Episode 71: Two in the Bush

Ash declares, "Alright, Falcoknight! Way to go! Let's see if you can hit this one!" He turns to Arborrior, who stands right next him and whispers, "Arborrior, I want you to throw this one as hard as you can in the opposite direction of where Falcoknight is flying."

Arborrior nods in affirmation. It then takes hold of a Frisbee on the floor and throws just as Ash instructed.

Falcoknight, who's flying through the air at high speeds, realizes that the Frisbee will pass it right by if it continues in its current trajectory. It does and aerial flip, turning itself 180 degrees in the process. It is now flying right in front of the Frisbee. Falcoknight then angles its wings just enough to cause some minor drag and slow it down. The Frisbee then moves in front of it. Immediately Falcoknight beats its wings with intense effort, giving it a new burst of speed. Its wings then begin to glow white. "Fallllllco!" It smacks the Frisbee right out of the air with perfect precision.

Ash cheers, "That was perfect, Falcoknight!"

Arborrior adds, "Borrior!"

It would seem that Ash, never the one to take a break, is currently focusing all his effort on training Falcoknight, and boy is that training doing wonders!

Brock, who's sitting beneath a nearby tree with Brenda, marvels, "Wow, Falcoknight is really getting its aerial control down. It can move perfectly."

Brenda nods in agreement. "Yeah, all that aerial training it and Ash have been doing is working wonders."

Ash calls up, "Hey Falcoknight, why don't you come down here and take a break!" Falcoknight flies down and roosts atop Arborrior's shoulder. Ash compliments, "You're getting so great at this, Falcoknight. Pretty soon, no other Flying-Type Pokémon will be able to match your aerial maneuverability. You'll be able to beat any other Flying-Type Pokémon there is!"

Falcoknight cheers, "Falllllco!"

Ash then asks, "Hey, do you remember the first time we met each other?"

The question prompts a flashback. Falcoknight, as an Apprentichick, flies down from the sky once it takes note of Ash and the others. It hops from leg to leg and holds up its wings, as if they were fists. "Chick! Apprentichick!" It then points at Pikachu and challenges, "Chick, chick!" and points at Pikachu.

Ash grins enthusiastically. "You want to battle Pikachu?"

"Apprentichick!"

Pikachu jumps off of Ash's arm. "Chu!"

Brock warns, "Be careful Ash!"

Ash turns his hat backwards. "Don't worry Brock, we've got this."

The two Pokémon begin an intense back and forth battle, until Ash orders Pikachu to use an Electro Ball. Pikachu launches its attack, which hits Apprentichick directly, knocking it back. It quickly gets back up and then flies away. Ash calls out, "Wait, don't you want to finish our battle!?" But it ignores Ash and flies out of sight.

The flashback ends. Ash continues, "Back then, you would challenge any random Pokémon you saw because you wanted to gain experience and get stronger. The only problem was, you wouldn't accept no for answer."

Falcoknight chuckles, slightly embarrassed by its past rash behavior.

"All you wanted was to get strong enough so you could challenge that Pidgeot, defeat it, and join its flock, right?"

Falcoknight nods. "Falco."

"But you weren't strong enough, so we made a promise to get stronger together, and that's just what we've done."

Falcoknight nods again, agreeing entirely.

"And now, I think you're ready. We're almost back to Aster Town, the place we first met, and the home of Pidgeot's flock. And I think you're finally ready for your rematch. I believe that you can win this time."

Falcoknight cheers, "Fallllllllcoknight!"

Ash then shouts, "Alright then, let's go!"

Ash, Brock, and Brenda arrive back in Aster Town. Falcoknight is perching on Ash's shoulder opposite to Pikachu. However, something is different. There seems to be no people anywhere in sight. They all stop and look around. Brock is the first to speak. "Well this is certainly strange."

Brenda nods in agreement. "Aster Town may be one of the smallest towns in Tenno, but it's not completely deserted either. What could have happened here?"

Ash steps forward and calls out, "Hello!? Is anybody here!?" His voice can be heard echoing through the empty streets. "Weird…"

They begin walking through the streets, looking for any signs of people. Brenda points to the Pokémon Center ahead of them. "Maybe Nurse Joy will know what's going on."

