In a Black World —
Facing Kaoruko, who arrived with dramatic flair and special effects, Ash sent out Pidgeotto as his opening Pokémon.
As one of the first five Pokémon Ash caught after beginning his journey, Pidgeotto hadn't appeared in battle for a long time. In fact, it had barely fought at all.
But that didn't mean it was weak.
On the contrary—
Ever since Ash returned to Professor Oak's Laboratory, Pidgeotto had been flying daily at high altitude while carrying heavy loads. Its speed had reached an astonishing level.
Even Charizard was only stronger in raw power.
If Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot, it was very possible that even Charizard wouldn't be able to beat it.
When Kaoruko saw Ash send out Pidgeotto, her expression darkened.
This was a Grass-type field. Logically, Ash should have sent out a Grass-type Pokémon.
So she did the opposite and opened with Beedrill, a Bug-type—
only to find that Ash had gone even further, sending out a Flying-type instead!
And those two silver rings on Pidgeotto's wings—
Decorations?
"If you're distracted, I won't hold back," Ash said calmly.
"Pidgeotto—Quick Attack!"
"Pii—!"
Pidgeotto vanished like a bolt of lightning.
Kaoruko finally reacted. "Beedrill, dodge!"
Too late.
With Kaoruko's delayed command and Pidgeotto's overwhelming speed, Beedrill had no chance to evade.
Bang!
The wing strike slammed into Beedrill's body, nearly snapping it in half.
Beedrill was sent flying, skidded across the ground twice—and never stood up again.
One Quick Attack.
Instant knockout.
Kaoruko's eyes widened in disbelief.
How was that possible?!
Even if Bug-types generally had low durability, losing to a single non-super-effective move was outrageous!
Quick Attack wasn't even a high-powered move!
On the sidelines, Kaoruko's cheering squad screamed even louder—half in shock, half in encouragement—trying desperately to keep her morale up.
Kaoruko took a deep breath and recalled Beedrill.
"I studied your battles beforehand, Ash," she said grimly.
"You live up to your reputation. Next… I'll use him!"
She threw her second Poké Ball.
A green, bladed figure emerged in a flash of light.
Scyther.
A terrifying presence among Bug-types.
Ash raised an eyebrow.
Against a Flying-type, continuing to use Bug-types meant only one thing—
Kaoruko's remaining Pokémon were all at a type disadvantage.
In League qualifiers, Pokémon were locked once registered.
Unless special circumstances arose, substitutions weren't allowed.
That meant all three of Kaoruko's Pokémon were countered by Pidgeotto.
"Scyther—Leer!"
"Cha!"
"Pidgeotto—Double Team."
In an instant, the sky filled with countless Pidgeotto afterimages.
Scyther froze, unable to tell which was real.
"Tch—then we'll do the same! Double Team!"
"Cha!"
Scyther split into dozens of afterimages as well.
For a moment, the battlefield was chaos—
Pidgeotto shadows in the air,
Scyther shadows on the ground.
The audience felt dizzy just watching.
Kaoruko smirked.
Now you can't tell which is real either, can you?
Ash looked at her with a strange expression.
Noble… but incredibly naïve.
With Aura, he could instantly distinguish the real body—
but he didn't even need to.
"Pidgeotto—hit them all. Quick Attack!"
"Pii—!"
Every Pidgeotto clone dove at once.
Kaoruko stared in shock.
One shadow hit a Scyther illusion—both vanished.
Another shadow struck a different illusion—gone.
Then—
The real Pidgeotto appeared directly in front of Scyther.
Its sharp beak slammed into Scyther's body and carried it into the air.
"Scyther, fly up and counter—Air Slash!"
"Wing Attack," Ash replied calmly.
Pidgeotto slowed for a split second, letting Scyther move—
then its wings, glowing white, smashed into Scyther's side.
Scyther lost balance instantly and plummeted like a falling star.
"Finish it—Air Slash."
Silver-white blades of compressed air erupted, accelerating Scyther's fall.
BOOM!!
Dust filled the field.
Kaoruko stood frozen.
There was no way to win.
Trainer skill. Pokémon strength.
The gap was overwhelming.
No wonder every trainer who faced Ash called him a monster.
She hadn't believed them.
Now she did.
As the dust settled, Scyther lay unconscious.
And above the field—
Pidgeotto cried out as brilliant blue light burst from its body.
Kaoruko: "…?"
Not again.
It's evolving?!
She couldn't win before—
and now it was getting stronger mid-match?!
And this wasn't the first time.
Every round after the first, Ash's Pokémon had not only swept opponents—
they evolved on the field.
This wasn't coincidence.
He had planned everything.
Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot.
Its body grew massive and majestic.
The two silver rings on its wings shattered and dropped to the grass—
thud.
Kaoruko's pupils shrank.
Those weren't decorations.
"…May I ask something," she said weakly.
"Those rings… they were weights, weren't they?"
"Oh, yeah," Ash replied casually.
"About forty pounds total. Not very heavy."
Kaoruko's mentality completely collapsed.
"…My last partner—go."
She released her final Pokémon.
Bellsprout.
At first glance, it looked weak.
But Ash's eyes lit up.
"So it's that one… I've wanted to see this."
From Kaoruko's battle record, Bellsprout was her ace.
A Pokémon that used martial-arts-like body control,
defeating opponents with technique rather than raw power.
Soft overcoming hard.
Skill defeating strength.
"But let's see—
whose is stronger."
"Pidgeot—Quick Attack!"
"Piiiii!!"
Pidgeot vanished.
It reappeared in front of Bellsprout, beak striking—
—but Bellsprout reacted.
Using its leaf-arms, it redirected Pidgeot with perfect timing.
Missed.
Ash's eyes sharpened.
Instinct.
Bellsprout wasn't tracking speed—it was reacting to danger itself.
That kind of instinct surpassed conscious thought.
"Incredible…"
"Again—Quick Attack!"
Pidgeot struck again—faster.
Again, Bellsprout redirected it—
but couldn't counterattack.
Ash understood.
Speed exceeded perception.
Then—
"Pidgeot—Brave Bird!"
Golden flames erupted around Pidgeot.
It screamed as it became a blazing comet.
Bellsprout tried to redirect again—
but this time, the flames burned its leaves.
And Brave Bird's sheer force overwhelmed its technique.
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the field.
When the smoke cleared—
Pidgeot stood tall.
Bellsprout lay unconscious, eyes spinning.
Ash had won.
Top 16 of the Indigo League—secured.
[Lance]: "…This Pidgeot is incredible.
But Ash—what about your Pidgeotto?
You're already at the Silver Conference… surely it's evolved by now, right?"
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