[ POV Change ]

Yellow stood in the middle of the clearing, her eyes fixed on the approaching Scizor. The stoic Pokemon was known for its lightning-fast movements and incredible strength, and Yellow was determined to take it down. She yelled out to her trusty Dratini, "Iny, use extreme speed!" Dratini obediently shot forward, its slender body blurring as it gained speed. But just as it was about to strike, Scizor raised its massive pincers and swung them with tremendous force, punching Dratini right in the face and knocking it out.

Scizor bowed before turning to the quiet Austin, who was intently reading a message on his PokeNav from Dr. Akihabara. Lucario, lounging on the ground beside Rhyhorn, called out, "Oi, idiot, you have won."

What does a steel rock taste like?

Can I eat steel rock?

Rock is tasty, so steel rock is also tasty.

Rhyhorn, meanwhile, was contentedly munching on a pile of rocks, its beady eyes staring off into the distance.

Austin simply nodded in response, causing Scizor to bow respectfully in his direction.

Chu-Chu and Pikachu frolicked on Rhyhorn's back, their playful tag game causing the bulky Pokemon to shake with laughter. In the trees, Fearow and Pidgeot were engaged in a berry seed shooting competition, with poor Butterfree serving as the target. Suddenly, an older trainer approached the group and asked, "Excuse me, do you want to battle?" Austin, always eager for a challenge, readily agreed.

The old trainer sent out a Golem, and Fearow and Pidgeot jumped down from the trees to prepare for battle. "Ah, sorry, but I don't do double battles," the trainer apologized. Austin nodded understandingly and said, "Guys, there can only be one." Fearow and Pidgeot looked at each other, each eager to prove themselves as the stronger Pokemon. But before they could argue further, Austin cut in and said, "Whoever won last night's chess match will participate in the match." Pidgeot clicked her tongue in frustration and flew back up into the trees, while Fearow puffed out his chest, his eyes shooting daggers at Austin for revealing his secret.

The older trainer counted down, "Three, two, one," and the battle began.

.........

The battle had come to an end, with Fearow emerging victorious over the Golem. The older trainer looked on in awe, his mouth forming a strained smile as he took in the sheer power that Austin and Fearow possessed.

"You are a powerful trainer," he said, his voice filled with admiration.

"Thank you," Austin replied politely, his voice steady as he gazed at the man.

Lucario, who had been watching the exchange, glanced at Austin, sensing something was off.

"I can see that you have a Butterfree," the older trainer said, his eyes resting on the butterfly Pokémon. "Are you here for its mating season?"

The words hit Austin like a freight train, causing him to freeze in place and clench his hands. Yellow, who had been silent up until now, looked at the man with confusion written all over her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Freeee?" Butterfree questioned as well, its large eyes filled with wonder.

The older trainer chuckled, "The Butterfree mating season is around this time of year. Trainers from all over the Kanto region gather around a cliff near here and let their Butterfree find their true love."

Yellow's eyes widened as she took in this new information. Austin, on the other hand, was struggling to keep his emotions in check, his mind warring with the thought of letting Butterfree go. He had always wanted to give his Pokémon the chance to find love and start a family, but at the same time, he didn't want to be parted from the butterfly Pokémon that had been by his side for so long.

"That's right," the older trainer continued. "Your Butterfree is certainly destined for great things, whether it be battling or starting a family of its own. Considering how close you are with Butterfree, I know you will find out what it's real calling in life is."

With that, the older trainer bid them farewell, leaving Austin and Butterfree looking at each other with a mix of sadness and uncertainty. Yellow, meanwhile, felt a wave of sadness coming from Kitty's Pokéball, her frown deepening as she realized the gravity of the situation.

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As the group walked towards Celadon City, they soon saw a huge group of Butterfree flying around in the air near a cliff that overlooked the ocean. There were also several balloons hovering in the air around all the Butterfree.

"The Butterfree mating season," Austin mumbled to himself once again as he and the rest of the group continued along the path.

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu questioned its trainer.

"Hey, Pikachu. If you were a Butterfree, what would you want to do? Start a family or stay with me?" Austin asked the rodent while his lips quivered.

"Idiot, you aren't going to get your answer from Pikachu," Lucario told him. "Each different Pokemon want different things. The only way you are going to get your answer is from Butterfree itself."

"Right. It's just hard to imagine what it would be like if I didn't have Butterfree," Austin muttered.

"Butterfree! Come on out!"

Butterfree appeared and looked at its trainer expectantly.

"Hey, Butterfree. I was wondering if you would like to join that group of Butterfree over there. I bet your partner is waiting for you somewhere in that group. Why don't you go take a look?" Austin asked his Pokemon while Kitty's shock caused the Alpha Beedrill to appear and she looked absolutely sad while gazing upon Butterfree who expressed his worry. Seeing Butterfree's worry, Kitty felt ashamed of herself.

She wanted to confess her love for Butterfree and make him stay with her. But seeing the worry in his eyes, caused Kitty to remember that someone like Butterfree who was so strong and so kind needed someone better than her.