Brock gets a pensive look on his face. "Aster Town's Nurse Joy…"

They approach the Pokémon Center, but stop when they see a sign on the door. Brenda reads, "Due to recent events, the Pokémon Center is closed until further notice. Any trainers passing through Aster Town are advised to leave as soon as possible."

Ash questions, "Recent events? What's that supposed to mean?"

Brock states, "There's a more important question on our hands." Ash and Brenda look towards him. "Where's Nurse Joy?" Ash and Brenda both stumble in place.

Ash says, "Well, there's got to be someone somewhere, right?"

Suddenly, the cry of a bird Pokémon can be heard. Without any further warning, a Pidgeotto dives down from the sky and lifts the hat right off of Ash's head. Right behind it is a Pikipek and a Fletchling. The three bird Pokémon fly away as fast as they can. Ash shouts, "My hat!"

Falcoknight immediately leaps into action and flies after the bird Pokémon. It hits the Pidgeotto with a Wing Attack, causing it to drop Ash's hat.

Ash quickly runs forward to catch it before it hits the ground.

Falcoknight and the three bird Pokémon are now stuck in a stare-down. Falcoknight ushers challenge. "Falco."

However, it would seem that the bird Pokémon have another idea. All three of them use a Gust attacks, blowing Falcoknight away, while they make their escape. Falcoknight flies back to Ash and apologizes, "Falco…"

Ash shakes his head. "Don't worry about it Falcoknight, you got my hat back, it's fine."

Brenda asks, "What was that?"

Brock nods in agreement. "It's odd that three random bird Pokémon would steal a hat like that."

Ash asks, "Do you think it has anything to do with what's going on here?"

Brock nods. "It very well could."

A hushed voice calls out, "Hey! You three! What are you doing outside!? You're going to get robbed! Quickly, come in here!"

They look towards the source of the voice to see a young man standing behind a cracked door beckoning them towards them. They all look to each other and shrug. They then run towards the young man and into his house.

Once inside, the man quickly shuts the door. He moves to the windows and peeks outside. He's wearing a sky blue jacket over a white shirt and tan pants. His hair is a light blonde, and quite spikey. He shuts the curtains over the windows and says, "You three got lucky that there were only those three bird Pokémon. If you had met with a larger patrol, there's no way you would have gotten your stuff back." He turns around and gets his first good look at Ash and the others. Suddenly he exclaims, "Hey, I know you!"

Ash tilts his head. "You do?"

The man nods. "Yeah, it's not often that Aster Town gets visitors, so I always recognize a face of one. You're that boy who finally got rid of that annoying Apprentichick."

Falcoknight squawks, "Falc!"

The man takes a quick step back. He then realizes his mistake and looks embarrassed. "Oh, that's this Falcoknight, isn't it?"

Ash nods. "Yeah, the two of us have been through a whole lot since we left here."

The man nods. "I can tell. I can also tell that you've given that Apprentichick a purpose beyond just harassing random Pokémon, so that's good. I should thank you for the service you did for our town."

Ash grins modestly. "Oh, there's no need for that."

The man shrugs. "Of course, not that it matters now that we have an even bigger problem on our hands."

Brock asks, "Yeah, what's going on here anyways?"

"I don't think anyone's entirely sure of what's going on. All we know is that about a week ago the flock of bird Pokémon that normally lives peacefully outside the town started attacking townsfolk. They started off by taking food, but eventually they began to take just about anything they can get their hands on."

Ash comments, "Like my hat."

"Exactly. Nobody's sure why they're doing it. That flock has lived outside of town for years now, but they've never stolen anything. At first we suspected that there must have been some sort of food shortage, but once they started taking other stuff, we had absolutely no clue. It got so bad that everyone just started staying inside. Of course, the problem is that we can't stay inside forever. We need to get more food, but anything we go to buy will just get stolen. We're going to need to figure out this problem soon, or…who knows what will happen?"

Brenda expresses, "Wow, that sucks."

Brock is intrigued. "I've never heard of something like this before. How strange…. I mean, sure, bird Pokémon that live near humans are known to be scavengers and take what food they can when they get the chance, but to brazenly steal everything they possibly can is very unnatural."

