Black Ash's latest decision had everyone stunned—especially Ash himself.
[Ash: Damn it! Why didn't I think of that back then… oh, right! It was Brock who said Butterfree couldn't lay eggs unless it migrated south! That's why I panicked and let it go]
[Brock: Uh… yeah, about that… I only read that in a theory book! That was actually the first time I'd ever seen Butterfree migrate in person. I didn't realize the theory was flawed!
What flaw? Naturally, it was what Black Ash pointed out— "If there are so many Caterpie and Metapod in Viridian Forest, then Butterfree obviously don't have to migrate south to breed." After he said that, the trio finally realized—to hell with that "must migrate south to breed" nonsense! If that were true, where did all the Caterpie in Viridian Forest come from? (Rayquaza dropped them from the sky after laying eggs, obviously!)
[Misty: So… we got tricked, huh.]
She patted the dejected Ash on the back, while Pikachu comfortingly rubbed his head. It would've been fine if he'd never known. But now that he did—he was crushed. He didn't have to release Butterfree at all. And now? It was too late. That release was final. The world was vast—there was no way he'd ever find his Butterfree again.
[Lance: Black Ash's thinking is as sharp as ever.]
[Korrina: I really thought we'd finally get to see him torn and conflicted this time… guess not.]
[Cynthia: Quick-thinking, gifted, and hardworking… honestly, he's stronger than we were at his age.]
[Leon: The younger generation really does outshine us! I mean, sure, I won the Champion Cup at ten too, but I wasn't half as thoughtful or diligent as this kid.]
[Steven: I admit defeat! I can't wait to see how far Black Ash will go.]
[Gary: Hey, hey, White Ash isn't bad either, you know. You guys should look forward to him too.]
[Leon: Hah, fair point. They're both Ash after all—both worth watching.]
Inside the Black World—
In the end, Black Ash didn't hesitate—he took the pink Butterfree with him. Migration? Forget it! Even if his Butterfree wanted to retire someday, Ash would build a peaceful haven for them himself—why suffer through migration at all? Brock, feeling guilty, swore to tear that stupid "theory book" to shreds the moment they got back. It had nearly caused a heartbreaking mistake. Before long, the trio arrived in Saffron City. Ash transferred both Butterfree to Professor Oak's Lab and called Krabby back in exchange. He handed Butterfree's training weights to the Professor for upgrades and reminded him of its training regimen.
Butterfree could now enjoy a happy love life and keep training. Professor Oak was astonished to see that Ash had caught a pink Butterfree. After all… that meant it was shiny! And shiny Pokémon didn't just look different—they often possessed unique strengths unknown to their kin. (For example, Ash's Noctowl practically had psychic powers. It was more like a Psychic-type than a Normal/Flying-type at this point!)
After completing the transfer, Ash leaned back and gazed up at the Pokémon Center's ceiling. "What's up, Ash? See something up there?" "Not really… but I've got a weird feeling. Like someone's watching us." "Huh? Don't tell me it's Team Rocket again." "No—it's not them. Those three don't give off this kind of pressure."
Ash could feel it—the invisible force behind that gaze was suffocatingly strong. And it wasn't just someone's eyes. It was more like… an unseen power. "Saffron City's Gym Leader… isn't she a Psychic-type specialist?" Brock frowned, trying to recall what he knew. Aside from her name—Sabrina—details about her were practically nonexistent. The Saffron Gym Leader was shrouded in mystery.
"Psychic powers… huh…" Ash muttered under his breath, then walked up to Nurse Joy at the counter, asking her about the Saffron Gym Leader. "Hmm… Miss Sabrina is quite mysterious. There really isn't much public information about her." "But… everyone who's ever challenged her says the same thing—they never want to fight her again." "Each one came out with this look of fear on their faces… it just didn't feel right, you know?" That was enough to make Misty shiver.
"Uh, Ash, maybe we should skip this one? There are more than eight Gyms in Kanto anyway!" "I've got a bad feeling about that Gym… it sounds dangerous." Ash rubbed his chin, his face tightening with indecision. Fight… or not?
Just as Black Ash wavered, the image on the dark screen froze—and a familiar text prompt appeared.
Quiz Time: When faced with the Saffron Gym, what will Black Ash do?
A: Run away without a fight.
B: Charge in recklessly and get utterly crushed.
C: Go to Lavender Town first to catch a Ghost-type before challenging.
D: Having sensed psychic power, use Aura Force to counter it head-on!
[You have 20 seconds to choose. Timer starts now—]
Author's Note:
According to the Pokédex (and some trivia sources), Leon won the regional championship at the age of ten.
That means the Galar region did have a League tournament—just without an Elite Four.
Otherwise, what's the point of Gym Badges?
In the games, badges are used to enter the tournament;
in the anime, they basically replaced it with the World Coronation Series.
So, sure, Leon was a regional champion at ten—
but in fairness, Ash is the ten-year-old with twenty years of travel experience.
I'm not here to bash or to hype—Leon's great, absolutely.
But if you're going to praise his early championship,
then we've got to talk about the legend of Ash—the eternal ten-year-old world champion.
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