The white-screen world lit up again—
After Ash and his friends earned the Marsh Badge,
they set off toward their next destination: the Cinnabar Gym on Cinnabar Island.
The problem was… Cinnabar Island was far. They would have to travel a long distance and even take a boat to get there.
So everyone mentally prepared themselves for a long journey.
On the way, they would pass through the Safari Zone, and Ash was already fired up—
he wanted to catch a few more Pokémon there!
After all, his current team wasn't even enough to form two full battle lineups yet.
On the road to the Safari Zone, Ash first joined a Pokémon race.
He rode a Ponyta, which evolved into Rapidash mid-race and carried him to victory in one blazing charge.
After that, they arrived at a Pokémon nature reserve, where Ash met a family of Kangaskhan
and helped a pair of parents find their missing child.
Only after passing through that reserve did they finally reach the Safari Zone.
Rumor had it that somewhere deep within the Safari Zone lived a Dratini,
but Kaiser, the warden of the Safari Zone, flatly denied it—
and even ran out with a gun to threaten anyone who kept asking.
Ash and his friends had no choice but to give up on searching for Dratini directly
and went into the Safari Zone to catch Pokémon instead.
In the end, Ash used up all thirty of his Safari Balls—
and somehow, every single one caught a Tauros…
And of course, where there's a place like this, Team Rocket just has to cause trouble.
They captured Kaiser and used a tickle-torture machine on him,
forcing him to reveal where Dratini was hiding.
Following his directions, they made their way to Dragon Valley and actually saw the Dratini—
but it managed to escape.
Unwilling to give up, Team Rocket then decided to use paralyzing gas bombs
to blast Dratini out of hiding!
Just as the bomb was about to go off, Ash and the others arrived on the scene.
Ash and Kaiser rushed straight into the water without a second thought,
and Misty sent out her Water-type Pokémon to help search.
In the end, Ash asked Starmie to take Kaiser back to safety,
insisting that he would retrieve the bomb alone.
He successfully took hold of the bomb—
but due to lack of oxygen, he quickly began to sink into the depths.
And then… Dragonair appeared.
It rescued Ash and helped him bring the bomb back to Team Rocket—
sending the trio blasting off to the sky yet again.
After that came the touching reunion between Dragonair and Kaiser—
followed by the sight of Ash's thirty Tauros galloping wildly around Professor Oak's corral
at the Oak Research Lab.
[Bruno: Thirty Tauros?! Ash, why did you even catch that many???]
[Lance: For once, I don't think it's Ash's fault. Every time he threw a Safari Ball, a Tauros charged right into it…]
[Cynthia: It really did feel like fate. As if only Tauros could be caught there.]
[Ash: Exactly! It's not like I wanted thirty Tauros! Why did I end up with so many of the same Pokémon…]
[Professor Oak: Don't even start. Do you have any idea how expensive it is just to feed thirty Tauros? And on top of that, they're stampeding around my yard every day—like a mini-earthquake every morning…]
[Ash: S-sorry…]
[Caitlin: Personally, I think thirty Tauros was the best possible outcome. Ash, imagine if you'd caught thirty different Pokémon instead. Could you really have taken care of all of them?]
[Caitlin: Different habitats, different temperaments, different move sets, different strengths and weaknesses—for thirty species at once?]
[Caitlin: If it were Black World Ash, maybe he could manage. But you… I don't think you'd be able to handle thirty completely different Pokémon.]
[Ash: You're right… The old me definitely didn't have that kind of attention to detail. If it had been the original me, I wouldn't have been able to take care of thirty different Pokémon at all.]
[Ash: But things are different now! I've got the best teacher!]
[Ash: He taught me how to get stronger—and how to treat my Pokémon properly! I won't waste what he's taught me. I will become the world's greatest Pokémon Master!]
Everyone already knew who that "teacher" was.
Who else could it be but Black World Ash?
Caitlin raised her eyebrows slightly, genuinely surprised.
She hadn't expected the Ash from this world to have grown so much mentally already.
[Caitlin: I take back what I said earlier, then. I didn't expect your mindset to have grown this much, Ash. It seems this livestream really wasn't in vain.]
[Ash: Of course! This is my chance to grow stronger fast! I'm going to learn as much as I possibly can from it—I've even been taking notes!]
[Gary: Here we go… Ash, don't learn too much from Black World Ash's grind mentality! Be a normal person once in a while!]
Gary, however, wasn't too upset.
After all, the Silver Conference was about to begin.
Ash didn't have much time left to train and get stronger.
Sure, Ash might power up a bit now—
but by the time the tournament came, Gary planned to strike while the iron was hot and crush him.
As long as he beat Ash at the Silver Conference, he would be satisfied.
After that, he planned to change careers anyway,
and even if Ash wanted revenge, he wouldn't get many chances.
