Just as Misty was still fuming—
The mechanical voice that had sounded before rang out once again.
[Question: After rookie Trainer Ash resolved the Spearow incident, which of the following Pokémon appeared in the sky?]
[A: Shiny Fearow]
[B: Zapdos]
[C: Ho-Oh]
[All members in the chatroom may answer. This question has two attempts. Correct answers will receive random rewards. Incorrect answers will receive punishment.]
…
As the mechanical voice faded—
The same text appeared across the chatroom interface.
Faced with this unfamiliar situation, everyone couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Hm… didn't that voice mention earlier that there would be Q&A segments? And that correct answers would earn generous rewards?"
"Wow, that's actually really tempting!"
"But what exactly counts as a 'reward' here?"
"Yeah, and more importantly… what kind of punishment are we talking about?"
Groups of ordinary Trainers gathered together, discussing excitedly.
To answer—or not to answer?
That was the question!
…
"Three options, two chances… this should be fairly easy."
Steven Stone, the former Champion of Hoenn, spoke calmly.
"Let's analyze it briefly. First, Shiny Fearow… honestly, this option looks the most like the correct answer."
"But compared to Legendary Pokémon… it's hard to say which is rarer."
As someone who owned a shiny Metagross, Steven had a very clear understanding of how rare shiny Pokémon were.
Legendary Pokémon were hard to encounter—
But shiny Pokémon were just as rare!
These three choices were truly difficult to judge.
At the Viridian City Gym—
Giovanni's gaze swept across the three options, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"First, eliminate Ho-Oh."
He nodded.
Makes sense.
There was no way it could be Ho-Oh.
Don't ask why.
It just wasn't possible!
Absolutely impossible!
"The most likely option is Fearow."
"But a shiny Fearow… unlikely."
As the boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni had handled hundreds, even thousands of Pokémon.
Among all those—
The probability of encountering a shiny Pokémon was practically nonexistent.
He didn't believe that a rookie like Ash could be so lucky as to encounter a shiny Pokémon right out of the starting point.
Shiny Fearow?
Definitely a bait option!
The most obvious answer was rarely the correct one!
Eliminated!
That left only one—
"Zapdos…"
Giovanni murmured.
"Most people would hesitate, thinking Zapdos is a Legendary Pokémon and extremely rare."
"But in reality…"
"Zapdos is the most likely option!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Giovanni's eyes.
Why?
Because Giovanni knew—
Zapdos had a population!
Not every Zapdos was the Legendary Pokémon!
Of course, as Legendary Pokémon, Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno were far stronger than ordinary Pokémon.
Even compared to pseudo-legendaries, their strength was impressive.
But within their respective groups—
Only the strongest individual was the true Legendary Pokémon possessing divine power!
Which meant—
A rookie like Ash could very well encounter a Zapdos.
After hesitating for two seconds—
Giovanni decided to wait.
"Better hold off… I still don't know whether this thing is safe, or if there's some hidden trap behind it…"
He spoke cautiously.
Just then—
Someone answered.
It was that same overconfident boy.
After a bit of analysis, he made his decision without hesitation.
"A! The answer has to be A!"
"He's just a rookie Trainer! No matter how much that Pikachu powered up, what kind of rare Pokémon could he possibly encounter?"
"Zapdos and Ho-Oh aren't things you just run into!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
He declared with complete confidence.
After the Spearow attack—
Wouldn't it be perfectly normal for a Fearow to show up for revenge?
Did this even require thinking?
Not at all!
The boy crossed his arms proudly, lifting his chin.
He was just that smart!
So what if it was a shiny Fearow?
It was still just a Fearow!
Completely unaware of how rare shiny Pokémon truly were, he had not the slightest doubt in his answer.
After submitting it—
He was already eagerly anticipating his reward!
What he couldn't understand was—
Why were so many people still hesitating over such a simple question?
The answer was obviously right there!
But then again—
It was good they hesitated.
That allowed him to seize the opportunity first!
After his answer—
A small number of people in the chatroom couldn't help but feel regret.
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