Ash and the others continued their journey after returning to the shores of Vermillion City. Their plans to head to Fuchsia City had become impossible, due to the anger of the Tentacool bloom and the massive Tentacruel that led them. Thus they decided their next course of action would be to head to Saffron City instead, after they had their pokémon looked at—specifically Misty's new Horsea and Tentacool.

Like they had suspected, the two water pokémon had some complications due to inhabiting the waters around the place where Nastina had been dumping toxins. Fortunately, Nurse Joy at the Vermillion Pokémon Center confirmed they would make a full recovery with enough time after her ministrations. Now it was up to Misty to make sure they were taken care of as their new trainer.

Horsea was fine with the arrangement from what they could tell. But Tentacool was a bit more of a difficult one to handle, likely due to the same animosity its kin shared. It seemed like she would have her work cut out for her in getting it to trust humans again, but Misty had made it her responsibility to look after them both and seemed happy for the chance to show them people weren't so bad.

They had also contacted Professor Oak and Miss Ketchum about the incident, rather than letting them find out after the fact like before. While the professor was curious from a scientific standpoint at what happened regarding Tentacruel and its growth, he wasn't exactly thrilled about the circumstances that came about from it. As for Ash's mother, she was just happy he kept his word and contacted her once he was safe.

"This way should be the shortest way there," Brock said, giving the map that the group had of the region another look over. Having already gotten lost once due to Ash's sense of direction, the former Gym Leader had decided to be the one who would lead them this time. "The ridge here will curve around and put us on a path that goes straight to Saffron City."

"And straight to our fourth badge," Ash added. There was a smile on his face, born from the thought of just how far they'd come in such a short time. "We'll be halfway to the Conference then."

"It'll only get harder from here," Gina warned him. It wouldn't do to let him get overconfident too soon. "The fourth badge being the halfway point means the Gym Leaders don't need to be as restrained in their choices or tactics. That's why a lot of trainers stop their Gym Challenges at that point."

Ash rolled his eyes. He expected as much after what happened with Lt. Surge. But that still didn't put a damper on his spirit. "That doesn't mean we can't be optimistic about it. Besides, I think we've got a pretty good chance all things considered. Right, Pikachu?"

An enthusiastic "Pipika!" was the Electric Mouse Pokémon's response as he kept pace with Ash on all fours until something caught his attention. He abruptly rose onto his hindlegs as he ears twitched, shifting back and forth. Then his dark eyes fixed their gaze to the sky above. "Pikapi! Pika!"

Everyone turned their attention to the air above. The blue sky was dotted with shapes that were high up enough that they could barely make them out from so far below. It was probably only Ash's familiarity with them that he managed to make a solid guess. "I think that's a swarm of Butterfree."

"…Oh, I suppose it is that time of year about now, isn't it?" Brock mused, after a moment of thought. "It's around this time every year that the local Butterfree get ready to cross the sea."

Ash found his eyes shifting downwards towards his belt, where his own Butterfly Pokémon was nestled inside. "Why's that?".

"It sounds like a breeding migration pattern," Gina answered, bringing out her pokédex to check the database's information for additional details. "Yeah, they'll go from here towards the Orange Islands and then further out by using the air currents and thermals to make the trip. Then some from the other side will come over here to lay their eggs."

"And when those eggs hatch, and the Caterpie grow up into Butterfree, they'll do the same," Brock finished. "Since there are a lot of hobbyist or less competitive trainers who take care of Butterfree, they often come here to watch or participate in the migration. How about we head to the top of the ridge and take a look from a balloon?"

No one refuted the request. He had mentioned he wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder and Viridian Forest was just outside of Pewter City. Plus, it sounded interesting to Misty while Gina pointed out it was a once-in-a-year event.

But as the collective shifted back towards going above, Ash remained where he was. It felt as if his legs were rooted into place and every time he tried to move they would just shake. He looked down to see if he'd stepped into something, but there wasn't anything holding him there.

"Pikapi?" The Electric Mouse Pokémon quirked his head and ears upon noticing Ash lingering behind. Then he came over and tugged on his leg. "Pika?"

Then, as abruptly as it began, the shaking stopped. He could move again and tested his limbs only to find that nothing was wrong with them. Brushing it off, Ash took a deep breath and started moving forward.

They ascended the ridge until they reached the summit. Green plains stretched halfway across the distance that his eyes could span, ending at a tree line that formed dense woodlands. There were more people milling about than expected, with some setting down picnic blankets to observe from below while dozens of hot air balloons loitered in the air above.

