In a Black World –
Bruno was completely stunned.
He'd thought the kid he met today would be like all the other cocky rookies he'd seen:
Travel for a few months, then think you can punch an Elite and kick a Champion.
He never expected that…
The short-sighted one this time would be him.
If he asked himself honestly—could he catch an Onix's head head-on the way Ash just did?
Maybe.
But not that calmly. And definitely not without taking a single step back.
After stopping the giant Onix's charge, Ash closed his eyes.
A faint blue glow rose from his body.
As that light spread, the Onix's rage visibly subsided.
The massive, thrashing body began to relax, slowing to a stop.
It pressed its head against Ash's hands more gently, no longer trying to crush him.
Then Ash opened his eyes.
His brown gaze slid along the Onix's body and locked on one particular section.
He first gently stroked the Onix's head, murmuring to soothe it—
Then walked toward the latter half of its body.
"It might hurt a bit," Ash said softly. "Hang in there, okay?"
"Roooaaar…"
The giant Onix nodded, then squeezed its eyes shut like a prisoner bracing for execution.
Ash slipped both hands into a gap between its rocky segments—
And yanked something out in a blur of motion.
Everyone's eyes snapped to his hands.
A Sandslash dangled there, claws flailing!
So that was why the Onix had gone berserk—
there had been a wild Sandslash burrowed into its body, wreaking havoc from the inside.
The shock on Bruno's face hadn't faded since Ash started moving.
From beginning to end, his expression never got a chance to return to normal.
Somebody explain to him what was happening.
How had the situation turned into something he couldn't even mentally process?
Ash hadn't seemed to do anything, yet he calmed the Onix like it was nothing—
And somehow knew there was a Sandslash stuck inside it.
That wasn't "unscientific." That was impossible.
"Master Bruno, Ash can use Aura," Brock quietly explained.
"Aura…? You mean the legendary power that can connect hearts and perceive all things?!"
Bruno couldn't help shouting, startling Misty and Brock.
They were both thinking the same thing:
…Is this really one of the Kanto Elite Four, or just a big muscle-headed himbo?
Getting this shocked over Aura, of all things—it wasn't like Ash hadn't already done weirder stuff.
If Bruno knew what they were thinking, even with his monk-like self-control, he'd probably spray them on the spot.
"What do you mean 'just Aura'?!" he'd shout.
From everything he knew, no human being could learn that kind of power.
Psychic abilities could be innate or trained over time.
But Aura… whether natural or acquired…
In his entire experience, he had never even heard of a human using it.
And now today, up on Mt. Hideaway, he'd met a teenager who possessed that legendary power.
For the first time ever, Bruno felt genuine regret—
Regret that he hadn't brought his Pokémon with him.
If he had, he could've battled this kid properly.
[Lorelei: Hahaha, Bruno, your face… you looked like you'd just swallowed a Protect!]
[Bruno: …You ask any martial artist this: a boy who looks eleven or twelve at most catching a twenty-meter Onix head-on. Who wouldn't doubt reality after seeing that?!]
[Bea: I can confirm! The first time I saw Black World Ash fight, I felt like my entire worldview collapsed. It makes no sense!]
[Ari: I can block a missile with my techniques, sure—but that's with skills, timing, and leverage. Taking a twenty-meter Onix's tackle like Ash did? I don't think I'll ever be able to do that.]
[Bruno: Exactly! It's not that I'm weak-willed—Black World Ash is just broken!]
[Agatha: Good thing Black World Ash isn't in this barrage chat. If he heard you all calling him a freak nonstop, he'd definitely pop out to argue.]
[Diantha: I'm more curious about the Black World's own chat… If their world had a livestream too, seeing their Ash like this would probably shock them even more than us.]
After all, they were watching Black World Ash mostly for fun.
But the people in that world…
That was their Ash.
In a Black World –
Once Ash pulled the Sandslash free, the pain and fury on the giant Onix's face gradually faded.
Ash tossed the squirming Sandslash aside for the moment, then sprayed medicine on the wound in the Onix's rocky body.
"Okay," he said gently, "you'll recover soon…"
He paused, then shook his head.
"No. I won't catch you today."
"I'm not going to take advantage of you while you're injured. Once you're healed, we'll have a proper battle—and then I'll try to catch you fair and square."
Bruno was even more stunned by that.
This kid had just risked his life to save the Onix—
And now, instead of catching it while it was weakened, he was going to send it back to rest and maybe catch it later?
What kind of brain logic was that?!
Bruno quickly sprang into motion, leaping up with a few powerful jumps until he was close to the Onix's head.
If Ash refused to catch it, he would.
The opportunity had been created by Ash, sure—but since Ash had given it up…
Bruno had no intention of wasting it.
"Martial virtue"? Under the temptation of a giant Onix, that concept went straight out the window.
Besides, if he caught the Onix, he could take it straight to a Pokémon Center.
It would actually recover faster that way.
