After that, Rookidee kept following Aaron, eating with him, traveling with him, and staying close to his Pokémon.
But it never expected its Trainer to find it again.
It was captured and dragged back to that cage.
When it came out of the Poké Ball, it was already inside a glass chamber.
Rookidee recognized this place. It was where the other Pokémon had been filled with that evil red mist.
After breathing it in, those Pokémon would go berserk. Most of them could not withstand the energy and died horrible deaths.
Terrified, Rookidee threw itself against the glass again and again, chirping in panic until its voice began to crack. No one came to help. Through the red haze, it saw its former Trainer standing beyond the window, watching with the cold indifference of someone looking at a stray animal. There was no warmth in his eyes, no guilt, not even hesitation.
Then he gave the order.
The serum flooded the chamber.
The red mist poured into Rookidee's lungs, and its body began to burn from the inside out, as if every feather, bone, and nerve had been thrown into fire.
"R-Rook...!"
Light burst from its body, forcing it to evolve into Corvisquire, but the pain did not stop. If anything, it only grew worse. Violent energy forced its way through Corvisquire's body, tearing at it from the inside until death almost felt kinder.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
Desperate, Corvisquire slammed itself against the glass again and again. Its beak split. Blood soaked into its feathers. It knew that if more energy entered its body, it would break completely.
But the mist kept pouring in.
"CAAAW!"
With one last miserable cry, Corvisquire was swallowed by Evolution light again. Its body expanded, black steel-like feathers spreading over it until a massive Corviknight stood inside the chamber.
The pressure it gave off was terrifying, but its eyes were already dull. Its consciousness was fading.
In its final moments, Aaron's face appeared in its mind.
Aaron...
I miss you so much.
If there's a next life...
Can I be your Pokémon?
With that final wish, Corviknight's eyes slowly closed, and its massive body collapsed onto the cold floor.
...
Back in the real world, Aaron stood with his head lowered, tears sliding silently down his face.
He had seen Rookidee's life from beginning to end, all the way to the moment Corviknight died. And even then, at the very end, it had still been thinking of him.
Rookidee had escaped this place once.
And he had sent it back.
The thought tore through him.
"AAAAAAH!"
Aaron threw his head back and roared. His aura exploded outward, shattering the nearby glass with a violent crash.
Guilt and rage burned through his chest until there was only one thought left: every monster in this place had to die.
"Kraaa..."
A black figure appeared before him.
It was Corviknight's soul, preserved by the Battle Core Crystal.
Aaron's eyes grew wet again the moment he saw it.
"Little one..." His voice trembled. "I'm sorry."
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been captured again. You wouldn't have suffered like this. You wouldn't have died."
Corviknight looked at him gently and shook its head.
Aaron... it's not your fault.
You didn't know.
And I got to see you again.
Now we can stay together forever.
I'm happy.
Truly.
Corviknight spread its massive wings and gently wrapped them around Aaron, holding him close.
"Corviknight..."
Tears slipped from Aaron's eyes as he felt the warmth of its embrace.
Then hurried footsteps echoed through the lab.
The building's security guards had arrived.
They found Aaron standing alone in the corner, arms wrapped around empty air. Confusion spread across their faces.
Had he lost his mind?
"Everyone... kill him."
Aotum's voice suddenly came through the broadcast system.
His holographic image appeared above the experimental zone, staring down at Aaron with cold indifference.
"Yes, sir!"
The guards answered in unison and released their Pokémon.
Every one of them had elite-level strength. Hollow, unstable strength—but with six Pokémon per guard and nearly two hundred in total, numbers alone turned the experimental zone into a battlefield.
"Attack!"
"Tear him apart!"
At the guards' command, the Pokémon surged forward. Roars, shrieks, and metallic cries erupted through the laboratory as they charged.
Aaron slowly opened his eyes.
They were cold, bloodshot, and empty of mercy.
He reached for his Poké Balls.
"Come out, everyone."
His voice was quiet.
"Free battle."
"Kill them all."
Light flashed.
Greninja, Snorlax, Gyarados, Sceptile, Charizard, Blaziken, and Beedrill appeared around him.
"Grenin..."
"SNOOOR-LAX!!"
"GRAAAH!"
Their cries filled the lab, low and furious.
These were the people who had killed Rookidee.
They deserved to die.