The young man sighed, squatting down to look at Pikachu. Seeing that Ash was about to get overly emotional, Paul found a shady spot under a tree with mild interest, waiting for Ash's performance.
Sure enough, just as expected, Ash was promptly tricked by Pikachu and received another electric shock.
* Tsk tsk, could it be that the daily electric current stimulation is the secret of Ash's physical strength? * Paul rubbed his chin, considering whether he should let Elekid give him a jolt too.
Ash seemed to have given up on persuading Pikachu and looked at Paul helplessly. "Pikachu is really annoying."
Paul shrugged. "Well, it's often like this at the beginning. It means your training isn't good enough yet."
The most exasperating part was that Pikachu actually nodded along in agreement.
Ash shot Pikachu an annoyed glance. Humph!
At this moment, a burst of soft footsteps caught Paul and Ash's attention.
Wow! A cute Pidgey appeared in front of them.
"It's Pidgey." Paul pouted slightly; he was more inclined to capture a Pidgeotto directly.
Ash, on the other hand, excitedly started digging out his Pokédex. His foundational knowledge was poor, though; he might not even recognize all the common bird Pokémon.
"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Its gentle nature makes it perfect for beginner trainers to test their skills!" The electronically synthesized voice of the Pokédex explained.
"So that's it! Pikachu, go catch it!" Ash said confidently.
Pikachu just looked coolly aloof, ignoring him completely.
"Eh? Why aren't you cooperating, Pikachu?" Ash looked at Pikachu, who was lounging idly at his feet, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Why don't you catch it, Paul?" Ash asked helplessly.
"No, I'm not interested in those who are too weak," Paul stated bluntly.
Although he wouldn't treat Pokémon as harshly as tools like before, selecting his own Pokémon carefully was still important, and he wouldn't be sloppy about it.
Seeing Pikachu practically dozing off, Ash's determination returned.
"I don't believe it! How can someone as excellent as me not even handle a Pidgey! Hmph!"
Finished speaking, Ash took off an empty Poké Ball from his waist, turned his hat backwards, and threw the ball with a full windup! " Poké Ball, go!!"
Paul watched, thinking, * What?! This isn't school, Ash! Don't tell me good people learn from Goh now? *
That's right, although Paul often caught and released Pokémon, he could proudly say, * Every Pokémon I have was captured cleanly through battle! *
Facts proved that the 'one ball capture' method often fails. Sure enough, although the Poké Ball briefly contained Pidgey, it broke free almost immediately.
Pidgey shook its head and hurried into the grass, slipping away quickly.
"You can't do that, Ash. You have to battle and convince a Pokémon if you want to tame it. Just throwing a ball without fighting... it's a disturbingly popular method," Paul reminded him, somewhat kindly.
"I know that too..." Ash glanced at Pikachu, who was now perched on a branch, clutching its stomach and laughing at him. * So annoying! *
"Forget it, I'll use my own method to solve it!!" Ash declared, then glanced at his backpack, his eyes lighting up.
Paul covered his face. * Ash is having another one of his 'brilliant' ideas... *
Ash took out the dirty pajamas that had been shocked earlier that morning, held them like a net, and began to tiptoe towards the grass.
Paul sighed. * This guy is really something else... *
Ash sneaked into the grass, reassuring himself, * Nothing to be afraid of... *
Then~
He found himself awkwardly face to face with the Pidgey, which had raised its head. Ash didn't hesitate; he lunged, trying to throw his pajamas over it like a hood.
"Be careful!" Paul only had time to shout those two words before Ash was suddenly launched into the air!
A powerful Gust from Pidgey lifted the boy two meters high, followed by a blast of Sand Attack that coated Ash's body. The Pidgey calmly turned and flew away.
Ash picked himself up, sputtered for a moment, then finally said, "It's different from the bird in the clock..."
Paul deadpanned, "Well, that one's probably not real."
Seeing Pikachu practically dying of laughter, Ash became even more indignant.
Several more Pidgey appeared in the canopy of a large tree nearby. Ash picked up a stone, preparing to try again.
"Rie~!!" At that moment, a sharp cry caught Paul's attention.
"Spearow!!" Paul immediately released Elekid and stood ready. * This isn't Pidgey. If you mess with one Spearow, you might get the whole flock! *
But before Paul could stop him, Ash had already chucked the stone.
The flying Spearow dodged easily, ignored the two humans, and dove into the grass instead, seemingly afraid of something.
"Better!!~"
As expected. In the next second, a Pidgeotto with strikingly vibrant plumage and a larger build than others of its kind, blazing with a fierce white fighting spirit (Brave Bird aura), swooped down ferociously!
Boom! It slammed into the ground, punching a hole directly where the Spearow had hidden.
The Spearow was blasted backwards out of the grass, its body scorched!
"Strong!" it cried shrilly towards the forest before falling, defeated.
* Brave Bird?! * Paul was stunned. * Can Pidgeotto even learn that move? *
"Bi~bi~" The Pidgeotto seemed to have exhausted its energy, collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.
"Go, Elekid!" Paul acted decisively.
"Bi!!!" The Pidgeotto seemed to notice Paul approaching and tried to flap its wings to escape, but it clearly had no strength left. Paul frowned and stopped Elekid from attacking.
