"In truth, I should be the one thanking you," Chen Mo said as he looked up at the azure sky with a smile.
"The situation with the Pidgey clan had given me a massive headache. Without you, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"Judging by the time, they should be arriving about now."
Sure enough—
Before long, the three of them spotted rows of faint black dots appearing in the sky. As the dots gradually grew larger, they were finally able to make them out clearly.
It was a massive Pidgeotto, leading a large group of Pidgey and Pidgeotto as they flew in formation.
"They're flying so high…"
Feng Lan stared up at the Pidgey clan in the sky, the light in her eyes growing brighter and brighter. She slowly walked toward the direction they were coming from, so absorbed in the sight that she even forgot about Pichu in her arms, her hand unconsciously stopping its gentle strokes.
"She really likes birds," Ah Hui said softly as he walked up beside Chen Mo, also looking toward the Pidgey clan.
"When she was little, she even raised some small birds herself. She once said she really admired creatures that could fly freely through the sky by their own power."
"I think it's probably because she once had a dream of flying too. But because of some family matters, that dream had to be put to an end."
"You care about her a lot, don't you?"
Chen Mo squinted slightly, smiling as he spoke.
That single sentence completely shattered Ah Hui's composure. His face flushed red as he flailed in panic.
"N-no! Absolutely not! Brother Mo, don't talk nonsense, okay?!"
"Alright, alright~"
Chen Mo shrugged and didn't press the matter further.
Ah Hui's racing heart finally calmed down a little. He cleared his throat and said seriously,
"The reason I'm telling you this, Brother Mo, is mainly to reassure you. When it comes to the Pidgey clan, she'll definitely take great care of them. She won't let them be harmed—ever."
Because they were bringing along many younger Pidgey on a long-distance flight, the Pidgeotto group arrived a bit later than Chen Mo.
After landing smoothly, the large Pidgeotto immediately noticed a human woman holding Pichu, staring at it with eyes full of wonder.
"Pidgeot…?"
"Pichu pi, pichu~"
After a brief exchange between the two Pokémon, the Pidgeotto quickly understood the situation.
So—it's you?
Although it had already agreed back when Chen Mo brought it up, this was their first true face-to-face meeting. The Pidgeotto carefully examined the woman before it with sharp, appraising eyes.
Having lived in the wild for a long time, surviving under the constant threat of the Spearow clan, this Pidgeotto was extremely sensitive to the goodwill or hostility of others.
That was precisely why it had ultimately chosen to follow Chen Mo.
And yet, from this human woman before it, the Pidgeotto sensed an affection for the Pidgey clan that was even stronger than the warmth Chen Mo radiated.
Another strange human.
The Pidgeotto gave Feng Lan a deep look, then let out a clear cry, flapped its wings, and flew past her, landing directly beside Chen Mo.
Right after that, Pichu waved goodbye to Feng Lan and hopped back onto Chen Mo's shoulder.
"Thanks for your hard work,"
Chen Mo said with a smile, gently patting the Pidgeotto's back.
…It flew away.
Feng Lan looked longingly at the Pidgeotto beside Chen Mo. As much as she wanted everything, she understood that this Pidgeotto had already chosen to follow him.
"But at least… I still have them."
Turning her head, Feng Lan looked at the Pidgey clan before her—who were carefully observing her, assessing her—and a smile gentler than ever bloomed on her face.
"Welcome to your new home. My name is Feng Lan. From now on, we'll be living together. Please take good care of me."
The Pidgey clan exchanged looks with one another, but none of them moved.
Feng Lan didn't rush them. She simply waited quietly for their response.
Finally—
One Pidgey stepped out from the group, flapped its wings, and landed on Feng Lan's shoulder.
"Pidgey!"
With that clear chirp as a signal, the rest of the Pidgey and Pidgeotto cried out in response and flocked toward Feng Lan, gathering around their future caretaker.
From a distance, Chen Mo watched the Pidgey perched on Feng Lan's shoulder. It looked familiar to him. After confirming it with [Detection Eye], he realized it was the very same little Pidgey that had once protected Pichu.
"…This is good,"
Chen Mo murmured, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
He turned around and walked toward the SUV.
Noticing his movement, Ah Hui quickly asked,
"Brother Mo, where are you going?"
"Of course, I'm getting ready to head back,"
Chen Mo stopped, turned around, and looked at Ah Hui.
"This trip here—aside from escorting the Pidgey clan—my main goal was to meet your friend. Now that I've met her and confirmed things for myself, there's no reason for me to stay any longer."
"Brother Mo!"
Feng Lan hurried over, holding the little Pidgey in her arms.
Looking at the girl who had earned the Pidgey clan's recognition, Chen Mo smiled and spoke first,
"It might have been because of me at the beginning, but now the Pidgey clan has accepted you on their own. That has nothing to do with me anymore, so there's no need to thank me."
"Oh, right—if possible, I still hope you'll let the Pidgey train regularly. That 'Pidgey Express' idea is actually a very good model. Don't forget about it."
At that, Feng Lan gave an awkward smile.
He saw right through me…
In truth, she never planned to seriously run any "Pidgey Express." It was just a convenient excuse to let the Pidgey stay by her side.
Whether it made money or not didn't matter to her at all.
Seeing her reaction, Chen Mo smiled helplessly and briefly told her about a story from the original world—about what happened on a place called Big Pidgey Island.
"…So I don't want the next time I come here to find the Pidgey so pampered that they've forgotten how to fly."
"I… I understand,"
Feng Lan nodded obediently.
Seeing that, Chen Mo grew a bit suspicious instead.
"Don't tell me the whole Pidgey Express thing was completely made up."
"No, no!"
Feng Lan quickly explained.
"At first, I really did just want to take in the Pidgey. But my family gave me a condition—they said I had to use this method if I wanted to do it…"
"Your family?"
Chen Mo frowned slightly in confusion.
What kind of family was that? Not only did they not keep their daughter away from the much-feared Pokémon, they actively encouraged her to get closer to them.
Beside him, Ah Hui suddenly coughed lightly.
"Well… Brother Mo, I'll just tell you a little bit. Wang Changming from the Criminal Investigation Division headquarters—that guy is actually her brother-in-law. You should've seen him the last time you were taken in with Pichu."
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