Chapter 4: Pidgeotto's Grand Assault
"Awooo, awooo, awooo..."
A series of miserable cries shattered the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere of Newmoon Forest.
Along a tree-lined path covered in fallen leaves, a small, blue-and-black dog-like Pokémon was seen running desperately with its head down. It held an Oddish, a black-blue spherical creature with grass growing on its head, in each of its left and right paws. Another Oddish was also on its head, using its own leaves to cling to Riolu's head, trying not to be thrown off during Riolu's rapid sprint.
"Awooo, what did you guys do to make this flock of birds so angry!"
Rio complained to the Oddish around him while sprinting madly.
"Nothing, we were just sunbathing, and they came up and tried to drive us away!" the Oddish exclaimed, denying it was their fault.
Zooming out a little, a flock of Pidgey, bird-like Pokémon covered in brownish-yellow feathers, and a slightly larger Pidgeotto could be seen frantically flapping their wings in hot pursuit.
This is how it all started:
Rio followed his chosen direction, continuously exploring the forest. During this time, when he was thirsty, he would find a stream to drink his fill, and when hungry, he would search for fruit trees to pick fruit and satisfy his hunger, thoroughly experiencing life in the wild for a period.
One day, as he was admiring the natural scenery of the forest, he suddenly heard a commotion nearby.
"Oh, oh, it sounds lively."
Rio excitedly ran forward, hid behind a tree, and peeked out.
Ahead, a large flock of Pidgey was flying in mid-air, chirping at several Oddish huddled together and trembling in the dense grass.
A Pidgeotto, flying at the very front of the Pidgey flock, twitched the three pink feathers on its head and emitted an even sharper cry.
"You all, leave this place immediately!"
Along the way in the forest, Rio had only encountered Pokémon like Caterpie and Metapod. Apart from the initial novelty, he had long since grown tired of seeing them. Now, seeing several different kinds of Pokémon appear realistically before his eyes, it once again deeply impressed upon Rio the fact that he had transmigrated into this Pokémon world.
However, Rio felt that something was slightly off.
The Pidgey and Pidgeotto flying in the air trembled from time to time, and Pidgeotto's cries gradually revealed a trace of crazed agitation.
"Chirp, you... we... damn it!"
"Chirp!" "Chirp!" "Chirp!"
Pidgeotto's cries were like a broken machine, stuttering and halting. Suddenly, its dark eyes seemed to be stained with crimson blood, and a layer of bright, blood-like deep red light emerged from its originally brown body. Its imposing face revealed a ferocious and crazed expression.
It wasn't just Pidgeotto; this crazed aura seemed contagious. The Pidgey flying behind Pidgeotto also fell into this intimidatingly frenzied state.
Seeing the drastically changed bird Pokémon before them, the few Oddish hiding in the grass let out terrified screams, quickly pulled themselves out of the soil, and started to flee on their short little legs, the tufts of grass on their heads trembling nervously.
As if disturbed by the screams, Pidgeotto's fierce gaze locked onto the Oddish, and it dived towards them with its talons outstretched.
How could the speed of the Oddish, with only two short legs, compare to the Pidgeotto and Pidgey, which excelled at flying? Just as the Oddish were about to perish under Pidgeotto's talons, a rock the size of a washbasin was thrown from the side, knocking the rapidly advancing Pidgeotto off course.
Perhaps feeling that the Pidgeottos' change was too bizarre, and unable to bear seeing the Oddish meet a tragic end, Rio had picked up a large rock and thrown it at the Pidgeotto.
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. The Pidgeotto, in its frenzied state, was painfully struck by the rock, and its blood-red eyes instantly noticed Rio hiding nearby.
"Chaa-chaa-chaa—"
Pidgeotto quickly changed direction and charged fiercely at Rio. The other Pidgey simultaneously swooped aggressively towards the Oddish.
Seeing things were bad, Rio turned and fled without hesitation. As he ran past the struggling Oddish, he saw them running with difficulty, so he scooped them up and fled together. The Oddish were small, each weighing only a few kilograms, and as a Fighting-type Pokémon, Riolu's strength was naturally considerable. Even carrying two or three Oddish, he could still maintain a very high speed.