The man nods in agreement. "I know, I'm actually a Pokémon ornithologist, that means I study bird Pokémon. I've done so much research, but I can't find any indication that something like this has ever happened before." Realizing that he hasn't introduced himself, he adds, "By the way, my name is Jay."

Ash reciprocates, "I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu. You've already met Falcoknight."

Brock adds, "My name's Brock."

"And I'm Brenda."

Jay nods. "A pleasure to meet you. What even brings you to Aster Town in the first place? Like I said before, it's not often we get visitors."

Brenda answers, "We're passing through on our way to Launch Town."

Jay nods. "I see. Then you probably should get out there and leave right away."

Ash shakes his head. "No way."

Jay is confused. "Why not?"

"Because you guys need help, so we're going to help you. I was able to solve your Apprentichick problem, maybe I'll be able to solve your new bird problem."

Jay shrugs. "I mean, I guess you could try. We could use all the help we can get. That's for sure."

Who's That Pokémon!?

In fights, they dominate with onslaughts of flowing, continuous attacks. With their sharp claws, they cut enemies.

Jay has lead Ash, Brock, and Brenda to some sort of central market place for the town. Like everywhere else, it is completely deserted. Jay explains, "As you could probably guess, this is the bird Pokémon's favorite place to strike, as this is where the most food shows up. I promise you that as soon as a patrol notices that we're here, they'll attack us."

Ash nods. "And then we can follow them back to their roost."

Brock adds, "There's got to be something there that can give us a hint as to what's going on. Maybe we can get some of the town's stolen stuff as well."

From afar, Falcoknight cries out, "Falllllllco!" It flies in towards them from a distance.

Brenda cheers, "Alright! It looks like Falcoknight found something!"

As it gets closer, it becomes apparent that it's being chased by a swarm of Taillow, Pikipek, and Pidove.

Ash adds to Brenda's statement, "Look's like it's bringing us some company!"

Falcoknight flies to a spot above the group and turns around to face the incoming bird Pokémon.

Brock advises, "All we have to now is to drive them off like we did before. Once they retreat, we'll follow after them. In theory, they'll lead us right to their roost."

Ash, Brenda, and Jay all nod at once. They agree, "Right."

Ash looks to Pikachu and suggests, "How about you get up there and help Falcoknight out?"

Pikachu nods in agreement. "Pik." Falcoknight lowers in altitude, allowing for Pikachu to hop onto its back. Then it flies back up.

The incoming horde is getting very close now. Ash orders, "Alright Pikachu and Falcoknight! Let's do it now!"

"Falco!"

"Pika!"

Falcoknight charges headfirst at the incoming bird Pokémon. It first flies up above them, and then dives down right into the middle of the flock. Once there, Pikachu readies itself for an attack, and then unleashes a powerful Thunderbolt. "Piiiiiikaaaaa chuuuuuuuu!" The attack makes a direct hit to all of the surrounding bird Pokémon. They scatter quickly in all directions.

One Pikipek angrily dives down from above at Pikachu. Falcoknight notices first, does a barrel roll to avoid the attack, and then slams the Pikipek away with a Sky Uppercut.

Now from behind a Pidove tries to attack with an Aerial Ace, but Pikachu turns around and counters with an Electro Ball. "Chu pika chu!" The remaining bird Pokémon realize the fight is hopeless and begin to flee, all heading off in the same direction.

Jay shouts with excitement, "There they go! This is it!"

Ash looks up to Falcoknight and Pikachu and tells them, "You two go after them! Don't let them out of your sight. We'll be right behind you."

Pikachu and Falcoknight both affirm, and then fly off after the bird Pokémon. Ash, Brock, Brenda, and Jay then run after them.

It's Mienfoo!

Jessie, James, and Meowth are lounging atop a giant pile of food and various other articles. All around them are trees with bird Pokémon perched on them. Jessie says with content, "I really must say, tricking – I mean, getting these bird Pokémon to do our thieving for us was a stroke of pure genius."

James nods. "Indeed. We're quite lucky that the flock was running out of food. That gullible Pidgeot was willing to do just about anything to save its flock, including listening to us."

