Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

First of all, if Pidgeot and the poacher noticed him during their battle, the poacher wouldn't hesitate to use him as a human shield, and Pidgeot wouldn't mind wiping him out in the process either.

Second, if the poacher won but didn't notice him, he might survive.

Because if the poacher prevailed, his goal would definitely be to leave the island as soon as possible. As long as he didn't know about Reiji, Reiji would be safe.

However, Reiji would still be subject to the Pidgeot flock's furious revenge. He'd have to escape the island before they remembered his existence—or they'd kill him for sure.

Their leader had been killed by a human. Their totem Pidgeot's child was stolen by one. The flock now harbored nothing but hatred for all humans. They'd likely exterminate every last human on the island.

And Reiji was human.

To them, every human was guilty. They would attack on sight and crush him and his Pokémon without hesitation.

Third possibility—if the totem Pidgeot won, defeated the poacher, and successfully rescued its child, it would still kill Reiji.

Because someone had tried to steal its offspring—and Reiji, being human, might try the same. Even though he had merely thought about it in the past and never actually acted, that was enough.

Honestly, he didn't even have the guts to do it. It had only ever been a fleeting thought in a dream.

But the totem Pidgeot wouldn't care. To its mind, killing Reiji now would eliminate even the smallest chance of risk.

That's just how a Pidgeot thinks—better to kill by mistake than to let a threat go.

For the flock, killing Reiji wouldn't be difficult. Not compared to taking down the poacher.

Don't underestimate how far the totem Pidgeot would go to protect its young.

The poacher was a human. So was Reiji. Pidgeot wasn't about to parse good from evil—it only saw "human."

And the best way to protect its child was to eliminate every single intruding human.

Stay uninvolved and he'd die. Wait until one side wins—still dead. Doesn't matter. Either way, Reiji dies.

"Damn it, I'm screwed no matter what!" Reiji muttered, his analysis leading him to a single outcome—death. So what was even the point? Might as well dig a hole and lie in it.

If he was destined to die no matter who won, then...

Rather than anxiously waiting for death, getting caught in the crossfire, struck by accident, discovered and executed, swatted on a whim...

He might as well go on the offensive. Take out the poacher. Rescue the totem Pidgeot's chick. And try to win its trust.

Then, make a promise to the totem Pidgeot: he'd leave the island within a week. It could assign Pokémon to monitor him until then.

That would give him a sliver of a chance to survive this war of titans. Just one way to leave this place alive.

Killing the poacher wasn't just the best option—it was the only option left.

After all, who would care if some weakling scraping by on the island's edge got stomped into the dirt?

He still had the Silver Feather. But unless things got truly desperate, he didn't want to use that.

As long as he still had other options, he wouldn't go that far.

And now that he'd decided to fight back, three difficult choices lay ahead.

"Again with the three damned options…" He was numb by now.

Option one: help the poacher take down the totem Pidgeot. Then beg the guy to spare him and take him off the island.

Option two: help the totem Pidgeot defeat the poacher and rescue its child. Earn the totem's trust and leave the island safely.

Option three: stay neutral. Wait for Wingull to evolve and fly away. But if he chose this, he risked being caught in the crossfire at any moment. Low risk, yes, but completely passive.

Of the three, he leaned toward the third. Second-best was helping the totem. The first? Absolutely out of the question.

He knew Pokémon well—but he knew human evil even better.

Bottom line, he didn't trust the poacher one bit. Not a single word.

This guy had set forests on fire without a second thought—what kind of morals could he possibly have? Reiji would rather trust the totem Pidgeot than that scumbag.

And if he chose to help neither, then even if he died, he'd die as collateral damage. He'd have to live every day in fear, waiting for the battle's outcome.

That kind of waiting—minute by agonizing minute—could drive someone insane. He might not even make it until the end.

Looking at things as they stood, it was unclear who would win first—the totem Pidgeot or the poacher—or whether Wingull would evolve first.

It was too passive, too uncertain.

If he was going to act, it had to be with the totem's side. That might earn him its favor. The poacher? He'd never be grateful. He'd probably just kill Reiji anyway.

No-brainer who to help.

...

From what he could tell, the totem Pidgeot had taken heavy damage, but wasn't in critical condition—it would recover eventually. When, though, was uncertain.

The poacher, meanwhile, had already lost two Pokémon to the totem Pidgeot. But how many did he still have? That remained a mystery.

Reiji estimated at least six. That was standard for any trainer.

So even after losing two, the poacher was probably still fully equipped.

That made him the favorite to win. At any moment, he could ambush the totem Pidgeot again.

The guy looked battered, but if he managed to escape the island, Reiji would be buried along with it—and he wasn't ready to die here.

So the poacher had to go. But Reiji couldn't just rush in blindly.

He glanced around at his surrounding Pokémon, then looked toward Wingull. It was time to initiate his plan.

"Wingull, I need you to find the poacher who stole Pidgey. Then come back and tell me his exact situation," Reiji said.

Know the enemy, know yourself. That was the only way this hunter plan would work.

Wingull was ideal for this: fast flight speed, high altitude—perfect for recon.

"Wuu-oh," Wingull nodded, then flapped off into the sky. It was still burning with frustration, with no outlet for its rage.

Since Reiji had decided to take out the poacher, Wingull had no objections. It just hoped Reiji wouldn't be reckless. No head-on confrontation.

