"Pikachu, get ready to battle."
"Pika~"
Pikachu immediately jumped off Ash's shoulder, landing firmly on all fours, with tiny sparks of electricity crackling from its red cheeks.
"Scyther~"
Seeing the enemy appear, the aggressive Scyther couldn't wait and rushed forward using Quick Attack. The moment it moved, Scyther instantly vanished, turning into a green afterimage flying toward Pikachu.
"Pika~"
Facing the sudden attack from Scyther, Pikachu remained calm.
Following Ash's command, it used its lightning-bolt-shaped tail like a spring to launch itself into the air, dodging Scyther's Quick Attack.
"Now! Iron Tail!"
Seizing the opportunity, Ash immediately ordered Pikachu to counterattack.
Scyther was just about to flap its wings to use X-Scissor on the airborne Pikachu. But who knew a sharp, steel-hard tail would come crashing down like a greatsword, leaving the preparing Scyther completely dazed.
Even though Scyther instinctively used X-Scissor to block Pikachu's Iron Tail, it still couldn't withstand the impact from the fall.
Thud!
With a single hit, the airborne Scyther was slammed into the ground, creating a large crater.
"Scyther!"
What a strong electric mouse! It's nothing like the weaklings in the forest.
Scyther struggled to get up, its eyes fixed on Pikachu, which looked no different from a regular Pikachu. It couldn't believe its opponent was so powerful.
"Pikachu, Thunder!"
Just as Scyther was staggering to its feet, Ash commanded Pikachu to unleash the next attack for a finishing blow.
"Pika~ Pika~ Chu~"
Pikachu gathered its energy, and a golden lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking Scyther like a judgment from above.
"Scyther~"
The next moment, Scyther, unable to dodge in time due to its injuries, was charred by the Thunder and lay motionless on the ground.
"This is our chance! Go, Poké Ball!"
Seeing this, he quickly pulled a classic red-and-white Poké Ball from his belt and threw it at the fallen Scyther.
Clink!
Hit by the ball, Scyther's body turned into a red light and was sucked inside. The Poké Ball then landed on the ground and shook back and forth. Because the Pokémon was so severely injured, it didn't take long for the ball to become still.
Seeing this, Pikachu quickly ran over, hugged the Poké Ball, and presented it to Ash.
"Thanks, Pikachu!"
He knelt down and first patted Pikachu's head, then took the Poké Ball, held it up, and shouted in Ash's classic pose:
"I caught Scyther!"
"Pi~ Pikachu~"
Pikachu was very cooperative, making a peace sign.
"That was a bit embarrassing!"
After a moment, he scratched his head sheepishly. As an adult from another world, making such a childish move was truly a bit awkward.
"Never again!"
Looking at Pikachu, who hadn't noticed anything unusual, he made a silent promise to himself.
He then released the Scyther he had just defeated to heal it.
The medicine, of course, came from his bag system's Potion, which could restore a Pokémon's HP. In this real world, it had the same effect as in the games, quickly healing a Pokémon's injuries. A Potion wasn't expensive, and he had stockpiled a lot of them when he played Pokémon Sword and Shield in his previous life. Although he didn't have as many as his other items, he had enough for his Pokémon. Perhaps because of this, the Potions sold in the bag system were incredibly cheap, costing only 30 gold coins per bottle. The gold coins he just earned from defeating Scyther amounted to 500. The cost was trivial in comparison. Of course, the price was high because Scyther's strength was not weak.
[Pokémon: Scyther]
[Category: Mantis Pokémon]
[Type: Bug, Flying]
[Height: 1.6m (Average: 1.5m)]
[Weight: 58kg (Average: 56kg)]
[Ability: Steadfast (When this Pokémon is flinched, its Speed is raised by one stage.)]
[IVs: HP (25), Attack (31), Sp. Atk (31), Defense (31), Sp. Def (28), Speed (31)]
[Moves: Leer, Quick Attack, Agility, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, Double Team, Double Hit, Slash, X-Scissor, Focus Energy, False Swipe]
[Strength: Elite Level]
The newly caught Scyther's strength was impressive. Don't be fooled by its "Elite Level" rank; it was an absolute powerhouse in its category and not far from the next stage. Its 4 perfect IVs were also pretty good in his opinion. After all, not every Pokémon had 6 perfect IVs. Even among the Pokémon in his backyard, including Pikachu, only four had 6 perfect IVs: Pikachu, Charizard, Sceptile, and the gluttonous Snorlax. So Scyther's 4 perfect IVs were very reasonable. Plus, its most crucial stats, Attack and Speed, were both perfect, which was enough.
The only thing he was dissatisfied with was that the appraisal function of his bag system was a bit difficult to use. He could only see the stats of a Pokémon after he had caught it. This meant that he still had to observe a Pokémon's appearance and behavior to judge its individual qualities before catching it to find the best ones. He could, of course, catch a large number of Pokémon at once, as if playing a game, and then use the appraisal function of the bag system to select the one with the best IVs. But this was reality, and he couldn't be as heartless as he was in a game.
Of course, these were just side thoughts.
After healing Scyther, he returned it to its Poké Ball and clipped the ball to his belt. He then proceeded toward the part of the forest where he remembered releasing Pidgeot. At the time he released Pidgeot, the original Ash was about to start his Johto journey. So the release location was in the part of Viridian Forest close to the Johto region, on the western side of Kanto.
As he walked further west, he arrived at an area with very dense trees. He glanced around and saw that the environment matched the place where he remembered releasing Pidgeot. He exchanged a look with Pikachu on his shoulder, and with Pikachu's confident nod, he was finally certain this was the spot.
He thought back to the Pidgeot that had been all but forgotten for 20 years and was finally able to go and bring it back. Even though he wasn't the original Ash, this was a task he had to complete. He stood there quietly, enjoying the breeze.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and shouted into the forest: "Pidgeot, I've come to take you home!"