Two Pichu rested on my shoulders—one on each side like electric ear-warmers—while the other two clung happily onto Ritu.
The drone camera drifted overhead, capturing all four tiny yellow mice as they squeaked, chirped, and occasionally zapped tiny sparks into the air.
Chat was—predictably—losing its mind.
[FOUR NEW BABIES???]
[TEAM PICHU SWEEP]
[RITU HAS TWO?? UNFAIR.]
[AAKASH IS RUNNING A DAYCARE NOW]
[MANKEY LOOKS JEALOUS LOL]
Mankey was jealous.He walked with exaggerated pride, chest puffed, arms crossed, glaring at every Pichu who dared to squeak too loudly on "his human."
I ignored his theatrics and motioned Mama over.
"Mama," I said quietly, "would Smriti want a Pichu? She's fourteen like Sagar. These two are newborn but strong. They'll grow well in a good home."
Mama blinked—first confused, then his face softened.
"You still remember your little sister, huh?"
I shrugged. "She barely stops talking, she's impossible to forget."
Mama laughed loudly. "She'll be over the moon. I'll take them for her and Sagar."
Good. That settled that.
We continued walking, and slowly… I began to notice something odd.
The giant redwood trees we'd been passing for days… were thinning.
The terrain changed.
The trunks grew shorter, branches wider, leaves denser.
These weren't redwoods anymore.
Fruit trees. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
"Looks like multiple zones merged," Lt. Arjun murmured, analyzing the terrain. "Different biome entirely."
But that wasn't what grabbed my attention.
It was the fruits.
Hanging from almost every tree—
Red.
Smooth.
Perfectly spherical.
My heart thumped.
Red Apricorns.
The essential ingredient for Poké Balls.
Not fictional. Not symbolic. Real. Growing right in front of us.
I kept my expression completely neutral, but inside?
This was bigger than the Beedrill treaty.
This was bigger than the Growlithe negotiation.
This was the foundation of modern Pokémon civilization.Poké Balls.Storage. Safety. Training. Exploration. Everything begins here.
And I had both necessary materials now:
✔ Red Apricorns
✔ Shiny Tumblestones (they appear sparsley throughout the forest, I didn't pay attention before due to missing apricorns. the girls collected some earlier. Tumblestones appear naturally in areas where elemental energy density is high.)
In my old world knowledge… that meant:
Poké Ball manufacturing is now possible.
And I'm the only one who knows how.
I forced my heartbeat to calm and turned to Pidgeotto.
"Bring me a few ripe Apricorns."
She chirped, swooped up, and returned with about a dozen, dropping them neatly into my open bag.
She pecked one experimentally—then recoiled with a disgusted chirp.
"Not tasty?" I asked.
She shook her head violently and flew back up.
No one else questioned the moment—everyone assumed they were just weird forest berries.
Good.
I zipped the bag shut carefully.Red Apricorns were fragile—too much damage and they'd be useless.
The path widened.
Dappled sunlight shifted across the forest floor.
Then suddenly—
Shouting. A commotion. Leaves shaking violently ahead.
The entire team snapped into alert mode immediately.
Hands reached for pistols.Growlithe moved forward defensively.Pidgeotto swooped from the branches, wings flared.Mankey crouched low, fists ready, eyes sharp.
I raised my hand.
"Slow. Move carefully."
We stepped forward—
Branches shaking harder.
Growls.
Squeaks.
Flashes of movement.
We pushed past the brush—
—and saw it:
A small vine Pokémon curled up on the ground, trembling and trying to defend itself as young Pidgey pecked at him from all directions.
Growlithe didn't wait for orders.
Both pups sprinted forward, firing controlled Ember shots at the flock.
"Grrrrowl!"
Mankey launched himself upward, swinging across branches like a furry missile, then—
THWACK!
A perfectly timed karate chop slammed one Pidgey into the ground.
"Pidgeotto—into the air! Show them who's boss!"
One powerful beat of her wings—and she became a blur, diving and scolding the flock like an angry headmistress disciplining naughty children.
