Back on the screen within the red light curtain—
As the Pidgey and Pidgeotto were freed, Jessie barely spared them a glance.
Losing a few common Pokémon didn't matter.
But the moment her eyes landed on Pidgeot, they burned with fanatic excitement.
"As expected of the Overlord of Viridian Forest! If we catch you and hand you over to the Boss, forget being a Branch Chief—becoming a Headquarters Executive won't be a dream!"
"Honchkrow! Skarmory! Keep attacking—don't stop!"
"And you, don't think you're getting a free ride, Meowth!"
As she spoke, Meowth kicked the Fearow that had been watching from the sidelines straight into the air.
Since you asked for help, you'd better act like it!
Forced into the battle, Fearow let out a helpless cry and summoned its subordinates.
It had been traumatized by Pidgeot long ago and didn't dare face it head-on.
Before long, swarms of Spearow poured in at Fearow's call.
This abnormal movement immediately caught the attention of the Trainers gathered outside the forest—
and Ash.
"Pikachu, it's Spearow. Could they be clashing with the Pidgey flock again?"
"Let's go take a look!"
"Pika-pi!"
Ash quickened his pace, and soon enough, the chaotic aerial battle came into view.
---
"Beep—Honchkrow, the Big Boss Pokémon."
Pokédex No. 430
Type: Dark / Flying
Ability: Insomnia
Moves: Wing Attack, Haze, Astonish, Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Quash, Swagger, Nasty Plot
Description: Active at night and known for leading large flocks of Murkrow.
"Honchkrow…" Ash muttered.
"If I remember correctly, this is a social Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region. Why would it appear alone in Viridian Forest?"
Studying the Pokédex data, Ash frowned.
"What on earth is going on here…?"
---
"Since you're asking so sincerely…"
"Then I'll tell you—out of great mercy!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"..."
Hearing these painfully familiar lines, Ash felt a splitting headache.
"Team Rocket?! Why are you here?!"
"I should be asking you that, brat!" Jessie snapped.
"We didn't provoke you this time, so don't stick your nose into our business!"
"That Pidgeot is my Pokémon!"
"Wuwuwu!!"
At that moment, Fearow—commanding the Spearow from outside the battle—noticed the boy in the cap.
Its emotions instantly spiraled out of control.
"It says this is the guy who helped Pidgeot drive it away back then, meow!"
Meowth translated helpfully.
"What?!"
The Team Rocket Trio were stunned.
But if this was the brat's Pokémon, then Pidgeot's terrifying strength suddenly made sense.
Before they could react, Ash shouted toward the sky.
"Pidgeot!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Pidgeot turned joyfully—and instantly understood Ash's intent.
"Rotom, help me transfer Palpitoad."
"Roto! Poké Ball transferring…"
In an instant, a Poké Ball appeared in midair.
Ash grabbed it and threw.
"Palpitoad—Rain Dance!"
"Pal~pi!"
As the chant ended, dark rainclouds swallowed the clear sky.
A torrential downpour followed.
At the same time, Pidgeot used Double Team and Quick Attack to break free from the encirclement, then struck from the flank with Hurricane, generating violent winds that pinned Honchkrow and Skarmory in place.
But even so, Pidgeot alone couldn't hold them forever.
Led by Honchkrow and Skarmory, the Spearow flock was about to break free.
Ash looked at the hesitant Pidgey flock nearby and roared—
"This is your home, too!"
"Are you going to hide under Pidgeot's wings for your entire lives?!"
"Don't hijack someone else's life just to avoid facing your own!"
Back then, Ash had left Pidgeot behind to protect them.
Now he realized—he'd been wrong.
If the Pidgey never changed, Pidgeot would be trapped here forever.
"Pidgey…! Pidgey—Pidgey!"
One Pidgey flew out first.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, the flock surged into the battlefield, supporting Pidgeot with Hurricane.
---
"Pikachu. Now."
At Ash's command, Pikachu—having charged up—leapt from Ash's shoulder.
"Pika—CHUUU!!"
The rain-darkened sky rumbled violently.
