I pushed all thoughts of Suicune, Raikou, Entei—and the governments panicking over them—to the back of my mind.
Right now, my job was simpler:
Get everyone safely back to base.
We left the mountain region behind and descended toward the familiar greenery of the Apricorn Forest. The moment we entered, I whistled sharply.
"Pidgeotto, take the squad."
Pidgeotto screeched confidently and led the smaller Pidgey flock into the canopy. Within minutes, ripe apricorns rained from the branches—clean, precise drops. They'd become experts at this.
"Good work," I nodded. "Pidgey, return to your nest. It's safe here—no predators. I'll turn this place into a newbie zone soon. I'll need your help to keep them in check. Pidgeotto will check on you whenever she has free time."
The little birds chirped happily before fluttering away toward the treetops.
Instead of heading south toward the pasture, I veered east.
The only unexplored zone left.
The region's rough layout formed itself in my mind:
West – Growlithe territory
North – Apricorn forest, lake, mountain
Center – Miltank Pasture
Southwest – Beedrill hive
Southeast – Caterpie, Ledyba, and other peaceful bugs
Only the eastern zone remained a blank.
And that bothered me.
We moved slowly—two Rhyhorn were still not fully recovered from the Aggron collision. Every few steps, the ground vibrated from the weight of twelve Rhyhorn following behind us.
To prevent delays, I'd handed Imran my last Pokéball.
"Keep Slowpoke inside. Otherwise the journey will take five more hours."
He nodded and secured the Ball carefully.
By the time the sun reached overhead, it was 12 pm.
We stopped in a clearing for lunch.
The moment I stepped off Rhyhorn, my body froze.
A shiver ran through my spine.
My passive ability—Field Scan—was suddenly NOT passive.
Hundreds of sensory threads burst to life, feeding data directly into my brain:
Life signs detected.Faint vital signs.Poison detected.Approaching—small, injured Pokémon.
I whipped around just as a tiny wobbling figure stumbled through the bushes.
A leaf-shaped antenna.Soft green skin.A trembling cry.
"Chi… ko…"
I moved instantly, pushing aside the branches.
It was a Chikorita.
Bloodied.
Barely breathing.
And its entire body glowed faintly purple—poison.
My chest tightened.
"Kavya!" I shouted. "Here—quick!"
She ran over.
I scooped the little Chikorita into my arms. Its breathing was weak, shallow, ragged.
"Take it to Imran. Slowpoke should have enough energy for Heal Pulse. Tell him to use it gently, in cycles."
Kavya nodded sharply, eyes wide, and sprinted back toward the group.
I didn't waste a second.
I ran into the direction Chikorita had come from.
Behind me:
• Ritu rushed after me, drone already activated
• Four Pichu scrambled forward, sparks in panic. This was the same zone that they had the fight before.
• My Rhyhorn leader stomped along despite injuries
• Pidgeotto swooped down, scanning the treeline
• Mankey, Growlithe, Aron, and the others followed
Only Tangela stayed behind at camp—by my choice.
Whatever hurt Chikorita…Whatever left it in this condition…Was close.
And I intended to find it.
My footsteps pounded the earth as Field Scan flared again—
hostile signature detected.
Poison-type confirmed.
Distance: 190 meters.
I pushed forward.
Field Scan flared violently in my mind.
Hostile identified: ARBOK.Distance: 100 meters.Status: enraged. Bloodlust active.
My steps quickened.
The air reeked of bitter poison. Leaves wilted. The soil was stained purple.
Then we saw it—
Dozens of Pokémon lying collapsed on the ground.
Oddish. Bellsprout. A few Hoppip. Even a Sandshrew.
At least twenty-five of them.
All poisoned.
All unmoving.
Ritu gasped. "What happened here…?"
I dropped beside the nearest Pokémon—a Bellsprout—and forced an Antidote Berry into its mouth.
Its breathing eased.
But the berries in my bag were too few. Nowhere near enough for all of them.
Before panic could spread, something caught my eye—
A plump pink figure waddling between fainted Pokémon, hands glowing green.
Moving from one Pokémon to another, healing each with soft light. Working desperately. Alone.
