Invitation

"But it has the same natural aura as you, and it's even more intense," Vespiqueen suddenly remarked.

Again with the natural aura. What on earth is this natural aura? Why can't I remember coming into contact with such a mystical thing?

After pondering for a while with no leads, Yuga decided to set it aside. After all, it seemed to bring only benefits, so why question it further?

The Combees, now recovered and jubilant, danced around Vespiqueen. However, Vespiqueen couldn't share their joy entirely, given that her life had been exchanged for their well-being.

Yet, The Combees didn't think the same way. Vespiqueen was everything to them, and they were willing to do anything for her, even sacrificing their lives.

Observing the shattered Amber City, Yuga asked Vespiqueen, "Vespiqueen, now that this place has turned out like this, and the outside flower fields are ruined, have you thought about what to do in the future?"

"I plan to take the remaining children with me and leave this place. After all, this place…"

Vespiqueen didn't finish her sentence, but Yuga understood what she meant. This place was their place of sorrow.

Suddenly, Yuga thought of his mission reward, which seemed to be the qualification to open the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark. So, he tentatively said to Vespiqueen, "How about coming with me? I have a place that's perfect for you to live, and you can bring all your remaining subjects with you."

However, Yuga was puzzled. Vespiqueen was supposed to be fine now, so why hadn't he received a system prompt indicating that the mission was complete?

"Do you really have a place to accommodate us?" Vespiqueen asked.

"Yes, yes," Yuga nodded eagerly. "There's a vast flower sea there with various kinds of flowers. Importantly, it's secluded from the outside world. Besides me, no one else will disturb you."

"Is that place truly as good as you say?" Vespiqueen asked again.

"It really is," Yuga affirmed. He had never seen the Flower Sea Sub-Ecopark himself, but he had faith that the system wouldn't disappoint him.

After much contemplation, Vespiqueen finally agreed to go with Yuga.

It trusted that Yuga wouldn't harm them. It could sense the gentle natural aura emanating from Yuga and believed that someone willing to save the forest couldn't be a bad person. Furthermore, Yuga had received the baptism of the Light of Life, which, in its view, made Yuga like one of their kin.

"We still have many Combee waiting outside who couldn't enter. Let's go out and meet them," Yuga happily suggested.

Before leaving Amber City, Yuga noticed his Snorlax was still there, indulging in the Sweet Honey. So, he said to Snorlax, "Alright, Snorlax, stop eating. We're leaving."

Snorlax paused in its tracks, reluctantly eyeing the remaining Sweet Honey.

Yuga smiled and said, "I'll take all this Sweet Honey with me, and you can enjoy it slowly later. How's that?"

"Snorlax, Snorlax!" Hearing Yuga's words, Snorlax's eyes immediately squinted with delight.

After recalling Snorlax into its Poké Ball, Yuga stored all the Sweet Honey in the system backpack.

Yuga marveled at the abundance of Sweet Honey. While a significant portion had been destroyed, it still amounted to nearly a thousand pounds of Sweet Honey. But considering that over ten thousand Combees lived here, it wasn't surprising that they had accumulated so much over time. Unfortunately, most of Combee had perished under the rocks. Only the remaining few, along with those outside, probably didn't exceed a thousand.

It's truly a tragedy! Yuga couldn't determine whose fault this tragedy was—was it the deranged Latias or the international fugitive who drove Latias to madness?

Carrying Vespiqueen and the remaining Combees, Yuga arrived at the cave's exit. He looked at the turbulent water flow with some concern. How were these Combees going to cross? Did he have to carry them one by one?

Seemingly sensing Yuga's dilemma, Vespiqueen instructed the nearby Combees, and to Yuga's astonishment, they began to enter Vespiqueen's abdomen, disappearing from sight.

Yuga was dumbfounded. Did this kind of thing exist? Moving them was incredibly convenient!

Seeing Yuga's surprised expression, Vespiqueen explained, "To all Combees born from me, my abdomen is both a hive and their home."

No, no, no. What amazed me was how you managed to fit over a hundred Combees into your abdomen. Even though Combees are small, this seems too implausible!

However, Yuga ultimately refrained from voicing his question.

The waterfall's current posed no obstacle to Yuga, and Vespiqueen, now nearly at the level of a pseudo-Elite, as they effortlessly made their way out of the waterfall.

Combees waiting anxiously outside saw their Queen and Yuga emerge safely and flew overjoyed to greet their Queen. She briefly reassured them and then gathered them all into her abdominal hive.

Yuga thought to himself, "That's definitely not a hive; it's like a pocket dimension."

After gathering the injured Combees during their journey here, Yuga and Vespiqueen set out to find them again. The accident had scattered Combees throughout the forest, making it time-consuming but not particularly difficult to locate them, thanks to the unique connection between Vespiqueen and The Combees.

Once they had found all of The Combees, they allowed Florges and Chimecho to treat their injuries, after which Vespiqueen reabsorbed them into her hive.

As Yuga had suspected, what was once over ten thousand Combees had dwindled to just over eight hundred when gathered together. This deeply saddened Vespiqueen.

By this time, night had fallen, and it was impossible for Yuga to return to Lily of the Valley Island. They had to spend the night in the forest. Fortunately, the forest's Pokémon were very friendly toward Yuga, their savior. They not only provided him with a cave for shelter but also kindly brought him food and water.

Inside the cave, Yuga watched Vespiqueen, who hadn't eaten anything, and said, "Cheer up and have something to eat. I believe The Combees who sacrificed for you wouldn't want to see you like this. They surely hope you'll stay strong."

Saying this, Yuga took out an Pokéblock, the kind he usually fed to Vivillon, and handed one to Vespiqueen, saying, "Here, try this. It's called a Pokéblock, and it tastes different from the tree berries and flower nectar you used to eat."

Vespiqueen blinked and silently accepted the Pokéblock from Yuga, finding it unexpectedly satisfying. She went on to eat two more before feeling full.

Seeing Vespiqueen's troubled expression ease a bit, Yuga finally felt relieved.