Three days had passed since Ash defeated Miki, and the group continued traveling toward Goldenrod City.
On this particular day, they entered a peculiar forest.
Even at noon, the woods were as dim as dusk. The dense canopy cut the sunlight into scattered patches of light that fell across the leaf-covered trail.
"Pika!"
Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, suddenly perked up its ears and pointed toward a nearby tree with its tiny paw.
Following Pikachu's direction, they spotted a handmade birdhouse hanging from the trunk.
In this world, Trainers had developed all sorts of methods for catching Pokémon. Besides the traditional method of capturing them through battle, there were also specially designed traps tailored to different Pokémon habits.
The birdhouse they were looking at now was one such device, specifically made to attract and capture bird Pokémon.
After examining it carefully, Brock analyzed:
"This size is rather unusual. If it were meant for Pidgey, it would be too large. But if it were for Pidgeot, it would be too small."
"You're forgetting something, Brock," Ash reminded him with a smile. "Johto has its own regional bird Pokémon."
"Oh? What Pokémon would that be?" Brock asked curiously.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be Hoothoot or its evolved form, Noctowl."
As soon as Ash finished speaking, it was as if reality had decided to confirm his guess.
A Noctowl silently landed on a nearby branch.
Tilting its head, it inspected the birdhouse suspiciously, seemingly sensing that something was off. In the end, it chose not to enter.
More surprisingly, several more Noctowl soon appeared throughout the dark forest.
Although Noctowl were normally nocturnal Pokémon, the unusual environment of this forest caused them to treat daytime as though it were night.
"Did that branch just move by itself?"
Misty rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Ash looked more carefully and couldn't help laughing.
"That's not a branch. It's a person disguised as a tree. The birdhouse is a trap he set up."
Sure enough, when a particularly colorful Noctowl appeared, the "tree" immediately became excited.
This Noctowl's feathers were a rare bright brown color, and it was noticeably smaller than others of its species.
It was a precious Shiny Noctowl.
"Finally, I've been waiting for you!"
The disguised man muttered excitedly as he carefully offered a Berry.
"Come try this. It's delicious..."
To his surprise, the Noctowl deftly kicked the Berry aside and rammed directly into the man's hiding place.
With a cry of alarm, a figure tumbled out and landed awkwardly in a pile of fallen leaves.
"Gramps, are you alright?"
The three hurried over to help him up.
"I'm not an old man! My name is Dr. Wiseman!" the man said as he straightened out his messy camouflage outfit and introduced himself.
After talking with him, they learned that Dr. Wiseman was a collector who specialized in rare and unusual Pokémon. This Shiny Noctowl had been giving him trouble for days.
"It's just too smart," Dr. Wiseman said helplessly. "Much more clever and agile than an ordinary Noctowl. I've tried every method I can think of, but nothing has worked."
Ash watched the Noctowl leisurely grooming its feathers on a branch, a spark of challenge appearing in his eyes.
"Dr. Wiseman, how about this? You can try one more time. If you still fail, then let me catch it."
After receiving Dr. Wiseman's agreement, Ash watched him attempt a new strategy involving reflected sunlight from a mirror.
Unfortunately, Noctowl saw through the trick as well. Instead, Dr. Wiseman ended up getting hit by Hypnosis and became drowsy.
Ash stepped forward and met Noctowl's gaze.
"Looks like it's my turn now, Noctowl. I'm going to catch you the way a Trainer should!"
Noctowl tilted its head before suddenly spreading its wings and flying into the air above the clearing. It let out a clear, sharp cry, as though accepting the challenge.
"Houndour, I choose you!"
Ash sent out Houndour.
As a Dark-type Pokémon, Houndour was the perfect counter to Noctowl's Psychic-type attacks.
Noctowl's eyes glowed red as it used Hypnosis.
However, the red light vanished like droplets of water the instant it touched Houndour.
Dark-type Pokémon were immune to Psychic-type moves.
Seeing its signature move fail, Noctowl's wingbeats noticeably quickened. It was clearly starting to panic.
"Houndour, Pursuit!"
Houndour's figure suddenly vanished.
The next moment, it appeared above Noctowl, its claws slashing down fiercely.
Although Noctowl managed to stabilize itself in time, the contempt in its eyes had turned into caution.
It rotated its head flexibly, seemingly thinking of a new strategy.
Suddenly, Noctowl flapped its wings and unleashed several blades of wind.
Air Slash!
Realizing that its Psychic-type attacks were ineffective, it decisively switched to Flying-type moves.
"Dodge it, then use Flamethrower!"
Houndour leaped gracefully into the air, tracing a beautiful arc as it perfectly avoided every wind blade.
The moment it landed, blazing flames erupted from its mouth.
"Now! Go, Fast Ball!"
Seizing the opportunity, Ash threw a specially designed Fast Ball.
The Poké Ball streaked through the air like a beam of light and drew Noctowl inside.
The ball landed gently on the ground and shook lightly.
The indicator flashed twice.
Then came a crisp ding.
"Awesome! I caught Noctowl!"
"Pikaaa-chu!"
Pikachu happily threw up a V-sign in celebration.
Under Dr. Wiseman's guidance, the group successfully found their way out of the mysterious forest.
Ash planned to send his newly caught Noctowl back to Professor Oak's Laboratory, where Pidgeot could help train it.
Beneath the glow of the setting sun, they gazed at the distant outline of Goldenrod City, their hearts filled with anticipation.
A new Gym challenge awaited them ahead.
Recently, quite a few new team members had joined. Ash would have to spend some time sorting out and organizing his roster.
...
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