"Uh…"

Watching Caterpie trembling as it crawled into his arms, Lin Feng couldn't help feeling a little blindsided by the fact that it had just tried casting Electroweb directly at Pidgeot.

Caterpie, the absolute miracle bug…

After having Caterpie wrap the two Spearow in another layer of String Shot to ensure they couldn't escape, Lin Feng returned it to its Poké Ball.

This silly little guy was definitely better off staying home munching on dumplings.

"Let's go. We're taking this fight to the skies. We're going straight for that Fearow!"

Mounting Pidgeot once more, Lin Feng wasted no time and urged it to soar into the sky.

"Call it out."

Between Pidgey and Spearow, there existed a deep, instinctual animosity. The moment any Spearow spotted a member of the Pidgey line in their territory, they would flock to attack, sometimes fighting to the bitter end.

So drawing out the Fearow would be quite simple. All it took was one long, echoing cry from Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot!"

"Pidgeot~!"

…

Pidgeot cried out three or four times in succession, its powerful calls shaking the entire forest. Birds took flight in startled flocks, and the Pokémon hidden among the trees below let out anxious cries of their own.

The first to respond were the surrounding Spearow. Startled awake under various circumstances, they rushed into the sky, eager to see who was making such a racket.

But when they arrived and saw Pidgeot, every single Spearow fell silent, hovering around it, staring with expressions of shock, fear, and disbelief.

Scarlet plumage, razor-sharp eyes, tail feathers wreathed in flames…

Was this… really a Pidgeot?

It didn't look quite like the Pidgeot in their memories.

Why was it so huge?!

"Damn… that's a lot of them…"

Staring at the hundreds of Spearow gathering around, Lin Feng was momentarily stunned.

He was confident in Pidgeot's strength, but this scene was admittedly a bit much.

He briefly considered summoning Gardevoir.

But the thought quickly passed.

"Pidgey?"

"Pidgeotto!"

And at that moment, scattered Pidgey and Pidgeotto began emerging from various parts of the forest, flying up to gather behind Pidgeot.

If Pidgeot's first cry had been a challenge to the Spearow, then the second call was a rallying cry, summoning any remaining kin who still lingered in the forest.

"Pidgeotto!" (We've got a leader now! We finally have a leader!)

"Pidgeotto!" (Let's follow our leader and fight them! Today we take back our territory!)

"Pidgeotto!" (We'll shed our blood if we must, and win land for our descendants!)

"Pidgey!" (…)

All the bullying, the hunger, the humiliation of the past few days, the pain of being driven from their homes suddenly, it all erupted among the Pidgeotto flock.

Their eyes burned with the fervor of belief as they stared at the majestic Pidgeot at the forefront. At a moment like this, it didn't matter where this evolved Pidgeotto had come from. To them, it was their leader!

This conviction told them that even if they died today, they would drive the Spearow out.

"Spearow…"

Though their numbers were now far smaller, the sheer presence of Pidgeot caused the Pidgeotto's morale to surge, overwhelming the Spearow. Each time the Pidgeotto inched forward, the Spearow retreated slightly.

Until

"Squaaawk!"

A large bird with a long, pointed beak and a slender, reddish-brown body appeared at the front of the Spearow flock, and only then did their morale rally somewhat.

"So that's the Fearow, huh?"

[Pokémon: Fearow]

[Gender: Male]

[Ability: Keen Eye]

[Potential: Purple]

[Individual Values: HP (25), Attack (19), Special Attack (23), Defense (19), Special Defense (18), Speed (24)]

[Level: 31-34]

[Moves: Fury Attack, Leer, Growl, Peck, Pursuit, Agility, Aerial Ace…]

[Friendship: -20]

[Happiness: -20 (How can a Pidgeotto have evolved…?)]

After reading the info, Lin Feng let out a breath of relief.

"Squaaawk?!"

Fearow glared at Pidgeot with barely contained rage, and when it spotted the human riding on its back, it instantly realized that this Pidgeot must have evolved with the human's help.

But so what?

Most of the Pidgeotto had already fled the forest. Behind him stood countless Spearow. As long as he could stall this Pidgeot, the territory would still belong to them!

But in the very next second, his pupils shrank violently.

"Pidgeot, Quick Attack!!"

The moment Lin Feng gave the order, Fearow saw nothing but a blazing scarlet blur streaking toward him like lightning. The fiery form grew larger and larger in his eyes until it slammed into him, pinning his body and dragging him through the air for dozens of meters!

He didn't even have time to fight back!

"Squaaawk?!"

The force of the collision hit Fearow like being rammed by an Onix at full charge. His mind went completely blank.

Before he could even process what was happening, Pidgeot moved again.

Even at such blistering speed, Pidgeot's talons closed precisely around Fearow's wings. Despite being fully evolved, Fearow now looked like little more than an oversized Raticate compared to Pidgeot's enormous frame.

"Heat Wave!"

Lin Feng gave another command from atop Pidgeot.

A scorching gust erupted as Pidgeot's wings beat the air, flames sweeping over Fearow's body.

Under the intense heat, Fearow's feathers began sizzling and burning away. Within seconds, half the plumage on his chest was charred black.

By then, Fearow had already fainted. It was obvious that he'd reached his limit.

Pidgeot released its grip, and Fearow's limp body plummeted into the forest below like a broken kite.

Without even sparing a glance back, Pidgeot soared higher, eyes cold as it fixed its gaze on the Spearow flock. Flames flickered along its wings as it cried out once more. "Pidgeot!"

Silence. A deathly silence. It spread simultaneously through both the Pidgeotto and Spearow ranks.

Hundreds of Flying-type Pokémon hovered in the air, but not a single one uttered a sound.

They all stared, wide-eyed and unmoving, at the Pidgeot suspended in the sky like a sovereign ruler.

The battle between Pidgeot and Fearow had lasted barely ten seconds.

But within those ten seconds, they had witnessed a completely one-sided slaughter.

The Spearow had planned to divide their forces, with some going to aid Fearow and distract Pidgeot.

The Pidgeotto were prepared to fight to the death alongside their leader to reclaim their home.

But this outcome…

Neither side had predicted this at all.

At that moment

Lin Feng finally spoke…

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