With Pidgey successfully captured, the prospect of catching Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ became significantly easier. All Pidgey had to do was drop in unexpectedly and seize the small patch of soft flesh on the back of the Nidoran♂'s neck. That spot was a blind spot for its attacks and the only area on its body devoid of toxic barbs.
Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ share a deep bond, Feng Che calculated. If Pidgey grabs the male, the female will instinctively cling to his leg to prevent him from being carried off.
This was a unique "clustering" behavior specific to the Nidoran lines. When a young Nidoran was snatched by a Flying-type predator, its companions would grab hold of it to add weight, buying time for a Nidoking or Nidoqueen to arrive and drive the predator away.
"In this case, Pidgey can effectively kidnap both of them at once. The only real obstacle is the weight."
A typical Nidoran♂ stood 0.5 meters tall and weighed 9 kilograms; a Nidoran♀ was 0.4 meters and weighed 7 kilograms. A Pidgey's talons can generally support up to ten times its own body weight.
This Pidgey is a bit larger than average. A normal Pidgey weighs about 1.8 kilograms, meaning it can carry roughly 18 kilograms. At a combined 16 kilograms, these two are well within its limit.
"Pidgey can lift them up and drop them straight into the rapids."
Feng Che had noted that the current in this section of the stream was quite swift, flowing at approximately 60 meters per second.
"I just need to wait downstream to intercept them."
Capturing the Nidoran pair would bring his count to three, which was sufficient. Whether he caught a Poliwag or not didn't truly matter, but he figured he might as well try.
"Pidgey, here's the plan..."
Feng Che stroked Pidgey's head and whispered the detailed strategy into its ear.
[Pidgey: This human is incredibly devious. Imagine coming up with a plan to dump those two into the water.][Pidgey: I absolutely love it.][Pidgey: I'm definitely not telling him that I can pull this off with zero effort.][Pidgey: Since Nidoran and I are both ranch-raised for this trial, there aren't any Nidoking or Nidoqueen around to protect them. Hah!][Pidgey: I'm such a genius. I might be the smartest Pidgey to ever live.]
Feng Che's hand paused on the bird's head. He silently pulled away. If he hadn't been able to overhear those thoughts, he might have actually been fooled by this bird's "hard-working" act.
Pidgey looked up at him with innocent, wide eyes, radiating an "I'm so cute, why are you being cold to me?" vibe.
[Pidgey: This is my 'pouting' face. Whenever I do this, the female researchers back at the ranch scream about how cute I am.][Pidgey: Why isn't it working on this human?]
It tilted its head, watching him.
"Pidgey, let's move. Once you've dropped the Nidoran into the stream, do me a favor and snatch a Poliwag as well."
Feng Che had heard enough. Since the bird could toss the Nidoran pair effortlessly, adding a Poliwag to the haul was a reasonable request. He decided to use the "Grand Deception" method, piling on the flattery.
"Pidgey, look at your majestic form. Look at the luster of those feathers! Out of all the Pidgey I've seen, you're clearly the most impressive. That's why I chose you. Surely, grabbing a Poliwag after the Nidoran is child's play for a bird of your caliber?"
Poliwag were also timid creatures. If he missed this chance, tracking them down again would be a massive time-sink.
[Pidgey: Exactly! I am the finest specimen of my kind!]
Pidgey's tail feathers practically puffed up with pride. It put on a front of "reluctantly" agreeing to the extra work just to show off.
"Get ready. On my mark."
Feng Che positioned himself downstream where the capture would be most convenient. On his command, Pidgey swept down behind the Nidoran♂, its sharp talons clamping onto the soft neck-meat. As predicted, the Nidoran♀ lunged forward, gripping her partner's leg like a protective mother hen.
Pidgey beat its wings powerfully, hovering over the center of the cold, rushing rapids. The Nidoran♂ wailed, demanding to be let go and promising a world of hurt.
With a smug internal chuckle, Pidgey simply opened its claws.
The two fell like stones. Splash! A blue and a purple silhouette vanished into the frigid water. They struggled desperately, but the current was too strong. Feng Che, lying in wait, launched his Poké Balls in rapid succession.
Team Rocket Monitoring Room.
"Holy crap! Two more captures simultaneously!" "And another one right after!" "The coordinates are all in the same sector. Is it the same person?"
"A shame there's no camera coverage in that specific blind spot, or we could see the technique," a member noted with regret.
"Just log the IDs and upload them to the system. This kid is on a roll," another added.
"Fast captures are one thing, but finding the base is the real test. Our ranch Pokémon are well-trained; they won't breathe a word about our location. They certainly won't lead a candidate to the entrance—they know their lives would be forfeit if they did."
The Team Rocket members laughed, confident in their security. They were right to be—under normal circumstances. But Feng Che was anything but normal.
Feng Che released the Poliwag and the Nidoran pair alongside Pidgey. Pidgey had been efficient; after dumping the Nidoran, it had swooped down and snatched a Poliwag that had been distracted by the commotion.
The Poliwag's smooth skin was marred by light scratches from Pidgey's talons, and it was currently leaking "golden bean" tears from the pain.
[Poliwag: Ow, ow, ow! I was just a bystander! This is so unfair! Waaaaah!]
"Easy there, Poliwag. I see some Woundwort nearby; you'll feel better in a second."
Feng Che expertly plucked some leaves from the stream-bank, crushed them into a pulpy juice, and applied it to the Poliwag's scratches.
[Poliwag: Oh? It's cold... it doesn't hurt anymore.]
The tadpole Pokémon stopped crying and blinked up at him.