But Reiji was clever. Wingull believed he'd never confront the poacher without a solid plan.

...

Wingull flew out quickly and returned just as fast.

In the eastern forest, it had spotted the poacher.

It saw human-made equipment—specifically, a jungle-camouflage tent. The thing was incredibly conspicuous, sitting right on scorched earth.

Near the tent were the poacher's guarding Pokémon: Golbat, Fearow, and Magneton. They were driving away wild Pokémon.

The poacher had hidden himself on the border of the Beedrill territory—a cunning spot, rarely approached by wild Pokémon.

Even Pidgey or Spearow didn't like venturing into Beedrill's domain.

Too much poison. Weedle was no Caterpie. Even when alone, Weedle wasn't an appealing meal.

That's how the poacher had managed to evade detection since last night's fiery chaos—he'd used the time to rest and recover.

Unfortunately, by letting both himself and his Pokémon rest, he missed the window to escape. He didn't even know when the fire had gone out—he'd slept right through it.

His Pokémon knew, of course—but they hadn't woken him. He'd told them not to unless it was urgent.

Still, a green tent on blackened ground was bound to be spotted by a Pidgey eventually. Their escape was only a matter of time.

Wingull circled the tent once from above, then flew back to the treehouse and landed on a water barrel to report.

"Wuu-oh, wuu-oh." Wingull chirped twice, jumped down, and gestured with its wings—first pointing at the barrel, then in the direction of the honey theft.

Reiji interpreted the motions immediately. "You're saying... the poacher is in the Beedrill territory?"

"Wuu-oh." Wingull nodded in confirmation.

"Pretty clever hiding spot," Reiji mused. He then pointed at Butterfree. "Wingull, can Butterfree sneak in and put the poacher and all his Pokémon to sleep?"

Wingull considered it. Then, thinking of the green tent, it pointed toward their own treehouse.

It hadn't seen the poacher directly—he was probably inside that tent, just like how they had their own treehouse setup.

"A treehouse?" Reiji looked over at theirs and quickly realized—the poacher must have brought a tent.

But he hadn't seen the poacher carrying anything like that. It had to be in his backpack.

Still, that black backpack wasn't large. So, space tech? Like Poké Balls?

That explained a lot. Reiji now had a rough idea of the poacher's setup. He asked again, "Did you see any Pidgeot? No wild Pokémon attacking the poacher?"

"Wuu-oh?" Wingull shook its head. No sign of the Pidgeot flock. Plenty of other Pokémon, especially Beedrill.

The Beedrill had given up after losing to the poacher's Pokémon and didn't bother reporting to the Pidgeot.

"I see." Reiji hadn't expected the Pidgeot to lose track of him. He gave Wingull a new task. "Go find a Pidgey. Tell it where the poacher is, and have it report to Pidgeot."

"Wuu-oh." Wingull nodded and spread its wings.

"Wait! Wingull—make sure to tell Pidgey to destroy the poacher's tent, and keep harassing him nonstop. Don't let him rest. Got it?"

"Wuu-oh!" Wingull nodded again and took off.

In the air, it quickly found a Pidgey and blocked its path, perching on a nearby branch. "Wuu-oh. Did you find that thief yet?"

"Poh, poh poh. We're still looking." Pidgey clearly wanted to hear what Wingull had to say. Had it not been for Wingull saving the forest last night, it wouldn't have bothered.

"I found him. He's in Beedrill territory," Wingull reported Reiji's instructions.

"Poh? Really?" Pidgey flapped excitedly, ready to fly back with the news—but Wingull wasn't done.

"Wuu-oh, wait. When you attack him, destroy his home. We'll help you rescue the stolen Pidgey."

"Poh. Got it. Thanks for saving us last night, but we can handle this thief ourselves." Pidgey tossed the words back with little emotion and flew off.

Wingull didn't respond. It knew its Trainer was human. If they hated humans, there was nothing more to say.

After watching Pidgey vanish into the distance, it returned to the treehouse, waiting for Reiji's next move.

Meanwhile, Pidgey reached the cliffside Pidgeot nest and relayed the news: the poacher was hiding in Beedrill territory.

No one liked going there—Weedle were toxic and gross, and Beedrill were vicious. That part of the island had been completely ignored.

But now, thanks to Wingull's tip, they realized the poacher had used the Beedrill zone to cover his tracks.

Upon hearing the update, the totem Pidgeot immediately rallied the flock. Their destination: the eastern forest—Beedrill's domain.

When they arrived, they instantly spotted the jungle-camo tent. A human structure in green.

Guarding it: Golbat, Fearow, and Magneton—the same three from before. Unforgettable.

Seeing the thief who'd stolen its child, the totem Pidgeot flared its wings and unleashed a greeting: a full-powered Hurricane.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Blades of wind slashed through the forest, reducing the poacher's tent to ribbons.

The attack dragged him out of the tent—he'd just been warned by one of his alert Pokémon. An Electabuzz was with him.

He'd been about to step outside and check when the Hurricane hit—only Electabuzz's Protect had saved him from being shredded.

Boom! Boom!

Above him was a storm of wings. Seven or eight Pidgeot. Even more Pidgeotto. Countless Pidgey.

He grabbed the Poké Balls at his belt and sent out all his remaining Pokémon.

In addition to Golbat, Fearow, Magneton, and Electabuzz, he also had Electrode and Gyarados.

Six Pokémon in total.

[End of Chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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