Pokemon: The Journey of Ash's Father

The Start of Misfortune

A burst of Ember closed in on Spearow as it flapped its wings at high speed, thinking that it could reflect the attack back to its owner. However, such a gentle swirl of air couldn't stop the strike and hit Spearow directly on its injured wing.

Crying in intense pain, the wild Spearow flung itself towards Charmander, dragging its body along the way.

Exhausted by the previous shots, Charmander couldn't avoid the strike and hurled in Ethan's direction.

In an attempt to save his Charmander from brutally landing on the ground, Ethan rushed to catch it midair. His actions didn't help much since he got dragged along with Charmander, but he helped to significantly lower the additional damage that would've been dealt otherwise.

Looking at the vulnerable Spearow, Ethan swiftly got up from the ground. "Now's our chance, Charmander, Tackle!"

Charmander propelled itself forward, pushing off the ground with its feet like a Tauros, gathering momentum as it charged at the Spearow.

Unable to move due to the high recoil from its previous strike, the Spearow sensed its incoming loss and let out a final cry of defeat before being hit by Ethan's Charmander.

The wild Spearow fell to the ground with a soft thud, its body lying lifeless.

"W-We did it!" Ethan exclaimed as he ran towards his Charmander. "Our first victory!"

He picked up his Charmander and smiled at it with pure happiness as the Pokemon smiled back.

"You must be exhausted now," Ethan gently put his Charmander down and reached for its Pokeball. "Charmander, come back!"

A red light emerged from the Pokeball's center and fell upon Charmander, enveloping its entire body in a red glow. In the next moment, the light vanished along with Charmander.

"Now, where did my Pokedex fall to?" Ethan glanced around, his eyes searching through the fields like a robot.

The Pokedex was lying right where Ethan fell from Pidgey's surprise attack and had somehow survived all the intense action.

Catching a glimpse of the Pokedex, Ethan walked towards it and picked it up. "Hey, do you still work?"

BEEP!

"Yes, but I expect to be treated well," the Pokedex replied with a slight hint of anger. "I'm the only identification you have as a Pokemon trainer. Once you lose me, you'll either have to get another one from Professor Oak or be misinterpreted as a thief."

"I'm sorry," Ethan bent his head forward. "I'll try to be more careful."

"Good," the Pokedex said. "However, I think it's time for you to make a run."

"Make a run?" Ethan tilted his head in confusion. "I still have to catch the fainted Spearow. It's going to be my first captured Pokemon!"

"Do you realize the situation you're currently in?" the Pokedex sighed. "That last cry made by Spearow was to call others for help. A flock of at least a hundred might be on its way here."

"WHAT!?" Ethan shouted as adrenaline pumped into his body.

Turning in all directions, Ethan strained his eyes, scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. "I don't see anything."

Suddenly, a large black cloud approached from the far left, rapidly expanding in size with each passing moment. Ethan noticed the cloud and got confused about its unusual behavior. It almost touched the ground, and its sheer presence made all of the tall grass disappear into the darkness.