"I'll help later," I muttered. "The source is still here."
And the source was close.
I rushed ahead.
My team followed behind—Ritu with the drone, Pichu at her heels, Rhyhorns stomping despite injuries, Mankey swinging through roots, Pidgeotto gliding overhead.
The clearing opened—
And the battle hit us like a shockwave.
A Rapidash, flames blazing bright blue from intensity, charged a massive purple serpent.
Opposite it—
An Arbok, three times the size of normal. Scales dark violet. Hood expanded fully.
Eyes blood red.
Its hiss vibrated through the trees.
Behind Rapidash, another Rapidash lay unconscious, leaning against a tree. A tiny Ponyta pushed its muzzle against the fainted parent, whining in terror.
My Field Scan flashed:
Rapidash – Level 45Arbok – Level 53 (Enraged)
A poison apex predator at full fury.
Stat difference alone made the outcome obvious.
But that Rapidash was still fighting.
Bite marks covered its body.
Poison dripped from its flank.
I clenched my teeth.
"We're helping."
Rhyhorn felt my intent instantly.
Even injured, he roared and charged.
"Go!"
Rhyhorn slammed into Arbok's coils—barely budging it.
Pidgeotto shot from above, Aerial Ace slicing across Arbok's hood.
Mankey leaped forward with a Karate Chop.
Rapidash seized the opening and blasted a Flamethrower point blank.
For a second, it looked like we were turning the tide—
But Arbok didn't weaken.
It became more enraged.
Its eyes flared crimson.
The air temperature dropped.
"Back—!"
Too late.
Arbok whipped its tail—
IRON TAIL.
Mankey was the first to take the hit. Launched across the clearing like a ragdoll.
"Mankey!"
Then the tail crashed into Rhyhorn, knocking him straight into Ritu's Rhyhorn charging behind him. Both skidded across the dirt.
The Pichu trembled.
Fear. Shock. Panic.
Arbok raised its tail again—
This time striking Pidgeotto out of the air. She barely twisted aside but the steel-coated tail clipped her wing.
She crashed to the ground.
And the tail didn't stop there.
CRACK!
The drone shattered into pieces.
Livestream—offline.
Ritu gasped.
Arbok lunged at Rapidash, fangs glowing black—
CRUNCH.
Rapidash screamed, collapsing.
The Ponyta cried out.
I ran to Mankey and Pidgeotto first—checking breath, pupils—
"They're alive… come on, get up… please…"
Field Scan pinged again—
Warning
I spun.
Arbok was already mid-strike. Fangs wide. Aimed straight at my chest.
"PIIII—CHU!!!"
All four Pichu unleashed a combined Discharge, raw lightning blasting into Arbok's scales.
The serpent jerked—paralyzed for a fraction of a second—
But kept coming.
Too close.
Too fast.
I dove sideways.
Pain seared across my arm as Arbok's fangs scraped me during the pass.
Blood.
Warm.
Dripping.
Mankey, Pidgeotto stirred.
Mankey forced his body upright despite shaking.
Pidgeotto fluttered one wing, pushing herself up painfully.
Arbok hissed, turning to strike again—
And then—
White light exploded behind me.
I twisted.
All the Pichu .
And all of them were evolving.
Their tiny bodies shook—not in fear, but in raw overflowing electricity. Their eyes glowed bright yellow, cheeks sparking out of control.
They weren't scared anymore.
They were angry.
And evolving.
Electricity surged so violently that the grass around them crackled and bent. Their small forms stretched, brightened—
White light swallowed them—
Arbok was already mid-pounce.
Too close.
Pidgeotto burst upward from the ground, eyes sharp with desperation—
Her body surrounded by a blazing blue aura.
A move she'd never learned before.
She dived.
A comet of blue fire and steel feathers—
BRAVE BIRD.
But even that wasn't enough.
Not alone.
Arbok was still inches from reaching me—
Until—
"PIKA—!!"
Four Pikachu stood where Pichu once were.
And together—
They roared:
"PIKAAAAAAAAA—!!!!"
DISCHARGE.
