Template:Incomplete synopsis
Ash and friends are making their way to Ecruteak City when they encounter a Pidgey being attacked by a huge Fearow and decide to intervene. Ash sends out Noctowl to battle Fearow, and as it soars up to meet its foe the clever bird Pokémon strikes first with Hypnosis. Fearow succumbs to the attack and, now convinced that Noctowl is a Charizard, flees the battle. Unfortunately, the poor Pidgey has become too exhausted to stay aloft and plummets to earth. As it had flown even further away from them during the battle, the companions and Noctowl can only watch with horror as it tumbles through the air and out of sight beyond the treetops.
With Noctowl flying ahead of them, the three friends break into a sprint that takes them through the trees and to edge of a steep drop-off where they discover that the tiny bird's free-fall has come to an abrupt end. Pidgey has crash-landed on a rocky outcrop protruding from the sheer face of a small cliff! Ash orders Noctowl to retrieve it, but Pidgey is understandably terrified when Noctowl lands beside it and begins to struggle feebly. Noctowl once again uses its Hypnosis, this time making itself appear as a fellow Pidgey.