Chapter 235: Precious Footage of the Early Taming of a Wild Human
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"I've got it."
An idea sparked in Ash's mind. He looked around, found a long, thin rock pillar on the ground, and stood it up in front of him.
"We can imitate the ancient method of 'Immortal's Guidance.' We'll let the rock pillar fall naturally, and let the immortals tell us which way to go."
The two of them: "?"
What kind of new idea was this?
Seeing the two of them staring at him like he was a fool, a wise smile touched the corners of Ash's mouth. He reached into his coat and pulled out another object.
It was a spiky, golden feather, shrouded in a faint electric current.
"A Zapdos feather?" Brock's brow furrowed as he instantly understood Ash's idea.
Articuno and Zapdos were both Legendary Birds, so there should be some connection between them. Letting it point the way wasn't a bad idea.
"You've really got something, Ash."
In these strange situations, Ash did indeed have his moments of clarity.
Ash chuckled and licked the Zapdos feather.
*Bzzz—*
His tongue went numb, but compared to Pikachu, this amount of electricity was like a mere tickle. Ash promptly stuck the feather to the top of the rock pillar, stood it up vertically, and then let go, ensuring his arm exerted no force in any direction.
*Thud.*
After a bit of metaphysical guidance and a faint flash of electric light from the Zapdos feather, the rock pillar toppled over, pointing in a specific direction.
"Nice one!"
The three exchanged glances, picked up the rock pillar, and headed in that direction.
However, even with the Immortal's Guidance, the three still ran into many dead ends. Only after Ash's group continuously smashed and pushed rocks did they gradually open up a viable path.
"Utility Pidgeotto, use Rock Smash!"
"Utility Pidgeotto, use Strength! That's right, push that huge boulder into the hole behind it."
No wonder no one had found any trace of Articuno these past few years. This path required constantly pushing rocks into holes to block the river below, which in turn would reveal the way forward.
Under Pidgeotto's series of maneuvers, its wings seemed to have become like the two sturdy arms of a Fighting-type Pokémon, constantly smashing and pushing rocks.
"Alright, this is the last one. Pushing this rock in should let us reach the deepest part of the cave directly from this direction," Brock instructed.
Damn it, why did the lair of an Articuno have to involve the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams? If he hadn't learned a little about it in Pewter City, he really wouldn't have been able to solve this.
Hearing this, Ash gave a thumbs-up and shouted:
"Alright, Utility Bird, use Strength!"
He sneakily called it that again.
The more he said it, the more of a psychological suggestion it became. Subtly influenced, Pidgeotto now showed no obvious signs of resentment.
"Pidgeo-geo…"
However, Pidgeotto wiped the sweat from its brow and flapped its wings, indicating it was out of energy.
"Hey, Pidgeotto, you're the only one on my team who knows Strength! How could you suddenly go soft on me!" Ash said anxiously.
Nearby, Pikachu quickly turned away, acting as if it had nothing to do with this, just an ignored lightbulb in the corner.
Although a few smacks from its Iron Tail could achieve the same effect as Strength, it was best not to overexert itself for a few days. Its old back was still sore.
It increased its brightness by a notch, letting the glow envelop its body. From a distance, one could only see a yellow dot, but not its specific shape.
But no one was paying attention to it.
"Pidgeo-geo!"
Suddenly, a dazzlingly brilliant light flashed in Pidgeotto's eagle eyes. It raised one wing, pointing its tip directly at Ash.
Ash: "?"
"Pidgeo-geo!"
Pidgeotto nodded and let out a few loud cries.
Besides Pidgeotto, there was another member of this team who could use Strength—the Trainer.
"Me?"
Ash pointed at himself, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Pidgeo-geo!!"
Pidgeotto suddenly spread its wings and flew up, landing behind Ash. It used its head to nudge Ash in front of the giant boulder, then took several steps back, positioning itself where a trainer would stand.
The tables had turned.
*You call me Utility Bird, so I'll call you a tool. Did you really think I didn't notice you being sneaky?*
Then, Pidgeotto raised a wing, and with a sweep of its large, brown wing, it cried out loudly:
"Pidgeo-geo!! (Tool, use Strength!)"
It let out a sneaky cry, continuing the psychological suggestion on Ash.
Ash: "…"
After a moment of hesitation, Ash steeled himself, rolled up his sleeves, and started pushing the large rock in front of him.
*Hmph, a Pokémon is still a Pokémon. So unreliable. When you need a real workhorse, you still have to rely on my methods!*
Even as he pushed, he was still thinking dismissively of Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeo-geo!"
Pidgeotto cheered for him from behind, but a sinister smile secretly formed on its beak.
*Commanding the trainer to act as a tool more often will create a psychological suggestion. Subtly influenced, Ash now shows no obvious signs of resentment or unease toward being treated as a tool.*
*This is just the first step. Next time, I'll train Ash to learn the move Cut…* Pidgeotto thought to itself.
Brock and Misty: "…"
Watching Pidgeotto stand in the trainer's position commanding with its mouth while Ash had become the Pokémon using Strength, they couldn't help but feel their faces darken.
This was probably a landmark moment in Pokémon history. If the phenomenon of Pokémon catching humans ever appeared in the future, this would likely be the earliest record of it.
Brock even took the opportunity, while Ash was completely focused on using Strength, to step forward, take his Pokédex, and open the camera function.
*Precious Footage of the Early Taming of a Wild Human*
"MOVE!!"
Ash's face hardened as he let out a low roar. Both palms pressed tightly against the surface of the giant boulder, he stirred his dantian power, and the muscles in his arms suddenly bulged, seemingly tripling in size. He actually managed to slowly push the half-man-high boulder a considerable distance.
"This child's physique… I fear it has reached the half-step into the saint realm."
Behind them, Brock and Misty wore shocked expressions, sucking in a cold breath. Brock deftly slipped the Pokédex back into Ash's pocket.
*Thunk.*
The giant boulder was pushed over a hole. The moment it fell, it blocked the water currents flowing from both sides, and a brand-new path appeared before them.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh…*
The path had just opened when a blast of icy wind rushed out, causing the temperature in the outer cave to drop suddenly by a degree.
However, the refreshing and cool feeling in the ensuing air also grew stronger, clearing their minds.
"So cold…"
"But it looks like we've finally found our target."
Seeing the light from the Zapdos feather in his hand shine at its brightest, Ash gave a crooked smile and slowly put it back in his coat.
"How about that, Utility Bird? My Strength is stronger than yours, right? You should learn a thing or two from me in the future," Ash said with a smile, turning his head to look at Pidgeotto behind him, sneaking in the nickname once again.
"Pidgeo-geo!"
Pidgeotto circled and landed on Ash's shoulder, raising a wing to gently pat his head, as if to say, "Good job, keep it up next time."
*When taming a wild human, one-sided commands won't work; you also have to provide appropriate encouragement.*
After the human and bird had mutually tamed each other, the group's expressions turned serious as they looked toward the small cave path before them.
(end of chapter)