"Who's there?!"
Ash was startled by the sudden voice. He looked left and right—but there was no one else around.
…A ghost?
Oh. Right. There was something beside him.
A completely scorched bicycle, twisted into a shape that looked suspiciously like a dried fish.
"Wait… whose bike was this again?"
Ash only remembered that, in the heat of the moment, he had grabbed a random bicycle.
As for its original owner?
No memory whatsoever.
He vaguely recalled seeing a super cool blue serpentine Pokémon in a river earlier…
Should I go back and take another look?
Meanwhile, Red had entered an extremely peculiar space.
Everything around him was gray and indistinct, yet he could perfectly sense Ash's thoughts—seamlessly, as if directly connected.
Unfortunately, those thoughts kept branching off in increasingly bizarre directions, making Red's scalp tingle.
Do normal humans really think this much nonsense all the time?
If he didn't interrupt, who knew where Ash's imagination would spiral next?
Red finally spoke up:
"Pokémon Center."
The voice startled Ash again.
Only then did it click—Ho-Oh's healing wasn't omnipotent. The most important thing right now was getting Pikachu proper treatment at a Pokémon Center.
If Pikachu developed something like chronic joint pain later, that would be disastrous.
Not caring anymore whether he was hallucinating, Ash stuffed the Rainbow Wing into his clothes, scooped up Pikachu, and ran.
As for the destination?
He had no idea.
He just ran in the direction Ho-Oh had flown.
Viridian City — Pokémon Center
Ash handed Pikachu over to Nurse Joy.
By sheer luck, his blind sprint had carried him out of the forest and straight into a major city.
Under Nurse Joy's guidance, Ash registered as a Trainer using his Pokédex, granting him official Pokémon League benefits.
Free Pokémon Center services.
Free medical treatment.
Free lodging.
After all, Pokémon Centers were a nationwide—no, worldwide—chain.
"Ding~ ding~ ding ding~"
Before long, Pikachu emerged wrapped in bandages. Aside from some minor injuries, it looked perfectly fine.
According to Nurse Joy, the situation had actually been extremely critical.
"If you'd brought it any later," she said, "the wounds might've healed on their own."
"Pika!"
Seeing Ash again, Pikachu's eyes lit up as it leapt straight onto his shoulder, nuzzling him affectionately.
Ash's chest swelled with pride. For the first time, he truly felt like a real Trainer.
Grinning, he rubbed Pikachu's head.
Noticing the mud caked all over himself, Ash decided to head to the Pokémon Center's lodging area for a long, much-needed shower.
But as he passed by the public videophone, he couldn't help stopping.
"Hello? This is Ash's mom."
The call connected, and Delia Ketchum's voice came through.
Ash's mom was even more carefree than Ash himself.
"Mom! I made it to Viridian City!" Ash said proudly.
"…Why are you covered in mud?" Delia asked immediately.
"That? Oh—Viridian City had a heavy rainstorm. A car splashed me," Ash lied, hurriedly pressing Pikachu—still wrapped in bandages—out of sight.
Otherwise, Delia would never stop worrying.
Even so, she launched into her usual stream of reminders.
Then suddenly, she paused, her expression turning proud.
"But still, reaching Viridian City in just one day is impressive! Your father took several days to get there back then."
Ash blinked.
Memories of his father felt distant—almost unreal.
"Anyway," Delia concluded, "you must become a stronger Trainer than your father and your grandfather. Do your best, Ash!"
The call ended.
Ash finally turned to head for the showers.
As he did, his eyes caught a mural on the Pokémon Center wall—four Pokémon depicted as ancient totems.
Three were bird Pokémon.
One of them looked strangely similar to the rainbow-colored bird he'd seen earlier…
"So Spearow are really famous outside Pallet Town?" Ash muttered, scratching his head.
"Beep beep beep."
The phone rang again.
Looking around and seeing no one else, Ash hesitantly answered.
On the screen appeared an elderly man with gray hair and a white lab coat. His serious face carried a faintly absent-minded air.
Professor Oak.
The man who had given Ash his starter Pokémon.
"Oh! Ash, your mom told me you reached Viridian City, so I thought I'd check in."
Ash nodded proudly.
"Well, to be honest, I didn't have very high expectations," Oak continued casually. "But if you cast a wide enough net, you're bound to catch something. The better you perform, the more glory it brings me!"
