In the Black World —
The misunderstanding from earlier was cleared up, and Ash's group finally lowered their guard.
It really was just festival attire.
…It was just that the costumes looked way too weird.
After Captain Tucker chatted with the locals for a bit, a beautifully dressed girl stepped forward.
Her name was Melody.
She wore fitted pants and a suspender-style top, showing off smooth arms and pale shoulders. A beret sat on her head, sunglasses on her face, and a small bag hung from her back.
When she heard Ash was a Pokémon Trainer, she slid her sunglasses down, revealing bright sapphire-blue eyes and a stunning face.
For a moment, Melody looked surprised—almost hesitant.
But when she saw Ash tilt his head with that clueless expression…
her heart skipped.
Then she walked right up—
and kissed Ash on the cheek.
"Oh~"
Ash: !!
Misty: !!
Sabrina: !!
Tracey: ???
Everyone froze.
Ash was completely stunned—he didn't even understand what had just happened.
And Misty and Sabrina, after the first second of shock, turned their eyes on Melody like knives.
Yes—Misty and Sabrina had already accepted each other.
And yes—both of them had grudgingly tolerated Ash's… complicated situation.
But who was this random girl who appeared out of nowhere?!
Even if Ash did meet someone new, shouldn't he at least warn them?!
Misty was especially baffled.
They almost never separated for more than a day on this trip—so how did Ash and Melody somehow get close enough for this?!
"You—what are you doing?!" Ash finally snapped back, covering the spot on his cheek and staring at Melody in disbelief.
"Huh? What's with that reaction?" Melody waved it off. "Relax, relax. It's just a normal festival custom. And you're a Trainer, so~"
Misty and Sabrina went blank.
So… she didn't know them at all?
And she still kissed Ash?!
That was beyond bold—it was ridiculous.
Sabrina pointed at herself, voice icy. "I'm also a Trainer. You—"
"Oh~"
Before Sabrina could finish, Melody kissed Sabrina on the cheek too.
Then she grinned at Sabrina—whose face had instantly turned pink.
"See? You get one too. Don't be jealous, don't be jealous. Hee"
"And if the lady over there wants one, I can do that too~"
Misty: !!
Who wants your kiss?!
Melody turned toward Tracey and waved a hand. "But not you, little bro. Boys and girls shouldn't be that close~"
Tracey: ?!!
Then why was it fine when she kissed Ash?!
After Melody's nonsense "greeting," everyone finally headed deeper into the island together.
On the way, an elder explained the island's legend and ritual—this and that, this and that.
By the time they reached the town on Shamouti Island, Ash finally understood what the festival was about.
But he still didn't understand one thing:
Why did the ritual require the "festival maiden" to kiss arriving Trainers?
And from what the elder said, Melody had only just become the festival maiden this year—
meaning Ash was the first Trainer she'd "welcomed."
So… was that her first kiss?
Ash's brain short-circuited.
Do people take kissing this lightly nowadays?!
The town was lively—dragon dances, performances, food stalls, games, music.
And the strange weather they'd noticed earlier…
seemed to have vanished.
Ash's group shopped and played through the streets, but aside from Tracey, the others were distracted.
Misty and Sabrina kept thinking Ash had been taken advantage of.
And after the initial chaos, Melody didn't show her face again.
Ash couldn't figure out what Melody was thinking either.
And that soft kiss from earlier had triggered a weird sense of déjà vu.
This is starting to feel… kind of scummy.
Time passed, and soon night fell.
Everyone gathered at the festival dining area to eat.
Then Melody appeared—this time in full ceremonial attire.
The moment Ash's group saw her, they all froze again.
The Melody onstage… and the Melody from earlier…
were like two completely different people.
She wore a sheer white veil and a bright orange wreath. Her outfit was a deep blue-and-white ceremonial style, elegant and solemn, her arms pale and flawless under the lantern light.
Onstage, she moved like a white swan—dancing and playing a beautiful melody.
She looked so holy, so untouchable…
it was hard to believe she was the same girl who'd been kissing strangers on the street a few hours ago.
When the performance ended, Melody approached Ash, took his hand, and—with pleading eyes—told the island's legend:
Three treasures. Three Legendary Birds. And the guardian of the sea—Lugia.
Then her expression flipped again—playful in an instant.
She plopped down beside Sabrina, who already looked ready to explode.
"Whew finally done. Don't take what happened earlier seriously. It's just the annual routine, but it's exhausting~"
She stretched lazily, grabbed fruit, and started eating like nothing happened.
Now everyone understood.
That "pure and holy" version of Melody…
was totally an act.
Sabrina's eyes narrowed; a faint psychic shimmer flickered in them. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"First you kissed Ash, then you—again—kissed me…"
Sabrina's cheeks burned as she trailed off.
