The start of the mission

14th of March

You wake up the next day knowing what you are about to face: a hive infested with powerful musus that have gone on a rampage.

Everyone wakes up early and starts preparing their equipment, checking their supplies and sharpening their weapons before leaving the house.

You make Bibi cover herself with a hooded cloak so she can remain hidden once the fighting starts.

You all make your way into the forest, proceeding carefully as you try not to get spotted by the enemy before reaching their hive.

After about an hour of walking, you finally arrive.

The Beedrill hive is built in the middle of the forest, partially hidden between several massive trees. Its entrance resembles a small cave, with a wide opening surrounded by layers of hardened wax and dark, twisted roots. You can barely see inside, noticing that the walls are covered in strange honeycomb-like structures. The whole place looks more like a natural cave that has been transformed into an enormous nest than a proper building.

Outside the entrance, four of the five remaining Beedrills are guarding the place.

However, their appearance is even stranger than yesterday.

The yellow of their bodies has become noticeably darker, almost dirty-looking, and their bodies twitch occasionally, as if something is controlling them from within. That strange, dark energy constantly emanates from their bodies, surrounding them like a faint black aura.

"We finally arrived" Marcy says.

"Everyone remember the plan?" Midori asks.

Everyone nods.

"From now on, Bibi, stay hidden here and wait for us. We'll handle the problem." you say.

Bibi nods and kneels down behind some bushes, pulling her hood further over her head.

You take a deep breath.

Then you all step out of hiding.

The Beedrills immediately stand on guard and assume defensive positions.

Still, you decide to try a peaceful approach one last time.

"We're here to talk with your leader. If you don't attack us, we can resolve this peacefully—"

Before you can finish the sentence, one of the Beedrills suddenly launches herself toward you.

Her spear arms thrust forward, aiming straight for your chest.

You quickly summon your Rattata weapon.

The moment it appears in your hand, your body becomes noticeably lighter and faster.

You twist out of the way of the incoming attack, letting the spear pass inches from your body.

Marcy immediately takes advantage of the opening.

"Outta the way!" She swings her hammer with incredible force.

The blow catches the Beedrill from the side and sends her flying several meters away.

"Seems like there's no room for talks here, man," Marcy says.

"Go, Erik. We'll handle these girls," Leaf says.

You nod.

You and Midori immediately rush toward the entrance of the hive.

Two Beedrills attempt to intercept you.

One lunges toward you, but Sig moves in front of her and blocks the attack with her sword.

At the same time, the other Beedrill attempts to strike Midori, only to be blasted away by a Gust from Leaf.

Amber suddenly teleports behind the last Beedrill.

Before the insect musu can even turn around, Amber grabs her shoulder.

Both of them disappear.

A second later, the Beedrill reappears several meters away from the entrance.

With the path clear, you and Midori rush inside.

---

"Very well, ladies. We need to knock these Beedrills out before the situation gets any worse. Everyone, handle your own target," Leaf says.

She immediately casts another Gust, pushing her Beedrill toward one side of the battlefield.

The others do the same, making sure to spread the Beedrills apart so that everyone has enough room to fight without interfering with each other.

Marcy charges toward the Beedrill she and Charlie are handling.

The insect musu quickly takes to the air and avoids the hammer.

"Gotcha!" Charlie, who is standing behind Marcy, spits an Ember directly at the airborne Beedrill.

The fireball hits her hard.

The Beedrill flinches and loses altitude, giving Marcy the opening she needs.

Marcy grabs one of her legs.

"Got you!" With her monstrous strength, she swings the Beedrill around and slams her into the ground.

Marcy immediately raises her fist, ready to knock her out.

The Beedrill suddenly thrusts both spear arms upward.

Marcy barely manages to jump back before the sharp weapons reach her.

The Beedrill quickly gets back on her feet and lunges toward Marcy.

Marcy smirks.

"Charlie!" She suddenly lowers herself.

Charlie, who has been waiting behind her, fires another Ember.

The fireball strikes the Beedrill directly in the chest.

She is knocked backward and crashes to the ground.

"Nice shot!" Marcy says.

"Eheh, thank you" Charlie giggles happily from the compliments.

---

Amber faces a Beedrill alone.

It is a rare sight, considering Abra musus are infamous for teleporting away from their problems, but Amber has no intention of running away from her mission.

The Beedrill repeatedly lunges at her, trying to pierce her with her spear arms.

