Chapter 147: Invitation and Clues

The messenger bird slowly lowered its flight altitude, its gaze fixed intently on Pikachu and the boy.

The first rule of the journey's cultivation: when confronted by a challenger, you must give your all to show respect!

"Even though I don't know what kind of Pokémon you are, let's battle!"

Ash believed the messenger bird had accepted his battle challenge, and he shouted excitedly.

The electric sacs on Pikachu in front of him began to flicker with sparks.

"Here we go again," sighed the orange-haired girl, Misty, nudging the squinting boy beside her. "Brock, do you know that Pokémon?"

Brock hesitated for a moment, then thought, "It's probably a messenger bird. Its tail is hollow, so it can carry a lot of things."

Misty let out a quiet gasp. "That's a tail? I thought it was a pouch!"

Meanwhile, this conversation was also unfolding quietly among two people and a cat hiding on higher ground nearby.

"Pikachu!"

Ash's cry startled the group mid-conversation. When they looked, they were stunned.

In the short time they'd been distracted chatting, Pikachu had been completely encased in ice by the messenger bird.

"So strong..."

Brock and Misty stared wide-eyed, uttering exclamations of disbelief.

From the perspective of these two—Gym Leader of Slateport and one of the Four Sisters of Olivine—this messenger bird's level and power were far too high for Ash, a half-new Trainer, to handle.

After all, many of his eight badges had been given to him as favors.

The Team Rocket trio watching from afar with binoculars saw even more clearly: after effortlessly dodging Pikachu's several Thunderbolts, the messenger bird unleashed a massive blizzard that left the speedy Pikachu with nowhere to escape—a decisive strike!

Having completed this, the messenger bird, bored, turned its back and prepared to fly away as Ash cried out in protest.

Meowth gasped. "Such a strong messenger bird... it defeated our Pikachu so easily."

Jessie and James lowered their binoculars and began chattering among themselves.

"Why not get it to join Team Rocket?"

"Boss Sakaki will be thrilled!"

"It's settled—let's prepare a messenger bird capture plan..."

Before their evil plan was even finished, a bright orange figure shot in at high speed from the distant sea, covering an enormous distance in the blink of an eye. The intense wind pressure it generated instantly flipped Team Rocket's trio over, then continued unimpeded toward Ash and the others, who were fretting over Pikachu's ice statue, knocking them all onto the ground.

"What's going on?" Ash rubbed his aching head, staring at the unfamiliar Pokémon.

"Bōu."

Dragonite pulled a letter from its black satchel and handed it to Ash.

Ash took the letter. The female projection it emitted stunned all three—they forgot about Pikachu frozen in ice, their full attention captured by the image.

The messenger bird, which had been preparing to leave, froze mid-motion. Its eyes locked onto the Pokémon it recognized instantly—especially the black satchel Dragonite carried. It seemed to recall something, its pupils contracting sharply.

"This is an invitation from the strongest Pokémon Trainer. You must accept it."

As the messenger bird sank into memory, the projection ended. The three were deeply intrigued by the woman's description of the "strongest Pokémon Trainer," but before Ash checked the box on the postcard, he asked: "Can you use Fire-type moves? Can you help me free Pikachu from the ice?"

Ash couldn't be sure Charizard would obey him—he could only turn to this seemingly powerful Pokémon for help.

Dragonite blinked, then unleashed a fierce stream of flame directly at Pikachu's ice statue. Soon, Pikachu broke free, and Ash and the others cheerfully checked the box on the postcard.

At that moment, the messenger bird confirmed one thing: whether it was Dragonite's striking resemblance to Luo Mu's Dragonite, or the black satchel mentioned by Haxorus and the others, the messenger bird felt it might have encountered the missing Dragonite leader.

After placing the postcard safely away, Dragonite immediately prepared to return to Xindao—when the messenger bird suddenly flew back and blocked its path: "Délí!" (Wait!)

Dragonite tilted its head, puzzled: "Bōu?" (What do you want?)

Ash and the others were equally baffled by the messenger bird's strange behavior. Considering both Pokémon were powerful, they feared getting caught in a conflict and decided to observe for now.

"Délílí?" (Do you know these three Haxorus?)

The messenger bird carefully pulled a box from its tail and showed Dragonite a family photo.

It had considered: if Dragonite truly was the Dragonite leader, it should only remember the Haxorus—after all, when it vanished, Luo Mu's Dragonite was still an Egg.

Unable to contain their curiosity, Ash and the others edged closer. Seeing the family photo, Misty couldn't help but exclaim: "Just looking at the picture, you can feel the deep happiness."

Brock nodded in agreement. "The golden wheat fields, humans and Pokémon—it looks peaceful."

Ash: "So many Pokémon I don't recognize."

Pikachu: "Pikapi ka."

For some reason, Dragonite felt a slight headache—but it was bearable. Maintaining a calm expression, it shook its head: "Bōu~" (I don't know them.)

It scoured every memory, yet had no recollection whatsoever of the Haxorus.

The messenger bird tucked the family photo away, utterly incredulous.

Dragonite looked exactly like Luo Mu's Dragonite, and even carried the same satchel as if it were a treasure.

That's impossible.

"Bōu." (The Trainer is waiting for me at home. Goodbye.)

As the messenger bird was thrown into confusion, Dragonite no longer held back—it shot upward at incredible speed, vanishing instantly beyond the horizon.

Though the messenger bird reacted quickly and tried to intercept, it could not match Dragonite's true flight speed—Dragonite was gone in a blink.

Only Ash and the others remained, bewildered, stunned in the wind.

Following the path Dragonite had taken, the stubborn messenger bird continued its pursuit. It had finally found a lead—and even if only to repay Dragonite and the Haxorus, it had to uncover the truth.

It was certain: that Dragonite was the missing Dragonite leader.

Yet the messenger bird had no idea where Dragonite had gone. Helplessly, it chose to return, trailing far behind the boy and his Pikachu.

Since Dragonite had given them the invitation, perhaps following them would lead to Dragonite's location.

The messenger bird recalled the place name it had overheard.

Xindao—what kind of place was that?

(End of Chapter)