As the smoke slowly dissipated, Ash and Pikachu intently watched the aftermath of the Aura Sphere.
In Ash's estimation, being able to defeat five or six Spearow with this Aura Sphere and injure the rest would already be an outstanding result.
But when the final outcome was revealed, it far exceeded his expectations.
All dozen or so Spearow that charged at the front, every single one of them, were knocked out!
Ash couldn't help but look at his hands. This was merely the result of him using fifty percent of his power. If it were a full-power Aura Sphere... good heavens, is this what Aura Ash meant by power comparable to a Legendary Pokémon?
It seems his understanding of Pokémon is still too shallow. He should have listened more carefully during Oak's lectures.
"Pika-pi..." A monster...
Pikachu swallowed, saying involuntarily.
Having stayed in the human world for so long, he had never seen such a powerful person.
The skill Ash used when they battled before seemed to have been held back. If it had the same power as this current move, he probably wouldn't have just been seriously injured and fainted. He might have gone to meet his maker that very day.
"Get them, Pikachu! Half for each of us!"
"Pika Pika!" You get eighty percent, I get twenty percent!
Ash rolled his eyes, not refuting Pikachu's distribution, because as of now... he was stronger!
With that, the human and the mouse charged towards the Spearow flock!
Ash unleashed his Aura completely, an Aura Sphere rampaging through the Spearow flock, easing a lot of pressure on Pikachu.
Pikachu, meanwhile, seized opportunities from the side, constantly using Thunder Shock to stealthily take down one or two Spearow.
Most of the pressure was on Ash. Facing the swarming Spearow flock, he used an Aura Sphere with one hand and an Aura barrier with the other, like a War God!
In less than five minutes, all the remaining Spearow were struck down from the sky by Ash and Pikachu!
"Hoo-cha... Hoo-cha... Still chasing, huh! I told you, don't force my hand. The consequences are severe!" Ash panted, hands on his hips, looking at the fallen Spearow flock, a proud expression on his face.
Pikachu, mimicking Ash, also put his paws on his hips, looking smug.
As a starter Pokémon, having barely experienced any battles, he had wiped out almost an entire Pokémon species on his first day out! If word got out, he would definitely be revered by all mice!
Though he wasn't the main force in this battle.
After dealing with this flock of Spearow, the human and the mouse finally got a chance to catch their breath. Ash took out a map, roughly checked their location, and found that, due to the Spearow flock's pursuit, they were already very close to Viridian City.
Even at a normal pace, they should be able to arrive by tomorrow morning.
"I have to say, we should thank these guys. If it weren't for their chase, we probably wouldn't have gotten here so quickly," Ash said with emotion, putting away the map.
Pikachu nodded in agreement from the side. Then, the human and the mouse prepared to continue their journey. As for the defeated Spearow flock, they hadn't sustained any serious injuries.
Although they all lost their ability to battle, with a Pokémon's physique, as long as they weren't fundamentally injured, they would recover quickly.
Otherwise, the League would have to prohibit battling wild Pokémon entirely. After all, wild Pokémon don't have Trainers, and if they lost their ability to battle and needed to go to a Pokémon Center to recover, most people wouldn't bother taking them there.
Normally, as long as the damage caused isn't too severe, wild Pokémon can slowly recover on their own with their physique, and they'll be lively again in no time.
"Wait, Pikachu." Just as Pikachu was about to leave, Ash suddenly spoke, turning his gaze to a tree not far away.
"You, over there, come out. I've already found you."
The place where they fought the Spearow flock was like a country lane, with the surrounding ground covered in grass, and various flowers, plants, and trees not far away—it was a somewhat wild area.
Ash hadn't noticed it at the beginning of the battle, but during the fight, he had already sensed an Aura presence on a tree not far away.
Judging by the strength of the Aura, it didn't seem like a Pokémon's Aura, which meant someone was hiding behind that tree.
The scene of him and Pikachu battling the Spearow must have been seen by that person. Ash didn't mind this, but what he didn't understand was why that person was still hiding behind the tree and not coming out.
If it was out of fear of the Spearow and not wanting trouble, then when the Spearow flock was defeated, they should have come out!
His heroic defeat of the Spearow was seen by someone. Wasn't that worth them coming out to praise him?
Indeed, Ash was operating under this assumption when he called out to the person behind the tree.
How could someone see such a cool battle and still manage to hide on the side?
"Still not coming out? I'm going to make a move, you know!"
"No, no, no!" A clear voice rang out, which made Ash pause. From the voice, the person hiding behind the tree was actually a girl?
As the figure emerged from behind the tree, Ash also got a clear look at the person.
It was a girl with a ponytail, wearing a sleeveless yellow crop top that slightly stretched over her chest, and denim shorts. Her attire looked very cool, with her fair arms and long legs exposed, reflecting the light.
Her round, doll-like face, paired with a small nose and jewel-like emerald eyes, made her look playful and cute, though her adorable face was currently filled with panic.
"A girl? What were you hiding behind that tree for?"
"Cough, cough, I... I just happened to be passing by. I didn't see anything just now, didn't see anything at all."
"Liar! You've probably been by that tree for a long time!" Ash mercilessly exposed the girl's lie.
"I... I didn't mean to see it! Don't kill me to silence me!" The girl clasped her hands together, head bowed, in a pleading posture.
This time, it was Ash who was utterly bewildered.
"Silence you? Is there something wrong with your head?"
"..."
After an initial conversation with the girl, Ash finally understood why she had been unwilling to come out and why she had reacted that way when he called her out.
The girl's name was Misty. Initially, when she saw Ash and Pikachu fiercely battling the Spearow flock, she had wanted to help.
After all, how could a Trainer with only a Pikachu fight against so many Spearow?
However, in this battle, she had guessed the wrong protagonist. The main force battling the Spearow was not Pikachu, but the human Trainer!
Watching Ash wreak havoc, Misty couldn't help but imagine if he was some kind of secretly modified android, a super weapon belonging to a secret organization, and so on... This was also why Misty didn't dare to come out after the battle ended.
Listening to Misty's increasingly outlandish claims, Ash quickly interrupted her speculations, stating that he was just a human with a bit of special ability, and moreover, he was a Rookie Trainer.
After Ash's persistent explanations, Misty finally believed him and breathed a sigh of relief, at least no longer worried about being silenced...