After leaving the site of the battle with the Spearow flock, Ash continued toward Viridian City with Pikachu and Pidgey.
However, he underestimated how vengeful wild Pokémon could be—especially when he had provoked not just one, but an entire flock.
At some point, the sky had grown dark.
Thick clouds gathered overhead, and the air carried a heavy pressure—the prelude to a storm.
"Pika…"
Pikachu suddenly chirped uneasily on his shoulder, ears standing straight as it stared behind them.
At the same moment, Ash felt it too—his Aura warned of danger.
"Not good!"
He spun around.
A massive, churning "black cloud" was rushing toward them at terrifying speed.
It was no cloud at all—but a large flock of Spearow, dozens strong.
At the front of the formation was a monstrous Fearow, huge in size, scarlet-eyed, with a grotesque fleshy crest hanging from its beak. And its killing intent was aimed directly at Ash and Pikachu!
No matter how he tried to avoid it…the timeline still corrected itself!
"RUN!"
Ash shouted, recalled Pidgey, and bolted into the depths of the forest!
Pikachu clung tightly to his shoulder, occasionally turning back to fire small sparks in desperation.
But those scattered shocks were meaningless before an enraged Fearow leading its flock—they only served to anger it even more.
The wind howled.
Raindrops the size of beans came crashing down, flooding the world in a curtain of gray.
Visibility plunged, the muddy path turning treacherous beneath Ash's feet.
"GAAAAA!!"
Fearow's shrill cry pierced the rain as the entire flock dove like arrows loosed from a bow—
their assault far fiercer than before!
Ash stumbled and slipped through the mud, trying to use trees as cover, but Fearow's spear-like beak and the Spearow's claws shredded branches with ease as they chased him relentlessly!
"Pikachu! Shock the ground! Make mud to slow them down!"
Ash shouted, desperate.
"Pika—CHU!"
Pikachu unleashed electricity with all its remaining strength.
The electric burst struck the soaked earth, kicking up a spray of muddy water that temporarily blurred the flock's vision and slowed their charge.
But it cost Pikachu nearly all of its energy—
its breathing turned heavy, and its sparks dimmed.
At that moment—
Ash's foot slipped.
He crashed hard onto the ground.
"GAA!!"
Fearow seized its chance and dove like a fighter jet—its long, razor-sharp beak aimed straight for Ash's back!
In the instant of life-threatening danger, Ash twisted his body and once again forced his Aura into overdrive!
"Aura Barrier!"
A translucent blue shield snapped into place—more solid than the one he used back in the lab.
BAM!!
Fearow's beak slammed into the barrier with a deafening crack!
The barrier warped violently, cracks exploding across it.
It barely blocked the lethal strike, and the shockwave sent Ash's insides churning.
The barrier was on the brink of shattering.
"Pika!"
Pikachu leaped in front of Ash, trying to protect him, but the electricity flickering on its cheeks was weak and unstable.
"It's no good! Come back!"
Ash cried anxiously, struggling to rise.
The rain grew heavier, thunder roared across the sky, and the flock circled overhead once more—preparing for another deadly assault.
Hopelessness began to creep in.
"HEY! YOU TWO! OVER HERE! HURRY!"
A sharp, urgent girl's voice suddenly rang out from the side.
Ash turned toward the sound.
Through the rain stood an orange-haired girl beneath a large rock overhang, waving frantically at them.
Beside her was a large Goldeen, staring at them with worried eyes.
It was Misty!
Ash didn't stop to think.
He scooped up the exhausted Pikachu and sprinted toward the rocky shelter with every ounce of strength he had left.
"GAA!!"
Fearow screeched, unwilling to let its prey escape, and led the flock into another dive!
"Goldeen, Water Gun! Aim for their wings!"
Misty commanded without hesitation.
Goldeen puffed its cheeks and fired a powerful jet of water, striking several of the leading Spearow mid-dive.
The force sent them tumbling, disrupting the flock long enough to stall their assault.
Ash took the chance, slipping and scrambling his way to the rock shelter, finally reaching Misty's side. The overhang formed a small natural refuge from the rain.
"Thanks…"
Ash panted, breathless—but Misty cut him off.
"This isn't the time for thanks!"
Her voice was fast and sharp, her expression grim as she watched the regrouping flock in the sky.
