"Oh? What is it? Don't worry, I'll definitely help you!"
Uncle Sam agreed immediately. After all, the young man in front of him had made him a considerable amount of money and even helped him gain favor with others.
High-quality Flying-type Pokémon were always in demand. Without connections, no one would dare approach an Elite-level trainer like him.
"Well, it's like this, Uncle Sam. Don't you have a Fearow? I was hoping your Fearow could teach my Pidgey how to use Peck. Do you think that's possible?"
As he spoke, Icarus opened the Poké Ball and released Pidgey.
"Pidgey!"
When it first came out, Pidgey wanted to cry out loudly, but instinctively sensed the pressure from the human in front of it. It quickly lowered its voice.
"Oh? Let me take a look."
Uncle Sam carefully examined Pidgey.
With its unusually sharp instincts, Pidgey didn't dare resist. Icarus had already explained things beforehand, so it stood quietly on the back of the sofa and allowed the inspection.
"Hm? Tsk, tsk! Not bad, Icarus. Where did you learn to polish Pidgey's beak and claws like this?
And if I'm not mistaken, this isn't the same Pidgey you brought that night. This one clearly has higher potential—at least good-quality aptitude."
He looked at Icarus in surprise.
"Heh, it's indeed good low-tier aptitude. I hunted around the outskirts day and night for a while and used the reward money you gave me to exchange for it."
Icarus touched his nose and delivered the excuse he had prepared in advance. Since he was asking for help, he had anticipated being questioned.
"As for sharpening its beak and claws—that was my own idea. I thought, since Pidgey's beak and claws are naturally sharp, why couldn't it learn Peck and Fury Attack like Spearow and Fearow?
Peck requires a sharp beak and Flying-type energy.
Fury Attack requires sharp claws and Normal-type energy.
Pidgey has both, so I believed it could learn them. Wild Pidgey probably can't because their beaks and claws aren't trained to this extent.
So I bought bone-strengthening powder and had Pidgey train those parts daily. It's nearly reached its training limit now.
Do you think it can learn?"
After finishing, Icarus looked at Uncle Sam expectantly.
"I didn't expect you to figure that out on your own!" Uncle Sam said, clearly impressed.
"Your logic is correct. Pidgey can learn it. It's recorded in the Flying-type training manual distributed by the Alliance. My Fearow has already mastered Fury Attack."
"Really? Can Fearow teach Pidgey?"
"Pidgey!"
Both Icarus and Pidgey looked at Uncle Sam eagerly.
"Yes, it can. But before that, let me ask you something. You've already broken through to the Normal tier, haven't you? And this Pidgey isn't just newly advanced—it's been stabilized for a while."
Uncle Sam leaned back on the sofa, eyes fixed on Icarus.
"Ahem. Uncle Sam's insight is as sharp as ever. Yes, I broke through two days ago."
Since he intended to build a connection, Icarus knew he had to show his talent. Otherwise, why would an Elite trainer help him?
"As expected. You truly have a chance of reaching Elite in the future—perhaps even earlier than I did."
Uncle Sam's evaluation of Icarus rose significantly.
Previously, he had only intended to help because the boy had talent and brought him profit. But now, Icarus had two Pokémon with good aptitude, and one had already broken through to the Normal tier.
The other had even trained its beak and claws independently to meet move requirements.
That showed real trainer potential.
"No, no. Whether I can reach your level is still uncertain. You're already there—I can't compare."
Icarus humbly deflected the praise, but he knew the matter was essentially settled.
"By the way, you mentioned the Alliance's Flying-type training manual earlier. Are those distributed after reaching Elite?"
"Heh, people with some status know this, but ordinary trainers usually don't.
After breaking through to Elite, the Alliance allows you to access cultivation manuals for six Pokémon of your choice, plus one foundational knowledge volume. It's considered a benefit for commoners like us."
"Wow, that's incredible!"
Icarus applauded at the right moment, already calculating whether Pidgey's and Spearow's cultivation methods might overlap.
"It's good, yes—but the content is similar to what senior apprentices in a Gym receive. For more advanced material, you need merit points.
And don't get any ideas. There's a big difference between raising Pidgey and Spearow. Even if I give you Spearow's method, it might not suit your Pidgey better than your current approach."
Uncle Sam glanced at him knowingly.
"Ah… I see."
Icarus's little scheme dissolved instantly.
"If you want access to more manuals, you could consider joining a Gym. You broke through to Normal tier before sixteen and have two good-aptitude Pokémon—you qualify.
After joining, you can use contribution points to view basic cultivation materials."
Join a Gym?
Icarus had already rejected that path in his heart.
In Aokigahara Town's Gym, most apprentices were members of established families—either direct descendants or collateral branches.
They joined for two main reasons:
First, to serve as a bridge between their family and the Gym Leader.
Second, to secure resources. Collateral branches rarely received top-tier support from their families, so they sought opportunities in the Gym instead.
There were civilian apprentices, yes—but they were suppressed by the family faction when it came to resource allocation.
Even if a civilian saved enough contribution points to read a manual, they often lacked the resources to implement it.
Low-level apprentices couldn't freely leave the Gym. Only after advancing to senior apprentice status could they move independently.
It was a vicious cycle.
Without resources, you couldn't advance.
Without advancement, you couldn't leave to hunt and earn resources.
And without earning resources, you couldn't break the cycle.
For someone like Icarus, profit was always the driving force behind change.
(End of Chapter)
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