In a Black World —
After Meowth's translation,
everyone finally understood the rough outline of Pikachu and Zapdos's argument.
Pikachu was telling Zapdos to go find Moltres and bring it back.
Zapdos was saying… that it was better with Moltres gone.
That way, Moltres's territory would belong to him!
Everyone's faces darkened with metaphorical black lines.
Why was the relationship between the three Legendary Birds so different from what they'd imagined?
Weren't they supposed to support and balance each other?
How could Moltres just disappear, and Zapdos not only refuse to look for its partner,
but also openly covet its territory?
Ash was even more speechless.
Then a thought struck him, and he shouted up to Zapdos.
"Is the weather going out of control because Moltres disappeared?!"
Zapdos glanced at Ash and didn't answer.
He was a proud Legendary Pokémon.
He'd responded to Pikachu purely as a courtesy to another Electric-type.
As for Ash?
Hmph. A little human. Not worth replying to.
"Hey! Zapdos, answer me!"
"Pika! Pikapi!!"
Even faced with questions from one boy and one mouse, Zapdos simply continued to fling lightning around itself,
trying to overwrite Moltres's domain with its own power.
"...He's ignoring us. Figures. Pikachu—Volt Tackle!"
"Pika–CHU!!"
Brilliant electricity exploded from Pikachu's small body,
directly interrupting Zapdos's ongoing discharge!
Rewriting the "field" like this required constant focus on Zapdos's part.
A strong enough external shock could break his control.
The interrupted Zapdos was furious.
Grumpy old bird, discharging live!
A bolt of lightning several times stronger than Pikachu's earlier attack roared down at him.
This time, Zapdos held absolutely nothing back.
In the next instant, Ash flashed in front of Pikachu,
raising one hand.
A transparent, blue-tinted barrier blossomed from his palm and blocked the raging thunder.
"People on Fire Island… when you first met Zapdos, was it always this hot-tempered?"
Pikachu's Thunderbolt would have done little more than tickle Zapdos at this range.
Pikachu, without Aura Fusion, was only around peak mid–Elite-level.
Zapdos, on the other hand, had fired that blast full power and without restraint.
If that had hit dead-on, even an Electric-type like Pikachu would've been badly hurt.
Carol and Melody, watching from behind, went wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
Their brains basically blue-screened.
What had they just seen?
A human… blocking Zapdos's lightning with one hand??
Before this, they'd thought Ash was probably just physically gifted,
and that the real top combat power of the group was Sabrina, the Psychic.
Right now…
Ash was proving very clearly that he was a monster in his own right.
And, judging by this clash, his power might even be above Sabrina's.
"Shocked, huh? Ash is a Waveguide User. His body is almost on par with a Legendary Pokémon."
Seeing Melody's stunned expression, Misty folded her arms and spoke with smug pride.
"His body is on par with a Legendary…? But he's human!"
Melody had no idea what a "Waveguide User" actually meant,
but she understood that part.
A human with a body on par with a Legendary Pokémon…
Who exactly had she just kissed?
On the battlefield—
after blocking Zapdos's lightning with one hand, Ash casually formed a dark-blue Aura Sphere in the other and hurled it!
Zapdos initially didn't care.
But as the sphere drew closer, he suddenly sensed the threat hidden in that energy—
and tried to dodge.
Too late.
"BOOM!!"
The explosion shook the shrine. A pained cry ripped from the sky.
Zapdos was blown out of the smoke and dust,
looking at Ash with a mixture of anger and… wariness.
This human… how was he this strong?!
If he hadn't resisted that blue sphere with everything he had,
he was sure that one hit could have left him badly injured.
"Can you talk properly with us now? You Legendary Pokémon are all like this… Mewtwo too. None of you want a real conversation until you've been smacked around first, huh?"
Ash let the Aura barrier fade and sighed helplessly.
[Lance: Oh, come on! Is this even human speech anymore? 'They won't talk unless you beat them up'—who else has a body like a Legendary, besides Black Ash?!]
[Mewtwo: Although I was not exactly reasonable at that time, the way he says it… why does it sound like I was just some rebellious teenager?]
[Giovanni: You were rebellious. The kind that blows up your father.]
[Mewtwo: Be quiet, Giovanni!]
[Lillie: Wait, no, hold on—three Legendary Birds have already appeared in both the black and white timelines, so why aren't they in the live chat yet?]
[Lillie: Not just them… Why isn't Mew here either?]
Lillie had discovered a blind spot.
It had been said earlier in the broadcast that any Legendary Pokémon existing in both worlds would eventually be pulled into the chat.
Forget Articuno and Moltres for the moment—
Zapdos and Mew had clearly appeared on both sides.
So why hadn't they shown up yet?
