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Li Xiang had no idea what was happening in the avian jungle, but that didn't stop him from venting to the crow-raising expert to extract more valuable information.
[Big bro, your method didn't work! I got chased out by the Corviknight! Are you sure this is reliable?]
Li Xiang lounged in his office chair, typing furiously.
Crow Expert:Huh???
[How is that possible? I've raised Corviknight for over twenty years! I can tell if they're about to take a dump or just stretch their wings! Tell me exactly what happened today!]
Li Xiang recounted his experience, omitting certain details.
[ get it now. It's not my method—it's the Corviknight leader's problem.]
[Corviknight are highly group-oriented Pokémon. Their behavior changes subtly based on the leader's personality.]
[If the leader is aggressive, the whole flock becomes impulsive. If the leader is docile, they won't attack people randomly.]
[Collecting shiny things is their habit, but if the leader forbids them from taking things from humans, they won't.]
Wait, seriously?
Li Xiang's expression twisted in surprise. [Then, do you know why?]
[How would I know? Corviknight are weird like that. Once they choose a leader, they usually stick with them for thirty or forty years without any infighting. They don't even compete for leadership…]
What kind of nonsense is that? Thirty or forty years?
…Wait, no!
Li Xiang remembered Su Yiliu telling him that the current Corviknight leader had defeated the previous one to claim its position.
[But bro, the leader I met became the new leader by defeating the old one. What's up with that?]
[..Hold on… Damn it, why do you keep running into weird situations? Listen, there's only one explanation for this—that Corviknight is an outsider!]
[And not just any outsider. Eighty or ninety percent chance it used to live with humans, maybe even a trainer!]
Pokémon raised by humans had vastly different temperaments and habits compared to their wild counterparts.
Like the difference between a wolf and a domesticated dog.
[Don't mess with me, bro…]
[What do I gain from lying to you? My bad for not realizing your situation was so complicated. But this time, I'm dead serious!]
After chatting with the crow expert for a while, Li Xiang called Su Yiliu to confirm the details.
Technically, Su Yiliu wasn't supposed to disclose information about the Pokémon in the sanctuary to potential adopters—only after someone confirmed they wanted to adopt a specific Pokémon could she share details.
But, Li Xiang wasn't just an adopter now—he was also a volunteer!
Sure, he wasn't getting paid, but he was still an official employee of the sanctuary.
Even temp workers counted.
Plus, the situation today was genuinely complicated.
"Yes, I was the one who brought it in. It was still a Corvisquire back then. It never explained why it was wandering the city, but it was probably a trainer's Pokémon."
Su Yiliu spoke slowly. Corviknight were originally native to Western Europe. Even though they'd been introduced to Zhu Xia in recent years, they were mostly kept in breeding centers.
Every Corviknight in the wild was either an escapee or a released Pokémon.
A classic case of invasive species.
In that case…
Its extreme reaction made sense.
Once bitten, twice shy. The Corviknight might still trust humans, but it had chosen to keep its distance from trainers.
"This is troublesome…"
Li Xiang put down his phone, rubbing his temples with a headache.
Should he just give up and buy one from a breeder?
…No.
He had to keep trying.
Knowing when to quit was sometimes a good habit, but other times, it just killed motivation.
Li Xiang wasn't out of options—he just wasn't the type to back down until he hit a wall.
....
The next day.
Li Xiang continued his volunteer work, but Su Yiliu wasn't around this time. Instead, one of her female caretakers accompanied him.
As the director, Su Yiliu could slack off occasionally and joke around with him, but she couldn't make a habit of it.
Li Xiang wasn't a baby who couldn't function without a familiar face, either. Assigned to the avian jungle again, he gradually got used to cleaning nests for a bunch of extremely feather-shedding creatures.
This also proved one thing: Ho-Oh wasn't the only Pokémon that shed feathers all day.
It was a family trait.
Noon.
Corviknight territory time.
The unwelcome Li Xiang stood outside their domain, eating lunch while observing the scene inside.
He needed to make himself familiar to these birds in a short time. Dislike and exclusion could sometimes transform rapidly under the right circumstances.
But if they didn't even remember him, all his efforts would be wasted.
Leader! That human kid is back!
A companion reported to the Corviknight leader.
Again?
The Corviknight leader's face twisted in annoyance. It opened its eyes and looked up, only to see Li Xiang standing far away—in the Hawlucha's territory—wearing a weird cloak and dancing.
With three Hawlucha.
It looked ridiculous, and successfully caught the attention of many Corviknight.
This guy…
'...Tch. Keep an eye on the Corvisquire! Don't let it slip out!' the Corviknight leader barked toward the nest.
From the nest came a series of odd cooing sounds.
Father! Don't force me! You can't trap a Corvisquire that yearns for freedom!
