The Zapdos posed no real threat to Lian, and he sensed that this particular Zapdos recognized him. After all, they had spent considerable time playing together on the ship previously. As a Legendary Pokemon's youngling, it wasn't surprising that it remembered him.
This Cyndaquil might have been a formidable Typhlosion in the real world, but unfortunately, within the Dream World, everything starts anew. It hadn't even evolved into Quilava yet, making it relatively weak.
Lian unleashed a Dragon Rage attack, which visibly overwhelmed the Cyndaquil. Before it could charge, Lian struck first, swiftly defeating the Cyndaquil.
With both opposing Pokemon defeated, Zapdos showed no intention of attacking. In fact, relieved from any threats, it began flying towards Lian.
As expected, Zapdos recognized Lian, chirping joyfully as it approached him.
Lian smiled warmly; the little creature indeed remembered him. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the Dream World, he couldn't bring Zapdos back to reality. The man with long hair had already claimed it, and Lian's access through the system meant he would simply return when his time was up.
The long-haired man initially thought Zapdos was preparing to attack the Charmeleon but quickly realized something was amiss. Instead, Zapdos leisurely flew towards it, clearly not showing any signs of aggression.
As Zapdos approached Lian, it let out joyful cries. Having just hatched, aside from its closeness with Julian, Zapdos felt most familiar with Lian.
Lian smiled, "Hey little guy, do you still recognize me?"
Zapdos evidently understood and obediently nodded, though sadly, it couldn't speak yet due to its young age, having hatched only recently. It also couldn't return to Zapdos's side.
"Zapdos, come back!" The long-haired man sensed something unusual; why would his Zapdos be so friendly with a Dream World Charmeleon? Completely baffled, he decided to recall Zapdos using a Poké Ball, hoping that once inside, there would be no further issues.
However, as the long-haired man tossed the Poké Ball towards Zapdos, Lian suddenly leaped, feeling far from invisible. With swift precision, Lian batted the Poké Ball away, sending it crashing to the ground, followed by a forceful stomp on top.
Crack.
Lian crushed the Poké Ball underfoot. Although uncertain of the consequences, he knew it was better than letting Zapdos get captured.
The long-haired man clenched his fists, his expression shifting dramatically as if stunned. Who could have anticipated that a Charmeleon would deliberately knock away and destroy the Poké Ball?
Now what? Without a Poké Ball, how could he bring Zapdos back to the real world?
Having shattered the Poké Ball, Lian charged directly at the long-haired man, determined to teach him a lesson.
However, the man showed no signs of panic as Lian approached. Lian quickly noticed a Lunar Feather hanging from his waist, indicating the man had some form of backup plan.
Undeterred, Lian continued his assault, raising his tail for a powerful strike.
Snap!
A crisp sound echoed, but contrary to expectation, no protective barrier appeared. Instead, the long-haired man's handsome face swelled instantly from Lian's tail lash.
"Agh!"
After a brief moment of shock, the long-haired man erupted like a furious lion, roaring loudly, seemingly venting his anger.
Whack!
Lian decisively leaped again and struck with another tail lash. The Lunar Feather's power seemed ineffective, likely because he wasn't a native Pokemon from the Dream World but rather from the real world.
With that realization, there was nothing to fear. Lian relentlessly whipped the long-haired man, knowing he couldn't be good—definitely a high-ranking member of the Dark Guild, responsible for countless misdeeds and stealing numerous Trainers' painstakingly nurtured Pokemon.
Although the Dream World is separate, and the long-haired man wasn't physically present, even as a consciousness entity, he still felt pain. With each continuous strike, his face rapidly swelled like a bloated pig.
The long-haired man's eyes turned bloodshot; he had never endured such humiliation before. As the guild master of the Dark Guild, his influence spanned across multiple regions.
Yet now, a Charmeleon from the Dream World repeatedly slapped him, transforming his face into a puffy mess, instantly shattering his authoritative image.
On the sidelines, Zapdos chirped joyfully, seemingly exhilarated, and unleashed its own Thunder Shock, sending a bolt of electricity towards the long-haired man.
Dammit, cursed! The long-haired man mentally roared, realizing that his Lunar Feather had failed, and to make matters worse, his own Pokemon attacked him—a truly tragic situation.
As he pondered what to do next, he suddenly noticed Charmeleon had ceased its attacks, leaving only Zapdos zapping him with electric currents.
Looking up, he saw Charmeleon had vanished abruptly. With another furious howl, the long-haired man's bloodshot eyes locked onto Zapdos.
Although his Poké Ball was shattered, he still had Dream Balls at hand. He swiftly threw one, aiming to re-capture Zapdos.
Once back in reality, he would ensure severe punishment for this Zapdos.
Unfortunately, Zapdos wasn't about to be captured again. Though unclear why Lian disappeared so suddenly, having finally gained freedom, it knew it couldn't risk being caught once more.
Zapdos swiftly flew away like a streak of lightning.
Watching Zapdos disappear, the long-haired man felt an overwhelming surge of anger, ready to explode yet unable to vent it fully.
"Ahh!"
***
Upon waking up, Lian immediately recalled the events from yesterday and felt concerned about Zapdos. He wondered how it was doing, whether the long-haired man would continue attempting to capture it, or if Zapdos remained within the Dream World.
Staying in the Dream World would be ideal; however, if forced back to reality, that could be troublesome.
But since Lian had crushed the Poké Ball, Zapdos likely wouldn't be compelled to return to the real world. It seemed as though even the Poké Balls had physical forms in the Dream World, becoming tangible objects there, and once shattered, they ceased to exist.
He decided to check again tonight, hoping to encounter Zapdos. Temporarily remaining in the Dream World might not be bad, at least avoiding further capture by the Dark Guild.
Pokemon entering the Dream World retained their physical form, evident from Kalia's successful capture of Torchic. Therefore, there was no need to worry about having another Zapdos youngling in the real world, as its counterpart in the Dream World already existed physically.
However, humans couldn't enter the Dream World with their physical bodies, possibly due to some limitation or other reasons.
After exiting the Poké Ball, Lian found Kalia had prepared breakfast, while Torchic eagerly perched on a chair, pecking away at energy cubes.
Lian felt quite content, reminiscing about teaching the long-haired man a lesson yesterday, despite not knowing his identity—it still brought him immense satisfaction, making him grin every time he thought about it.
Moreover, he was close to evolving, just one level away.
***
Meanwhile, in the Dream World.
The liberated Zapdos, having escaped from the long-haired man's control, ventured to new locations. It now fiercely battled, striving to become stronger, as only strength could determine its own destiny.
Although uncertain why Lian disappeared, Zapdos firmly believed he would return someday. Thus, it continued fighting and waiting patiently for his comeback.