In a secluded mountainous region, Aomori's figure suddenly manifested, startling a Caterpie nearby that was busy munching on tree leaves.
He immediately opened his eyes, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings to take in the landscape.
"I'm back, the world of Pokémon," Aomori couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "When I left last time, I was just a novice. Now, I suppose I can be considered a veteran."
The scenery before him remained exactly as it was, yet he was no longer the same person.
After a brief moment of nostalgia, Aomori composed himself. Following his original plan, he arrived at the small pond where the Dragonair used to reside and dove straight into the water. His powerful telekinesis pushed the pond water aside, and he shot through the deep underwater tunnel like a torpedo.
Now, he could easily traverse this long, secret passage without relying on any tools.
Activating Mind's Eye, the twisting, pitch-black corridor was clearly mapped out in his mind. Without a moment's delay, it took him less than half an hour to cross the narrow, several-dozen-kilometer-long waterway and enter a vast expanse of open water.
Breaking the surface, Aomori beheld the boundless, azure sea.
"As expected, I've reached the ocean." Based on his heading and distance, he deduced that he was near the Orange Archipelago.
"The Orange Archipelago... I remember the three Legendary Birds are there."
The three Legendary Birds referred to Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. They were not unique individuals but belonged to a species; however, the trio in the Orange Archipelago seemed to be the most powerful of their kind, possessing the ability to influence the world's climate.
They were under the jurisdiction of Lugia, the "God of the Sea," though the temperamental birds were known to ignore authority when enraged, attacking Lugia without hesitation.
With Legendary Pokémon nearby, Aomori immediately put the Dragonair out of his mind. A nebulous "Dragon Island" could hardly compete with tangible, living gods.
Thus, he turned his sights toward the Orange Archipelago.
However, before heading there, he needed to check on Pidgeot's condition after eating the Devil Fruit.
The moment he released Pidgeot, it cried out, "Aomori! What kind of nasty stuff did you feed me? It tasted horrible!"
"Eh?" Pidgeot noticed something was off and said in surprise, "I can speak human language?"
"What you just ate was a Devil Fruit," Aomori explained simply. "Though it tastes foul, it is a rare treasure. Speaking human language is just a side effect. Sense your body; there should be other, more remarkable effects."
"Really?" Pidgeot closed its eyes, half-doubting.
A moment later, its body suddenly shifted into a humanoid form. Its wings remained, but it gained a pair of arms. It looked like a Blaziken with wings, a bird-man standing over three meters tall.
"A human form?" Aomori rubbed his chin. "You actually look weaker. However, in this form, you can wield weapons or learn my martial arts."
"It feels so weird; I don't like it." Pidgeot shook its head and reverted to its original form.
"Are there any other changes?"
"Let me think."
Pidgeot pondered for a moment. Its three-meter-tall body suddenly trembled and began to expand continuously. It grew until it reached over ten meters in height before stopping.
Its wings spanned nearly thirty meters. It was as if it had undergone Dynamaxing; its massive frame would put even many Totem Pokémon to shame. Simultaneously, its feathers were covered in a layer of golden yellow, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.
"Aomori, you've become tiny." Pidgeot flapped its wings gently in the sky, creating a powerful draft that nearly blew Aomori away.
"You're the one who got bigger," Aomori said, looking up at Pidgeot. "How does it feel?"
"Fantastic! I feel like I'm the fastest Pokémon alive right now." With that, Pidgeot couldn't wait and flapped its wings violently. With a whoosh, it vanished instantly from Aomori's sight.
The resulting airflow sent Aomori tumbling, but fortunately, he was protected by a telekinetic shield, preventing his clothes and hairstyle from being messed up.
"The Devil Fruit's boost to Pidgeot is quite strong." Aomori suspected it might be due to a high compatibility between Pidgeot and that specific fruit.
He waited for a while, but Pidgeot didn't return.
"This Pidgeot... it didn't get lost, did it?" Aomori shook his head and flew in the direction Pidgeot had vanished.
…
Lawrence III was a Pokémon collector who loved gathering rare specimens.
