"Power of Viridian…" Red murmured, releasing the Power of Viridian within his body to heal the injured Pokémon present after the battle, restoring their stamina.
Among them, Zapdos recovered the fastest, as it hadn't really taken damage from opponents—most of its injuries came from the recoil of Brave Bird.
"The Power of Viridian… truly a miraculous force…" Professor Oak sighed.
Moments later
All the Pokémon present had fully recovered their strength, no longer bearing the battered appearance from before.
"Pika~"
Pikachu glanced nervously at Omastar beside Red, fearing its sharp teeth. During the earlier battle, Pikachu had clearly sensed a faint urge from Omastar to bite it.
Although Omastar quickly restrained that impulse once it came to its senses, the brief killing intent it revealed still left Pikachu frightened as its opponent.
Fortunately, the Power of Viridian dispelled Pikachu's lingering fear in time. Otherwise, it might have caused a lasting psychological shadow in future interactions with Omastar.
Sensing Pikachu's unease, Omastar, after receiving Red's permission through a glance, approached in a clumsy yet cute manner, extending its tentacles in a gesture of goodwill, hoping Pikachu wouldn't hold a grudge over the battle.
After thinking for a moment and seeing Omastar's sincere apology, Pikachu reluctantly forgave it. After all, Pikachu wasn't the type to hold grudges and was easy to get along with.
"Good work, Nidoking. Let's give it our all at the Indigo Plateau Conference."
Seeing Nidoking lower its head in guilt, Gary stepped forward to comfort it, gently stroking its cheek to ease its self-blame.
"Roar—"
Encouraged by Gary, Nidoking immediately tensed its arms, glaring with fighting spirit at the proud Zapdos, silently vowing to trample this so-called 'Thunder God' next time.
Sensing Nidoking's thoughts, Zapdos merely chuckled lightly and paid it no mind, instead continuing to nuzzle Red's face affectionately while enjoying his touch.
"Venusaur, this isn't your fault. If my command skills were as good as Red's, the battle might not have been so one-sided."
Leaf comforted Venusaur with an apologetic tone.
Venusaur immediately shook its head, signaling Leaf not to blame herself too much.
"Alright, alright. You're all the pride of Pallet Town—why dwell on today's battle? Your real stage is the Indigo Plateau Conference two months from now. Don't lose yourselves just because of this match against Red."
Professor Oak spoke helplessly. Why compare yourselves to Red for no reason? That's just asking for trouble!
"Pika-pi!"
To express its apology, Omastar invited Pikachu to play, lifting it high with joy as Pikachu happily accepted.
Just as Pikachu was enjoying the moment, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in its sight. Pikachu instinctively rubbed its eyes, thinking it was seeing things.
"Pika—"
Realizing it wasn't an illusion, Pikachu excitedly raised its arms and shouted, urging Ash to look up at the sky.
(This psychic power… could it be…?)
Red slowly raised his head and looked upward, discovering two Butterfree hovering above the courtyard. One was a normally colored male Butterfree, slightly more developed and wearing a decorative yellow scarf.
The male Butterfree gazed down at Ash and Pikachu with tear-filled eyes, its expression brimming with longing.
"So it's this little guy… no wonder the psychic aura felt familiar…" Red said with slight surprise. He hadn't expected Butterfree to return to Pallet Town with its partner, even coming to Professor Oak's Laboratory to find Ash and Pikachu.
Thinking about it, when Red had helped Butterfree develop its psychic abilities in the past, he had deeply imprinted the path to Pallet Town into its mind, turning it into an instinct.
"Butterfree—"
Ash looked up at the Butterfree in the sky with overwhelming joy, waving his arms excitedly as tears streamed down his face. He was clearly deeply moved by Butterfree's return.
Butterfree was the first Pokémon Ash had ever caught and the first he had trained to its final evolution. It held immense significance in Ash's journey as a Trainer.
Because he firmly believed Butterfree would one day return, Ash had always kept its Poké Ball.
Earlier, Ash had felt somewhat down after Pikachu's defeat, but now he was completely overwhelmed with excitement at Butterfree's return.
Butterfree flapped its wings excitedly and flew down toward Ash, diving into his arms in an instant. Both of them shed tears, feeling each other's warmth.
"Butterfree, I missed you so much~" Ash said joyfully, unable to stop his tears.
Butterfree had wanted to comfort Ash, but like him, it couldn't steady its emotions through the tears.
Seeing this scene, the pink Butterfree tactfully remained in the air, allowing its partner to fully embrace the warmth of its former Trainer.
After witnessing their offspring hatch and grow together, the two Butterfree had decided to return.
To stay with its partner—and because it could no longer find its original Trainer—the pink Butterfree chose to come to Professor Oak's Laboratory just like Ash's Butterfree.
"Pika-pi!"
At this moment, Pikachu also climbed onto Ash's shoulder, sharing in the joy of Butterfree's return.
Back when they had been forced to part with Butterfree, Pikachu had been saddened for quite a while. After all, Butterfree had been one of its earliest companions, and the two often shared their dreams together at night.
"Such a precious thing as bonds… will not fade with time…" Red murmured. Beside him, Zapdos, Kabutops, and Omastar quickly gathered around him.
Moments later
Ash and Butterfree both calmed their emotions. After wiping away its tears, Butterfree anxiously fluttered back and forth in front of Ash, occasionally pointing toward the pink Butterfree above, then toward the Poké Ball at Ash's waist.
Since the pink Butterfree had been released by its former Trainer, it was now a wild Pokémon that could be captured by any Poké Ball.
"Is that really okay, Butterfree?"
Ash understood Butterfree's intention, but out of respect for the pink Butterfree, he looked up at it.
The pink Butterfree hesitated for a moment, but in order to live together with Butterfree at Professor Oak's Laboratory, it finally looked at Ash with determination and slowly nodded.
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