It was closer to the center of the plains the group found a woman dressed in what Ash assumed to be a uniform. It marked her as a vendor for the balloon rental service, with a professional smile to match. "Hello. How can I help you today?"

"If possible, we'd like to rent a balloon to watch it from above," Brock answered. "Ideally with a basket that can fit four people."

"Will you need a tether attached to it?"

"Untethered will be fine," Brock claimed. "I have experience with handling hot air balloons, and the wind conditions are rather stable. There shouldn't be any problems."

"If you're sure you can handle it then we should have one ready soon." Her gaze turned to a wooden stall that had been set up for the event. There was a balloon near it being inflated by a group of Pidgey using Gust, while a man in a similar uniform was in the process of inspecting the burner. He caught her gaze and gave a thumbs up. "Let's get the rental in order and you'll be good to go with that one."

As Brock went over to handle the paperwork and Gina followed to ask questions, Ash found himself feeling a weight in his chest as he looked up to the kaleidoscope of Butterfly Pokémon in the air. They were weaving between one another, communicating with chirps and inquiring sounds. There was even a few circling one another in what appeared to be a dance.

Seeing them left him feeling tense. It made his stomach churn. Something about it bothered him but he was having trouble figuring out why, leaving his lips to pull back and brows to furl.

Misty noticed first. Her head tilted slightly in thought before she asked, "Are you worried?"

His attention turned to her. "What do you mean?"

She clarified. "If Butterfree leaves to find a mate…are you worried you won't ever see him again?"

Her words struck a note in his chest. Fear. That had been what he was feeling to this point. The fear that he was going to have to part ways with one of his pokémon forever.

Not just any pokémon either. He was going to have to say goodbye to the very first pokémon that he had captured with Pikachu. The very first pokémon he'd raised to this point with his own hands.

"…If you don't want to release him, no one is forcing you to," Misty assured him. "I know how much it meant to you when you caught him, so saying goodbye would be pretty rough. And there's always next year."

"…No," Ash said, crossing his arms. "I don't want to keep this from him just because of that. It wouldn't be fair to Butterfree after all we've been through."

Butterfree had been nothing but loyal and diligent to Ash even as a Caterpie. He had gotten them out of a lot of trouble and had done his best when called into battle without any question. Hiding this from him just to make him stay would have just been… wrong.

Ash didn't want to betray the trust and loyalty that Butterfree had shown him because of his fear of saying goodbye.

Eventually, Brock waved them over towards the balloon. Once they were inside, he managed to get control of it and ignited the burner. The balloon began its ascension until they rose high enough into the air that the canopy behind them and ocean in front of them stretched out as far as the eye could see.

The Butterfree swarm was far larger than it looked from below. Rather than just dozens of similarly shaped blots in the sky, they couldn't really make out just how many there were. They had to have come from over a great deal of Kanto just to meet here and now.

"There's more variation in their wing patterns than I thought," Gina mused as she took pictures using her pokédex. No doubt they would serve as references that would be added to the databank. "Some of them even have markings and colorations not normally seen around here."

"There's also a discrepancy in their appearance and movements," Brock added. "It seems like the majority here are wild instead of trained. But I wonder if that would affect their chances of finding a mate?"

While the pseudo-researcher and future breeder contemplated that, Ash held the poké ball in his grasp gingerly as he steeled himself. Then he took a deep breath and went through with the act. "Come out, Butterfree!"

The ball burst open. Light took form as the Butterfly Pokémon emerged, fluttering in the air in front of the balloon. His compound eyes peered around at the others flying about, inquiring sounds and other noises filling the air. Unsure of what to do upon emerging from stasis, he turned back to Ash for clarity. "Furee?"

"Butterfree," Ash began. "I know that mating season is important for your species, and I don't want to hold you back. So, if you find a mate and want to migrate with them to start a new life, I'll understand."

"Though it might be a little hard to tell which one he is from a distance, given just how many of them are here," Brock pointed out. Then he noticed that some of them even had little adornments, no doubt from the trainers around them. It gave him an idea.

He fished around in his bag before pulling out a yellow cloth. He then carefully wrapped it around Butterfree's neck and tied it into a ribbon. "There we go. Bright colors tend to catch the eye more, so it might help attract a mate and we'll be able to keep track of him easier."

