— The Test of the Rainbow Warrior!
Misty's body tensed the instant she felt Alex's strong hands cupping her ass through the thin fabric of her ultra-short overalls. Heat flooded her face in a deep blush. She squirmed free from his hold, feet hitting the ground, and blurted out in a rush, "Hurry! Those Spearow are still coming!"
Alex glanced up casually. "Too late. They've already caught up."
A dark cloud of furious Spearow descended, screeching and Growling, beaks glinting. Pikachu hopped down from Alex's shoulder and planted itself in front, golden sparks crackling across its cheek pouches, tail lashing like a live wire.
Misty grabbed Alex's sleeve, voice tight with panic. "We need to run! There are way too many — we can't win against a whole flock!"
Spearow were notorious for their hot tempers; they'd attack humans and Pokémon without hesitation. Misty had already learned that the hard way — one or two were manageable, but an entire family? No chance.
Alex's eyes narrowed, calm and focused. "Hard to win? I don't see it that way."
He stepped forward slowly, placing himself beside Pikachu.
The moment he moved, three aggressive Spearow from the front line dove straight at his head, beaks aimed like daggers.
"Watch out!" Misty cried, heart in her throat.
Alex didn't flinch.
His backhand cracked across the lead Spearow's face with a sharp *slap* that sent it spinning. In the same fluid motion, he whipped a graceful roundhouse kick — Super Combat Physique making every movement effortless and devastating — launching all three attackers tumbling through the air like feathered bowling pins.
Misty's mouth fell open. Those moves were clean, precise, and stupidly fast. And damn if Alex didn't look good doing it — tall, handsome, confident, the kind of guy who turned heads without trying.
The rest of the flock screeched in outrage and prepared to swarm.
Alex didn't blink. He glanced at Pikachu and gave the command: "Pikachu — hit them with your strongest Thunder Shock!"
Time for the flock's natural predator to shine.
The Spearow, seeing only a tiny yellow mouse, charged fearlessly in a wave.
"Pika~CHUUUU!"
Golden arcs exploded around Pikachu's body. The tiny sparks swelled instantly into roaring bolts of electricity that arced outward in every direction, thick and blinding.
Sizzle-crackle-BOOM!
A golden storm engulfed the entire flock. High-pitched shrieks of terror filled the air as feathers scorched and bodies convulsed. The smell of burnt plumage hung heavy. One by one, the Spearow dropped like blackened stones — eyes rolled back, twitching, completely fried.
When the light faded, the once-arrogant flock lay scattered across the grass, dazed and defeated, too shocked to even flap a wing.
"Pikachu, perfect," Alex said, voice full of pride.
Pikachu hopped back onto his shoulder with a smug "Pika-pi!" tail flicking triumphantly.
Misty stared, wide-eyed and speechless. That Pikachu was insanely strong. And its Trainer… even stronger.
Alex turned to her, softening his tone. "All clear. You okay?"
Up close, Misty was even prettier than he'd first thought. Fiery orange hair tied in a high side ponytail, bright teal eyes, a yellow sleeveless crop top that hugged her slim waist and showed off a teasing strip of toned midriff. Ultra-short denim overalls barely covered her thighs, leaving her long, smooth, jade-white legs fully on display — flawless and endlessly distracting.
She wasn't voluptuous, more like a perfect "small bun" — petite curves in all the right places, athletic and cute as hell.
"I-I'm fine," she stammered, finally snapping out of it. "Sorry… I'm Misty. I got tricked by a stupid Rattata. It stole my lunch, I chased it, it bumped into a Spearow… and then the whole flock came after me."
She left out the part where Alex had caught her ass-first. Her cheeks stayed pink.
Alex smiled. "I'm Alex. Heading out to become a Pokémon Master. Indigo Plateau Conference is the first big step."
Misty's eyes lit up. "Me too! Well… sort of. I want to be a Water-type Pokémon Master. Kind of the same dream, right?"
[Ding! 'Beauty' Quest triggered: Become travel partners with Misty, raise intimacy level, and establish a romantic relationship!]
[Quest Reward: Viridian Power (Super affinity with Pokémon, telepathic communication, minor healing ability, temporary stat boosts, and under special conditions, massive power amplification for your Pokémon)]
They chatted easily as they walked. Alex was smooth, funny, genuinely interested — and it didn't take long to convince her.
"Yeah… traveling together sounds way better than going solo," Misty admitted with a shy smile. "Let's do it."
Just then the sky opened up. Heavy rain poured down.
Alex grabbed her hand without thinking. "Come on — shelter!"
They dashed under a thick cluster of trees with Pikachu riding shotgun. Huddled close to stay dry, conversation flowed even easier — laughing about the Spearow chase, sharing battle stories, stealing little glances.
The rain eventually eased into a soft drizzle. The air smelled clean and sweet, earth and flowers mixing together.
Then a strange, haunting melody drifted down from above — beautiful, almost otherworldly.
They looked up.
Misty's eyes widened in awe. "That… isn't that a Fearow?"
High in the sunset sky, a massive bird soared, trailing a radiant rainbow aura. Glittering motes of light scattered behind it like falling stars. From this distance the outline was clear — long beak, sharp wings — but the colors were impossible for any normal Fearow.
Alex spotted it first: a single iridescent feather drifting slowly down. It landed right in front of him, glowing softly with seven colors.
"Uh… yeah," he said quietly. "That's definitely a Fearow."
A shiny one.
[Ding! 'Rainbow Hero's Trial' Quest triggered: Complete Ho-Oh's test!]
The feather pulsed once, warm against his palm.
Alex looked at Misty, then at Pikachu, a slow grin spreading across his face.
This journey just got a whole lot more interesting.