Invitation from the Mysterious Pokémon

Seeing all its companions defeated, the Pidgeot trembled in fear as it looked at Yuga and Gary again. With Dragonite blocking its way, it had no chance of escaping even if it wanted to.

Noticing Pidgeot curling up in terror, Yuga smiled evily and said to Gary, "Gary, what do you think we should do with it?"

Gary played along, replying, "Well, maybe we should roast it and eat it? We haven't had breakfast yet, and I've always wondered what roasted Pidgeot tastes like. I've only ever had steamed Kingler, boiled Gyarados, and fried Spearow and Fearow... never tried Pidgeot. Today might be the day!"

Yuga, appreciating Gary's cooperation, shot him an approving look and added, "Or maybe we should stew it instead? Judging by this Pidgeot's tougher-looking meat, roasting might be too hard on our teeth. When it comes to eating bird Pokémon, I'm quite experienced!"

Experienced? Just how many bird Pokémon have you eaten?! Pidgeot, taking their banter seriously, felt its mental defenses crumbling once more.

Gary nodded his head in agreement. "You're right—the broth from stewed Pidgeot would probably be delicious."

Listening to their devilish talk, Pidgeot grew even more terrified. Then it heard Yuga say, "And look at all these Pidgey and Pidgeotto around here—they look so tender! We could take them all with us, roast one each day—that'd be the life!"

Hearing this, Pidgeot's eyes rolled back, and it fainted on the spot!

Yuga walked up to it, giving it a light nudge with his foot. "Doesn't seem to have much courage, huh?"

Gary burst out laughing at this.

When Pidgeot woke up again, it found its feet was bounded with a vine and dangling from a tree branch. It started shrieking, "Don't eat me! Don't eat me! I'm not tasty at all!"

Although Gary couldn't understand Pokémon speech, Pidgeot's panicked squawking made him laugh.

Yuga, who could understand, raised an eyebrow and replied, "We haven't eaten you yet! How do we know if you're tasty or not unless we try it?"

At this, Pidgeot broke down completely and shouted, "Please don't eat me! I know where there's treasure—I'll take you to it! I'll take you to it!"

Surprised, Yuga asked, "Treasure? What treasure?"

Gary, intrigued by Yuga's reaction, chimed in, "Treasure? Really? Where?"

Pidgeot whimpered, "Let me go, and I'll take you there."

Gary pulled Yuga aside, "We're not really pressed for time, are we? Why don't we go treasure hunting?"

"We're not in a rush," Yuga replied, "but who knows if it's telling the truth?"

"We'll find out if we check it out, won't we? It won't take long," Gary said excitedly, clearly thrilled by the idea of a treasure hunt.

Yuga sighed helplessly, "Alright, let's go take a look."

After their discussion, Yuga untied the vine binding Pidgeot, which fell to the ground with a thud.

"Behave yourself. If you really lead us to the treasure, we'll let you go! Now tell us in detail what this treasure is all about!" Yuga commanded with a hint of threat.

Pidgeot, terrified and not daring to deceive Yuga and Gary, immediately spilled everything it knew.

It turned out there was a legend about this ancient forest. Long ago, a pirate who had amassed a great fortune came to this forest and hid all his wealth here.

The pirate left his Pokémon to guard the treasure, then vanished without a trace. It's said that any Pokémon who received the treasure's blessing would become incredibly powerful.

"That's it?" After hearing Pidgeot's story, Yuga was incredibly disappointed. This legend sounded like something out of a children's picture book—hardly believable.

"If you're going to lie to us, at least come up with a more convincing story!" Gary echoed Yuga's disbelief after he repeated Pidgeot's words.

Seeing Yuga and Gary doubting its story, Pidgeot quickly squawked, "I swear it's true! Many Pokémon in the forest know about it, and quite a few have received blessings from the treasure!"

Pidgeot went on to say that several "kings" ruling different parts of the forest had gained power from the treasure and were now incredibly strong.

However, these kings never disclosed the nature of the blessings they received and forbade ordinary Pokémon from approaching the treasure's hiding place.

"So the treasure is real?" Gary's interest was rekindled.

"It's true! It's true!" Pidgeot insisted.

