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"Quiet! Quiet!"
Su Yiliu banged her desk in the office, trying to calm the rowdy Corviknight. Then, she squeezed past the flock of Corviknight blocking the door and pulled Li Xiang inside.
Thus, Li Xiang found himself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Corviknight leader, feeling the full weight of its oppressive glare.
Honestly, it was understandable.
Their son was perched on Li Xiang's shoulder, clearly determined to follow him. Any father would be anxious, but did it have to glare at him like that? He hadn't even started his pitch yet!
Li Xiang rubbed his hands together, realizing they were sweaty. The Corviknight was barely holding back its emotions, its beak inching closer to his head.
"You—calm down first!"
Luckily, Su Yiliu stepped in, slapping the Corviknight's head away.
"What good will attacking him do? Do you know what's most important between parent and child? Communication!"
The Corviknight lowered its head slightly, avoiding Su Yiliu's gaze, deep in thought.
Then, Su Yiliu explained the whole situation to Li Xiang.
It was simple.
The Corvisquire wanted to leave with Li Xiang to train and battle, but the Corviknight leader refused and forcibly kept it in the nest. However, the Corvisquire escaped at night and, relying on memory, hid in Su Yiliu's office.
When the Corviknight flock realized the Corvisquire was missing, they turned the entire sanctuary upside down searching for it. Eventually, they found it sleeping soundly on Su Yiliu's desk—with Su Yiliu right there.
Father and son began arguing, each accusing the other, and then, Li Xiang—the third party—showed up.
"Uh… why do you want to come with me?"
Li Xiang lifted the Corvisquire off his shoulder (his shoulder was starting to ache) and asked curiously.
The Corvisquire chirped seriously in response.
Su Yiliu's Clefairy glowed faintly as she translated: "It says it wants to battle Riolu again—it has to win this time. It also wants to fight your Torracat and Frogadier. After beating your three, it wants to fight even more Pokémon. It wants to get stronger, and following you means more opponents… something like that."
A battle maniac?
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the Corvisquire to have such a trait.
Before, he thought Riolu was a battle maniac, but he later realized it wasn't.
The little dog trained so hard because it had been bullied by those cat Pokémon as a pup. It understood that only the strong avoid being bullied, so it pushed itself relentlessly.
Even after living with Li Xiang, it never softened. Instead, it competed with Torracat and Frogadier, its desire to grow stronger only intensifying.
It wasn't a battle maniac.
Torracat and Frogadier were even simpler—they saw themselves as extensions of Li Xiang. Their strength was for him and themselves.
So, this Corvisquire was the first Pokémon Li Xiang had met that was this obsessed with battling, and that was a very good thing for him.
As a trainer, having a battle-hungry Pokémon was far more beneficial than a docile one.
But now, the problem was—
Its parents didn't agree!
What now?
Li Xiang had a headache. The situation had spiraled beyond his expectations, giving him no time to prepare.
"Squawk!"
While the Corvisquire chattered away, the Corviknight leader suddenly roared at it.
Even without Su Yiliu's translation, Li Xiang could guess what it was saying.
Its expression was identical to Li Xiang's parents when they were furious.
The Corvisquire, embodying the rebellious son, showed no remorse. Instead, it argued back, looking almost smug.
The two birds escalated into a full-blown shouting match, as if volume alone determined who was right.
Ah, young fathers and young sons.
Li Xiang sighed. Neither was mature, both acting childish. What was the point of all this noise—
Oh no.
Out of the corner of his eye, Li Xiang noticed Su Yiliu's darkening expression. He remembered how terrifying she was when angry.
His body shivered.
To avoid collateral damage, Li Xiang silently retreated, pressing himself against the wall while giving the quarreling birds a pitying look.
Neither realized that the true ruler of this room wasn't them—it was Su Yiliu.
Sure enough!
After holding back for so long, Su Yiliu finally snapped. She slammed her desk and bellowed:
"SILENCE!"
BANG!
The desk trembled.
For a moment, it was as if an Exploud had used Hyper Voice in the office. Every Pokémon immediately shut up, staring at Su Yiliu with wide, fearful eyes.
The Corviknight exchanged glances. The Corvisquire scrambled backward. The Rookidee outright vanished.
Every living thing in the office trembled under Su Yiliu's wrath.
"What do you think you're doing? Huh?"
