"OKI~"
After quickly scarfing down some food, the restless Aipom turned its attention to the food in Pikachu's bowl.
Though Brock had specially crafted different types of Pokémon food tailored to each Pokémon's preferences, meaning Pikachu and Aipom were eating flavors they both liked, Aipom just couldn't resist eyeing someone else's meal.
It was as if food tasted better when stolen.
Aipom knew that if it asked Pikachu to share a bit to taste, Pikachu would definitely oblige, but no way!
Only food snatched through its own cunning was the tastiest—that's what it meant to earn your meal!
"OKI~OKII!"
With that in mind, Aipom reached out and poked Pikachu.
Seeing that Pikachu's attention was no longer on its bowl, Aipom had already planned out the steps it would take to sneakily swipe some of Pikachu's food without anyone noticing.
"OKI!" (What's that over there!)
"Pika?"
When Aipom pointed somewhere and said this, Pikachu, ever so "naïve," actually turned to look.
At that moment, a sly grin spread across Aipom's face. It stretched out its tail toward Pikachu's bowl, but just then—
"Pika!"
Like a seasoned hunter, Pikachu, without even turning around, had anticipated Aipom's move. It swung its tail backward with force, swiftly knocking Aipom's tail away.
"OKI!?" (How'd you know!)
"Pika~" (I'm used to it~)
In response to Aipom's incredulous question, Pikachu answered calmly.
From way back to now, Aipom had tricked it at least dozens of times. If Pikachu hadn't learned by now, it'd be a bit too pathetic.
Seeing its scheme foiled, Aipom could only sulkily lower its head and go back to eating its own food.
But in the split second it turned back, a dark shadow flashed before its eyes, accompanied by the sound of its bowl tipping over. In an instant, a good chunk of Aipom's Pokémon food was gone.
"OKI!"
Aipom's loud outburst drew the attention of Ash and the others, who were sitting on stools.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked first.
He'd been calmly eating his meal when he heard two noises. Turning around, he saw Aipom's Pokémon food spilled on the ground, with Aipom itself glaring furiously at something.
"Over there!"
"That Pokémon is…"
With Dawn and Brock's additions, Ash looked up and finally noticed a small Pokémon perched on a tree in front of Aipom.
It held its head high, looking smug, with a hefty amount of Pokémon food clutched in its talons—likely snatched from Aipom.
"Starly, huh."
Ash identified the Pokémon on the branch while pulling out his Pokédex to log it.
Though he already knew what he needed to, he still had to complete the task Professor Oak had given him.
"It stole Aipom's food, and that's why it's so mad?"
Dawn now understood what had happened between Starly and Aipom. Considering Aipom's personality, it was no surprise it was this upset.
"Stealing food, huh… reminds me of Taillow. Even though they're not closely related species, this Starly's got quite the attitude."
Brock commented on the Starly from a more expert perspective, comparing it to Taillow. That was probably a nod to this Starly's spunk, right?
"Gonna catch it?" Brock asked, looking at Ash.
"Of course." Ash adjusted his cap and stepped beside Aipom. "Since it came to us, there's no reason not to catch it. Plus, if we don't battle it now, Aipom's not gonna let this go, right?"
"OKI!"
Aipom nodded vigorously, agreeing with Ash's words, already fully prepped for battle.
Noticing the commotion below, Starly leisurely finished off the stolen Pokémon food in its talons, then cast a disdainful glance at them. Flapping its wings, it dove down preemptively.
"So fast?!" Dawn exclaimed.
Though it was her first time witnessing a wild Pokémon battle in person, Dawn had watched plenty of Contest replays. For her to praise its speed despite that spoke volumes about this Starly's impressive confidence.
"Double Team!"
Speed didn't matter. Against close-range moves like this, dodging opened up a chance to counter.
At Ash's command, Aipom instantly split into five or six illusory copies.
The copies moved in perfect sync, disorienting Starly's diving form, forcing it to halt abruptly and veer back into the sky.
"Don't let it escape! Swift!"
Seeing Starly about to slip out of Aipom's attack range, Ash wasn't about to let the opportunity slide so easily.
This Starly clearly had sharp battle instincts. Missing this chance would make it much harder to steer the fight in their favor later.
"OKI!"
The copies merged back into one, and with a flick of Aipom's tail, countless golden stars rained toward the sky. Caught off guard, Starly took a direct hit.
After the explosion, Starly's body lost balance, plummeting toward the ground, and Ash directed Aipom to press the advantage.
"Focus Punch!"
"OKI!"
Aipom's tail began charging power as it dashed toward Starly's falling trajectory.
Starly, whose eyes had been tightly shut, suddenly snapped them open as Aipom closed in. Its wings glowed with white light, and with a triumphant glint, it swung directly at Aipom's midsection.
But—
Bang~
"MU~?!"
The wing attack didn't connect with the expected sensation of impact. Instead, it felt hollow. The next moment, Aipom's body dissolved into white smoke, vanishing into the air.
Double Team?
While Starly was still stunned that it had hit a fake, the real Aipom closed in from another angle.
Under Starly's resentful glare, Focus Punch landed unreservedly, sending Starly's body flying several meters away.
---
🤦 : Oops! You've reached the limit for today. But just for your power stone and recommendation I might— no I would add additional Chapter.
20PS — 1 additional Chapter
40PS — 2 additional Chapter and special mention if you've contributed 3 or more PS.
That's all. Enjoy Reading!