In a Black World —
The smile on Ash's face slowly disappeared, replaced by an incomparably solemn expression.
The Elite Four were worthy of being the Elite Four. Although she'd paid a heavy price, she had also uncovered almost all the cards in his hand. Sure enough, against a master, such sneak attacks could only work once! And Lorelei would surely tell the other Elite Four members about his abilities. Surprising them in the future would be difficult.
Of course, Ash wasn't someone who relied solely on such tricks to win.
"This match isn't over yet, Master Lorelei! You don't think I'd tell you my intel during the battle, do you?" Ash pressed the brim of his hat, putting the smile back on his face.
Laugh! Battle is all about smiling!
"Pikachu, use Thunder to clear the weather!!"
Lorelei: ?
What in the world?
Since the fight with Ash began, every one of Ash's moves seemed to shatter Lorelei's understanding. Ash was not a conventional trainer. A sudden flash of insight always struck at the perfect moment. Just like this time...
"Pika-Chu!!"
Golden lightning soared into the sky! Terrifying thunder rent the air! The white clouds churning in the sky directly dissipated under this thunderclap! The Hail on the field slowly faded and ended. At this moment, Jynx had lost its Reflect, lost the Hail, and was severely injured by a Volt Tackle. It could be said to have no advantage at all!
But Lorelei adjusted her glasses. The sun in the sky shone down, making the lenses reflect white light. (Conan.jpg)
"Jynx, Psychic!"
Use Iron Tail after Quick Attack!
Facing the invisible psychic power, Pikachu kicked off with all fours and instantly vanished from the field, letting Jynx's Psychic lose its target. Then, at high speed, the tail behind Pikachu lit up with a metallic glow as it rushed before Jynx at lightning speed, then leapt, spun, and chopped down!
"Trick Room."
A pleasant but icy voice came from Lorelei's lips. Jynx's eyes lit up, and it instantly swapped places with Pikachu! Pikachu, swooping down, didn't react at all and slammed straight into the ground! A terrifying BANG resounded throughout the arena! The arena shook violently, as if a meteor had struck!
The audience instantly petrified. That move just now... was that Earthquake? It had to be Earthquake, right? This power was too terrifying! Even Lorelei's forehead involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat. Confidence was one thing, but seeing this scene, she couldn't help but feel relieved. Good thing that didn't hit directly.
"Psychic, hold it!"
The sound of a charming cheer rang out. The floating Jynx immediately exerted its psychic power, finally catching the yellow rat that had been moving at high speed but was now embedded in the arena floor due to the excessive force of its Iron Tail!
"Excellent! Shake it and throw it again!"
"Jyu ru ru!"
Jynx waved its purple hand, shaking Pikachu up, down, left, and right in the air! Pikachu's eyes were starting to spin. Ash even felt nauseous just watching.
Good... that's disgusting!
Immediately after, while Pikachu was disoriented, Jynx violently swung its hand. Pikachu fell from the sky like a meteor and was smashed into the crater!
"Ugh!"
Ash grunted and couldn't help but buckle his knees. Lorelei, who had originally intended to continue the attack, frowned slightly upon seeing Ash's state.
"What's going on... Jynx, use Ice Shard!"
Lorelei had a suspicion in her heart but wasn't entirely sure, so she had Jynx use a preemptive but relatively weak Ice Shard. More than a dozen small ice shards appeared around Jynx and then shot out like arrows from a bow, hitting Pikachu's body one after another! Ash also couldn't help but take a few steps back due to the shared damage at this moment, finally gasping a little.
"Ash... Could it be that..."
"Master Lorelei... Never mind that... Our battle... isn't over yet!"
Ash half-raised his eyes. The damage received this time was far worse than before with Giovanni's Beedrill! It hurt, but he could endure it!
"Pika-Chu~~!"
After a short gasp, Pikachu stood up again, terrifying electricity erupting from its body!
Seeing this, Lorelei didn't say anything more. Judging by the opponent's state, this move should decide the match.