Meowth snidely adds, "And by running out of food, you of course mean having had us steal their food. This plan was certainly not one for the birds." He lies back on his arms. "This is the life."

Wobbuffet appears in a lounging position as well and agrees contentedly, "Wobbuffet…"

James looks up and points to the horizon, where several incoming bird Pokémon are visible. "Oh look, our next delivery is coming in. I wonder what they'll bring us this time."

The bird Pokémon land in front of the pile with nothing. Jessie shouts angrily, "What's this!? You're the second patrol today to come in with nothing! How are we – I mean, how is your flock ever going to get enough food stockpiled without regular shipments!?"

The Pokémon all apologetically chirp.

James is now looking off in the distance. He asks, "Hey, is there a Falcoknight in this flock?"

Meowth shakes his head. "No, not last time I checked."

James nods. "Alright, how about a Pikachu?"

Again Meowth shakes his head. "No, no Pikachu either."

Both Meowth and Jessie realize what James meant at the same time. They both shout with surprise, "Pikachu!?"

They look forward to see Falcoknight flying in with Pikachu on its back. Jessie shouts with outrage, "You bird-brained fools! You led the twerps to us!" The birds all scatter with fear of Jessie.

Ash, Brock, Brenda, and Jay run into sight. Ash shouts, "Team Rocket! Of course you're behind all of this!"

James sighs. "Welp, there goes this plan. Only one thing to do now."

Jessie and Meowth both nod in agreement. Jessie then declares, "Pre-parrot for trouble!"

"Crake it double!"

"To crow-tect the world from devastation!"

"To unite owl people within our nation!"

"To denounce the emus of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars a-dove!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts of at the spee-dodo light!"

"Sur-wren-der now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime!"

Brenda accuses, "You've got a lot of nerve using those bird Pokémon to do your dirty work!"

Jessie smiles proudly. "Thank you. We do have quite a bit of nerve. How kind of you to notice."

Brenda stomps her foot with frustration.

Jessie then cackles. "Sorry to ruffle your feathers!"

Meowth declares, "There's no way we're letting you twerps mess up this plan! We're not winging this one! Stop those twerps!" Bird Pokémon fly in from all directions and surround Ash, Brock, Brenda, and Jay.

Jay demands, "What's going on here!?"

Brock explains, "Those guys are called Team Rocket, they're a group of bad guys who use Pokémon to commit crimes. Somehow they've managed to manipulate the bird Pokémon."

Jay shouts, "That's terrible! How could they do such things!?"

James answers, "It's simple, we take to crime like a duck takes to water."

The bird Pokémon all begin to encroach in on the four, forcing them to back up into a tight circle.

Falcoknight calls in challenge, "Falllllllcoknight!" It then flies down in between Ash and the bird Pokémon.

From some nearby tree, there's a response to the challenge. "Pidgeot!" With swift motion, a large Pidgeot flies into view. The birds of the flock spread out to allow it room to fly towards Falcoknight.

Ash exclaims, "That's the Pidgeot from before! The one that Falcoknight had to defeat to join the flock."

Falcoknight declares, "Falc falco! Falllllcoknight!"

The Pidgeot waves its wing, and all the bird Pokémon fly backwards, leaving just the two.

Jessie demands, "What's going on here!? Why did that Pidgeot just dismiss our minions!? Get them back now!"

The Pidgeot turns towards Jessie and declares, "Pidgeot! Pidg!"

Jessie looks down to Meowth. "Translation?"

Meowth translates, "Pidgeot's saying that it and this Falcoknight have some unfinished business. That they have to have a fight one-on-one. It also assures that it beat it with ease last time, and is confident that it can do so again."

Jessie begins to object, "No way-!"

James interrupts her and points out, "Look at it this way, if Pidgeot's so certain it can defeat the Twerp's Falcoknight, that means it probably can. Why not let it happen, then the twerps have one less Pokémon to fight us with, and we better earn that Pidgeot's trust. We'd be getting two birds with one stone."

Jessie nods. "I suppose you're right." But then she warns, "This better work and not be some wild goose chase." She then shouts to the Pidgeot, "Alright, do your thing Pidgeot!"

