Your winged abductor brought you away from the nice open fields of Route 3, and soon you looked upon the canopy of Ercu Forest. Such a beautiful place when you went for walkies with your Volcano- and Sky-Type BeastMon. Such a green hell, getting into it without them. The Vultarrow descended, landing on a clearing amidst the trees.
He almost messed it up as you were dangling on his feet, crashing you into a tree. Maybe it was intentional. The birdman let go of you, and you stumbled.
"Crap", you mumbled, stumbled on unstable legs and fell down. Behind you the Vultarrow screeched, maybe in laughter. You paid him no heed, instead laying hand on your belt. There was only one Beastie with you, but it was better then nothing. And maybe, maaaybe this was -
A shadow fell over you. Not from the bird-man. You turned, saw a shadow of glittery wings and a gush of yellow-green powder, swallowing your body, your senses, knocking you out cold.
As you opened your eyes again, it was night. You coughed, your throat dry as a desert. As you twitched, you felt the shackles of fine Insect-silk, binding you a few feet above ground. Heavens, you hung between two trees, like a fly in a spiderīs web!
"Finally she awoke, my prince", a melodic voice spoke, and you turned your head, staring at a human butterfly.
It was obviously a BeastMon, a delicate woman with giant insectile wings, glittering and shimmering in colors from summer green to flaming red and deep blue. The top half of her face was covered with an evenly colorful mask. She wore a summer dress in flowery pink, ending way up above her knees. Her feet wear a pair of stiletto pumps with such heels you could kill someone with. How murderous it must be to virtually life in such shoes! But maybe her species was just hovering wherever they wanted. In any case, she hovered right now, with her fragile wings barely moving. One of her hands, in a tender white glove, pointed at you, and around the fingertips swirled a mysterious cloud of dust ... or energy?
"You hear me, am I right?", she said. "My psychic powers make it a possibility."
Beside her stood Josh, still just a cocoon. Why was he out?
"Iīm sorry, trainer", he spoke disheartened. "Iīm useless."
You had a lump in your throat, so you couldnīt answer right know. What was there to say, even? For you he was not exactly useless, but oh so hopeless and pessimistic. Besides, there were a lot more opponents than allies. The vulture-man was there, squatting on a tree branch, and at the edges of the clearing cowered little worms and bugs, covered in shadows.
The butterfly-woman hovered over to you, caressed by moonlight. "I am the Forest Queen. You can communicate with the Beasties you captured, am I right? Do you still hear the princeīs voice, even with his Cube shattered?" She nodded down. You looked. At the ground laid metal scraps and pieces of electronic, a destroyed BeastCube. "Technology. So easy to break."
You tried a defiant grin. "I heard him clear enough."
"You are special, yes. Maybe not as special as me, but interesting enough to keep around." She smiled benevolent. "Not in this flesh, though. I wonder, will your gift carry over?"
As your eyes widened in fear, her smile grew malicious. She put a hand on your chin. "You like my prince, right? Soon he will be Forest King, and he might be grateful for your company. I need him at least a bit entertained, little his new role might be."
"What are you even talking ..."
Her grip got stronger around your jaw. "About the power of Insects, of course, laying dormant in this cursed forest. No one is sizing it, no one is using it, no one even thinks about it! But me. Under my rule, this forest will grow, I will breed and raise more of my kind, then visiting all your towns, your cities, all of you."
"Y-.. Your kind?"
"I said it, no? Iīm special. Wanna see?" Her psychic powers lashed out, visuals dripping into your mind. A laboratory, strange machinery, masked men and cold, white light over a steel table.
You began to sweat.
The Forest Queen still smiled. "I picked up a new trick in this lab before I escaped. One you pathetic vermin need your beloved Crests for. I wonder, will you be grateful for the present I will make you all? Be my guest tonight." Her fingers caressed your cheek, wandered from nose to mouth and rested at your chin. "You wanna be beautiful for my prince, no?"