From the very beginning—back when Pidgeotto was still just a Pidgey—Ash had sensed something was off.
The first time he met it, the Pidgey had been extremely wary, its guard raised high. Ash had immediately known that this little bird had gone through a harsh, difficult past.
As time passed, Ash often saw that faint, shadowed sadness flicker across its eyes. He tried to ask. Tried to understand. Tried to comfort it.
But Pidgeotto had always remained silent.
Only now did Ash finally learn the truth.
It turned out that when Pidgeotto was still an egg, it had been found by a Fearow, carried back to the nest, and incubated together with Fearow's own child.
In the wild food chain:
Spearow hunts PidgeyPidgeotto hunts SpearowFearow hunts Pidgey and PidgeottoPidgeot hunts Spearow and Fearow
All of them were common bird Pokémon of the Kanto region, yet because of this predatory relationship, the two clans had long regarded each other as mortal enemies.
Being abandoned by its biological parents was Pidgeotto's misfortune.
Being picked up and hatched by Fearow was its salvation.
But being born into a Spearow clan… was also its tragedy.
Step by step, fate had led it down a road where right and wrong were no longer clear.
For Pidgeotto, was its life fortunate—or cursed?
But now, setting aside species and bloodlines, the truth was simple:
The adoptive mother who had raised it as her own had been betrayed and killed by her own kind.
Whether for Spearow—the biological child—or for Pidgeotto—the adopted son—this was an unbearable loss.
The sun sank beyond the western mountains.
A thin mist spread across the forest canopy as flocks of bird Pokémon, exhausted from a day of foraging, circled in the sky.
Bathed in the glow of dusk, this was the true scene of weary birds returning home.
And yet, beneath that tranquil sky, the two Pokémon who had just lost their mother were drowning in grief.
Spearow collapsed onto Fearow's body, wailing uncontrollably.
Pidgeotto stood beside them, silent tears streaming down its face.
They cried for a long time.
So long that both their eyes became swollen and red.
At first, Ash let them cry. Let them release everything.
But seeing their grief deepen instead of easing, he finally stepped forward to comfort them.
"Spearow, Pidgeotto… Fearow was your mother. Her passing hurts not only you two—Pikachu, Frogadier, and I are heartbroken as well."
"But the dead cannot return. Night is falling, and we can't let wild Pokémon disturb her rest."
"Let's bury Fearow together."
"And don't forget—she left you with tasks. You mustn't let her down."
As he spoke, Ash unconsciously used Aura and Natural Affinity together, his warm voice soothing and steady, gently healing their wounded hearts.
"Jie… Brother," Spearow sobbed.
"Mom said we should tear those traitors apart and bury them with her."
"Pidge…" Pidgeotto nodded slowly, glancing toward the depths of the forest.
"First, we take Mom home. Then we bury her beneath the old tree."
"Jie… Mm."
Having lost their mother, the once noisy, mischievous Spearow seemed to grow up overnight.
"Pidge… Ash," Pidgeotto said quietly,
"Can you help carry the traitors' bodies?"
Knowing that Ash's powers included storage abilities, it asked him directly.
"Of course," Ash replied without hesitation.
"Leave it to me."
In the clearing, Ash repeatedly opened his system storage, collecting the charred remains of the Spearow struck down by lightning.
In the original anime, when Ash first began his journey, he had once been chased by a flock of Spearow, and Pikachu's Thunderbolt had turned the tide.
But that was a children's broadcast—there was no blood, no death.
Reality was different.
A Thunderbolt might not kill—but a bolt of true lightning from the skies left no survivors.
Pokémon wield miraculous power, yet before nature itself, they are still fragile and small.
After Ash stored the scorched bodies of the Spearow and Scar-Eye's corpse, Pidgeotto lifted Fearow's body onto its back and flew toward their old home.
Emerging from the forest, they soon saw it—
A thick, towering Triadica tree on a hillside.
That had once been their home.
Upon returning, neither Pidgeotto nor Spearow rested.
Using sharp claws and beaks, they began digging beneath the roots of the old tree.
Ash stepped forward with Pikachu and Frogadier, wanting to help—but the brothers refused.
Their mother was gone.
Burying her with their own hands was the last thing they could do for her.
They didn't want anyone else to do it for them.
Even Ash.
Beneath the old tree, they dug a deep grave.
Then, following Fearow's final wish, they tore the traitors' remains apart and laid them at the bottom of the pit to serve as burial offerings.
It was a bloody process.
Ash covered Pikachu's eyes and turned away with Frogadier, only looking back once the brothers had finished.
Feathers, torn flesh, and dark red stains still marked the ground—but it was far better than before.
The grave had been filled.
"Jie… Mom," Spearow cried hoarsely.
"Brother and I followed your wish. Those traitors are buried with you."
"Please… rest in peace…"
Just that morning, it had eaten beside its mother, clinging to her and acting spoiled.
By afternoon, everything had changed.
Its mother was dead.
Killed by traitors.
And it had become an orphan.
The realization crushed it.
Spearow collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably.
Ash's chest felt tight watching this—but no words could truly comfort them.
How could they not grieve?
He stayed silently by their side for a while.
When the brothers' emotions finally steadied, Ash spoke gently:
"Pidgeotto, Spearow… will you come back with me, or stay here to guard your mother's grave?"
"Pidge…" Pidgeotto replied softly.
"We want to stay with her."
"Alright," Ash nodded.
"I won't try to persuade you."
"But no one wants something like this to happen. Fearow would want you both to live well."
"So grieve—but don't let it consume you. Live on, carrying her share as well."
Ash reached out, gently stroking the feathers at the back of their necks.
"I'll leave dinner and breakfast here. Remember to eat."
"Tomorrow morning, Pikachu, Frogadier, and I will come see you again."
"Pidge—"
"Jie—"
The two brothers nodded quietly beneath the old tree, watching as the forest darkened around their mother's resting place.
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