Vespiquen noticed that Rex was very sincere and confident in his ability to heal her wounds, so she agreed to let him help.
Initially, Vespiquen thought Rex would have his Pokémon use recovery skills to treat her. However, to her surprise, Rex walked up to her alone.
Of course, Vespiquen was not afraid of Rex, as she didn't believe a human could harm her. However, the Combee around her were on high alert, closely watching Rex. If he made any move to harm Vespiquen, they would attack immediately to protect her.
When Rex reached Vespiquen, he simply smiled at her and placed his right hand on her wound. Then, a surge of vibrant green life energy flowed from his hand into Vespiquen's body.
As the life energy entered her body, Vespiquen felt a tingling sensation in her wound, which began to heal rapidly. After the external wound was healed, the remaining life energy started repairing her internal injuries.
As these injuries healed, Vespiquen felt an unprecedented sense of relief, and her strength began to increase significantly.
When the treatment ended, Vespiquen felt light and free of the burden she had carried for so long.
Her view of Rex changed at this moment, as only she knew how much she had benefited from his treatment.
After kindly greeting Rex, Vespiquen gathered the Combee around her and brought them before him, indicating that he could capture them.
Seeing this, Rex knew that Vespiquen was honoring their initial agreement and proceeded to capture the Combee with prepared Poké Balls.
However, Rex stopped after capturing only ten Combee. For a group of over a hundred Combee, losing ten was not a significant impact. Moreover, Vespiquen could continually produce new Combee eggs.
With these ten Combee and the four Combee eggs he had previously purchased, Rex felt he had enough for honey production on his farm.
If he wanted to expand the Combee population later, he could just evolve one of the Combee into a Vespiquen.
Vespiquen had been worried that Rex might capture many of her Combee, which would weaken the group for a long time. However, after seeing that he only took ten, her fondness for him grew even more.
Just as Rex was about to leave after capturing the Combee, Vespiquen stopped him and signaled for him to follow her.
Although Rex wasn't sure what Vespiquen intended, he followed her to see what she wanted to do.
Soon, Rex followed Vespiquen to a hidden hive inside a cave, which was clearly the home of Vespiquen and the Combee.
Finally, Vespiquen led Rex to a large pool filled with golden honey. The pool was brimming with Sweet Honey.
Looking at the pool of Sweet Honey and smelling its sweet aroma, Rex couldn't help but swallow.
He looked at Vespiquen in confusion, but she smiled and gestured toward the pool, then stepped aside.
At that moment, Rex understood that Vespiquen wanted to give him some Sweet Honey as a thank you for healing her wounds.
Understanding her intent, Rex took out a container from his backpack. However, after filling two bottles with Sweet Honey, he stopped.
Although there was still plenty of honey in the pool, Rex knew when to stop. Moreover, with the Combee on his farm, he would have a steady supply of honey in the future, so there was no need to be greedy.
Seeing Rex's behavior, Vespiquen became even more certain of his good character and trusted that he wouldn't mistreat the Combee.
Afterward, Rex left the valley hidden within the mountains, escorted by Vespiquen and the Combee.
However, neither Rex nor Vespiquen noticed a curious gaze watching everything from a nearby flower patch.
This Pokémon, which resembled a hedgehog, was none other than the Shaymin that Rex had long wanted to meet. When Shaymin curled up, it looked like a flower, making it impossible for anyone to notice.
This was a natural ability of the Shaymin species, blending seamlessly into the environment. Even though many Combee flew above Shaymin daily, none had ever noticed its presence.
Shaymin had been awakened by the tense standoff between Rex and Vespiquen's group. Although it usually didn't like getting involved, preferring to quietly observe, the healing process using life energy had caught its attention. Shaymin could sense the natural essence in that energy.
This energy was of a very high level, potent enough to heal even Shaymin's injuries. Shaymin knew that if it suffered serious injuries, it would typically need a long period of rest to recover.
Shaymin had been intrigued by Rex and started observing him closely, surprised to smell a captivating floral scent on him.
If Shaymin's senses were correct, this human possessed the Gracidea Flower, which could allow Shaymin to transform into its Sky Forme.
Shaymin had been searching for this rare flower in the area for a long time without success, which had frustrated it. But now, to its surprise, it had found a human who had it.
This piqued Shaymin's interest, and it sniffed the air before quickly running in the direction Rex had gone.
As Shaymin ran, neither Vespiquen nor the Combee noticed the little green hedgehog passing by.
Meanwhile, Rex was riding on his Swellow, flying toward Coastal City. However, since it was getting late, he planned to find a suitable spot to camp before it got dark.
Soon, Rex found a flat, open area perfect for camping, next to a large lake that was much bigger than Lake Verity. In comparison, Lake Verity was like a small puddle.
After landing, Rex released his Pokémon, as they had spent most of the past few days cooped up in their Poké Balls and were eager to stretch out.
Lapras happily swam in the lake, while Lileep swayed on the rocks by the shore.
Combusken and Carbink began exploring, and Rex let them go after reminding them to return soon, as they were strong enough not to face any serious danger.
Sandslash, however, stayed quietly by Rex's side with Swellow, helping him set up a temporary camp.
(End of Chapter)