"Who's there?!"
Ash jumped at the sudden voice. He looked around in panic, but there was no one else here—just him.
…A ghost?
Well, aside from the completely charred bicycle lying nearby. Its shape was so tragic it looked like a dried salted fish.
"Wait… whose bike is this again?"
Ash vaguely remembered that things had been urgent at the time. He'd grabbed a random bike without thinking. As for who it belonged to… he had absolutely no impression.
He also vaguely recalled seeing a really cool blue dragon down by the river earlier. Maybe he should go back and take another look?
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Red was drifting into an extremely strange space.
Everything around him was gray and indistinct, yet he could clearly perceive every single thought racing through the boy's mind—as if they were directly connected, without the slightest gap.
The problem was that this kid's thoughts jumped tracks nonstop, giving Red a mild headache.
Are normal people's minds always this chaotic?
If he didn't interrupt, who knew how far this kid's imagination would spiral?
Finally, Red couldn't take it anymore.
"Pokémon Center."
The voice echoed again.
Ash nearly leapt out of his skin.
Only now did the normally carefree boy come to his senses. Ho-Oh's healing wasn't omnipotent. The most important thing right now was getting Pikachu to a Pokémon Center.
If Pikachu ended up with long-term complications or something… that would be disastrous.
Whether he was being haunted or not no longer mattered.
Ash stuffed the blazing red feather into his clothes, scooped Pikachu into his arms, and bolted in a random direction.
As for where he was going?
He had no idea.
Running in the direction Ho-Oh had flown earlier seemed good enough.
Viridian City — Pokémon Center
Ash handed Pikachu over to Nurse Joy.
Somehow, despite running around aimlessly, he'd made it out of the forest—and even reached a major city.
Under Nurse Joy's guidance, Ash took out his Pokédex and completed his Trainer registration. From that moment on, he officially qualified for all the benefits provided by the Pokémon League: free access to facilities, free medical treatment, free lodging…
After all, Pokémon Centers were a nationwide—and even worldwide—network.
Ding~ ding~ clang clang~
A short while later, Pikachu was wheeled out with a few bandages wrapped around its body. Aside from some minor injuries, it looked perfectly fine.
According to Nurse Joy, the situation earlier had been extremely dangerous. If they'd arrived any later—
Pikachu's wounds probably would've healed on their own.
"Pika!"
Seeing Ash, Pikachu's eyes lit up. It immediately leaped onto his shoulder, rubbing against him affectionately.
Ash's chest swelled with pride. For the first time, he truly felt like a real Trainer. He grinned from ear to ear, gently patting Pikachu's head.
Noticing that he was still covered in mud, Ash planned to head to the back rooms of the Pokémon Center for a long, satisfying shower.
But as he passed by the public phone, he hesitated—then stopped.
"Hello? This is Ash's mom."
Delia's voice came through the receiver.
Ash's mom was even more carefree than he was.
"Mom! I made it to Viridian City!" Ash said proudly.
"Oh my! Ash, why are you covered in mud like that?" Delia focused on something else entirely.
"Uh… it rained really hard in Viridian City earlier, and a car splashed mud all over me," Ash lied smoothly.
At the same time, he hurriedly pushed Pikachu—still wrapped in bandages—out of sight, afraid his mom would start nagging if she saw.
"You really are clumsy… when you're out there, you have to be careful, remember to bring—"
Even so, Delia launched into her usual lecture.
After a while, she suddenly remembered something and her face brightened with pride.
"But you reached Viridian City in just one day! That's amazing! Back when your father set out, it took him ages to get there."
Ash froze.
He hadn't thought about his father in a long, long time.
"In any case," Delia continued warmly, "you have to become a Trainer even stronger than your father and grandfather. Do your best, Ash!"
With that, she hung up.
Ash lowered the phone and was about to head for the showers when he noticed a mural carved into the wall of the Pokémon Center.
Four ancient Pokémon were depicted.
Three were bird-like—and one of them looked eerily similar to the massive, rainbow-colored bird he'd seen earlier.
"So Fearow is that famous, huh?" Ash scratched his head, muttering to himself.
Beep—beep—beep…
Suddenly, the nearby phone rang again.
Ash looked around. No one else was there.
Hesitating, he picked it up.
On the video screen appeared an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a white lab coat. His expression was serious, with a hint of eccentricity.
Professor Oak—the man who had given Ash his Pikachu.
"Oh, Ash. I heard from your mother that you've reached Viridian City, so I called to check in."
Oak muttered to himself, not even trying to hide it.
"To be honest, I didn't have high expectations for you. But hey, you cast a wide net, maybe you catch a big fish. If you perform well, I get some credit too."
Ash frowned deeply, feeling an overwhelming urge to hang up.