"Jynx, Ice Beam!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!!"
This time, Ash didn't shout in his mind but yelled out loud.
Brilliant golden electric rays cut through the sky! An ice-blue freezing beam solidified the air! Two terrifying forces collided, setting off a massive shockwave! For the first time, the audience felt that watching... seemed life-threatening! But seriously, seeing such a battle in an exhibition match was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! So, even if it was dangerous, no one ran; they watched even more intently!
Who would win this battle?!
The confrontation between lightning and ice gradually intensified. After more than ten seconds, the two energies finally swelled to their limit and produced a colossal explosion! For a moment, the sound shook the heavens! The field was filled with smoke and dust. Ash and Lorelei couldn't help but shield themselves with their hands.
Whoosh—
The smoke slowly cleared. Pikachu and Jynx stood on the field. At this moment, Pikachu bore no new scars, but Ash sensed it—the full-power Thunderbolt just now had consumed over half of their energy! However, the opponent's Jynx certainly wasn't faring well either. The winner wasn't decided yet... but Pikachu was already reaching its limit.
Aura Fusion could raise an Elite Four-level Pokémon to Champion-level. With such a heaven-defying move, it was impossible not to have side effects. Damage sharing was just one aspect... The most important thing was Pikachu's stamina. Aura Fusion could only share part of Ash's stamina with Pikachu. But harnessing Champion-level power with Elite Four-level stamina... to be honest, it still wasn't enough. That's why they had become the "fast attackers" they were now! Now, they could only gamble on a Volt Tackle! Either they took down Jynx in one hit, or Jynx took them down! With the opponent's stamina, it couldn't block a second Volt Tackle. It depended on whether this move could hit!
"Alright, that's enough for today's match."
Lorelei suddenly spoke up and recalled Jynx. Ash wore a dumbfounded expression.
No... Why?
"The match isn't over yet, Master Lorelei!"
Lorelei put away the Poké Ball, adjusted her glasses, and pointed to the center of the field.
"If we continue, this arena will be demolished by us. So, ah... let's leave our victory or defeat for later. One-on-one battles are a bit boring anyway."
"You know about the Silver Conference, right, Ash? If you become the Silver Conference Champion, you earn the right to challenge the Elite Four."
"And because the Johto and Kanto Leagues are connected, the Silver Conference Champion can also challenge Kanto's Elite Four~"
"So... I look forward to a full six-on-six showdown with you."
Saying that, Lorelei turned around, stepped on her black high heels, waved her hand gracefully, and slowly left the arena.
This Champion-level showdown ended so abruptly. The blue light on Ash's body slowly faded. Pikachu, losing the support of Aura Fusion, almost fell to the ground. Ash quickly ran over and held it in his arms.
"Pikachu, are you okay?"
"Pikapi~"
"We were going to lose that match... Hehe. Just like Uncle Giovanni said before, we got another chance at life, right?"
"Pika, Pikachu~"
"That's right, we'll win next time... We'll win in a six-on-six!"
Ash looked at the long-vanished back of Lorelei and secretly vowed.
...
[Lorelei]: Phew, I'm still a bit stronger after all. If we'd continued, Black Ash would have been in serious trouble!
Lorelei also wiped cold sweat for her other self. Luckily, she ended it properly; otherwise, she really might have been taken down by Black Ash!
[Bruno]: Hehe, it was a narrow victory. If Black Ash had a little more experience, who would win isn't certain.
[Lorelei]: Hey, you big oaf, you have to talk back, don't you? I don't think you remember who's been blocking the 'Invincible Dragon Master' A-Ju at the door to the Kanto Champion!
[Lance]: No, just say it, why drag me into this?
A-Ju was also speechless. This woman had gone mad and fired a scattergun blast! Lorelei was right; he had been stopped by Lorelei at the Kanto Champion's doorstep... just one step away... But you couldn't blame him! His top ace, Dragonite, was quadruple-weak to Ice! The rest of his flying-types were also mostly double-weak. Sure, he had a Charizard, but Lorelei had Water-types too! So... with this all-around type disadvantage on top of her strength, he was unable to win the Kanto Championship. Sigh, society is treacherous!
