Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

After a full night's rest, the Pokémon had mostly recovered their stamina. Even the Electrode had bounced back from its Self-Destruct. If the totem Pidgeot showed up again, it was ready for another fight.

If not for last night's forest fire surrounding it, and the relentless pursuit by wild Pokémon that continued until the middle of the night, all six of the hunter's Pokémon wouldn't have been worn down. He might've already escaped the island by now.

At one point, all six of his Pokémon were completely exhausted.

He had no choice but to camp out within Beedrill territory, let his Pokémon eat, drink, and recover while treating their injuries.

Only once the fire was fully extinguished did they finally get a chance to rest. Otherwise, he would have long since fled this deserted island.

He was so exhausted that he set up an inflatable tent and fell asleep, only waking up now when one of his watch Pokémon gave an alarm—it was a Pidgeot raid.

The moment he woke up, he realized he had overslept.

Then came a hurricane attack from Pidgeot that shredded the tent to pieces. If he hadn't been hiding under Electabuzz's pale green Protect, he might've been torn to shreds by the wind blades.

Looking up at the sky filled with a dense swarm of Pidgeot—so many they blocked out the sun—the hunter took two steps back and shouted to the Electabuzz in front of him, "Electabuzz, full-power Thunder!"

"Eruu, eruu!" Electabuzz looked up. Faint yellow Electric-type energy surged around its body, gathering in the conductive spheres on its head. As soon as it finished charging, it would unleash the attack.

"Bii, bi-jiao!" The totem Pidgeot caught sight of the build-up. Memories of yesterday's attack still vivid, it immediately screeched a warning to its kin to scatter.

That final Thunder attack yesterday had completely drained its offensive strength. It could barely fly and had needed help from its peers just to stay airborne.

Though the three status conditions it suffered had been cured, it hadn't fully recovered physically—at best it could fight at 60% of its full power.

Today, it didn't plan to engage directly. After yesterday's ambush, it had learned its lesson. It was going to wear down the hunter in a battle of attrition.

Take down his Pokémon one by one—especially the Fearow and Gyarados—to cut off all escape options and exhaust him to death using the power of the flock.

Zzzzzap—BOOM!

A deafening bolt of Thunder shot up from Electabuzz into the sky, scattering yellow arcs of electricity everywhere.

Flying-types that failed to dodge in time were struck midair. Their feathers were scorched, they lost consciousness, and plummeted headfirst into the trees.

The totem Pidgeot didn't care. A move with that kind of power had to cost a lot of stamina. That's exactly what it wanted.

"Bii, bi-jiao!" It looked around and confirmed that its elite flyers were still at its side, unharmed.

It immediately commanded the non-elite Pidgeot nearby to go tie up the hunter's Fearow and Gyarados. "Bi-jiao, take out the Fearow and Gyarados first."

"Bii, bi-jiao!" The others nodded in unison and dove from the treetops with the Pidgeotto in tow.

Seeing the attack coming, the hunter quickly rallied his Pokémon around him, forming a tight defensive formation.

Golbat and Fearow took to the skies to intercept the non-elite Pidgeot.

Meanwhile, his three Electric-types stayed by his side, hurling Electric-type attacks at the incoming Pidgeotto and Pidgey, zapping them out of the air.

If there was an opening, they'd even aim at the Pidgeot—his real targets.

Gyarados also watched for the right moment to fire off a Hyper Beam. If it hit, it could knock out a non-elite Pidgeot in one shot.

The totem Pidgeot's goal was to exhaust the hunter, take down all his Pokémon, and rescue its child.

The hunter's goal was the opposite: take out the Pidgeot. Once they were gone, no Pokémon would dare stand in his way—he could leave the island unchallenged.

He also began distributing food from his backpack to the Electric-types and Gyarados in shifts, replenishing their energy.

This second showdown was shaping up to be a drawn-out battle.

Which was exactly what Reiji wanted. He'd sent Wingull to tip off the Pidgey so that the flock would waste the hunter's strength, Pokémon, and supplies.

If a few of the hunter's Pokémon got taken out in the process, all the better—it would ease the pressure on Reiji's ambush.

In the end, both sides were running low on stamina, but while the hunter hadn't lost any Pokémon yet, the Pidgeot flock had suffered heavy casualties.

But the totem Pidgeot didn't care. As long as it survived, its flock would flourish again soon.

There were only so many Pidgeotto and Pidgey on this island not because of breeding limits, but because the island's ecosystem could only sustain so many. Overcrowding would lead to collapse.

The delicate balance of this ecosystem was maintained by the totem's control.

Population levels rose and fell with the food supply. When there was more food, they bred more. When food was scarce, they bred less.

Suddenly, a beam of red light shot toward the Fearow—but one Pidgeot threw itself in the way and took the hit instead.

The totem Pidgeot's eyes narrowed sharply. It had been waiting for a moment like this.

With a burst of speed, its wings lit up white—it had activated Steel Wing.

Accelerating with Agility, it cut through the already-exhausted Fearow like a blade, splitting it in two.

Then it turned toward the only other flier: Golbat.

The ferocity of the charge sent Golbat fleeing in panic, desperately trying to return to the hunter's side.

Seeing that he'd failed to recall Fearow in time and now it was gone, the hunter instantly turned to Golbat and successfully returned it to its Poké Ball before the Pidgeot could intervene.

His Pokémon were tired. The non-elite Pidgeot were tired too. Both sides had been rotating in and out—it was just a matter of who ran out of steam first.

But the hunter had already made up his mind to retreat. At this rate, even if he won, he'd be ruined.

