The Electric Bead was an absurdly overpowered item for Pikachu.
In game terms, it doubled Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack.
For an average Pikachu, which was usually on the frail and underpowered side,
even doubling its strength wouldn't turn it into anything world-shaking.
But Black World Ash's Pikachu… and even White World Ash's Pikachu…
were anything but ordinary.
For White Ash, getting an Electric Bead was already ridiculous enough.
If you put one on Black Ash's Pikachu…
its power might very well leap straight into Elite Four level.
No one was sure if it could truly reach Champion level,
but everyone knew one thing:
with a monster like that on the field,
even a Champion's team might not be able to handle Pikachu.
[Misty: How does Pikachu Forest even have an Electric Bead? And why would all those Pikachu take the initiative to give it to Black Ash's Pikachu, but not White Ash's??]
[Professor Oak: I suspect it's related to power.]
[Professor Oak: I don't know if you noticed a small detail—when Black Ash's Pikachu was playing with the other Pikachu, it casually showed off its ability to control lightning with one hand.]
[Professor Oak: It might have just been trying to liven the mood, but what it showed was enough to make the entire Pikachu tribe worship it like a god.]
[Professor Oak: Since the Electric Bead is placed on an altar inside that thousand-year-old giant tree, it means the Pikachu hold it in very high regard, maybe even revere it.]
[Cynthia: I get it. That means there's a real possibility… that the Electric Bead is meant to be an offering for the "Pikachu King" of Pikachu Forest.]
[Cynthia: But right now, Pikachu Forest doesn't have a king. Then Black Ash shows up, and his Pikachu looks like a literal god to them.]
[Cynthia: So they decided the Electric Bead rightfully belongs to his Pikachu.]
[Professor Oak: That's exactly my guess.]
Professor Oak laid out the premise, and Cynthia drew the conclusion.
One by one, the two of them pieced together a plausible explanation for how Black World Ash's Pikachu ended up with the Electric Bead.
[Ash: So the reason my Pikachu never got taken there… was because it wasn't strong enough yet…]
[Misty: Looks like you really did lose at the starting line, Ash! But you've still got time to catch up. After all, you're a man with an Electric Bead now too~]
[Gary: You still can't beat me, of course. But compared to ordinary rookie Trainers, you're already impressive. No need to be that down.]
[Ash: Who are you saying I can't beat?! Let's settle this at the Silver Conference!]
[Gary: Hmph, you'd better actually run into me first. I'm afraid you'll be knocked out in the qualifiers.]
[Ash: That line is mine!]
And just like that, the two childhood rivals started bickering again.
In the dark-screen world—
Ash stepped out from beneath the giant tree with the Electric Bead in his hand.
He first bowed and thanked the Pikachu tribe,
then explained everything to Misty and Brock.
"Wait, an item that can greatly boost Pikachu's power? And that kind of thing just happened to be here?"
Misty stared at the orb in Ash's hand, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Then why don't these little guys use it themselves?"
"Maybe…" Brock pushed up his eyes, his usual wise tone kicking in.
"Maybe the Pikachu here—and even that golden orb—have been waiting for the right owner."
"I think Ash's Pikachu earned their recognition. That's why they gave the orb to you two."
Ash didn't argue. He felt the same way.
This golden orb felt like it was meant for him and Pikachu.
If he'd never come to Pikachu Forest,
the orb might have stayed on that altar forever, silent and forgotten.
"Since it can power Pikachu up so much, why not just have Pikachu use it right away?"
Misty tapped the Electric Bead with a finger.
A sharp tingle of electricity ran up her arm.
"Hiss—! This current… It hurts, but it feels kind of nice too…"
Ash casually tossed the Electric Bead up and caught it again.
"I'm planning to send this to Professor Oak first so he can study it. Pikachu says it'll massively boost its strength, and it came from Pikachu Forest, so I do trust it… but it's better to have Professor Oak run some tests, just in case."
"You're really cautious, Ash…"
Misty and Brock exchanged a look, both a little exasperated.
But, in truth, caution wasn't a bad thing at all.
And so, after saying their goodbyes to the Pikachu tribe,
the group headed off toward their next destination: Cinnabar Island.
Along the way, the three of them experienced the same events as White Ash once had—
the unofficial battle clubs in Dark City,
the down-on-his-luck stage magician,
and the infamous pink menace: Jigglypuff.
It was worth mentioning that in this world,
when Jigglypuff sang, only Ash remained awake long enough to hear the entire performance.
This Jigglypuff's voice possessed a hypnotic power far beyond that of an ordinary Sing.
Most Sing moves took a bit of time to take effect.
Jigglypuff's song practically knocked people out instantly.