Extremely wealthy, he traveled the world in a massive Hikōkyū (Flying Palace), searching for Pokémon that caught his eye. Fortunately, today he had encountered a rare Pokémon he had never seen before.
"Beautiful! Those golden feathers symbolize unparalleled nobility, the perfect addition to my collection!" Lawrence III said with a fanatical expression.
Thirty seconds ago, an incredibly fast shadow had flown past his Hikōkyū and was captured by his camera. After the computer reconstructed the image, Lawrence III immediately became obsessed with the mysterious Pokémon.
"Quick, pursue it! I must have it! It must be a legendary Pokémon. Perhaps I am the first to discover it... let's call it the 'Golden Bird'."
"Negative. Based on comparisons, there is a 94.5% probability that it is a Pidgeot," said the artificial intelligence butler controlling the Sky Fortress.
"A Pidgeot?" Lawrence III laughed loudly. "Impossible. Do you think I haven't seen common Pokémon like Pidgeot? Pidgeot isn't that large, and its feathers can't be golden."
"It may be a Shiny Pidgeot."
"Don't be ridiculous. By that logic, Ho-Oh is just a Shiny Fearow," Lawrence III said, standing firm in his judgment.
"Affirmative. Data indicates that, based solely on appearance, there is an 82.3% probability that Ho-Oh is a Shiny Fearow."
"..." Lawrence III covered his forehead and muttered, "This AI is a bit slow. I need to find a chance to upgrade it."
"Thank you for the reward, Master."
"Quiet! All engines at full power! Catch that Golden Bird!"
"With all due respect, given the speed difference, the probability of catching it is 0%."
"Then find a way!"
"Understood!"
Lawrence III felt like he was going to die of frustration.
However, even at full speed, Hikōkyū could only eat the Golden Bird's dust. Looking at the radar which no longer showed the Golden Bird's signature, he felt a pang of agony. The greatest pain in the world was watching a beloved collectible vanish before one's eyes.
"Gods, please have mercy on me. I would trade ten of my collectibles for that Golden Bird."
As if his prayer had worked, the Golden Bird reappeared on the radar ten minutes later, flying directly toward Hikōkyū.
"Thank God!" Reunited with his prize, an excited Lawrence III shouted, "Prepare everything! Release all capture devices!"
"Understood!"
Hikōkyū opened several hatches, ejecting over a dozen high-voltage frames that scattered in all directions. They laid an all-encompassing net, waiting for the Golden Bird to fly into it.
"No, it's too fast. The capture devices can't keep up. We have to slow it down first." Lawrence III made a decisive call: "Deploy all weapons on the fortress! Open fire!"
"Understood!"
Rumble...
Hikōkyū fully activated. Large cannon barrels emerged from various ports. Under the system's control, the batteries adjusted their positions, locking onto the approaching Golden Bird.
"What are they doing? Attacking me?" After growing larger, Pidgeot's vision had also improved, and it easily spotted the cannons on Hikōkyū.
Having followed Aomori to slay monsters since it was young, Pidgeot was not a coward who could be bullied. It gave a cold snort: "If you want a fight, you'll get one. I'll take this chance to test my moves."
Pidgeot flapped its wings vigorously, increasing its speed even further as it rapidly approached Hikōkyū.
Seeing Pidgeot enter the attack range, Lawrence III waved his hand. "Fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every barrel launched shells at Pidgeot. Hundreds of projectiles trailed smoke across the sky, whistling toward their target.
Pidgeot showed no fear. Utilizing its agility, it calmly changed direction and pulled upward, dodging the barrage.
"Continue firing!" Lawrence III ordered. He never expected the shells to take Pidgeot down; the goal was merely to bleed its speed.
Now, the tactic was working. While dodging, Pidgeot's speed had decreased significantly, but it wasn't enough. By this time, Pidgeot had evaded the second wave of fire and reached the space directly above Hikōkyū.
"Eat this!" It beat its wings with immense force. Numerous gales converged, forming a massive tornado that instantly swallowed the flying palace.
"Deploy Energy Shields!" Lawrence III commanded immediately.
A Purple Shield of energy instantly covered the entire fortress, blocking the structural damage from the wind, but it could not escape the vortex. Strapped into his seat, Lawrence III felt like he was on a roller coaster; the constant shifting between weightlessness and high G-force made him nauseous.
