"...Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" Ash waved his hand dramatically, instructing Pikachu to unleash its Thunder Shock attack towards the Spearow in front of them!
Golden sparks shot out from Pikachu's body, piercing the sky and striking the Spearow.
The Spearow let out a miserable cry, its feathers singed black from the electricity, and finally collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
"Great job! That's the tenth Pokémon we've defeated!"
Ash excitedly pumped his fist, high-fiving Pikachu's tail in celebration.
With the defeat of this Spearow, they had now defeated ten wild Pokémon in total. Ash could feel the Aura within Pikachu growing at a perceptible rate.
The Aura within both humans and Pokémon represents not just life force, but also their strength.
The stronger the Aura, the stronger the actual power, which was part of the information described in that 'instruction manual.'
However, the manual didn't provide any standard for strength levels, so Ash wasn't sure what level Pikachu had reached now, or rather...
He didn't even know the naming conventions for Pokémon level classifications.
All he knew was that each Pokémon Pikachu defeated slightly increased its skill proficiency, as well as its own Aura, and that was enough.
But Ash also noticed that as they defeated more Pokémon, Pikachu's progress had slowed down. After defeating this tenth Spearow, Pikachu's Aura only grew minimally.
Regarding this issue, Ash asked the pros in his group chat, and they explained that because Pikachu's level was increasing, but the Pokémon they battled weren't much stronger, Pikachu's progress naturally slowed.
It's like in a game, leveling up reduces the experience gained from weaker enemies, and since it takes more experience as you level up, progress slows overall.
So, to level up faster, you need to battle stronger Pokémon, which is beneficial for Pokémon development regardless of win or loss.
Having received 'his own' advice, Ash decided to head to Viridian City first to see what these so-called Gym challenges were about.
However, just as Ash was thinking this, a flock of Spearow appeared...
"An experience pack delivered right to me? On purpos... Oh no!" Ash and Pikachu were ready to charge into battle when, after the first dozen Spearow, another dozen appeared, followed by even more.
In total, the Spearow flock numbered over a hundred!
Amidst the massive flock, Ash astutely spotted the Spearow he had defeated as the tenth Pokémon.
"They've come back for revenge with their whole family! Is it that serious? Such a grudge! Pikachu, they're all yours!" Ash gestured, sending Pikachu forward.
Immediately, Pikachu scampered behind Ash, shaking its little head frantically.
Whoever wants to fight can go fight, but it's not going to be Pikachu!
Are you kidding? Pikachu was only a fledgling little Pokémon. Fighting against a hundred Spearow? That was a death sentence!
"Pika Pika! Pikachu!" Ash, I've chosen you!
"Hey, what do you mean? I'm a human! You expect me to fight over a hundred Spearow?"
"Pika? Pikachu Pi." Aren't you strong? It's time to show your skills.
"You*&%#￥%!!"
"Screech!!" As Ash and Pikachu were arguing, the Spearow flock, tired of waiting, began their charge like arrows being released!
Ash was stunned but didn't hesitate to grab Pikachu and run the other way!
"Pika Pika!" Why are we running? Let's fight them!
"Fight them, my foot! Can't you see how many Spearow there are? Why aren't you doing something?" Ash complained, holding Pikachu tightly as he ran.
Although Ash had obtained Aura Power, he still didn't have a clear understanding of his strength. If it were Aura Ash here, he could easily take down the Spearow flock with a raise of his hand.
But as for Ash, who had just acquired Aura Power, facing a hundred Spearow was intimidating.
With the Aura Power enhancing Ash, his speed had already surpassed that of normal humans.
Although the Spearow flock was fast, they couldn't keep up with Ash's speed.
Pikachu leaped from Ash's grip, landing on his shoulder, clinging to his shirt while watching the rapidly diminishing Spearow flock, a mischievous expression on its face.
Is this a human's running speed?
Spearow, as Flying Type Pokémon, weren't known for slowness, certainly faster than regular humans, but Ash's speed even surpassed theirs. It could only be described as bizarre.
But then again, considering Ash could defeat Pikachu barehanded, maybe him running faster than a Spearow could fly wasn't unreasonable after all.
"Pika Pika~~" Confirming it was out of danger, Pikachu made a funny face at the Spearow flock.
It had only defeated one Spearow, yet the others called in hundreds for revenge. Their vengefulness was downright annoying!
So Pikachu decided to be annoying right back!
If it couldn't beat them, it could at least irritate them, right?
Seeing Pikachu pulling faces, the Spearows got angrier, flapping frantically, but they realized they couldn't catch up with the human, the gap only widening.
"Screech!!" Some of the higher-level Spearow in the flock let out sharp cries, their speed surging several times faster!
Skill—Quick Attack!
With the boost from Quick Attack, a dozen higher-level Spearow rapidly closed the distance!
"Pika! Pika Pi!!" Ash, run faster! They're catching up!
"What?? I clearly managed to put some distance between us!" Ash looked back, as Pikachu said, a dozen Spearow were closing in!
"I'm telling you, don't force my hand! Just because I don't want to fight doesn't mean I'm afraid of you!"
The Spearow flock closed in to fifty meters
"You still have time to leave, there's a chance for peace!"
The Spearow flock closed in to twenty meters
"Fine, you're asking for it... Damn it, Aura Sphere!!" Seeing there was no way to stop the relentless approach, Ash bit his lip, reaching his hand towards the Spearow flock.
A blue energy gathered in Ash's palm, and in less than a second, a vivid blue Aura Sphere formed, launching forward!
The speeding Spearow flock never expected the human's counterattack to be real, giving them no chance to dodge. The Aura Sphere exploded at the center of the dozen Spearow in front!
"Boom!!"
The explosion's black smoke rose over the verdant grass, as Ash spun around, his feet grinding into the earth as he halted his escape.
This Aura Sphere was imbued with fifty percent of his power; he wanted to see what kind of damage it could do to the Spearow flock. If it defeated more than five Spearow, he wasn't running anymore!
You like giving chase? Today, I'll entertain you all the way!