[Ash]: But I think the other me is already amazing! When he goes to the Orange Islands, he can fight Master Lorelei directly! But I..."
Ash couldn't help but feel a little sad thinking of his own performance in the Orange Islands. His strongest Charizard wouldn't listen, and Pikachu was played by the opponent. He wasn't on the same level as Black Ash at all!
"Stupid, what are you getting depressed about?! Isn't it natural you're so different from Black Ash? Is this your first day meeting Black Ash?"
Misty's daily routine of scolding on the surface was actually meant to console.
"Instead of moping, you should think about what kind of battle you'd fight if you were in Black Ash's position against Master Lorelei!"
"You don't think the only difference between you and Black Ash is a powerful Pikachu, do you? A trainer's experience and tactics are crucial!"
Ash: ...
"I know, Misty. Thank you."
Misty: !!
Misty's emerald-green eyes widened, her small mouth opening slightly as if she'd seen a ghost. Ash, when did he... learn to thank her? It wasn't that he never had before, but when she used this tone with him, Ash usually retorted stubbornly and then obediently went to train. But now... It seemed the live broadcasts were having some effect!
...
In a Black World —
After the match, Ash regrouped with Sabrina and the others. During the commotion, many people came to find Ash for autographs and photos. After all, someone who could fight Elite Four Lorelei to that level was definitely not ordinary! And since Lorelei had vanished, they could only get photos with Ash now! At first, Ash was quite pleased—after all, he was only ten, and the feeling of fame was still exhilarating. However, when the number reached a dozen or twenty, Ash began to feel overwhelmed and directly brute-forced his way through the crowd! Then he grabbed Sabrina and the others and ran.
Later, Ash and Lorelei met again, and the two exchanged some battle experience. Lorelei was also curious about Ash's Aura power, so they discussed until evening. Misty also asked her idol many questions about training Water-type Pokémon. Ash gained a deeper understanding of tactics and prediction. There was a saying: having a mentor could indeed help you avoid many detours.
...
[Ash]: Huh?! Why didn't Master Lorelei teach me these things back then? Move timing, how to respond to certain moves... She didn't teach me!!
[Lorelei]: Ah... At that time, you weren't ready to learn these tactics yet. Bonding with your Pokémon was the most important thing for you to learn.
In other words... your level wasn't high enough. What level was Black Ash at this point? What level were you? Don't you have any self-awareness?
[Ash]: Okay... Okay...
Ash replied, a little embarrassed. Thinking about it... back then, he couldn't even achieve true unity of heart with his Pokémon, let alone deeper tactical command.
...
In a Black World —
After talking with Lorelei, Ash, Misty, and even Sabrina gained a lot of experience. The next day, the group bid farewell to Lorelei and continued to their next destination.
Before reaching Cinnabar Island, Black Ash's journey was mostly similar to White Ash's. They were all busybodies, drawing their swords to help whenever they saw injustice! After a series of events, they finally arrived at Cinnabar Island, ready to challenge the third Gym!
Just as they landed on the island, they happened to meet the Cinnabar Gym Leader, Blaine, taking his sister for a walk by the sea. Although the process was slightly different, Blaine ultimately fell in love with Misty at first sight! So, when Ash and the others approached Blaine to challenge the Gym, Blaine directly stepped past Ash and tried to take Misty's hand, only to have it grabbed by Ash! He looked at Blaine with an unfriendly expression and asked, "Mr. Blaine, what are you trying to do?"
"Oh... And what is your relationship with this young lady?"
"She's my partner."
Blaine raised an eyebrow slightly and then tried to withdraw his hand, but found that no matter how much force he used, he couldn't pull it back. In the end, he could only look at Ash with displeasure, asking him to let go. Ash's face remained stern, but he still released Blaine's now-reddened hand.
"Whew... You're Ash, aren't you? Quite the grip!"