For now, Gary didn't feel pressured by Ash's "involution" at all.
Thinking of that, he couldn't help grinning to himself.
…Of course, whether things would really go as smoothly as Gary imagined
was another question entirely.
Back in the white-screen world—
After catching thirty Tauros, Ash and his friends continued their journey.
They soon crossed a Cycling Road controlled by a biker gang,
which also led to Misty's poor bicycle being totaled yet again.
Then they met a strange girl and her Ditto.
But this Ditto had a serious flaw:
no matter what it transformed into, it always kept the same blank, beady Ditto eyes.
Naturally, this was the perfect time for Team Rocket to interfere.
The trio kidnapped Ditto and ended up "training" it,
helping it learn how to complete a perfect transformation.
In the end, they even sent Ditto back safe and sound—
and then helpfully performed a "flying trapeze" show for Ash and his friends
by getting themselves blasted off again.
Truly… very touching.
[Lance: I have to admit, these three do end up doing a lot of good deeds…]
[Cynthia: Honestly, have you considered switching careers? If you dedicated yourselves to doing good, your success rate would probably be much higher. If you stay in Team Rocket, you might never accomplish anything~]
[James: Pipe down! We're not quitting Team Rocket!]
[Jessie: That's right! We are absolutely loyal to Team Rocket and to Boss Giovanni! How could we ever betray him?!]
[Lance: …Giovanni? Boss?]
Jessie & James: !!!
We're doomed! We didn't mean to say that out loud!!
[Bruno: Hold on—this Giovanni you're talking about wouldn't happen to be Giovanni,
the Viridian City Gym Leader and Ground-type expert, right?]
[Lance: You're telling me the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto is also the boss of Team Rocket? That's not funny. At all.]
At present, the Viridian Gym was officially closed.
The public explanation was that a massive explosion of unknown cause
had reduced the entire Gym to rubble.
Giovanni took that opportunity to "retire" as a Gym Leader.
But now… it seemed that this so-called "retirement"
might have just been him returning full-time to being the boss of Team Rocket instead.
Jessie and James didn't answer any more questions.
Right now, the best strategy was to play dead.
Far away at Team Rocket headquarters, Giovanni's expression darkened.
He'd long known that this day would come eventually—
he just hadn't expected to be dragged into the light so soon.
Jessie and James hadn't completely exposed him yet,
but it was clearly only a matter of time.
Fortunately, he had already transferred most of his major assets.
Lance wouldn't move against him immediately;
as a member of the Pokémon League, Lance needed solid evidence
before he could attack,
so an investigation would come first.
Until then, Giovanni still had a bit of time—
time to move whatever he could, as fast as he could.
Meanwhile, in the Kanto–Johto League headquarters, Lance immediately issued orders
for his subordinates to begin a full investigation into Giovanni.
After all, they were League officials, not criminals.
Without conclusive proof, they couldn't simply storm in and arrest a Gym Leader.
Still… Lance had a strong feeling that his suspicion was right on target.
[Lance: Thanks, I guess. You three just handed me a huge lead. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.]
[Cynthia: For real. You guys should really consider changing sides.]
Team Rocket's trio stared at Lance's "thank you" on the live chat
and felt like crying.
They were definitely not good people!!
Now all they could do… was wait for Giovanni's punishment.
Back on the white screen—
After the Ditto incident, Ash and his friends entered a forest
filled with wild Pikachu.
This place was known as Pikachu Forest.
If the phrase "Pikachu on every corner" applied anywhere, it was here.
Ash's Pikachu had a wonderful time playing with its own kind.
But as Ash watched a warm, happy Pikachu family,
the thought suddenly surfaced in his mind—
maybe he should leave Pikachu here.
Even just thinking that made his heart feel like it was being torn apart,
but for Pikachu's future happiness,
he still decided to do it.
This was Ash's own brand of gentleness.
Other trainers released Pokémon because they found them lacking.
Ash, on the other hand, released Pokémon because he wanted them to have a better life.
His Butterfree, his Primeape… and now even Pikachu, whom he almost let go—
every time, it was because he put their happiness first.
But this time, Pikachu was not released.
Instead, it ran after Ash,
telling him with its actions that it would be happier staying by his side
than living with the others in the forest.
Seeing this, Ash burst into tears of joy.
From that moment on, the bond between the two of them
rose to an entirely new level.
[Bruno: Wow… White World Ash almost released Pikachu?! Ash, you really were willing to let go!]
[Ash: I wasn't thinking that deeply back then… I just wanted Pikachu to have the happy life it wanted. To be honest, I never imagined it would choose me instead. I'm really grateful it did.]
[Cynthia: Ash, let me ask you this—if it were Black World Ash in that situation, what do you think he would have done?]