Still, hypnosis was hypnosis—
a manipulation of the brain's nerves through sound.
There were two ways of resisting it.
One: plug your ears.
Two: use the power of Aura to forcibly stimulate your brain,
so the hypnosis couldn't take hold.
Thanks to that, Jigglypuff ended up seeing Ash as its only true confidant,
and decided to follow him around.
But Ash thought it through.
Almost all six of his current team members needed intense, focused training.
Jigglypuff, on the other hand, lived for singing and fun.
Its "strength" was almost entirely invested in its voice.
If he officially caught Jigglypuff now,
he'd have to send it straight back to Professor Oak's lab while he trained his battle team.
He wouldn't be able to take it along in good conscience.
So Ash chose to let Jigglypuff follow freely for now.
He promised that once there was a proper opening in his active team,
he'd catch it for real.
Jigglypuff was fine with this arrangement.
As long as someone listened to its singing,
it was happy.
[Ash: Wait, Aura can do that too?! Is there anything it can't do?!]
[Sabrina: Psychic powers can do something similar, actually. Jigglypuff's hypnosis works like a psychic-induced sleep. Those of us with strong psychic ability aren't easily put to sleep by it.]
[Misty: I'm so jealous… I really wanted to catch Jigglypuff back then, but I just couldn't handle its singing. And I'm not the right kind of Trainer for it.]
[Ash: Same here…]
Even after Jigglypuff followed them into Johto,
it remained a free spirit.
It was a lie to say he'd never wanted to catch it.
But… they really weren't "blessed" enough to handle it.
With a pink demon who sang at the drop of a hat and could knock them out cold anytime,
they'd have been sleeping several times a day.
By then, Jigglypuff's marker would probably run out of ink every other afternoon.
Only Black World Ash, with his Aura, could truly enjoy Jigglypuff's singing.
[Cynthia: In battle terms… this little one actually has incredible potential.]
[Leon: Exactly. Ordinary Sing takes a bit to kick in, but this Jigglypuff's song is several times stronger. That's extremely valuable in real combat.]
[Steven: Not gonna lie… I felt like I was about to fall asleep just listening through the screen.]
The essence of singing-induced sleep was hypnotic sound waves.
Through a screen, it technically shouldn't have had full effect.
But this Jigglypuff had nearly hypnotized Steven across a broadcast.
There was no denying it—this pink demon had a style all her own.
In the dark-screen world—
After the Jigglypuff incident, Ash and the others reached the fork in the mountain road.
Just as in White Ash's world, a blizzard swept over the snowy trail.
However, Black Ash's steps were steady,
and Pikachu's control over electricity gave it more than enough stability.
There was no dramatic scene of Pikachu being blown away by the storm.
And Ash's physique in this world barely registered the cold.
Even bare-chested, he might not have felt chilled.
Misty and Brock, however, were not built like that.
Fortunately, they'd packed well—
blankets and extra clothes helped them hang on.
Still, the blizzard grew worse and worse.
Ash had Charmeleon burn out a makeshift snow cave,
and the three of them huddled inside.
Even then, the cold seeped in through the walls.
Charmeleon's flames could provide warmth, but in weather like this,
it wouldn't be able to sustain a strong fire for long.
"You guys wait here. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for a reply, Ash rushed out into the storm.
Ten minutes later, to Misty and Brock's amazement,
he returned dragging an entire tree behind him.
"Ash, where did you even get that?!"
"Huh? There are tons of trees on the mountain, aren't there?"
"You have way too much strength!"
"It's not that heavy… Pikachu! Cut this up with Iron Tail!"
With Pikachu's help, they quickly chopped the tree into logs sized for a campfire.
The three humans and Pikachu sat around the crackling fire in their snow cave,
warm and relaxed, chatting the night away.
It was a quiet, cozy evening.
[Misty: White Ash's experience there was really moving, but Black Ash's version is pretty heartwarming in its own way too.]
[Brock: White Ash's version was more like we were looking after Ash. Black Ash's version is more like everyone helping each other—and honestly, Black Ash is helping us more than we help him.]
[Ash: Okay, okay, I get it—it all comes down to my lack of ability back then, right?! Once I catch up, I'll definitely make you two proud!]
[Misty: I'll be waiting for that day~]
In the dark-screen world—
After their snowy mountain campout, Ash and the others arrived at Grampa Canyon.
There, they met Gary again,
and learned from him that ancient Pokémon fossils had been discovered in the valley.
With modern technology,
any well-preserved fossil had a chance of being revived as a living Pokémon.
Because of that, crowds flocked to Grampa Canyon.
Some came to dig up fossils to sell for money,
others hoped to obtain a strong fossil Pokémon of their own.
