There were many things Spearow wanted to say about his training. One, it was annoying since he can only run around like a clumsy Doduo. Two, it was slightly humiliating especially with a rival avian laughing over him (and the satisfaction to see her crash down via silk on her face or a perfectly aimed Water Gun in her beak). Three, it was, admittingly, helpful for his reaction time in dodging. Still sad he can't use both wings though.
"Alright, that's enough!" Spearow heard his trainer shouted, which stopped the bullets of water and silk, "Take a break, guys,"
Spearow sighed, shaking himself to get the excess water off of his feathers. By the time he stopped, his feathers puffed out everywhere, making him look like Rufflet. He grumbled unamused as he walks his way towards his human. He looked above as Pidgeotto flew over his head and landed on a branch above the "Caden-Ash" kid. He envied her, being able to take the skies again and feeling the breeze under her wing while he on the other hand was walking on the ground. He let out a sigh of defeat. Karma truly decided to slap him hard by making him a temporary one-wing Spearow.
Speaking of the other wing, the damped sling and cloth was starting to make him squeamish.
"Hi, Spearow!"
Caterpie, the youngest of the group, and the second to latest catch, speed crawled towards him before crawling to a slower pace. From what Spearow knew, Caterpie can be ridiculously fast if he wants to. It has been an early bafflement during exercising with the humans some time ago through a race to see how fast on land (or air) the team are. At first, Caterpie seems to lag behind the most. Then Ca-his trainer got some odd idea and had that she-human be a few distance away and said to reach her.
Caterpie has no way of learning Extreme Speed and yet Caterpie was now on the she-human's leg in seconds. Then there was his trainer's mood when Caterpie returned with a heartbreaking look.
Spearow, in all honesty in his heart, along with most of the group, very deeply noted to himself to never do anything to receive those look in the human's eyes. Ever.
"Spearow, are you okay?" Caterpie's words snapped him out of his distant, traumatized gaze to turn to the little 'mon.
"I'm fine, youngling," he said, turning his attention forward and realized he was already by his trainer who seemed to have taken noticed of the damp sling and was already preparing the needed supplies.
"Okay," Caterpie said acceptingly, then looks at the slinged wing with curiosity, "By the way, what happened to your wing?"
It was a question that made Spearow pause as his trainer lifted him to his lap and started going to work. The question made him remember the beak-lying nonsenses that his previous flock goes around telling false tales of the wounds and scars that they had. So idiotic that one of them told the flock that his small scrape on the cheek, small enough to be caused by Rattata claws, was done by a Charizard they singlehandedly fought.
And of fluffing course the entire flock believed it!
Pushing that memory away, Spearow pondered on what to say as Caden was done removing the wrapped fabric all over Spearow's wing and starts drying the feathers. On one wing, telling Caterpie that he took a bullet for the human wasn't a blatant lie. But on the other wing...
Was there actually a contrary for this actually? Spearow thought to himself. He could say he didn't do it for the human's sake since he's just trying to save his own rear from being burnt when he faced the legendary fire bird in the future. Not a lie... but not a truth either.
"Spearow took a heavy damage for Caden which cost his wing but saved my brother's life,"
Spearow almost jumped when Pikachu spoke up from behind him. Literally behind him. It took some willpower to not instinctually spread put his wings and fly out of fear of being attacked, which is a fair response. He had just seen and experienced Legendary-tier electric attacks in one day. And the first was done by his human. Putting another set of thoughts away, he turned his neck to give the yellow mouse a furrowed gaze.
"I didn't ask for your help, thank you," Spearow spoke quietly as he saw at the corner of his eye the starry eyes of the Bug Type.
"Well, while I can trust you by fifty percent out of a hundred, I cannot trust you in telling Caterpie about your wing injury with overcomplicated dramatics and ego-filling storytelling," Pikachu said with his arms crossing. The two stared at one another with one leering his eyes at the other while the other one stares with as blank of a look as a Spearow can do. All the while their trainer wraps a new roll of fabric around the bird's wing.