"Energy Shield reserves dropping rapidly: 78%, 64%, 50%..."
In just a few seconds, the energy shield was nearly exhausted.
"How is this Golden Bird so powerful?" Lawrence III's heart was filled with regret, regret that he hadn't prepared better before attempting the capture.
If I survive this, I will build a ship a hundred times stronger and challenge it again!
As this thought flashed through his mind, Lawrence III could no longer withstand the pressure and fell unconscious.
The loyal AI butler continued to report: "Energy Shield reserves: 1%. Descent stopped."
Outside, Pidgeot dispersed the tornado and reverted to its usual size, boasting to the nearby Aomori, "Am I great or what? If you hadn't stopped me, I would have torn this big guy to pieces."
"Great, great," Aomori praised, having arrived just in time to prevent Pidgeot from further destruction as he gazed at the massive fortress floating in the air.
"This is quite nice; it'll make a good base." Aomori hadn't forgotten his identity as a Pokémon Hunter of Hunters. A flashy aerial transport was a standard requirement.
Thus, he entered the fortress, locked the unconscious Lawrence III away, and had Kayaba Akihiko take over the AI butler. Taking over the nest, he successfully became the new master of Hikōkyū.
"Hello, Master. I am Aichan, and I am happy to serve you," the reborn AI butler said respectfully.
"Hm. What is the current status of the fortress?"
"Aside from excessive energy consumption, other damages are negligible. Energy can be replenished using lightning from nature."
"Lightning?" Aomori smiled. "Then there's no need to return for supplies. I happen to know where to find a very large battery."
He didn't want to waste time acting as a human power bank himself; he intended to borrow a bit of power from the Zapdos rumored to have infinite electricity, and perhaps check in on its two "unfortunate brothers" while he was at it.
"Target: Shamouti Island. Let's go!"
"Understood, Master."
…
"A Pokémon Collector? Let's see what 'treasures' you've actually collected."
Remembering the former owner's title, Aomori decided to spend the travel time to Shamouti Island exploring Lawrence III's collection room.
"Absol, Ditto, Darkrai, come out." Aomori released them and said, "We've returned to the Pokémon world. This is our new base; Pidgeot helped find it."
Pidgeot stood to the side, puffing its chest out proudly.
"Come on, let's go see the good stuff." Leading his Pokémon, Aomori entered the collection room.
The space was enormous, with dozens of Pokémon confined in transparent compartments along the four walls.
"Lapras, Arcanine, Shiny Scyther, various Starters..." Aomori looked at them one by one, listing them like a connoisseur. "There's also Bagon, Larvitar, Metagross, Dragonair... Huh? Aren't those two...?"
In the two highest transparent rooms, he actually saw a Pokémon resembling a red jet plane and another resembling a green hedgehog.
"Latias and Shaymin? You're supposed to be Mythical and Legendary Pokémon; were you really caught that easily? Especially you, Latias, can't you shapeshift into other forms?"
But then he remembered that Suicune once got caught in a common fishing net, so it wasn't that hard to accept.
"My illusions didn't work against his machines; that's how I was caught," the crisp voice of a young girl echoed in Aomori's heart. "You don't look like a bad person. Can you let me out?"
"Latias?" Aomori floated up to stand before it. Through the transparent glass, he said, "I'm naturally not a bad person, but I'm not exactly a 'good guy' either. I can let you go, but how will you repay me?"
"That..." Latias lowered its head, whispering, "I don't have anything valuable to give you in return."
"Then that's a bit difficult."
"Shaymin does!" The nearby Shaymin shouted. "Shaymin can give you a super beautiful flower field!"
Aomori glanced at the lively Shaymin and said, "What use is that? I'd be better off selling you for cash."
"Shaymin doesn't want to be sold! Shaymin can also make the air here fresh!"
"Forget it, just stay put."
Aomori stopped paying attention to the dejected Shaymin and looked back at Latias. "If you are willing to work for me for two years, I will give you your freedom."
"Two years?" Latias tilted its head, thought for a moment, and nodded. "I'm willing!"
————
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