"Then… should we go check it out?" Yuga looked at Gary.

"Yes, we have to go! I want to uncover the truth behind this power-boosting treasure!" Gary clenched his fists excitedly.

"Then lead the way!" Yuga said, tugging on one of Pidgeot's feathers.

Pidgeot hesitated. "The rulers of the forest are very powerful. If they catch me leading you to the treasure, they'll kill me!"

Yuga growled, "What are you afraid of with us here? If you don't take us, we'll stew you right now and find another Pokémon to ask. I don't believe no one else will talk!"

"But the forest kings are terrifying…"

To the Pokémon living in this forest, the rulers were indeed terrifying. They had all witnessed the kings' immense power, and fear of them ran deep—especially for a low-level lackey like Pidgeot.

But Yuga and Gary didn't care about any of that. Under their threats, Pidgeot reluctantly gave in.

So, with Pidgeot leading the way, Yuga and Gary rode on their Absol and Arcanine, making their way step by step into the depths of the forest.

This forest was truly vast; they'd been walking for a long time and still hadn't reached their destination. Impatient, Yuga asked, "How much farther? How much longer do we have to go?"

Just then, Pidgeot suddenly let out a loud cry into the forest. In response, there was a rustling in the trees and bushes, and soon a horde of Grass-type Pokémon emerged: Oddish, Gloom, Paras, Parasect, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Exeggcute, Tangela... a whole crowd surrounded Yuga and Gary in an instant.

Seeing this, Pidgeot laughed triumphantly in the air. It had deliberately led Yuga and Gary here to the territory of one of the forest rulers—Vileplume. The rulers of the forest did not allow anyone to covet the treasure, so its subordinates would certainly not let Yuga and Gary go.

And this was the perfect chance for it to escape.

After a fit of smug laughter, Pidgeot was about to turn and fly away, but just then, a vine whip appeared out of nowhere and wrapped it tightly.

Once again, Pidgeot found itself hanging from a tree.

Huh? What happened? For a moment, Pidgeot was completely stunned.

Unbeknownst to it, Florges had quietly appeared beside Yuga, and the vine was her doing.

Just then, an elderly Venusaur stepped out from among the crowd of Grass-type Pokémon. It seemed to sense an aura of kinship around Yuga and Florges and in a low voice urged Yuga and Gary to leave.

Seeing the large group of Grass Pokémon, Gary patted his Arcanine beneath him and said to Yuga, "Yuga, let me and Arcanine handle these Grass-types."

Yuga shook his head. "Let Florges handle it."

Just as Gary was puzzled, Florges stepped forward to face the Grass-type Pokémon. A gentle green light emanated from her, and one by one, the Grass-types began to move aside, clearing a path.

Florges now held an unquestionable authority over ordinary Grass Pokémon.

"This… this…" Gary's mouth dropped open in shock, and Pidgeot, still dangling from the tree, looked equally stunned.

Yuga guided Absol over to Pidgeot, giving its upside-down head a pat. "You're pretty clever, aren't you?"

Pidgeot stammered, too afraid to speak.

Yuga wasn't too surprised. If he were the one caught and threatened, he'd also be looking for a way to escape. Whether or not he could get away, and what consequences might follow, would be a separate matter.

So, for the rest of the journey, Pidgeot was bound up by Florges's vine and dragged along behind them.

With the Grass-type Pokémon no longer blocking their way, it didn't take long for the two of them to encounter one of the forest rulers Pidgeot had mentioned—Vileplume.

This Vileplume lived in a vast flower field, along with numerous Oddish and Gloom. When it learned that Yuga and Gary intended to find the treasure, it immediately became enraged!

It wouldn't allow it, and Florges's authority had no effect on it.

Yuga activated his Insight skill to examine the Vileplume standing in their way.

...

[ Vileplume ]

Type: Grass, Poison

Ability: Chlorophyll

Gender: Female

Potential: Blue

Level: 75

Moves: Absorb, Growth, Sweet Scent, Toxic, Petal Dance, Sludge Bomb, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Solar Beam, Sunny Day, Synthesis, Aromatherapy

...

After inspecting her, Yuga thought, So, it's an Eliet-level Pokémon—definitely worthy of its title. Could it be that the pirate's treasure is real? It's rare to encounter a Grass Pokémon with blue-level potential.

