Chapter 138: A Chance Encounter in Viridian Forest—Whose Pidgeot?! (3K)

Saffron City, the largest city in Kanto, featured a dense cluster of skyscrapers and bustling crowds, its prosperity rivaling even Wyndon.

Stepping out of the airport, Suyi and Nyahoja could see the towering Silph Co. building rising in the distance at the city center.

This was a company specializing in the production of various Pokémon-related items, such as Poké Balls, potions, held items, and TMs.

However, before long, the Devon Corporation from the Hoenn region would catch up and surpass them, developing new types of Poké Balls and researching fossil resurrection technology.

Suyi intended to witness fossil resurrection technology firsthand when he reached Hoenn.

"Arrived in Kanto's most prosperous city, Saffron City." Suyi recorded a short video using his Rotom Phone and uploaded it to his social media feed.

"Suyi, which way should we go Meow?" Nyahoja looked at the endless stream of traffic and pedestrians, feeling momentarily overwhelmed.

"Pallet Town doesn't have an airport or a station, we'll just have to fly there," Suyi said after checking the details on his phone.

"Corviknight, I'm counting on you." After identifying the direction, Suyi mounted Corviknight and flew toward the southwest of Saffron City.

...

The sensation of flying on a Pokémon was completely different from riding an airplane; the feeling of a strong wind rushing past the face was immensely uplifting.

Corviknight flew over a vast expanse of forest, overlooking the green earth below, allowing one to fully appreciate the vastness of heaven and earth.

As Corviknight soared past, a flock of bird Pokémon fluttered up from the woods.

"It's Pidgey." Suyi recognized this quintessential early-route bird.

"Waaaah!"

Shortly after, another flock of Pokémon burst from the trees, giving chase to the Pidgey.

"It's Spearow!"

Suyi watched in astonishment as the two species of bird Pokémon encountered one another, immediately assuming aggressive, bristling postures.

These two bird Pokémon, widely distributed throughout the forest, seemed to be fighting over territory and resources.

"Gah-ah!"

Just as the two flocks confronted each other, three Fearow rushed onto the scene.

"The evolved form of Spearow, huh?"

The balance of combat power began to tilt toward the Spearow flock.

"Gah-ah!" Unexpectedly, the Fearow seemed to mistake Suyi and his companions for intruders, directing threatening cries at them.

"Oh? Don't be ungrateful." Suyi raised an eyebrow.

"Coo-woo!"

At that moment, three more Pokémon flew out from the forest.

"Two Pidgeotto and one Pidgeot..."

Well.

Suyi actually preferred calling it Pidgeot.

While Pidgeot was supposedly the official translation, hearing it always felt like one of those haphazard, wild translations from the chaotic early localization era.

The lead Pidgeot flew over, blocking the Fearow that had shown hostility toward Suyi.

"This is our fight, don't drag outsiders into it, Meow." Nyahoja translated, listening to the words of the lead Pidgeot.

"Gah-ah!" The Fearow clearly refused to listen to Pidgeot's dissuasion; this was their territory, and any intruders had to be driven away.

"Corviknight, Air Cutter!" Suyi didn't waste any breath, directly ordering a move.

"Maga-ah!" Corviknight beat its wings, sending several spinning blades of wind slicing toward the Fearow.

The Fearow scrambled to dodge, but were still struck by the continuous barrage of air blades.

"Steel Wing!"

Corviknight spread its steel-clad wings, charging right into the midst of the three Fearow and striking them fiercely with Steel Wing.

Amidst the flashing steel wings, the three Fearow were defeated in an instant.

Seeing their leader attacked, the remaining Spearow didn't flee; instead, they swarmed forward in a joint assault.

"Hurricane!" Suyi commanded once more.

Corviknight flapped its wings, unleashing a violent, raging gale that blew the flock of Spearow completely off balance in an instant.

"Coo-woo!" Pidgeot looked on in astonishment at the retreating Fearow and their flock.

Suyi curled his lip and said, "Now you know who the boss is, huh?"

Astonished by the strength of this bird Pokémon it had never seen before, Pidgeot proactively flew over to express its gratitude.

"Think nothing of it." Suyi waved his hand dismissively.

This was a resource competition between two Pokémon flocks, an everyday occurrence among wild Pokémon populations.

Therefore, the stray Pokémon wandering around Wyndon weren't necessarily any worse off than wild Pokémon in nature.

"This Pidgeot is quite reasonable and polite, not at all like a wild Pokémon."

Suyi looked with some surprise at the friendly demeanor displayed by Pidgeot.

Although Pidgey was a relatively gentle Pokémon suited for beginners, its final evolution, Pidgeot, was a bonafide bird of prey.

Moreover, having survived in the wild and evolved into Pidgeot through countless battles, its temperament should have been much more guarded.

Besides, Suyi was a human, and Corviknight was a Pokémon they had never seen before.

Logically speaking, even if they didn't show hostility like the hot-tempered Fearow, they should at least have been cautious and defensive.

Even Pokémon wandering in cities that frequently saw humans would remain vigilant when a human entered their territory.

"It's like a Pokémon that has seen the wider world..."

As Suyi spoke, a thought struck him, and he asked, "Rotom, what is the name of this forest?"

The Rotom Phone flew out and said, "According to the updated map... this is Viridian Forest, Rotom."

