going to fire a claw into the forest. When you hear it hit something, hit it with Dragon Breath."

"Tini!" She replies, preparing the move.

"Okay, Serena, now!"

"Fennekin, use Ember!" Fennekin immediately complies, adding her own interpretation due to my earlier command by aiming for the closest Beedrill to us. It's a direct hit, but only knocks the bug back a little. As Fennekin continues creating…cover fire, I embrace the chip in my neck, reading and parsing the data streams.

Targeting systems at optimal levels, fire. The claw of an arm clams up, then detaches at rapid pace with a burst of flames as it fires into the forest.

*THUNK* The claw drills into the tree beside the hidden Vespiquen, causing her to jump to the side in shock—a side where the sunlight breaks through the trees.

"DraTINI!!!" Robin fires her Dragon Breath, a purple beam of hazy light blasts from her mouth, striking the queen from several a decimeter and a half away.

"Ves…pi…" She obviously doesn't get knocked out from that, but that isn't what I was going for.

*Crash* Her wings no longer beating, Vespiquen falls to the floor—paralyzed. "Quen…" She croaks out, hive commands reigning over instinct, and the Beedrill and Combee float back to help her float.

Her throne of bees helps her float over, resting a foot in front of me. An errant thought makes the claw buried in the tree activate its reverse thrusters and blast back towards me. With determination, I raise myself up and stare the queen in her eyes.

"Spi. Vespi." Even while croaking, she has this regal authority about her voice. Whatever she said, it makes one Combee, a female, float over. She's remarkably low energy compared to the joyous Combee collecting pollen.

"Do…you want her to become my pokémon?" I ask, not sure to whom. Vespiquen nods, and this rankles something deep in me. Something about a queen losing a battle and selling her daughter to make an alliance.

I won't look a gift horse in the mouth though.

"You'll need a name…Hmm, you look like a Cecilia." The Princess Combee does nothing but nod. "Okay, yeah. You'll be Cecilia." I pull out a pokéball from my satchel and hold it out for her to press the button herself.

She presses her forehead to it, becoming turned into red energy as she's transformed completely. After a little shaking, the pokéball settles.

Wahoo! I've caught a Combee. The first of many…

I turn to Serena. "Ready to go?"

She doesn't reply, staring into space.