The scene on the light screen did not pause for the audience's gasps. Instead, driven by the ear-splitting cries of birds, it grew even more intense.
A vast flock of Spearow surged like storm clouds, blotting out every last ray of sunlight above the forest.
Ash clutched the injured Pikachu in his arms and sprinted wildly through the thorn-filled woods. Branches slashed bloody lines across his face, his clothes were torn to shreds, yet the arms shielding Pikachu never wavered—steady as if cast from iron.
"Pika…"
Cradled in his arms, Pikachu weakly opened its eyes. Looking at the boy drenched in sweat, his gaze burning with determination, the resistance in Pikachu's eyes finally dissolved into confusion.
Ahead lay a cliff.
Below it, a raging waterfall.
The pursuers were upon them. There was no way back.
"Hold on tight!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the Ash on the screen took a deep breath, hugged Pikachu tightly, and leapt forward!
Splash!
Man and mouse plunged into the torrent. At that heart-stopping instant, a ferocious Gyarados burst up from beneath the water, jaws gaping wide, missing Ash's feet by a hair's breadth.
The sight made viewers in the chatroom break out in cold sweat.
[Wallace (Hoenn Gym Leader): That was a Gyarados?! My goodness—does this rookie have good luck or terrible luck? Surviving something like that…]
[Bruno (Kanto Elite Four): Not just luck. That decisive leap, and the way he never let go of his Pokémon in the rapids… This kid's physical conditioning is impressive.]
The scene shifted, the camera moving to the riverbank.
An orange-haired girl sat fishing by the water when her rod suddenly bent.
"It's a bite! Must be a big one!" she exclaimed excitedly, yanking hard.
What flew out of the water wasn't a fish—but a soaking-wet Ash clutching Pikachu.
"Huh? A human?"
The girl was Misty. Before she could even process what was happening, the frantic Ash had already grabbed her bicycle, placed the injured Pikachu into the basket, shouted "I'll pay you back!", and pedaled off like a blur.
Behind him, the Spearow flock chased relentlessly.
In reality, seeing this familiar scene, Misty's face flushed bright red.
"Ah—th-this…"
She covered her face, recalling how she hadn't helped at all back then—and had even slapped Ash. The embarrassment made her want to crawl into a hole.
"I'm sorry, Ash…" she muttered softly. "I thought you were abusing a Pokémon back then…"
Just as Misty was about to apologize properly, Ash cut her off.
"Hehe, it's fine, it's fine!" Ash scratched the back of his head with a grin. "But wow, Misty, you've got a strong punch. My face was totally swollen back then! And that bike—man, it got fried really badly later…"
"Shut up, idiot!" Misty snapped, bonking him on the head.
They were bickering, but there was a trace of nostalgia in their eyes. That was how their bond began—full of misunderstandings and a ruined bicycle, yet the starting point of every adventure.
At this moment, the weather on the screen changed abruptly.
Rain poured down. Thunder roared.
The muddy road caused the bicycle to skid out of control. Man and bike crashed heavily to the ground. Pikachu was flung aside, collapsing in the mud, too weak even to stand.
Above them, flashes of lightning illuminated hundreds of Spearow circling in the sky, their savage silhouettes poised for the final dive.
A dead end.
A true dead end.
On the screen, Ash struggled to his feet from the mud. He didn't run. Instead, he staggered to Pikachu's side and pulled out a red-and-white Poké Ball from his pocket.
The "home" Pikachu had always refused to enter.
"Pikachu, get inside!"
Ash placed the Poké Ball in front of Pikachu, his voice hoarse yet urgent beneath the rain.
"I know you don't like it—but right now… if you're in there, you'll be safe!"
Pikachu weakly lifted its head, staring at the mud-covered boy.
"I'll handle the rest!"
Ash stood up, turning his back to Pikachu, arms spread wide.
That once-slight figure—
At this moment, in Pikachu's eyes, it seemed as towering as a mountain.
Facing the onrushing Spearow swarm, facing death itself, the boy from Pallet Town roared with every ounce of strength he had, shouting the oath that would one day echo across the world:
"You guys—do you know who I am?!"
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town!"
"The future number one Pokémon Master in the world!"
"Whether it's you—or even Legendary Pokémon—I won't lose to any of you!!"
CRACK—!!!
A bolt of lightning split the heavens, illuminating the boy's face—still youthful, yet carved with fearlessness and wild defiance.
It was the gaze of someone who would never take a single step back, even when facing an army.
At that instant, chatrooms across the world fell silent.
The boy once mocked as "lucky" and "just comic relief" now revealed a brilliance of spirit powerful enough to move even Champions.
[Lance (Kanto Champion): …I misjudged him. The courage to face death for the sake of protecting one's partner—that is a Trainer's most precious talent.]
[Alder (Unova Champion): Future number one Pokémon Master, huh… Hahaha! Good kid! That spirit—I acknowledge it!]
[Cynthia (Sinnoh Champion): In that moment, he became his Pokémon's shield. That level of resolve is something many veteran Trainers never achieve.]
Pikachu stared blankly at the back shielding it.
Its pupils trembled.
It had always believed humans were weak, hypocritical creatures—beings who only wanted to use Pokémon to fight.
But this idiot…
Clearly so weak.
Clearly without any chance of winning.
Yet willing to gamble his life for it.
"Pika…"
Tears welled up in Pikachu's eyes. Gritting its teeth, it mustered the last of its strength and pushed itself up from the mud. Instead of entering the safety of the Poké Ball, it climbed up Ash's pant leg and onto that not-so-broad shoulder—yet one strong enough to shelter it from wind and rain.
Viridian Gym.
Giovanni watched the tragic scene on the light screen, a cold smile curling at his lips as his fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"Foolish self-indulgence."
"Protection without power is nothing but suicide."
Though his words were scornful, the hand stroking Persian paused for a brief moment. His deep-set eyes never left the boy on the screen.
"Still… that look," he murmured, "I haven't seen it in a long time."
On the light screen, thunder exploded.
The roars of the boy and Pikachu merged into one, becoming a pillar of golden light that pierced through the torrential rain and the encroaching darkness.