Butterfree used his tiny hands to feel at the cloth before looking towards the others that were going around, dancing and mingling with one another. He turned to start fluttering towards them, only to stop before going further and looked back to his trainer with those compound eyes for assurance. "Free?"

"Just do what makes you happy," Ash told him with a gentle pat on his head. Then he watched as his pokémon slowly flew off to the swarm cautiously, seemingly searching for a mate among the horde.

"I hope he'll know what to do," Misty said. "It's not like he's spent a lot of time around other Butterfree."

"That should be instinctive," Brock explained. "Butterfly Pokémon release certain pheromones when they find a mate they're interested in, while moving about in a way that seems like dancing to us in order to make that clear. If the female reciprocates then they'll do the same, effectively marking one another as mates."

Ash wasn't sure what they found attractive in one another. Or even how they could tell their genders apart. Still, if it was instinctive then all he could do was leave it to Butterfree to find one he liked and hope they reciprocated. Then…

Then they would say farewell to each other.

"Oh, it looks like he found one," Misty said, pulling Ash from his insidious thoughts in time to watch as Butterfree's fluttering quickened towards what looked to be a pink-colored one. "Love at first sight."

"That coloration isn't normal by any standard," Gina said, pressing a button on the pokédex to surf through the image catalogue. "It's not a shiny either. But I think I've seen that shade of pink before on one of Gramp's projects. Now what was it again…"

While she began to ruminate over trying to recall that tidbit of information, Ash was focused on how his Butterfree's attempt at a courtship dance were being ignored. Eventually, it flew away from him and he gave chase. Then she did something and he began flying irregularly. "Hey, what gives?"

"It looked like a Supersonic attack," Misty said. "He's confused. Ash, call him back into his ball."

Ash did so, using the Return function. Red light lanced out and connected with the Butterfly Pokémon, converting him into an energy state and retracting him back into the ball. No sooner than it was closed did he feel it wobble in his grasp, so Ash popped it open once more.

"Butterfree, are you okay now?" he asked, looking his pokémon over. No physical signs of injury. It had just been the Supersonic attack then.

Yet, even though Butterfree bobbed his head to show that he was fine as well, they could all tell from the way his antenna drooped down that he wasn't. "Furee. Fureere."

"Hey, you don't need to get so upset about it," Gina told him. "Being rejected is just part of the process, and there's plenty of other Butterfree around here. I'm sure one of them will be receptive. And even if you don't find one here, you can always try again next year."

Rather than comfort him, it only seemed to make him sadder considering how his compound eyes began to glisten as though he was going to cry. "Fr-freee…"

"Gina, I think he really liked that particular Butterfree," Misty said, reaching over the railing of the balloon to gently brush his head. "There. There. It's alright."

Pikachu also leapt from the bottom of the basket to the rim, perching next to him and patting him. "Pika. Pika-pika…"

"Is your Butterfree okay?" a distant voice called out to them. The group collectively turned towards the source, a balloon that was steadily drifting closer with two occupants inside. One was a young woman who looked roughly their age with long pink hair, while the other was a pink pokémon with a tuff of fur and long ears. "I'm so sorry about that. I never thought she'd attack him."

"Was that Pink Butterfree yours?" Misty asked.

"Sort of," she answered. "Wigglytuff and I found her a while ago after a tropical storm and took care of her because her wings were damaged. I knew she could a bit of standoffish when it comes to meeting people and pokémon besides us, but it's the first time she's actually done that."

The Wigglytuff nodded in agreement. "Tuff. Tuff."

"Fortunately, there was no physical harm done," Brock said, which was true enough. But emotionally it was another story. "But you said her wings had been damaged after a storm?"

"That's right," she said. "The storm originally came from the Orange Archipelago, so I figured she must have come from there and been carried all the way here. I wasn't sure how to get her back home, but when Nurse Joy told me about the migration I figured if I let her fly with them, she could find her way back."

"The Orange Archipelago," Gina muttered under her breath. Then her eyes lit up and she shouted, "Pinkan Island!"

Ash flinched from how loudly she declared that right next to them in the confined space of the balloon. "What was that about?"

"Ash, that Butterfree is from Pinkan Island," she continued. "It's an island where the pokémon that live there for a prolonged period gain a pink coloration due to the unique berries that grow there. I remember seeing a picture of a pink Rhyhorn when I was younger on Gramps' computer, and he told me about it."

"I've never heard of that island before," the trainer said.

