Boom!
A bolt of lightning cut through the sky, quickly followed by rumbling thunder.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and heavy rain poured down.
Dratini, wrapped around Luo Yuan's neck, hummed contentedly as the cool raindrops soaked into its smooth scales.
Of course, Luo Yuan wasn't about to let Dratini enjoy the rain too long and quickly pulled out an umbrella.
But since Misty's umbrella had been left behind with her bike, now lost with Ash, the two of them had to huddle together under Luo Yuan's umbrella.
"In this weather… do you think that Pikachu will be okay?" Misty asked, clearly worried.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine."
Luo Yuan had checked Pikachu's injuries earlier; none were life-threatening.
Even if Pikachu didn't pull off a Thunder Shock miracle, Luo Yuan was confident he could reach them before Spearow dealt any real damage.
Just as he said this, a faint cry of "Pikachu…!" echoed in the distance, followed by a massive bolt of lightning striking upward, piercing the dark clouds.
"Was that… Pikachu?" Misty asked, staring at the giant lightning bolt shooting into the sky, its force enough to part the clouds.
"I think so…"
Luo Yuan glanced up at the sky, whistling in admiration.
With that one attack, Pikachu had unleashed Elite Four-level strength.
Though it was a bit overkill to waste such power on a flock of Spearow, he supposed Pikachu knew what it was doing.
Almost as if responding to Pikachu's move, the storm clouds scattered, the rain stopped abruptly, and a vibrant rainbow arced across the sky.
Against this backdrop, a magnificent Ho-Oh, with radiant, multicolored feathers, glided by, leaving a shimmering trail in its wake.
"Ho-Oh!" Misty exclaimed, spotting the legendary Pokémon as well.
She turned to Luo Yuan, who had pulled out a camcorder to record the sight.
Noticing her confusion, he smiled.
"We need to capture rare moments like this. A Ho-Oh sighting is worth recording."
And he wasn't lying. Recording Ho-Oh was part of his mission.
Though this camcorder looked ordinary, it held some remarkable features beyond video recording. From physical condition analysis to energy scans—even Ho-Oh's Aura frequency was being captured. Pressing the record button automatically sent all this data straight back to Team Rocket HQ.
With this information, Team Rocket could create a virtual model of Ho-Oh and even track its movements by tracing its unique energy patterns.
Soon, Ho-Oh disappeared into the distant sky.
Luo Yuan put away the camcorder.
"Alright, let's go check on your bike… but don't get your hopes up," he said, gently preparing Misty.
With a hint of unease, Misty swallowed as she recalled the lightning strike.
---
Viridian City was nestled beside Viridian Forest, its green surroundings a testament to harmony between people and nature. It was a model city of Kanto.
Now, Luo Yuan and Misty stood in the city streets, dragging behind them the charred remains of what used to be her bicycle.
The fury in Misty's eyes was unmistakable, growing more intense the closer they got to the Pokémon Center.
"This bike was technically borrowed from me, so I'll cover Ash's share. I'll collect what he owes me later," Luo Yuan offered, trying to ease her anger.
"Luo Yuan, you don't have to cover for him… He totally destroyed my bike! I'm going to make sure he understands!" Misty snapped, resolutely hauling her burnt bike toward the Pokémon Center.
Luo Yuan could only shrug in sympathy.
Inside the Pokémon Center, it was surprisingly quiet.
A few Trainers chatted in one corner of the lounge, but other than that, only Ash was there, anxiously pacing outside the operating room.
Upon spotting Luo Yuan, Ash seemed relieved, as though he'd found someone to confide in.
But when he noticed Misty and her charred bike, his face fell.
"Uh… Luo Yuan, sorry about your bike," Ash mumbled, assuming it had been Luo Yuan's.
"It's not mine… It's Misty's," Luo Yuan clarified.
"...."
Ash's eyes widened in horror.
On his first day as a Trainer, he'd already ruined a stranger's bike. He'd thought it was Luo Yuan's, which would have given him some time to repay it.
Now that he knew it belonged to someone else, things got awkward fast. As a rookie Trainer, he had no way of affording a replacement.
"What am I gonna do…"
Ash squirmed under Misty's glare, her intense gaze making his scalp prickle.
At that moment, Luo Yuan's voice cut through the tension like a blessing from above.
"Let it go, Misty. Ash is just a kid with limited funds. I'll cover the repair for now."
"I'm really sorry!" Ash said, bowing deeply with his hands clasped together.
Relieved, Misty let out a sigh, her anger fading a bit.
Besides, after spending the past day with Luo Yuan, she found she couldn't stay mad.
"Fine…"
She turned to Ash, softening her tone. "So, how's Pikachu doing?"
"Pikachu, it… "
Ash began, but just then, the red light above the operating room blinked off and turned green.
Nurse Joy emerged, pushing a gurney with Pikachu resting on it, accompanied by Chansey.
Smiling warmly, Nurse Joy gave Ash a reassuring nod. "The operation was a success!"
"Chansey!"