Ash asks, "Falcoknight, are you ready for this? It's finally time for your rematch."

Falcoknight nods with the utmost of determination. "Falco." It dives down and allows Pikachu to hop off its back and onto Ash's shoulders, then soars back up to level with Pidgeot. The two opposing Pokémon stare each other down.

Without warning, Pidgeot launches the first attack, an Aerial Ace. It dives right towards Falcoknight for a direct attack.

Ash shouts, "Aerial Maneuvers!" With a sudden burst of speed, Falcoknight disappears from sight, reappearing behind Pidgeot. "Now, Talon Grapple!" Falcoknight lunges a talon at Pidgeot's backside, grabs it, spins around, and hurls Pidgeot away.

Pidgeot quickly regains control, and then aims itself towards Falcoknight and begins to flap its wings, creating powerful gusts of wind.

Brock warns, "Careful Ash, that's a Hurricane attack!"

It's too late though, Falcoknight has already been caught in a massive vortex of wind. It tries to fly out of it, but is just forced to fly in circles within it. It begins to panic. "Falco!"

Ash shouts, "Don't panic, Falcoknight! You've got to remain calm! Remember how we trained to control your flight? Use those skills to get out of this!"

Falcoknight's eyes snap open with realization as it listens to what Ash says. It then takes a deep breath and folds its wings. It begins to plummet straight towards the ground.

James laughs, "Ha! That Falcoknight is a sitting duck! It's about to defeat itself!"

Hearing this, Ash shouts back, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" Just as Falcoknight's about to hit the ground, it unfolds its wings and makes several powerful beats, propelling it back into the air. Ash then commands, "Wing Attack!" Falcoknight flies straight up at Pidgeot and rams its wings into it with a direct hit. With Pidgeot being knocked back, Ash takes the opportunity to order, "Talon Grapple!" Falcoknight flies straight at the tumbling Pidgeot and jabs at it with its talon. However, Pidgeot has already regained control of itself and the two begin to fight using a series of successive jabs from their talons, each one blocking the other's attack and trying to get in an attack of their own. Ash objects, "Hey, that Pidgeot's using Talon Grapple! I thought only Pokémon that evolve from Apprentichick could use that move!"

Brock guesses, "It must be using Mirror Move to copy Falcoknight's attacks!"

Ash shouts with determination, "There's no way we're losing to a copy! Keep up the attack, Falcoknight!"

"Falllllco!" The two Pokémon continue their duel with their talons.

Ash suddenly notices an opportunity and takes it. "Falcoknight, use Sky Uppercut!" Falcoknight does not block an incoming talon jab, and instead dodges around it, causing Pidgeot to lose its balance. Then, using its wing as a fist, it uppercuts Pidgeot, knocking it further up into the air.

Pidgeot quickly shakes it off and regains its control. It seems to be really getting into the battle now.

Ash shouts, "Wing Attack!" Falcoknight climbs upwards towards Pidgeot to attack.

Pidgeot seems to have other plans though. In the blink of an eye there are suddenly many Pidgeot flying in a circle around Falcoknight, using a Double Team attack. Each of those Pidgeot then begin to flap their wings powerfully for another Hurricane, this time amplified by the multiple Pidgeot.

Falcoknight is quickly trapped in another vortex. But this one, unlike the last, is blowing in all directions, not just circles. Falcoknight can do nothing to escape. It's being thrown around like a ragdoll. It tries to let itself drop again, but it's no use. It begins to panic again.

Brenda shouts, "Oh no! Falcoknight!"

Meowth nods, obviously pleased. "And this proves why that Pidgeot is the top of the pecking order."

Jay shouts, "Ash, you have to call back Falcoknight! Those winds are too powerful for it!"

Ash shakes his head. "No, Falcoknight broke free before, it will break free again."

Jay desperately pleads, "No Ash, this is worse than before! There's no way a Pokémon the size of Falcoknight could ever break free from that vortex!"

Ash says with determination, "No! Falcoknight can break free! I believe in it!" He turns to look up towards Falcoknight and shouts, "You hear that, Falcoknight!? I believe in you! Every bit of training we've done since the day we met, it was all for this moment! Now come on, show that Pidgeot what the two of us have managed to accomplish together! Break out of that vortex!"

