In the black world—
Right now, Ash and Pikachu were in no condition to stand against Beedrill.
If Beedrill landed even one more clean hit, Pikachu would almost certainly lose its ability to battle—and the match would be over.
Because, realistically, even all the other Pokémon in Ash's team put together probably couldn't beat Pikachu one-on-one.
With the Light Ball boosting it, Pikachu was the one "broken gear" in Ash's lineup, the piece everything else revolved around.
So once Pikachu went down, that would effectively mean Ash's defeat.
But just as Beedrill was about to move in for the finish, a strange ringing sound echoed through the Gym.
Beedrill froze instinctively mid-air,And everyone's eyes turned toward Giovanni.
The sound was coming from him.
The pleased smile on Giovanni's face—so close to victory—suddenly stiffened.A moment later, looking a little embarrassed, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone.
"What is it?"
"What?! …I understand. I'll be there right away."
The joy vanished from Giovanni's face, replaced by a hard seriousness.
This phone was Team Rocket's emergency line.If it was ringing, something truly major had happened.
That was why he kept it on him even when he was serving as a Gym Leader.If it rang—even at the brink of victory—he had to answer.
"Come back, Beedrill."
Giovanni recalled Beedrill without hesitation.
Ash, panting and pale, stared blankly.
You're about to win… and you just take back your ace?
"You got lucky today, Ash."
Giovanni tossed something in a green flash through the air. Ash caught it on reflex.
It was a badge.
"This is the Earth Badge," Giovanni said. "You couldn't defeat me, but you proved your strength. Something extremely urgent has come up on my side, so this battle ends here."
"Oh, and—remember to close the door when you leave."
With that, Giovanni turned his back, strode away, and disappeared from Ash's sight,
Leaving the three of them behind with matching looks of utter confusion.
...
[Lance: Huh? That's it? Giovanni, what on earth are you doing?]
[Cynthia: Come to think of it—on the White World side, Giovanni's expression also changed after a phone call. He left with Mewtwo and temporarily handed Viridian Gym over to the Rocket trio.]
[Diantha: Hehe, and by the end of that, Team Rocket's trio practically leveled Viridian Gym themselves. Biggest saboteurs in history.]
[Lorelei: Anyway, Giovanni, what are you even up to? You just gave up when victory was right in front of you.]
[Giovanni: Mind your own business. People from the League can worry about League business.]
[Lance: Hey! For real, I feel like you're getting more and more arrogant. Believe it or not, I'll bring Dragonite over and flatten your Team Rocket base right now!]
[Giovanni: Oh? If you can, go ahead and try. First one to find a Rocket base wins.]
[Lance: ...]
Damn it. The guy was ridiculously arrogant.
And annoyingly, there wasn't much Lance could actually do about it.
These days, all of Team Rocket's bases had been shifted completely into the shadows.Even the League would have a hard time tracking them down quickly.
It was exactly because of this that Giovanni dared to run his mouth.
There was a time he'd react to seeing them the way a mouse reacts to a cat.
Now?
With a global comment feed as a shield, he didn't have to worry about being physically found.He could taunt them all he liked from a safe distance.
[Agatha: Hmph. In the end, he still didn't say exactly what happened with Mewtwo—but we do know this much: after that incident, Mewtwo woke up for real and blew up your Rocket base and research facility.]
[Lance: Serves you right. Those who toy with life always get punished. That's the price you pay for trying to manipulate Mewtwo.]
[Leon: Mewtwo's strength should be at the lower end of second-tier legendaries with a divine role. Any Pokémon that can fight evenly with Mew like that is at least at that level.]
[Leon: And it looks like Mewtwo's full potential hasn't even awakened yet… which probably means his final destination is first-tier legendary. Are the Rockets in Kanto really that insane? They actually created a first-tier legendary.]
[Giovanni: Hmph. Of course we did. Don't underestimate Team Rocket, you brats.]
[Lance: Oh yeah, super impressive—Mewtwo smashed your base and your lab to rubble, and now you spend every day hiding from the League. Is that Team Rocket strength? That's hilarious.]
[Giovanni: Lance! You just wait!]
Ever since the truth about Giovanni came out,
He and Lance had basically become the two people with the worst relationship on the entire comment feed.
Even someone as calm as LanceCouldn't help bickering with Giovanni here.
After all, one side was constantly being hunted by the League,And the other side was constantly hunting Team Rocket.
There was no way those two could ever "get along."
As for the other villain types, they were all quietly lurking,Watching from the shadows. Sneakily observing.jpg.
[Professor Kukui: Then what happened to Black Ash afterward? He suddenly looked so weak.]
[Lance: Yeah. After Pikachu got hammered, Black Ash looked like he was in serious pain. That's almost impossible for him—his body's like something out of a myth.]
