Ever since Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot, Lucas had made a decision that constantly made his wallet ache.
He upgraded Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, and Kirlia to Intermediate Pokéblocks.
Each serving cost 1,000 League Currency, and with three Pokémon eating one serving every day, that alone cost him 3,000 League Currency daily.
Adding the Basic Pokéblocks consumed by the five Pidgey, the daily “salary” for his Flying-type team had jumped from only a few hundred League Currency to nearly 3,000.
Fortunately…
The results were obvious.
Pidgeot’s feathers had become even more brilliant.
The three golden crest feathers atop its head almost seemed to glow beneath the sunlight.
Its strength had firmly reached the Late Pseudo Gym-level, and every time Lucas scanned it with the System Analyzer, every statistic showed slow but steady improvement.
Bulbasaur’s progress was even more noticeable.
Intermediate Pokéblocks appeared to be especially effective for Grass-type Pokémon.
Its strength had already reached the Peak Superior Level, only one step away from breaking through to Pseudo Gym-level.
Kirlia had already reached the Mid Pseudo Gym-level.
After several days of eating Intermediate Pokéblocks, both the power and precision of its Confusion had improved dramatically.
Tasks that once required complete concentration could now be performed effortlessly.
Early that morning…
Lucas stood outside the farmhouse, gazing toward the forest beyond the mountain.
He made up his mind.
Today…
He was going exploring.
Not for treasure.
Not for berries.
But to discover what kinds of Pokémon truly lived in the surrounding forest.
His farm needed more Pokémon.
Buying Pokémon Eggs was simply too expensive.
An egg with Pseudo Gym-level Potential already cost 550,000 League Currency.
A Gym-level Eevee Egg sold for as much as 1,000,000 League Currency.
Catching wild Pokémon was both the fastest and the cheapest option.
It was also…
The most dangerous.
The League strictly prohibited the buying and selling of wild Pokémon.
The law was clearly written into the Pokémon Protection Act.
Anyone caught illegally trading wild Pokémon risked losing their Trainer’s License…
Or even imprisonment.
Ironically…
The very existence of this law proved how enormous the demand for Pokémon truly was.
For ordinary people, there were only three legal ways to obtain a Pokémon.
First…
Receive a League-issued starter Pokémon.
Second…
Purchase a Pokémon Egg from an authorized breeder.
Third…
Catch one yourself.
Receiving a League Starter wasn’t easy.
Families had to contribute 200,000 League Currency every year for ten consecutive years toward the League’s breeding fund.
That meant paying a total of 2,000,000 League Currency.
A cost that most ordinary households simply couldn’t afford.
Buying Pokémon Eggs wasn’t much easier.
Even the cheapest Zigzagoon Egg cost tens of thousands.
Any egg with decent training potential quickly rose into the hundreds of thousands…
Or even millions.
Because of this…
Many ordinary people never became true Pokémon Trainers.
Their lifelong partners might simply be a Caterpie they caught near their village.
Within Trainer society…
The title Bug Catcher often carried a slightly mocking tone.
Yet behind that title stood countless ordinary people excluded from the mainstream Trainer world.
They wore simple shorts.
Carried inexpensive backpacks.
Walked through forests every morning.
Used the cheapest Poké Balls available.
And hoped to catch the most common Bug-type Pokémon.
For many of them…
Successfully raising a Caterpie into a Butterfree represented the greatest achievement they could ever hope for.
Lucas’s goals were much more practical.
He needed Pokémon that could:
– Help maintain the farm.
– Assist in managing the orchard.
– Protect the property whenever danger appeared.
Continuing to purchase expensive eggs wasn’t sustainable.
Still…
Lucas understood the dangers of the wild.
Domesticated Pokémon were gentle.
Friendly.
Obedient.
Wild Pokémon were completely different.
They were suspicious.
Territorial.
Always alert.
Any unfamiliar creature entering their territory would immediately be viewed as an enemy.
Some species preferred fleeing.
Others attacked without hesitation.
Lucas certainly wasn’t foolish enough to enter the forest alone.
But…
With Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, and Kirlia beside him…
He felt confident enough to try.
Before leaving, Lucas gathered everyone in front of the farmhouse.
Kirlia climbed onto his shoulder.
Pidgeot landed gracefully from the rooftop.
Bulbasaur slowly crawled over from the orchard.
The five Pidgey remained behind to help guard the farm, so Lucas wasn’t particularly worried about leaving.
Pidgeot lowered itself in front of him.
Its broad wings spread halfway open while it crouched low.
