Just as Hora prepared to let Bulbasaur snatch the Water Stone, the cold mechanical voice of the System rang out:
[Detection: Ash's Pidgeotto found. Triggering Task Selection.]
Task Content: Capture Ash's Pidgeotto.
Option 1: Accept. Reward: "Ash's Pidgeotto."
Option 2: Refuse. No reward.
The Illogical Task
Hora froze. This was the first time the System had offered a choice, and the logic was nonsensical—the task was to capture it, and the reward was... the Pokémon itself? Since completing the Weedle egg task, the System's rewards had become increasingly strange, like the "Red's Underdog" title.
He requested the System to highlight the target. A single Pidgeotto in the fray glowed with a faint fluorescent marker. Its stats appeared:
[Pokémon - Pidgeotto , Level - 18, Potential - C, Ability - Keen eye, Upgrade limit - 0]
Hora's frown deepened. This Pidgeotto had average potential and no room for growth (Upgrade Limit: 0). It wasn't worth the risk of entering a battlefield of dozens of angry Pokémon.
The Choice: Integrity over Advantage
"System, is there a penalty for refusing?"
"Searching... No penalty for refusal."
"Then I refuse," Hora said without hesitation.
His reasons were clear. First, this Pidgeotto was part of Ash's destiny. Changing Ash's path through a "System handout" felt cheap. Second, Hora wanted a fair peak confrontation with a "fully grown" Ash in the future. He didn't want to win by sabotaging his rival's growth. His bottom line was becoming clear: No opportunistic tricks, and no betraying his own heart.
The Heist
As the System notification faded, Hora focused on the battlefield. Fearow and Beedrill were battered and exhausted.
"Now!" Hora whispered. He dashed out of the bushes and stood in the middle of the clearing, acting like a greedy, bumbling rookie.
"Woah! Look at all these injured Pokémon! I'm gonna be rich!" he shouted, faking a move toward his Poké Balls.
This distraction worked perfectly. Every wild Pokémon turned to glare at the "intruder." Meanwhile, Bulbasaur, hidden behind a rock, extended a silent Vine Whip. It wrapped around the Water Stone and dragged it into the grass without making a single sound.
To complete the act, Hora dodged a Poison Sting from a furious Beedrill and screamed in "terror." "Yikes! They're actually attacking! Too scary!" He turned and bolted into the woods.
The Blame Game
The Beedrill didn't bother chasing a "cowardly rookie." It turned back to the clearing, only to find the rock crevice empty. The Water Stone was gone.
"BZZZZZT!" Beedrill exploded in rage. It glared at Fearow, certain that its ancient rival had used the distraction to steal the prize. Fearow shrieked back in denial, but the logic of the wild was simple: if I didn't have it, and the human ran away empty-handed, you must have it!
The war reignited with even more ferocity. Amidst the feathers and stingers, the "undercover" Kakuna quietly wiggled its way out of the bug faction and disappeared into the safety of the tall grass to rejoin its master.