Ash rubbed his chin, watching the nest carefully. Now how do I capture it…? he thought.
He glanced at his own Pidgeotto, who had just flown back to his side. Now, all the wild Pidgey and Pidgeotto nearby were staring at him cautiously.
Especially the mother Pidgey and the shiny father Pidgeotto, the ones his Pidgeotto had pointed out earlier.
The shiny Pidgeotto's feathers shimmered in the sunlight, its body a vivid green with a soft yellow face and underbelly. Its crest and tail feathers glowed with a warm, shifting orange hue.
Ash thought for a moment, then slowly took off his backpack.
He opened it and pulled out a generous handful of Pokémon food. Holding it out gently, he smiled.
"I've wanted to meet you for a long time," he said softly.
The shiny Pidgeotto tilted his head, clearly confused but curious.
Ash continued, his eyes warm. "I really like your color. That green and orange, it looks amazing in the light."
For a moment, the forest fell completely silent. The shiny Pidgeotto blinked, the words echoing faintly in his mind.
He… likes my color?
His chest tightened. Memories he'd long buried began to surface, the soft chirps of his childhood, the way other young Pidgey would circle him, laughing and whispering.
"You look different…," they'd say. "You look sick…"
He'd tried to hide his feathers beneath his wings, ashamed of how different he looked.
Even when he grew older, the older Pidgeotto wouldn't accept him, pushing him away from the flock's trees.
He'd nearly starved that first winter as a Pidgey. Too weak to fly far, too frightened to approach others, he had barely survived, until a small brown Pidgey approached him one evening, offering him a berry.
He still remembered her eyes: kind, curious, without a hint of judgment.
"You look different," she chirped softly. "But I like that. Your feathers are so shiny in the sun. It makes you look very handsome."
That Pidgey had stayed with him, trained with him, shared food when he was too tired to hunt. They'd learned to fly together, fight together and someday they even evolved together.
The others still didn't accept his colors, but he didn't care anymore, because she did.
And now… another voice had spoken the same words.
A human's voice.
Other than her… only this human has ever said that.
The shiny Pidgeotto looked at Ash again. The human wasn't mocking him right.
Something stirred deep in his chest, a fragile, unfamiliar warmth. He let out a quiet, trembling coo.
"Pidgii… eotto…"
Does… this human really like how I look? the Pidgeotto thought, his chest tightening with mixed emotions.
Ash nodded with a gentle grin. "Yeah. I mean it. You look incredible."
For the first time in a long while, the shiny Pidgeotto's eyes softened. The distrust in his gaze slowly faded, replaced by quiet curiosity, and maybe, a hint of hope.
Although still cautious, the bird slowly descended. Its wings flared as it landed a few feet from Ash.
The human didn't move. He only smiled gently as the Pidgeotto inched closer.
Finally, it stretched out its neck. It gently took a small piece of Pokémon food from Ash's open palm.
The Pidgeotto found the taste surprisingly pleasant. It was a perfect mix of savory and sweet, much better than the wild berries it usually ate.
The shiny Pidgeotto took another bite, then spread its wings and flew back toward the nest, where its mate waited.
Together, they shared the food. Her eyes widened slightly; she hadn't expected human food to taste this good.
Ash chuckled quietly as the Pidgeotto returned a few more times. He had placed a lot of food on the ground.
He would take bits of it and fly back to share. Soon, several nearby Pidgey and Pidgeotto began to approach too.
Ash noticed their curious looks and scattered a few more handfuls of food around.
"Go ahead," he said kindly. "It's for everyone."
The flock quickly gathered, chirping and eating contentedly. For them, the human's presence no longer seemed dangerous.
After a few peaceful moments, Ash reached out and gently touched the shiny Pidgeotto, who didn't seem to mind. Its feathers were surprisingly smooth and warm under his fingers.
Then he stood up, brushing off his knees. "Alright," he said softly. "Guess it's time to go."
He released the Pidgeotto he had caught earlier, smiling. The Pokémon looked back at him and let out a cheerful call before flying off to join the others.
After leaving, Ash took out Pikachu, who was happy to help again. He explained his plan and Pikachu nodded happily. "Pika-pi"
Then he took out a black and white Héart Ball . Pikachu took it. "Pika."
She ran swiftly and silent as a shadow. In no time, she reached the tree where the nest lay.
The father Pidgeotto was still feeding with the others, unaware. But the mother, watching over the nest, suddenly noticed something move.
"Pid... pidgii!" she cried sharply, wings flaring.
Her alarm drew her mate's attention, but Pikachu was faster. She used Quick Attack, moving forward in a blur of white light.
She struck the mother Pidgeotto, then bounced back to her original position near the nest.
The mother Pidgeotto was knocked back hard into the tree and fell to the ground, knocked out.
In one swift motion, Pikachu placed the Héart Ball against the egg, the one which Ash had mentioned to capture.
The egg vanished in a soft flash of pink light, captured instantly.
Just like I thought, Ash noted from his hiding spot. Since it can capture Pokémon, maybe it can capture an egg too.
He hadn't been sure if it would work, but surprisingly, it did. This meant he could plan even better strategies next time.
He had been prepared to use force if it didn't work, but he was glad it wasn't necessary.
Before the shiny Pidgeotto could reach her, Pikachu disappeared in a flash of pink light.
She gave the furious bird a small, almost mocking smile before vanishing completely.
The shiny Pidgeotto landed as his wife woke up. "our egg?" she weakly said to him.
After seeing his mate was not in danger, he flew toward the nest. But the ball that had captured one of the eggs was already gone.
"Pidgee... eotto!" he cried in shock and anger, looking around wildly. Is this that human's trick?
Back on the forest path, Ash watched as the Héart Ball reappeared in his hand. Inside, the shiny Pidgey egg rested peacefully.
He looked back at the mission:
[Mission: Make The Shiny Unhatched Female Pidgey Your Slave
Reward: Unknown]
[Note: If the host manages to make it a slave before it hatches, there is a 100% chance to receive a new skill. If it hatches first, the mission will change based on its evolution.]
Ash sighed, frowning slightly as he looked at the ball in his palm.
System items could appear and disappear with just a thought, which was why he only needed to get the egg into the ball, unlike with Pikachu who was out and needed to be called back first.
"I didn't really want to do this," he muttered. "But... a hundred percent chance to get a skill? That's too rare to ignore."
He glanced at the sunset through the trees. The sky was beginning to turn orange.
Then, for just a moment, Ash froze. High above the fading light, a magnificent shape glided across the horizon, a bird with radiant, rainbow-colored wings that shimmered like fire.
"Ho-Oh…" Ash whispered, his eyes wide in awe.
"Pika! It's so beautiful," Pikachu chimed in, equally mesmerized.
Ash had never expected the real Ho-Oh to look even more beautiful. Somehow, the sight filled him with a sense of calmness.
Soon the legendary Pokémon soared gracefully toward the sun, its form glowing brighter before slowly fading into the distance, as if melting into the sky itself.
He smilingly turned the Héart Ball in his hand one last time before making it vanish. It's not like he knew how to make it slave without spending points anyway.
A flash of light carried it away, returning it to the system. Then, he took out Misty's bike and climbed on.
"Let's go, Pikachu," he said softly to the Pokémon seated on his shoulder. "Viridian City's not too far."
The setting sun cast long shadows behind them as they rode down…