The Coming Storm

Dian touched the Poké Ball at his waist, his gaze deepening.

He turned and walked deeper into the forest.

Finding one person in this forest would be difficult. But why should he go looking when he could make that person come to him? The forest might be vast, but that solved the problem.

The price he would pay was no small sum, though.

Route 29 lay between Yoshino City and New Bark Town, and anyone traveling from there to the sea between the Hoenn Region and the Johto Region had to pass through Tranquil Forest.

It was not called Tranquil Forest because its towering trees blocked out the sun, but because it was home to so many groups of Pokémon.

Bug-type Pokémon were the most numerous of all!

And where there were Bug-type Pokémon, there were bound to be Beedrill colonies.

Dian had also sent Skiploom to contact the Grass-type Pokémon here, not just the Beedrill.

Of course, getting the local Pokémon to help him fight other Trainers was impossible. They would not involve themselves in human disputes, and Dian could not afford the price anyway.

After all, a colony living in such a vast forest had to observe at least as many unwritten rules as any Pyramid organization.

If an entire Beedrill colony abandoned its duties to help him, who would guard its young, forage for food, and defend against enemies?

Tranquil Forest had remained peaceful for so long because its many factions had settled into a stable balance over time.

But long-standing stability also bred suspicion of outsiders and rules even stricter than those in smaller places.

For instance, the Pokémon here had an unspoken understanding with outside Trainers. Trainers could enter and catch Pokémon, but they had to follow the forest's rules, leave immediately afterward, and pay