"Oh, right," Oak added casually. "How many Pokémon have you caught so far?"
Ash stumbled backward, refusing to meet Oak's gaze.
"…Um. Not… not quite thirty yet?"
Oak's expression flipped instantly, like turning a page.
"As expected, you never disappoint—when it comes to disappointing me."
"But!" Ash blurted out. "I saw an incredibly mystical Fearow! It looks just like the one on that mural!"
"That's just an ordinary Fearow," Oak scoffed. "And the Pokémon on that wall is a super-rare specimen. A rookie like you could never—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Oak's mouth fell open. His eyes nearly popped out of the screen.
Because Ash had pulled out the seven-colored feather.
"It was seriously handsome," Ash said earnestly. "Though it was kinda… molting. I mean—losing feathers. This one's from it."
Professor Oak: "!!!"
Even through the screen, Oak could feel a holy radiance.
The feather shimmered with seven colors, as if blessed with a divine filter. No ordinary Pokémon could ever compare.
This kid… actually encountered a Legendary Pokémon?!
Oak's expression flipped again—this time three times faster than before.
"Ash-kun! What a good child you are! How about you send that feather to me for… research?"
"Hello? Hello? The signal's really bad—" Ash looked up at the ceiling and hung up immediately.
Nice try. I'm not that easy to fool.
With that, he put the feather away and headed for the showers.
Moments after Ash left, a short-haired, orange-haired girl stormed in, drenched in sweat, dragging along a "salted-fish" bicycle.
She looked around but didn't see her target.
With a furious snort, she slammed the wrecked bike onto the floor and marched inside.
Anyone would lose their temper if their bike got stolen and blown to scrap metal.
Even a Slowpoke would snap.
"That Trainer with the Pikachu…" she swore under her breath. "I will never forgive you."
Her name was Misty.
Night fell.
Ash and Pikachu slept like the dead.
This was Ash's first night as a Trainer. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out cold—sleeping in an utterly disgraceful position.
Pikachu beside him slept the same way.
One boy, one mouse.
Their bond had just formed, and even their sleeping habits were already synchronized.
Shhk!
Suddenly, Ash jolted upright like a corpse reanimated.
He stared blankly at his hands.
"Pika?!"
Pikachu lifted its head instantly, staring at its Trainer with alarm. Sparks of golden electricity crackled faintly from its cheeks.
Pokémon possessed heightened instincts.
Though Ash's appearance hadn't changed, Pikachu had already sensed something was wrong.
This guy…
Wasn't its idiot Trainer.
Red: "…"
The one controlling Ash's body right now was Red—the soul who had been dragged here for reasons unknown.
He closed his eyes, sensing everything around him. The air brushing against his skin. The weight of his body.
This feeling was completely different from before.
It only further confirmed that his former self had been nothing more than a digital construct.
"How ridiculous."
But then again… who was to say this boy named Ash wasn't also fictional?
Perhaps he had merely stepped into a higher-level simulation.
"Pika!"
A low growl snapped Red back to reality.
When he opened his eyes, Pikachu was baring its teeth at him.
Red knew that stance well.
It meant an attack was imminent.
"I mean no harm."
Red smiled calmly and slowly reached out, placing his hand against Pikachu's cheek.
Strangely, the hostility melted away. Pikachu even began licking his palm.
Pokémon could instinctively distinguish between good and evil.
Red was a master when it came to Electric-types—but actually touching a real Pokémon still felt novel.
"So this… is a real Pokémon?"
As he spoke, Red casually scooped Pikachu into his arms.
If Ash were to wake up and see this, he'd probably spit blood.
He'd nearly died to earn Pikachu's trust—and now some random guy just stole it outright?
"Let's take a walk."
Red scratched Pikachu's chin. It understood immediately and hopped onto his shoulder.
They quietly left the room.
He didn't know how long this state would last, so he wanted to see as much of this real world as possible.
The moment he stepped outside—
Click.
The door across the hall opened.
A short-haired orange-haired girl stepped out.
They locked eyes.
"—!"
Misty exploded instantly.
"YOU BIKE-STEALING THIEF! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"
But the guy didn't even glance at her.
He walked straight toward the Pokémon Center's main exit as if she didn't exist.
"…What?!"
Being ignored was far more infuriating than having your bike stolen.
What kind of nonsense was this?!
Misty lunged forward, reaching for Red's collar.
Grab—
Before she could touch him, Red moved faster.
He caught her wrist effortlessly.
Only then did he turn around.
His eyes were nearly devoid of emotion, radiating an icy chill that sent shivers down her spine.
"Who are you?"
Misty: "???"
It hasn't even been twenty-four hours and you're already pretending you don't know me?!