Corvisquire's voice was piercing, but it was quickly drowned out by more cooing.
Go ahead, attack your little sisters if you dare! But remember—they can't take your hits!
The Corviknight leader sneered.
Despicable!
Corvisquire's voice was full of shame and anger.
Unsurprisingly, the ones "suppressing" it were a bunch of tiny Rookidee, no bigger than fists, clinging to its feathers to keep it from flying.
Little sister, just let me go. My only wish in life is to go out and explore.
Corvisquire pleaded softly with the tiny Rookidee gripping its head feathers.
Never! I won't let you go!
The Rookidee stared into Corvisquire's beady eyes. Father said your ideas are wrong! Pointless! I think he's right!
~ Yeah! The leader is right!
~ No fighting! No fighting!
~ Violence is for the ignorant!
Seven or eight Rookidee clung to Corvisquire's body, chirping incessantly.
Corvisquire sighed, wanting to use a move but afraid of hurting them. It wasn't ruthless enough to do anything for victory.
Looks like… It would have to wait for another chance.
I won't give up! Father! You can't trap me forever!
Corvisquire didn't forget to throw out a threat—since that was all it could do right now.
The Corviknight leader didn't respond. It didn't want to.
Outside.
Corvisquire's mother glanced worriedly at the nest. Is it really okay to keep it locked up like this?
'Better to trap it now than let it fight for some trainer, only to be tossed aside after a few battles!' The Corviknight leader snorted. It would never forget that day.
In the rain, exhausted from battle, it had lost a match and been heartlessly abandoned. Terrified by the bustling city, it had no home—just a hollow tree to shiver in.
And after five days of starvation, it had tried to steal fruit from someone's garden, only to be attacked by the guarding Houndour. Too weak to fight back, it had been bitten half to death.
If Su Yiliu and the others hadn't arrived in time, it might have died there, never getting up again!
Trainers and Pokémon? Partners? Family?
What a joke!
It was just master and slave!
Life and death decided by another, trapped in a PokéBall all day, only let out to train or fight—always until exhaustion.
Win, and maybe you got a reward. Lose?
Nothing but cold indifference!
Sometimes not even food!
Did they have a choice? Was that how you treated family or partners?
The Corviknight leader had fallen into the fire once. It refused to let its son step into the same flames.
Maybe there were good trainers out there, but the Corviknight leader wouldn't gamble on it. Why should it? What reason did it have?
Unless it died, it would never hand Corvisquire over to a trainer!
Hahaha, you guys dance so well.
Li Xiang, draped in a cloak, stood with a few Hawlucha—bird Pokémon that looked like luchadores, with cape-like wings, mask-like faces, and white fur covering their chests and legs like boots.
"Lucha!"
The Hawlucha laughed, flexing their muscles like bodybuilders.
As Fighting-type Pokémon, their bodies were incredibly tough, almost like marble to the touch. Their diet was also heavily geared toward muscle growth.
—By their own request.
Rumor had it the sanctuary held an annual fitness competition, where they and Machoke battled for first place.
Too bad Li Xiang wasn't particularly fond of Fighting-types. Otherwise, convincing a Hawlucha to join him wouldn't be a bad idea.
These guys knew a ton of moves.
"Day two. Looks like I've left an impression."
Li Xiang glanced sideways at the Corviknight territory, pleased with his success in grabbing their attention.
Soon enough, he could move on to the next phase of his plan.
Convincing the Corviknight leader was crucial, but first, he had to make sure they remembered him.
Confident, Li Xiang continued his laborious routine.
But, what he never expected was that, on the third day of his volunteer work, humming as he went about his duties— Fate took a sharp turn.
Su Yiliu called him to her office.
Her office?
Li Xiang wasn't sure what she wanted but went anyway.
However, he saw a crowd of Corviknight, Corvisquire, and Rookidee blocking Su Yiliu's office door.
Inside, the Corviknight leader and its eldest Corvisquire were yelling at each other.
"Uh… what's going on?"
Li Xiang was so shocked he stumbled over his words.
The moment he spoke, all eyes—human and Pokémon—turned to him.
Some curious, some furious, some delighted, some weirded out.
The arguing Corvisquire spotted him and brightened, flapping its wings to push past the Corviknight blocking the door and landing on his shoulder.
Damn, this thing weighed forty pounds—it nearly crushed Li Xiang into the ground.
Luckily, he caught himself against the wall, legs trembling as he steadied himself with a Bounce stance.
"What the heck are you doing?"
Li Xiang stared at the Corvisquire in confusion. The bird nuzzled his cheek affectionately, then proudly shouted at the Corviknight leader:
"Scree!"
The Corviknight leader's gaze, initially hostile, turned outright furious. It let out a thunderous cry:
"—SQUAWK!!"
The Corviknight flock erupted into chaos!