Falcoknight hears Ash's words and is calmed by them. With regained composure, confidence, and determination, it cries, "Fallllllllllco!" Then it begins to glow a harsh white.

Brenda says with shock, "Could it be?"

Jay says with disbelief, "No way…"

Ash grins and says to himself, "I knew you could do it, Falcoknight."

Falcoknight begins to grow larger as the white light enveloping it grows stronger. Moments later the light is cast aside in shower of iridescence, revealing that Falcoknight has evolved. It now has the large and powerful build of a large bird-of-prey. Its feathers are patterned in such a way that the entire back side of its body, as well as its chest, seems to be covered in silver armor. In addition, it has a crest of feathers coming out of the top of its head, similar to the sort a night might have atop its helmet. It legs and talons look stronger than ever before. It cries out, "Eaaaaaaagladiator!" With a powerful stroke of its wings, the Pokémon breaks right out of Pidgeot's vortex.

Ash has his Pokédex out. "Eagladiator, the Gladiatorial Bird Pokémon and a Fighting and Flying Combo-Type. A master of aerial combat, this Pokémon will fight with a never-ending onslaught of physical attacks. When two or more are in one place, it will always lead to a fight between them. Evolves from Falcoknight at level 36."

Ash shouts, "Alright, Eagladiator! Let's finish this!"

Eagladiator agrees, "Eaaaaagla!" It looks straight at Pidgeot.

Pidgeot seems impressed, and even excited for the battle to conclude. It declares, "Pidgeot!"

Ash shouts, "Go, Eagladiator! Do it!" Eagladiator flies at Pidgeot as fast as it can, becoming cloaked in a harsh blue light.

Brock says with surprise, "That's a Brave Bird attack!"

Seeing this powerful move coming its way, Pidgeot decides to go all out, it flies straight at Eagladiator, becoming cloaked in an equally harsh white light.

Brock adds, "And now Pidgeot's using Sky Attack! We're seeing a clash of the two most powerful Flying-Type moves!"

Watching the two Pokémon flying towards each other, Team Rocket can't help but watch. Meowth observes, "It's like they're playing a game of chicken, seeing who backs off first."

In the end, neither Pokémon backs off. Both collide into each other with full force, creating a massive explosion high up in the air. Everyone watches with anticipation, waiting to see who won. Out of the resulting cloud, the body of a bird Pokémon is ejected. Nobody can immediately tell what Pokémon it is.

Brenda asks, "Is that Eagladiator…or is it Pidgeot…?"

The question is answered when suddenly a loud cry of victory is heard. "Eaaaaaaagladiator!" Eagladiator flies out of the smoke as Pidgeot hits the ground with a thud.

Everyone cheers for joy. Ash shouts, "Way to go, Eagladiator! I knew you could do it!"

Jay declares, "That was stunning! Never have I seen a more dramatic battle between two bird Pokémon!"

Eagladiator lands next to Pidgeot and helps it get back on its feet. Ash and the others run over to see it. Pidgeot looks to Eagladiator and admits defeat. "Pidgeot."

Eagladiator nods back at it with respect. "Gladiator."

Ash says, "Hey Pidgeot, now that you'll listen to us, we've got to tell you the truth about Team Rocket. They're just trying to manipulate you. You can't trust them."

Pidgeot shouts angrily, "Pidgeot!"

Team Rocket all gulp nervously. James suggests, "Well…our goose is cooked, I think it's time for us to fly the coop."

Jessie and Meowth both agree and the three of them begin to sneak off.

Ash demands, "And just where do you three think you're going?"

Jessie chuckles while trying to find the right words. "Well…you know…something about a bird in the hand and two in bush…"

Meowth adds, "Yeah, a little bird told me that we best be off now." They begin to sprint off, but find themselves stopped by a wall of bird Pokémon. They try to run in a different direction, but they're blocked there as well. In fact, they're surrounded on all sides by angry bird Pokémon.

James shouts, "Hey, I call fowl!"

The wall of bird Pokémon part to allow Eagladiator and Pidgeot in. The two Pokémon look to each other, nod in agreement, and then unleash a furious whirlwind with the flapping of their wings. Team Rocket is sent flying into the air.