"Pidgeotto, you can't fight anymore in this state. Come with me to the Pokémon Center first. After you recover, how about we have a proper battle?" Paul stepped forward and offered. He didn't want a potentially powerful bird he admired to suffer lasting injuries.
"Bi~?" The Pidgeotto stared intently at Paul. Unlike ordinary Pidgeotto, this one had sharp, extremely aggressive eyes.
Too bad for it, Paul, already looking somewhat like a villain himself, thought, * I've never lost a staring contest! *
After locking eyes for three seconds, the Pidgeotto gave a slight nod. Paul threw his Poké Ball.
Without resistance, the ball clicked shut. Paul picked it up, unsurprised. This wasn't a true capture yet, merely an agreement. It had given Paul a chance. When this bird recovered its strength, the real capture battle would begin!
"Paul, sorry to interrupt your cool moment! But we have to run!!" Ash's panicked voice broke through.
"Huh?" Paul turned his head. * What the--?! *
Paul immediately recalled Elekid and started running wildly. A massive flock of Spearow hovered over them like a dark, angry cloud.
"Ash!!! What did you do now?!"
Ash pursed his lips and said sheepishly, "Well... didn't that Spearow lose its fighting power? So... I caught it."
Paul stared in disbelief. * Ash, you idiot! What were you thinking?! *
A huge flock of Spearow flew over to see who bullied their family member, only to find Ash essentially confessing right in front of them?!
"Ah, I couldn't help it! Run!!!" Ash grabbed Pikachu and ran desperately.
Paul's scalp tingled seeing the sheer number of angry Spearow.
* Damn it! We have to split up, or we're both done for! *
With that thought, Paul veered sharply to Ash's left, running in a different direction.
Sure enough, Ash was the main target. Only about a dozen Spearow broke off to chase Paul.
After running for about ten minutes, the sky grew darker and darker. A thunderstorm was clearly brewing.
"Sliding shovel!" Paul aimed himself towards a tree hollow he spotted. "Elekid, Thunderbolt, wide cover strike!!"
Elekid jumped up, guarding the tree hollow entrance. With a violent burst of electricity, the lightning sent the pursuing Spearow flying.
Hit by the Electric type move they feared most, the few remaining Spearow finally scattered in defeat.
Huh~ Paul caught his breath, recalled Elekid, and continued running. * Hopefully, Ash can manage to turn disaster into fortune like in the stories... *
The thunderstorm hit hard around noon. Paul hurried towards the direction Ash had gone.
"BOOM!!" A massive bolt of lightning struck down from the sky. * That must be Pikachu's ultimate move, Thunder! *
Paul looked up. * It finally happened. The bond between Ash and Pikachu must be solid now. Good. *
Without further hesitation, Paul ran quickly towards the source of the thunder.
Thunderstorms often pass as quickly as they arrive. By the time Paul found Ash, the dark clouds in the sky were slowly dispersing.
When he reached Ash's side, Paul couldn't help but gasp. Ash's body was covered in wounds; many bruises were still oozing blood.
* You want that kind of bond? This is the price! *
Taking out bandages, Paul began treating Ash's wounds. As for Pikachu, he applied some Potion, but the rest would need Nurse Joy's care.
While Paul was wrapping a bandage, Ash woke up. He touched Pikachu curled up in his arms, then looked at Paul. "Paul, are you hurt too?"
Paul replied, "If you weren't already injured, I'd really want to punch you right now! Don't jinx it!"
"Hey, then... Pikachu and I are okay?" Ash asked, surprised.
"Fortunately. I've done some first aid," Paul nodded.
At this time, Pikachu also woke up and weakly licked Ash's cheek.
They looked at each other, a clear understanding passing between them.
"Yan~!!" High among the colorful clouds breaking through, the magnificent Rainbow Pokémon, Ho-Oh, traced an arc across the sky and flew away quietly.
Ash tremblingly took out his Pokédex. "There's no data..."
Paul felt speechless and put the Pokédex back into Ash's pocket for him. "You're hurt like this, and you're still thinking about data? That was Ho-Oh, a legendary Pokémon said to have the power to bring the dead back to life."
Ash sat up stiffly. "What? That's amazing! I really want it!"
Paul looked exasperated. * Is he serious? 'I really want it!' Everyone wants Ho-Oh! *
But speaking of legendary Pokémon, Paul remembered hearing about powerful trainers in the Sinnoh Alliance... * Maybe following this guy isn't so bad... could I snag a legendary Pokémon or two along the way? *
On Ash's lap, Pikachu, after a brief moment of alertness, passed out again from exhaustion.
"Paul, Pikachu fainted again! What should we do?!" Ash hugged Pikachu nervously.
"I just did emergency treatment. We need to get it to the Pokémon Center. If we follow this road, we should reach Viridian City soon."
Ash regained some energy after resting briefly. "Okay, then let's go!" After speaking, he carefully lifted Pikachu, trotted off down the road, and quickly disappeared from Paul's sight.
Paul watched him go. * This super rookie... incredible endurance... *
Turning his head, he saw the charred remains of a bicycle by the side of the road. Paul shuddered. * Forget it. I better get to the Pokémon Center fast. Ash can deal with the bike owner's anger. *
At this very moment, Miss Misty, a self-proclaimed world-class beautiful girl and professional Water type Pokémon trainer from Cerulean City, was heading this way, looking ready for battle…