"Viridian Forest?!"

Suyi looked at Pidgeot, which was currently checking on whether its companions were injured, and a realization immediately dawned on him.

"Could you possibly be Ash's Pidgeot?!"

"Coo-woo!?" Hearing the familiar name, Pidgeot looked over in surprise.

"It really is! What a coincidence!?" Seeing this reaction, Suyi was practically certain.

Pidgeot flew over excitedly, chirping incessantly.

"Do you know my Trainer? Is Ash doing well now? That's what it's asking, Meow." Nyahoja translated.

Suyi smiled and said, "In a sense, yes."

"As for whether Ash is doing well right now, I have no idea where he's traveling at the moment. But I suppose there's nothing that could keep him troubled for long."

"Oh right! I'm heading to Professor Oak's Laboratory shortly, I can record a video for you and try to contact Ash later to let him know how you're doing."

"Coo-woo!!" Pidgeot nodded happily.

The Rotom Phone began recording a video for Pidgeot, and Pidgeot talked to the lens with a happy expression.

Although he couldn't understand the Pokémon's language, judging by Pidgeot's sincere expression, it deeply missed Ash.

There was a running meme within the Pokémon anime community: the abandoning of Pidgeot.

As one of the first Pokémon Ash ever caught, Pidgeot—back when it was still a Pidgeotto—had always been fiercely loyal, contributing immensely to Ash's journey.

Unlike troublemakers like Charizard, it never gave Ash any trouble; it was a steady, hardworking Pokémon.

After Ash competed in his first major tournament, the Indigo Plateau Conference, it evolved into Pidgeot in order to protect a flock of Pidgey harassed by Fearow, and was left behind by Ash in Viridian Forest.

Before leaving, Ash promised that he would come back to pick it up as soon as he finished his current business.

However, despite traveling through so many regions afterward, Pidgeot only appeared in flashbacks once or twice.

Though Pidgeot wasn't officially released in name, the actual situation was practically identical to abandonment, which gave birth to the meme.

In reality, a moment's thought made it clear that this was entirely the fault of the writers; given Ash's deep love for Pokémon, how could he possibly forget any Pokémon he had ever caught?

Furthermore, looking back at the heavy expression Ash wore after leaving Pidgeot behind, it seemed he had already made up his mind long ago.

Pidgeot's situation was so similar to Corviknight's—both chose to stay behind to protect their respective flocks.

Ash couldn't be selfish enough to make Pidgeot abandon its flock and travel with him.

So he had prepared himself; even then, he was mature far beyond a ten-year-old child.

Ash had learned very early on how to let go for the sake of his Pokémon, allowing Butterfree to travel with its beloved mate, letting Pidgeot stay behind to protect its flock...

From that moment on, Ash had already taken his first step toward becoming a Pokémon Master.

Perhaps after Ash claimed the ultimate crown, he would return to reunite with this old friend and share that joy.

"I'm doing very well here, the flock is growing stronger, don't worry about me, go ahead on your journey and be at ease, make sure you become stronger..."

Nyahoja translated, the words filled with reassurance for Ash and blessings for his journey.

"I will definitely deliver this to Ash," Suyi said solemnly.

Though it didn't quite amount to undoing regrets, it at least fulfilled a wish from the bottom of his heart.

"Coo-woo~" Pidgeot expressed its sincere gratitude to Suyi.

...

"That Pokémon had a Trainer, Meow? And it chose to stay behind to protect its flock, Meow?"

Along the way, Suyi briefly recounted Pidgeot's story to Nyahoja.

"Maga-ah." Corviknight's gaze flashed with a sense of identification toward Pidgeot; both of them had given up certain things for the sake of their flocks.

"Will its Trainer come back to pick it up? Won't it feel lonely, Meow?" Nyahoja asked.

"Even though it misses its Trainer, it also has its flock to keep it company."

"And its Trainer will definitely come back to pick it up, because they are partners. Parting is only for the sake of the next reunion," Suyi said with certainty.

Nyahoja twitched its ears, blinking its large, watery eyes as it asked, "Will we ever part ways?"

Suyi paused, his mind flashing back to that cramped, chaotic, and lonely apartment.

The memories there seemed to have grown very distant, yet in truth, only a few months had passed.

Suyi hugged the cat's furry body and patted Corviknight's solid back, smiling as he said, "Of course not, after all, you two are the most important things in my life right now."

The Capture Ball and Poké Ball at Suyi's waist jingled slightly.

"Meow~"

Nyahoja didn't know what Suyi had recalled during that brief pause.

It only knew that Suyi had expressed genuine affection toward them, so Nyahoja returned Suyi's gesture with a warm kitty hug.

"Maga-ah!" Corviknight let out a cry, its gaze resolute.

Flying just a bit further south from Viridian Forest brought them to Pallet Town.

Overlooking from high above.

This pure white little town, symbolizing the start of journeys, nestled among fields and rolling hills, dotted with houses connected by winding dirt paths.

Atop the highest hill in the town sat a building with a rotating windmill—Professor Oak's Laboratory.

Corviknight landed right in front of the laboratory's doors, and Suyi stepped forward to knock.

"Oh? Do we have guests?"

A middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and brown-gray hair opened the door, looking at Suyi with surprise.