"Pikachu," Spearow spoke up.
"What?" said mouse responded, not breaking eye contact.
"One, I am not delinquent level to do that, or highly full of myself to twist stories in my own image," Spearow said humbly, "It is already tiring enough that my former flock does nothing more than do that ALL THE TIME. At a recent time, Fearow's small scrape on their head is woven to be an injury from a great battle against Kyogre underwater,"
"...What was the real story-"
"They actually went and smashed headfirst to a tree trying to catch some Rattata, and made up the story when they came back to the nest fifteen minutes later. I even witnessed it all,"
Pikachu stared for a moment, then his cheeks puffed with a snort, before turning away and laughing.
Caden had finished tying the sling and decided to speak, "Alright, what's funny?"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Fearow's flock were nothing more than airheads whom try to hide pathetic scrapes and mild bruises with over-the-top tall-tale stories that involves legendaries and other nonsense," Pikachu said, barely composing, "And they were all dumb enough to believe the tale! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Caden couldn't help but turn his head from the laughing Pikachu to Spearow with a look that spoke as much as his next words, "That flock are a menace in Route One and yet this kind of idiocy I am hearing makes me baffled that I question how the heck the flock were still around and being feared by for so long,"
For once, Spearow outwardly blushed in embarrassment. The human had a very valid point to be honest, even Spearow himself is still flabbergasted at how the flock still has the reputation of being ruthless and yet being a bunch of empty-headed vermins.
"Hey Ash? Can I ask something?" Misty spoke up, walking up to the boy with a towel in hand.
Caden looked at her with curiosity, wondering what it was.
"Look, I'm not saying this thinking you're crazy but..." the girl pauses for a bit in irritation, massaging her head, "No, that sounds wrong,"
"How about we do yes or no questions? I will ask and guess what is in your mind while you answer yes or no. I can tell it would be about me," Cade suggested, placing the injured avian on the grass as Pikachu scurried down beside said bird before the boy turned to Misty with an inviting hand.
Misty looks at his open palm of his right hand with some consideration, then accepts it. She could've sworn she saw something like a chain entwining from his hand and to her wrist for a second, even hearing the soft klinks. Must be the trick of the light, she thought.
But not for Caden, who's eyes widen by a fraction but tries to keep himself calm.
Spearow sighed, "Humans are weird," he commented.
"Then why did you join one?" Pikachu shot back.
"It's not a complain," Spearow said, side-eyeing the mouse, "Back at the topic of egotistic tales, I am not trying to do anything like that to the youngling,"
"Then what has gotten you quiet?" Pikachu asked.
Checking to be sure Caterpie, who started chatting with Staryu who was released for stretching, wasn't listening or looking to their direction, Spearow spoke to Pikachu in a hush tone.
"Look, Lord Ho-oh only assigned me to pass his feather to your trainer, and that was it. After that, I would be on my own," Spearow pauses then glaces to their trainer who was looking between wanting to laugh and wanting to berate the she-human (Misty was her name, right?) for something, "When I got to that healing nest that humans visit for Pokémon, I saw the destruction, the fight, and...that large human with a pebble slinger. I acted and took the hit..."
"...Then why did you-"
"I don't know, okay?!!" Spearow lashed out in frustration, glaring in confusion at the startled and on guard Pikachu, "I have been asking myself that since the day after the entire thing. I have always thought I did it because Lord Ho-oh would have my head if something ever happens to your trainer, but everytime I thought of it...it barely sounds like the truth behind my actions. I shouldn't have gotten involve in it, but..."
Pikachu could feel the self-anger seething out of Spearow. The confusion and frustration towards an action they could've chosen not to do, yet did it anyway. In some way, almost like how Pikachu did when he could've just left Caden at the mercy of the flock.
Thank all Pokémon Deities that he didn't went for that plan.
"Did you regret it?" Pikachu asked, raising his paws in surrender as Spearow glared, "I mean yes, you wouldn't have a broken wing if you didn't swoop in. But up to now and everything else, did you regret it?"
