"It's decided then—you're the one, Pidgey No. 47."
After round after round of selection, Ash had finally found one that was decent.
As for finding a Pidgey with an extreme, Pikachu-level perfect build… yeah, he wasn't delusional.
He mostly wanted Pidgey for utility.
Especially once it evolved into Pidgeot, it could serve as a flying mount.
[Pidgey]
[Level: 7]
[Nature: Jolly]
[Ability: Keen Eye]
[Individual Values: Not Bad]
[Moves: Tackle Lv.1, Sand Attack Lv.1]
Uh… the individual values were a bit on the low side, and the moves were unimpressive.
But among all the Pidgey Ash had caught around here, this one had the best overall specs.
A Pokémon's individual values were graded in six tiers:
Perfect: 31
Exceptional: 30
Great: 26–29
Not Bad: 16–25
Average: 1–15
Terrible: 0
HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed—each of the six stats got an extra boost based on its individual value.
That part was similar to the games.
But some things weren't the same as in the games.
For instance, Effort Values here weren't dropped by wild Pokémon you defeated.
Effort truly was the product of a Pokémon's own hard work and a Trainer's training regimen… and in theory, there was no upper limit. That was one of the reasons top-tier Trainers were so overwhelmingly strong.
Oh, and Natures too.
Natures here didn't directly tweak the numbers.
They just nudged a Pokémon's behavior in certain directions.
Those behavioral tendencies, over time, impacted training and growth—
and that was what led to different final stats.
So you couldn't just "change a Nature" and expect your stats to magically shift.
…All in all, the system turned the world into readable data so Ash could understand it more easily,
but it didn't reduce the world to just numbers in a video game.
"Come on out, Pidgey!" Ash tossed the brand-new Poké Ball.
Red light flashed.
The newly caught Pidgey appeared on the grass.
Its gaze was sharp, with a trace of wariness. Its wings were slightly tucked in, making it look both tense and full of coiled power.
It tilted its head, scrutinizing the human Trainer in front of it and the Pikachu beside him that was radiating a strong electric presence.
"Pika pi!"Pikachu immediately bounced over in excitement. Its cheeks crackled with a few habitual golden sparks as it leaned in, eager to nuzzle the newcomer.
…Emm… it had gotten very used to doing this to Ash.
"Coo?!"Pidgey flapped its wings in surprise, hopping back a step and staring vigilantly at Pikachu.
"Stop! Pikachu!" Ash reacted fast, scooping up his partner before it could zap the new teammate. "Did you forget that our new partner isn't used to your 'enthusiasm' yet? Control! You gotta control it!"
"Pika…"Pikachu immediately reined in the electricity, scratching its head in embarrassment before giving Pidgey an earnest little wave.
"Pika~chuu!" (Nice to meet you!)
Ash crouched down so he was at eye level with the wary Pidgey, his face gentle but serious.
"Welcome to the team, Pidgey."
"I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu. From today on, we'll be partners fighting side by side."
He held out his palm. Resting in it were several finely chopped, sweet-smelling Berry bits specially prepared for bird Pokémon. "Here, this is a welcome gift."
In theory, the best thing to use would be Pokéblocks.
Those were specially designed for Pokémon.
Unfortunately, Ash wasn't skilled enough to make those yet.
He'd have to wait until he "recruited" Brock before tackling that.
He did have some Pokéblocks on hand, but those had to be saved for special occasions.
Ash strongly suspected… Brock had been assigned by Professor Oak as his bodyguard.
Otherwise, how could a Gym Leader just casually abandon his post to accompany a rookie on a journey?
That went against common sense!
Sure, the anime could be "for kids,"
but reality needed logical justification.
You couldn't just slap anime logic and game mechanics directly onto the real world.
Pidgey's sharp gaze flicked between Ash's face and the food in his hand. It sniffed the sweet scent in the air, glanced at Pikachu—the slightly "leaky," but clearly friendly Electric-type beside them—
Its naturally jolly disposition slowly overcame its initial caution. It hopped forward, cautiously at first, then quickly lowered its head and pecked up the Berry bits from Ash's palm.
"Coo!" The delicious taste drew a pleased chirp from it, and its tightly-held wings relaxed.
"Very good." Ash smiled, gently stroking the smooth feathers on Pidgey's back.
Pidgey didn't shy away. Instead, it affectionately rubbed its head against his fingers.
Most Pokémon had very simple hearts.
Most.
There were a few species whose minds were… alarmingly complicated.
Remember this rule: a dog is a dog, but a Border Collie is a Border Collie.
In his vision, next to Pidgey's status panel, a tiny notification flashed for a moment:
[Friendship: ↑]
"Listen up, Pidgey." Ash's voice turned solemn.
"Pikachu is my most important partner—our vanguard and main attacker."
"And you… you're the 'Eye in the Sky' I chose."
He pointed upward at the sky, sliced into fragments by the dense canopy overhead.
"Your keen eyes are the greatest gift the heavens gave you."
He stared straight into Pidgey's bright eyes.
"In the forest and in the skies, I need you to become my eyes—
to spot danger ahead of us in advance,
to find hidden paths,
to lock onto valuable opponents and resources."
"High-altitude scouting, advance warning—that's your most important role. You're our team's safety guarantee."
Because this world was a "realistic patch,"
A Pokémon's function mattered just as much as its raw strength.
That was critical.
Flying, burrowing, swimming—
a Trainer had to plan around all of these scenarios.
"Coo!"Pidgey seemed to understand the weight and expectation in Ash's words.
It puffed out its chest and let out a clear, ringing cry. Its sharp gaze swept across the canopy, as if it couldn't wait to soar up and fulfill its mission.
It could feel the unique value it had within this little team.
It wasn't just a disposable battle tool.
"Pika pika!"Pikachu hopped around excitedly in support. It didn't really get what "high-altitude recon" meant, but seeing a partner being recognized made it happy.
Ash straightened up and looked at his fledgling squad—
the shoulder-perched Partner Pikachu, occasionally leaking sparks but brimming with potential,
and the ground-standing Pidgey with sharp eyes, now carrying the duty of aerial scouting.
A faint light called "a promising future" flickered in his eyes.
"Alright, team!" Ash pointed dramatically down the forest path. "Our next goal—cross Viridian Forest!"
"Pidgey, take off! Scouting ahead is your job!"
Don't ask why he wasn't worried about Pidgey flying off and never coming back.
Most Pokémon really were that simple.
You beat me?
Okay, you're the boss now.
As long as life with the boss was livable and they weren't being abused, they'd stick with the boss.
"Coo—!"Pidgey spread its wings. With a powerful beat, it kicked up the air and shot like an arrow toward the shafts of sunlight cutting through the gaps in the branches.
Its sharp eyes became a living radar, scanning this wide, mysterious green maze.
"Hehehehe~" Ash and Pikachu exchanged a grin, then strode forward, following closely behind the "Eye in the Sky" they'd just chosen, stepping deeper into the heart of the forest.
With Pidgey's early warning, they could avoid running headfirst into packs of Spearow and Beedrill.
If they were lucky, in a crisis, they might even be able to call on other Pidgey or Pidgeotto for help.
Once they evolved into Pidgeotto and Pidgeot, their temperaments grew much more aggressive than when they were young.
A Pidgeotto would actively patrol and punish annoying intruders in its territory.
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