Gently stroking Chatot's feathers, Silas shifted his gaze toward Zapdos behind it. "Is it just the two of you? Where is the rest of the flock?"
"Chat!" (They are coming from behind.) Chatot replied, lifting a wing to indicate the direction.
Silas nodded and smiled, bringing Chatot and Zapdos down to Cinnabar Island.
"This one evolved from Smoliv into Arboliva, and this is Registeel."
Silas introduced his two Pokémon. Arboliva swayed slightly in greeting.
Chatot, as always, presented gifts, a Grass Gem and a Steel Gem.
"And this little one is Torracat."
Silas scratched under Torracat's chin while introducing it, and Chatot once again handed over a gift, this time a Fire Gem.
One or two gems would have been normal, but Chatot pulling out so many at once was truly surprising.
As Silas stroked Torracat's fur, he asked curiously, "Chatot, why are you carrying so many type gems?"
Type Gems were a kind of Pokémon item.
They were usually formed from highly concentrated elemental energy. Normally, the lair of a Totem Pokémon might produce one or two types of such gems.
But never in such variety like Chatot had.
Silas could not help but suspect that Chatot and its flock had raided the territories of multiple Totem Pokémon.
Chatot tilted its head, confused. In its understanding, these gems were everywhere.
Whenever the flock stayed in one place long enough, different colored stones would simply appear on the ground.
"I think I understand now."
After hearing the explanation, Silas quickly grasped the situation.
The flock could now be considered as a single entity, a massive flying-type overlord.
In the area where it lived and moved, the appearance of type gems was perfectly normal.
Silas chatted with Chatot for a long time, listening to all the interesting events that had happened along its journey. He listened attentively, while also telling Chatot about everyone at the ranch.
It was a rare reunion, and both of them had plenty to say.
After listening for a while, Zapdos picked up Cinccino and flew toward where Moltres was, intending to meet its "good sister."
In just a brief moment, it arrived.
Zapdos instinctively smoothed its crest with a wing before striding forward with an imposing presence.
Of course, when good sisters meet, they greet each other with a little electric therapy.
Zapdos summoned lightning and struck Moltres.
Moltres' body trembled.
"Screeech?!" (I did not even move, why are you zapping me again!?)
Receiving no response, Moltres still dared not move recklessly.
It reminded itself to endure. The other party was only taking advantage of its weakened state. Once it recovered, it would repay this tenfold, no, a hundredfold.
Thinking this way, Moltres felt justified in continuing to play dead.
Zapdos tilted its head.
Cinccino shook its head like a rattle drum, indicating it had no idea either.
Seeing this, Zapdos hesitated whether to continue.
This time, it had not come to fight Moltres. It intended to invite Moltres and Articuno to join the flock.
Of course, they would only be secondary members. Zapdos would remain the primary one.
That way, it could suppress both Moltres and Articuno for a lifetime. Truly a brilliant plan.
Zapdos silently praised its own intelligence, folded its wings, and with a hint of pride in its eyes, stepped forward and pecked Moltres.
Moltres let out a pained cry, then immediately sensed something was off.
When it raised its head with a forced smile, it met Zapdos' gaze and was startled.
Then it realized that the petty dragon was no longer around.
"Zapdos?" (So… want to join as a subordinate?)
"Scree?!" (What?!)
Crackling lightning suddenly exploded in front of them.
Silas quickly called Blaine and the League's representative, the Dragon-type Elite Four member Lance, to move elsewhere.
From Chatot, Silas had already learned the purpose of their visit to Cinnabar Island.
If they could successfully recruit Moltres, the flock would gain a powerful new member, and its safety would greatly improve.
Naturally, Silas was willing to help, so he dragged Lance aside to discuss Dragonite training techniques.
The lightning flashes continued for a full hour. Under Zapdos' relentless persuasion through thunder and electricity, Moltres finally agreed to join the flock.
Its quick agreement was also thanks to Dragonite's "friendly encouragement" nearby.
Of course, Moltres made a small request. It wanted to personally help persuade Articuno.
When Silas heard this, his expression turned strange, and he could not help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
He understood these three legendary birds too well. Zapdos used lightning to force compliance, and now Moltres wanted to drag Articuno in. Most likely, it planned to pass on all the "encouragement" it had suffered.
"With how you are now, you will probably just get beaten up by Articuno."
"Dragon Master, could you have a Nurse Joy treat Moltres?"
With Chatot and Zapdos watching closely, Moltres dared not make any sudden moves. Meanwhile, Silas took the opportunity to collect Moltres' fallen feathers with his two little companions.
Before long, Cinccino found one first. It ran over with short legs, holding up a crimson tail feather with flames flickering at its tip.
Silas rubbed its fluffy head and pinched its ears, praising it warmly.
"Very good, very good. Cinccino is amazing."
A cry came from behind among the rocks. Silas turned to see Torracat carrying another feather, looking at him expectantly.
Taking the feather, Silas scratched its chin. "Torracat is amazing too. My little helper."
Pleased with the praise, Torracat half-closed its eyes and leaned into his hand, its tail swaying proudly.
Cinccino protested, hugging Silas's other arm as the two silently competed for attention.
"All right, you two."
He tapped each of them lightly and handed them a Poké Puff each.
With food in hand, the two calmed down.
Sitting beside Silas, they nibbled happily.
After glancing at them, Silas focused on the Moltres feather in his hand. As expected, it was a legendary material.
[Moltres Feather: A legendary ingredient. A feather from Moltres' tail, the most precious among its feathers, containing immense fire-type energy. It may be used in cooking, though its effects are unknown.]
Joy filled Silas's expression as he carefully stored the feather. He would study it later.
For now, it was time to return to the temporary camp and prepare a grand meal for Zapdos and Chatot.
He had plenty of ingredients on hand. Soon, the aroma of food filled the camp.
Just as Silas and his Pokémon were about to start eating, Blaine and Lance arrived right on time to join in.
With such a major incident on Cinnabar Island, they had only exchanged a few words earlier before going off to handle their own responsibilities.
The meal was hearty and satisfying. After eating, Lance even removed his cloak, something he rarely did.
His gaze fell upon Dragonite playing with Cinccino, and his expression gradually turned serious as he assessed its strength.
As the only Dragonite currently capable of Mega Evolution, Lance had known about it for a long time. He had originally planned to visit personally.
However, matters involving Team Rocket had delayed him until now.
Now, Lance wanted to personally experience the changes brought by Mega Evolution. He stood up and walked toward Silas.
(End of Chapter)