"Pidgey!!"
"Gua—!!"
Inside the Dashiwan Valley, the Pidgey that had accepted Ash's capture battle and Frogadier, who stepped forward to face it, took their positions on opposite sides.
Three to four meters apart, Pidgey hovered in midair while Frogadier stood grounded below. They locked eyes across the short distance, battle intent surging fiercely between them.
"Both sides, take your positions," Ash announced clearly.
"I'll count down from three. When I finish, the match begins."
"Three—two—one—start!"
"Pidgey—!"
The instant the signal was given, Pidgey seized the initiative. Its wings beat powerfully, whipping up a fierce gale.
"Whooo—!"
"Hua—!"
Gust roared across the battlefield. Gravel scattered across the rocky ground, dust billowed into the air, and even the hardy, drought-resistant plants growing between the stones rattled violently in the wind.
"Gua—!"
Frogadier didn't charge head-on into the gale. Facing Pidgey's wide-area Gust, it relied on its nimble body and explosive jumping power, leaping rapidly across the sheer rock walls of the ravine.
In midair, Pidgey continuously adjusted its orientation, steering the howling wind to pursue and tear at Frogadier. Yet Frogadier proved far more agile than Pidgey had anticipated.
The center of the wind blasts never managed to lock onto Frogadier, and the scattered gusts alone were nowhere near enough to injure it.
Ash watched coldly from the sidelines, calmly observing this chase.
Frogadier was expending minimal stamina, while Pidgey was burning through far more—this exchange was undeniably advantageous.
"Crack!!"
But accidents in battle often strike without warning.
As Frogadier leapt and climbed along the rock face, the protruding stone its webbed hand grasped suddenly snapped. Its body dropped straight down from the cliff.
Yet in that critical moment, Ash—calmly observing everything—noticed the half-broken stone still clutched in Frogadier's hand, and his eyes lit up.
"Frogadier, throw the rock—attack Pidgey!"
Since the battle began, Ash had barely issued any commands. This was his first direct order.
"Gua—!"
Frogadier flipped midair and landed cleanly on the ground just as Ash's command reached it.
"…Use a rock?"
The instant it heard the order, Frogadier understood.
Its hidden ability Protean, awakened by Mew's Dream Law imprint, had already made it well-versed in type matchups thanks to Ash's relentless drilling.
Rock-type beats Flying-type.
The stone in its hand—wasn't that a crude Rock Throw or even Stone Edge?
"Whoosh—!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Frogadier swung its arm and hurled the stone straight at Pidgey as it turned midair to face it again.
Pidgey never expected Frogadier to pull off such a move.
As the rock tore through the air, Pidgey was still flapping its wings, preparing another Gust.
The result—
"Bang!!"
The heavy stone punched straight through the wind barrier and smashed into Pidgey, knocking it completely dazed. Cream-colored feathers scattered as its recently healed abdomen took the hit.
But the battle wasn't over.
Ash didn't let this small advantage go to his head. His amber eyes remained sharp and composed as he analyzed the battlefield.
The instant Pidgey was stunned by the rock, Ash seized the timing perfectly.
"Frogadier—now! Use Rain Dance!!"
"Gua—!"
Frogadier reacted instantly.
Just like when using Water Pulse, it drew its hands to its waist. A hazy sphere of moisture condensed rapidly, thick with saturated water vapor. Before Pidgey could react, Frogadier hurled it straight into the sky.
Pop—
The vapor orb burst like a soap bubble.
In the next instant, the sunlit blue sky filled with drifting white clouds transformed violently. Dark clouds surged outward, swallowing the entire Dashiwan Valley.
"Rumble—rumble…"
The light dimmed. Thunder rolled, and a fine drizzle began to fall.
"Sha—"
"Pidgey!!"
Just recovering its senses, Pidgey felt the raindrops pattering down. Like most bird Pokémon, panic surged as it instinctively sought shelter from the rain.
But Ash and Frogadier both smiled.
In a rainy battlefield, Pidgey's momentary confusion had already sealed the outcome.
"Frogadier—keep moving! Attack with Water Shuriken!!"
"Gua—!"
Frogadier sprinted across the ground, water vapor condensing rapidly in its palm. The liquid shifted shape, forming a spinning Water Shuriken.
Shuriken were a general term for thrown ninja weapons—rod-shaped ones were throwing needles, double-pointed ones were senbon. What Frogadier formed now was a star-shaped blade, known in Ash's previous world as a meteor dart.
Frogadier hadn't yet fully mastered Water Shuriken to its ultimate form. A single strike didn't carry overwhelming power.
But that weakness came with an advantage—speed of formation.
It could fire again and again.
"Whoosh—whoosh—!"
Water Shuriken flew in rapid succession. Pidgey, flustered by the rain, couldn't dodge in time and was struck repeatedly.
"Bang—bang—bang—bang…!"
"Pidgey!!"
Yet this was a Pokémon that had once nearly been ripped open, endured days of agony, and spent three days silently observing Ash before trusting him.
Its system-assigned nature was Battle-Addicted.
Not merely aggressive. Not bloodthirsty.
It loved battle.
Bird Pokémon instinctively hated rain—wet feathers reduced flight speed, sometimes eliminating it entirely.
But after being struck repeatedly by Water Shuriken, Pidgey shook off its panic.
This wasn't a wild skirmish.
This was its capture battle.
There was no tactical retreat here.
If it fled now, not only would its future Trainer and companions look down on it—it would despise itself.
And besides, this was only a light rain. It hindered it, yes—but not fatally.
"I just need to win… quickly!"
With that thought, Pidgey twisted midair, narrowly dodging the next two Water Shuriken. Its body burst into white light, transforming into a flashing arrow as it dove straight toward Frogadier.
"Quick Attack?" Ash's eyes sharpened.
"Frogadier—meet it head-on!!"
The rain continued to fall as both sides committed fully—
A decisive clash was about to erupt.
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