It looked remarkably similar to an airplane waiting for passengers to board.
Lucas took a deep breath.
He had never ridden a Pokémon before.
This would be his very first flight.
He stepped onto one of Pidgeot’s wings before carefully climbing onto its back.
The feathers were much thicker than they appeared.
Sitting on them felt surprisingly comfortable.
Firm…
Yet incredibly soft.
Lucas gripped several thick neck feathers.
Pressed his knees against Pidgeot’s sides.
And leaned slightly forward.
Kirlia remained perched on his shoulder.
Using Confusion, it created an invisible protective barrier around Lucas.
Not to block the wind…
But to catch him instantly if he happened to fall.
Pidgeot slowly stood up.
Lucas wobbled slightly.
Kirlia immediately stabilized his balance with its psychic power.
After taking one more deep breath…
Lucas smiled.
“Let’s go.”
Pidgeot launched into the sky.
The wind exploded around him.
During takeoff…
Lucas felt his stomach lurch upward as though invisible hands had suddenly lifted him.
For a split second…
His mind went completely blank.
The ground shrank rapidly below.
The farmhouse quickly became a tiny toy.
Kirlia thoughtfully formed a transparent wind barrier in front of Lucas’s face.
Without it…
The rushing wind would’ve made opening his eyes nearly impossible.
Powerful wingbeats echoed beneath him.
Each stroke carried tremendous strength.
Lucas could feel every movement of Pidgeot’s muscles through the feathers beneath him.
It felt like riding a perfectly engineered living machine.
The first half minute was terrifying.
Instinctively…
Lucas flattened himself against Pidgeot’s back.
His fingers clutched the feathers so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Sensing his nervousness…
Pidgeot slowed its speed.
It lowered its altitude until they skimmed just above the treetops.
Its wingbeats also became much steadier.
Meanwhile…
Kirlia continuously adjusted Lucas’s posture using Confusion, gently correcting his balance like invisible hands.
Little by little…
Lucas adapted.
About ten minutes later…
He finally managed to sit upright.
The wind still rushed past his ears.
Kirlia’s barrier only protected the front.
Air still blasted him from both sides.
Even so…
He could finally open his eyes.
The scenery was breathtaking.
Flying this low felt completely different from traveling on an airplane.
Commercial aircraft flew too high.
Everything below became little more than abstract patterns.
Pidgeot flew only several dozen meters above the ground.
Lucas could clearly distinguish individual trees.
The neatly arranged orchard.
The winding stream in the distance.
Even the wild Pokémon drinking from its banks.
Lucas smiled.
“Let’s head toward the mountain.”
His voice nearly disappeared beneath the roaring wind.
Pidgeot cried loudly before circling above the orchard one final time.
Then…
It carried him toward the dense forest beyond.
From the air…
The mountain resembled an endless emerald ocean.
The treetops blended together into a vast sea of green.
Only a handful of towering trees rose above the canopy like lonely islands.
Pidgeot glided smoothly above the forest.
Rather than constantly flapping its wings…
It simply adjusted their angle, effortlessly riding the warm air currents.
Eventually…
They landed in a clearing near the forest’s edge.
Pidgeot’s landing was much gentler than Lucas had expected.
It spread its wings wide like enormous air brakes.
Its feet touched the ground first.
Its body leaned backward slightly.
Lucas barely felt any impact at all.
After climbing down…
His legs trembled slightly.
Fortunately…
They recovered after a few moments.
Kirlia jumped down beside him.
Its horn immediately glowed bright blue.
Using Confusion, it began scanning the surrounding area like a living radar.
Lucas released Bulbasaur.
The moment it landed…
It immediately became alert.
Pidgeot remained beside him with its wings partially spread, carefully watching the forest.
Lucas took a deep breath.
Then stepped into the mountain forest.
Near the edge…
The trees remained relatively sparse.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves.
Tall grass and unfamiliar shrubs covered the forest floor.
After walking only a dozen steps…
Lucas noticed movement nearby.
Two Rattata emerged from beneath a bush.
Their round brown bodies darted quickly through the grass.
Apparently…
They had heard footsteps and come out to investigate.
The moment they looked up…
They froze.
Standing before them was Lucas.
Behind him stood Pidgeot.
Kirlia.
And Bulbasaur.
One Rattata still held a Berry in its mouth.
The fruit was almost larger than its head.
It stared blankly for less than a second.
The Berry dropped from its mouth.
It never even bothered picking it back up.
Instead…
It turned and fled as fast as its tiny legs could carry it.
Its companion reacted even faster.
