They'd come this far and now the son of a bitch was airborne?

It was hard enough willingly subjecting herself to danger like this, much less poor Novak, who didn't know any better. Why should they protect Buzztrunk Camp, anyway? They were total strangers. They stepped off the boat and got drafted into some kinda Big Bug Self Defense Force. Sure, Jade knew it was a game, but it was a game where she'd already almost drowned in honey, drank poison (again), and watched her little buddy get smashed to smithereens.

And now it was all happening all over again.

Guillotine. Horn Blast. Giga Impact. Bug Pokemon were tossed around the field like dollar bills in an air duct as Mega Pinsir pinballed through them. Honey stuck her eyelashes together. Her tongue felt numb from tasting the Durant potions. The damn guide was hollering his head off about Mega Honey.

Jade had to fuckin sit down. Her head was spinning.

<Oh, I want Mega Honey! I do, I do!> Novak was volunteering, hopping back and forth like he hadn't just been run over by a flying, insectoid semi truck. Jade ducked whatever the guide had just thrown at her and whipped her head around, realizing it was the same radioactive red crap that had been smeared all over that giant Pinsir's mandibles.

"Nope! Nope! Nope!" Jade lunged to retrieve it before her Nymble could pounce. "No Mega Honey! Nope! You're plenty big already, like I said!"

<Nooo! Everyone else is doing it!>

Everyone else was doing it, and their bugs were way too big for Jade's liking. She lurched away, feet squelching and sticking to the cavern floor, holding the honeycomb high out of reach. "Hell no! It ain't natural!"

<Come on! Think how strong my kicks would be!> Novak chirped in dismay, springing for the honeycomb. Jade caught the Nymble in her other hand before he could reach it and held the struggling grasshopper at arm's length. <Aaaaah, I'm missing it!> Mega Pinsir fell in the background. Jade ignored it. "Sure are, and we're done here. We win. Buzz Buzz camp and its mushroom macaroni are safe. I'm happy."

<Oh well! I guess you're right,> Novak said, sounding disappointed. That was surprisingly easy. Jade eyed him suspiciously, but the optimistic little bug seemed sincere. Huh. Go figure.

She lowered the Mega Honey, ready to yank it back at a moment's notice. Novak didn't make any sudden moves towards it, though the insect eyed it curiously. <So what are you going to do with it?>

"Keep it for a rainy day, I guess," Jade said, thinking ruefully of all her other items mixing in a liquid mess on the cave floor. Oh well. Leave it for the Combee to clean up. She wrapped the honeycomb in a piece of leaf and stowed it away, looking around. "Hey, y'all, great work," she said, going around and offering low-fives to Aero, orioncayge, Rose Garden and Tuesday. "You too, Guidey. You and that big shroom hat really came in clutch."

With that, the Big Battle was over and the Big Boss was defeated at last. Job well done. And hell, maybe after all this Nymble would even evolve to be a bigger-but-not-too-big bug. At the end of the day, Jade couldn't ask for any more than that.