Pokemon POV starts
Gandiva felt that it had made a good impression on Aggron. Aggron would take some time to realize what it should improve on. But it also felt that it needed to train harder.
If it had evolved just a month ago, then Gandiva wouldn't even have known if it could beat it so easily. That Aggron was a monster in Pokemon form. It was extremely powerful, and it could even fight and win against a decently powerful rank Pokemon.
'How did it get so strong? Was this because of the green stone that it ate? Sigh, I cannot replicate that. It looks like I need to think of a new move that I want to make. A move that would be a cornerstone to my future powers.
Sigh, It looks like I need to talk to Axel about it.', thought Gandiva.
Even though it knew that it was very intelligent, a career-changing move should be something that needs to be discussed with Axel. Axel was very intelligent and creative.
But before going to Axel, Gandiva decided to go and talk to Bisharp.
It already had one loyal follower, and it needed another. Bisharp was a perfect target. It had already told Aggron to put some words for it. Not directly, but a subtle experience telling would motivate it to come under its banner.
Also, Bisharp was strong. Extremely strong for an uncommon rank Pokemon. Within a month, it had already become powerful enough to reach rare rank, and it also had a dedicated teacher.
Gandiva flew towards Bisharp and saw that it was taking the much-needed rest after training.
'I am a uncommon rank Pokemon. Why the fuck should I do all this training? It is so tiring, sigh.'
Since Oni had selected it as its disciple, it had been training nonstop. It didn't have the habit of training so much. Before, Axel didn't train it properly because he was busy with his own things, and when it lost against that Pawniard, it had trained under sheer adrenaline.
But now? There was nothing to live up to. Just train, train, and train. As it was enjoying the brief resting time that Oni had allowed, it saw Gandiva flying towards it. Immediately, its spine straightened, its head held high, and its shoulders backed up a bit.
Bisharp had nothing more than pure respect for Gandiva. Most of it was due to the fabricated stories that Aggron had told it during training. These stories, while not lies, were stretched out by Gandiva itself to make it look like a god among its peers.
This was a perfectly drafted plan by Gandiva itself.
Unlike other Bisharp from Oni's tribe, Jishnu didn't act like a proud warrior following the command of its leader. Neither did it have the habit of challenging other Bisharp for a death battle.
But it also had its pride. It would never lose a single battle, and when it did, it did everything to win its honor. But this didn't apply to Gandiva and Axel because they were like family to Jishnu.
Gandiva landed as it flapped its wings one more time, creating a visible gust of small wind, and said, "At ease, Jishnu"
Hearing this, Jishnu visibly relaxed.
"Today, I have come here to invite you. You already know that Aggron is working under me. It is now under my team. I want you to join us."
No long lines, no kissing ass, just pure proposal.
Hearing this Jishnu took some time to answer.
"I am sorry, but I cannot agree."
"Huh? But why?"
"Magneton had already recruited me, and I have agreed. I cannot go back on my word?"
Hearing this, for a second, Gandiva felt as if squirrels had learned to talk human language.
Because how was that possible?
It knew that even though Magneton was not an idiot, it was not as super intelligent as itself. It should never have thought to gather an army before it did. Something didn't make sense.
"When?", it asked in one word.
"A week ago, and after hearing what it had to say, I agreed.", said Jishnu.
Gandiva had done extensive research on Jishnu. It knew that Jishnu was not going to change its mind, but it did say,
"If you ever decide to change your mind, come to me."
"I am sorry, but I will never change my mind."
"What if I annex Magneton to my team? Will you follow me then?"
"Yes, if that is the case, then I will follow you.", said Jishnu.
"Good, that is what I wanted to know."
Saying that it flapped its wings and flew high into the sky.
For months, it had been planning to recruit Bisharp, but Magneton beat it. The word 'Anger' would not do justice to describe what it was feeling right now.
But after taking some time to think, it visibly relaxed.
Currently, it was in no position to challenge Magneton and Blastoise to become its follower. First of all, it didn't even know if it could win against them now. They were rapidly improving, and even though it had won last time, the future result might not be the same.
Also, making a Pokemon follow you was not only about battling them and winning against them. They would have to believe that Gandiva could truly lead them. Such a thing would not be possible if it barely won against them.
