Up in the sky, the naïve little Fletchling was still circling its father with a grin, waiting to watch its mother mow everything down—tear that defiant Pokémon to pieces, then bring the spoils back so the family could enjoy a tasty bonus meal.
Never mind that whether it was the Glimmet or that purple blob from before, neither looked very appetizing.
What it saw instead was something else entirely.
It watched that Pokémon stand back up out of a sea of fire.
It watched its furious mother launch another attack—
—and then it watched that familiar, towering figure plummet from the sky like a falling star.
"Cheep?"
The smile froze on Fletchling's face. It tilted its head, eyes full of confusion.
What just happened?
Only when its father—the silent male Talonflame—shuddered and let out a strangled, furious cry did it register that its mother, after hitting the ground, never moved again.
Fear crashed over its small heart like a tide.
"Cheep!"
It finally reacted. Its clear eyes flushed red. It didn't think about power gaps; one thought filled its mind—
Revenge.
Avenge Mom!
It snapped its wings wide and, like a red-black bullet, dove straight for Jason—
—and was instantly body-blocked by the male Talonflame.
With iron-hard wings, the male Talonflame pinned back his rage-blinded child. His eyes, too, burned hot enough to incinerate everything.
Just like his chick, he hadn't processed it at first. Who could have predicted it?
Who would have thought that unremarkable Pokémon below could string together a combo so smooth—link after link, never giving his mate a moment to breathe or react? From the instant she carelessly slammed into Stealth Rock, she was already caught in a carefully laid trap.
Revenge.
That was all that was left in his head, too. A hunt turned upside down by a shapeshifter—his mate dying right in front of him.
But he couldn't be reckless. Because he'd watched the whole fight, he knew even better than his child how dangerous and slippery that thing below really was.
He held Fletchling back. He would take revenge himself. His mate was gone; he wouldn't risk their only child.
"Stay. Don't move," he growled shortly at the chick.
Only then did the male Talonflame turn those vengeance-lit eyes toward Jason, who was panting hard among the ruins.
…
[Engaged with Talonflame…]
[Talonflame defeated…]
[Fletchling Dex completion +30%]
The system prompt made Jason light up—so battles do raise Dex progress, and more than passive observation, apparently. But it seemed you had to win to get a big chunk. Back against Nemona's Pawmi, he'd lost, so the gain was tiny—about the same as regular watching—which was why he hadn't thought to grind by fighting before.
This changed things: once his combat ability caught up, filling the Dex would get a lot easier.
And progress starts at the base form of a line; only after you unlock the base and keep interacting with that evolutionary line do later stages open up. Like now—he'd tangled with Talonflame, but the progress went to Fletchling. Finish Fletchling, and further encounters with Fletchling or Talonflame would start filling Fletchinder.
Down in the wrecked burrow, surviving Tandemaus and Maushold were poking their heads out of hiding. Their bead-black eyes were wide with shock.
What had they just seen?
The nightmare that had circled over their heads since their home was seized—the terror that haunted them—was just… dead? Taken out by an Oran Berry that had been sitting in their pantry?
Was the world… broken somehow?
"D-did I see that right?" one white mouse rubbed its eyes, voice shaking. "That guy was actually that strong?"
"Strong? That was Talonflame! He went 'pew' and—bam—Talonflame fell right out of the sky!" another squeaked, gesturing wildly.
"Oh my gosh—he's a savior!" a female mouse clasped her paws, starry-eyed, which made the partner beside her grind his teeth.
The joy and astonishment didn't last.
"Oh no—look up!" a mouse shrieked.
All eyes shot skyward. High above, the silent male Talonflame was staring down. A killing intent several times worse than the female's rolled over them like a storm cloud.
"We're done for! The other Talonflame's about to snap!"
"It looks even stronger than the last one…"
"Run! If we don't, we're all gonna be roasted mouse skewers!"
The little sprout of hope was doused in an instant. Survival instinct seized their minds again. They couldn't withstand that thunderous reprisal. Panic spread; families grabbed what they could and bolted for other exits.
Watching the same mice who'd crowned him savior a second ago now prepping to ditch him, Jason felt his heart sink.
Seriously? Running already?
He knew the truth: in his current battered state, never mind fighting that clearly stronger male Talonflame—even slipping away under its nose would be nearly impossible. If the mice ran, he'd be the only target left. One stoop from above and he'd be served.
No. He could not let them scatter.
"Stop!"
Mustering everything he had, he shouted at the fleeing mice:
"Don't you want your home back?!"
"You really want to abandon the place your families have lived for generations and slink off like strays—just to get bullied by other Pokémon somewhere else?!"
The soul-punch of a question cracked like thunder in every ear. Tandemaus and Maushold skidded to a halt as if spellbound. Slowly, they turned—dozens of black eyes fixed on Jason. Doubt crept in.
If anyone else had said this right now, they wouldn't even have looked back; they'd have called that guy an idiot in their hearts. Home? Dignity? In the face of certain death, what did those matter?
Stay alive—that mattered.
But…
It was Jason talking. They had just seen, with their own eyes, how the untouchable female Talonflame walked step by step into his web and fell. Maybe… maybe he really had a way?
If—if—he was willing to help them take down the last Talonflame, of course they wouldn't want to leave.
"Do we… run?" a mouseling asked its parents.
"I don't want to," the mother said softly, eyes full of longing for the place where she'd been born and raised.
"Then we fight," declared an elderly Maushold respected by the colony. It looked from the figure in the sky to Jason and finally made up its mind. Its voice was old, but it rang like iron.
"Children! We've hidden long enough. Today, here, we end this."
"Fight!"
"No more running!"
"For our home!"
In a heartbeat, the mood flipped. The will to defend their home crushed the urge to flee. Having decided, Tandemaus and Maushold emerged from every corner of the ruins—not to run, but to gather around Jason, forming a ring.
Seeing the battle-fire rekindled in their eyes, Jason let out a long breath of relief—along with a flicker of something he couldn't name. He'd only meant to talk them out of abandoning him—at least not leave him behind. He hadn't expected his pep talk to hit like this, turning them downright fired up.
"Well, great. Now there's no running even if I wanted to," he thought, glancing at the male Talonflame overhead and giving a wry smile.
"Alright then—let's go big."
And hey—once they took this Talonflame down, he'd get to see how much Dex progress it netted.