Blaine rubbed his wrist, then placed a hand on his abdomen and bowed politely to Misty.
"This young lady, may I ask your name?"
"Nope."
Blaine: ...
Awkward!
Why wasn't this girl playing by the rules? Shouldn't she happily tell him her name upon meeting such a polite and handsome gentleman?
"No... It's fine if you won't tell. That... young lady, would you care to dance with me?"
Misty: ?
Was this man seriously ill? She clearly hadn't given her name, which should count as a rejection, but he acted as if he didn't notice and invited her to dance...
Are you serious?
"She won't dance with you... Also, Mr. Blaine, what are you doing? We're here to challenge the Gym, not to watch you mess around in front of us."
Ash directly blocked Misty, cutting off Blaine's line of sight. His initial feeling was right—this guy was hitting on Misty!
Misty watched all this. Although this Gym Leader was a bit frivolous... it wasn't without its benefits! At least she got to see Ash's protective side today!
Hehe~
"Challenge the Gym? Are you qualified to be my opponent?"
"And isn't the young lady behind you your partner? She doesn't seem like a mere partner to you?"
Hearing this, a sarcastic smile appeared on Ash's face. He extended his hand to Blaine.
"Let me reintroduce myself. Indigo Plateau Conference Champion, Ash from Pallet Town. The girl behind me is Misty. She's my girlfriend!"
[Gadria: Wuhu, we're flying! Misty's been officially acknowledged~]
[Serena: sobs in envy]
[Lorelei: The Ash–Misty shippers just won so hard they're numb!]
[Sabrina: I've already confessed once… a second time isn't far off, is it~?]
Mad hinting.jpg
[Cynthia: I'm crying… In the past, Black World Ash wanted to say he'd stay with Misty in the future, but he backed out at the last second.]
[Cynthia: Now, after being enlightened by Black World Gary, plus a love rival like Ayi showing up, Black Ash finally said it earlier than before—but…]
[Elesa: It's just missing flowers and a proper confession. Feels a bit incomplete~]
[Sakura: But Misty looks really happy. Her joy's about to overflow.]
[Calamus: Yeah~ I've never seen my sister this happy.]
[Peony: She probably won't be this happy even when she becomes a Water-type Pokémon Master in the future~ My sister in love, hahaha!]
[Misty: You three single dogs—have you found boyfriends?]
Three sisters: …
Grass!
Mental crit!
[Misty: Don't talk about me. I'm five, six, seven, eight years younger than you! Instead of grilling me, how about thinking about where you're going to find me three excellent brothers-in-law!]
Second crit!
[Peony: Y–you! Misty, just you wait!]
[Misty: Come on then, hit me if you dare!]
Right now Misty was in such a good mood she didn't care at all about her sisters' teasing.
Even though the Ash in the video wasn't the Ash from her world,
Black World Ash did seem to have really changed.
And hearing him openly admit, on-screen, that Black World Misty was his girlfriend…
It felt strange, but—
If she could one day hear her Ash say that to her,
that happiness might really be no worse than becoming a Water-type Pokémon Master.
In a Black World –
Ash stopped in front of Misty and finally said the words he'd been burying in his heart.
The moment he spoke, everyone froze.
Misty's eyes went wide, joy about to spill out of them.
Just now… had she heard that right?
It sounded like Ash had just said… that she was his girlfriend.
Judging from everyone else's stunned expressions, and the faint envy in Sabrina's eyes,
what she'd heard could not have been a hallucination.
It had been so long…
She'd waited for this sentence for too long.
Even though they'd already been acting like a couple for a while,
Ash had never said she was his girlfriend.
He'd never confessed either…
The order was a bit backwards now, but Misty didn't care.
This much… was enough.
Ash himself was a bit nervous after saying out loud that Misty was his girlfriend.
From what he'd learned from Gary,
if you wanted a girl to be your girlfriend, you needed things like a romantic atmosphere, flowers, a proper confession.
He'd originally planned to find a good moment,
But Ayi's behavior today had made him so angry that the words just burst out in the heat of the moment.
