A Sudden Crisis

"Starly, use Gust!"

At Bai Shi's command, Starly beat his wings, sending out a powerful gust that knocked Rattata to the ground.

"Finish it, Starly! Quick Attack!"

Starly pressed his advantage. He spread his wings and slammed hard into Rattata.

Rattata's eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

"Well done, Starly!"

Bai Shi smiled and praised him at just the right moment.

After their extra training, Starly had settled down considerably. He no longer acted on his own.

On top of that, his persistent training had helped him learn a new move: Wing Attack.

He had also grown more proficient with his original three moves through repeated practice.

His overall strength had improved, too.

Both Starly and Bai Shi were delighted.

"Catch, Starly!"

Bai Shi took a strip of dried meat from his backpack and tossed it to Starly.

It was one of the prizes Bai Shi had received from his daily check-ins.

Whenever Bai Shi drew food like this, he usually gave it to Starly as a reward.

He kept only Pokémon Trainer supplies, such as Poké Balls, for himself.

"Star!" (Ha! An extra snack today!)

Starly caught the meat and immediately wolfed it down.

He had long since grown used to the various "rewards" Bai Shi produced from time to time.

"Now to deal with that Rattata."

Bai Shi turned his attention to the unconscious Rattata.

Under the Orchard's rules, he had the right to decide what to do with any Wild Pokémon he defeated on his own.

He could catch it for himself or turn it in for an additional bonus.

If Bai Shi hadn't already obtained a Pokémon, he might have considered keeping it.

But now that he had Starly, a mere Rattata held no appeal.

So Bai Shi chose the bonus without hesitation.

He caught Rattata with an ordinary Poké Ball bearing the Orchard's mark.

He would hand it to Suzuki at the end of his shift and collect his bonus.

Suzuki would give Pokémon like this to the loyal employees who had signed long-term contracts with him to raise.

For orphans who wanted to become Pokémon Trainers but didn't dare venture into the wild, it was a decent opportunity.

Suzuki recruited quite a few people this way every year.

The only drawback was that Trainers tended to keep any remotely rare Pokémon for themselves.

Most of the Pokémon Suzuki received were common ones nobody else wanted.

As a result, the Trainers he raised through this arrangement usually weren't very strong.

That was why Suzuki was willing to pay handsomely for stronger Trainers to protect his property.

"Too bad I haven't run into any rarer Pokémon lately."

"I could've raised one myself or given one to Ishimaru."

Bai Shi counted it up. He had been working at the Orchard for some time now.

Once all his wages and bonuses came in, it would be time to set out on his journey.

In Bai Shi's view, one Pokémon—Starly—was nowhere near enough for an adventure in the wild.

Starly's impulsive nature was another serious concern.

Bai Shi didn't think one bout of extra training had transformed him overnight.

So Bai Shi planned to catch another Pokémon soon.

It would give him another measure of protection.

Of course, with Starly already at his side and financial freedom still out of reach, Bai Shi wouldn't catch just any Pokémon.

When choosing one, he would stick to the principle that it was better to have none than to settle for the wrong one. He would be careful.

Then there was his promise to Ishimaru.

Ishimaru was his best friend. Bai Shi didn't want to give him just any Pokémon.

"If I remember right, Ishimaru said he really admires Bruno of Kanto."

"If I get the chance, I'll find him a Fighting-type Pokémon."

Bai Shi rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

Fighting-type Pokémon weren't particularly common, though.

Bai Shi couldn't guarantee he would encounter one.

"If that doesn't work out, I'll find Ishimaru a Rock-type or Ground-type Pokémon."

"Bruno's pretty good with those types too."

Besides Fighting-types, Bai Shi would consider Pokémon of those two types.

They were far easier to find than Fighting-types.

"This is sector C-2! A huge flock of Spearow has invaded! Any nearby Trainers, get here and help as soon as you can!"

As Bai Shi pondered what Pokémon to get Ishimaru, a voice suddenly burst from the radio in his hand.

The urgency in the speaker's voice made it clear how much danger he was in.

"Sector C-2?"

Bai Shi paused to think after receiving the call for help.

Suzuki's Orchard was divided into several sectors.

Bai Shi was currently in sector B-3.

Sector C-2 wasn't far away.

He could get there in a few minutes if he hurried.

Still, Bai Shi hesitated over whether to go help.

"The contract offers a hefty bonus for taking part in rescues like this."

"Even if I can't do much, I should get involved."

"Fortune favors the bold!"

Bai Shi gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

If he pulled this off, he could finish his work at the Orchard early and start preparing for his journey.

Even so, Bai Shi didn't rush over right away.

Instead, he pulled some more "special equipment" from his backpack.

He put on his newly bought yellow helmet.

Then he strapped on two wooden boards and headed for the scene with Starly.

"Caterpie, use String Shot!"

"Venonat, use Supersonic!"

"Bibarel, use Water Gun!"

By the time Bai Shi arrived, quite a few of his coworkers had joined the fight.

Suzuki, the boss himself, was leading from the front.

He rallied the other Trainers and kept up the counterattack.

They were locked in a fierce clash with the Spearow.

But the Spearow's advantage in the air kept the defenders on the back foot.

The Spearow knew what they were doing. They refused to fight Suzuki's Pokémon head-on.

Instead, they made full use of their ability to fly.

They snatched fruit from the trees, then immediately soared out of the guards' reach.

Suzuki's Pokémon couldn't hit them up there.

After eating their stolen fruit, they moved to another tree and did it all over again.

Suzuki shouted in fury, his face flushed red.

All he and the others could do was rush around trying to drive them off.

"Hey, Bai Shi! What are you waiting for? Send your Starly in!"

"Bring those blasted Spearow down, and I'll reward you handsomely!"

In the middle of it all, Suzuki spotted Bai Shi assessing the scene.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately offered a generous reward.

This flock of Spearow had been troubling him for a long time.

He didn't expect Bai Shi to chase them all off by himself.

If Starly could bring down even a few, that would be enough.

Suzuki could then use his money to claim those Spearow.

He would hand them to his loyal employees to raise.

Then his Orchard would have Pokémon capable of defending it against flying Pokémon.

He wouldn't have to fear the Spearow if they returned.

Nor would he have to keep spending heavily to hire outside Trainers.

"Go, Starly! Quick Attack!"

Bai Shi's eyes gleamed at the promise of a generous reward as he called out to Starly.

"Star!"

Starly had been itching to join the fight. With a cry, he became a streak of white light and shot toward a Spearow.

"Everyone else, attack! Cover Starly!"

Suzuki immediately organized the others to support Bai Shi's Starly.

They had to keep the Spearow from swarming him.

With the other Pokémon covering him, Starly fought with astonishing ferocity.

He darted in and out of the flock, bringing down several Spearow in a row.

The cunning flock suffered losses unlike any it had faced before.

Seeing the fight turn against them, the Spearow's leader rallied the others to retreat.

In the blink of an eye, they vanished beyond the horizon.

They left behind a wrecked Orchard and a few unconscious Spearow, forgotten in the retreat.