Chapter 136: Swablu and Altaria
Ryan and the others followed Kelly to a wooden cabin. The grassy area in front of the house was lined with fencing, and within it lay many injured Pokémon.
Kelly led Ryan and the others to a patch of grass. Not far away, a large pile of white cotton-like creatures stood out. Kelly said, "We're here! These Pokémon seem to have food poisoning. I'm out of Antidotes, and going to town to buy them would take too long."
"They're Swablu, that's manageable," Ryan said.
He then pulled a large supply of Antidotes from his backpack and distributed them to everyone. Antidotes can cure poisoned Pokémon, and while using them for food poisoning might be overkill, Ryan had plenty to spare. The best thing would be to quickly restore the Swablu to health.
Everyone split up. Ryan picked up a Swablu and fed it the Antidote. After drinking the potion, the Swablu quickly regained its vitality. Ryan put it down and moved on to another.
With the help of the Antidotes, the flock of over fifty Swablu was relatively safe.
From the Swablu's chirping, Ryan gathered a general understanding. It seemed their original nest had been occupied by a flock of Murkrow, forcing them to flee. The two groups had previously lived in peace, but a Murkrow had somehow found a Dusk Stone and successfully evolved into Honchkrow.
This upset the balance of power between the two groups, and under Honchkrow's leadership, the Swablu were driven out. The Swablu, left without a home, were forced to seek new shelter and, after accidentally ingesting poisonous berries, ended up in this situation.
Ryan shared his findings with Kelly, who was deeply troubled. Although she was a ranger at the sanctuary, she had no authority to intervene in inter-species conflicts.
"It's actually quite simple," Lillie said. "The first option is for someone to catch Honchkrow, but this is a protected area, so that's probably not feasible. The second option is for one of the Swablu to evolve. If the Swablu had an Altaria leading them, they could easily reclaim their home."
Ryan and Ruby nodded in agreement. This seemed to be the most effective solution. Even if Ryan and his team helped the Swablu reclaim their home, they weren't strong enough to defend it on their own.
Kelly thought for a moment and said, "The second option is more reliable, but how do we level up the Swablu and evolve them?"
"That's easy, leave it to me," Ryan said. "But I need to catch a Swablu first. Is that okay, Kelly?"
Kelly was troubled. Did she still have to sacrifice a Swablu?
Ryan saw Kelly's hesitation and understood her concerns. He said, "Don't worry. I'll release the Swablu once this is over. Is that acceptable?"
Kelly thought for a moment and agreed. Ryan approached the flock of Swablu and said, "I can help you reclaim your home. But I need to train you to evolve into Altaria. Those with determination, step forward."
The Swablu chirped, discussing something among themselves. Then, six Swablu stepped forward. Ryan smiled and captured one of the high-potential Swablu with a Poké Ball. Then, he said to the other five, "Come with me. I'll train you and help you evolve within a day."
With that, he led the six Swablu into the forest, ready to battle wild Pokémon and help them level up. When it came to power-leveling, Ryan was arguably the most qualified person to do it.
Activating his long-unused eight-times experience multiplier cheat, Ryan led the Swablu to find some Pidgeotto and Golbat. After all, they were going to battle Honchkrow, which would undoubtedly involve aerial combat, so he decided to let them experience aerial battle tactics beforehand!
Watching Ryan lead six Swablu into the forest, Kelly asked with some concern, "Will everything be alright?"
"Don't worry," Ruby said. "He's a Reserve Elite Four member, after all. He won't covet a few Swablu from your sanctuary. Besides, he runs a Pokémon ranch too, so the Pokémon there are no less numerous than those in your sanctuary."
Kelly felt reassured upon hearing Ruby's words.
The scene shifted to Ryan. He watched the attacking Pidgeotto and Golbat, connecting with the Swablu through his bond power. The Swablu immediately chirped, unleashing Sing. The song made Pidgeotto and Golbat drowsy. The Swablu's expression grew focused, and it soared high into the sky, slamming into Pidgeotto and Golbat with Dragon Rush.
After sending the two flying, the Swablu opened its beak and let out a loud screech, simultaneously unleashing Disarming Voice with pink, heart-shaped rays of light.
The Disarming Voice struck its opponents, knocking Pidgeotto out of the battle. Golbat was also defeated by the subsequent barrage of attacks.
Ryan walked over and fed the two Pokémon Full Restores. He watched them fly away and said, "Keep going. I'll help you all evolve today."
After an afternoon of intensive training, and with an eight-times experience boost, the six Swablu successfully evolved into Altaria.
Upon returning, Kelly couldn't believe her eyes: all six Swablu had evolved into Altaria!
"Next, let's deal with that Honchkrow," Ryan said. "Let's finish this quickly so we can have dinner soon."
"Please hurry, I'm starving!" Sapphire said weakly, slumped over the table.
Ruby and Lillie also slumped over the table. It was already past six, almost seven in the evening, and no one had eaten yet. Ryan had no choice but to have the six Altaria lead everyone and the remaining Swablu back to their original home.
The Swablu's home was in a lush area with fruit trees, so it was no wonder the Murkrow wanted to take it over. It was already dark, and flocks of Murkrow perched among the trees, gathering fruit to fill their bellies.
The Altaria set everyone down, then let out a loud cry, declaring war on the Murkrow.
Suddenly, a swarm of Murkrow took flight from the trees, a black mass covering the sky. In the center of the Murkrow, Honchkrow commanded a large number of them, and they began to attack the Altaria and Swablu.
"Huh? Is that Honchkrow just directing its underlings to attack?" Ruby asked, puzzled. "It's much stronger, so shouldn't it be at the forefront?"
"Honchkrow are said to be cold and ruthless, never forgiving the failure of their Murkrow," Lillie explained. "When fighting enemies, they basically just use followers. They only strike personally to deliver the final, fatal blow."
Lillie's description was accurate. Whenever a Murkrow lost its strength, Honchkrow would rush in to finish it off with a decisive strike.
But it underestimated the Altaria. Six Altaria surrounded Honchkrow, defeating the Murkrow around it until they were able to corner it. With Honchkrow incapacitated, the Murkrow panicked and were completely routed by the Altaria, completely driving the Murkrow from their homeland.
"We're done, let's get some food!" Ryan said, watching the Murkrow retreat.
"Agreed!" everyone shouted in unison.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01