Breloom didn't need Grey's order to know what to use.
"Bre!" (Take this—call it a fair deal! Zapdos, you're not the first, and you won't be the last!)
Breloom's body slid back; its cap snapped up to face Zapdos.
In Zapdos's vision, the little pore under that brim suddenly shuddered violently!
"Puff!"
A cloud of luminous green spores erupted!
Hundreds of sleeping spores billowed into a jade mist, splitting and multiplying with a soft susurrus as they spread.
Zapdos reflexively beat its wings and whipped up a thunderstorm—but a few star-like spores slipped through the electric mesh and rode its quick breath straight into its nose.
Its black pupils blew out and lost focus.
Lightning froze for a heartbeat—and a heavy sleep surged in like a tide and drowned Zapdos's mind!
"zZ…"
A steady snore started to rise and fall.
Rhythmic rumbling came from Zapdos's beak.
Zapdos fell fast asleep.
"Quick this time too."
Grey nodded, flicked an Ultra Ball, and struck Zapdos, pulling it inside.
Thunk-thunk-thunk…
The Ultra Ball rocked, scraping across the metal floor.
Then—
Pop!
The Ultra Ball burst.
Grey: "???"
"Even an Ultra Ball won't do it?! Don't tell me Zapdos is stringing me along."
Grey winced.
That one was redeemed out of the system space.
Each Ultra Ball cost twelve hundred system points!
And Zapdos busted out anyway.
How was he supposed to accept that?
"Alright—one more chance…"
Grey narrowed his eyes and flashed Sabrina a hand sign.
The sleeping Zapdos shivered on cue.
A strangling pressure—eerily like an Arbok's coil—closed in, and even the bird's face seemed to pale.
The human world was terrifying. The wilds were so much cozier.
"Okay—go, Ultra Ball!"
Grey sent another Ultra Ball hard.
Thunk!
Second hit, clean.
This time Zapdos only squirmed symbolically.
No detonation; capture complete.
"Wooo—Zapdos is mine."
Grey scooped up the ball and immediately thought of the Galar variant.
The Galar Zapdos was Fighting/Flying—perfect for a dojo roster.
Yeah, he really needed to make a trip to Galar.
Kubfu was a draw—and so was the Galar Zapdos.
And of course the "Shield Dog," the Shield King—Zamazenta.
All Fighting-types; all Legendaries.
Hard not to make moves.
"Oh, and I should find time for Paldea."
Grey thought of Koraidon.
In Scarlet/Violet, the "cover legends" Koraidon and Miraidon didn't exactly feel legendary at first.
They literally washed up on a beach and got bullied by a Houndoom leading a pack of Houndour.
That's not normal Legend treatment.
What kind of legend gets worked over by a Houndoom?!
Still, while the setup felt off, their stats were stacked.
If he caught either one, he'd basically have a mount on call.
Couldn't deny—that sounded comfy.
Shame today's catch was Zapdos. Legendary, sure, but… it was whatever.
Maybe that would thrill someone else; Grey wasn't that impressed.
Just a Zapdos. What's the big deal?
Back to business.
With Zapdos caught, there was no reason to linger in the Power Plant.
"Let's go—we'll ride these two birds back to Saffron City."
Grey yawned, stepped outside, and sent out Articuno and Zapdos.
For the moment, their greatest value was… being mounts.
If he couldn't get plane tickets, they could fly him.
That had been the plan from day one: treat the two birds as flying taxis.
"Thanks—I'll take this one."
Sabrina chose Articuno.
"No problem."
Grey vaulted up—onto Articuno too.
Articuno, Zapdos: "???"
"Kyrii!" (Human, what's this? You're putting two people on my back?!)
Articuno blinked. It had figured they'd split one and one.
Both on it?
From confusion to delight in a blink.
Articuno glanced sideways at Zapdos and grinned.
"Kyrii." (Heh-heh-heh—told you I'm more popular than Zapdos. Even as a mount, they pick me.)
It lolled its tongue, hefted the pair grandly, and headed for Saffron.
"Jiji?" (Unbelievable—how am I worse than that smelly Articuno?)
Zapdos watched Articuno recede, a sour ache in its chest.
——
On the way, Lorelei pinged a few messages asking how it went.
[Ice Queen Lorelei: Gym Leader Grey, how did it go?]
[Grey: Perfectly handled—picked up a few prospects to raise, too. Thanks for the job, Lorelei. The payout was generous. Do this once or twice more and the expansion's covered. Grinning.jpg]
[Ice Queen Lorelei: Sadly, that's the League's max bounty. If you want more, the money won't be as much. Even so—still interested? Slowpoke-question-face.jpg]
[Grey: The weather's so nice today I just have to recite a poem.]
[Ice Queen Lorelei: It's raining here. Not so nice. Lapras-Perish-Song.jpg]
[Grey: Tragic. By the way, if I take first in the Gym Tournament, how much funding will the League kick in?]
[Ice Queen Lorelei: Ten to twenty million is typical. Counting today's rewards, you're close to what you need, right?]
[Grey: Still a ways off. I'll probably split the bounty with Sabrina. Looks like the cash grind will take a while.]
[Ice Queen Lorelei: You got this. Try-hard.jpg]
[Grey: Mhm.]
Leaving the chat, Grey checked his bank balance.
Not much—and still far from that fifty-million target.
Sigh. Long road ahead.
He popped back into the chat list.
Today the Gym Leader group was buzzing.
[Giovanni of the Earth: I hear Grey and Sabrina managed to arrest three Rocket executives. Heroes at a young age—snaring three at once at your age puts this middle-aged Gym Leader to shame.]
[Pewter Onix: Yeah—ten kids at home and I've still done less for the region than Grey. Really puts things in perspective.]
[Dojo Annihilape: ?]
[Giovanni of the Earth: ?]
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810