Chapter 9: The Hunt for the Hawk

The years passed, and with them, Alex's body grew stronger.

His muscles, once weak and awkward in his unfamiliar form, had become lean and efficient. His agility had sharpened, his reflexes honed by the brutal necessity of survival. His hunts, once clumsy and frustrating, had transformed into precise, calculated ambushes.

But the greatest change of all…

Was his control over his power.

The strange warmth—the mysterious energy he had discovered all those years ago—had become an integral part of him. He still didn't fully understand it, but he knew how to use it.

At first, he had only been able to blend into the environment for a few moments before the warmth faded. But over time, he trained his body to maintain the sensation longer, to stretch the energy like an unseen cloak.

And yet, something still bothered him.

No techniques had ever surfaced in his mind. No Water Gun, no Quick Attack, no Double Team.

There was no "level-up system" guiding his progress, no pre-determined moveset unfolding as he grew stronger.

It was just him.

Learning. Adapting. Surviving.

And now, after years of patience, he had set his eyes on his greatest challenge.

The Hawk.

The hawk had haunted him for years.

At first, it was a creature of fear, a reminder of his vulnerability. A shadow that loomed high in the sky, watching, waiting, a predator beyond his reach.

But as Alex grew stronger, the fear turned to something else.

Frustration.

The hawk was the strongest thing he had ever seen.

It was a monarch of the skies, an apex predator, a ruler of this strange, untamed world.

And yet, Alex did not know what it was.

It was not a Pokémon.

At least, not any Pokémon he had ever seen.

That single fact had been gnawing at him for years.

If this world had creatures that weren't Pokémon, then where was he?

If this hawk—**this massive, impossible bird, large enough to carry a human on its back—**was not a Fearow or a Pidgeot, then…

What was it?

And more importantly…

What else was out there?

These questions remained unanswered. But there was one thing he knew for certain.

If he wanted to truly master his abilities—if he wanted to claim his place in this world—he needed to defeat the hawk.

Not for food.

Not for territory.

Not for revenge.

But because it was the strongest thing he knew.

And if he wanted to grow stronger…

He had to surpass it.

Alex crouched beneath the shadow of a twisted tree, staring up at the sky as the evening sun dipped below the horizon. The hawk would hunt soon—just as it always did.

He had spent years watching it.

Tracking its movements. Learning its patterns.

He knew that it preferred to hunt at dusk, striking with terrifying speed, snatching up rodents and small creatures before they could react.

He had seen it pierce through the sky like a living spear, had watched it dive with enough force to crush bone and shatter flesh.

It was fast.

It was brutal.

And if he fought it head-on, he would lose.

So, he needed a strategy.

Step One: Lure it into attacking.

If the hawk saw him as prey, it would come after him without hesitation. He would make himself an easy target, waiting in an open clearing, slow and vulnerable.

Step Two: Use PP to disappear.

The moment the hawk struck, he would vanish into his surroundings, making it lose sight of him. If he timed it perfectly, it would throw off the bird's attack, forcing it to pull up abruptly or crash into the ground.

Step Three: Counterattack.

Once the hawk was disoriented, that was his chance. He would use his speed and agility to strike back, aiming for its wings or eyes—the weakest points.

If he could cripple its ability to fly, the battle would be his.

It was risky.

But it was the only way.

Alex took a deep breath, his webbed fingers digging into the damp earth beneath him. The old fear still lurked in his heart, whispering doubts.

But he silenced them.

This was his test.

His greatest hunt.

His first real battle.

And no matter what happened…

He would see it through.

The salty breeze of the eastern sea carried the scent of brine and damp wood as Jiraiya sat on the deck of a small fishing boat, staring at the endless waves stretching toward the horizon. The water was calm, a deceptive peace that didn't match the frustration building in his chest.

It had been years.

Years of searching.

Years of following dead ends.

Years of chasing an anomaly that didn't want to be found.

At first, he had searched through the Hidden Villages, hoping for whispers of a strange chakra signature, a new beast, or something that matched Gamamaru's description.

Nothing.

Then, he turned to the wilderness, investigating ancient forests, uncharted mountains, and forgotten ruins.

Still nothing.

Now, he was following the last possible lead—the vast, untamed waters surrounding the Hidden Mist Village.

If whatever he was looking for wasn't in human civilization, then the only logical conclusion was that it was hidden somewhere in the wildest parts of the world.

The Land of Water had countless remote islands, some barely large enough to sustain life, others covered in thick jungles and towering cliffs. If there was a place for a creature to go completely unnoticed, this was it.

But so far…

Nothing.

Again.

Jiraiya exhaled through his nose, rubbing the bridge between his eyes as the boat gently rocked beneath him.

Was it possible that Gamamaru had been wrong?

No.

The Great Toad Sage never made mistakes when it came to prophecies.

Which meant…

The anomaly was still out there.

And that was what bothered him the most.

If it had been another ninja, there would have been some trace—rumors, a witness, a trail.

If it had been a powerful beast, someone would have seen it by now.

But for something to be able to use Nature Energy instinctively and leave absolutely no sign of its existence?

That was terrifying.

The only explanation was that whatever it was…

It had never interacted with humans at all.

Which meant it was either still growing, still learning…

Or waiting.

Jiraiya stared out at the ocean, the waves stretching endlessly toward the mist-covered islands in the distance.

Somewhere out there, hidden away from the rest of the world, was a creature that could change everything.

And he was going to find it.

The answer to Jiraiya's search lay beyond the horizon, on an island untouched by man.

It was a lonely place, shrouded in mist, surrounded by sharp cliffs and treacherous waters. The storms of the eastern sea battered its shores, and the dense jungle that covered it remained unexplored and unseen for generations.

This was where Alex had survived for years.

Unknowingly hidden from the world.

Unaware that a legendary ninja was searching for him.

And as Jiraiya's boat drifted toward yet another lead, Alex was preparing for the battle of his life—against an opponent he had no idea was being hunted too.

The world was moving.

And soon…

The search would end.

One way or another.