A month passed quietly within the embrace of the forest.
Minato and Pidgey—no, it would soon be Pidgeotto—spent countless days and nights training in this vast natural arena. The morning dew witnessed their efforts, and the stars at night silently watched their relentless growth.
The forest at dawn was still wrapped in mist.
Minato took out the weighted training equipment rewarded by the system and carefully fastened it to Pidgey's wings and ankles. At first, the extra weight made even normal flight difficult.
"I know this is tough," Minato said gently while stroking Pidgey's slightly trembling wings. "But only by training like this will your Extreme Speed truly break past its limits once the weights are removed."
Truthfully, Minato himself was only a beginner.
He had experience playing Pokémon games, but real-world training was completely different. Most of the time, he could only follow the training manual provided by the system.
"Chirp!"
Pidgey chirped firmly, determination shining in its eyes.
Struggling against the added weight, it flapped its wings and forced itself into the air. It followed the route Minato had designed, weaving through berry trees.
The weights made every turn clumsy, and its speed dropped drastically.
By the end of the first day, Pidgey nearly collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to even stand.
Minato gently massaged its wings and applied herbal paste to ease muscle soreness.
"Take it slow," he whispered. "Don't rush."
But Pidgey lightly pecked the weighted device with its beak, clearly signaling that it wanted to continue training.
---
On the third day, while flying through a bell obstacle course, Pidgey collided with a branch due to exhaustion and injured its left wing.
While Minato treated the wound, Pidgey let out a quiet whimper, tears glistening in its eyes.
"Let's rest for a day," Minato suggested softly.
But Pidgey shook its head stubbornly.
The next morning, despite its stiff wings, it returned to the training ground and stood at the starting line again.
---
A week passed.
When Minato finally removed the weighted equipment—
Whoosh!
Pidgey shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
Its speed was so fast that it left behind faint afterimages.
It weaved effortlessly through the berry course, tapping each berry in rapid succession.
The berries fell one after another with crisp sounds, almost like a cheerful melody.
"Amazing!" Minato exclaimed, catching the returning Pidgey in a hug. "Your speed has almost doubled!"
---
Meanwhile, training for Air Slash had entered a new phase.
Simply using the move was no longer enough.
Now, Minato demanded extreme precision and control.
He hung leaves of different sizes from branches, asking Pidgey to cut only specific leaf veins.
He placed light feathers from a wild Frillish in the stream, asking Pidgey to move them using air blades without letting them sink.
He even hung berries from extremely thin threads, requiring Pidgey to slice the berry without breaking the thread.
These nearly impossible exercises frustrated Pidgey again and again.
Leaves were shredded countless times.
Feathers sank to the bottom of the stream.
Threads snapped repeatedly.
"Don't get discouraged," Minato always said.
"Precision is harder to master than power—but it's also far more important."
Pidgey continued practicing tirelessly.
Its wings ached constantly, but it never gave up.
Gradually, Minato noticed something.
Pidgey had begun sensing subtle changes in airflow.
It learned to adjust the angle of its wings and control the vibration frequency at the moment it released a move.
After countless attempts, one evening just before sunset—
Pidgey finally accomplished the impossible.
Its Air Slash precisely split a hanging Cheri Berry in half—
While the thin thread holding the berry barely moved.
Minato lifted Pidgey into the air and spun around happily.
"You did it! You actually did it!"
That night, they ate the sliced Cheri Berry together.
It tasted sweeter than ever.
---
Training soon entered the real combat stage.
Minato began bringing Pidgey deeper into the forest to battle suitable wild Pokémon.
Their first strong opponent was a Nidoran♀.
Though small, the Poison Pin Pokémon was extremely agile, and the poison spikes on its back were dangerous.
"Use Extreme Speed to move around it," Minato commanded. "Then look for an opening to use Air Slash."
Even while wearing the weighted equipment, Pidgey managed to dodge Nidoran♀'s charges.
Seizing an opportunity, it released an Air Slash that struck Nidoran♀'s back—carefully avoiding the poison spikes.
"Nido!"
The Nidoran♀ cried out in pain and retaliated with Poison Sting.
Tiny poison needles shot through the air.
"Rapid ascent!"
Pidgey flapped its wings and barely avoided the attack.
At the same time, it released two Air Slash attacks.
The first scattered the remaining poison needles.
The second struck Nidoran♀'s front leg.
After staggering for several steps, the Nidoran♀ collapsed.
Minato treated its injuries afterward.
"Thank you for the great battle," he said gently.
---
Battle after battle followed.
With every victory, Pidgey gained more experience.
Its eyes grew sharper.
Its movements became more precise.
Whether facing Butterfree's Sleep Powder or Oddish's sudden Stun Spore, Pidgey could now dodge them with its refined Extreme Speed and counterattack with precise Air Slash strikes.
After every battle, Minato reviewed the fight with Pidgey, analyzing their mistakes and improvements.
Their teamwork improved day by day.
Sometimes, just a glance between them was enough to understand each other's intentions.
---
However, during the fourth week of training, something changed.
Pidgey became restless.
It often lost focus during training.
Occasionally, its body would glow with a faint evolutionary light—only for it to fade again.
Minato immediately understood.
Evolution was approaching.
He reduced the intensity of training and instead took Pidgey on relaxing walks through the forest.
