Rumble—!
On the light screen, thunder roared, intertwining with the boy's defiant shout.
Facing the Spearow flock diving down like a mass of black storm clouds, Ash didn't retreat. Instead, he spread his arms wide and roared provocatively:
"Come on! I'm right here!
If you want to hurt my partner, you'll have to get past me first!!"
The Spearow were enraged. Their originally scattered attacks instantly converged, every single one charging straight toward this suicidal human.
And that—was exactly what Ash wanted.
"Pikachu!!"
At the very moment the Spearow swarm was about to swallow him whole, Pikachu moved.
It sprang off Ash's shoulder, using him as a foothold, leaping high into the air. Amid the torrential rain and raging thunder, it was as if Pikachu resonated with the lightning of heaven and earth itself.
"PI—KA—CHUUUUU—!!!!"
In an instant, a golden pillar of lightning blazed straight into the sky, drawing down the natural lightning within the clouds.
Heaven and earth changed color!
Terrifying arcs of electricity spread like a vast golden net, instantly engulfing every Spearow. Even the dark clouds and pouring rain were torn apart by that single strike!
BOOM!!!
After the thunderous explosion, sunlight pierced through the clouds and spilled into the forest.
Hundreds of Spearow, scorched black, rained down like dumplings, crackling as they hit the ground—unable to fly ever again.
Ash and Pikachu, both covered in wounds, stood bathed in the post-rain sunlight and exchanged a smile. They were battered and exhausted, but the light known as bond shone even brighter than the sun itself.
When the scene ended, chatrooms across the world exploded.
[Volkner (Sinnoh Gym Leader): H-Hey, is that for real?! That attack actually drew in natural lightning?! Is that something a rookie Pikachu can pull off? That power's almost on par with my Luxray!]
[Lance (Kanto Champion): That wasn't just raw power—it was spirit. That boy used his own body as bait to create the one and only opening for Pikachu. That kind of boldness… he's a born Champion candidate.]
[Bruno (Kanto Elite Four): Hahaha! Good! Guts like that! This kind of hot-blooded battle—that's a man's romance!]
[Diantha (Kalos Champion): A true uncut gem. But… his fundamentals and battle technique are extremely rough. He's fighting purely on instinct and reckless courage. With proper training, he might one day even challenge us—but for now, he still needs a lot of polishing.]
Watching these figures at the pinnacle of the world openly critique—and even anticipate—a rookie Trainer, ordinary Trainers everywhere fell silent.
They admitted the scene was exhilarating, but to say Ash might one day rival Champions? That was just too outrageous.
Yet at that moment, an especially glaring message popped up.
[Someone豪 (Vermilion City): Tch, what's everyone hyping up? He just got lucky and called down lightning. If it were me, I'd have already caught that whole Spearow flock. When I'm old enough to travel, I'll do even better. My goal is to catch every Pokémon in the world—and finally catch Mew! This kind of fight doesn't mean anything.]
The arrogant, ignorant comment froze the chat for a split second—before being promptly ignored.
Because the light screen changed once more.
After the rain, a brilliant rainbow arced across the sky.
As Ash and Pikachu stood there, staring blankly at it, a massive figure glowing with golden radiance and bearing seven-colored wings slowly flew across the heavens.
The image was somewhat blurry, showing only a silhouette, yet the sacred, noble aura—an overwhelming presence that seemed to stand above all living things—made everyone feel suffocated even through the screen.
It flew beneath the rainbow, scattering specks of golden light, then vanished into the distant sky.
In that instant, all discussion of the previous battle was cut short—as if someone had grabbed the world by the throat.
[Professor Oak: That is… wait! That silhouette—could it be…? Impossible! There's no such record in the Kanto Pokédex!]
[Lance: That pressure… it's definitely not an ordinary Fearow or Pidgeot. Could it be… a new Legendary Pokémon?]
In the real world—
Misty stared at the golden figure on the screen, then glanced at the grinning Ash beside her, her expression turning complicated.
"This guy…"
she muttered inwardly.
"Fresh out of Pallet Town and he runs into Pikachu, then something like that… This luck is completely ridiculous. Did he burn through a lifetime's worth of luck on day one? Is that why his Gym battles later were such a struggle?"
"Huh? Misty, why are you staring at me?" Ash asked, touching his face with a clueless look. "Do I still have mud on me?"
"…It's nothing." Misty twitched at the corner of her mouth and looked away. "I just think an idiot as tough as you doesn't really need me worrying about him."
At that moment, the cold mechanical voice rang out again, cutting through everyone's thoughts.
["Legendary Pokémon"-level presence detected.]
[Interactive Q&A event triggered!]
The image froze on the golden silhouette. Then, three massive options appeared in midair.
[Question: After defeating the Spearow flock, the mysterious Pokémon witnessed by rookie Trainer Ash beneath the rainbow was—what exactly?]
[A. Shiny Fearow (Overdeveloped Variant)]
[B. The Legendary God of Thunder — Zapdos]
[C. The Legendary God of Life — Ho-Oh]
[Rules: All chat participants may answer. Two attempts per person.]
[Reward: Those who answer correctly will receive a random, generous reward (including rare items, TMs, or even Pokémon Eggs).]
[Penalty: Those who answer incorrectly will suffer a random punishment.]
This sudden Q&A plunged the entire world into silence.
But the eerie quiet lasted only a single second.
Then everyone reacted at once.
Rewards.
Rewards that even Champions might covet.
And this question… seemed not that hard?
Option A—what even was that? An overdeveloped Fearow? What kind of Fearow looked like that? Obviously filler!
So the answer had to be between B and C!
Countless hands hovered over the virtual answer button.
An unseen battlefield ignited in an instant, and silent smoke of competition spread across the world.