[Ding! Legendary Pokémon join the chat starting from the first Tier-One Legendary that appears.]
[When Lugia appears in both worlds, all Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that showed up prior to Lugia will be added together, to avoid chaos.]
For the first time, the livestream itself gave an explicit explanation.
Everyone finally understood: the chat's "Legendary Pokémon joining" rule used Tier-One Legendaries as the benchmark.
[Lance: So… Mewtwo counts as a Tier-One Legendary? But Mew doesn't?]
[Professor Oak: Mew's power fluctuates. Some legends say Mew can be strong enough to defeat Tier-One Legendaries; others say it can't even consistently beat mid-tier guardians with priesthoods. There isn't a fixed definition.]
[Professor Oak: As for Mewtwo… we should probably let Mewtwo answer that.]
[Mewtwo: I don't know the livestream's criteria. In terms of raw power back then, I hadn't fully reached Tier-One level. In terms of potential… Mew's potential should be no less than mine.]
[Cynthia: The stream probably has its own system. More importantly—Lawrence III is insane.]
With Cynthia's comment,
everyone focused back on the white screen.
In a Black World —
Even after Zapdos saw Ash's strength, it showed no intention of submitting.
Its temper was already short, and now the human had dared to strike back.
If he didn't knock Ash to the ground, then they couldn't talk properly.
But just then, the situation changed.
A huge flying fortress appeared overhead.
All the thunder Zapdos had just painstakingly poured into Fire Island was suddenly sucked up into the ship!
Before Zapdos could even get angry,
six cubic devices were fired down from the fortress.
Two of them snapped shut around Zapdos,
and the other four dropped over Ash's group in four separate boxes.
Zapdos raged between the two cubes, but it had no effect.
Ash threw a punch at the side of his own cube.
A shimmering electromagnetic field stopped the blow.
This barrier couldn't withstand his full power, but…
Ash had a hunch.
These devices were very likely connected to Moltres's disappearance.
So…
he simply decided to let himself be carried into the fortress along with them and take a look.
If he could find Moltres,
maybe he wouldn't even need the three treasures to stop the world's destruction.
The devices quickly reeled Ash and the others into the ship.
Once inside, they were all dumped into a cramped holding cage.
Zapdos, still struggling a moment before, suddenly went slack and drifted into sleep.
Not only that—
Ash and the rest saw Moltres, also unconscious, imprisoned nearby!
So that was it. Just as they'd suspected.
It was the people on this flying fortress who had captured the Legendary Birds.
Suddenly, Melody spotted a stone tablet inscribed with ancient characters not far away.
As Shamouti Island's Festival Maiden, she could understand the old script.
"'The Guardian of Ice, the Guardian of Fire, and the Guardian of Thunder must not be disturbed lightly. Otherwise, the wrath of the heavens and the earth will be unleashed, and the world shall face destruction.'"
Her face went pale.
"This description… It's almost exactly the same as the legend on our island, just with a few extra details."
She looked at the driving blizzard outside,
then at the captive Zapdos and Moltres,
and a sense of dread settled into her heart.
No way…
Was the prophecy actually coming true?
Was the world… really about to be destroyed?
"I won't let the world be destroyed."
That firm voice snapped Melody's thoughts back into focus.
She turned and saw Ash gripping the bars of their cage with both hands,
then suddenly straining.
Whatever strange alloy the bars were made from, they groaned under his grip—
then tore free.
A gap big enough for a person opened right up.
Melody: …
No matter how many times she saw it, she still couldn't get used to this boy's inhuman strength.
Ash stepped out of the broken cage and walked up to Moltres's prison.
Before he could do anything,
a mechanical whir sounded above.
A middle-aged man descended into view in a floating chair.
He was first surprised to see Ash and the others roaming free,
then composed himself and introduced his name calmly.
He was Lawrence III, and his goal was to capture and "collect" the three Legendary Birds,
using them to lure out Lugia, Guardian of the Sea.
Ash's face twisted with disgust.
"How can you say something so horrible like it's nothing?"
"Horrible? I don't think there's anything horrible about it at all."
Lawrence opened his arms toward the raging storm outside, voice tinged with fanaticism.
"Doesn't everyone in this world 'capture Pokémon'? How are their actions different from mine?"
"Humans use Pokémon to fight. I capture the three Legendary Birds to admire them."
"If anything, I'm better than they are. I'll provide the birds with fine food and shelter. All I ask is that they become zoo animals in my private collection. What's wrong with that?"
Melody couldn't hold back her anger.
"But normal Trainers don't steal their partner's freedom! They grow together, fight together!"
"They don't bind their Pokémon!"
"And your so-called collection not only robs Zapdos and Moltres of their freedom—it's driving the entire world to the brink of destruction!"