"Evolution is a natural part of a Pokémon's growth," he said one night while stroking its feathers.
"Don't resist it. But don't rush it either."
"When the time is right, it will happen naturally."
Pidgey leaned against him uneasily.
Its body was already much larger than before.
Its feathers were fuller.
The crest on its head had begun forming—the clear sign of a future Pidgeotto.
That night, Minato barely slept.
He kept watching Pidgey, ready for any sudden evolution.
---
On the final morning of the fourth week, Pidgey was unusually excited.
It woke up early, constantly flapping its wings.
The glow of evolution flickered around its body again and again.
"Looks like today's the day," Minato murmured.
Suddenly—
A powerful cry echoed from deep within the forest.
A large, battle-scarred Fearow appeared in the sky.
This was the local overlord of the area.
Its sharp gaze locked onto Pidgey.
Sensing the imminent evolution of a potential rival, it clearly intended to eliminate the threat before it could grow stronger.
"Pidgey," Minato said seriously.
"This might be our final battle before your evolution."
"Do you want to fight?"
Without hesitation, Pidgey flew forward and challenged the Fearow with a loud cry.
The glow of evolution around its body intensified.
Fearow immediately attacked with Drill Peck, diving toward Pidgey like a spear.
"Dodge with Extreme Speed!"
Pidgey flashed away as a streak of light, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Fearow turned and launched a relentless barrage of pecking attacks.
Air Slash clashed with Drill Peck in midair.
The collision produced a sharp tearing sound.
Pidgey's air blade was shattered.
The difference in power was obvious.
"Don't fight it head-on!" Minato shouted. "Use your agility!"
Pidgey darted through the trees using Extreme Speed, avoiding the fierce attacks.
While maneuvering, it repeatedly fired Air Slash.
Though they didn't cause serious damage, they disrupted Fearow's rhythm.
The battle grew increasingly intense.
The glow of evolution around Pidgey flickered faster and faster.
Under the pressure, its speed surpassed its normal limits.
Finally—
One Air Slash managed to cut Fearow's wing.
Enraged, Fearow flew high into the sky.
Then it dove down at terrifying speed.
Sky Attack.
Minato's heart pounded.
"There's no time to dodge!"
"Pidgey—full power Air Slash!"
Hovering in midair, Pidgey gathered all its strength into its wings.
At that moment, an overwhelming energy surged through its body.
The glow of evolution finally stabilized.
Bright white light completely enveloped it.
Inside the dazzling light—
Its body grew larger.
Its wings expanded.
Its tail feathers became long and elegant.
Three crests formed atop its head.
Evolution.
Pidgeotto.
Just as Fearow closed in—
The newly evolved Pidgeotto let out a powerful cry.
It swung its wings forward.
This was no ordinary Air Slash.
It was a blade empowered by the energy of evolution.
The attack collided with Sky Attack in midair.
A massive shockwave burst outward, bending nearby trees.
When the dust settled—
Pidgeotto remained hovering proudly in the sky.
Its crest swayed in the wind.
Its eyes were sharp and confident.
Meanwhile, Fearow lay defeated on the ground.
After a moment, the Fearow slowly stood up.
It looked at Pidgeotto in silence.
Then it gave a low cry—not of challenge, but of acknowledgment.
Finally, it spread its wings and flew away into the depths of the forest.
---
Pidgeotto descended slowly and landed before Minato.
It was far larger than before.
Stronger.
More majestic.
But its eyes still held the same trust and affection.
Minato gently stroked its neck feathers.
"Welcome back… Pidgeotto."
"Pidgeot!"
Pidgeotto chirped happily and rubbed its head against his palm.
---
Minato opened the system interface to check its status.
Name: Pidgeotto
Aptitude: Blue
Ability: Big Pecks
Level: 20
Moves:
Steel Wing
Hurricane
Affection: 169
Held Items:
Choice Specs
Pidgeotite
Seeing these results made Minato truly happy.
---
Without the weighted equipment, Pidgeotto began testing its new abilities.
Its speed had reached an astonishing level.
When using Extreme Speed, it looked like lightning streaking across the sky.
Its Air Slash had also become far more powerful.
A single flap of its wings could cut thick branches from afar.
Yet its precision remained perfect—it could even peel bark off a tree without damaging the wood beneath.
---
As the sun set, Minato and Pidgeotto sat in the clearing where their training had first begun.
A month ago, there had only been a weak Pidgey and a Trainer with a dream.
Now, there stood a powerful Pidgeotto and a much more experienced Trainer.
"You worked incredibly hard this past month," Minato said softly.
"From weighted training to precision control…"
"From countless battles… to your final evolution."
"None of it was easy."
Pidgeotto cooed softly.
"But you know what?" Minato smiled.
"What makes me most proud isn't that you evolved into Pidgeotto."
"It isn't that you learned powerful moves."
"It's that you never ran away from difficulty."
"You never gave up when things were hard."
"That determination is more valuable than any move."
Night fell.
The sky filled with stars.
Pidgeotto spread its wide wings and soared freely under the moonlight, its silhouette graceful against the starry sky.
Minato knew this was only the beginning of their journey.
There were still many roads ahead.
Many stronger opponents.
Many challenges waiting for them.
But tonight—
He simply wanted to enjoy this hard-earned moment with his partner.