—First, Sand Attack combined with Gust to blind Drowzee, denying it the chance to use its signature Hypnosis.
Then, a relentless chain of attacks followed, never allowing Drowzee even a second to breathe or counterattack.
Whenever Drowzee tried to go all-in—attempting to trade damage for damage—Ash immediately ordered Pidgey to retreat and widen the distance.
With Agility's sustained speed boost layered atop the explosive burst of Quick Attack, Pidgey's mobility became terrifyingly strong.
The battle dragged on for several more minutes.
Although Pidgey couldn't achieve the clean, decisive suppression that Frogadier managed in close combat, it relied on precise kiting tactics, shaving away Drowzee's HP bit by bit—
And in the end, it succeeded.
One-on-one.
Pidgey defeated Drowzee on its own.
…
After the solo victory, Pidgey's level rose once more, reaching LV.30.
But more importantly—
The Pidgey that had long been trapped by malnutrition and stunted growth, unable to evolve for so long…
Finally evolved.
Watching Pidgey land in the open clearing of the wasteland, its body wrapped in soft, radiant white evolutionary light, Ash felt a surge of emotions all at once—
Joy.
Relief.
Pride.
And deep, heartfelt gratitude.
"Pichu—^o^!"
"Frogadier—AA!"
Pichu's potential was far higher than Pidgey's, yet over this past week it had only climbed from LV.19 to LV.26, a gain of seven levels.
Pidgey, on the other hand, had surged from LV.21 to LV.29, and after this battle, reached LV.30—a total gain of nine levels.
And this was despite the fact that:
Pidgey's potential was lower than Pichu's
Pidgey started at a higher base level
Pidgey required significantly more EXP per level
Just from these numbers alone, it was obvious how brutally hard Pidgey had trained.
That was precisely why, at this moment—
Seeing Pidgey finally evolve—
Both Pichu and Frogadier were just as happy as if it were their own evolution.
…
The evolution didn't last long.
Within the soft brilliance of the light, Pidgey's body seemed to be reshaped like clay, guided by the laws of transformation unique to evolution.
Soon, the light scattered into countless glowing fragments.
A much larger avian Pokémon appeared—
Its shape was six or seven parts similar to Pidgey, yet nearly three times larger in size.
This was Pidgey's evolution: Pidgeotto.
If Pidgey was a small bird Pokémon, then Pidgeotto already qualified as a large avian predator.
Standing at 1.1 meters tall, its feathers were primarily brown, with lighter cream-colored plumage along the face, wings, and chest.
Three long, elegant pink crest feathers crowned its head, giving it a noble and striking appearance.
Even before evolving, Pidgey's gaze had been sharp and predatory, like a falcon.
After evolving—
That aerial apex predator aura became overwhelming.
The fine feathers around Pidgeotto's eyes were black, its pupils dark and lustrous like obsidian—
Sharp, piercing, and perfectly matching its Keen Eye ability.
Its talons were massive and pink, still bearing three toes like before, while its tail feathers now glowed with vivid red and yellow hues.
Compared to Pidgey, Pidgeotto radiated strength, dignity, and seriousness.
If Pidgey was a young hawk—
Then Pidgeotto was a true eagle of the skies.
"Pidgeot—!"
Pidgeotto lifted its head and released a clear, resonant cry, filled with exhilaration and joy at its successful evolution.
"Congratulations, Pidgeotto," Ash said with a broad smile.
"You finally evolved."
"Pidgeot—!"
Pidgeotto responded with a sharp call.
Its expression remained cool and stoic as ever—but through Aura, Ash could clearly feel the powerful joy surging within it.
Not just joy at evolving—
But also deep gratitude and closeness toward him, its Trainer.
Caring for it.
Nursing it back to health.
Adjusting its diet.
Designing its training.
The reason it had recovered.
The reason it had grown stronger.
The reason it could finally evolve—
Was Ash.
And gratitude like that came from the heart.
Of course, Pidgeotto wasn't the only one who felt this way.
Pichu.
Frogadier.
Rotom.
Even the Charizard Professor Oak had assigned as Ash's bodyguard—
All of them genuinely liked Ash.
-----
"Still, evolution isn't the finish line," Ash said, gently brushing the beautiful feathers at the back of Pidgeotto's neck.
"Pidgeotto can still evolve into Pidgeot—and even Pidgeot isn't the end for us."
"So don't get complacent just because you evolved today.
I want you to keep this same drive, always. Can you do that?"
"…Pidgeot?"
Pidgeotto tilted its head slightly, puzzled.
If Pidgeot isn't the end… then is there something beyond Pidgeot?
Yet it didn't question Ash.
The longer it stayed with him, the deeper its admiration grew—
To the point of near-blind trust.
And as for working harder?
Pidgeotto's own desire to grow strong burned even hotter than Ash imagined.
…
"System, scan Pidgeotto's data."
Ash summoned the system panel to review Pidgeotto's post-evolution stats.
[Pidgeotto]
Level: LV.32
Type: Normal / Flying
Nature: Lonely, Battle-Hungry
Abilities: Keen Eye, Strong Pectorals
HP: 76
Attack: 72
Defense: 66
Sp. Atk: 60
Sp. Def: 60
Speed: 85
Total: 419
Potential: Blue (Perfect)
Moves (Copyable):
Perfect (1/5000): Agility, Quick Attack
Proficient (1/1000): Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Wing Attack, Air Slash, Air Cutter, Mimic, Roost, Whirlwind
"Very nice," Ash nodded in satisfaction.
"Your level jumped a lot—and your overall physical stats improved massively too."
Pidgey's evolution into Pidgeotto had raised its level by two full levels, straight to LV.32.
Without realizing it, Pidgeotto had already surpassed Frogadier's level.
With the added advantage of flight, Frogadier's position as Ash's undisputed top combatant was no longer unshakable.
But Ash didn't see that as a bad thing.
"Good," he thought with a grin.
"This will put some pressure on Pichu and Frogadier too—push them to work even harder."
The competition within the team had just entered a brand-new stage.
--------------
T/N:
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