The Pidgey retreated instantly, sitting in a frightened row before her, drooping like guilty toddlers.
I ran to the little vine Pokémon and lifted him gently.
No injuries. Just tangled vines and pure terror.
He curled into my chest immediately.
"Shh… it's alright." I let a warm pulse of evergreen power seep into him.
"Taang…? Tangela…"(hurting… scared…)
"What happened, buddy?"
He explained in trembling sounds:
"Tang tang tangela…"(walked all night… rested near nest… they came… sniffed me… started pecking…)
I stroked his head. "It's okay. It's over now. Are you alone?"
He nodded, vines shrinking inward.
"Do you want to come with me? I can give you a safe home."
The nod was instant.
I smiled.
"Alright. You're with us."
When I turned back, I found Pidgeotto standing regally before the scolded Pidgey flock—who looked like students awaiting punishment after failing kindergarten exams.
Most were babies. Not even level 5.
I crouched before one brave little Pidgey—level 5, the unofficial spokesperson.
"Why were you bothering him?"
"Pi… pidgey…"(we're hungry… no berries here… only apricorns… apricorns taste bad… smelled something sweet near him…)
Their wings drooped.
Then the next revelation hit:
"Where are your elders?" I asked.
The little Pidgey's voice shook.
"Pidgey… pidgey…"(elders went foraging… Spearow tribe attacked… lured elders away… Pidgeot leader fought Fearow… then world changed… we appeared here… elders did not return…)
My chest tightened.
Tiny babies… stranded. Attacked. Surviving on bitter apricorns.
"We didn't dare fly far," Pidgey continued. "But now we have a leader."
It pointed with its wing.
Straight at Pidgeotto.
Who immediately puffed her chest out like she had just been appointed Queen of the Sky.
"Wait," I said slowly, "she's your new leader?"
Everyone in my team froze.
Chat? Completely silent.
"Pidgey!"(Yes!)
I turned to my team and explained the entire situation.
Even Captain Kabir looked stunned.
Tanisha let out a soft laugh. "Ma'am Pidgeotto really became a commander today."
Mama shook his head. "Brat, your bird is moving up the ranks faster than half my unit."
I sighed.
"Well… we can't leave them alone."
I stood up.
"Lead us to your nest. We'll rest there tonight."
The sun had begun dipping already—fiery gold filtering through the trees.
Time was running short.
And so, guided by thirty tiny Pidgey marching proudly ahead…
We walked toward the heart of their new home.
A/N: Here are some chat comments during incident
[WTF DID I JUST WATCH]
[BABY PIDGEY BULLYING A VINE MONSTER 💀]
[Pidgeotto MOM MODE ACTIVATED]
[THE WAY THOSE PIDGEY SAT LIKE NAUGHTY SCHOOL KIDS 😭😭]
[NOT PARENTS-GONE-MISSING LORE 😢 THESE BABIES NEED THERAPY]
[Aakash collecting Pokémon like stray cats again 💀]
[Mankey SWUNG FROM TREES LIKE TARZAN I'M SCREAMING]
[THAT KARATE CHOP SHOULD BE ILLEGAL]
[Vine Monster LITERALLY SAID "HELP" AND AAKASH ADOPTED HIM INSTANTLY]
[Pidgeotto: I AM THE CAPTAIN NOW]
[THE FACT THAT THESE PIDGEY ARE JUST BABIES MAKES THIS SO FUNNY]
[Vine Monster HUGGING AAKASH IM SOBBINGGG]
[Aakash officially running an orphanage now]
[Pidgeotto didn't even fight Spearow tribe but became leader anyway 😭 QUEEN]
[NEXT STOP: POKÉMON DAY CARE PATIL BRANCH]
[Wish my boss respected me like these Pidgey respect Pidgeotto]
[@Aakash pls adopt me too]
[THE FOREST IS JUST CHAOS AND AAKASH IS HOLDING IT TOGETHER BY VIBES]