So now he was worried and uneasy,
afraid Misty would feel this situation, this setting, was too careless toward her feelings.
But Misty didn't complain at all.
Instead, she gently pinched the hem of his shirt from behind.
That tiny tug told Ash exactly how she felt, and the stone in his heart finally dropped.
Ayi, who had just been forcibly shown a faceful of couple-gushing, cycled through shock, disbelief, heartbreak, and anger…
Finally, he barely managed to steady himself.
"Didn't you just say Miss Misty was your partner?"
Thanks to Ash calling her name earlier,
Ayi finally learned what the girl he'd fallen for at first sight was called.
Unfortunately for him, she was already taken.
Looking at the shy-but-overjoyed expression on Misty's face as she clung to Ash, he understood everything.
He was still unwilling to accept it, though—that was why he forced the question out.
"Can't a partner also be a girlfriend?" Ash replied calmly. "Not only is Misty my girlfriend, Sabrina is my girlfriend too."
If he was going to say it, he might as well say everything.
Gary had told him: if you want more "wings," the most important thing is equal treatment.
Ash wasn't sure yet if this was right or wrong,
but… he'd passed the point of no return.
After hearing that, a light flashed in Sabrina's eyes.
She slowly stepped up behind Ash,
and, just like Misty, gently tugged the corner of his shirt.
At this moment, Ash looked like he'd suddenly grown two pairs of wings.
To Ayi, this felt like a lightning strike out of a clear sky.
Emo.
Full emo.
How could the world be this unfair?
The girl he'd fallen for at first sight was actually dating this boy while he was also with someone else!!
Why would the heavens treat him like this?
War… that's right.
They'd fight!
As long as he beat that kid into the ground, Misty might still change her mind.
After all, in the world of Pokémon, strength is everything. (In his mind, anyway.)
"Ash, right… You said you wanted to challenge me, didn't you?" Ayi shouted.
"Do you dare wager Miss Misty's future on this battle?!"
Ash: ?
"Are you okay in the head?" Ash shot back. "First of all, Misty is not an object and doesn't belong to anyone. Second, you're not qualified to gamble 'her future' with me. Her future is already decided—she'll be protected by me."
"Also, Misty has rejected you several times, and I've made it clear she's my girlfriend. What you're doing now is no different from harassment."
"So this battle between us isn't just for a badge—it's for our pride as men."
Ayi was taken aback by Ash's aura.
Misty, too, couldn't help looking at him in surprise.
It was rare for Ash to get this angry.
Usually, he only truly lost his temper when he saw Pokémon being abused or someone doing something unforgivable—
Like with Lapras back then, or when Mewtwo and the clone Pokémon were being treated as toys and weapons.
She hadn't expected him to be this furious… for her.
Even though she knew now wasn't exactly the time to be happy, Misty still couldn't hold back a grin.
This is how Ash looks when he's angry for my sake… it's so cool…
Ayi's face twisted with shame and frustration.
He knew he was in the wrong here, and his sister Mary looked like she was about to cry in embarrassment.
She had never seen her brother this humiliated.
"You're right. Miss Misty isn't an object, and she's clearly with you. That part was my fault…" Ayi admitted at last.
"In that case, like you said, let's stake our pride as men on this Gym battle!"
He took several deep breaths, forcing all the negative feelings back down.
He wasn't a bad person,
He'd just been swept away by love at first sight
and acted impulsively.
Now that his head had cooled a bit,
even though he was still upset, he could at least control himself.
At this point, only by thoroughly defeating Ash could he release the jealousy burning in his chest.
Soon, the two of them were standing on the battlefield outside the Gym.
There was supposed to be a preliminary "skill test,"
but Ayi said he didn't need it. That kind of thing was just a formality for rookie Trainers.
Since Ash was the Quartz League Champion,
and already had two Orange League Badges,
there was no need for any test at all.
[Ash: !!]
[Ash: That's too much! Champions get that many privileges?! Can a Champion just do whatever he wants?!]