Ash frowned, suddenly tempted to hang up.
"Oh, right—how many Pokémon have you caught so far?"
Ash stiffened, backing up several steps, unable to face the screen directly.
"…Uh. Less than thirty?" he ventured.
Professor Oak's expression collapsed instantly.
"You truly never disappoint when it comes to disappointing me."
"B-But!" Ash hurriedly protested. "I saw an amazing Spearow! It looked just like that symbol on the wall!"
"That's just a common Spearow. And the Pokémon depicted there is an extremely special species—someone like you could never—"
Oak froze mid-sentence.
His mouth fell open. His eyes bulged so far they looked ready to pop out of the screen.
Ash had pulled out the Rainbow Wing.
"It really was a super cool Spearow! Just… kind of balding. Look, this is one of its feathers."
Professor Oak: "...!!!"
Even through the screen, he could feel the sacred aura radiating from the feather.
Seven-colored light shimmered around it—something no ordinary Pokémon feather could ever rival.
This kid really ran into a Legendary Pokémon?!
Oak's expression flipped again—faster than before.
"Ash—my good boy—how about mailing that feather to me so I can, uh… take a closer look?"
"Signal's bad! Gotta go!"
Ash stared at the ceiling and hung up immediately.
I'm not that easy to fool!
Stuffing the Rainbow Wing away, he finally went to shower.
Not long after Ash left—
A girl with short orange hair tied into a side ponytail staggered into the Pokémon Center, drenched in sweat, carrying a bicycle shaped suspiciously like a salted fish.
She scanned the room, didn't find her target, and dumped the ruined bike onto the floor.
Then she stormed toward the inner rooms, face puffed with anger.
Having your bike stolen and destroyed would anger even a Slowpoke.
"Trainer with a Pikachu," she muttered fiercely, "I will never forgive you!"
Her name was Misty.
That night, Ash and Pikachu slept soundly.
This was Ash's first night as a Trainer.
He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Pikachu mirrored him exactly—Trainer and Pokémon already moving in sync.
Suddenly—
Snap.
Ash's upper body shot upright like a corpse reanimated.
He stared blankly at his hands.
"Pika?!"
Pikachu jolted awake, electricity crackling faintly on its cheeks.
Pokémon possessed senses humans didn't.
Though Ash's appearance hadn't changed, Pikachu instantly knew—
This wasn't its reckless Trainer.
Red: "..."
The one controlling Ash's body now was Red—the consciousness that had been inexplicably absorbed earlier.
Red closed his eyes, feeling the air brush against his skin.
This sensation—real, vivid—confirmed his suspicion.
His former self truly had been nothing more than a digital construct.
"…How ridiculous."
But then again—what if Ash himself was also fictional?
What if Red had simply ascended to a higher layer of reality?
"Pika!"
The sound snapped Red back.
Opening his eyes, he saw Pikachu baring its teeth at him.
Red knew Pikachu well. This posture meant an attack was coming.
"I mean no harm."
Red smiled gently and slowly reached out, touching Pikachu's cheek.
The tension faded.
Pikachu even began licking his palm.
Pokémon could sense human intent.
Red was experienced with Electric-types—but physically touching a real Pokémon felt entirely new.
"So this is what real Pokémon are like…"
He pulled Pikachu into a hug.
If Ash had woken up at that moment, he probably would've coughed up blood.
He'd nearly died earning Pikachu's trust—
And this stranger just walked off with it.
"Let's take a walk."
Red scratched Pikachu's chin. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, and the two quietly exited the room.
He didn't know how long this state would last.
He wanted to see this real world while he could.
But the moment he stepped outside—
Click.
The opposite door opened.
An orange-haired girl stepped out.
Their eyes met.
"!"
Misty exploded.
"Bike-stealing thief! I finally caught you!"
She watched as Red calmly walked toward the Pokémon Center entrance—without even sparing her a glance.
"Unbelievable?!"
Stealing her bike was bad enough.
Ignoring her afterward was unforgivable.
She rushed after him, reaching for his clothes.
Tap.
Before she could touch him, Red caught her wrist effortlessly.
He turned his head.
His eyes were empty—cold, radiating an unmistakable aura of rejection.
"…Who are you?"
Misty: "???"
It hasn't even been 24 hours—and he's already pretending nothing happened?!