Every time, Amber's instincts kick in.

She teleports away just before the attack connects.

The moment she reappears, she retaliates with a Psychic attack.

The Beedrill barely sees the invisible force coming.

The attack slams into her body and sends her stumbling backward.

Yet she immediately gets back up.

"Protect... the hive..."

She charges again. Amber teleports away. Another Psychic attack. Another hit.

But the Beedrill refuses to stay down.

After several minutes of repeatedly teleporting and attacking, Amber starts to feel the fatigue catching up with her.

"I... need to finish this..." She suddenly teleports toward a nearby tree.

The Beedrill follows and lunges at her.

At the last possible moment, Amber disappears.

The spear arm pierces the tree instead, becoming stuck in the thick trunk.

Amber reappears behind her.

"Confusion." The Psychic attack slams into the Beedrill's back.

The insect musu is thrown forward and crashes headfirst into the tree.

She finally goes limp.

Amber takes a deep breath.

"...Done."

---

Sig and the Beedrill clash weapons as they fight.

"Finally, a new trial so I can test my strength," Sig says in the middle of the battle.

Sig's fighting skills are vastly superior to her opponent's, but the Beedrill is much faster.

Because of Sig's long, serpentine body, she also has to be extremely careful. A single poisoned strike could prove fatal.

She focuses on defending herself while patiently waiting for an opening.

The Beedrill suddenly begins a flurry of rapid lunges.

Sig slithers backward, narrowly avoiding each thrust.

Then an idea comes to her.

The next time the Beedrill lunges, Sig suddenly stops retreating.

She gathers energy inside her chest.

"Dragon Breath!" A stream of draconic energy bursts from her mouth and strikes the Beedrill directly.

The attack is powerful enough to push her backward.

More importantly, its paralysing effect takes hold.

The Beedrill's movements become slower and more sluggish.

That's all the opening Sig needs.

She suddenly surges forward and tackles the weakened Beedrill to the ground.

Before she can recover, Sig drives the hilt and edge of her katana into the Beedrill's chest with enough force to knock her unconscious.

"Please do not get up now" Sig says as she calmly sheathes her katana.

---

Leaf is handling her Beedrill well, but she has to remain careful.

As a caster, she isn't particularly suited for close combat, so she needs to maintain a strong defensive position.

She creates a protective ring of flames around herself with Fire Spin, limiting the directions from which the Beedrill can approach.

Every time the Beedrill tries to attack her from above, Leaf immediately blasts her away with spells such as Gust, Rock Throw, and Ember.

After not being able to do anything for a while; the beedrill, in a desperate move, she charges straight through the flames.

The fire burns her body, but she manages to push through and pierce Leaf's defenses.

However, Leaf is ready for her.

"Not so fast!" She launches herself into the air with a powerful Gust beneath her feet.

The Beedrill looks up and attempts to follow.

Leaf waits until the insect musu is directly beneath her.

"Rock Throw!" A large rock forms above her and crashes down onto the Beedrill.

The impact knocks her to the ground and pins her there.

Leaf lands safely a short distance away.

The flames of Fire Spin finally disappear, only the defeated Beedrill remains.

---

It seems like all of the girls have won their fights, but before they can regroup, something goes wrong.

All of the defeated Beedrills suddenly begin twitching.

One by one, they slowly rise from the ground.

Their bodies shouldn't be able to move anymore, yet they stand.

The strange dark energy begins surging through their bodies.

"Protect the hive... Protect the hive... Protect the hive..."

They all repeat the same words.

Their voices are perfectly synchronized. They look almost like zombies.

"Uh... guys?" Marcy mutters.

The Beedrills suddenly turn toward the hive.

The dark energy intensifies.

"They're getting back up..." Charlie says nervously.

---

Meanwhile, you and Midori finally enter the hive.

The inside is barely illuminated by a few holes in the ceiling, allowing thin rays of sunlight to enter the otherwise dark tunnels.

The walls are covered in layers of hardened wax and strange honeycomb structures. The air is warm and heavy.

You take a few cautious steps forward.

Then you hear something.

A crunchy sound, like someone stepping on dry leaves.

Something is being crushed.

Midori slowly looks toward the darkness ahead.

"Erik..."

You raise your weapon.

The sound continues, whatever is making it is close.

You slowly approach the source.

And then, in the shadows...

You see something rather creepy.