And so, the earlier scene of you chase, I flee, came to be.
"Huff, huff, huff!"
Even though Rio ran desperately, the forest floor was not always flat. Various thorny branches and sharp, broken stones were scattered on the forest ground, causing great difficulty for their escape.
The Pidgeotto flock was getting closer and closer.
"This can't go on."
Hearing the sound of flapping wings behind him grow louder, Rio steeled himself, stopped, and forcefully threw off the Oddish clinging to him, leaving only himself to turn and face the diving Pidgeotto flock.
"Calm down, let's check their stats first."
The light screen before his eyes promptly displayed the data of the attacking bird Pokémon:
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[Pokédex]
Encounter Progress: 5/10
Battle Progress: 0/10
[Real-time Analysis]
Pokémon: Normal - Pidgey (Berserk) x9
Level: lv10
Type: Normal + Flying
Ability: Keen Eye (Accuracy will not be changed by any stat modifications during battle)
Moves: Tackle (lv1), Sand Attack (lv0)
Pokémon: Elite - Pidgeotto (Berserk) (Male)
Level: lv18
Type: Normal + Flying
Ability: Keen Eye (Accuracy will not be changed by any stat modifications during battle)
Special: Swift Flight (Well-honed flying skills allow it to fly faster)
Moves: Gust (lv2), Tackle (lv1), Sand Attack (lv1), Quick Attack (lv0)
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"Damn it! How am I, a lv5, supposed to fight lv10s, and there's even a lv18 one!"
Rio mentally cursed his terrible luck with a barrage of expletives.
"And this Pidgeotto even has an Elite prefix. Following that logic, doesn't that make it a mini-boss..."
Rio quickly glanced at his own skills: [Quick Attack] and [Detect].
[Quick Attack]: Pounce on the opponent with lightning speed.
[Detect]: Completely evade the opponent's move by observing their actions.
"When I played games before, both these skills were priority moves. I wonder if they'll have priority in this real world. If I use Detect to dodge the first wave of damage in the upcoming attack, and then quickly use Quick Attack to break their formation, I should have a chance to find an opportunity to escape smoothly in the chaos."
Although he didn't know how to use moves, things like moves should work if you just shout them out with enough spirit... probably?
There was no time to think too much. Rio regulated his breathing, concentrated his mind, and at the same time, spread his legs slightly, clenched his claws into fists in front of his chest, adopting a fighting stance he was very familiar with. His eyes, like those behind a black mask, stared intently at the ferocious assault of the bird flock.
"Whoosh—"
The flapping wings of the Pidgeotto and Pidgey even stirred up a strong gust of wind as they flew, their beaks, glinting with a cold light, charged forward unstoppably.
Just as the two sides were about to collide.
"Good chance, now's the time! Use [Detect] to dodge, then [Quick Attack]!"
Rio's eyes glinted sharply as he shouted the names of the moves with great vigor.
The flock of birds was startled by this sudden shout, swerving past Rio, their frenzied faces looking at the posing Riolu with bewildered uncertainty.
The scene instantly fell into an awkward silence.
Nothing happened.
A non-existent bead of cold sweat trickled down Rio's head.
"It's over, the move won't activate... How is this different from the games and anime? Can't you just use moves by shouting them? When Ash commands Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, he just shouts at the top of his lungs."
"Could it be that I shouted too loudly?"
While the Pidgey hadn't reacted, Rio quickly whispered.
"[Detect]!"
"[Quick Attack]!"
At the same time, he desperately struck various poses, hoping for a miracle.
However, still, nothing happened.
As if seeing through the Riolu's bluff, the leading Elite Pidgeotto's eyes grew fierce. "Chaa-chaa," it called to its companions behind it, launching another dive attack.
"It's over! They're so close, I can't even dodge. Don't tell me I'm going to be tragically taken out right after being born in this new world!"
Rio wailed internally. Facing the sharp beaks so close, he could only cover his head with his hands and squat on the ground in a defensive posture, hoping to minimize the area that could be attacked.
Just as Rio gritted his teeth, preparing to endure this wave of impact, a turning point occurred.
"Squirtle, [Water Gun]!"