It had already vanished into the undergrowth before the first one even moved.
Lucas chuckled.
“They’re fast.”
Watching them disappear, another thought crossed his mind.
Could these be the same Rattata stealing fallen fruit from my orchard?
His farm wasn’t far from the mountain.
For Pokémon like Rattata…
Traveling between the orchard and the forest would be effortless.
“If it really is you…”
Lucas laughed quietly.
“Feel free to eat all the fallen fruit you want.”
“Just don’t chew on my tree roots.”
He continued deeper into the forest.
The farther he walked…
The denser the trees became.
Sunlight gradually disappeared beneath the thick canopy.
The weeds slowly gave way to deep layers of soft fallen leaves.
Walking across them felt almost like stepping onto a sponge.
Soon…
Lucas noticed something unusual.
There were surprisingly few Wurmple.
Normally…
Wurmple were everywhere throughout Hoenn’s forests.
Yet after walking nearly twenty minutes…
Lucas had only spotted one or two.
Both had already evolved into cocoons attached to tree trunks.
After evolving into Silcoon or Cascoon…
Most Bug Pokémon quickly completed their metamorphosis before flying away.
They rarely remained in one place.
Their short life cycles revolved around reproduction rather than waiting for Trainers.
Instead…
The forest seemed dominated by Rattata.
Everywhere Lucas looked…
Groups of them scurried beneath bushes.
Dug beneath tree roots.
Or searched the forest floor for food.
Some fled immediately upon seeing him.
Others cautiously watched him for a few moments before deciding whether to run.
Lucas crouched thoughtfully.
“There’s certainly plenty of food here.”
For omnivores like Rattata…
This forest was practically an endless buffet.
Pidgeot always remained at the front of the group.
Its large body occasionally squeezed sideways between closely packed trees.
Although flying above the forest would’ve been faster…
It refused to leave Lucas alone.
Instead…
It silently acted as his bodyguard.
Every few steps…
It turned around to ensure Lucas remained safely behind.
Bulbasaur walked on Lucas’s left.
Its two Vine Whips remained partially extended like loaded weapons.
Kirlia sat quietly upon Lucas’s shoulder.
Its Confusion continuously scanned everything within roughly fifty meters.
Any living creature entering that range would immediately be detected.
Lucas couldn’t help smiling.
It felt like leading a small army.
Another ten minutes passed.
The forest suddenly became much more open.
The trees stood farther apart.
The thick carpet of fallen leaves muffled every footstep.
Just as Lucas prepared to move faster…
Kirlia suddenly stiffened.
Its entire body tensed.
The soft blue glow surrounding its horn instantly blazed brilliantly.
A blur of green exploded from the bushes to Lucas’s right.
The creature shot toward him like a cannonball.
It was…
A Breloom.
Standing around half a meter tall, the Fighting/Grass-type Pokémon possessed a mushroom-shaped cap atop its head.
Sharp claws gleamed dangerously beneath scattered rays of sunlight.
Wild Breloom were notoriously territorial.
Anything entering their territory became an enemy.
Clearly…
It had already decided Lucas was an intruder.
Fortunately…
Kirlia reacted before Lucas even realized what was happening.
The instant Breloom emerged…
Kirlia unleashed Confusion while simultaneously erecting a Light Screen.
A transparent psychic barrier appeared less than a meter from Lucas.
Breloom crashed directly into it.
Bang!
The impact echoed through the forest.
Its body bounced backward before rolling several times across the ground.
Almost simultaneously…
Pidgeot spread its wings.
Their edges glowed brilliant white.
Bulbasaur’s two Vine Whips lashed forward from opposite directions.
Together…
They completely blocked Breloom’s escape routes.
Lucas remained frozen where he stood.
His heart pounded violently inside his chest.
Breloom slowly climbed back to its feet.
Its black eyes locked onto Lucas.
It lowered its body.
Sharp claws dug into the earth.
It looked ready to attack again.
Yet…
It hesitated.
Not because it lacked courage.
But because it sensed danger.
For two long seconds…
Breloom silently evaluated the situation.
Finally…
It slowly backed away.
One step.
Then another.
After retreating several meters…
It suddenly turned around and disappeared into the dense bushes without looking back.
Kirlia maintained the psychic barrier for several more seconds before finally allowing the blue glow to fade.
Lucas released a long breath.
He gently stroked Kirlia’s head.
“That was an incredible reaction.”
Kirlia let out a quiet cry.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of pride in its voice.
Only calm professionalism.
As though protecting Lucas had simply been another part of its job.
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