It would have to crush them. Not only their bodies but also their belief that they might even stand a chance against it in the future. Also, they must believe that they could grow following its command.
For that to happen, it needed a huge power boost. That was why it needed a new move that would consolidate its power.
Pokemon like Aggron and Bisharp were only at uncommon rank so it was easier to handle them.
But a glint of a smile appeared on its face as if it was possible since it didn't have a mouth but beaks.
'Bisharp would never be always under Magneton. It was a king species. Once it ranks up to Kingambit, it would never be under anyone.'
The reason Gandiva wanted Bisharp to follow it was because even when it evolves to Kingambit and decides not to follow Gandiva, it would at least respect it in the future. That was all it needed.
Since Bisharp was already recruited, Gandiva decided to talk to Weezing, but behold!!!
Weezing had also been recruited by Blastoise.
'What kind of sick joke is this? Everyone is recruited?'
It may have understood Magneton recruitment as it was smart, but Blastoise? That guy was a pure idiot!!!
'There must be something that I don't know about.'
After some investigation, it found out that its master plan had already been uncovered by Blastoise and Magneton. It didn't know how they got to know about it, nor that it cared, but this changed its plans, a lot.
'Let's go and talk to Axel. I need to get stronger, fast!!!'
Pokemon POV end
###
After weeks of proper planning, Axel and Oni had finally decided where they wanted to go. But that was not all. They had also decided on rations, defense plan, and exploration plan.
As per Axel, they would be going to places that had dense infinity energy. He felt that he might find some treasures there.
But that was not all. He also wanted to find some capable and powerful Pokemon that he could recruit. Finally, he wanted to see who the biggest players in the forest were. This didn't mean by overall power but special Pokemon that he could ally with.
Axel knew that the forest didn't house powerful Pokemon tribes. The most powerful Pokemon in the forest might be a champion rank Pokemon except for Oni. So, Axel was quite confident in this journey.
As they were deciding which place to explore, Axel decided to talk to Gandiva. He wanted to see what its views were.
###
"What? You want to go to the place where Aggron could quickly learn 'Steel warriors'? And you also want to get stronger as fast as possible? But why? I mean, is there a specific reason for it?"
After hearing Gandiva's rant, he understood that it was facing a serious problem. But that was not his problem. Gandiva had good leadership qualities, and if it wanted to act as a leader of the young generation, Axel was more than happy to support it emotionally, but it had to earn it.
"Gandiva, you know that the competition is coming near. This trip is not only to search for treasures but also to grow stronger. So, we cannot waste all the time in searching for treasures that might make you strong."
'Then why don't we find a Pokemon tribe that knows about these hidden treasures or someone that might have the ability to do it?'
"Yes, why have I not thought of that?"
That was a viable solution. He had asked Merchant Machamp for such places, but the result was disappointing. They were not allowed to share such information.
Axel knew that a magical place like this must have something that would make his team far stronger, but he didn't know where to find it. The Merchant Machamp would also not tell him, but they could tell if such a Pokemon tribe existed.
He immediately requested their presence, and the plan worked.
The price was too high for this information.
"Fuck these Machamp. They were just practically running us dry!!!"
These Machamp were the definition of a hungry beast. They were too manipulative and profiteering.
But the information was received, but the fact still remained that it was a tribe with which he had no connection of. Whether the tribe would help him or not, that was something that remained to be seen.
###
Pokemon POV starts
Far from the Primeape tribe, there was a tribe that looked different from a normal tribe. The tribe boundaries were wide, but they were not so tall as one would expect. Yet, there was proper defense system that was regularly checked.
One of the squirrel-type Pokemon rushed toward a house, knocked on it, and when it received the signal, it went inside. It straightened its back and looked straight at another squirrel type Pokemon that was sitting on what looked like a chair meant for emperors.
The design was extremely crude, but it looked fascinating. The whole chair was made from the thick and impenetrable branches of a nut tree, as there was a crown made from a special nut on its forehead.
"Report, General Squeaky."
The squirrel-type Pokemon that came to report something did a quick salute from its fluffy tail and then said,
"Your Majesty, there seems to be some suspicious activity 100 km north of our base."
"Hostile?"
"Unconfirmed."
"Dangerous?"
"Extremely."
"Hmm, call all the generals in 10 minutes. We need to have a meeting."