The Cave's Resident

Beedrill's gaze was sharp, and all three of its stingers gleamed coldly, making it look extremely threatening.

The aloof air it carried, unlike other Beedrill, only added to its imposing presence.

A solitary Beedrill generally fell into one of two categories: the old, weak, sick, or injured that had been driven out by the swarm, or the powerful ones that left of their own accord to seek a breakthrough.

Clearly, this one looked anything but old, weak, sick, or injured, so it naturally belonged to the second category—a powerful Beedrill.

"Ratta?"

A slightly larger Rattata raised its head warily. It relaxed when it saw a Beedrill, but immediately backed away several steps upon spotting the human behind it.

A Trainer!

Several nearby Pokémon also raised their heads. A Sentret stood upright and waved its sharp claws a few times.

Three white-and-brown Pidgey raised their heads as well, their purple beaks gleaming.

Bzz!!

Beedrill immediately straightened both arms and swung them in a circle, performing Swords Dance. At the same time, a faint sheen flickered over its body—Focus Energy.

Once it finished, it stared coldly at the Pokémon.

After a moment, Sentret quietly withdrew its claws and settled down cross-legged.

The three Pidgey beside it also lowered their beaks and nestled together.

The other weaker Pokémon made a little room too, effectively permitting Dian and his companions to stay temporarily.

Dian inwardly sighed in relief, then glanced deeper into the cave. He knew there had to be an even stronger Pokémon inside.

Still, whatever the case, he was safe for the time being.

He had just set the Hoppip in his arms on the ground when a dark shape darted inside and grabbed his hair tightly, its two red jewels brimming with longing.

"Na-na."

Hoppip called softly, then waved the candied hawthorn it was holding.

Misdreavus immediately released Dian's hair, her body swaying this way and that along with the candied hawthorn.

"Why did it take you so long to get back?"

Dian asked in confusion. Normally, she should have returned much earlier.

"Na-na?"

Upon hearing that, Hoppip immediately pulled the candied hawthorn back and hopped several steps away.

Misdreavus grew anxious at once. She pointed behind her, spun in a circle, and gave several aggrieved cries before quickly flying outside, apparently going to fetch proof of what had delayed her.

Liyin looked at the cliff before her with a wry smile.

Yes, it really was a cliff. It was nearly ninety degrees; surely this no longer counted as a slope.

She patted her beloved motorcycle beside her. Her old companion definitely wasn't making it up there. This wasn't admitting defeat, but having a clear understanding of her own capabilities.

After all, riding a motorcycle up a cliff only happened in TV shows, not real life, right?

Which raised the question: how was she supposed to get up there...?

"Hey!!! Misdreavus!!!"

She called helplessly, but naturally, no answer came.

Liyin waited a little longer. Just as she was about to give up, she saw Misdreavus flying down in a great hurry.

She was certain she hadn't seen wrong. Misdreavus really was rushing.

"Could it be...? No way, right?"

She blinked, an ominous feeling creeping over her.

Then Liyin saw two black shadows rapidly stretching down toward her. Before she could react, her whole body felt weightless, and she saw herself and her beloved motorcycle flying upward.

"No!!!"

A piercing scream rang out.

When Dian heard it, he expressionlessly ate the entire skewer of candied hawthorn in one bite!!

So that was it...

She'd brought the whole family... no, she'd brought back dead weight.

He sighed and resigned himself to spreading a cloth on the ground, preparing to spend the day safely holed up in the cave like a proper cave dweller.

Thud!

"Ow!"

Liyin finally landed, but when she looked around, she found pairs of unfriendly eyes staring at her.

Her beloved motorcycle received slightly better treatment than she did. At least it was set down gently nearby.

Apparently, Misdreavus was more interested in the motorcycle than in Liyin.

"Mis!!"

Misdreavus immediately flew back and pointed at Liyin, seemingly saying that she was the reason she had returned so late.

"Sigh..."

Dian sighed and was just about to speak.

Suddenly, a woman's voice crackled through a wash of static. "This is the weather forecast, this is the weather forecast!! Attention, everyone, attention, everyone! The tornado designated S315 is moving rapidly toward the Northern Forest. All affected personnel must find shelter immediately! All affected personnel... kzz, kzz, kzz..."

Upon hearing that voice, he immediately understood what had happened.

Dian silently glanced at Liyin, a little startled.

If he had been in her place, would he have come back?

"Here, your candied hawthorn."

He took two fresh skewers of candied hawthorn from his backpack, handed one to Misdreavus and the other to Liyin, and asked, "Is the tornado rated high?"

Liyin accepted it instinctively, then paused before answering, "It probably isn't very strong, but it's hard to say."

Dian nodded and pointed to the bedding laid out on the ground. "Rest for a bit. I'll go outside and take a look."

Holding Hoppip, he walked to the cave entrance and gazed into the distance.

He wasn't sure whether it was because of the tornado, but the wind here felt even stronger.

The previously bright sky in the distance had also turned dark and gloomy, with faint flashes of white light flickering through it.

"Na-na!!"

Hoppip seemed to sense something and suddenly cried out.

Dian gently stroked it, indicating that he understood.

It seemed this tornado designated S315 wasn't going to drift in gently and drift away again.

When he returned inside, his gaze was somewhat grave.

He had discovered this cave while sheltering from the rain some time ago. It wasn't particularly large, and its entrance was very wide. It probably couldn't provide complete safety against a violent tornado.

But...

Dian looked into the depths of the cave, and his eyes lit up. Although he didn't know what was hiding inside, it had to be an extraordinary Pokémon.

He began walking slowly deeper into the cave.

Whoosh!

A dark shape shot toward him.

Dian watched silently without dodging.

Bang!

Another dark shape moved later but arrived first, knocking it aside. The incoming object turned out to be a small stone.

"Rock-type, or Fighting-type?"

Dian slowly let out a breath of relief.

"Roar!"

A low, muffled roar rang out, then a Pokémon with a round, rocky body emerged.

Its gray, snakelike head turned to glance at Dian before its bright red eyes shifted to Misdreavus.

"Golem!"

Dian felt a chill, afraid this heavyweight might get upset and unleash a Magnitude or a massive Earthquake.

Granted, a Golem that knew such powerful moves probably wouldn't be staying here, but what if...?

He hurriedly said, "The tornado is stronger than expected, so we have to close off the entrance now. Otherwise..."

After hearing him out, Golem fell silent for a moment, then slowly headed toward the entrance without even looking at the Pokémon nearby.