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Sato and his team's arrival didn't go unnoticed by the ever-vigilant Beedrill clan. As soon as they approached within 100 meters of the Beedrill hive, a squad of over a dozen elite Beedrill, all at least level 20, rushed forward to intercept them.
Along with these elite Beedrill were more than thirty newly evolved Beedrill grunts and a number of Weedle. To prevent Sato from getting any closer to the hive, the Beedrill clan had brought out their reserve forces.
In no time, Sato and his Pokémon were surrounded on all sides by Beedrill and Weedle. However, backed up against a giant tree, neither Sato nor his two Pokémon showed the slightest sign of fear.
The Beedrill's battle strategy was simple: send in the grunts to wear down the enemy, then have the elites swoop in for the final blow.
This time was no different. Under the command of the elite Beedrill, over fifty newly evolved Beedrill grunts and a horde of weak Weedle charged towards Sato and his team.
Having faced large-scale assaults like this many times before, Zubat and Gloom remained unfazed. Without waiting for Sato's orders, and drawing on their extensive experience from battling Beedrill, they instinctively executed the most effective counterattack.
Zubat immediately unleashed Air Cutter at the incoming enemies. In an instant, Flying-type energy gathered in the air, and under Zubat's skilled control, this energy transformed into a brief but powerful gale, filled with sharp blades of wind.
The charging Beedrill grunts and Weedle were sent flying backward, many of them slashed by the wind blades. Several fragile Beedrill and Weedle were severely injured and collapsed, temporarily out of the fight.
However, the impact of Zubat's Air Cutter on the battlefield was far from over.
As Zubat's attack raged, Gloom scattered a cloud of green Sleep Powder from its flower bud, which was carried by Zubat's "high-speed wind" directly into the ranks of the Beedrill and Weedle.
Those hit by the Sleep Powder—whether already injured or not—were overwhelmed with drowsiness. Before long, a large number of Beedrill and Weedle were fast asleep on the ground.
In an instant, the enemy's fighting force was reduced by half. Zubat's Air Cutter combined with Gloom's Sleep Powder proved to be an excellent crowd control combo, especially effective unless the enemy was a strong Flying-type or had the Insomnia ability.
However, while Zubat focused on the enemies in front, the Beedrill on the sides and above seized their opportunity.
Almost simultaneously, three elite Beedrill charged from the left and right, their sharp stingers aimed directly at Sato, who was being guarded by Zubat and Gloom.
Above Sato, a dozen Weedle had climbed to the tree branches and now dove toward him, their purple-tinged stingers poised to strike.
"It seems I'm the easy target, huh? Everyone wants to take me out first. Gloom, use Grass Knot to stop the Beedrill on the left and right. Zubat, hit the Weedle above with Gust, but be gentle—don't overdo it," Sato commanded, keeping his eyes on the battlefield. He sighed with slight exasperation but quickly adopted a more serious tone as he issued commands to his Pokémon.
"Gloom~~" Gloom responded with a loud cry, its body surging with Grass-type energy. In a flash, its entire form was enveloped in a vibrant green aura.
At this moment, as the Beedrill charged to within two meters of Sato and his team, long, bright green blades of grass suddenly shot up from the dense undergrowth, swiftly binding the Beedrill and halting their attack.
As more and more of these green blades of grass emerged from the ground and joined the binding, the Beedrill were soon wrapped tightly, like cocooned prey, by a mass of resilient green grass.
Though seemingly fragile, the grass was incredibly tough, and under its binding, the Beedrill gradually lost the strength to fight back, helplessly accepting their fate of being captured alive.
Two days earlier, while leading his Pokémon through various battles in the nearby forest, Sato had come across a rather strong Weepinbell in a small flower field. This Weepinbell also happened to be the leader of the Grass-type Pokémon in the area.
Not only that, but this Weepinbell had mastered an impressive Grass Knot technique. The green blades of grass it conjured with this move could easily capture prey, and Beedrill were its favorite target. Sato had personally witnessed Weepinbell use Grass Knot to capture a Beedrill alive.
Amazed by the technique's powerful binding capabilities, Sato was eager to harness that power for himself. Fortunately, his Gloom was able to learn this move.
Sato asked the Weepinbell to teach Gloom the move, offering plenty of food in exchange. However, as a carnivorous plant, Weepinbell wasn't particularly friendly and dismissed Sato's request, even attempting to capture him with Grass Knot to use as backup food.
Faced with this unfriendly behavior, Sato had no choice but to retaliate. Against Zubat's Flying-type abilities, Weepinbell stood no chance and was eventually captured by Sato.
Of course, Sato didn't take advantage of Weepinbell without compensation. He treated it well, providing good food and drink, and in the end, allowed Gloom to teach it Energy Ball.
In exchange for continuing to enjoy a comfortable life, Weepinbell had to agree to a series of unequal terms with Sato, including teaching Gloom Grass Knot.
Gloom, with its superior control over Grass-type energy, had since mastered the move even beyond Weepinbell's capabilities. While Weepinbell could bind up to five Beedrill at once, Gloom could now manage six simultaneously with its Grass Knot.
Meanwhile, as Gloom used Grass Knot to bind the approaching Beedrill, Zubat launched its attack on the Weedle above them. A small white whirlwind appeared with just a thought from Zubat.
The Weedle, leaping from the branches in their attack, were caught in the whirlwind, which was imbued with Flying-type energy. They were severely injured and blown away, falling to the ground and losing their ability to fight.
After dealing with the Weedle, Zubat turned its attention to the Beedrill bound by Gloom's Grass Knot. In the next moment, Shadow Balls shot from Zubat's mouth, knocking out the fragile Beedrill.
With Zubat's powerful Air Cutter for offense, Gloom's crowd-control Sleep Powder and Grass Knot, and Sato skillfully using the giant tree as cover, the wild Beedrill—limited by their lack of intelligence—were left with no options. They were swiftly defeated, one after the other.
Three minutes later, no Beedrill remained capable of flight. All had been seriously injured and lay on the ground, temporarily unable to fight. The remaining Weedle, still able to battle, had lost their will to fight and fled in all directions.
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