He spoke to the Onix in a firm, respectful tone.
"Onix! I'd like the chance to convince you," Bruno said. "If you don't mind, let's battle right here. To show you my strength as a Trainer, I won't use any Pokémon this time."
[Lance: Bruno, you shameless traitor!]
[Bruno: That's not me, that's Other-Bruno! Don't lump us together!]
Bruno protested loudly in the livestream, but in private his heart wavered.
If he had run into a similar situation…
He wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't have made the same choice.
Could anyone really blame He-Bruno?
A giant Onix was the Pokémon of his dreams.
If Ash didn't want it, what was he supposed to do—just leave it there?
What kind of nonsense would that be?
In a Black World –
Faced with Bruno's challenge, the giant Onix tilted its head—
Then slowly shook it.
It turned its gaze to Ash instead.
The huge head lowered, gently nudging Ash's chest.
A low rumble vibrated from deep in its throat.
"You… want to be my Pokémon?" Ash asked, eyes wide. "Really?"
He truly hadn't had the heart to attack this Onix himself.
At the same time, he had no right to stop Bruno if Bruno wanted to try.
He'd just been quietly swallowing that discomfort.
He never imagined the Onix would reject Bruno's challenge…
And choose him of its own accord.
Bruno's expression darkened, but he didn't think Ash was lying.
Aura allowed a person to communicate with Pokémon and understand their hearts.
It was only natural that Ash could understand the Onix's "words."
And if he had been lying… the Onix could've simply shaken its head.
Instead, the giant rock serpent nodded again and again, its excitement obvious.
It was clear enough who it had chosen.
Ash took out an empty Poké Ball and lightly pressed it against the Onix's body.
With a flash of red light, the giant rock serpent was drawn inside.
The ball didn't shake once.
With a crisp click, the capture was complete.
"I caught a giant Onix!"
"Pika~chuuu…"
(Pikachu has been completely sidelined for ages, you know~)
With the giant Onix caught, Bruno didn't linger.
After hearing Ash would be entering the Quartz Conference, Bruno said he'd come watch—
And promised they'd find a chance to battle properly in the future.
[Bruno: I'm so miserable in that world… My giant Onix, stolen right out from under me. One less powerhouse on my team!]
[Cynthia: "Stolen" is a bit unfair. Strictly speaking, the one whose chance was stolen was Ash.]
[Cynthia: In the White World, you stayed in the mountains for ages and never even saw a hint of the giant Onix. Ash and the others found it first—then you showed up.]
[Cynthia: So… whose Onix do you think it really was?]
[Bruno: …]
Cynthia's words made a cold sweat run down Bruno's back.
He replayed the memory in his head:
It was true. The giant Onix had first been discovered when Ash arrived.
He himself had skulked around Mt. Hideaway for days without seeing anything.
The moment Ash showed up, the Onix appeared.
Who had really stolen whose opportunity here?
[Lorelei: Oh ho, Bruno, don't you dare pretend you're innocent. You're an Elite Four and you still try to snipe a kid's fated Pokémon? Shameless!]
[Bruno: At the time, Ash couldn't even handle a giant Onix!]
[Bruno: And White World Ash is nothing like Black World Ash. He can't use Aura, can't speak with Pokémon, and would have no way of knowing a Sandslash was lodged inside that Onix!]
[Ash: Master Bruno is right. Back then, I really wasn't qualified to catch a giant Onix. And even if I had, it probably wouldn't have listened to me.]
Ash held no resentment.
At that point in his journey, his skills as a Trainer were what they were—
He couldn't even command Charizard properly,
Let alone something as wild as a mountain-king Onix.
If it were him now, that would be a different story.
In a Black World –
After catching the giant Onix, Ash first took it to a Pokémon Center to recover.
Then it was right back to their training schedule.
It was a pity he hadn't fought Bruno this time—
But he'd gained a powerful new partner.
Because of its massive size, the Onix was tricky to train.
Ash decided its focus should be on power and flexibility.
He wanted it to be able to control its own rocky segments freely in battle, binding opponents like living chains.
Strength training, though… that was harder.
He couldn't exactly tell it to drill holes all over Professor Oak's lab.
So to train properly, Ash took six Pokémon up into the mountains near Pallet Town.
When they were exhausted, a "little pink demon" who'd followed them around would sing them to sleep.
When they were thirsty, they drank spring water. When they were hungry, they ate wild berries.
It was basically living like wild men in the forest.
Misty and Brock also chose to tough it out with Ash.
It didn't even feel like suffering, really.
Once you left the noise of the world behind and sank into nature, it felt like your whole soul was being scrubbed clean.
After a week of this, all of Ash's Pokémon had improved to varying degrees.
Even Misty's and Brock's teams had grown stronger.
Brock's Geodude evolved into a Graveler, and his Zubat evolved into Golbat.
Misty's Staryu and Starmie also made noticeable progress.
