Chapter 220. The Law of Conservation of Plucked Chickens
"Alright, alright. The locator shows center-parted is still on Zapdos's island and has been moving the whole time, so nothing should have gone wrong."
As Natsume spoke, the group mounted Loreidon and set off to find center-parted first.
Zapdos's island.
Inside a cave covered in scorched earth.
In an inconspicuous, shadowy corner, a faint light flickered.
A Pikachu with a center part sat upright there, a phone clutched in its arms.
The battery was already very low, but a wire ran from the charging port to clamps on both of center-parted's electric cheek pouches.
On the phone, the latest news was playing.
"In view of the poacher Lawrence III's positive attitude toward remorse and his cooperation with the League authorities in reviewing loopholes concerning ultra-ancient ruins and the protection of important rare Pokémon—"
"By judgment of the League High Court, Lawrence III will receive a suspended sentence."
"His life imprisonment is commuted to eighty years of fixed-term imprisonment."
Perhaps center-parted's control of its electricity still wasn't stable, because the phone's glow brightened and dimmed.
In the darkness, center-parted's little face wavered between light and shadow, its expression shifting with the flicker.
"Pikachu."
Eighty years, huh.
An unprecedented heaviness settled on center-parted's little face.
But after a moment, as if it thought of something, it shook its head hard.
"Pikachu!"
It was fine.
It wasn't afraid!
Just sleep on it and it would pass!
Thinking that, center-parted deftly logged in to Natsume's account and entered the League database.
It tapped into Online Courses, and its little finger kept swiping down the interface.
In the end, the screen stopped on the Pokémon Ranger online training course.
"Pikachu!"
Center-parted stuck its little head out and cautiously glanced toward the cave mouth, its beady eyes sweeping over the hidden nooks all around.
Zapdos hadn't returned yet.
Before hands-on practice, it could still do some review!
"Class, today's online training content is how to guard against poachers."
"This device is a poacher's favorite because its raw materials are common and it can be made by oneself—"
Zapdos's island.
"Center-parted!
Where are you?
Come out!"
"Pikachu, Pikachu!"
Ash, with Pikachu, walked all over the island, calling out again and again.
"Strange.
No matter where we look, we haven't found center-parted anywhere."
Misty and Tracey ran up from different directions, panting.
In the middle, Natsume held up his phone, which recorded center-parted's movement track over the past two days.
At first, center-parted stayed on Zapdos's island.
But the track showed it had gone to Articuno's island and Moltres's island in turn.
It lingered a long while on those two small islands, and now center-parted had returned to Zapdos's island.
What was it trying to do?
Natsume's face was odd.
"Strange, Natsume.
We searched our whole little island and still didn't see a sign of center-parted."
Ash came back too, bewildered.
The islands where the three Legendary birds roosted were all very small, and the group had combed them back and forth several times.
"Actually… there's one place we haven't gone."
Tracey pointed to a cliff wall not far away, where there was a cave—Zapdos's roosting cave.
On the principle of not disturbing it, they hadn't gone inside.
"What would center-parted be doing in there?"
Misty stared toward the cliff face in puzzlement.
Just then, a small yellow silhouette appeared at the cave mouth.
"Pikachu~"
Center-parted sighed, disappointed, and came out of Zapdos's cave with its little blanket on its back.
What the Trainer said was true.
Someone else's Divinity really couldn't be slept into by sleeping on it.
But in center-parted's heart, it felt that lying on the Divinity to sleep should still absorb Divinity.
This time, it was only because it couldn't find any Divinity exposed on the outside.
That had to be it!
"What are you doing?"
A voice that made mouse fur stand on end rang out.
The next second, center-parted felt itself get grabbed and lifted.
Its four feet flailed, and it put on a fawning smile as it looked at Natsume, who had raised it up to eye level.
"Hee-hee-hee—"
Center-parted rubbed its little paws together.
Natsume's brows knit tight.