Lightning obliterated the clearing, slamming into Arbok.
The serpent froze mid-air, paralyzed instantaneously—
And Pidgeotto's Brave Bird struck its skull like a meteor.
BOOOOOOM!
Arbok smashed into the ground, unconscious.
Silence.
Smoke rose from the crater.
Then—
I finally breathed. falling to my knees evergreen power running nonstop to heal my bleeding arm and poison.
My vision blurred.
Evergreen energy poured out of me uncontrollably, trying to seal the wound on my arm.Blood stopped flowing, poison faded—but the exhaustion hit like a truck.
My legs shook.
I sank to my knees.
"Just… a few seconds… let me breathe…"
But before I could even steady myself—
THUD.
The ground shook.
Once.
Twice.
Then steadily—
THUM… THUM… THUM…
Heavy.
Rhythmic.
Impossible to mistake.
I whipped my head toward the source.
A shadow emerged from the thick brush.
Huge.
Broad.
Covered in vines and leaves that rustled with authority.
A giant flower sat upon its back, glowing faintly with energy.
A Venusaur stepped into the clearing.
Height: easily 2.2 meters.Bulk: like a living fortress.Presence: suffocating.
My heart plummeted.
This wasn't just any Venusaur.
This was a Overlord.
The apex guardian of the entire eastern territory.
I swallowed hard.
My Pokémon were all injured.
Rhyhorn unconscious.
Mankey barely standing.
Pidgeotto broken and bleeding.
I had no strength.
No options.
Venusaur's gaze swept across the battlefield.
Its eyes locked onto me first.
Cold. Measuring.
My breath stopped.
My fingers twitched toward my Pokéball, even though I knew it was pointless.
"Easy," I whispered to no one in particular. "Easy…"
Venusaur turned away without a sound.
And walked straight toward the unconscious Arbok.
It stood over the massive serpent.
Lifted one heavy, root-covered foot—
CRACK.
Arbok's skull caved instantly.
The body twitched once.
Stopped moving.
Dead.
A chill colder than any Ice Beam ran down my spine.
I had fought battles today.I had seen Pokémon hurt.I had seen desperation.
But this?
This was nature.
Raw.
Unforgiving.
Unfiltered by human morality.
Arbok had violated Venusaur's territory.Poisoned dozens of peaceful Pokémon.Hurt Chikorita children.Attacked the guardian Rapidash herd.
So the ruler delivered a single, merciless sentence.
The clearing felt deathly silent.
Venusaur slowly turned again.
Its eyes slid back to me.
I felt my pulse spike.My mouth dried.I braced for the worst.
But instead—
It stopped beside Pidgeotto.
My heart jumped into my throat.
"NO—!" I shouted instinctively, trying to push myself up.
My vision spun.My knees buckled.
I collapsed back to the ground.
But Venusaur didn't strike the injured bird.
Instead—
Its legs glowed.
Not with menace.
But with green light.
Soft.
Warm.
Alive.
Grass spread outward from Venusaur's feet, rippling across the ground like a living carpet.Everywhere it touched, plants straightened. Poison wilted. Air brightened.
It reached Pidgeotto.
Her breathing steadied immediately.
The pain on her face eased.
Then the wave reached me.
My entire body relaxed at once, like sinking into warm water.
Evergreen Power—Normally a steady trickle—Suddenly roared like a flood inside me.
Like Venusaur had unlocked a hidden valve.
My chest glowed faintly.
Wounds closed faster.Poison evaporated.Fatigue drained away like water slipping from cupped hands.
I barely had time to realize what was happening—
Before my consciousness cracked.
The last things I saw, blurred through half-lidded eyes:
• Dozens of Bulbasaur and Ivysaur emerging from the trees
• Vines lifting injured Oddish, Bellsprout, Sandshrew, and Rapidash onto soft leaf-stretchers
• A few human silhouettes walking behind the Bulbasaur—helping, tending, guiding
• Venusaur's flower glowing like a beacon over the entire clearing
My mind drifted away as the glowing grass washed over me.
And then—
Everything faded.
Darkness.
Silence.
Warmth.
I fell unconscious.