"Puff—puff—puff—!"
High in the air, Koffing puffed out its cheeks and spat out clumps of corrosive sludge toward Spearow. Each glob carried a thick, toxic stench.
But Spearow didn't confront the attack head-on.
Instead, it relied on its greatest advantage—agility.
Its small body darted through the air like a streak of lightning, weaving in circles as it effortlessly dodged the incoming Sludge Attacks.
Koffing kept turning its round body, constantly adjusting its "barrel" to aim at the swift bird Pokémon.
What it didn't realize—
Was that the moment it turned its back…
A tiny heart with angel wings was already flying toward it.
"Koffing! Watch your back! Dodge it!" its Trainer shouted in panic.
"Spearow—now! Quick Attack!" Ash seized the opening instantly.
Koffing twisted its body to evade the incoming Sweet Kiss from behind—
But before it could move—
A crimson blur slammed straight into it.
BANG!
Caught between two attacks, Koffing couldn't escape either one.
Instead of dodging Sweet Kiss, it was knocked directly into it by Spearow's Quick Attack.
"Ko—!"
The winged heart stamped onto Koffing's face.
Its eyes immediately turned into dreamy hearts.
"(Koffing)"
It had fallen into confusion.
"…This is bad!" the opposing Trainer's heart sank instantly.
While the opponent's morale dropped by half—
Ash and the girl beside him exchanged a glance.
Both of them broke into bright smiles.
"Spearow, chain Quick Attacks!"
"Happiny, continuous Disarming Voice!"
Once confused, Koffing's ability to act plummeted dramatically.
While not as completely disabling as sleep, it effectively reduced its control to almost nothing.
It had essentially become—
A living target.
Under the relentless double assault from Spearow and Happiny, Koffing couldn't hold out for long.
Soon—
It followed Meowth's fate.
With a heavy thud, it crashed onto the battlefield and fainted.
…
"Koffing is unable to battle! Both Pokémon on the red team have lost the ability to fight! This match is won by the blue team—Ash and Clarissa!"
The referee's loud announcement echoed across the arena.
"WAAAH—!!"
"WHOOO—!!"
"ASH!!"
"ASH!!"
"ASH!!"
The moment the result was declared, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands like crashing waves.
Beside him, Clarissa happily caught Happiny as it jumped into her arms. The girl and Pokémon spun around excitedly in celebration.
But Ash barely noticed the roaring crowd.
Because at that moment—
His attention had been completely captured by the system notifications ringing in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You defeated Lv.19 Meowth. Experience gained: 210.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You defeated Lv.21 Koffing. Experience gained: 320.]
[Ding! Spearow has met the conditions for evolution…]
Ash's eyes widened slightly.
"Finally…"
"I've waited long enough."
Looking at the white glow beginning to shine from Spearow's body, Ash couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face.
"Woaaah—!!"
The evolution light surrounding Spearow wasn't blinding, but it was impossible to miss.
It immediately caught the commentator's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, look at this! Spearow—Ash's Spearow—is evolving right after the match!"
Cameras zoomed in instantly.
The entire stadium's focus shifted to the glowing Pokémon at the center of the field.
Spearow itself wasn't rare in Kanto.
Its evolution certainly wasn't something extraordinary either.
But—
If that Spearow belonged to Ash.
Then everything changed.
To the audience, this wasn't just a Pokémon evolving.
They were witnessing Ash's growth.
And someday—when Ash truly became the Kanto League Champion, or even the strongest Trainer in the Pokémon world—
This moment would become a priceless memory.
Many spectators excitedly pulled out their phones, recording the scene.
…
The evolution itself didn't last long.
Inside the glowing light, Spearow's body began to transform as if molded by invisible hands.
Its tiny 0.3-meter body stretched rapidly.
Soon it reached nearly 1.2 meters in height.
Its wings widened.
Its tail feathers spread.
Its neck lengthened.
Its sharp beak grew longer.
In only moments—
The transformation completed.
"SKRAAAH!!"
With a hoarse, piercing cry, the newly evolved bird spread its wings.
Standing before everyone was a Pokémon that looked dramatically different from Spearow.
Orange-brown feathers.
Cream-colored wing tips and back.
A red crest atop its head.
And a rough, shaggy patch of feathers on its chest resembling the wild chest hair of a burly fighter.
Its long pink beak was sharp like a spear.
Its elegant neck resembled that of a stork.
This Pokémon—
Was Fearow.
…
Among Kanto's regional birds, Fearow only has one evolutionary stage.
Yet its base stats are not far behind Pidgeot.
While its flight speed doesn't reach Pidgeot's blistering Mach 2, Fearow possesses far greater endurance.
As a mid-sized bird Pokémon, Fearow can fly for an entire day without tiring.
Its carrying capacity is also extremely impressive.
Though its weight prevents it from carrying a human rider, with proper training it can haul heavy cargo across long distances.
Statistically, Pidgeot has around 30 more base stat points than Fearow.
But aside from Attack, the gap between them in other attributes isn't that dramatic.
Before Mega Evolution, even Pidgeot's Special Attack isn't overwhelmingly superior.
In truth—
Fearow was never weak.
Its reputation as an unpopular Pokémon came from one reason only:
It was difficult to train properly.
A fragile Flying-type Pokémon with a focus on physical offense didn't fit the preferred strategies of many Trainers.
But with targeted training and a well-designed move set—
Fearow's true strength could easily shock anyone who once underestimated it.
…
Ash looked up at the Fearow circling proudly in the sky.
A warm smile spread across his face.
"Fearow… congratulations."
"You finally evolved before Pidgeotto, just like you wanted."
"SKRAAAH—!! (^v^)"
Fearow cried happily, clearly overjoyed.
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