[Bruno: Although Ash risked his life for Pikachu before, I think—even if it weren't Pikachu—he'd have done the same for any Pokémon! That's just how much Ash loves them!]
[Bruno: But the Black World Ash looks way more hardworking—and even smarter—than the White World Ash! So I don't think he'd ever pick a disobedient Pokémon if he had the choice!]
[Bruno: Considering that White World Ash originally wanted to pick Squirtle, I'll conclude that Black World Ash's starter must be Squirtle!]
It was a rare moment—Bruno was actually using what little brainpower he had left.
Ash and Professor Oak, being so familiar with Pikachu, hadn't even thought twice. They'd instinctively picked Pikachu.
As for Jessie… yes, that Jessie, from Team Rocket!
She'd been chasing Pikachu for three whole regions! Her obsession with it—no, their obsession—was second only to Ash's!
If there were a "Top 10 True Pikachu Lovers" ranking,
Ash would be first,
and Team Rocket would be a very comfortable second.
True love fanatics, through and through.
But Jessie and Professor Oak weren't fast enough to answer,
so they were automatically reassigned to the remaining options.
[Ash answered correctly! Reward obtained: Light Ball.]
[Light Ball: A special item exclusive to Pikachu. When held, it doubles Pikachu's electrical power and attack strength.]
The audience: !!!
A Light Ball?! A real item that can double a Pokémon's attack power?!
That was completely overpowered!
[Lance: I can't—this is killing me! Bruno finally used his brain for once, and he still got it wrong! Hahaha!]
[Lorelei: Lance! What happened to your stoic image? But seriously, I can't hold it in either—hahaha!]
[Clair: I've been professionally trained. No matter how funny something is, I won't laugh… unless—pffft—HAHAHAHA!]
[Bruno: Sh–shut up! Everyone makes mistakes, okay?! Even a Machamp can trip once in a while!]
[Jessie: That's so unfair! I clicked fast too! Why didn't mine count?! I demand my reward back!]
[Ash: Wait, hold up—you're Jessie from Team Rocket?! How are you even in this chat?!]
[Jessie: Because I'm an elite trainer too, brat! But forget that—where's my reward?! This stupid livestream better cough it up!]
"Verbal abuse detected. User 'Jessie' muted for 30 minutes. Repeat offenses will result in a 24-hour ban."
Jessie didn't even finish her sentence before the mechanical voice rang out across the entire world.
Then—dead silence.
Instant karma.
The world instantly learned a valuable lesson: the livestream could not be insulted.
Do so, and you'd get the "banhammer special."
Meanwhile, James and Meowth were trying to calm down the furious Jessie.
"Jessie, that was way too risky! You actually yelled at the livestream?!"
"Why not?! If it dares to eat my reward, it deserves a scolding!"
Though she sounded defiant, her tone had clearly weakened.
The moment she got muted, she'd felt an overwhelming pressure—an invisible weight that made her tremble.
It was terrifying.
So now, even her voice had lost its usual fire.
"Think about it, Jessie," Meowth said, his eyes gleaming with scheming brilliance. "That Light Ball goes to the twerp's Pikachu. Then, once we catch Pikachu—it'll already be supercharged, right meow?!"
James gasped. "You mean… that's actually good for us?!"
Jessie's eyes lit up in sudden realization.
"You're right! Then it's basically still my reward! I didn't lose anything! Not bad, not bad!"
Team Rocket's logic, as always, defied every known law of common sense.
Meanwhile, on Ash's side, a small golden orb suddenly materialized in his palm.
The moment Pikachu saw it, his eyes sparkled—
as if something inside the glowing sphere was irresistibly calling to him.
"Yeah! I got a Light Ball! That means we'll have an even better shot at the Silver Conference!"
"Pika~chu!"
Pikachu cheered, leapt into Ash's arms, and high-fived him.
Then, seizing the chance, it snatched the Light Ball for itself.
The moment Pikachu touched it, he somehow knew exactly how to use it.
He placed the orb against his belly.
The golden light rippled like a droplet falling into water—
gentle waves shimmered across his fur before the Light Ball slowly sank into his body and disappeared completely.
The fusion was complete!
"Hey, Ash, maybe we should go somewhere else to watch," Misty said, glancing around nervously. "It's boiling out here, and… people are starting to stare."
Sure enough, once she mentioned it, Ash and Brock noticed the crowd of curious eyes on them.
Apparently, a lot of people had realized that the boy in the livestream… was right in front of them!
And now that Misty pointed it out, both boys noticed how long they'd been standing under the scorching sun.
Their legs were sore, and they were drenched in sweat.
"You're right," Brock agreed. "Let's head back to the Pokémon Center. I checked earlier—these light screens appear anywhere people gather!"
"In other words, we can keep watching indoors—with air conditioning!"
That sealed the deal.
Ash immediately gave up the idea of staying outside.
With the livestream showing himself, who cared about watching the tournament anymore?
He was way more interested in seeing what happened to the other him—the Black World Ash.
After all, if this world's Ash looked so battered in the beginning,
surely his alternate self wouldn't get off too easy… right?
Pain and struggle should be shared, after all!
And so, the trio headed back toward the Pokémon Center,
watching the ever-following black screen as they walked.
Inside the Black Screen—
Ash stood before Professor Oak, his expression calm and focused.
"Good morning, Professor Oak. Where's Pikachu?"
"Heh, I've had him ready for quite some time," the Professor replied with a smile,
handing over a Poké Ball marked with a bright yellow lightning bolt.
The entire audience blinked in confusion.
Wait—what?
Why did it seem like Ash already knew about Pikachu?
Had something happened behind the scenes that they didn't know about…?