"Wait, what is it, Hakuya? Did you hook another big one?"

  Hearing the massive commotion from the fishing rod behind her, Misty, who had one foot inside the tent, froze in her tracks.

  Her face was lit up with the raw, unmistakable excitement of a fisherman desperate to see a record-breaking catch.

  However, the moment she rushed back to the scene, her expectant expression instantly soured into a grimace of disappointment.

  "Oh, come on... it's just another human being..."

  Misty let out a huff, her tone dripping with annoyance.

  As for why she said "another," it was because Hakuya himself had been fished out of the water by her in the exact same way.

  Seriously, there was something wrong with this river; not a single rare Water-type, yet it refreshed "Human-egg-group" NPCs every other day.

  Unlike Misty, who was busy compining in her head, Hakuya set down his rod and nodded thoughtfully.

  The iconic red and white hat, the blue jacket, and the slightly chubby yellow electric rat clutched in his arms.

  "...Ash? So, today is the official start of the anime journey."

  As a hardcore fan of the entire Pokémon franchise, Hakuya was naturally very familiar with the protagonist of the animated series.

  The boy who aimed to be a Pokémon Master, who spent twenty years sharpening his skills, and who eventually defeated Leon on the world stage to become the World Champion.

  Putting aside his occasionally "questionable" tactical choices from a competitive gamer's perspective, Ash's never-give-up attitude and his pure love for Pokémon made him impossible to hate.

  Looking at the scene, it was all too familiar: Ash, having just received Pikachu from Professor Oak, had accidentally pissed off a wild Spearow and was now being hunted by the flock, forced to dive into the river to escape.

  However, due to Hakuya's "Butterfly Effect" intervention—meeting Misty early—the person who fished the protagonist out of the water had changed to him.

  "Pi... Pika-pi..."

  "Cough... hack... I'm drowning..."

  The boy, having been swung onto the bank, coughed violently for several seconds before finally coming to his senses.

  After holding his breath for so long, he had finally escaped the suffocating river water filling his nose and mouth, returning to the sweet, fresh air.

  Ash checked on the sleeping Pikachu in his arms and let out a small sigh of relief before looking up at Hakuya and Misty, who were both staring him down.

  "H-hello... my name is Ash. Thank you so much for saving us."

  "Ugh, that's horrible! Why is it in such a terrible state? Poor little thing!"

  Ignoring Ash's introduction, Misty's attention was entirely on the battered, scarred Pikachu, her face twisted with sympathy.

  "It's my fault..." Remembering the chaos, Ash lowered his head, his voice cracking with guilt.

  Hakuya knelt down, carefully inspecting Pikachu's condition.

  He didn't need medical knowledge; he had something better—the "Plot Cheat."

  "It looks like it was swarmed by a massive number of bird Pokémon; its body is covered in Peck wounds. You need to get it to a center immediately. The Viridian City Pokémon Center can treat it..."

  "Where is Viridian City—wait, oh no! They're already here!"

  Before Ash could stand up and ask for directions, his eyes widened as he spotted a dark, swarming mass of wild Pokémon in the sky above the river, and his face went pale.

  Even though he had jumped into the river and floated this far, those bastards had followed him like a goddamn curse!

  "GAH-HAAAA!!!"

  Accompanied by a chorus of piercing shrieks, hundreds of Fearow emerged from the clouds, their bck-tipped wings forming a rolling dark tide that blotted out the afternoon sun alongside the storm clouds.

  "Why are there so many? This is terrifying..."

  Not only was Misty startled, but even Hakuya, who knew the original story, couldn't help but frown.

  These weren't Spearow; they were an entire flock of vicious, predatory Fearow.

  Seriously, Ash... did you throw a rock at a Fearow instead of a Spearow this time?!

  "Fearow, the evolved form of Spearow. A Pokémon that has existed since ancient times. It uses its massive wings to stay airborne for days without needing to nd."

  Just as the sky was about to be completely swallowed by the Fearow, the Pokédex slipping from Ash's pocket began its robotic broadcast.

  Compared to Spearow, Fearow were far more violent and significantly more intelligent.

  While their initial goal was a revenge kill, their eyes turned greedy and lustful the moment they spotted the buckets of fresh fish sitting on the riverbank.

  "Dammit, those are the fish we spent all day catching! Starmie, use Hydro Pump!"

  Seeing the thieves targeting the hard-earned catch, Misty's fisherman's pride took over, and she immediately sent out her Pokémon to stop them.

  However, she had forgotten that Starmie had been absolutely brutalized by Milcery during their morning training; it hadn't fully recovered.

  Although a single Hydro Pump dealt significant damage to the Fearow leader, the core at the center of Starmie's body dimmed instantly after the attack, signaling it was out of stamina.

  "HA-GA!"

  Sensing the opponent's weakness, the Fearow leader, a seasoned predator, tucked its wings. The tips of its feathers glowed with a silver, metallic sheen, and its speed increased to a blur—the unmistakable start of an Aerial Ace.

  But before the strike could nd, Hakuya gave his command.

  "Sprigatito, stop it with Leafage!"

  "Nya-ha!"

  Bursting out of her Poké Ball, Sprigatito conjured a swirling storm of emerald leaves and smmed it into the bird.

  The razor-sharp leaves whipped into a cyclone, knocking the Fearow leader out of the sky before it could even adjust its flight path.

  Compared to that tanky-as-hell Rayquaza on Route 102, you common birds are pathetic!

  Watching the intruder fall after interrupting her nap, Sprigatito hissed with her usual arrogance.

  "Stop staring and move, Ash. Your Pikachu is in critical condition. Follow this road straight to the Viridian City Pokémon Center. I'll handle the rest."

  While the Fearow leader wailed on the ground and the rest of the flock hesitated to attack, Hakuya turned his head. He gave Misty a reassuring look before patting the stunned Ash on the shoulder.

  As trainers traveling the world, helping each other was standard protocol.

  Besides, the current Ash was a far cry from the world champion he would eventually become.

  As a rookie who had just started his journey, he would scan every single Pokémon with his Pokédex like a bot, and in a crisis, he was as helpless as any other newbie.

  But even for a rookie, the sudden weight of Hakuya's hand on his shoulder snapped him back to reality.

  He was worried about how Hakuya would stop such a massive, murderous flock, but the unconscious Pikachu in his arms reminded him that staying behind would only make him a liability.

  More importantly, looking into Hakuya's amber eyes, Ash felt an inexplicable surge of trust and safety.

  That calm, composed, and utterly confident posture reminded Ash of the League Champions he had seen on TV.

  "O-okay! I understand! I'll bring help as soon as I can!"

  Gritting his teeth, Ash pulled his hat down low, hugged Pikachu tight, and sprinted toward the end of the dirt path.