Chapter 13

[The apocalyptic environment did not scare Pikachu. It didn't sneakily hide in the Poké Ball. As the Spearow rushed toward Ash, Pikachu also moved.]

[Even though it was covered in wounds, Pikachu still rushed forward without hesitation.]

[It climbed onto Ash's shoulder, and using the shoulder as a base, it leaped forward.]

[In an instant, a bolt of lightning shot into the sky, illuminating the entire world.]

[The scene shifts; the rain has stopped and the sky has cleared. The Spearow are nowhere to be found; only Pikachu and Ash lie weakly on the muddy mountain road.]

[Pikachu and Ash look at each other and smile.]

[At this moment, a black shadow flashes across the sky.]

[Ding, entering the prize quiz segment!]

[Question: What is the Pokémon that flashed across the sky?]

[A: Shiny Fearow.]

[B: Zapdos.]

[C: Galarian Moltres.]

[D: Ho-Oh.]

[E: Groudon.]

Flint: "It's here, it's here, the quiz is here!"

Where there's a quiz, there's a reward; where there's a reward, Flint is happy.

Volkner: "Is now the time to care about the quiz? Shouldn't we be caring about why Ash's Pikachu is so absurd?"

Lt. Surge: "Was that pillar of electricity connecting heaven and earth really released by Pikachu? Incredible!"

James: "Heh, authentic and genuine. If not Pikachu, who else could it be?"

Jessie: "Hahaha, as expected, our eye for talent is unique. Now you know how precious that Pikachu of the brat's is!"

Meowth: "Catch it and give it to the Boss, get promoted to an executive, become a branch manager—feels great, meow."

Giovanni: "..."

The attention of others in the chat room is all on Pikachu, everyone is lamenting how monstrous Pikachu is. At this moment, only one person is shivering.

He is the Ash-hater and Pikachu-hater in the chat room—Will.

At this moment, Will doesn't dare to say a word, fearing being dragged out and whipped. After all, he previously kept saying Pikachu was no good. Who would have thought that less than half a day after he said it, he would be slapped in the face so hard?

One bolt of thunder destroyed hundreds of Spearow. Where is this a Pikachu? This is simply a Raikou!

What Will needs to thank most now is the system, because it conducted the prize quiz at the right time, attracting everyone else's attention. Otherwise, he would just be waiting to be whipped.

Flint: "Stop talking about other things, answer the question, answer the question, this is the most important thing. Don't delay me from getting the reward!"

Gardenia: "Reward? Is the reward that easy to get?"

Flint: "That's for you. For me, Flint, there is no difficulty."

Lucian: "Then may I ask the omnipotent Flint, how many rewards have you received so far?"

Volkner: "I'll answer for Flint: it's 0."

Flint: "..."

Diantha: "This question can first exclude option E. As everyone knows, Groudon cannot fly at all, so it cannot be Groudon that flashed across the sky."

Maxie: "Is the system messing around? Why add Groudon to the options? Is it targeting Groudon?! The Groudon Protection Association protests!"

Archie: "Protest denied, protest rejected!"

Steven: "The back of that mysterious Pokémon was very warm, like a rainbow after the rain."

Although it was just a fleeting glance, Steven can guarantee that he really saw a "rainbow."

Leon: "Warm? Rainbow? In that case, option C can also be excluded. The Moltres in our Galar region has nothing to do with the word warm."

Wallace: "Saw a rainbow? I think you're hallucinating. Why didn't I see a rainbow? Do we even need to think about this question? It must be A! Where Spearow appear, it's normal for Fearow to appear. By the way, shiny Fearow is also shiny. Steven, maybe what you saw wasn't a 'rainbow,' but a shiny Fearow."

Koga: "That thunder that drove away the Spearow is very strange. This doesn't look like something Pikachu can release at all. I seriously suspect that Zapdos helped from behind, so this question should be B, Zapdos."

Will: "Seconded."

That's right, once Koga said this, Will's thinking was suddenly opened up.

Maybe driving away the Spearow swarm wasn't Pikachu's credit at all; it was done by Zapdos hiding in the dark.

It must be that. He had said long ago that Pikachu didn't have that ability!

The Pikachu-hater Will, having found a reason, is back online.

Cynthia: "What a joke. Anyone with eyes saw that the lightning was released by Pikachu. What does it have to do with Zapdos?"

Diantha: "Heh, I can only say that haters can only see black in their eyes."

Koga, Will: "..."

Kanto town.

Misty: "Ash, what should we choose for this question?"

"Ho-Oh, what I saw seemed to be Ho-Oh."

Ash said a bit uncertainly.

"Ho-Oh?!"

"Are you not mistaken?!"

22: Cross Thunder, oh no, Pikachu really became a legendary beast!

It's no wonder Misty and Brock are so shocked. After all, that is the legendary Ho-Oh, the Ho-Oh that has been missing for a full 150 years.

Misty: "Brock, should we choose D?"

Brock: "You choose. I really can't press this D button."

It's not that Misty and Brock don't trust Ash; it's just that the answer Ash gave is too absurd, so much so that they have no way to believe it.

The two eventually agreed that Ash saw it wrong and that what he saw was not Ho-Oh, but very likely Zapdos.

Actually, the answer Zapdos is also quite absurd; legendary Pokémon are not that easy to see. But compared to Ho-Oh, it's not absurd at all.

Chat room.

Chairman Goodshow: "Professor Oak, what is your opinion?"

Professor Oak: "How about we choose D."

After Ash arrived at the Viridian City Pokémon Center, he once had a conversation with him, talking about how he saw Ho-Oh. It's just that he didn't take it to heart at that time.

Chairman Goodshow: "Professor Oak, have you gone crazy, or have I?"

Morty: "Professor Oak, don't make such jokes. Option E, Groudon, is even more reliable than Ho-Oh."

Professor Oak: "Decide for yourselves."

Anyway, he has already made up his mind.

Take a gamble, turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.

[Countdown to the remaining time for answering—]

[3]

The countdown for answering has begun; there isn't much time left for the participants.

Steven: "I'll give up on this question and answer next time."

Wallace: "Didn't you see a rainbow? Why not choose Ho-Oh?"

Steven: "Heh, do you take me for an idiot?"

Koga: "B, Zapdos. Still the same sentence: those who believe in me can prepare the champagne."

[2]

[1]

As the number on the screen jumped to [1], the screen with the white border moved again.

[On the east side of the horizon, a giant bird shining with seven-colored light slowly flew across the sky.]

[Wearing a crown on its head, with a rainbow as its path, mysterious and elegant.]

The answer is already obvious.

D, Ho-Oh.

Steven: "It really was Ho-Oh?"

Steven wished he could slap himself. He said he saw a rainbow, he saw a rainbow—why didn't he choose D!