Spearow stared at him for a while, then down to his sling with contemplation. His anger tempered down as he stared at the healing limb.
"Unsurprisingly, I don't regret it," Spearow softly said, "To save a life than take one left somewhat a good feeling,"
The bird then looked up at the sky with a distant and almost pained gaze, "I just wished it was my first feeling though...."
"Wished it was your first?" Pikachu whispered in surprise.
"Oh please, you Spearows are nothing more than a flock of cold, vile menaces down to the core. And really? Ho-oh? Who would be so stupid to believe that? Well, that Pikachu, it seems."
The sad atmosphere flipped into one of irritation and anger. And for once, Pikachu shared it to a lesser extent.
When changes comes with a blessing, it would also bear a curse. And that is in the form of Spearow and Pidgeotto. To be fair with Pikachu, he never actually knew anything about Pidgeotto; both in screen and real life. But really, the attitude was not helping in the slightest.
Pikachu glared at the second avian, "You know I can tell this to my brother right now and-"
Pidgeotto scoffed as she preens, "Really? You call your trainer your brother? What kind of idiot would consider their master as a brother? He's a human, you're his pet mouse," she snottily said.
Nevermind lesser extent, Pikachu's vision rages red. He is going to make that avian extra...well...done.
"Ever heard of kinship, feather-brain?" Spearow snarked, walking in front of the mouse and spreading his good wing before him, which could say two different meanings Pikachu could translate: Protection or an action to stop the mouse from doing any kind of approaches.
Pidgeotto pauses from preening, then turned her entire attention to the duo. Both could notice some irritation on her face, as well as a gleam of hostility. Both mouse and bird can't help but feel confused as this anger was at something else.
"Tch! Kinship? What kind of idiocity of a worthless meaning has to do with being part of a trainer's captures?!" Pidgeotto seethed with a loud caw, leaping off her branch and diving down until she lands before the two, leering at them with leaking superiority in her tone, "The only thing that is important here is power. To be at the top, you have to be the strongest of them all, break any competition by any means, and put the weakest in their place,"
Pikachu and Spearow stared in shock of what they just heard, the words and aura of Pidgeotto emitting out like poison that could almost suffocate them. Pikachu wondered how in the name of Mew made things turn out like this. He just doesn't understand why Pidgeotto was this hostile-
"Heh...he-he-he-he...."
A chuckle. A low, raspy, empty chuckle.
Pikachu turned his head to Spearow, the main source of it. Said bird had his head down and eyes shadowed, standing there with that odd low laughter.
"What are you laughing on, pest?" Pidgeotto scowled with distain, wing spreading with intimidation that Spearow and Pikachu both ignored, "You think you're funny to scoff off the truth in my-"
"You're an exiled,"
The words hit both Pikachu and Pidgeotto hard that they stood there stiffly. Spearow, however, barely started.
"That's the truth, isn't it," He rose his head with a gaze that pierces through Pidgeotto's soul, "If I remember correctly, your kind upholds a flock code that all Pidgey to Pidgeot generations carry, something that opposes the Spearow flocks'. While we are ravagers, you all are protectors. While my kind are destruction bringers, your flock are peacekeepers. Our flocks are like black and white, day and night, dark and light. Two clashing factions that rarely finds even ground that both can agree on,
"That brings me to you, or your choice of words in this case. Those words out of your beak were dishonored and avoided by your kind. It could either mean you grew that kind of mindset after being casted away....or it has already been before you got exiled," Spearow leered harder into Pidgeotto's gaze, seeing the mixed emotions in them, "Which is it?"
Pikachu could feel a very, very dense cloud of tension between the two. It was absolute silence all around the mouse as he could barely hear any noise with his twitching anxious ears... No, wait. His ears caught the sound of soft crunching grass, a heavy fwoomp as if something was loaded in a a tube, then-
Pikachu saw a red dot on Caden's left shoulder, shakily moving in place coming from the opposite side of the clearing.