Ash's eyes lit up the moment he heard that.
To be blunt… their funds—his funds—were running low again.
Raising Pokémon wasn't cheap,
and the partners he'd chosen were not exactly low-maintenance.
Just nurturing one pseudo-legendary Dratini could drain his wallet dry.
If he didn't find a way to earn money now, then when?
"Dig time!! Come on out, Ivysaur, Charmeleon, Wartortle…"
Ash released his Pokémon and had them help with fossil excavation.
Gary looked down at the shovel in his hand,
then looked at Ash's Pokémon merrily digging away using Metal Claw, Iron Tail, Head Smash, Vine Whip, and more.
He suddenly felt like an idiot.
Why was he using a shovel again?
Why not just let his own Pokémon help from the start?
[Misty: Black Ash really thinks differently sometimes… but it works. Who else would think of having half a team dig fossils like that?]
[Brock: If I'd known, I would've sent out Onix and Geodude to help too…]
[Ash: Hey, compared to that, Team Rocket's idea of just blowing the valley up was "creative" in the worst way possible. Fresh and stupid at the same time.]
[Gary: Exactly. Bombing Grampa Canyon for fossils? The terrain there is already unstable. If their bomb hadn't exploded right in the center, the whole canyon might have collapsed! What a bunch of idiots!]
[Jessie: Hey! You brat! Who are you calling an idiot?!]
[James: Yeah! Watch your mouth, twerp!]
[Giovanni: Obviously he's talking about you three. Useless nitwits… and you even exposed me on top of it.]
[Lance: Giovanni, you actually showed up?]
[Bruno: Aren't you afraid we'll arrest you?]
[Giovanni: What a joke. If you can crawl through the network cable to arrest me, I'll go quietly. I'm already exposed anyway. If I don't show up now, then when?]
[Giovanni: I love this feeling, you know. Watching you rant about me, and being completely unable to touch me. Hahaha!]
[Cynthia: So this is the leader of Team Rocket… He seems a bit more foolish than I expected.]
[Lance: Ignore him. He's probably suffocating with frustration and finally snapped. Keep watching. I've got a feeling Ash is about to catch a fossil Pokémon.]
[Giovanni: …]
Hey! I'm the major villain of Kanto here. Could I at least get a little respect?!
In the dark-screen world—
In less than ten minutes, Ash dug up his first "fossil."
Strictly speaking, though, it was a piece of amber,
and the thing sealed inside wasn't a Pokémon but some kind of ancient bug.
Even so, it was still rare and valuable.
Sold at the right place, it could fetch enough money
to buy at least half an Evolution Stone.
Gary initially thought Ash was just lucky.
Fueled by competitiveness, he immediately released his own Pokémon to dig with him.
But a few minutes later, Ash unearthed another fossil—
a fragment of what looked like a Kabuto fossil.
It probably couldn't be restored into a living Pokémon,
but as a collectible, it was still worth a decent sum.
Gary frowned. Something felt off.
And soon, his instincts were confirmed.
Within an hour, Ash had dug up seven fossils and that amber.
Gary's eyes went red.
"How are you doing this?!"
"Huh? Oh, you mean the fossils? They're not just dead rocks. Even if they're broken, they're not completely gone as living beings, so there's still a faint trace of Aura in them."
"I just use Aura to search, and the fossils stand out clearly. Once I detect their Aura, they're not hard to find."
Gary: …
His vision blurred.
Envy. Jealousy. Total mental collapse.
What kind of broken reality was this, where people came equipped with built-in treasure radar?!
He'd heard from Professor Oak that Ash's "Aura" could be used in battles,
but now he realized—
who cares about battles?! This thing is a walking treasure-hunting cheat code!
[Ash: Oh man… I never thought I'd see the day I made myself jealous of my own abilities. Aaaah! I want Aura too!]
[Misty: Okay, Ash, that's enough self-loathing. You can still train Aura, remember? We normal people… we're the ones with no way out. Our eyes are the truly red ones here.]
[Gary: Exactly. Your jealousy is hope-colored jealousy. Ours is despair-colored jealousy.]
[Professor Oak: Looks like Little Ash didn't develop his Aura properly in our world… and in the process, he missed more opportunities than he knows.]
[Lance: That's what they mean when they say "hard work changes your fate"!]
[Nessa: Correction—it's grinding that changes your fate.]
[Ash: Okay, okay, I get it. I really regret it now, alright? Truly, deeply regret it!]
PS :
Jigglypuff is a pink, spherical "Balloon Pokémon" known for using its large, round eyes to mesmerize foes. Once an opponent is captivated, it sings a mysterious and soothing lullaby without pausing to breathe, which makes anyone who hears it fall into a deep sleep.
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