As he spoke, Clemont pressed the switch on his machine.
"Dong, dong, dong…"
The rhythm was oddly catchy…
Only—up in the sky—that Fletchling showed absolutely no intention of being lured down.
"Bzzz… bzzz… bzzz…"
Instead of attracting Fletchling, the machine somehow roused a much more troublesome audience—
From all around the trees came the ominous droning of wings.
And then—like an inevitable curse for every adventurer—
a whole swarm of Beedrill descended upon them!
"Bzzz! Bzzz!"
In seconds, the Beedrill had them completely surrounded.
"Froa!"
Froakie planted itself firmly in front of everyone, as if declaring—
"If you want to get to them, you'll have to go through me first."
A loyal little fellow, though… its current strength wasn't enough to handle this situation.
Ash gave Pikachu a single look. Pikachu understood instantly.
The Beedrill charged in unison!
"Pika… CHU!!!"
A burst of electricity flashed through the clearing.
Pikachu hadn't used his full power—after all, the Beedrill weren't acting out of malice.
It was just enough of a jolt to scare them off.
Froakie stared at Pikachu in surprise.
It hadn't realized Pikachu was that strong.
"Wow! Pikachu, you're amazing! You're so cool!"
Bonnie's eyes sparkled with little stars.
At that moment, Clemont's machine suddenly exploded in his hands!
Ash reacted instantly—snatching up Froakie and leaping away from the blast radius.
Clemont and Bonnie, however, got caught in the shockwave.
When the smoke cleared… their hair had transformed into comically perfect afros.
Ash chuckled at the sight, but quickly shifted his focus back to their surroundings.
That's when he spotted it—just ahead—
the rocky canyon from the original storyline.
A place with scattered boulders, perfect for leveraging Froakie's agility to strike a target in the air.
The three of them entered the canyon, and sure enough—
Fletchling was still circling overhead, laughing at them.
"Alright, Froakie—this will be our first battle together. Let's make it a clean win!"
"Froa!"
Froakie immediately understood why Ash had brought it here.
Without even needing instructions, it sprang between the boulders, bouncing higher and higher—
until one leap sent it soaring into striking distance.
"Good! Froakie—use the sticky Froakie bubbles around your neck! Throw them at Fletchling to restrict its movement!"
Only now did Clemont and Bonnie realize Ash's plan.
Froakie grabbed a chunk of the sticky bubble foam from its neck and hurled it upward toward the airborne Fletchling.
But Fletchling responded with Double Team—splitting into more than a dozen identical images.
One by one, Froakie's foam bursts shattered the illusions—
only for Fletchling to flap its wings and unleash an Air Cutter!
"Froa!"
Using another bubble as a smokescreen, Froakie dropped safely onto a large boulder.
"Nice! Froakie—hide yourself among the rocks!"
It had been a long time since Ash had used a low-level Pokémon to battle and capture another low-level one.
It stirred a sense of nostalgia deep within him.
Fletchling spotted Froakie's silhouette behind a boulder and dove in with Wing Attack!
But when the attack connected, it hit nothing but a decoy bubble—
a clever feint from Froakie!
"Now, Froakie—Pound! Knock Fletchling down!"
With a burst of speed, Froakie leapt high, its paw striking the Fletchling whose wings were still tangled in sticky foam.
"Cheep!"
Fletchling tumbled from the sky.
It tried to recover midair, but Ash and Froakie had no intention of giving it the chance.
"Froakie—finish it with Water Pulse!"
Boom!
The swirling orb of water struck Fletchling dead-on.
"Alright—go! Heal Ball!"
Ash hurled the pink-and-white ball. It struck Fletchling, drew it inside, and clicked shut.
At the same moment—
a long-absent system notification chimed in Ash's mind:
"Ding! [Congratulations, Host! Froakie has successfully defeated Fletchling!]
[Tenfold Experience Multiplier Card activated!]
[You have gained 6,500 EXP!"]
Level up!
This was his first time using the 10x Experience Multiplier Card—leveling up quickly before consolidating the basics.
Level 13!
Level 14!
Level 15!
Level 16!
Four levels in a row!
Ash looked at Froakie with hopeful anticipation.
As expected… still no evolution.
He'd long since gotten used to his Pokémon stubbornly delaying their evolutions.
Froakie picked up the Heal Ball and handed it to Ash.
"Nice work, Froakie. Our first battle together was a success—welcome Fletchling to the team!"
"Froa!"
"Pika Pikachu!"
Froakie and Pikachu jumped up together in celebration.
"Amazing! That was awesome!"
Bonnie clapped her hands excitedly.
"You've definitely got skill," Clemont admitted, walking over.
"Alright—we've got Fletchling. Let's keep moving. I want to reach Santalune City as soon as possible."
Elsewhere
By dusk, Serena had finally arrived in Lumiose City.
"Oh, you must be Serena, right? Your mother has already arranged everything for you.
Here are the three starter Pokémon for rookie Trainers—
the Water-type Froakie, the Fire-type Fennekin, and the Grass-type Chespin."
Professor Sycamore released the three starters. Serena looked at them carefully…
and in the end, chose the one she liked most—Fennekin.
Sycamore then handed her a set of Poké Balls and the Kalos Region Pokédex.
"Thank you, Professor. By the way… do you know where Ash went?"
Serena asked bravely.
Sycamore thought nothing of the question and told her Ash had headed toward Santalune City.
The moment she heard it, Serena wasted no time—
hurrying toward Santalune without considering the dangers of traveling at night.
For a girl alone, the forest after dark was far from safe.
Sure enough—
as the sun vanished, Serena and her newly chosen Fennekin found themselves walking through the shadowy Pokémon forest.
From time to time, strange cries echoed around them.
"Ugh… I was too careless. Am I really going to have to spend the night in here…?"
She had barely spoken when she spotted, not far away, two Venipede perched on a rock.
Serena froze, shivering at the sight.
"Fennekin, let's get out of here.
Ah—there's someone up ahead! Thank goodness—we can ask them for directions!"
"Fen~"
But Serena didn't know…
the figure she saw from behind was not human at all.
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T/N:
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