The Assessment Ends

Altaria.

Swablu's mother had been watching them all along!

Looking at the still-unconscious Swablu, Terrance's thoughts churned as many things were confirmed. I should have known. How could your mother not have been watching over you all this time? And Master Katsumune must have left a backup plan to keep me from getting hurt...

The feeling that he was being watched, which he had sensed before, apparently hadn't come from nowhere?

Now it seemed that his and Swablu's every move had been under observation.

Yes, it made sense.

Terrance felt a little relieved. When he came to his senses, Seviper had already been frozen solid by a blast of extreme cold, becoming an ice sculpture standing motionless before them.

Ice Beam?

...Terrance looked up at Altaria, who was circling gracefully overhead. For a moment, he didn't know what to say to the true ruler of Mt. Chimney...

Looking at the unconscious Swablu, Terrance had nothing to say at this point.

As he saw it, this was all his fault as a Trainer.

A light, clear sound rang out, and Terrance and the others felt as though they were bathed in a refreshing breeze that washed away all their exhaustion.

The medicine was gradually taking effect as well...

Five minutes later.

Swablu slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion.

"Are you all right, Swablu...?" As soon as Swablu woke up, Terrance asked. Seeing that Terrance was unharmed, Swablu seemed to gradually calm down as well.

Swablu gave a soft cry, signaling to Terrance not to worry.

Before long, however, Swablu spotted the graceful figure hovering in the sky. The stirring in his blood made him freeze, his gaze turning somewhat blank.

The connection and resonance of blood ties could be felt more clearly and distinctly among Pokémon than among humans.

Swablu looked at the figure in the sky, his thoughts in disarray, at a loss for what to do.

"She's your mother." Terrance lowered his head slightly and looked at Swablu.

"She saved you. She saved us."

Swablu could naturally understand Terrance's words, but all of this was too much for him to accept at once.

After all, he had lived with Terrance ever since he was born...

An hour later...

Following Altaria, Terrance arrived on Mt. Chimney.

Terrance was worried. He feared that Altaria wouldn't acknowledge him because of his failure to protect Swablu and because he had let Swablu fall into danger.

"Chirp~~"

"Chirp~~~"

Sensing Terrance's worries, Swablu called out softly, comforting Terrance instead.

"Let's go." With a wry smile, Terrance followed close behind Altaria, climbing Mt. Chimney one step at a time.

"Clack!!!!

"Clack!!!!

A rock fell. Alarmed by the sight, Terrance didn't dare be careless and climbed cautiously.

Another hour later, Terrance reached a mountaintop.

"This is..."

The peak was shrouded in mist, making it hard to tell that it was part of a volcano. Its remote location, the plants and grass that looked as though they had been transplanted here, and the enormous nest gave Terrance several different illusions.

"Is this really still Mt. Chimney...?"

Altaria.

The owner of this place had arrived long before him and had already been waiting a long time for Terrance.

As Terrance watched Altaria nervously, his heart began pounding despite himself.

Terrance had never anticipated anything like this. Caught completely unprepared and not even knowing what to say, he could only hold Altaria's gaze with determination...

"I..." After a long silence, Terrance was just about to speak when a rumbling came from the sky. Both he and Altaria turned to look.

With a piercing cry, a figure flew out of the enormous flying craft in the sky. Its yellow-and-white plumage, magnificent wings, and the stark contrast between the black and white around its beak all made Terrance pause.

Master Katsumune's Pidgeot?

Then...

The helicopter descended slowly, landing on the small peak. Master Katsumune stepped out with a smile. At the same time, ripples suddenly spread through the surrounding space, and a foxlike Pokémon, brown and yellow all over and holding a spoon, appeared out of thin air before Terrance and the others.

"It's been a long time, Terrance."

"And Altaria, your appearance means the assessment is completely over, doesn't it? Alakazam has already informed me of the details through Telepathy. So... what do you think? Has the effort Terrance has put in alongside Swablu over the past month earned your approval?"

For once, Master Katsumune looked stern as he gazed directly at Altaria and waited for her answer.

It wasn't just Altaria watching me from the shadows... It seems Master Katsumune's Alakazam has been by my side all along too.

But what about the assessment results...? There isn't much time left before the one-month deadline, yet this accident brought Altaria here early... Will that affect whether she approves of me...?

Terrance also looked at Altaria with a longing gaze.

He was extremely nervous. The month of trials he and Swablu had weathered together had already allowed them to develop a deep bond, something he wouldn't have had if he had casually caught a Pokémon by the roadside. And... they also had an inherent advantage when it came to the trust that would otherwise take a great deal of time to build.

For some reason, it really likes to sneak onto people's heads and disguise itself as a hat.

Its wings are like cotton. When it perches gently on someone's head, it looks just like a cotton ball.

Swablu has wings as light and fluffy as cotton. This Pokémon isn't afraid of people. When it lands on someone's head, it looks just like a cotton cap.

From the moment he was born until now...

Even Swablu seemed to understand something and looked at Altaria just as eagerly.

After a long while...

Altaria gave a long cry and beat her wings, looking at Swablu and then at Terrance.

"Leave Swablu here. Let's go." Master Katsumune pulled Terrance over and spoke first.

"But-" Terrance parted his lips slightly, unable to understand.

"Let Swablu and Altaria spend the rest of the time together. As for whether you earn her approval, that depends on what the two of them want. Mother and son need time together too." Master Katsumune shook his head as he spoke to Terrance.

"I understand."

Terrance nodded, slowly set Swablu down, and said to Altaria, "I'll come back in one day."

"Wait for me... one day." Gently stroking the uneasy Swablu, Terrance spoke softly to comfort him. He and Swablu, who had always stayed by his side, had developed a deep bond, but Altaria was Swablu's mother, after all, and Terrance couldn't ignore their relationship either.

Reluctantly leaving Swablu behind, Terrance finally boarded the helicopter with Master Katsumune.

At last, to the sound of Altaria's light, clear cry, the helicopter slowly rose into the air and gradually disappeared into the mist.