"That's because the people aren't allowed on it and isn't a travel destination," Gina explained. "Pokémon there are probably the only ones in the world that have their coloration, so they're really rare and valuable. Poachers could make a lot of money from it, so the island's exact coordinates aren't listed, and it's treated as a nature preserve with the very few researchers and authorities stationed on it having government approval."

"That might explain why she was so hostile then," Brock chimed in. "Butterfree ride the air currents and thermals in order to cross the ocean, but their wings aren't usually as strong as avian pokémon like Pidgeot without training. If she was caught by the storm, then there was nothing she could do to escape and so she ended up stranded here. She wouldn't have had much contact with people or pokémon that don't have the same coloration, meaning she was not only hurt but in an unknown place and far from home."

The pink-haired trainer followed his train of thought easily enough. "If that's the case, then the reason she probably accepted help so easily from us and got along is because of my hair and Wigglytuff's fur."

Brock flashed a slight smile. "Don't sell yourself short. Similar hair or not, if she felt that she was in danger then she would have tried to flee well before now. It still took some level of trust for her to allow you to nurse her back to health."

"Well, at least it meant that it wasn't you who was the problem, Butterfree," Ash said as he looked up towards the Pink Butterfree. Sure enough, he noticed that even now she wasn't really staying too close to the heart of the swarm. Just enough to stay within view and probably safety in numbers, but not quite mingling or accepting any would-be suitors.

In hindsight, that very same distance was probably what made her an easy target as something rocketed towards her and then exploded with a puff of smoke. The Pink Butterfree was abruptly ensnared by a metal net that was attached to three small balloons to keep it floating in the air. Then it began to be reeled in by a small cable as she squirmed, unable to break free.

"Of all the places where their balloon wouldn't stand out." Brock said, his brows furrowing as he noticed a familiar balloon at the other end of the cable. Specifically, a Meowth-shaped one with three familiar individuals inside.

Jessie was holding the launcher used to fire the net, the barrel opening still smoking from the propellant. James was the one operating the device reeling the Pink Butterfree in, a pulley designed to be light enough to fit on their balloon. And Meowth stood on the railing of their balloon, rubbing his paws together greedily.

"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted across the gap, grabbing their attention. Their expressions shifted from mild surprise to annoyance. They weren't expecting them and so rather than trying to capture Pikachu they immediately fired up the balloon. They were going to run for it. "Pikachu, use Thunde—"

The Cat Pokémon reached down into the basket of his balloon and pulled out a megaphone, of all things, before he could finish. "Careful dere, Twerps! Ya wouldn't want dis lovely lil' Butterfree to get zapped too, would ya?"

Pikachu's cheeks stopped sparking as Ash's Butterfree flew in front of them, shaking his head and letting out pleading noises. The net was metallic, likely to prevent the Pink Butterfree from escaping under her own strength. Even if Pikachu aimed well with his attack, there was a chance it would flow through the net and shock her.

"Let her go!" shouted the Pink Butterfree's trainer. "She just wants to get home, where all her friends are!"

Jessie grabbed the megaphone and spoke next. "I'm afraid we can't do that. You see, she is quite valuable. A shame, but that's the price of being such a pretty shade of pink."

"They're Pokémon Thieves. They aren't going to listen to reason," Misty told the girl. "Recall her into her ball before they get away."

"I-I never thought that someone would just do that, so I already used the Release function," she said. That meant the ball was no longer registered to her and so the Return function wouldn't be able to convert her back into an energy state. There was nothing she could do as they began to drift away, leaving her aghast as the Pink Butterfree writhed in the net and cried out. "They're taking her."

Ash's Butterfree bristled. Even though he'd been rejected, and she'd broken his heart, he couldn't let that happen. So, without a moment's hesitation and with as much speed as he could muster, he rushed after them. "Freeee!"

"Butterfree, wait!" Ash called out. But he wasn't willing to back down. He was too determined.

"Back him up, Zubat!" Brock ordered as he flung out another ball. Light speared out, the container bursting open and recoiling back into the former Gym Leader's grasp as the Bat Pokémon took to the skies. He followed in the wake of the enraged Butterfly Pokémon that flew ahead at full-speed to catch up with Team Rocket.

"Those pests are persistent as always," Jessie said as she tossed the megaphone behind her back and called out her own pokémon. The Snake Pokémon emerged aboard the balloon basket, slithered up one of the uprights, and then coiled around it. "Ekans, shoot it down with Poison Sting."

