A Clash in White

Beedrill's body had grown considerably since it first evolved, and its three stingers were noticeably sharper. The yellow stinger on its tail, in particular, gleamed blue in the sunlight.

Now, unusually for it, it had closed its eyes, its wings trembling faintly behind it.

Suddenly, a razor-sharp gleam appeared.

White light flashed, and a fist-sized stone shot out from beneath the water, split into several pieces in midair, then fell back into the river.

"Misdreavus, Beedrill, let's find somewhere else to train."

Dian shouldered his backpack and called out.

Beedrill nodded silently and flew over.

Misdreavus, meanwhile, stared sulkily at the block of wood in front of it. Finally, its eyes darted sideways, and the shadow behind it curled around the wood. Apparently, it intended to bring it along.

Dian and his companions followed the river upstream.

There should have been a lake upstream, with plenty of lush Coelacanth Grass growing along its shores. There should also have been plenty of Pokémon coming to drink there. With any luck, they might even encounter an exceptionally rare Pokémon.

Just as Dian and his companions disappeared into the undergrowth, an exuberant cry came from the other side.

"Jiggly!"

A pink Pokémon holding a miniature microphone hopped out. It glanced around, gave a soft cry, then ran upstream as well.

As it ran, it danced and sang softly to itself.

Had Dian still been there, he would have recognized it as that Jigglypuff whose singing had never met its match. He would have turned and left without another word, or struck first and knocked it out, never giving it a chance to perform.

Swish!

Beedrill swung its white stingers, neatly cutting away the branches blocking their path so Dian could pass through behind it.

Misdreavus held the wooden block high, clutching Dian's hair with one hand as it kept pondering how to pierce the wood.

Dian, meanwhile, was considering what they still lacked.

Suddenly, Beedrill stopped, its eyes fixed on the woods ahead.

At the same time, a buzzing arose, growing clearer and more piercing by the moment.

"This is...!"

Dian's expression changed. The peculiar look on Uncle Tony's face, still fresh in his memory, immediately came to mind. Quietly, he prepared to bolt at any moment.

A true gentleman runs when it's time to run. No hesitation!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three Beedrill burst from the undergrowth in an instant, their wings beating as three pairs of cold eyes locked onto the two Pokémon and the strangely behaving young man before them.

Dian glanced behind him. Sure enough, three more Beedrill were at his back.

"Something's odd."

His eyes flickered.

Dian and his companions had spent quite some time in this forest, but no wild Pokémon had come to cause trouble. They had seen quite a few Beedrill, yet those had merely glanced at him before turning away.

Why had they surrounded him this time...?

Bzzz!

Then another Beedrill, noticeably larger than the others, suddenly flew out. It approached and silently raised one white stinger, pointing ahead.

"Could it be...?"

Seeing this, Dian asked, "You want a match with my Beedrill?"

The Beedrill leader nodded silently.

Dian's Beedrill extended its own stinger without hesitation.

Bzzzz!

The other six Beedrill spread out around them, forming a perimeter and watching their surroundings warily to prevent any interruptions.

The opposing Beedrill leader beat its wings, instantly producing several afterimages, then charged at Dian's Beedrill.

"Agility!"

Dian raised an eyebrow. His Beedrill had yet to learn that move. Apparently, speed was the issue.

He immediately ordered, "Beedrill, hold your ground! Let it come to you!"

Clearly, his Beedrill could not compete with the opposing leader in movement speed. But that did not mean it could not match its reaction speed or attack speed.

After all, its training during this period had focused on steadiness, accuracy, and speed, along with the awareness and skill needed to use its surroundings to attack.

Although they had not focused on offensive power, strengthening its body with toxins and training underwater had also worked wonders for its strength.

Besides, even if it truly could not withstand its opponent's power, he still had another trick.

Clang, clang, clang!

The two Beedrill traded attacks furiously. Though one changed direction with incredible speed, it could not swing its stingers as fast as the other.

"Twineedle!"

Spotting his opening, Dian called out at once.

A distinct blue sheen flashed across Beedrill's two white stingers, then it thrust them out in a fierce crossing strike.

Bam!

The Beedrill leader was driven back, but its eyes immediately reddened, and it unleashed a ferocious blow: Rage!

"Beedrill, dodge! Use Poison Sting!"

The moment Dian saw Rage, he knew they could not meet it head-on. Their earlier exchange had shown that the Beedrill leader was stronger than his Beedrill. With Rage added to the mix, that advantage would be far more than slight.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Stinger after stinger shot toward the Beedrill leader, striking with a series of clangs. They did not seem to have much effect.

But Dian distinctly noticed a flicker of unease in the opposing leader's eyes.

"Just as I thought!"

He had already noticed the Beedrill leader's entire body stiffen for a moment after it blocked Twineedle.

"Strengthening its venom all this time really paid off."

Or perhaps the nature of his Beedrill's venom had already changed, becoming very different from an ordinary Beedrill's.

Bam!

In the end, Beedrill failed to evade the leader's Rage completely. A white stinger grazed it, leaving a minor injury.

"It's time."

A sharp gleam flashed in Dian's eyes. "Beedrill, Swords Dance, then Fury Attack!"

BZZZZ!!

Beedrill extended both white stingers and spun rapidly once. Light flashed across its body, and it launched a furious assault on the Beedrill leader, which had overcommitted to its strike and shot past it.

Bam!

Though the Beedrill leader managed to block several blows, Fury Attack struck faster and harder with each hit, finally knocking it to the ground.

"Beedrill, Focus Energy!"

Dian called out immediately. He would not pass up any opportunity to grow stronger.

Though he wanted Beedrill to use Swords Dance again, its current physical condition probably could not withstand that level of enhancement.

Indeed, in the games, various status moves were incredibly powerful. Used well, they could even let a Pokémon trounce Legendary Pokémon. In reality, however, that was essentially impossible.

Every Pokémon was different. Even Beedrill from the same swarm varied in strength. Some excelled in speed, others in venom, and so on.

But there was a limit to how much a body could be enhanced. Just as tofu and stone could withstand different amounts of force, some Pokémon had the physical constitution to endure three layers of Swords Dance, while others did not.

Moreover, the further one progressed, the less effective Swords Dance's enhancement actually became. For certain top-tier Pokémon in particular, it was merely an added bonus, not a shortcut to overwhelming power.