[Ash: If it were him… he'd probably take all the Pikachu home before letting Pikachu stay in that forest. And he'd be more confident that Pikachu would be happiest with him.]
[Ash: Actually, if I had to choose again now, I'd do the same—I'd keep Pikachu with me. Back then, I was too immature, naïve, and lacking in confidence… that's why I made that decision.]
Ash's heartfelt words scrolled across the live chat.
He truly recognized how naïve he'd been.
If Pikachu had really stayed in the forest,
maybe it would have been happy at first—
but sooner or later, it would probably regret it.
After all… they were each other's first partners.
[Leon: Only you can truly understand yourself. What you said makes sense—but don't be too hard on yourself. There's no absolute right or wrong choice there.]
[Leon: Whether it's your guess about Black World Ash's choice or what you chose back then, both are for Pikachu's sake—because you want a better life for your Pokémon. So… believe in yourself.]
[Ash: I will, Mr. Leon! Sooner or later, I'll definitely stand opposite you on the battlefield and challenge you!]
[Leon: Hahaha, I'll be waiting for that day!]
Back in the white-screen world—
After Ash failed to release Pikachu, the three of them continued on toward Cinnabar Island.
Along the way, they reached a fork in the road.
And sure enough, they took the long way around—
straight through a snow-covered mountain range.
A fierce blizzard blew in, and Pikachu was torn away by the wind.
Ash split up from Brock and Misty to search for him.
He eventually found Pikachu, but by then the storm on the mountain
had only grown worse.
To survive, Ash had Charmander burn open a small cave in the snow.
They hid inside, and Ash asked his Pokémon to help block the entrance
while Charmander used its flames to keep everyone warm.
But after breathing fire for so long, Charmander became completely exhausted.
Seeing this, Ash quickly returned Charmander to its Poké Ball—
and then recalled all his other Pokémon as well.
Only Pikachu stubbornly refused to go inside its Poké Ball.
Ash couldn't bring himself to force Pikachu in.
Instead, he took off his only jacket and wrapped the Poké Balls with it,
using his own body heat to keep everyone warm.
Then he held Pikachu close, huddling together for warmth.
Unfortunately, the blizzard outside only grew stronger,
and eventually, the snow blocking the entrance was blown away.
Ash immediately threw himself against the mouth of the cave,
using his own body as a shield against the icy wind.
The cold air cut into his back like knives,
making his teeth chatter uncontrollably.
At that moment, all the Pokémon inside the Poké Balls burst out on their own.
They piled onto Ash's back and shoulders,
using their own body warmth to help keep him from freezing.
Ash realized that even if he put them back in their Poké Balls,
they'd just force their way out again.
So he lowered his head, tears streaming from his eyes,
and choked out,
"If you all catch a cold… don't blame me, okay?"
Night passed at last.
The next morning, Ash and his Pokémon walked out of the cave safely,
and soon reunited with Misty and Brock.
[Lance: I'm not gonna lie, that one got me. White World Ash and his Pokémon have such a deep bond.]
[Leon: More than that—White World Ash is literally willing to risk his life for his Pokémon. He'd sacrifice himself for them, and they'd do the same for him. That's the only reason they survived that blizzard unharmed.]
[Professor Oak: I'm certain of this—if Ash and his Pokémon were ever in a situation where only one could survive, Ash would definitely throw the Poké Balls to safety and let the Pokémon live, even if it cost him his life.]
[Caitlin: That scene was so warm… I believe in the love between humans and Pokémon again!]
[Cynthia: …Caitlin, you've been reading too many romance novels and manga. That might not be entirely healthy.]
[Erika: Wait, what manga? Recommend some to me!]
[Bruno: Putting Black World Ash aside for a moment—whether it's him or White World Ash, their feelings for their Pokémon are beyond question. But has none of you noticed Ash's physical condition?]
[Bruno: Short sleeves. In a blizzard. And he doesn't even look cold half the time! Inside that cave, he took off his only jacket… Is he even human?!]
Bruno prided himself on his forged, battle-hardened body,
but even he couldn't have endured that blizzard as casually as Ash had.
This wasn't a normal physique anymore.
[Ash: Well… about that… my body's always been a bit stronger than average. Ever since I was little, I've been pretty strong and healthy.]
[Ash: Didn't Black World Ash say that when I was a kid, I already had really good athletic reflexes? The difference is, he trained from childhood… while I just coasted and wasted my potential…]
[Delia: That's on me as your mom. I should've encouraged you to exercise properly too…]
[Bruno: So you're telling me he got that kind of body without real training…? What kind of joke is this?!]
Bruno was stunned.
If he'd known earlier, he would've taken Ash as a disciple on the spot—
at least then his "Forged Body Style" would have had a perfect successor.
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