Zapdos would never yield to anyone!
If it allowed itself to be captured by Ash,
that meant it had already acknowledged him!
And now he wanted to release it?!
Was this boy ignoring the dignity of Zapdos, the Thunder God, one of the Legendary Birds?!
Of course—
Zapdos had to clarify one thing to itself:
It absolutely was not captured because Ash's Aura felt comfortable.
It followed Ash purely because of his strength and charm!
…Those were thoughts Zapdos kept strictly inside its own mind.
It wasn't stupid enough to say them aloud.
Otherwise, its dignity as a divine Pokémon would shatter immediately!
After receiving Ash's Aura power,
Zapdos clearly felt much better.
Its feathers no longer looked dull.
In fact, because Ash injected an absurdly massive amount of Aura,
even the tips of its feathers were tinged faintly blue.
Meanwhile, Ash lay weakly on the grass.
He originally came to stop Zapdos from rampaging in the city.
But he soon learned that Zapdos was only trying to absorb the power plant's energy—
so it could give that energy back to the Electric-type Pokémon living nearby.
There was no question:
Zapdos was great.
And Ash was a boy with a great heart.
If he made a mistake, he admitted it.
He never acted like a certain dog of a person who said:
"I never wanted to help Ash achieve his dream."
To make up for his misunderstanding, Ash went all out.
He poured every drop of Aura he could muster into Zapdos—
just to help Zapdos recover its strength as quickly as possible.
After exhausting himself, Ash took out Zapdos's Poké Ball and placed it in front of the legendary bird.
"Our meeting must be a kind of fate.
If one day we meet again, I'll challenge you—and then we can be partners."
Though reluctant, Ash smiled with understanding.
He lay down on the grass, letting the sunlight warm him.
'Boy… when did I ever say I wanted to leave?'
Zapdos looked at Ash's determined posture,
and an indescribable grievance welled up inside it—
like a new bride being driven out by her in-laws on the first day.
"Goodbye… Wait! You said you don't want to leave?!"
Ash's eyes flew open.
He thought he heard Zapdos say it didn't want to go.
In an instant he jumped to his feet—
and the bleakness in his eyes burst into new light.
Then he saw it—
Zapdos had already picked up its own Poké Ball and was holding it up to him.
"Pika~!"
Pikachu approved.
This little brother was very sensible.
Ash took the Poké Ball from Zapdos's beak.
Zapdos gently tapped the button with its bill.
A flash of light—
and it entered the ball.
From this moment on—
Ash and Zapdos were truly partners.
[Korrina: Honestly, Ash's affinity is ridiculous. Even a legendary Pokémon like Zapdos refuses to leave him—even when Ash offers to release it.]
[Wallace: Please, the moment Ash pumped that Aura into Zapdos, did you see its expression? It was practically melting.]
[Raihan: STOP! Aura isn't supposed to be used like that! Ash, that's heresy!]
[Lance: In a way, this whole capture was a historic demonstration. No trainer ever documented the process of subduing a legendary before.]
[Lorelei: Even if you know the steps, so what? Can normal people compare to Ash's Pikachu or Red's team? Without that strength, what legendary would submit?]
[Cynthia (Galar): True. And the real key wasn't just strength—it was what Ash said at the end. That's what moved Zapdos.]
[Caitlin: Honestly… Ash is basically a succubus. Every divine Pokémon that touches him gets charmed. Even Cynthia—]
[Cynthia: ?]
[Caitlin: I WAS WRONG PLEASE DON'T—SOFTLY—]
…
Something about all of you feels off.
Pallet Town – Oak's Laboratory Backyard
Red stared at the screen, feeling déjà vu.
Of course—
he himself had captured all three Legendary Birds.
No wonder it felt familiar.
Now that he thought about it, Ash's actions unintentionally resembled his own.
Pikachu, Charizard… now Zapdos.
That wouldn't do.
One who walked only in another's footsteps could never stand at the summit.
Red decided he needed to pull Ash aside someday—
cut down the detours, sharpen his path.
If he did that…
Ash might reach the peak much faster.
Five years?
No—
one year was enough for Red to train Ash into a true apex powerhouse.
It was time for the world to remember—
the oppression of RED.
On screen—
Ash held the Poké Ball tightly.
Pikachu sighed helplessly on his shoulder.
Releasing partners…
Ash had done it too many times.
Butterfree, Primeape—
all technically released by choice.
(Beedrill was simply forgotten… and it was right next to Pallet Town, too.)
But a Pokémon refusing to be released—
that was rare.
Pikachu vaguely remembered the last one who refused was… itself.
In that sense, Zapdos truly was a suitable little brother.
Both were Electric-type.
Both had similar experiences.
Pikachu's fondness for Zapdos skyrocketed.
After calling Professor Cerise, Ash returned to Pallet Town.