"There are way too many of them! And my Goldeen can't fight at full power on land!"
Fearow seemed to be completely enraged by Goldeen's attack.
It let out a deafening roar, its whole body blazing with white light as it launched into a Drill Run!
Like a gigantic living drill, it tore through the rainstorm with unstoppable momentum, charging straight toward the two children huddled under the rock!
This strike—there was no way Ash's previous barrier could stop it!
Misty's face went pale.
Goldeen's expression also tightened with fear.
Ash gritted his teeth, shielding Pikachu behind him as he forced the last scraps of his Aura to gather.
Even knowing it was like trying to stop a hurricane with his bare hands—
he still prepared to make a final stand.
And at that critical, split-second moment—
"Pika… Pika…"
The Pikachu protected behind Ash looked at its trainer standing in front of it…
looked at the terrifying attack descending…
and something inside it snapped—
a surge of fierce protectiveness, desperation, and refusal to lose!
It felt the storm clouds above—the rolling thunder, the electric power far, far greater than its own, yet sharing the same origin.
With a sudden leap, Pikachu jumped out from behind Ash and climbed onto a higher stone.
Facing the incoming Fearow, it poured every last spark of electricity and every ounce of willpower into one desperate scream toward the heavens:
"PIKA————CHUUUUUUU!!!!!!!"
As if answering Pikachu's cry—
RRRROOOOOOOOMMMMM—!!!
A colossal bolt of lightning tore through the black clouds—
a pillar of pure, divine electricity that linked sky and earth!
It struck downward like the wrath of a thunder god—aimed straight for Pikachu!
But just before the lightning touched it, Pikachu's small body became a conductor—
no, a controller—absorbing, guiding, and redirecting all that raging energy!
In the next instant—
That heavenly lightning was transformed into a devastating golden torrent, unleashed forward at the charging Fearow!
"GAAAAA———!!!!!!"
Fearow's Drill Run was utterly meaningless before this natural catastrophe.
Its figure vanished instantly into the sea of golden electricity, its agonized scream tearing through the stormy night!
The Spearow flock behind it, seeing the monstrous explosion of thunder and the crackling serpents of electricity, shrieked in terror.
They scattered in all directions, fleeing wildly without daring to look back.
The golden lightning raged for several seconds before slowly fading.
The rain softened.
The air smelled strongly of ozone and burnt earth.
In front of the rock, the ground struck by lightning was scorched black and still smoking.
The once-arrogant Fearow lay inside the crater, charred from head to toe, completely incapacitated.
Pikachu collapsed from the rock, falling limply—
and Ash caught it in his arms just in time.
It had passed out, but its breathing was steady.
Instead of injuries, faint golden sparks flickered beneath its fur.
Misty stood frozen, staring at the battlefield, then at Ash holding Pikachu.
She was utterly speechless.
Even Goldeen pulled back silently.
Ash's heart pounded wildly.
Holding Pikachu close, he felt its steady heartbeat—relief and awe flooding through him.
At the brink of death, Pikachu had called down natural lightning—and unleashed a Thunder attack far beyond its current strength!
At that moment, the rain stopped.
The clouds parted, and a beam of golden sunlight broke through—shining onto the scorched battlefield.
Ash and Misty both lifted their heads.
A magnificent rainbow stretched across the sky.
And at its peak, a majestic, radiant figure glided gracefully through the air—
golden wings, long multicolored tail feathers, and a shimmering rainbow aura around its body.
Ho-Oh.
It seemed to look down for a moment—
at the boy holding Pikachu,
and at the stunned girl beside him—
as if acknowledging something.
Then, with a clear, resonant cry, it flapped its wings and soared toward the horizon, disappearing at the far end of the rainbow.
Ash stared blankly at the place where Ho-Oh vanished, realization dawning in his heart.
This was a witness.
Perhaps even… a recognition?
Of the "butterfly" that had intruded on fate?
Or maybe—
recognition of Pikachu's awakened potential?
He looked down at the unconscious Pikachu, then at the still-shocked Misty, and let out a long breath.
The crisis had passed.
The fated encounter happened in a different way.
And they even witnessed the legendary Ho-Oh.
His journey was destined to be extraordinary from the very beginning.
(A/N: Just a little timeline correction, because a touch of adventure makes everything more exciting, right?)