" Beeee !" Kitty wished Butterfree good luck before going back into her PokeBall while Yellow looked concerned for her partner.

"Freeeee!" Butterfree said before flying off towards the others.

"Hey. I was thinking. Why don't we rent a balloon and watch like the other trainers are doing?" Austin suggested causing Yellow to nod as she tried to emotionally connect with Kitty via her powers.

A few minutes later, the group rented one of the large, hot-air balloons and joined all the other trainers in the sky. Austin didn't have much difficulty figuring out which Butterfree was his even though there had to be over one hundred Butterfree flying around the area. They didn't have to wait for too long, however, as Butterfree came back to the balloon soon afterward.

"Hey, Butterfree. How did it go?" Austin asked.

Butterfree bowed its head a little sadly in response which caused Austin to feel joy.

"Oh, I see. There weren't any Butterfree over there that seemed to catch your interest," Austin figured.

Butterfree nodded its head in response.

"I'm sure your future mate is out there, Butterfree. You just haven't met it yet," Austin reassured it. "We can always try again next year."

"Pika Pika," Pikachu said to comfort its friend.

Butterfree was about to allow itself to return to the Pokeball when it happened to give one last look at the group of Butterfree and froze. In the distance, it saw the most beautiful Butterfree it had ever seen just join the other Butterfly Pokemon. It was a bright pink, and Austin's Butterfree was instant love-struck.

"Freeeeeeee!" it cried happily as it seemed to get hearts in its eyes

The group noticed where it was looking and Austin's heart sank.

"Ah, I see. That pink Butterfree has captured your interest it seems," Lucario commented.

"Freeeee!" Butterfree nodded.

"I've got something that might make you stand out from the other Butterfree," Yellow said as she took out a yellow ribbon from her backpack and tied it around Butterfree's neck.

Butterfree smiled in approval at what Yellow had done.

"Well, what are you waiting for Butterfree?! Go get your girl!" Yellow shouted enthusiastically but suddenly stopped when she sensed Kitty's sadness.

Butterfree gave a nod and flew off towards the pink Butterfree.

Once Butterfree reached the pink Butterfree, it began to do dances around the pink Butterfree and show off its moves. The pink Buttefree, however, didn't appear impressed at all. Every time Butterfree would do something in an attempt to impress it, the pink Butterfree would turn away. Finally, for Austin's Butterfree to get the message, the pink Butterfree gave it a harsh slap across the face. The group saw this and immediately got a frown on their face meanwhile Austin felt like murdering the pink bimbo. How dare she not see Butterfree's handsome charms?

Austin's Butterfree looked crestfallen as its eyes began to water. It then flew off into a nearby forest in shame.

"Oh, man. Poor Butterfree," Yellow said sadly before frowning as she felt happiness not only from Kitty but also from Austin as they watched Butterfree fly off.

"I feel like Brock would know his pain," Yellow said as the group then moved their balloon toward the forest and landed next to it. Then they entered the small piece of wood and began to search for Butterfree.

Since the patch of woods wasn't very large, it didn't take them too long to find Butterfree. They spotted it on the ground with its back turned to them with its head bowed.

"Hey, Butterfree. I'm sorry about what happened," Austin told it sympathetically.

"Freeee," Butterfree said sadly as it hung its head any lower.

"I know it probably hurts a lot to be rejected," Austin continued gently, "But you can't let that get you down. There are plenty of other Butterfree out there."

" Idiot, don't do that. The thing is that Butterfree had love at first sight so it naturally pictured a future with the pink Butterfree. Telling it there are plenty of Butterfree out there doesn't do it any favors. It just had its heart broken by the one Butterfree that caught its eye. You won't ever know how it's feeling until you go through something like that yourself," Lucario said causing Austin's eyes to narrow.

" Lucario, don't spout out nonsense you don't know anything about," Austin replied while the anger in his aura caused Luacrio to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, excuse me," Lucario said.

Yellow watched the scene as she thought to herself what it would be like with her and Ash in the future. It was no secret to a lot of people that she had a crush on him. She also knew she couldn't keep her feelings inside forever and would have to tell him eventually. How would he react if she were to tell him her feelings? Would he return them or reject them? She didn't think she would be able to bear it if Ash didn't return her feelings.

Deciding to try for herself, Yellow went over to Butterfree next and knelt next to it. "I know you probably feel terrible that your one true love rejected you. It's probably one of the worst feelings in the world," Yellow told it sadly, receiving a nod from the butterfly Pokemon.

" You are a great Butterfree and a great Pokemon in general. Don't ever think you aren't good enough for any Butterfree. They would be lucky to have you," Yellow said smiling at it.

Butterfree looked up hopefully at Yellow but still looked somewhat upset.

Yellow looked at Kitty's PokeBall and telepathically said.

' This is your chance, girl, come out and confess your love.'

' No, he deserves better.'

' Who is that then ?'

' Someone other than me.'

Kitty's words caused Yellow to frown as Lucario said," Hey, Butterfree! What do say we help you get the pink Butterfree's attention?"

"Freee?" it asked hopefully.