And with the totem Pidgeot lurking in the distance, he stood no chance.

He had taken down three Pidgeot already, weakening their numbers, but five non-elite Pidgeot remained. Three were tying up Gyarados. Two were watching for an opening to strike at him.

The situation was dire.

After recalling Golbat, he recalled Gyarados too and called to his remaining Pokémon before vanishing into the jungle.

He had to move—this battle couldn't go on any longer.

As he fled into the forest, he had three Pokémon left at his side: Magnezone, Electrode, and Electabuzz.

He returned Electabuzz and released Golbat again.

In the dense forest, Golbat would scout ahead, while the two Electric-types guarded him. The rest of his team would stay in their balls to recover as he moved and fought on the run.

The totem Pidgeot didn't rush after him. Instead, it had small-bodied Pidgey track him, with Pidgeotto providing cover, and non-elite Pidgeot following at a distance.

Whenever the hunter stopped to rest, the Pidgeotto would swoop in and harass him, while Pidgeot used Hurricane for wide-area suppression. He wasn't allowed a moment's rest.

The relentless pursuit left him physically drained and mentally frayed, though his injuries were still mostly superficial—scrapes at worst.

But the forest suffered terribly. Everywhere Hurricane passed through, the trees were stripped bare. It looked like the entire jungle had been pruned. Though the branches would grow back eventually, the bald forest would remain for a while.

Running through the stripped woodland, the hunter cursed himself. Last night's wildfire had left him with few hiding spots. He couldn't even set new fires to disrupt the flock.

So the chase continued into the evening—Pidgeot flock pursuing, the hunter running.

He had considered fleeing toward the coastline, but the totem Pidgeot always forced him back. It clearly intended to block his escape by sea.

Any time he tried to approach the water, the totem Pidgeot would go all-in and summon the flock to swarm him.

He was left with no choice but to stay in the woods, circling endlessly.

During the chase, he managed to ambush and take out two non-elite Pidgeot using planted Electrode traps.

But the rest of the Pidgeot had learned to keep their distance. Now it was the Pidgeotto who harassed him, while Pidgeot launched long-range attacks, never getting close.

Especially the totem Pidgeot—ever since it was tricked once, it had become extremely cautious. It never came within 100 meters, barking out commands from afar.

As evening fell and darkness enveloped the forest, wild Pokémon gained the advantage—most of them could see at night. Humans couldn't. Humans needed light.

That wasn't a problem for the hunter. He had a flashlight. And now that the Pidgeot attacks had slowed down at night, he wasn't planning to move anymore.

But after only a few minutes of sitting, a powerful gust swept through the forest. Wind blades slashed nearby branches and gave him a few fresh cuts.

Thankfully, Electabuzz's Protect always came in time. Otherwise, he might've been decapitated.

After the Hurricane passed, he knew what it meant. It was the totem Pidgeot's warning.

If he didn't move, the next step would be a full assault.

After a full day of fighting, he had figured out the totem Pidgeot's strategy: exhaust him through harassment and rest denial until he collapsed.

The flock was large enough to rotate constantly and keep the pressure on. He could rotate Pokémon—but he couldn't rotate himself.

He was beginning to regret everything. Regret stealing the totem Pidgeot's child.

That Pidgey was a totem's offspring, with, probably,guaranteed high potential. If it grew up, it would at least become an Elite four-level Pidgeot.

It was still a young Pidgey, untrained, highly malleable—ideal for molding. In the hands of a strong trainer, it could become anything.

With a mother that strong, there was no need to worry about inherited moves or battle aptitude. This child wouldn't be weak.

Pidgeot already had higher base stats than most Pokémon. Its evolution was cool-looking, with its striking red crest—many elite trainers and high-society women loved this species.

Its Normal/Flying typing only had three weaknesses—not bad. Though its resistances weren't great, its looks made up for it.

A Pidgey with that kind of potential would start at 10 million on the black market, easily rising to tens of millions with demand.

If he hadn't been strapped for cash, if he hadn't missed the pleasures of the high life, he wouldn't have come here for a big score.

And wouldn't be trapped on this deserted island by a Pidgeot swarm.

If he could do it over again, he'd never come. Not even if someone paid him.

An Elite Four level totem was not to be messed with.

His current misery was proof enough: never mess with an Elite Four-level Pokémon's child.

But it was too late now. No going back.

Unless he released the Pidgeot chick as a diversion and escaped in the chaos, there was no way out.

But then what was the point of all this suffering? The materials lost, the three Flying-types sacrificed—was he just here to lose money?

He was in too deep. There was no turning back. This was tens of millions of credits at stake!

He couldn't let go. He clutched Pidgey's Poké Ball tightly, unwilling to loosen his grip.

A voice in his head kept whispering: Take Pidgey back. You must take it back.

Every time he felt weary, the voice would return: Don't give up. Bring it back.

That voice never left, echoing endlessly in his mind.

It was greed. The hunter was consumed by his lust for profit.

Greed makes people lose their way. He was blinded by money.

For profit, brothers turn on each other. Loyalty, trust, filial duty—meaningless. Gratitude forgotten, kindness repaid with betrayal.

Mass poaching, robbery, scams, extortion, even murder… all too common.

Tens of millions—wasn't that enough to tempt anyone?

A Pidgey with almost guaranteed Elite Four-level potential—wasn't that enticing enough?

A confirmed high potential Pidgey starting at 10 million is not expensive. After all, we're talking about an Elite Four Pokémon's offspring.

Now think about how expensive trendy ice cream and fancy milk tea are these days…

(End of Chapter)

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