Today was this Pidgey's first shift. Unfortunately, there were simply too many Pidgeys—each one rotated only once, and the cycle took over a month. His luck was poor; he only got his turn near the end of the rotation. Watching the other Pidgeys bring back three delicious pieces of food every time they swapped, he felt nothing but envy, constantly wondering when his turn would come. Although one piece had to be handed over to the leader, he could still keep two for himself—that was equivalent to half a month's harvest.
Wen Qi, on the other hand, wasn't entirely sure how Pidgeot distributed the energy cubes. Based on their numbers, he roughly planned: two cubes per week for Pidgeys, five for Pidgeottos, and two each day for the two Pidgeots. He usually gave them out weekly to Pidgeot, worried that handing over too much at once would leave Pidgeot with no proper place to store them. Wen Qi never expected that Pidgeot would charge his own group a "protection fee"—only one cube per week for Pidgeys, three for Pidgeottos, and pocketing the rest for himself. Even if he found out, Wen Qi wouldn't interfere, because that was the survival rule of wild Pokémon. Prioritizing the strong and talented ensured the group's strength. Only when the leader grew stronger could the group thrive. In the human world, caring for the weak was a virtue, but in the wild Pokémon world, weakness meant being a burden. Often, being too weak could lead to abandonment by the group. From that perspective, Pidgeot's actions weren't unreasonable. Even though they were hired by Wen Qi, with a steady food supply and a safe environment, this instinct couldn't change overnight. As long as Pidgeot didn't torment the Pidgeys to the point of disrupting the farm's peace, Wen Qi wouldn't meddle. Besides, the Pidgeys now had a much better life than before, so they harbored no complaints.
When the Pidgey spotted Zhou Zhiwen approaching, it was thrilled, thinking, "Could today be my lucky day?" Wen Qi had told the Pidgeys earlier that their daily duty would earn them three energy cubes, and if someone came, reporting it promptly would earn an extra cube. But over the past month, hardly anyone visited the farm. Even strangers were just delivery drivers who called ahead, with Wen Qi waiting at the gate or the truck pulling up to the villa's entrance. The Pidgeys rarely had a chance to report, so they got no extra rewards. However, this visitor today, riding an Arcanine with seemingly formidable strength, looked like trouble. The Pidgey initially thought reporting wouldn't be worth it, but seeing the man lingering at the gate without entering, and then noticing the Pidgey with a delighted expression, it knew business had arrived.
Zhou Zhiwen, seeing the Pidgey, guessed it was a lookout and messenger. He said, "Pidgey, I have business with the farm owner, Wen Qi. Please inform him." He politely offered a Normal-type energy cube. Zhou Zhiwen always carried various energy cubes in his backpack, knowing that in the wild, food often worked better than battle. The Pidgey hadn't expected an extra perk; it gobbled the cube down without letting the other Pidgeys know. That meant another bonus for today, and it figured this man wouldn't mention such a trivial matter. After eating, it immediately flew off to find Wen Qi, who was usually easy to locate by the big tree when he had nothing to do.
Within a minute, the Pidgey found Wen Qi lounging on a chair in the pavilion, binge-watching a show. It landed on the chair frame beside him. As the Pidgey approached the big tree, Turtwig and Gogoat noticed it but ignored it, seeing it was just a Pidgey. Wen Qi was thoroughly entertained. He'd noticed that in this world, for a TV series or movie to be a hit, Pokémon had to be featured. Combined with advanced technology and impressive special effects, every show was spectacular—fierce battles and dazzling effects that got his blood pumping. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice the Pidgey until it chirped impatiently a few times. Startled, Wen Qi asked, "Pidgey, what's up?" The Pidgey told him someone was at the gate looking for him, waiting there, and mentioned that the person's Pokémon was strong, with an aura comparable to Gogoat's.
Wen Qi was pleased with the Pidgey's report—not only did it inform him of a visitor, but it also shared some useful observations. This Pidgey was quite sharp. Checking its info, he saw it was deep yellow quality, level 17, and likely close to evolving. Thinking about how he lacked a flying Pokémon to ride, he considered his Dratini and Noibat—both could fly when evolved, but their growth was too slow for now. This Pidgey seemed promising; with some training, it could evolve into a Pidgeotto. While it couldn't carry him in flight yet, it could glide him a short distance in a pinch. Once it evolved into a Pidgeot, it would be faster and more discreet. He couldn't always ride a Dragonite everywhere—that would draw too much attention, which didn't suit his low-key nature. Though this Pidgey was only deep yellow quality, it was likely among the best in Pidgeot's group. Finding a wild Pidgey that could fly with green quality wasn't easy. This one wasn't green, but deep yellow was close; with training, deep green might be tough, but light green was possible.
With that in mind, Wen Qi didn't rush to catch the Pidgey. Instead, he said, "After your shift today, call your leader to come see me tonight. You come too. It's good news, don't worry." When the Pidgey heard he wanted the leader, it panicked, thinking it had offended Wen Qi, nearly falling off the chair frame. But hearing it was good news, it relaxed. Without asking further, it flapped its wings and flew back toward the gate. Considering the visitor's strength, Wen Qi released Scizor. He briefed Scizor on the situation and had it train near Turtwig, telling it to ignore everything else for now. He'd considered bringing Scizor along, but the visitor was polite enough not to barge in and had sent the Pidgey to notify him. That suggested the person wasn't likely causing trouble, but given their strength, Wen Qi couldn't be unprepared. Having Scizor nearby served as a silent deterrent.