The first wave of challengers arrived very quickly.
It was a flock of Spearow and Fearow.
They were numerous, their shrill cries filled with hostility and provocation. They had long been used to soaring freely through this sky, and naturally viewed any intruders as enemies.
"It's a flock of Spearow!" Minato shouted, crouching low against the rushing wind. "Watch out for their encirclement and Quick Attack!"
Pidgeot let out a disdainful cry.
Facing the Spearow flock that shot toward it like a rain of arrows, it didn't even bother using a move. It simply made a sharp sideways turn, its enormous wings spreading like two massive shields—yet shields that also carried overwhelming force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several Spearow at the front couldn't stop in time and slammed directly into Pidgeot's iron-tough wings, as if crashing into a bronze wall. Dizzy and disoriented, they spiraled downward.
The remaining Spearow were stunned by this crude yet overwhelming display of power. Their formation immediately fell into disarray.
Pidgeot seized the opportunity.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot upward, instantly breaking free from the Spearow's attempted encirclement. From above, it looked down at the chaotic flock scrambling about like headless flies, a cold glint flashing in its eyes.
Then it moved.
No Hurricane.
No Sand Attack.
It simply accelerated.
Its body became a brown-and-white blur, weaving and darting through the flock of Spearow!
Its speed was overwhelming.
Its strength was terrifying.
Every pass was like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep. Spearow were either knocked aside by the violent wind from its wings or struck by its sharp beak, crying out as they plummeted from the sky.
It was like a raging Silver Wind, and wherever it swept through, red feathers scattered as wings were shattered.
In less than a minute, the once aggressive flock of Spearow was completely routed.
The few remaining survivors let out terrified cries and fled without looking back.
Pidgeot hovered in midair, calmly preening its slightly ruffled feathers before letting out a clear cry of victory.
But this was only the beginning.
---
Over the following days, aerial challengers arrived one after another.
The cunning Murkrow flocks avoided head-on battles. Instead, they relied on their numbers to launch sneak attacks from multiple directions.
They attempted to use Night Shade to block Pidgeot's vision while employing Thief to harass Minato riding on its back.
But after evolving, Pidgeot's perception had reached an entirely new level.
Its sharp eyes could detect the slightest movement from extreme distances and even track subtle energy fluctuations.
The Murkrow believed their stealth attacks were perfectly hidden—but to Pidgeot, they were as obvious as fireflies glowing in the dark.
Often, it didn't even need Minato's commands.
Just before the Murkrow attacked, Pidgeot would already predict their direction, rolling lightly through the air or accelerating briefly to evade them with ease.
Occasionally, it even deliberately pretended to show weakness.
When the Murkrow thought they had succeeded and swarmed in—
Pidgeot suddenly unleashed Feather Dance.
Countless soft feathers shot outward like razor-sharp blades, instantly clearing a wide area of the sky.
The surviving Murkrow panicked at the terrifying counterattack and fled in disorganized terror.
---
There were also those who ruled their own territories in the sky.
One such challenger was an extremely fierce Fearow.
Its body was massive, its long spear-like beak no less imposing than Pidgeot's, and it had long been the undisputed ruler of this region's airspace.
When it saw Pidgeot carrying Minato intruding into its territory, it immediately shrieked in fury.
With a violent flap of its wings, it stirred up a gale and charged straight toward them.
This was a true battle for dominance of the skies.
Fearow attacked first.
Relying on brute force, it launched a ferocious Drill Peck, its long beak spinning like a drill as it lunged forward.
Pidgeot did not retreat.
Its body flashed white as it met the attack head-on with Quick Attack.
Boom!
The two giant birds collided violently in midair.
The shockwave from their clash spread outward, even dispersing the low-lying clouds.
Neither side gained the upper hand.
Fearow immediately changed tactics.
Drawing on its extensive battle experience, it unleashed Fury Attack, stabbing forward with its beak in a relentless storm of strikes.
Pidgeot responded with unmatched agility, performing incredible aerial maneuvers while countering with repeated Wing Attack strikes.
Each clash produced sharp metallic sounds as beak met wing.
The battle grew increasingly intense.
Frustrated by its inability to land a decisive blow, Fearow suddenly opened its beak and began gathering energy.
It was preparing Hyper Beam.
The energy gathered rapidly—
"Now!" Minato shouted.
"Brave Bird!"
Pidgeot's eyes blazed.
It released a cry that shook the heavens as dazzling blue-white energy engulfed its body.
The light condensed into the phantom form of a divine bird, radiating an unstoppable, sacred power.
Pidgeot became a blazing blue-white comet streaking across the sky.
With terrifying speed and overwhelming force, it slammed directly into Fearow, which was locked in the middle of charging its attack.
Fearow's eyes widened in terror.
It tried to cancel the attack.
Tried to dodge.
But it was too late.
"Caw—!"
With a tragic cry, the blazing comet struck Fearow squarely in the chest.
The Fearow was blasted away like a kite with a broken string, flying through the sky in a long arc before crashing deep into the distant mountain forest.
It never rose again.
---
Pidgeot hovered silently in the sky that Fearow had once ruled.
The light around its body slowly faded.
It panted slightly. Continuous battles and the use of new power had taken their toll.
But its eyes had grown even sharper.
Even more confident.
It scanned the surrounding sky.
In the distance, other flying Pokémon—Hoothoot, Pidgey, scattered Spearow—had been watching the battle.
The moment Pidgeot's gaze passed over them, they immediately lowered their heads, cried submissively, and quickly fled the airspace.
From that moment onward—
The sky above the forest outskirts had a new ruler.
Whether it was the lightning-fast Spearow flocks, the cunning Murkrow, or the former overlord Fearow that once dominated the heavens—
All of them had fallen beneath the stormlike wings and sacred charge of Pidgeot.
The sky had completely submitted to its ever-growing power.
---
Minato clutched tightly onto Pidgeot's feathers, feeling the freezing high-altitude winds whipping past him.
Looking down at the forest and sky below that now bowed in submission, pride swelled in his chest.
He knew their training on the forest outskirts was finally complete.
Pidgeot had grown into a true king of the skies.
His gaze drifted once more toward the very center of the forest.
That region was still shrouded in deeper mist and denser trees, radiating an eerie silence and mystery.
What kind of skies existed there?
Beneath him, Pidgeot's sharp, arrow-like gaze was also directed toward that same place.
But Minato gently patted Pidgeot.
"We've been here for two years, Pidgeot," he said.
"Get ready."
"A new adventure is about to begin."