[Cynthia: Giovanni did say he'd found the weakness in Black Ash's "move." That move should be Aura Fusion, right? As for the weakness… it must be that any damage the Pokémon takes, Ash shares as well.]
[Cynthia: Even with a body like a walking iron fortress, Black Ash can't simply ignore the shared damage from Aura Fusion. In other words, it's like he was being hit from the inside by a Champion-level Pokémon.]
[Professor Oak: So that's it. That's the weakness Giovanni was talking about. Every time Black Ash uses Aura Fusion, he's risking a lot. If his Pokémon loses the ability to battle, Black Ash might collapse with it.]
[Professor Oak: Remember—if the Trainer can't continue, it counts as a loss no matter how many Pokémon are left.]
After Cynthia and Professor Oak spoke,Everyone finally understood just how much risk Black Ash was taking whenever he used Aura Fusion.
Under that fusion state, Ash suffered damage as well.
Before this, every time he'd fused, his Pokémon had simply overpowered their opponents,So no one had seen this drawback.
Only today—when the battle dragged on and turned brutal—Did everyone finally see the flaw in this "ultimate move."
That's how it is: the more powerful the technique, the greater the price.
...
In the black world—
Ash and the others finally left Viridian Gym,With Ash doing as Giovanni had said and closing the door behind them.
Their first stop was the Pokémon Center.
They handed Pikachu, Venusaur, and the rest of their team over for treatment.
After that, Ash sat silently in the Pokémon Center lobby,Staring at the Earth Badge in his hand without a word.
Misty and Brock exchanged a glance.
Brock jerked his chin toward Ash, silently telling Misty to go comfort him.
Strictly speaking, it was a little sneaky—But in terms of romance, there's no better time to reach someone's heart than when they're at their lowest.
At least, that's what Brock had concluded after reading far too many love guides.
This opportunity naturally belonged to Misty.
Misty hesitated, then sat down beside Ash.Her small hand gently patted his back, and for once her voice was unusually soft.
"It's okay, Ash. Actually… this doesn't really count as a loss."
"After all, Pikachu didn't completely lose the ability to fight, and you still got the Earth Badge…"
"And anyway, wins and losses are just part of being a Trainer. Even if we had lost this time, we can win it back in the future!"
"There isn't a single undefeated Trainer in the world. Even Elite Four members and Champions lose sometimes."
"Besides, your opponent was Giovanni—the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto. Didn't you say so yourself? The Viridian Gym Leader's strength is probably already at Champion level."
"You've only been traveling for less than half a year, and you already managed to fight on even footing with a Champion-level opponent. That's already amazing!"
Misty might be young,But she was surprisingly good at comforting people.
She might normally be fiery and sharp-tongued,But among the trio, she was the one who read emotions the best.
Ash tightened his grip around the Earth Badge, then looked up and smiled at her.The smile was a little bitter.
"Losing is still losing. Making excuses or finding reasons would just be an insult to the battle itself."
"A thing like this… I never really thought about what would happen if I failed. Because the first rule of battling is—I want to win. I have to win."
"But after losing today, I finally realized just how painful losing really is."
"It's a kind of sour feeling I can't even put into words…It hurts so much. It's so frustrating. I want to win it back right now, but I know that even if we fought ten more times, I still wouldn't beat him as I am now."
Misty listened quietly, then spoke again in that gentle tone.
"Not being able to win now doesn't mean you'll never beat him in the future."
"People always say failure is the mother of success, right? Look at us—up till now we haven't met that 'mother' even once. So in a way… we should be thanking the Viridian Gym Leader."
"He's the one who finally let us see success after failure."
Ash blinked.
Then he couldn't help it—he laughed.
"Pfft—Misty, that metaphor is way too vivid."
"Thanks… You're right. I should properly face this 'mother of success,' huh? Only then can I grow even stronger in the future."
As he spoke, Ash wrapped his arms around Misty and pulled her into a hug, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.
Misty's face went scarlet in an instant.
Her hands hovered in the air, not sure where they were supposed to go.
Her lips trembled slightly,Like she wanted to say something—but at the same time, didn't dare to say anything at all.
...
[Brock: Ooooooooh…]
[Delia: I'm crying, Black Ash is already good at comforting girls at his age. Ash, learn from your other self!]
[Ash: Huh… Why is the me in the other world hugging Misty? And why is Misty's face as red as a Cheri Berry?]
[Misty: Shut up! Ash, go die!!]
[Lance: Ehhh… Ash, you seriously don't get it, or are you just pretending?]
[Lorelei: Misty in the other world clearly likes Black Ash. Ash, how can you not see something that obvious?]
