Chapter 27: Sanity Restored and Subsequent Plans
"Ugh, what... what happened to me?"
A pleasant voice came intermittently from Pidgeot's beak.
Rio looked up. He didn't know when, but the fierce glint in Pidgeot's eyes had disappeared, and the light of reason had re-ignited.
It's regained its sanity?!
Rio was overjoyed. However, to be safe, he didn't dare stop his Aura output for a moment. He could only remind Takuma not to stop shaking the bell while signaling Machop with his eyes to explain the situation.
"I lost my sanity, and I even tried to kill you all..."
After listening to Machop's brief explanation, Pidgeot seemed to vaguely recall the scene of its previous rampage and couldn't help but struggle to stand up again.
Rio was startled, thinking the suppression of Aura power had lost its effect, when Pidgeot's voice came from above his head, "Thank you very much for your help. Leave the rest to me."
Pidgeot closed its eyes, energy fluctuating around its body. In Rio's eyes, the deep red berserk rage was completely dispelled, and Pidgeot once again emitted normal Aura fluctuations.
So, he released his claws that had been pressing on Pidgeot and "plop," sat down on the ground.
"Whew, whew, whew..."
It had to be said that controlling Aura power was truly exhausting for a Pokémon. Don't be fooled by the lengthy description; in reality, it all happened within a short few minutes. And in just that short time, expending all his mental energy to control such vast Aura power, coupled with the injuries sustained in the previous battle, made Rio feel waves of fatigue emanating from the depths of his body and even his soul.
"It's truly hard to imagine how those 'Emissaries of Aura' control Aura power for extended periods in battle. Using this thing is too tiring, even more tiring than doing 500 squats..."
"But, what was that faint voice just now? It felt strangely familiar, and so gentle, like a mother's..."
Rio was stunned. He thought of a question he had never considered before: Pokémon eggs were born from the union of love, so the Riolu egg he had transmigrated into was no exception; it must have had Pokémon parents.
It was just that when he was first born, he was immersed in the fact of his transmigration, and many things happened afterward, so he hadn't paid attention to searching for Riolu's parents.
Moreover, Rio discovered something: in Newmoon Forest, most of the Pokémon species that appeared were from the first generation (referring to the Kanto region of the original Pokémon world). So how could a Riolu and Lucario egg, Pokémon species belonging to the fourth generation (referring to the Sinnoh region of the original Pokémon world), appear in this Newmoon Forest?
And what did Mew mean when it said he was the only Riolu/Lucario left in this world?
Perhaps due to the Aura power, Rio's mind was much more active than usual, and thus he thought of some doubts he wouldn't normally notice.
A fog seemed to envelop this seemingly familiar Pokémon world.
While Rio was lost in myriad thoughts, Pidgeot over there had finally fully regained its sanity, expelling the last remnants of the berserk contamination through its own energy.
"I am terribly sorry."
Seeing the heavily injured Pokémon before it, Pidgeot said, full of apology.
The recovered Pidgeot seemed to vaguely remember its time while berserk.
"Ah, it's a good thing you woke up, otherwise it would have been troublesome," Rio, his thoughts interrupted, decided to temporarily set aside his doubts and responded in a relieved tone.
Only now did he properly examine Pidgeot's normal appearance: this bird Pokémon with beautiful feathers had folded its broad wings that had given them so much trouble earlier. The vibrant feathers on its head lay smoothly against the back of its head. Although its body was covered in much dirt from the battle, one could still see its originally elegant form. Furthermore, Pidgeot, holding the title of a Leader, was much larger than the Pidgey and Pidgeotto Rio had encountered before. Standing up, it was about 2 meters tall. It was currently standing in front of Rio, looking at them with apologetic, newly sane eyes.
"I wonder if you have encountered my clan members? Are they..."
The Pidgeot Leader looked worried.
"Yes, you guessed right. Your clan members are just like you, contaminated by this inexplicable berserk rage, and have similarly lost their sanity," Machop replied.
Rio seized the opportunity to ask further, "Leader Pidgeot, do you remember how you fell into this abnormal state at that time?"
"Actually, I'm not sure when I was affected. I can only vaguely remember that I was patrolling the skies above the forest with my clan when I suddenly felt a heart-palpitating energy erupt in the forest. After we went to investigate, I suddenly blacked out. When I woke up, I saw the current scene."
"A heart-palpitating energy eruption... Do you remember in which direction of the forest you sensed it?"
Hearing this familiar description, Rio's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pressed on.
The Pidgeot Leader pondered for a moment, then somewhat uncertainly raised a wing and pointed, "Probably... in the east of the forest? Describing the feeling, it should be that direction, a bit further away."
Rio and Machop exchanged a glance and said in unison, "The experimental base!"
Poliwhirl, who had been silently recovering his strength and energy with crossed arms on the side, also frowned, thought for a moment, and said to Rio and Machop, "I need to inform our leader about this matter. I'll be leaving first."
Before he finished speaking, Poliwhirl started running towards the nearby river. A blue Water-type energy surged around its body, and it executed the [Dive] move, submerging into the water.
"Hey, wait..."
Before Rio could get his words out to stop it, Poliwhirl had already disappeared from before them.
Machop shrugged helplessly. "This is the first time I've seen a Water-type Pokémon get more impulsive than a Fire-type... So, what do you think we should do next?"