Golden lightning flashed endlessly within the clouds.
BOOM!!
A pillar of lightning tore through the heavens and slammed down with catastrophic force.
"Spear—!"
Spearow were instantly charred black, falling from the sky.
Fearow, Honchkrow, and Skarmory all lost their ability to fight.
---
[Lt. Surge]: Impossible—absolutely impossible! There's no way a Pikachu should be able to unleash Thunder with this kind of power!
I lost back then because of speed—but now you're telling me Pikachu's power is this absurd?!
Then what does that make my Raichu?!
---
But the attack wasn't over.
Part of the Thunder column split mid-descent and veered straight toward Team Rocket.
Seeing this utterly unreasonable trajectory, Jessie and James froze in disbelief.
"Since when can Thunder split?! Are you kidding me?!"
They didn't have time to complain.
Both turned toward Meowth with desperate hope.
"Meowth! You brought the insulation device this time, right?!"
"The target was Flying-types this time, so I didn't prepare that at all, meow…"
"So that means—"
BANG!!
The Team Rocket Quartet blasted off, transforming into a glittering shooting star.
"Why does nothing good ever happen when we meet the brat?!"
"But hey—since the brat's traveling again, doesn't that mean we can catch Pikachu once more?"
"That's right, meow! We'll leave Pidgeot with the brat for now and grab it together with Pikachu later!"
"Alright! Let's start planning the next operation—target: Pikachu!"
"This feels amazing!"
"Wobbuffet!"
---
[Bonnie]: I honestly can't tell if Team Rocket has something wrong with their heads… or if they're just absurdly optimistic.
[Serena]: Maybe… both?
[Bonnie]: But why did Pikachu's Thunder split?
[Clemont]: Hehe—that's because Thunder never misses in rain! Pikachu intended to hit multiple targets from the start. That's why Ash had Palpitoad use Rain Dance first.
[Lance]: As a Flying-type Elite, allow me to add—your analysis is only surface-level.
Hurricane is also guaranteed to hit in rain.
If Pidgeot hadn't restricted their movement, Honchkrow and the others would've flown out of Rain Dance's range long ago.
[Lorelei]: You're enjoying this way too much—stop already.
[Volkner]: And the rain clouds also drastically reduced Thunder's charge time.
[Brock]: So you're saying Ash planned all of this from the very beginning?!
[Misty]: This really doesn't feel like Ash's usual style…
[Flint]: I've battled Ash before. He has creativity, sure—but most of the time he just charges straight ahead.
Red Ash is different. Precise, methodical, masterful at skill combinations.
He's terrifying.
[Tobias]: If it had been Red Ash, the Sinnoh League back then might've been more interesting.
[Flint]: You! The Legendary guy finally shows up! Why did you disappear after the Sinnoh League?!
Come fight me!
---
As a battle maniac, Flint lived to defeat powerful opponents.
In the Sinnoh League finals, he'd been eagerly waiting for Tobias—
Only for the man to vanish afterward.
[Tobias]: After the conference, I realized the overall Trainer level was… mediocre.
Naturally, I lost interest.
Compared to that, Legendary Pokémon are far more fascinating.
[Goh]: Wow, that's arrogant. How much did you drink this early in the morning?
[Cynthia]: He's actually qualified to say that.
He swept every Gym in Sinnoh using only one Pokémon.
If not for Ash, we wouldn't even know what his second Pokémon was.
[Goh]: …Sorry. My bad.
Goh immediately backed down.
Turns out—I was the clown.
[Raihan]: Hiss… to think someone like that exists.
[Leon]: Fascinating. It's a shame we didn't get to battle.
I hope you'll participate in the next World Coronation Series.
[Tobias]: Boring.
---
For the first time—
Someone didn't give Leon face.
---
Back on the screen—
"Well done, Palpitoad."
Ash returned Palpitoad to its Poké Ball as the rain faded.
Sunlight broke through the clouds.
A brilliant rainbow stretched across the sky.
And at its end—
A majestic bird, bathed in divine light, flew toward them.
---
To be continued…