Cerise's lab backyard was comfortable,
but far too small for Zapdos.
But Professor Oak's backyard?
Two or three mountains wide.
Perfect for Zapdos.
Not to mention—
there was already one Zapdos living there—Red's.
Letting the two meet would be beneficial.
Ash rushed to Oak's lab and explained everything.
Oak agreed immediately.
The research value of one Zapdos was immense.
But two?
He could now study legendary species behavior.
In the Oak backyard were monsters.
Not only Ash's Pokémon—
but Gary's, Oak's own,
and even many of Red and Blue's teams.
The backyard could probably challenge any League in the world.
Zapdos's arrival didn't cause even a ripple.
Especially when it saw Red's three Legendary Birds—
Its initial instinct to act like a boss evaporated instantly.
Nope.
Not playing anymore.
I'm done.
That was Zapdos's exact feeling.
The viewers were stunned.
[Lance: I swear I saw THREE Legendary Birds in Oak's backyard! I thought Ash was already broken, but someone's even more outrageous! Who is that?!]
[Gary: That's my idol! The legend of Pallet Town! The most mysterious man alive!]
[Bruno: …It can't be that man, right?]
[Blue: Gary ENOUGH! Yes, Red is strong—stronger than me—but stop worshipping him like that!]
[Bruno: Oh, so it is Red. Then three Legendary Birds makes perfect sense.]
[Steven: If this is Red five years later… that's terrifying.]
[Korrina: I still haven't even seen Red in person and he's already vanished from the world again.]
[Leon: Shame… I really wanted to battle him.]
Red?
Who was this Red?
Why did every Champion and Elite Four member respect him so much?
Even Leon wanted to battle him—
Who IS this man?!
On screen —
After settling Zapdos,
Ash stayed in Pallet Town for a few days before returning to Vermilion City.
At the Cerise Laboratory, he found Chloe was not reading today—
she was training with her Milotic.
Upon seeing Ash, Chloe immediately challenged him to a battle.
Ash accepted, of course.
The result?
Milotic was flattened by Ash's Dragonite.
Theory was one thing.
Battle instinct was another.
Chloe still had a long way to go.
After the battle, Ash comforted her.
Then Professor Cerise rushed into the lab.
Ash and Chloe followed him—
and found several researchers analyzing an urgent dataset.
On the central screen—
a map of Galar filled with pulsing red marks.
Extreme dynamaxing events.
Widespread.
Unpredictable.
This shouldn't be possible—
wild Dynamax events only occur in stadiums or the Wild Area.
But now they were everywhere.
Multiple outbreaks in a single morning.
The region was on the brink of paralysis.
Professor Magnolia had already summoned scholars from around the world.
"Dynamax, huh…"
Ash suddenly felt something calling him.
He raised his right hand.
His Dynamax Band—
was glowing an eerie purple.
Even from Kanto.
A sudden image flashed into Ash's mind—
A Pokémon.
Holding a golden sword in its mouth.
A silhouette burned into his memory.
"Professor Cerise, I want to go to Galar.
I feel like this isn't normal.
Champion Leon has helped me many times.
Galar is in danger—
I can't just sit and watch."
Cerise wanted to stop him—
fighting rampaging Dynamax Pokémon was dangerous.
But the determination in Ash's eyes left him speechless.
"Fine… but be careful.
And protect Chloe."
He already knew Ash could not be stopped.
Besides, Chloe was standing right behind Ash.
He couldn't ruin the dynamic between them—
he was supposed to be the parent, not the villain.
Before they left, Cerise gave instructions:
"Once in Galar, find Professor Magnolia or her granddaughter Sonia.
They'll have the latest information."
Ash and Chloe bought the earliest flight to Galar.
On the plane, Chloe kept psyching herself up.
She must not drag Ash down this time.
Arriving in Galar, they rode a train toward Turffield—
where Sonia was.
But before arrival,
the train stopped.
A thick unnatural fog blocked the tracks.
Ash and Chloe jumped off without hesitation.
The Rotom Phone guided them—
until it suddenly malfunctioned.
Even the Rotom inside didn't know why.
"Ash… can we really reach Turffield?"
Chloe asked nervously.
Ash's voice was firm:
"Believe me.
As long as I'm here, we'll make it."
Without the phone, Ash relied on instinct.
But the deeper they went—
the stranger the woods became.
This didn't look like any path to a town.
Still, Chloe trusted him completely.
Then—
A blue figure appeared in the mist.
Wolf-like.
Long blue fur draped downward,
white markings like scars,
braided tufts near its ears,
slender limbs filled with power.
Its form flickered—
ethereal, unreal.
But when it noticed Ash—
the illusion stabilized.
'Hero of the Sword… follow me.'
A woman's voice echoed in Ash's mind.
Was this…
not an illusion at all?
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