[Gary: Champions can do whatever they want!]
[Misty: What are you angry about, Ash? If you round it up, that person in the video is you.]
[Ash: …That's true, but the gap between us is so big it just feels bad to watch!]
There's no harm without comparison.
Not long ago, the stream had shown White World Ash's side.
Whether it was Lorelei or Ayi,
White Ash ran into obstacles everywhere
and had to pass all sorts of tests just to earn the right to battle.
But when it came to Black World Ash…
Test? Never heard of it.
Straight to the battle.
That was why White Ash felt so indignant.
Still, when he thought about it more calmly—
Aside from the fact Black Ash was technically another him,
he had won the Quartz League by sheer strength.
What was wrong with having a few privileges?
Only Champions get treated like that.
A guy stuck at Top 16… isn't much different from any other Trainer.
In a Black World –
Standing across from Ash, Ayi's expression grew very serious.
Ash had just declared in front of everyone, when he claimed Misty as his girlfriend,
that he was also the Quartz Conference Champion.
Of course Ayi knew about the Quartz Conference—it was the biggest tournament in the Kanto League,
even more prestigious than the Orange League.
If it were just a Top 16 or Top 32 finisher,
Ayi wouldn't care much.
But a Quartz Champion… that was the kind of Trainer who might be on par with his chief Trainer, Yuji.
So Ayi had to fight with one hundred and twenty percent of his focus and power
if he wanted even a chance to win.
"The rules are three-on-three," the referee announced.
"Each of you must use an Electric-type, a Grass-type, and a Water-type. Every battle is between Pokémon of the same type."
"Regardless of win or loss, after each matchup, you must switch to the next type."
"The first round is the Electric-type showdown. Please send out your Pokémon!"
After briefly explaining, the referee signaled for the battle to begin.
Ayi tossed out his Poké Ball with a confident smile.
"Electabuzz! Let's go!"
"Ele-buzz!" (In Japanese it's almost a pun on "electric shock.")
"It's your turn, Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu hopped from under Ash's feet and landed on the field.
Seeing that, Ayi's smile widened.
"Heh. You're sending out a cute little thing like Pikachu? You even stuck some cute decoration on it… Are you sure you're really the Quartz Champion?"
He opened with some trash talk.
Ash didn't react at all. His expression was cold.
Normally, he'd be excited and happy to battle.
But this time…
He was fighting with anger simmering in his chest.
Above them, Misty and the others watched from a hot air balloon platform.
When Xiao Jian saw Pikachu leap out, he was certain.
"Eh? Why didn't Pikachu remove his weights?" he asked, baffled.
After the fight with Lorelei, Tracey had already learned Pikachu was constantly training under heavy load.
Back then, he'd found out Pikachu was carrying about 200 pounds worth of weight.
And when he'd seen Ash casually let that Pikachu sit on his shoulder,
his jaw had almost fallen off.
But today, Ash hadn't ordered Pikachu to take off any weights at all.
"You're thinking too highly of that guy named Ayi," Sabrina said coolly.
Only when she faced Ash did her voice and expression go soft.
With Misty she was okay, but with others—including Tracey—
her face stayed pretty cold.
Of course, compared to the icy expression she used to have, she was much more expressive now.
Just as Sabrina said,
Ash didn't think it was necessary to let Pikachu remove weights for Ayi.
Unless he faced someone at the Elite Four level, Pikachu could fight while weighted.
"Che, keep talking tough…" Ayi snapped. "In that case, I'll shut your mouth! Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"
"Ele-buzz!"
Electric light crackled around Electabuzz's fist as it charged at Pikachu.
Ash's reply was icy.
"Quick Attack."
"Pika—!"
Pikachu dropped to all fours and blasted forward like lightning.
A few seconds later, the two figures collided.
The corners of Ayi's mouth were just starting to curl into a smile—
Then he watched as his Electabuzz went flying backwards,
skidding past him and crashing heavily onto the ground, nearly tumbling off the cliff.
Ayi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible! In terms of size and strength, Electabuzz should have the advantage!"
