Chapter 68: The Four Forces

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After Sato spent three continuous days using the Beedrill from the nearby forest as battle opponents for Zubat and Gloom, the Beedrill swarm finally couldn't bear the pressure of Sato's relentless hit-and-run tactics. They gave in, no longer as ferocious as they once were.

During those three days, the Beedrill swarm, one of the dominant groups in the forest, took unprecedented measures against Sato. At their most extreme, they gathered over 30 elite Beedrill (averaging level 20 and above) and hundreds of regular Beedrill to sweep through the forest in an attempt to surround and annihilate Sato and his Pokémon.

Unfortunately for the Beedrill, after battling them hundreds of times, Sato had already learned their habits well. Using Gloom's Secret Power to create hidden spaces and its Grass-type liquid to mask their scent, Sato and his team evaded the Beedrill's search efforts entirely.

In the end, after a long day of fruitless searching, the exhausted Beedrill were ambushed by Sato on their way back to their hive. Several Beedrill squads, each consisting of about ten Beedrill, were defeated by Zubat and Gloom in a coordinated attack, further increasing the number of injured Beedrill.

Now, whenever the Beedrill spotted Sato and his two Pokémon, instead of charging at them like before, they would flee at the first sight, trying to stay as far away as possible.

While Sato found the Beedrill's sudden cowardice a bit frustrating, it left him with few wild Pokémon nearby that could serve as training opponents for Zubat and Gloom. The remaining wild Pokémon in the area were either too strong to challenge or not worth provoking at his current level.

However, this also presented Sato with an opportunity to explore the Beedrill territory freely. Although the survival trial had already reached its halfway point, and while Sato was still alive, he had yet to collect any of the task items. Now he needed to focus on completing his mission as quickly as possible.

After three days of exploration, only a portion of the forest, where the task items were rumored to be hidden, remained unsearched. These were areas Sato had not dared to explore yet, as they were home to extremely powerful Pokémon clans.

For example, there was a Pinsir clan with more than ten members, a Scyther clan of similar size, and a Teddiursa clan led by an Ursaring at level 43. While these groups were much smaller in number compared to the Beedrill, their individual members were far stronger.

Sato wasn't particularly afraid of facing these Pokémon one-on-one. What concerned him was that they were social creatures. Provoking even one could draw out the whole group, and once overwhelmed by sheer numbers and strength, Sato and his team would be crushed.

Thus, for now, Sato knew he had to avoid these three powerful and aggressive clans. Especially with the Scyther and Teddiursa clans, any attempt to challenge them could mean he wouldn't survive until the next day.

Sato had seen the Scyther clan before. Their leader, a Scyther at level 40, had combat strength second only to the 43-level Ursaring, the absolute ruler of the forest.

Over the past few days, aside from battling most of the capable wild Pokémon in the area, Sato had also managed to map out the general power distribution within the forest.

Since the dominant force in the forest was the Ursaring, Sato temporarily named the forest "Ursaring Forest." The Ursaring Forest was currently divided and occupied by four major Pokémon clans: the Ursaring clan, the Beedrill clan, the Pinsir clan, and the Scyther clan.

The Ursaring clan occupied the central region of the forest, which was the most resource-rich area. According to Sato's exploration, the center of the forest featured a natural lake and a low hill. Around the lake was a vast flower field, home to several swarms of Combee, while the hill was covered in fruit trees.

The area surrounding the hill and lake was where the Ursaring clan typically operated. Under normal circumstances, they rarely left this self-sufficient territory.

The Pinsir clan occupied the northwestern part of the forest, an area rich in Pecha Berries. The Pinsir usually stayed around the Pecha trees, but it wasn't the berries they were interested in. Instead, they were attracted to the sweet sap that oozed from the trunks of the Pecha trees.

(Note: Pecha Berries can cure poison and are also sweet in taste. The tree that produces them, the Pecha Berry tree, secretes sap from its trunk that is also sweet. This is a self-created interpretation, feel free to imagine it as you like.)

The Scyther clan occupies the northeastern part of Ursaring Forest, where there is a small grove of Oran trees that serves as their primary territory.

Compared to the Pinsir clan, the Scyther are far more aggressive. However, these Pokémon are proud and arrogant. Unless provoked or they consider you a worthy opponent, they will not initiate an attack.

One thing worth noting is that Scyther have a strong sense of territoriality. Any creature or Pokémon that dares to trespass into their domain without permission will face their merciless scythes.

As for the Beedrill clan, it seems they enjoy special protection from the Ursaring clan. They haven't been encroached upon by the Pinsir or Scyther clans, as the Ursaring clan, based in the center of the forest, acts like a deadly anchor preventing these two clans from expanding further south, allowing the Beedrill to claim nearly half of Ursaring Forest.

Although the Beedrill are large in number, they are still weaker compared to the Pinsir, Scyther, and Ursaring clans. Their swarm lacks a leader strong enough to rival the bosses of the Ursaring, Pinsir, or Scyther. Individually, wild Beedrill are much weaker compared to the other three Pokémon species.

A single Pinsir can easily defeat an entire squad of Beedrill. Against Scyther, even two Beedrill squads would struggle to resist, and when it comes to Ursaring, it's no contest. Ursaring's thick, tough fur can almost entirely shrug off Beedrill's attacks, and one powerful swipe of its paws, enhanced by its brute strength, can crush dozens of Beedrill in one go.

Despite their struggles against these three clans, the Beedrill still reign supreme over the other wild Pokémon living in Ursaring Forest. Using their overwhelming numbers, they often bully weaker, solitary wild Pokémon.

However, in the past three days, the once-peaceful and dominant Beedrill clan encountered a trio of demons. Constant harassment from these three has reduced the Beedrill clan's fighting strength by two-thirds. Now, their once-mighty hive is filled with injured members, and the clan is at its weakest point in history.

The Beedrill had considered seeking reinforcements to deal with Sato and his team, but the Ursaring clan, which regularly takes large quantities of honey from their hive on a set schedule each month, completely ignored their request for help and rudely refused.

Now, based on reports from their patrolling comrades, the three demons were approaching the hive once again. The Beedrill warriors sent to stop them had already been defeated, and fear spread throughout the entire Beedrill clan.

'So I've finally reached this point... Is that the Beedrill hive up ahead? Wow, it's massive! Hmm~. Could the task item be here? I never would've thought it would be in this place. I was expecting it to be in the most dangerous part of the Ursaring territory. I guess I was overthinking it,' Sato thought with excitement as he gazed at the enormous hive before him.

After Zubat and Gloom easily defeated yet another elite Beedrill squad, Sato had finally reached the heart of the Beedrill territory.

The Beedrill hive was built on a towering tree so large that it would take at least a dozen adults holding hands to encircle it. The hive itself was constructed along the entire trunk of the tree, meaning it practically covered the entire giant tree.

From a distance, the Beedrill hive looked like a small mountain, dotted with countless holes, enough to trigger anyone's trypophobia.

However, the top of the hive, resembling the peak of a small mountain, had suffered some damage. Upon closer inspection, the markings left on the hive's top formed the shape of the letter "R."

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