Melody shrugged, chewing. "Rules are rules Festival rules~"
"And according to the legend, the person I kiss is supposed to retrieve the treasures from the three islands."
"But I kissed two Trainers today, so… let's just pretend nothing happened! Heehee!"
She threw her sister a playful look—
and got an angry glare back.
(Everyone knew: Melody was smart, but her personality was a complete disaster.)
Ash stared out the window, thoughtful. "Melody… you said gathering the three treasures and summoning Lugia can stop the world from falling into chaos."
"Is that your island's prophecy?"
"Yeah." Melody blinked. "But it's just a story. 'World ending' and all that… you're not seriously believing it, are you?"
Ash didn't answer. He kept watching the sky.
A faint blue light flickered in his eyes.
"Misty. Sabrina. Tracey." His voice hardened. "I'm going."
"Huh?!" x3
"I'm going to retrieve the treasures from the three islands."
Sabrina didn't even bother being angry anymore. She followed Ash's gaze and looked out the window.
All she saw was darkness.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.
"It's not what's wrong," Ash said quietly. "It's what's about to happen."
"When we arrived earlier, the weather was already abnormal. Just now I used Aura to feel the flow of the air…"
"The storm is coming back."
He turned to Melody, expression grim.
"Maybe… the legend is real."
Melody: ???
No, kid, are you serious?! I was basically reciting festival flavor text!
Captain Tucker hesitated only a second. "You want to go to Fire Island?"
"Yes," Ash said. "Please."
Tucker slapped the rail. "Then let's go. I respect a kid who acts when it matters."
And just like that—Ash pulled Misty, Sabrina, Tracey, and even a bewildered Melody along.
They set a direct course for Fire Island.
On the Sea —
Lightning flashed in the distance.
The ocean began to churn again.
Melody frowned. "Ash… it's just a legend. You don't need to take it this seriously. Going out in this weather is dangerous."
Ash shook his head. "I don't know if the legend is true…"
"But the coming disaster is."
He pulled a black-and-gold Poké Ball from his pocket, hesitated—
then put it away again.
I already relied on Mewtwo once. I'll try to handle it myself this time… unless it truly gets out of control.
"It's real disaster? How would you even know th—" Melody started.
Then the ship hit a wave like a wall.
The deck tilted violently—Melody was thrown off her feet.
Ash leapt and caught her in midair.
Sabrina's psychic power flared—she grabbed both of them and lowered them safely back onto the deck.
Captain Tucker and Melody just stared.
Ash's jump just now wasn't normal.
Sabrina's psychic control wasn't normal either.
Melody swallowed. "…That was Psychic power?"
Sabrina nodded. "Yes. I'm a Psychic."
She steadied the ship with her mind.
Ash released Blastoise and Dragonite, positioning them on either side to help stabilize the ship through the waves.
Melody and Tucker could only stare harder.
Were these people traveling… or preparing for war?
Fire Island —
They reached Fire Island at last.
Pikachu dashed ahead, and Ash followed close behind—still telling Misty and the others to move carefully behind him.
Up the steps, Ash and Pikachu entered the shrine.
Pikachu pointed at a glowing orb pulsing with red energy and cried out.
Ash swept it with Aura.
The heat in that object was immense—pure Fire-type power.
"This is one of the treasures…" Ash muttered. "This energy… it's Moltres."
Ash had encountered Moltres's flames before, so he recognized the signature immediately.
If this was Moltres's treasure…
then the other two would belong to Zapdos and Articuno.
But—
it was too easy.
No guards. No traps. No Pokémon protecting it.
That didn't make sense.
"SKREEEE!!"
A sharp cry split the sky.
Ash looked up.
A massive spiky yellow bird swooped down, crackling with electricity.
"…Zapdos."
The Legendary Bird of Thunder had arrived.
At the same time, Misty, Sabrina, Tracey, and Melody caught up—
and, somehow, Team Rocket's trio appeared out of nowhere as well.
Everyone stared at Zapdos's overwhelming presence.
Electricity crawled across the island like living veins, and the air itself felt like it was changing.
"Pika! Pikapi!!"
"You're saying Zapdos is taking Moltres's territory?" Ash asked quickly. "How can you tell this is Moltres's territory, Pikachu?"
Even as the words left his mouth, Ash realized it didn't matter.
Now wasn't the time.
"Pika! Pikapi!!"
Everyone else looked lost.
They couldn't understand a word.
"Meowth, translate!" Jessie hissed.
Meowth squinted. "Pikachu says Moltres is gone, and we gotta find Moltres fast. Zapdos says it's got nothin' to do with him!"
PS :
Melody's personality can be a little jumpy, but… even so, this version is way too bold.
So there's only one explanation:
She fell in love at first sight.
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