Six days before the Quartz Conference—
While hiking deeper into the mountains, the trio stumbled across a small ruin.
Inside, they found a huge golden pendulum…
And a small golden artifact next to it.
Just then, a young woman named White happened to arrive.
The moment she saw the golden item in Ash's hand, her eyes lit up with delight.
She immediately invited the group back to their nearby base camp.
It turned out White was a researcher who specialized in super-ancient relics.
Her team had received intel that there were ancient artifacts in the area,
So they'd come here to search.
They hadn't expected Ash and the others to find one first.
White promised she'd take the artifact back to the museum,
And apply for a monetary reward for Ash and his friends.
Ash instantly perked up.
Say whatever else you like—
but if you mention a bonus, he was wide awake.
There were still a few unexcavated objects left in the ruins,
So Ash and his friends decided to help White's team dig.
But…
Someone else moved faster.
After hearing the news, the ever-present Team Rocket trio had already slipped off to the ruins.
They planned to dig up whatever super-ancient items they could and sell them for cash.
It wasn't just Ash who was short on money—
Team Rocket were even worse off.
Following Ash every day, building machines nonstop to try to catch Pikachu—
Did people really think that didn't cost money?
The funds Giovanni allotted them weren't enough to cover a fraction of their expenses.
Desperate for money, they rushed to the ruins Ash had discovered,
Dug up several items…
And one of them was a strange black sphere.
The orb suddenly expanded, swallowing up the three of them—
And transformed into a towering monster.
By the time Ash and the others rushed outside,
That creature was already rampaging across the landscape.
"That's… Gengar?!"
Ash stared at it in shock.
There were unnerving black markings all over its body, but there was no mistaking it—
It was a Gengar.
"It's way too big…" White whispered, stunned.
She had never seen a Gengar that enormous in her life.
Suddenly, she remembered an inscription from the stone tablets she'd been studying.
"'Black darkness that stains the sky'… That must refer to Gengar!"
"Then where's the 'golden eye that restores peace'…?"
Before she could think further, Gengar seemed to notice their presence.
It grinned, sharp teeth flashing as it folded its stubby arms across its chest.
A pitch-black spiral of energy burst from its body.
"That's… Dark Pulse?!"
"Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and planted himself in front of his Trainer,
Golden electricity crackling around his small form.
"Boom!"
Black and gold collided in mid-air, exploding in a violent shockwave.
Pikachu's Thunderbolt stopped the Dark Pulse in its tracks.
But Gengar didn't seem bothered at all.
It raised its hands again, and a massive orb of black energy condensed between them—
Even more terrifying than the last attack.
"Come on, give it a rest already… Pikachu, use Thunder!"
"Pika—CHUUUU!!"
Storm clouds gathered overhead as golden light flashed.
A pillar of lightning crashed down from the sky onto the super-ancient Gengar.
Its evil grin froze for a moment, replaced by a brief grimace of pain.
The Shadow Ball it had been forming shot off wildly into the distance.
"BOOM!!"
The Shadow Ball smashed into a nearby hillside, the impact echoing like thunder.
When the dust cleared, a strange coral-like object protruded from the crater.
"What is that…?" Misty shuddered. "Do super-ancient Pokémon leave that kind of gross thing behind when they attack?"
Just looking at it made her skin crawl.
"I have no idea…" Ash said. "But now's not the time to worry about that. This super-ancient Gengar isn't stopping at all."
His expression darkened.
Even after taking a direct Thunder, Gengar didn't seem seriously injured.
It simply prepared to attack again.
Judging by its Aura…
This Gengar was weaker than the super-ancient Dragonite Ash had encountered before.
But it was still far stronger than Koga's Arbok.
It felt like late-Elite, maybe even Champion level.
Pikachu alone might not be able to bring it down.
He'd either have to step in himself…
Or use Aura Fusion with Pikachu.
Just as Ash was weighing his options,
The golden super-ancient artifact in White's tent suddenly shot into the air.
Before everyone's eyes, it transformed—
Into a colossal Alakazam.
PS :
White – Female archaeologist and researcher who specializes in super-ancient ruins and artifacts. She appears at the mountain ruin, recognizes the golden items, and intends to take them back to a museum.
Ari – A Fighting-type expert in the chat who compares his own physical feats (like blocking missiles) to Ash's absurd strength.
Sandslash – The Ground-type "culprit" lodged in the Onix's body, causing its pain and rage.
Super-Ancient Gengar – A gigantic, corrupted Gengar born from a black orb among the ruins. Uses Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball; roughly late-Elite to Champion level in this fic.
Super-Ancient Alakazam – A huge Alakazam sealed in a golden relic, awakened when the artifact flies out of White's tent.
Graveler – Brock's Geodude evolves into this Rock/Ground Pokémon during the training week.
Golbat – Brock's Zubat evolves into this larger form.
Staryu & Starmie – Misty's Water-type Pokémon; both are said to have improved during the mountain training.
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