To drive away Yuga and Gary, two intruders coveting the treasure, Vileplume immediately launched an attack on them. It first used Sunny Day to change the weather, then fired a golden beam from the flower on its head, intending to pulverize them.

Given Gary's current strength, he couldn't possibly match this Vileplume. So Yuga controlled Absol to leap forward and block the attack.

"Absol, use Shadow Claw!"

A massive black claw materialized on Absol's right forelimb, instantly dispersing Vileplume's Solar Beam.

Yuga's Absol was a Champion-level Pokémon, while Vileplume was only at the Elite-level, making them hardly comparable.

When Vileplume's first attack failed, it launched another, but Absol had already leaped forward. Vileplume's Solar Beam missed, blasting a bare patch into the beautiful flower field.

Absol appeared beside Vileplume, lifted its paw, and struck, sending Vileplume flying. Before it could hit the ground, Absol's Psycho Cut attack followed, hitting Vileplume in midair once again.

When Vileplume finally landed, it had lost the ability to fight.

Yuga rode Absol over to the unconscious Vileplume, glanced at it, and ultimately chose not to capture it. Although a blue potential Pokémon was rare, the forest needed a ruler.

Exiting Vileplume's flower field, Yuga and Gary continued toward the treasure's hiding place, with Pidgeot guiding the way.

Since Yuga and Absol hadn't been harsh, it wasn't long after they left that Vileplume woke up.

Realizing what had happened, Vileplume quickly summoned several Jumpluff and whispered something to them. Before long, the Jumpluff returned to the flower field with a Tropius.

Vileplume urgently climbed onto Tropius's back and directed it to fly toward another part of the forest.

Meanwhile, as Yuga and Gary drew closer to the forest's center, they encountered more Pokémon blocking their path. This constant ambush rattled Pidgeot, which felt it had experienced more scares today than in its entire life.

Although Yuga and Gary easily dealt with the obstructing Pokémon, it slowed them down significantly. By the time they reached the forest's heart, the sun was directly overhead.

From afar, Yuga and Gary saw a brown stone pillar standing tall amidst the forest.

"Is that where the treasure is buried?" Yuga asked Pidgeot.

Pidgeot nodded obediently, too afraid to pull any more tricks, realizing that even the forest's rulers were no match for this human. It didn't dare to mess around as a mere lackey.

"Well, it certainly looks the part," Yuga muttered. "But it's awfully conspicuous. Burying treasure here is practically inviting people to dig it up!"

Soon, Yuga and Gary reached the base of the stone pillar.

Up close, they realized the pillar was even taller than they'd thought—at least as high as a seven or eight-story building.

The pillar's surface was extremely smooth all around. Without the help of flying mounts, reaching the top would be challenging.

Yuga and Gary released Dragonite and Pidgeot, preparing to fly up and see what lay above. Just then, they found themselves surrounded again.

This time, the ambush was different. Instead of swarms of Pokémon, only a few appeared: Poliwrath, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Honchkrow, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Vileplume, and Exeggutor—all Elite-level Pokémon.

The sudden appearance of these powerful Pokémon startled Yuga. But seeing Vileplume, he immediately understood that it had likely gathered them. They were probably rulers of other forest areas, just like Vileplume.

Noticing the intimidating looks these Pokémon were giving them, Gary couldn't help but feel anxious.

As Yuga worried they might attack, a deep and resonant call sounded from the top of the stone pillar above them.

"Whoo… whoo…"

Upon hearing this call, the surrounding Elite-level Pokémon glanced at each other, and reluctantly stepped aside, releasing Yuga and Gary from their encirclement.

Yuga and Gary looked up at the stone pillar, but the top was directly in the sun's glare. The bright sunlight allowed them to see only a faint silhouette standing at the summit, obscuring the figure's true form.

"What should we do?" Gary asked Yuga.

"Let's go up and check it out!" Yuga replied.

From the Pokémon's reactions, it was clear they were responding to an invitation from an unknown Pokémon.

Sure enough, this time, they encountered no resistance and ascended the pillar smoothly. Finally, they saw the mysterious Pokémon's true form.