The Pidgeot that had beaten Su Yu black and blue when he was young was certainly no weakling. By Su Yu's estimation, the opponent had already reached elite-level strength, while the Shiny Pidgeot—Flash—was still only at the advanced level. The gap in raw power was obvious, but Flash had one overwhelming advantage: speed. Under Su Yu's precise command, Flash immediately switched tactics, abandoning head-on clashes in favor of pure guerrilla warfare.
The result was brutal. The Pidgeot leader simply couldn't keep up. It couldn't catch Flash, couldn't get close, and every attack it launched was cleanly dodged under Su Yu's guidance. Meanwhile, Flash's counterattacks kept slipping through, landing again and again. The rhythm of the battle was completely hijacked, leaving the tribe leader increasingly frustrated and disoriented.
After narrowly evading another Air Slash, the leader of the Pidgeot tribe instinctively glanced toward Su Yu—confusion flashing through its eyes.
That single moment of distraction was fatal.
"Hurricane."
Su Yu's voice cut through the air like a blade. Looking away during a battle? That was practically begging for punishment. It was no different from checking your phone in the middle of a team fight.
Flash didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat. Its wings beat violently, and a roaring gale exploded outward, slamming straight into the Pidgeot leader. Caught completely off guard, the leader was smashed out of the sky and driven straight into the ground.
Su Yu didn't give it time to recover.
"Finish it—Hyper Beam."
"Biii—!!"
Golden light gathered rapidly in Flash's open beak, countless points converging into a single, blinding sphere. In the next instant, a thick pillar of golden energy crashed down from the sky.
Boom!
The explosion shook the forest.
Even back at the orphanage, the sound echoed loudly enough to draw attention. Chen Xier frowned, turning her head toward the back mountain.
"What is Senior Su Yu doing now?" she muttered. "Why does it sound like a full-scale battle?"
After a brief hesitation, she spoke to her partner. "Garchomp, go check it out. If Senior Su Yu's in danger, help him."
Garchomp nodded, let out a low cry, and took off toward the back mountain.
By the time it arrived, however, everything was already over.
Su Yu stood calmly on the battlefield, looking down at the defeated Pidgeot leader with clear satisfaction. The resentment that had lingered since childhood finally dissipated, leaving him in an unusually good mood.
"Very good," he said lightly. "Now we can talk properly."
Garchomp landed nearby, quickly scanning the area. Seeing that nothing was wrong, Su Yu waved dismissively. "It's fine. Go back."
No explanation was needed—both of them knew Chen Xier had sent it. After confirming there was no danger, Garchomp turned around and returned to the orphanage.
The Pidgeot leader lay on the ground, unable to move. The Hyper Beam had completely stripped it of combat capability, though it hadn't lost consciousness. Pokémon in this world were strangely resilient; no matter how fierce the battle, truly fatal damage was rare unless someone deliberately pushed things further. It was as if some invisible force protected them, preventing instant death.
Flash landed nearby, chest puffed out, eyes gleaming with pride. It felt amazing. Following Su Yu's commands had made everything so simple, so clean. The human was terrifying—but his command ability was impeccable.
And now… Flash's heart raced.
If it had defeated the former leader, didn't that mean it could become the new leader of the tribe?
Visions of glory filled its mind: countless Pidgey flocking around it, a carefree life at the peak of success, no worries, no shame. It was perfect.
Then Su Yu spoke.
"From now on, this mountain belongs to me," he said casually. "I'll be turning it into an orchard. When the time comes, Flying-type Pokémon will inevitably be drawn here. You'll lead your tribe to drive them away."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Of course, there will be compensation. I'll provide food for your entire tribe. You won't need to hunt Caterpie anymore."
He glanced at the Pidgeot leader and added dryly, "Though, honestly, you don't seem very good at hunting them anyway. You'd probably get beaten up."
The complaint landed like salt in a wound. Compared to the Beedrill and Butterfree tribes, the Pidgey tribe really was weak—mostly Pidgey, with very few fully evolved members. It also seemed like a recently formed group, led by none other than the same Pidgeot that had beaten Su Yu years ago.
The Pidgeot leader slowly struggled to its feet.
"Bi…"
It didn't refuse. In fact, it already knew how this would end. The human it once mocked had returned far stronger, and the Shiny Pidgeot had defeated it fairly. By the rules of Pokémon, leadership should now belong to Flash.
The leader looked at Su Yu and cried out, urging him to hurry up.
Take out the Poké Ball. Capture me.
Su Yu blinked. "…Did you misunderstand something?"
"Why would I capture you?" he said, pointing calmly. "That's the one I'm taking."
He turned his gaze toward Flash.
"…Bi?"
Flash froze mid–daydream. Its body stiffened as it slowly turned its head toward Su Yu, disbelief written all over its face.
Wait. Me?
The former leader was stunned as well.
What do you mean you don't want me?
Back then, this human had tried so hard to capture it. Now, after winning… he didn't even want it?
The confusion was almost painful.
Su Yu, noticing its expression, smiled even wider. "What? Is there a problem?"
"You stay here and keep being the Pidgeot clan leader," he continued casually. "We're old acquaintances, after all. And let's be honest—you probably don't like this flashy guy either."
He looked at Flash again, his expression unusually gentle.
"I'll take it with me."
Flash's feathers stood on end. It stumbled backward in sheer panic.
"Bi—bi—bi!!"
This was bad. Really bad.
Was its glorious future… over before it even began?
And more importantly—
Could it still refuse?