Viridian City's outline under the sunset had a dull, grayish cast to it. The street trees lining the road were coated in that thin layer of dust only cities seemed to have.
Misty kicked a pebble along the curb, her orange ponytail swaying with each step.
"Hey," she finally couldn't hold it in, glancing sideways at Ash, who was walking along with annoyingly light steps.
"That Magikarp of yours… you really think it can evolve into a Gyarados??"
She remembered that golden body thrashing in a muddy puddle. Her tone was full of doubt. "I mean, sure, shiny is rare and all…"
But Misty also remembered: golden Magikarp evolved into red Gyarados.
Honestly, most Gyarados weren't worth as much as a golden Magikarp in her eyes.
If she had to choose, she'd rather keep the goldfish forever.
Ash laced his hands behind his head. "Of course! My partner's potential is limitless. Just you wait, Misty—don't be too shocked when it happens."
"Hmph. Braggart."Misty curled her lip, but when her gaze swept over the Poké Ball on his belt that held the golden Magikarp, then up to the Pidgeotto on his shoulder and the Pikachu at his feet sparking lazily as it walked, she ended up saying nothing more.
If he wouldn't listen, he wouldn't listen.
There was something about him that always felt just a little… off.
The two of them reached their destination.
The Pokémon Center's bright lights and faint disinfectant smell washed over them as they stepped inside.
Unlike the games, there wasn't any magical "put Poké Balls on the machine and everything's fixed" nonsense.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center."Nurse Joy's gentle smile was instantly reassuring.
After confirming their Trainer IDs and checking in, they headed to their own rooms to rest.
They were obviously not sharing.
Ash closed his door behind him and locked it.
"Pika?"Pikachu hopped up onto the nightstand and watched curiously as its trainer practically sprinted to the videophone, yanking out his Pokédex and linking the call.
The screen flickered a few times.
Professor Oak's familiar face popped into view, framed by a background of overflowing shelves and scattered research notes.
"Well now, Ash!"Oak adjusted his glasses, mischief glinting behind the lenses.
"Let me see… the date…"
"From Pallet Town to Viridian City, the straight-line walking distance is, what, two days at most?"
"It's been half a month. Don't tell me you got lost?"
"Out of the four kids that left this year… Shigeru's already in Cerulean, getting ready to challenge the Gym."
"Tsk, tsk… your pace is not great, my boy!"
His tone was full of that teasing "old family friend enjoying your misfortune" energy.
Ash looked completely confident and smug. "Blah blah, Professor. I'm just being steady and thorough. Real training takes time!"
And he really had made some extremely valuable gains. "Anyway, I made a huge discovery on the road! Like, world-shaking huge!"
"Oh? A huge discovery?"Oak clearly didn't take it seriously at first. He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, asking lazily, "What, you caught some super rare Pokémon?"
"Hehehehe. Get ready to have your mind blown!" Ash sucked in a breath, fingers flying over the console as he sent over a video file.
"Watch closely, Professor!"
The view on the screen changed.
All at once, the air in Oak's lab seemed to freeze.
The footage was shaky, filmed through a lens streaked with rain.
Above a dark, oppressive forest drenched in heavy rain, a radiant gold light ripped through the clouds!
A sacred silhouette. Wings that looked like they were made of pure light and flame. Golden radiance pouring down like stardust.
A cry—ethereal, majestic, echoing straight into the soul—came through the speakers, carrying the breath of something ancient and overwhelming.
"Skreeee——!"
Professor Oak's instant ramen bowl hit the desk with a loud clang, hot broth spilling over his notes.
He didn't even notice.
He shot to his feet like someone had hit him with a shock wave, eyes glued to the screen, his pupils reflecting that burning golden sky.
"T-this… this is… impossible…" he whispered hoarsely, voice rasped with disbelief, wild joy, and utter awe.
"Legendary…"
"Ho… Ho-Oh…"
"It's really it…"
"It's shown itself again!"
"And in Kanto, no less!"
"Near Viridian Forest!"
The last time Ho-Oh had appeared was nine years ago.
Oak still had no idea why Ho-Oh and Lugia had both revealed themselves during that incident.
The clip was short. It ended as the golden light vanished back into the clouds and cut back to Ash's face—trying very hard to look serious, and failing because his smugness was practically leaking out of the corners of his mouth.
Ash, drunk-on-his-own-achievement.jpg.
"Well, Professor?" Ash asked, tone unapologetically braggy. "Big enough discovery for you?"
"Big enough?! More than big enough!"Oak almost roared. His face was so close to the camera it took up the whole screen, words tumbling over each other in his excitement.
"Time! Location! Exact coordinates! Weather conditions! Surrounding environment!"
"Any other witnesses?"
"Ash! Quickly! Tell me everything! Not a single detail can be left out!"
For Ho-Oh, Professor Oak was very, very invested.
"Relax, Professor." Ash drawled.
"I've got a little extra something for you to take a look at, too."
He didn't give Oak any chance to reply. He swung the camera around toward a plastic basin in the corner of the room, temporarily filled with water.
Inside, a fully golden Magikarp drifted around, looking bored as it blew bubbles.
"A… a shiny Magikarp?!"Oak's voice shot up. "Hold on—Ash! You caught it?! It's in your hands?!"
Ho-Oh might be rarer than any shiny.
But you couldn't catch Ho-Oh.
A golden Magikarp, though? That you could.
And since Ash was sitting there grinning like a maniac, Oak was more than happy to play along.
He slapped his desk, ready to pour on the praise.
"Ho-Oh appears! And now a golden shiny Magikarp on top of that!"
"Ash, as expected, you're the Trainer I have the highest hopes for!"
"The future of the Pokémon League rests on your shoulders!"
"Even if Shigeru ran a hundred times faster, he couldn't compare to what you've gained here!"
Right now, Oak was very satisfied with Ash.
As for his grandson?
That kid was still too immature—running around with a cheer squad of girls all day. Who knew when he'd finally settle down.
"Professor, let me walk you through what's been happening these past few days."
"…Misty from Cerulean City saw Ho-Oh with me as well…" Ash gave a full rundown of recent events.
Naturally, he polished a few parts.
"Misty… that name sounds familiar."Oak rubbed his chin. "Ah, that's it. She's the kid from Cerulean Gym, right?"
"…Her parents went missing during an expedition overseas to challenge Sea King–type Pokémon."
"The Pokémon in the ocean are even more dangerous than those on land," he said thoughtfully.
"…She hasn't told me much about that," Ash replied. "I'll keep an eye on it, Professor."
He did know Misty was a Cerulean Gym trainer.
But since she hadn't brought it up herself, he had to act as if he didn't know.
This was also the first time he'd heard the reason for Cerulean's decline—
the prior Gym Leaders had vanished abroad?
"I'll explain Sea King–class Pokémon a bit,"Oak continued.
"They're comparable to the so-called Totem Pokémon."
"Ancient legends say there are five Sea Kings across the four great oceans."
"They all serve under the Sea Lord, Kyogre."
"They are…"
And Oak's explanation continued.
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