Ekans fixed his slitted gaze upon the approaching Butterfree, taking stock of the distance, before opening his maw wide. What followed was a rain of poisonous needles, cutting through the air like a venomous rain that saturated the area. Each one might have only been relatively weak, but the real effectiveness was how the poison could do its insidious work as they made their escape.

However, the dominion of the air belonged to those who could fly. Butterfree only broke his flight for a pause to blow the needles that were rushing towards him away with a quick Gust, using the air around them as his weapon to shatter them. He then flung himself towards the Pink Butterfree he'd become smitten with in an effort to free her from her bonds.

"Take it down, Koffing!" James ordered, tossing out the Poison Gas Pokémon's ball. It sprung out, using the momentum from the release to perform a brutal Tackle attack that bashed into Butterfree midflight.

The world went white for Butterfree as he was slammed into with enough force that he was sent tumbling back, nearly falling out of the air until he flapped his wings and steadied himself. It was just in time to avoid the second Tackle as the floating gasbag shot just past him. He then retaliated with spray of String Shot, the ivory-white adhesive clinging to Koffing like a web ensnaring its prey.

"Furee! Free!" Butterfree whipped around at the warning from the Pink Butterfree. But it came too late as a spray of Acid was already rushing towards him from Ekans. It would scald his flesh and wings, stripping him of his ability to fly and chase after them—he wouldn't be able to save her.

That was when a blue blur rushed in from the side like the wind as Zubat caught up. The Bat Pokémon pushed him out of the way, letting his momentum knock Butterfree from the path of the acid. "Zuubaa!"

The corrosive bile ended up splashing over Koffing and the webbing keeping it bound instead. The String Shot frothed as the acid made quick work of the bug adhesive, while its captive barely seemed bothered at all. It simply shook itself free of the half-melted goo before spitting out globs of Sludge towards the flying pair.

As Butterfree dropped down to avoid the attack, Zubat shot forward instead. Narrowly slipping between the spattering globs, his fangs were wreathed with energy as he closed the distance. Then he bit down hard.

"K-Koffingggg!" It shrieked as its body was pierced by the Bite attack. Pain sunk deep, leaving it to violently twist in the air, frantically trying to free itself. But without any limbs to wrench the fangs free, it could only writhe as Zubat began to follow up with Leech Life to rob it of its strength entirely.

James bristled watching his pokémon being used as a snack, grabbed the megaphone, and shouted, "Don't let it treat you like a blood bag! Suffocate that flying rat with Smokescreen!"

The response was instant. Thick, dark, acrid smoke belched out of the holes in its body to fill the air around them. The urge to breathe quickly became all-consuming, until Zubat had no choice but to break his grip. Zubat then darted upwards and out of the smoke, gasping for breath with frantic pants as he coughed out the excess smoke.

That was when Koffing launched his counterattack. Forcing the gases in its body from one set of holes for propulsion, it rocketed into Zubat from below and the Bat Pokémon shrieked in pain from the critical hit. Koffing followed up by violently spinning and slamming into him a second time, a fierce hit that sent him into a spiral. It would have likely sent him crashing down into the nearby treetops if not for Butterfree swooping in to catch him.

The Butterfly Pokémon immediately paid back the attack on its friend in kind. The winds stirred as his Gust attack battered Koffing, who'd been threatening to ram into them again. The harsh winds slammed against his spherical body to seemingly little effect until Butterfree put more effort into it. He called up as much of his strength as possible to sweep it away. "FREEEE!"

Overtaken, the harsh winds hammered at the Poison Gas Pokémon until it was thrown astray. It would have been sent flying off to who knows where had a red light not cut through the distance and converted it back into its energy form. James had recalled his pokémon, but only after Team Rocket's balloon had gotten even further away.

Butterfree began to fly after them anew, unwilling to let them get away. But they were so far ahead that he feared he would never reach them. The realization left him to let out a somber whine, "Freee…"

"Zuba!" The Bat Pokémon squeaked in encouragement as he flew behind them. If he couldn't reach them under his own strength, then he'd give him a lift. Butterfree got the gist of it and braced himself as the Zubat began to stir the winds even faster than he had until they became a twisting stream that he launched right at him. "Zub-Zubat!"

