Return to Mt. Chimney

The matter of Coronet Academy weighed heavily on Terrance's mind. The old man's test would naturally be a great benefit to his development, and Terrance could tell that Master Katsumune thought highly of him.

Unlike a genius like Wallace, who already had a master, or Jun, who came from a powerful family, people like Terrance were often more to Master Katsumune's liking.

The Breeder assessment was over, and everything had settled down. Wallace said goodbye to Terrance and the others and set off alone to continue his training, while Jun, having passed the assessment to become a junior Breeder, was picked up by her family.

Master Katsumune had also been invited, but he turned down the celebration for Terrance's sake.

"Are you ready?" Master Katsumune asked, looking at Terrance's calm face with some anticipation.

The test he had prepared was entirely his own undertaking. He had originally intended for Jun to take it, but he had not expected to encounter Terrance. Compared with Jun, Terrance seemed better suited to the test.

That had made him change his mind.

"We're going to Mt. Chimney."

Terrance was familiar with Mt. Chimney. Fallarbor Town, where he had lived for four years, lay at its foot. He simply had not expected to return so soon.

But this time, he was not a traveler returning home, nor did he intend to go back to Qinggu House to share the good news. The purpose of this trip was Master Katsumune's test.

"The test... is quite a difficult one." Even Master Katsumune felt a little troubled when he thought about it.

Terrance and Master Katsumune set off on a private plane.

Mt. Chimney was a volcano, but it was not all the same. Around it were areas of forest and grassland.

After landing, Terrance learned that they were at the heart of Mt. Chimney. Unlike this place, the area where he had trained with Beautifly before was only on the outskirts.

A great many Pokémon lived here, in an area already beyond where humans ventured.

"Where are we going?" Terrance asked.

Up to this point, Master Katsumune still had not told him exactly what the test involved.

"To meet a Pokémon."

Despite his advanced age, Master Katsumune walked through the area with ease.

Swish-

A Seviper lunged at them. Before Terrance could react, it was sent flying.

What came into view was a Pidgeot. Its magnificent wings had just finished beating, and its piercing eyes fixed on Seviper like those of a king.

Pidgeot had only blocked it lightly, yet as Seviper flew back, the surrounding trees bent over, causing quite a disturbance.

This had to be Master Katsumune's Pokémon. Terrance had already seen the Poké Ball in his hand.

"Be careful. The Pokémon around here aren't very friendly," he said with a chuckle.

Master Katsumune then gave Pidgeot another instruction. "Go call it out."

It?

Who was it?

Pidgeot spread its beautiful wings and soared into the air at an incredible speed, circling continuously.

Boom!

A huge storm whipped up, and Terrance could hear the howling wind clearly.

It's been raised so well.

Even though Terrance was not very experienced, he could tell that both the sheen of Pidgeot's wings and the beautiful feathers on its head were signs of its excellence.

Just what you'd expect from a top master's Pokémon!

"What is it calling?" Terrance looked up, curious.

What did Master Katsumune's words, "To meet a Pokémon," have to do with his test? Now that they had come to Mt. Chimney, what exactly would his test be like? Even Terrance could not help looking forward to it.

Clouds drifted across the clear sky, and the immense storm Pidgeot had stirred up stood out beneath the beautiful scene.

Soon, without keeping them waiting, a black dot gradually appeared among the banks of clouds in response to Pidgeot's call.

The black dot grew larger, and as it descended, a beautiful sound reached their ears.

"That's an Altaria." Terrance finally saw the Pokémon in full.

Its form had the graceful appearance of a swan, its sky-blue body displayed its nobility, its fluffy wings were as soft as cotton, and its moving song was enchanting.

Altaria, a rare Dragon-type Pokémon.

"Looks like it's here." Watching Altaria arrive, Master Katsumune smiled and said to Terrance, "This test offers you two opportunities. One is a place at Coronet Academy, and the other is its acknowledgment."

"What acknowledgment?" Terrance was a little confused.

"Look, they've started fighting." Master Katsumune looked somewhat helplessly into the sky as the newly arrived Altaria launched an attack on Pidgeot.

Terrance fell silent and waited for Master Katsumune's explanation.

"You know the direction of my research: Egg Moves."

"Yes." Terrance nodded.

"This Altaria is a Pokémon I've been watching for a long time. If I'm not mistaken, it possesses a wondrous power. Or rather, one of its parents or ancestors was a purebred Dragon-type Pokémon from Kanto-a Dragonite."

"So I set a trap, and it mated with my Pidgeot," Master Katsumune said with a chuckle, noticing Terrance's strange expression.

"I've spent a long time preparing for this research. If my approach is right, there's a good chance a Swablu with exceptional potential will be born, one that might even rival Pokémon like Dragonite and Tyranitar in terms of species advantages."

"For Altaria, whose species is naturally at a disadvantage among Dragon-types, this will be an excellent opportunity to rise."

"Then, in your conception, what will be special about this Swablu?" Terrance asked.

"What will be special about it?"

"Perhaps it will only be able to learn several moves at birth. Don't underestimate that. A different starting point will inevitably lead to different achievements. If nothing goes wrong, it will likely learn a powerful move like Dragon Rush at a very early age."

"Swablu? Dragon Rush?" Terrance found it a little hard to believe.

"Nothing is impossible." Master Katsumune waved a hand. "My Pidgeot also has a little Dragon-type blood. Although it's very diluted, with the addition of a potion I prepared, it's enough to activate a greater Dragon-type talent in Swablu."

"But what's going on now?" Terrance looked up at the two Pokémon locked in a fierce fight, unsure what what Master Katsumune had said had to do with any of this.

At this point, Katsumune smiled. Seeing Master Katsumune's smile, Terrance suddenly had a bad feeling.

"However, Altaria seems somewhat dissatisfied with what I did and won't acknowledge me. But how could I be someone who gives up so easily? So after defeating it in battle, I made a bet with it."