Chapter 241: I'm a Neutral NPC, You Can't—*Smack*!
The way to break someone's defense lies not in using foul language, nor in the volume of one's voice. Cursing at someone's parents and other such vulgarities will only turn you into a barking Poochyena.
Striking at the most shameful, most hidden matter in their heart—that is what it truly means to break their defense.
In this regard, Ash was no good, but the Pokedex had already reached the level of a living deity.
Articuno flapped its wings in mid-air, its movements becoming somewhat chaotic. It hurriedly tried to rally its spirits. It was the Legendary Bird of ice and snow, hmph, it was just rattled by a few arrogant words...
"Kreeee!!"
Articuno let out a high-pitched cry to the sky, and the feeling of wind and snow in the Cave intensified. Its expression turned to one of shame and rage.
The more it thought about it, the angrier it became!
Has someone been spying on me for the past half-month? How do they even know I tripped and fell?
A Legendary Pokémon, even without food or drink, could survive for at least a month relying on its powerful stamina.
The Pokedex was right about one thing: this Articuno was a truly unlucky soul. One day, it woke up to find itself sealed in a Cave, unable to escape.
This was the mysterious will of this world: rocks had to be pushed, trees had to be cut, and a Snorlax had to be awakened. Otherwise, you simply couldn't pass.
Therefore, a combo like Ice Beam plus Steel Wing that could supposedly shatter any boulder was useless in this world. You had to do it the old-fashioned way and push.
Of course, it could rely on its connection as a Legendary Pokémon to call the other two Legendary Birds for help, but it would never do so unless absolutely necessary.
As the most beautiful deity of the Snowy Mountain, getting trapped in a cave...
How shameful.
"bzzzt bzzzt Actually, bzzzt bzzzt…"
Just as the Pokedex was about to continue its verbal assault—stating that the other birds, Zapdos and Moltres, probably couldn't learn "Strength" either and would just laugh mockingly outside the cave entrance—Ash switched its voice mode to silent.
Stop the onslaught, stop the onslaught, you're scaring me...
He still harbored the wild ambition of catching Articuno. A few stabs were enough.
"Kreeee..."
Articuno couldn't help but start panting in mid-air. Unleashing massive moves like Blizzard and Sheer Cold in succession had been a huge drain on its energy.
Normally, it would be fearless, but it had been starving for half a month now.
"Pidge..."
Pidgeot was also panting heavily. Evolution didn't mean a full-health recovery, and the energy cost of copying a move like Sheer Cold was also immense.
This time, Pidgeot's size was not much different from Articuno's. The two giant birds circled and faced off in mid-air; the battle was not over yet.
"Pidgeottooo!!"
"Kreeeeeee!!"
Suddenly, the two large birds cried out in unison. The feathers on their wings stood on end as a terrifying aura began to swirl around both of them, pushing back the surrounding icy air and snowflakes as if they were accumulating something.
A faint golden membrane of light suddenly appeared on Articuno's ice-blue body, clinging to its surface like an energy cloak, transforming it from icy blue to a brilliant gold.
"bzzzt bzzzt. Sky Attack. Its power is immense and requires a period of time to gather strength," the Pokedex reported.
On the other side, Pidgeot's body erupted with a red light, much like fierce flames. But a closer look revealed it was simply its energy pushed to the ultimate state, as if it had donned a cloak of flame...
"bzzzt bzzzt. Pidgeot has learned a new move: Brave Bird."
The Pokedex reported again.
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!!"
Their energy now gathered to its peak, the two giant birds spread their wings and charged at each other simultaneously.
Articuno, cloaked in golden light, had completely transformed into a golden divine bird. Strands of energy drifted around its body, carrying the aura of a lofty deity and an immense imposing might.
In comparison, Pidgeot was even flashier. The fire-like red energy, as if burning to its absolute limit, suddenly changed mid-flight. It transformed into its polar opposite: a blue light that seemed to signify an end, covering Pidgeot's body. It looked like a valiant soldier with its sharp edge fully revealed, extremely aggressive and overbearing.
"Pidgeot, use Brave Bird just like that!!" Ash roared.
The bond power activated! Their shared desire for victory caused the blue energy on Pidgeot to surge dramatically!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
Brave Bird and Sky Attack collided without any resistance. The commotion this time was far greater than the previous clash of ice and snow. In an instant, the entire rock wall began to shake violently.
At the point of impact, the energy wave was colliding wildly. The golden light of Sky Attack and the blue light of Brave Bird were like flames, devouring and wrapping around each other before spiraling upward, crashing into the rock ceiling and setting off a multi-colored explosion!
As the energy was depleted, the two large birds engaged in a direct physical confrontation.
"CLANG! CLANG!!"
Articuno and Pidgeot rammed into each other relentlessly, their tough wings striking each other's bodies like steel. After a stalemate of several seconds, both birds were simultaneously knocked backward, slamming into the rock walls behind them.
"Rumble..."
More loose rock fell from deep within the Cave. Smoke and dust rose everywhere, the scene immense and chaotic.
Soon, the smoke and dust cleared, and two shadows appeared before everyone.
The ice-blue and the brown bird were both standing on the rocky ground like flightless chickens, their gazes sharp and fixed on one another.
"Pidge..."
Suddenly, blue sparks of energy flashed across Pidgeot's body. The terrifying energy consumption and the sudden recoil from Brave Bird finally became too much for it to bear, and it collapsed with a crash in front of Articuno.
Even with Ash's clever tactics and the assistance of bond power, the level difference was still there. Pidgeot finally couldn't hold on any longer.
Meanwhile, Articuno spread its wings and rose once more, displaying its elegant and beautiful form in mid-air. An icy chill reappeared around its body.
Although it now had many wounds, its glass-like, ice-blue feathers were completely free of dust, as pure and flawless as the Snowy Mountain itself.
With a flick of its wings, the hard ice that had formed in the battle arena shattered into splashes of water and dissipated completely.
This was the imposing might of a Legendary Pokémon!!
"So strong..."
Ash couldn't help but blurt it out. This Articuno hadn't eaten in half a month; its strength wasn't even at its peak!
Just how strong would it be at its true peak?
"This Articuno... is not weak," Red offered his own evaluation from within Ash's soul.
Coming from him, "not weak" was already very high praise.
"Kreeee!!"
Articuno cried out, flying above Ash's head. With a tremble of its body, it dropped a faintly shimmering, crystalline drop of ice. Wrapped within the myriad of ice crystals was a single, glass-like, ice-blue feather.
The battle bond between Ash and Pidgeot had earned its recognition, so it didn't mind giving the former the token for completing the trial.
Although Ash had broken Articuno's mental fortitude, by pushing away the giant rock, he was also its half-savior.
Finally, I can go out and get something to eat!
Seeing the Youth suddenly pull out a Poké Ball, Articuno noticed, but its expression didn't change. It even felt a little like laughing.
Human beings were all greedy. It was normal for them to covet a Legendary Pokémon like itself.
And for a trainer to desire powerful combat power was even more normal.
"Kreeee!!"
Articuno cried out, as if to declare its stance.
The meaning was simple. It was a neutral NPC; it couldn't be ca—
"*Smack*!"
Ash had already thrown the Poké Ball. It flew as fast as a phantom, striking Articuno squarely on the head.
"Hmph, someone has already used that line before."
(end of chapter)