Progress and pursuit (bonus chapter for 3,000 weekly recommendation votes)

"Zzz!"

Zubat watched Beedrill's rapid series of reactions and powerful attacks, momentarily stunned.

It wasn't as though it had never seen other Beedrill. Sometimes, when heavy rain fell outside, Beedrill would come into the cave for shelter. But—but the difference was just too great.

"Mis."

Misdreavus quietly finished the candied hawthorn in her hands as fast as she could, then pretended she knew nothing. "Mis? Mis!!"

She stared at the open backpack in shock. Huh? How had this backpack come open? Honestly, who had done that? How careless!

With a perfectly innocent expression, Lady Misdreavus floated over, shook out the picnic cloth, tucked it into the backpack, and zipped it shut.

Once she was done, she floated there obediently.

"Hop."

Only then did Hoppip realize something seemed to have happened, and it hastily stopped playing its mirror game.

Dian stared blankly as his thousand dollars vanished into the distance. That was nearly half a month's food money.

Although he had previously robbed a rich guy and received support from a girl who was rich and beautiful, Pokéblocks and other expenses cost plenty too. All told, he only had a little over ten thousand on him now.

And just like that, a tenth of it had run off... Dian immediately lost his composure.

"Misdreavus! I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear?"

Dian looked at the calm surface of the water, knowing that however urgently he chased after the thief now, it wouldn't do much good.

This time, he would probably have to rely entirely on Beedrill and Zubat.

"Mis..."

Misdreavus thought about it, torn.

Something got stolen, and there's still good news?!

Her intuition told her that this situation didn't seem promising.

Ignoring Misdreavus's reaction, Dian picked Skiploom up off the ground. Come to think