*Click!*
"Nine O'clock!"
________________________________________________________________________________
Caden had learn some things when his uncle was still alive. One of the most major things was that his uncle was a man of many, and he means many, secrets and talents. And a collection of movies and series besides Pokémon. For some fun, both him and his Uncle Logan watched spy movies and action ones all the while teaching him the codes, signals, and sayings that were used in the films.
"Nine O'clock!"
Despite being physically untrained in a different body and a bit mentally rusty, he's still as sharp as his uncle had taught him to be. He could sense something flying towards his left, fight and flight instincts kicked in and he let his body move and-
Silence. Total, baffling, horrified silence.
His mind initially thought he would tackle Misty down and let whatever was blitzing towards them miss out of harm's way. His initial thought was it might be a long-range Pokémon attack like Sludge or a beam-based move.
Instead, his body and instincts did...this....
"Ash....?" Misty stared with awe and terror at what she had witnessed, "Did....did you j-just bare-handedly stopped a rocket coming at us?..."
Thrusters still running, in both of Caden's hands was a football-sized bazooka rocket that was a little too close at his face. When that realization settled in, his adrenaline spiked high and he immediately one arm threw the explosive as far and high in the air. By luck, it continued upwards with the thrusters boosting its height then-
*KA-BOOOOM!!*
-it exploded with a small shockwave that disrupted the air and rustled the grass and leaves as well as affecting everyone from fur to feathers to hair. Even as the smoke dissipates in the sky, no one took their eyes off as the shock of the whole situation slowly and painfully settles in.
"...What...the....heck?!" Misty managed to shrill.
"Someone tried to kill my trainer...." Pikachu mumbled in realization, his shock slowly shifting to anger, "Someone tried to kill Caden. Kill Ash,"
He wasn't the only one. Despite the fear, Caden could feel fury boiling in his core as his face shifted a grim expression. Some idiot decided to use an explosive directly at them, at Ash's body and, to an extent, him specifically.
...Caden knows this world has its share of illogical nonsense, but he could not help but question the sheer excessive level of this. He was still racking on the fact he had just caught a couple pound missile rocketing at him! And the important fact someone was planning to use a rocket to eliminate a ten-year-old?!
Then he heard some new, familiar voices.
"D-DAT'S NOT AH NET ROCKET!"
"J-James! I thought you said those were the non-exploding ones!"
"I-I-I did! M-Mister Riot w-was the one who told me that!"
...Caden is not gonna lie, those three would be the kind of idiots to use and do such thing. They had dropped bombs on Ash and his gang maybe once or twice.
"Enough of dat! Our covers blown already with all your yappin'! Let's just-"
"EAT MY THUNDERBOLTS, YOU THREE STOOGIES!!"
What follows after were a flash of yellow, three voices shrieking it pain, then a big explosion that could be heard for a few miles.
"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OOOOOofffffff....." *ting!*
Oh yeah, that too.
"And if I see you guys again, I WILL SEND YOU THREE TO THE DISTORTION WORLD MYSELF!" Pikachu shouted with all his lungs, before huffing with his fists at his sides, looking at where a certain trio had blasted away.
Then timbered over like a statue face first.
"Pikachu!" Cade rushed over to check on the starter with Misty following behind.
Unbeknownst to them, a hidden camera drone was sending the image to the screen of one of the Team Rockets' Elites, who found their interest piqued by the boy's reflexes and strength to stop a rocket.
"It's not everyday I see something like this,"
Previously, they were recording this to act as evidence against Riot's incompetence and disobedience on the rules within Team Rocket's code. Possibly have those three "terminated" as well.
But after what they saw....
"Maybe Riot was onto something....not that I would admit," They leaned onto the control panel and pressed an intercom, "Get me Jessie, James, and that talking Meowth,"
While Riot is a loss cost (predictably), the trio of bumbling idiots might serve themselves useful.
All they need to do is follow that kid wherever he goes.