[Ash: Huuuuuuh—]
[Ash: No way… How could that be? How could Misty ever like me?!]
[Misty: Idiot! I don't like you—it's Black Misty who likes Black Ash!]
[Misty: Black Ash is smart, brave, and always calm in battle. He plans ahead, treats people politely, and has super high emotional intelligence! He's nothing like you! From the bug spray at the beginning to buying perfume later on—]
[Misty: So yeah, so what if Black Misty likes Black Ash? Black Ash is like Prince Charming! Who wouldn't fall for someone like that?!]
[Ash: O-okay, I get it, I get it. But I've helped you a ton too! You don't have to like me, but you're always arguing with me!]
[Brock: ...]
[Misty: ...]
This guy was hopeless.
It had been spelled out this clearly, and he still couldn't connect the dots.
Even if you're not as perfect as Black Ash,
I still like you, you idiot…
But that kind of thought could only stay in her heart.
If Ash ever saw what happened later in the Lugia incident from his own point of view,
Maybe then he'd finally understand her feelings.
And anyway, it wouldn't be long.
Once the Quartz Conference ended and they headed to the Orange Islands,That whole incident with Lugia would happen.
For now, she puffed out her cheeks and turned away angrily, ignoring Ash's cluelessness.
Better to just watch the sweet scene in front of her and cool off that way.
...
In the black world—
After holding Misty for a few seconds, Ash gently released her.
Misty's heartbeat slowly began to calm down… but she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
That brief hug had been… really warm.
And it was the first time Ash had ever taken the initiative to hold her like that.
Brock nodded to himself off to the side.
As expected, love manuals never lie.
When someone's heart is at its weakest,If a gentle, kind person comforts them—
There's at least a seventy percent chance of capturing their heart.
Even if, in this case, the roles were a little different, the principle was the same.
These two had finally taken a meaningful step forward today.
Now if only Brock could find out where his destined soulmate was waiting…
"Thanks, Misty. I'll pull myself together. I've got Pikachu, and I've got all of you with me."
Ash's hand moved from her back up to her hair,And he gently ruffled Misty's soft orange curls.
"I'm really glad I met you guys when I first started my journey. You and Brock—you've both helped me so much."
"When I grow up, we… Well, we'll talk about it when I grow up, haha."
The words were already at his lips, but he swallowed them back down.
After thinking it through, he decided not to make that kind of promise yet.
No one could say for sure what the future would bring.Better to focus on the present.
But even left unfinished, that half-spoken line was enough to change something.
From this moment on, their relationship was no longer "just traveling companions."They were something closer than that.
A faint disappointment flickered in Misty's emerald eyes,But she quickly cheered herself up.
It was fine. Ash had at least said half of what he wanted to say.
The rest of that sentence… she could work hard on their journey and wait for him to say it someday.
...
[Lance: Just now, Black Ash was about to confess, right? Why didn't he go through with it?]
[Cynthia: Hmm… I don't really get it. I've never dated anyone. We're going to need an expert here. Any love experts around?]
[Brock: Me, me, me! I'm the love expert! Let me explain for you, Miss Cynthia!]
[Brock: I'm guessing Black Ash got scared at the last second.]
[Ash: Scared? What's there to be scared of? If he really likes Black Misty, he should just confess. It's obvious she likes him back!]
[Brock: See, that's exactly why you're still a rookie at this. You don't know what it feels like once you really fall for someone.]
[Brock: Once you truly like someone, you start overthinking every little thing about them. You might not even dare to confess at all. It's the same for Black Misty. They're both afraid that if they confess, it'll ruin what they already have, and they might not even be able to stay friends.]
[Brock: That's why Black Ash hesitated when he tried to make that promise, and swallowed the words in the end.]
[Brock: Part of it is that he doesn't want to make a promise lightly when the future is so uncertain—he might not be able to keep it. The other part is that he's afraid Misty might say no, and then they wouldn't even have the same relationship anymore. Got it now, emotional idiot?]
[Ash: Then how come you confess to every girl you fall for?!]
[Brock: ...]
That stung.
Don't go for the sore spots, you brat!
Brock's already dark expression grew even stormier.He glared at Ash with a look so intense it made Ash shiver.
Without thinking, Ash edged closer to Misty.
"H-Hey, Misty, what's wrong with Brock…?"
"How should I know? Don't ask me, you big idiot!"
Misty snapped back without looking at him.
She was still mad.
Ash might be hopeless when it came to romance,But from the bird's-eye view of the livestream, it was painfully obvious what was going on.
If he got to see what happened later during the Lugia incident from his own eyes,Maybe he'd finally figure it out.
It wouldn't be long now…
Once they were done with the Quartz Conference and headed for the Orange Islands,That legendary encounter with Lugia would arrive.
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