Su Yiliu grabbed the Corviknight leader and the Corvisquire by their necks, shaking them. "You think this is a market? You think you own this place?"
The Corviknight leader, despite having its throat squeezed, didn't dare struggle. It flattened itself submissively.
The Corvisquire wilted like a plucked chicken, not daring to make a sound.
The calmer a person usually was, the scarier their anger. Su Yiliu was normally gentle, even a little airheaded. But when she was mad?
No Pokémon dared even breathe too loudly around her.
Partly out of respect. Partly because Su Yiliu's strength was terrifying.
If there was a power ranking in the sanctuary, Su Yiliu was undeniably number one.
All her Pokémon were above Level 60. With three of them out, no one in the sanctuary could stand against her.
"Li Xiang!" Su Yiliu barked.
Li Xiang, plastered against the wall, forced a smile. "Y-Yes, Big Sis?"
"Out. Close the door. Wait outside."
"Got it!"
Li Xiang scurried out. This place was too dangerous—next time, he might be the one getting choked.
Time to go.
Of course, he didn't forget to shoo away the Corviknight blocking the exit. With Su Yiliu's authority looming, none dared resist.
Click.
The door closed like the gates of hell sealing shut. Li Xiang sent a mental "good luck" to the pleading Corvisquire before shutting out the chaos.
The office had excellent soundproofing. Once the door closed, it was like another world—no sound escaped.
"Whew… Plans really never survive contact with reality."
Li Xiang wiped his sweat, leaning on a Corviknight's wing, feeling drained. In just ten minutes, his emotions had gone up and down like a rollercoaster.
"Squawk!"
The Corviknight he was leaning on shook its wing, trying to dislodge him, but Li Xiang had long since evolved into a shameless creature. He clung stubbornly.
"Aw, don't be shy. What's the harm? I even brought you food before. Such beautiful feathers going unappreciated is a crime."
Grinning, Li Xiang ignored the surrounding Corviknight's judgmental stares and experimentally reached for the soft feathers covering its chest.
"Squawk!"
The Corviknight glared but, surprisingly, didn't stop him.
Encouraged, Li Xiang slid his hand fully into the feathers, touching the warm skin beneath. The texture was perfect—fluffy and warm, prompting him to unleash his Ultimate Cat-Petting Technique.
The Ultimate Cat-Petting Technique was a skill Li Xiang inherited from his mother, combined with professional Pokémon massage techniques he'd learned.
It was unstoppable.
Unless a Pokémon's body was made of stone or steel, none could resist his hands!
"Caw…"
The Corviknight's eyes half-lidded, its red irises glazing over. Its body trembled as if it were about to—
The surrounding Corviknight recoiled in disgust, backing away hastily. Their gazes at Li Xiang now held a mix of curiosity and fear.
What did this human just do!?
Small humans are terrifying!
Just as Li Xiang was about to escalate— The office door swung open.
The Corviknight leader and its mate stepped out first, the former grim-faced, the latter worried.
Then came the Corvisquire, hopping excitedly. Spotting Li Xiang, its eyes lit up. It flapped over its parents' heads and landed on Li Xiang's shoulders, gripping tightly.
Caught off guard, Li Xiang nearly kneeled in front of the Corviknight pair. He barely caught himself by grabbing the nearby Corviknight's shoulder.
Su Yiliu emerged last, waving. "Alright, everyone, scram! Back to your nests!"
Under her orders, the Corviknight—including the leader—left, but not before shooting Li Xiang a final glare, as if he'd committed some unforgivable sin.
The Corvisquire stayed.
"I've convinced No. 555," Su Yiliu said. "It agreed to entrust the Corvisquire to you. You'll be responsible for its future."
"However, for the next two years, you must bring it back to the sanctuary once a week."
"After two years, once a month, or at least once every three months, you'll need to return so they can check on it."
This… was like an exchange?
It almost felt like he was marrying the Corvisquire.
Weird.
Li Xiang glanced up at the ecstatic Corvisquire. From this angle, its muscular chest blocked most of his view—only its small beak was visible, but he could feel its excitement.
Its whole body trembled, its claws digging into his shoulders so hard they tore his shirt.
"...Deal."
Li Xiang nodded. "Once a week for two years, then monthly or quarterly after that."
It was a fair price.
You gain some, you lose some.