Butterfree let himself be swept up by the Whirlwind that sent him rocketing towards Team Rocket faster than ever before. The distance that was impossible to cross with his own wings after the battle was surpassed in an instance, his compound eyes fixed only on his goal. He threw himself into a wind-swept Tackle without reservation and rammed straight into the basket of their balloon with as much force as he could muster.

CRASH!

The basket device holding her free shattered, metal scraps sent flying along with the Snake Pokémon that had been coiled around it. The net being forced taut slackened and then came unbounded, falling into the treetops below. He had done it.

The Pink Butterfree spread her wings and fluttered freely, a grateful lilt in her voice as fluttered around him while they were aloft in the sky. "Fr-Free, Fr-Free. Freeee~"

Warmth colored his cheeks as he nervously floated there. "Fr-Free…"

"Grr, don't go celebratin' yet!" Meowth shouted from the remnants of the balloon's basket. The attack had knocked a hole in one of its sides, but it was still functional. "We're not givin' up our prize dat easily—"

"PIKACHU, THUNDERBOLT!"

The shout was followed by a thunderclap as a bolt of yellow streaked across the distance. A constrained bolt of electricity speared into the balloon, lightning blooming as it came unbound and was allowed to run free. Then came the part that was all too familiar as an eruption sent them all flying off into the distance like a shooting star.

Butterfree turned back towards the source to see his trainer and friends aboard their balloon, drifting closer. Next to them was the balloon housing the Pink Butterfree's trainer and her Wigglytuff, the girl waving at them with a look of relief on her face. He turned back to her and gestured for them to join them. "Furee—"

That was when he noticed the scent in the air had changed. It was a honeyed scent, as alluring as any flower and sent his head in a haze. The world faded away, leaving only himself and the Pink Butterfree whose cheeks were flushed with deepening shade of red as she went through the motions of a courtship dance.

He found himself moving to the same rhythm, a feeling of warmth spreading throughout his body as the two danced away.

[-oOo-]

The sun was setting by the time all was said and done. The horizon was illuminated with a soft, warm golden hue. The ever-expansive ocean was shimmering like it was strewn with dozens of glittering jewels.

"We're so glad you'll be able to find your way home," the trainer of the Pink Butterfree said from a little distance away. Though they had only spent a short time together, it could be heard in her voice how much she'd come to care for her. Her Wigglytuff was already on the verge of tears as her stumpy arms held onto the tiny hands of the Butterfly Pokémon. "Promise you won't forget about us?"

The Pink Butterfree nodded. Even though she hadn't left her home willingly, it was clear that she had come to care for them. "Free. Free-free."

"Oh, Butterfree…" She embraced her as best she could along with Wigglytuff. "We'll miss you so much."

Ash felt a lump in his throat as he stared down at his own Butterfree, who stared back up at him. He had fought hard, but thankfully they'd learned to keep Super Potions on them. He was fit to fly again and had found a mate, so there was nothing keeping him bound as the rest of the swarm had started to take flight.

The time of separation was upon them.

Ash fell to one knee, Pikachu next to him as he fought back the lump in his throat and forced out the words. "I remember when we first met back when you were a Caterpie. You were the first pokémon that I caught, and I was so happy. I felt like I was a step closer in following my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master."

Ash had been so excited that he'd caught a pokémon that he'd made a lot of simple mistakes. It was like he had gone back to being a 10-year-old. Gina would have never let him live it down if she had seen any of it.

"I made mistakes," he continued. "But you still stuck with me. You evolved and saved us when you didn't have to. And because of you we were able to make it to this point. There aren't words that can how truly grateful I am to you, Butterfree…"

His voice cracked as he struggled to keep going. Ash didn't want him to go. He didn't want to lose one of his pokémon. He didn't want to say goodbye here and now. But…

But he wanted him to be happy more than anything else.

That was what was important. So he pulled out Butterfree's Pokéball and held it in a tight grip as he made a vow. "I'm going to keep this as proof our bonds. And I swear that we'll keep moving forward until we accomplish our dreams. You do the same, okay?"

Butterfree's eyes glistened with tears as he nodded his head before the soft cries of the Pink Butterfree drew their gaze towards the sky. It was time for them to depart. With one last look towards each other and a final nod from Ash, the Butterfly Pokémon took flight into the sky.

…Memories flashed in Ash's mind of the time they spent together as he watched the figures grow distant. His throat ran dry and the corners of his eyes stung. Eventually the tears won out as he brought his hat over his eyes so that no one could see him cry.

So long, Butterfree…