Usually, when center-parted smiled like that, it meant it had done something.
Thinking that, Natsume looked center-parted over.
It was filthy all over, the fur on its back wet, with tiny stones and moss clinging on, as if it had rested a long time on some damp rock.
Natsume glanced at the phone connected to the cheek-pouch clamps in center-parted's arms, then fixed his gaze on center-parted's little blanket.
The blanket, unusually, had been bundled up into a pack and slung over its back.
It bulged with something unknown inside.
"Center-parted, do you know how hard everyone has been looking for you?"
Ash and Misty rushed up and each pinched one chubby cheek.
"Pikachu—"
Center-parted yelped in pain and grabbed their hands.
The bundle on its back tumbled down, and what was inside immediately spilled out before everyone's eyes.
A few wrinkled Berries, and—three stone tablets!
"Hm?
You went to the three Legendary birds' islands just to find these?"
Natsume stooped to pick up the tablets and looked them over twice.
One tablet was carved with a statue raising a torch, only the torch's position was vacant.
It should be the tablet that once bore Moltres's Divinity.
The other two were Zapdos's and Articuno's tablets, respectively.
"Pikachu, Pikachu!"
Seeing that Natsume was interested in those stones it had been planning to throw away, center-parted nodded at once, thumping its chest proudly.
Trainer, I specially sought these out for you.
Moved yet?
"Is that so?"
Natsume gave center-parted a skeptical glance.
He looked toward the depths of Zapdos's cave.
They were already at the owner's doorstep.
Since center-parted had even carried these things out, it should be tacit permission, right?
Thinking that, Natsume, with an easy conscience, stowed the three stone tablets in his pack.
"In that case, Ash, we'll say our goodbyes here!"
Seeing that Pikachu's electric cap had vanished from its head, Natsume took out a small one and set it on again.
"Center-parted, remember to help keep watch."
Natsume gave instructions.
"Pikachu, pika."
Center-parted was absent-minded, its little eyes darting, glancing back from time to time.
"By the way, center-parted, where did you get these Berries?"
As they headed toward the boat moored by the sea, Misty seemed to think of something and asked.
"Yeah.
All three islands have harsh environments where plants shouldn't grow."
Tracey seemed to realize something and looked at center-parted in delight.
"Could it be… could there be some Berry species that can survive on drought, thunderstorms, or permafrost?"
"Pikachu, pikachu—"
Center-parted waved a paw distractedly.
"It says it ran into that Drowzee, and the other one gave them to it."
Natsume translated.
Suddenly, as if recalling something, Natsume looked down at center-parted.
"How did you get to the other two islands?"
Natsume was intensely curious.
Could center-parted have learned Surf on its own?
"Pikachu pika, pikachu—"
Center-parted explained with much gesturing, and Natsume nodded in understanding.
According to center-parted, the Primeape trio had a new teammate.
That one swam fast, and it hitched a ride.
"Alright then, see you."
Seeing there was nothing more to ask, Natsume waved, mounted Loreidon, and streaked away as a ray of light.
"Bye, Natsume!"
On deck, Ash waved goodbye.
"Pikachu—"
Center-parted flopped flat on the deck, casting an unwilling look back toward Zapdos's island in the distance.
Zapdos's island, inside the cave.
"Gyaa?"
The weakened Zapdos opened its eyes.
After a moment, anger flared in them.
"Gyaa—"
Those damned humans had come to ambush it again!
Zapdos tore off the device restraining it.
It could sense that the one who had ambushed it from behind hadn't gone far!
At the very least, it could smell the scent of that person's Pokémon!
Zapdos was about to spread its wings and take off when it suddenly realized there wasn't a single feather left on its body.
"Gyaa?"
It turned its head stiffly and saw that not far away, its feathers were piled up like a mountain on the ground.
On the feathers, three wrinkled Wiki Berries had been set down.
The culprit had deliberately left them here for it to recover its strength.
"GYAA!!!!"
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