This time, it was Ash's turn to smirk.
"Really? Weren't you the one who said my Pikachu was 'cute'? So how does it feel to have your Electabuzz blasted away by a cute little thing?"
Ayi gritted his teeth and recalled his Electabuzz.
That Pikachu was far stronger than he'd expected.
But it was fine. He still had two more chances.
The second matchup was Grass vs. Grass. Ayi sent out his Exeggutor.
On Ash's side…
"It's your turn, Venusaur!"
The only Grass-type Ash had on hand was Venusaur.
Because he'd known the rules in advance, he'd teleported Venusaur over ahead of time.
"Exeggutor, Psychic!"
Exeggutor wasn't just Grass, but also Psychic-type.
Grass moves wouldn't be very effective on Venusaur, but Psychic-type definitely would.
"Venu—"
"Hardened Plants!" Ash snapped his fingers.
Venusaur unleashed the ultimate Grass-type technique: Hardened Plants.
Countless thick, thorny vines surged up all around.
Psychic power crashed into the jumbled mass of hardened plants
and was completely blocked.
Exeggutor could only try to wrest control of the vines with its mind—
in other words, fight Venusaur for control of the plants themselves.
But even assuming Exeggutor could wrest some control away,
the sheer number of vines far exceeded anything Ayi had imagined.
Exeggutor couldn't handle them.
It was quickly swallowed by the dense, thorn-covered tangle.
A shrill cry echoed from inside the writhing mass.
Because of Hardened Plants' effect, Ayi couldn't see anything happening on the field
and could only stand there, anxious and helpless.
After more than ten seconds, the vines finally receded.
All that was left was Exeggutor's battered body, completely unable to battle.
No one knew exactly what horrors had taken place inside.
All anyone knew was that Exeggutor had been overwhelmed without even a chance to resist.
There was no need for a third battle.
It was best two-out-of-three. Even if Ayi won the last round, it wouldn't matter.
All he could do was recall Exeggutor with a stiff face.
He'd thought he could at least fight evenly with Ash,
maybe even take a match and salvage his pride.
He'd never expected to be crushed like this.
"You lost. Hand over the badge."
Faced with Ash's calm demand, Ayi reluctantly passed him the Wheel Badge.
Today was easily one of the worst days of his life.
And he still didn't know—
This was only the beginning.
After Ash, Sabrina challenged him as well,
and he went emo all over again.
Not only did Ash beat him, even Ash's other girlfriend beat him.
He got stomped twice in a single day and gave away two badges.
For Ayi, it was pure humiliation.
Ash and the others didn't bother comforting him.
A narcissistic, pushy guy like that was fair game.
Not clapping as they left was already a sign of their good character.
As Ash and Sabrina claimed their badges,
the black screen slowly faded out.
[Yuji: Sigh… The Island trainers in that world really have it rough. Not only do they have to get beaten by Black Ash, they also get beaten by Black Sabrina.]
PS:
Author's note (ps): About Ayi—this isn't really blackening him. He's just genuinely messy and narcissistic…
Ayi
Orange Islands Gym Leader (Wheel/Wheel Treasure Gym) and Water-type specialist. Falls in love with Misty at first sight, becomes jealous of Ash, challenges him, and is utterly crushed. Narcissistic, impulsive, but not fundamentally evil.
Sakura, Calamus, Peony
Misty's three older sisters ("Sensational Sisters"). Tease Misty about her love life, then get brutally counter-teased for being single.
Mary
Ayi's younger sister. Embarrassed by her brother's over-the-top behavior and humiliation.
Yuji
Chief Trainer of the Orange Islands (Ayi's superior). Used as a benchmark for strong Trainers.
Electabuzz (Shock Beast )
Ayi's Electric-type. Uses Thunder Punch but is knocked out in a single clash by weighted Pikachu.
Exeggutor
Ayi's Grass/Psychic-type. Tries to use Psychic to control or counter Hardened Plants but is overwhelmed and defeated without real resistance.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789