"Buzz—Buzz—!"
Accompanied by high-frequency wingbeats, a swarm of Beedrill with crimson-glowing eyes let out low, menacing hums as they wildly swung their twin lances, encircling their prey from all directions with compound vision.
"Aw—oo—!"
Already wounded again and again, their injuries worsening by the second, Wangcai and Xiaohua let out long, mournful howls—voices filled with grief and a readiness to die.
A Staravia circled low in the air, its feathers soaked with blood. Clear, bullet-like holes pierced its wings.
Behind them, Lin Juemin staggered backward, his condition extremely dire. Fear and unease were carved deeply into his face.
"Damn it… I didn't even find that unfilial son of mine, and now I'm about to meet the King of Hell first," he muttered bitterly.
"Just hold on… just a little longer, and everything will be fine."
He clenched his teeth, cursing his terrible luck.
Not long after entering the mountains, he had accidentally stepped into someone's trap—falling into a pit several meters deep and breaking his leg.
After painstakingly digging and climbing his way out, the noise attracted two or three Beedrill. Unable to run, he was forced to fight back—only for things to spiral into the desperate situation before him.
The phone in his pocket was still connected, but the next words that came through utterly crushed his remaining hope.
"Bad news! Old Lin, there's a river ahead of us. You've got to hold on!"
"Damn it, Huang Li Shi—if you want me dead, just say it outright!" Lin Juemin snapped, on the verge of collapse.
Helpless, he could only pray silently that his old friends would hurry.
Time waited for no one.
The situation grew increasingly dangerous.
The Staravia—long past its prime and having severely overdrawn its stamina—failed to evade a Pin Missile. It was struck midair and crashed to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
Their already fragile defense line collapsed completely—like the final straw breaking the camel's back.
Seeing that death was inevitable, Lin Juemin's expression instead calmed.
"Wangcai… Xiaohua… kill that Beedrill for me," he said softly.
"I'll join you soon."
He turned around, pulled out his phone, and nearly roared into it:
"Old Huang! I'm done for—but you must find my son, Orion! Please!"
With that, he ended the call and waited for death to arrive.
The two Poochyena ultimately failed to kill the Beedrill and were overwhelmed by the swarm's assault.
---
"Fearow—Quick Attack! Leave one alive. Kill the rest!"
"Caw—!"
In an instant, a piercing cry tore through the battlefield.
Fearow descended like a bolt of light—like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep.
Its sharp beak pierced straight through a Beedrill's skull. Its powerful wings flared outward, smashing two Beedrill into the ground on either side.
Disdain filled its eyes—as if looking down on mere ants.
Its movements were swift and ruthless.
As a natural predator of Beedrill, every strike it made either gravely injured or outright killed its target.
In a matter of moments, the Beedrill swarm suffered devastating losses. Signs of collapse quickly appeared.
Their former ferocity vanished—replaced by overwhelming terror.
A miracle.
A sudden ray of hope ignited Lin Juemin's heart.
Someone had actually come to save him in his moment of despair.
Following the sound, he turned to offer thanks—but the moment he saw the person's face, he froze.
Orion?!
He rubbed his eyes hard, then again.
No mistake.
It really was his unfilial son.
Yet… he felt unfamiliar. Completely different from before.
At this moment, Orion's expression was grim. He tossed a healing spray toward his father and scolded him coldly:
"You're an adult. What am I even supposed to say to you?"
"Being this reckless—aren't you ashamed? Even if you don't care about yourself, at least think about your family."
He genuinely couldn't understand what madness had driven his father to venture into the mountains late at night.
Was he hunting Pokémon?
Or something else?
It couldn't possibly be because of him—he'd sent messages, and his phone hadn't been deliberately turned off.
"You little brat—your wings have really grown," Lin Juemin snapped back.
"Explain yourself. When I tried calling you after entering the mountains, your phone was off. Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I were?"
Glancing at Fearow wreaking havoc, Lin Juemin's emotions were indescribable.
He had countless questions—but he knew now wasn't the time.
Orion pulled out his phone and finally realized it had been damaged during the earlier intense battles.
Meanwhile, Fearow had completely overwhelmed the Beedrill, now casually toying with the one survivor it had intentionally spared.
"Let's go back first," Orion said. "I still have something to take care of."
He recalled Fearow. The remaining Beedrill, like birds escaping an open cage, fled in one direction.
Orion handed a Poké Ball to his father, his tone serious.
"Don't tell anyone about me."
Then he turned and left without looking back, chasing after the fleeing Beedrill.
He wasn't heartless.
Orion still remembered his previous life—after he dropped out of school.
His father, who had opposed him the most, eventually gave up trying to persuade him.
A few days later, he quietly prepared a Yellow-talent Geodude and twenty thousand yuan, helping him get through the hardest early stage of becoming a Trainer.
He always said things like, "If you don't study, get out of this house,"
—but he never truly meant it.
The bond between father and son was complicated.
Only after entering society and experiencing people and events did Orion gradually come to understand his father.
He had brought shame upon himself. He had let people down.
By the time he succeeded and looked back—it was already too late.
Staring at the retreating Beedrill, Orion's eyes flashed with cold ferocity.
Of course he wouldn't stop here.
Destroying the nest was inevitable—especially since honey was an extremely rare resource.
Lin Juemin looked at the Poké Ball clenched tightly in his hand. Once he fully regained his senses, he suddenly smiled.
As he healed his Pokémon, his thoughts churned endlessly.
He couldn't understand how his son had suddenly gained such a terrifyingly powerful Fearow.
But strangely enough—
He no longer felt that Orion dropping out of school was necessarily wrong.
---
"Shh—Shh—Thump! Thump!"
Huang Li Shi and the others finally arrived.
They had come with heavy hearts, prepared for the worst—only to find their old friend still alive.
Joy surged instantly.
"Old Lin! Lin Juemin! You're still alive?!"
"Nonsense," Lin Juemin replied. "I'm perfectly fine."
"That can't be right—wait! So many Beedrill corpses? Old Lin, what happened? Tell us!" Huang Li Shi exclaimed, helping support him while staring at the ground in astonishment.
After a brief pause, Lin Juemin told a modified version of the story—
Replacing his son with a powerful passing Trainer who had just happened to lend a hand.
"Your injuries—especially the severe fracture in your right leg—need immediate treatment at the Pokémon Center in town," Huang Li Shi said seriously.
"What about these bodies?" the others asked, exchanging glances.
Lin Juemin patted his shoulder.
"We don't take these things. Let's go."
"Did you thank the person?" Huang Li Shi asked as he carried him on his back.
"I practically knelt down," Lin Juemin replied. "Is that enough?"
Laughing and chatting, the group quickly departed.
This night was destined to be unforgettable—at least for Lin Juemin.
---
A new round of slaughter began.
The Beedrill that fled back to their nest believed they had found safety.
They never realized—
Their entire colony would be buried because of it.
Orion showed no mercy.
Locking onto the nest, he unleashed his aura to the fullest.
Arbok and Breloom joined the battle.
Under the overwhelming pressure, Beedrill, Metapod, and Weedle died one after another—some without even understanding what had happened.
To ensure none escaped, Orion deliberately swept the area for several kilometers.
His harvest was immense:
The entire Beedrill colony.
Numerous Pokémon eggs.
Large quantities of honey.
Berries.
And the belongings left behind by several fallen Trainers.