"You can read that stone tablet. You know what this means! If the world is destroyed… what use is your collection then?!"
Lawrence's brow furrowed. His tone turned cold.
"You don't understand what it means to collect true treasures."
"There are things… that must be acquired even if it means the end of the world. That is my ideal. What's wrong with that?"
"Hm? Articuno has appeared… As an apology for having caught you by mistake, feel free to admire my collection from here. But don't touch anything. Understood?"
With that, Lawrence rose back toward the upper level in his chairlift.
Leaving behind a very confused group.
Before Ash could even get a full question out, the man had already flown away.
And…
did he really expect them to just "not touch anything" because he said so?
He really took his own words way too seriously.
"This guy… is he an idiot?"
Ash pointed up at the departing Lawrence and asked Sabrina.
In response, every girl present shook her head in silent agreement.
[Lance: This guy… is dumber than Giovanni—no, scratch that, he's pure crazy. After two timelines' worth of footage, the biggest impression I get is that he only ever does what he wants.]
[Professor Kukui: You'd think he's an idiot, but he built devices that can restrain all three Legendary Birds—and even Lugia. But then he just leaves Black and White Ash alone in his 'trophy room' after seeing they're clearly opposed to him. That's… not smart.]
Whether it was Black Ash or White Ash,
both had made it very clear from the start that they were strongly against his "collection."
Yet Lawrence hadn't kicked them out or neutralized them—
he'd just left them there, which directly gave them the chance to free the birds.
What kind of brain logic was that?
[Professor Oak: Unfortunately, Mr. Lawrence can't speak here yet, or we could ask him directly.]
[Lance: The League's already issued a wanted notice. We didn't know who caused it before, but now that we do, we can't just let him go.]
Even if Ash ultimately saved the world,
Lawrence's crimes couldn't be ignored.
He had to be punished.
In a Black World —
Once Lawrence left, everyone stepped out of the cage
and followed Ash to stand in front of Moltres.
"Hey, twerp, is it time to bust Moltres out of there?"
James asked.
"Mm… What, you three turning over a new leaf? Normally, at this point you'd be trying to capture Moltres, Zapdos, and my Pikachu."
The Team Rocket trio answered in unison with a crooked grin.
"If the world gets destroyed…"
"There won't be any more Pokémon left for us to steal."
"So we save the world first, then steal Pikachu, nya!"
"Heh. I'll pretend you've decided to be good guys for today… Everyone back off. I've got this."
It was rare to see Team Rocket not causing trouble, and Ash managed a small smile,
but his expression quickly turned serious again.
The entire Orange Archipelago was already buried in snow and ice.
If he didn't free the Legendary Birds and restore balance soon, then…
the world really might end.
Everyone who'd seen Ash's monstrous strength obediently backed away.
Sabrina even raised a Psychic barrier to shield the group.
Ash took a deep breath,
then exhaled slowly.
His fist lit up with azure Aura.
He drove it straight into the prison.
"BOOM!!"
The entire fortress shuddered.
Moltres, who'd been unconscious, snapped awake.
A spiderweb of cracks spread over the prison's surface,
and with a final boom, it shattered completely.
Ash lowered his fist, a bit surprised.
He'd thought he'd need to punch the device several times.
After all, even the three priesthood-bearing Legendary Birds couldn't break free from the inside.
But from the outside, it turned out the shell was much weaker.
Once freed, the first thing Moltres did was blast open Zapdos's prison.
A single jet of scorching flame obliterated the capture device.
Unexpectedly, the first thing Zapdos did after escaping…
was fry Moltres with a Thunderbolt.
Moltres squawked angrily and snapped back with a Flamethrower.
In seconds, they were brawling full-force.
They crashed through the side of the fortress and continued their fight outside—
taking the fortress with them.
Ash: ???
Seriously, what are you doing?!
"I just saved you and you don't even say thanks, and the first thing you do is fight each other?!"
"Can you two maybe restore world balance instead?!"
As the fortress began to plummet under the twin assault of the Legendary Birds,
Ash wasted no time.
He sent out Charizard and his other flying Pokémon and had everyone evacuate.
Conveniently, the fortress crashed down right on Lightning Island.
Ash didn't bother overthinking it.
He went straight for the Thunder Island treasure first.
Then, he quickly contacted Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's mental voice sounded… distressed.
Don't drag me into this. Figure it out yourself.
Do not call me.
PS :
Lawrence III (Gilluta)
Collector whose goal is to capture Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno to lure out Lugia.
Ancient Tablet Wording
"Guardian of Ice, Guardian of Fire, Guardian of Thunder must not be disturbed, or heaven
Livestream Rule for Legendaries
Legendary Pokémon only join the chat once a Tier-One Legendary (like Lugia) appears in both worlds
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