After two minutes, Pidgeotto returned, carrying the small space backpack that Icarus had given it.
"Beep! Beep~"
Seeing Icarus, it chirped excitedly and handed over the backpack with its claws.
"Good work, Pidgeotto. You take the lead—we're withdrawing! Victreebel, stay with me!"
The moment he got the backpack, Icarus didn't even open it. He immediately prepared to leave.
Sometimes, knowing when to stop was more important than grabbing everything.
Even though there were still many Beedrill corpses on the ground, he had no intention of collecting more.
Just from the Tauros herd's behavior, it was obvious—after their victory, they had only done a quick cleanup before leaving.
Sure, part of that was because they were herbivores, but it also meant something else:
There were definitely threats in this forest that even they had to be wary of.
That was why even the injured Tauros had retreated quickly instead of lingering.
"Luckily, when the Weedle group evacuated, they didn't have time to touch the hive. With this much honey, Pidgeotto and Victreebel will have a much stronger foundation!"
Following behind Pidgeotto, Icarus patted the small backpack, his heart filled with excitement.
Compared to this hive, even all the Beedrill corpses combined weren't worth it.
"Cha-ba~"
"Hoo-ja~"
"Puff! Puff!"
On the way back, they ran into quite a few Pokémon—Arbok, Ekans, Mankey, Primeape, Rattata, and others drawn by the heavy scent of blood.
Most of them ignored Icarus.
Compared to the feast ahead, he wasn't worth their attention.
For the few that showed hostility, Icarus immediately threw out pieces of Bug-type meat to distract them.
Right now, getting to safety mattered more than anything.
Of course, if he had to fight, he would—but fortunately, only one aggressive Primeape forced a quick battle, which he ended swiftly.
"Faster! We're almost out of the inner zone!"
Seeing the boundary markers ahead, Icarus sped up again.
"Beep~!"
*Moo~!"
Both Pidgeotto and Victreebel pushed themselves to keep up.
After another stretch of running, they finally reached the outer area of the forest—hundreds of meters away from the inner zone.
"Huff… huff…"
Leaning against a tree, Icarus gasped for breath.
After all, he was still just a normal human—far from having any extraordinary physical strength.
Once he recovered, he finally took out the backpack.
Now, he could check it safely.
"Chi~"
After letting Victreebel release some tension, Icarus eagerly unzipped the bag.
"Mmm… what a sweet smell…"
A rich fragrance instantly filled the air.
Inside was a large, gray-brown honeycomb, dripping with golden honey.
The scent came from that alone.
"I've struck it rich… This alone is enough for Victreebel and Pidgeotto. It should even help push their potential to elite level!"
Looking at the honey, he was overjoyed.
Officially, Beedrill honey was priced at around 2,000 Poké Dollars per kilogram.
But everyone knew—
That price was just for show.
This kind of natural treasure, capable of improving a Pokémon's potential, was never truly sold that cheaply.
It was just the League giving ordinary trainers a sliver of hope.
In reality, supply was extremely limited.
He'd only ever heard of one lucky person managing to buy some at that price—then reselling it for several times more.
And even then, small amounts were useless.
To raise a Pokémon's potential below elite level, you'd need around 50 kilograms.
To push from high potential to elite?
At least double that.
And honey from ordinary Beedrill didn't even work on elite-level Pokémon.
That's why—
For civilian trainers and minor families, this was a priceless treasure.
For major League families?
Just decent—but nothing special. They already had access to elite-tier starter Pokémon.
"Enough… this is already enough."
After estimating the amount, Icarus nodded.
There were nearly 200 kilograms of honey.
The full reserve of the entire colony.
"The honey alone is worth over 100 million… I've hit the jackpot."
Just as he was about to close the bag, something in the corner caught his eye.
"Hmm?"
Two round objects.
"Don't tell me… Pokémon eggs?!"
Excited, Icarus took them out.
"Shu~ sha~"
The eggs trembled slightly in his hands.
"Yellow patterns… Beedrill eggs. And they're alive—close to hatching too."
After examining them, he carefully put them away.
A bonus.
The real treasure was still the honey.
"If they were kept deep within the colony, their parents were probably strong. At worst, they should have decent potential…"
Thinking about it, Icarus narrowed his eyes.
"I don't really need Beedrill right now… I'll wait until they hatch and decide."
Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
Airi.
And another figure—
Someone who used to follow him around when he was younger.
"I didn't expect… aside from me, only one other person from the village survived."
A trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
"If I hadn't seen him when helping Xiaoling sell the house, I might've missed it forever…"
"But whether it's really him… I'll have to confirm."
That stubborn, slightly foolish kid—
The first follower he'd ever had.
-------------Author---------------
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