The butterfly and the bird touched once more.
Butterfree leaned in and lightly pecked Pidgeotto, then immediately blushed and lowered her head, no longer daring to meet his fierce, sharp gaze.
Pidgeotto, clearly delighted, even stuck out its tongue and gently licked her cheek with its beak.
"Pidgee!!
(Just as I thought—bugs really are delicious!)"
Witnessing this near–NTR-level scene, Metapod's eyes practically bulged out of its head as it stared at the pair.
So that's how it is, huh, Pidgeotto—thick brows, big eyes, and still stealing your brother's girl?
Weren't we the ones with an official bond?!
…As expected of my good brother!
At that moment, Metapod desperately wanted to fire off an Thunder Wave and give these two winged creatures a full-blown electric shock therapy session.
"Mi-mi!"
The pink Butterfree immediately moved in front of Pidgeotto protectively, glaring at Metapod with clear disdain.
After all, one of them was a fully evolved Pokémon, while the other was still only in its second stage.
In her eyes, Metapod was just a little brother.
A very little brother.
Metapod instantly took offense. It turned toward Ash, body trembling violently, a powerful force threatening to burst out from within.
"Pod—POD!!"
Who needs Rayquaza (as Caterpie) when a girl is on the line?!
"Ohhh, I get it—you're blessing them, right?" Ash said warmly, giving a thumbs-up.
"That magnanimity is exactly what you'll need to soar the skies one day. I'm proud of you!"
The moment he finished speaking, Metapod panicked even harder. White evolution light began spilling out uncontrollably.
Ash's face changed instantly.
The Pokédex's B button was already gone, and suppressing evolution now relied entirely on the Pokémon's willpower. Ash threw himself forward and hugged Metapod tightly, stroking its shell to calm it.
"Think about Rayquaza (as Caterpie)… think about Rayquaza (as Caterpie)…"
Metapod: "..."
The light slowly faded.
Misty pinched the bridge of her nose. Looking at the affectionate bird and butterfly nearby, she finally spoke up hesitantly:
"Uh… aren't those two in completely different Egg Groups? This isn't going to work out, you know."
Ash reflexively shot back:
"What do you know? Same Egg Group love is for offspring.
Different Egg Groups—knowing there's no future—that's true love."
At those words, the evolution light around Metapod flared up again, almost exploding.
Ash instantly backpedaled.
"Wrong, wrong! Same Egg Group is true love!
Different Egg Groups can only fire blanks!"
Misty: "..."
After finally soothing Metapod, Ash returned it to its Poké Ball.
Way too dangerous.
From now on, Metapod and Pidgeotto really shouldn't be released together.
Now then…
What about this pink Butterfree?
Ash stood up, rubbed his face, and forced the gentlest smile he could manage.
"Well then, Butterfree," he said softly,
"Would you like to travel with me?"
"Mi-mi…"
Butterfree furrowed her cute little brows and fell into thought.
Pokémon with special forms were often excluded within their own species. Sometimes, Pokémon society could be even more exclusionary than humans.
Her sense of belonging to the Butterfree swarm wasn't particularly strong.
Be captured by a human…?
She glanced at Pidgeotto.
Pidgeotto inhaled deeply, puffed out its broad chest, and stood tall and proud—radiant and heroic.
Butterfree blushed.
Decision made.
She nodded toward Ash.
Ash was overjoyed—but kept his expression calm, returning her nod with the composure of a seasoned Trainer.
Behind her back, he discreetly gave Pidgeotto a thumbs-up.
Well played, Pidgeotto.
"Pidgee!!"
Pidgeotto cried proudly, secretly thinking that its second emergency food reserve had finally been secured.
If disaster ever struck, one claw for Metapod, one claw for Butterfree—
Perfect.
As for Ash?
Just the designated food dispenser.
In a silent exchange of glances, trainer and Pokémon mentally sparred for countless rounds, neither realizing the other's true intentions. In the end, they simply smiled at each other, the very image of harmony.
"Alright then—Poké Ball, go!"
Ash tossed the Poké Ball. A flash of red light engulfed the pink Butterfree, and the ball barely shook before clicking shut.
Ash clenched the ball and shouted triumphantly:
"I caught Butterfree!!"
Since Metapod was destined to evolve into Rayquaza (as Caterpie) someday, capturing a Butterfree meant he'd now completed the entire Caterpie evolutionary line.
Not to mention—
This was a rare special-form Butterfree.
"Beep. New Pokémon captured: Butterfree."
The Pokédex chimed automatically.
"Beep. Data updated.
Butterfree (Pink), Variant Pokémon.
Due to exposure to abnormal electromagnetic waves during its larval stage, its typing has changed from Bug/Flying to Bug/Fairy."
"Fairy-type?"
Ash, Misty, and Brock exchanged looks, utterly dumbfounded.
Even the Steel-type had only recently spread from Johto. Fairy-type research, originating in Kalos, was cutting-edge knowledge—basically arcane scripture to Kanto Trainers.
As they stared at each other, Ash suddenly noticed something odd.
"Hey… Brock, your eyes—"
Before, Brock's eyes had been permanently closed. After purification, they'd become large and expressive.
Now, though, they were half-open, revealing only part of his pupils—as if he were contemplating some profound truth of life.
It was exactly like how Red always half-closed his eyes when possessing Ash—apparently to look more mature and composed.
Though Ash had always thought Red was just being secretly edgy.
Red: "..."
Just as he was about to come out and explain Fairy-types, he retreated again.
Hmph.
"But what does the Pokédex mean by 'abnormal electromagnetic waves'?" Misty asked.
Normally, Caterpie and Metapod lived in fixed areas during their early stages.
That meant this Butterfree must have been influenced by something nearby while growing up.
The three looked around.
Misty and Brock quickly locked onto the answer.
Saffron City.
A metropolis rumored to have gold everywhere.
It was also said to house the headquarters of the global giant Silph Co. And when you added Ash's mysterious special Eevee exchange voucher from Silph…
It was hard not to make the connection.
Special Eevee didn't just fall from the sky.
Some kind of experimental origin made perfect sense.
And as for who really stood behind Silph Co.—everyone knew.
Both Misty and Brock instantly grew wary of the city ahead.
Ash, meanwhile, slapped his forehead and reached his own conclusion.
"I bet it was influenced by escaped evil spirits from Lavender Town. What do you think?"
Misty & Brock: "..."
Yeah.
He really does understand Pokémon best.
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