While sailing through the air, James shrugs, "Well, if you want to look at the bright side, we've got a bird's-eye view now. Maybe we should start working on our next plan. You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm."

Jessie groans, "But I'm a night owl…"

Meowth groans, "Being with you two is so un-pheasant.

James retorts, "Well birds of a feather do flock together."

Jessie complains, "Oh, let's just sing our swan song and be done with this."

They then all shout, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They disappear with a twinkle of light.

Back on the ground, Ash says to Eagladiator, "You were great up there, Eagladiator. I knew all that training we did was worth it."

Eagladiator nods in agreement. "Gladiator!"

Pidgeot takes a step towards Eagladiator and says, "Pidgeot, pidge pidgeot." Eagladiator's eyes go wide with surprise.

Brenda asks, "What is it? What did it say?"

Brock says, "Eagladiator just defeated Pidgeot in combat, I think that Pidgeot is inviting it to join the flock."

Brenda exclaims, "Wow! That's great! That's Eagladiator's number one goal!" She then looks to her side to Ash with his head down, deep in thought. This sight suddenly calms her. "But…that would mean Eagladiator would have to leave us and stay here."

Ash looks back up and takes a step up to Eagladiator and puts a hand on the back of its neck. "Eagladiator, I think that it's awesome that you can finally be a part of that flock you wanted to join so badly."

Eagladiator tilts its head and questions, "Eagla?"

Ash shakes his head. "No, don't worry about me, Eagladiator. I want you to do what you want. If you really want to be a part of this flock, don't let me stand in your way. I want what you want."

Eagladiator is touched emotionally. A tear comes to its eye. It begins to remember all of the times its had with Ash. It remembers the two of them training when it was an Apprentichick. It recalls how it evolved into a Falcoknight while fighting against Skyler's Falcoknight. The memories go on and on.

Pidgeot then questions, "Pidgeot?" Waiting for a response from Eagladiator.

Eagladiator then looks up at Pidgeot and shakes its head. "Eagla." Everyone, including Pidgeot gasp. Eagladiator then points at Ash and asserts, "Eagladiator!"

Pidgeot nods with understanding.

Ash questions, "Are you sure, Eagladiator? I know how much you wanted to be a part of that flock."

Eagladiator shakes its head and then points at Ash again. "Gladiator. Eagla."

Ash nods. "I get it. You may be strong enough to join the flock now, but that's not the end of it. You think that if you and I stick together that you can get even stronger.

Eagladiator nods. "Gladiator."

Ash smiles. "Then I promise you Eagladiator, you and I are going to keep on working, and keep on getting stronger. You won't regret this decision."

Eagladiator nods. It already knew that.

Ash, Brock, and Brenda stand at the edge of town with Jay. A noticeable difference is that people are actually walking around town now. Not only that, but there are bird Pokémon flying through the air delivering back everything they stole. Brenda asks Jay, "So what's next for Aster Town?"

Jay answers, "I don't know. After looking around I managed to find out that Team Rocket tampered with the bird Pokémon's food supply. It shouldn't be too hard to get back to normal, but until then I'll have my work cut out for me trying to keep these bird Pokémon in line."

Ash says, "I know you can do it."

Jay grins. "Only because of you, Ash. You're the one who won their respect."

Ash shakes his head. "No, that was all Eagladiator."

Jay nods. "Of course. And how about you? Are you guys continuing on to Launch Town?"

Brock nods. "Yeah, it shouldn't be too much longer until we make it there now."

"Then I wish you three the best of luck. That's twice now you've helped our small town. We'll never be able to thank you enough."

Ash plays it off. "You don't have to. We were just doing the right thing."

"Still though, thank you so much. Good luck on your travels."

Ash returns, "And good luck with your studies." They wave and depart.

As they're walking away, Pidgeot soars over them and cries, "Pidgeooooot!"

Eagladiator's journey really has come full circle today, but coming full circle doesn't have to mean an end. It's simply just the start of a new adventure, and that's certainly what awaits the feisty bird Pokémon now. Stay tuned.

To Be Continued…