Glancing around, Rio picked up a branch from the scattered broken branches and fallen leaves on the ground and began writing in the mud.
"Let's summarize the clues we've found so far."
"It is currently known that Sunrise Valley in the west of the forest and Crescent Lake in the south have not yet been affected by the abnormality. However, Sky Nest in the center of the forest and the Toxic Swamp in the east are within the affected range."
Rio used the branch to draw a simple map on the ground, making a circular mark on the far right of the map.
"If what Takuma said is true, then here," Rio tapped the circular mark, "is that mysterious experimental base. From this, it can be seen that the Toxic Swamp and Sky Nest, which are relatively close to the experimental base, have both been affected, while the two places at a greater distance have remained normal. So I think there's a high probability that this abnormal situation is related to the experimental base."
"In that case, Snorlax really likes to go to that place near the east with many fruit trees to find food. Could it have been infected at that time too?"
Machop also seemed to have an epiphany. Although he wasn't too familiar with Snorlax, Snorlax had visited Sunrise Valley a few times before, and the two Pokémon had had several brief conversations. When Rio was drawing on the ground, he immediately figured out the key point.
"Since it's related to the experimental base, then the key to solving the problem lies in..."
"We can only go to the experimental base to check out the real situation."
Rio and Machop looked at each other.
Machop: "Yes, and the Professor is still trapped in the experimental base. So, whether it's to investigate the true cause of the abnormal situation or to rescue the Professor, we must make a trip to the experimental base."
"But if we want to get close to the experimental base, there are three major problems. First, before entering the experimental base, we must pass through Sky Nest and the Toxic Swamp. According to current observations, both these places are full of Pokémon in an abnormal state. They are numerous, and with just a few of us, we simply cannot contend with them, let alone break through their encirclement. Second is the pervasive poison gas in the Toxic Swamp. Non-Poison-type Pokémon simply cannot pass through safely. Unfortunately, none of us are Poison-types."
"And finally, how to ensure that the Pokémon acting together will not be infected with this strange abnormal state."
Rio sighed.
"What a headache. The first problem mainly involves Flying-type, Poison-type, and Ground-type Pokémon. Leaving the others aside, just the Flying-type Pokémon flying in the sky are hard enough to deal with..."
Pidgeot, who had been quietly listening to Rio and the others discuss, pondered for a moment and tried to request Rio to use that mysterious power again to free its clan.
"I..."
Rio was somewhat troubled. He himself had only muddled through using Aura power to guide Pidgeot back to a normal state earlier. He was completely clueless about how to control Aura power and naturally couldn't guarantee he could repeat such a miracle. However, seeing the worry and eagerness in Pidgeot's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse for a moment.
"Sigh, alright then. I can only say I'll do my best." Sighing, Rio decided to act according to circumstances when the time came.
"If the Flying-type Pokémon can return to normal and join the battle, then we'll have an advantage against Ground-type Pokémon. But the remaining Pokémon..."
"Negotiate with the Golduck Leader. Let the Pokémon of Crescent Lake and our Sunrise Valley join forces. They have Water-type Pokémon, and we have Grass, Bug, Rock, and Fighting-type Pokémon. If both sides join forces, we can effectively counter the Pokémon of the Toxic Swamp," Machop suggested.
Thinking about it carefully, whether in terms of type matchups or the number of Pokémon, joining forces was indeed a good idea.
"Okay, I agree too. Then only the last two problems remain: how to overcome the poison gas of the Toxic Swamp, and how to ensure this strange abnormal state won't be contagious?"
"Hmm..."
The group fell into thought.
"How about using Berries? Like 'Pecha Berries'?"
Pecha Berries are pink, tender fruits that can cure Pokémon of poisoning.
"No good. If we're continuously in poison gas, even if we use 'Pecha Berries' to cure poisoning, we'll quickly become poisoned again. And the Toxic Swamp isn't small; it's impossible to pass through in a short time."
Machop paced back and forth in frustration.
"Um..." Takuma, who had been inconspicuous all this time, spoke softly.
"If you can send me back to my home, I can make some gas masks. That should be able to help you. My home is very close, just in a small town not far from the forest exit."
"That's right!"
Rio instantly saw the light. He had almost forgotten about this "little inventor" beside him who had escaped the Toxic Swamp single-handedly relying on jet-powered shoes and a transformable gas mask.
"As for the abnormal state," Rio looked at the bell in Takuma's hand and instantly had an idea. "The bell in your hand, Takuma, seems to be able to suppress Pokémon's rampages. If you can create a device to amplify this bell's sound, it should be able to counter that unknown abnormal state."
Takuma's eyes darted around, then he nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, that's no problem."
"It's decided then." Rio made a swift decision. "Big Brother Machop, you go back and contact the Squirtle Boss and the Golduck Leader to negotiate joining forces. Takuma and I will go to his home to make gas masks and a sound amplification device. We'll rendezvous at Sunrise Valley afterward."
Looking up at Pidgeot, Rio made a request, "Leader Pidgeot, could I trouble you to fly me and Takuma to our destination?"
The Pidgeot Leader, also eagerly hoping its clan would quickly return to normal, readily agreed.
The Pokémon discussed a few more details and then went their separate ways to take action.