In a Black World —
Ash was enjoying imperial treatment.
Three girls were around to feed him, bring him drinks, and even accompany him on walks.
However… as the person involved, Ash didn't feel like he was enjoying any imperial treatment
—he was incredibly uncomfortable!
The reason, of course, was the three girls around him!
As the saying goes, three women make a drama, and Ash's situation was already dramatic enough.
Misty and Sabrina at least knew each other; they were somewhat acquainted. Plus, after traveling together through the Orange Archipelago, they'd been getting along better and better.
But Melody… they'd known each other for less than a day! She'd met Ash less than twenty-four hours ago! Why did this girl keep clinging to Ash? That's what the other two couldn't figure out!
Was Ash really some kind of walking pheromone? Attracting girls wherever he went!?
"Hey, Ash, have a marshmallow~ it's sweet!!"
Melody said, taking Ash's arm and offering the marshmallow in her hand. Her extremely soft body pressed against Ash's arm, two soft mounds squeezing against it, making Ash feel both embarrassed and helpless. Melody's personality was just that bold and unrestrained.
And more importantly… he could clearly feel two icy gazes fixed on his back!
The two girls were clearly annoyed by what Melody was doing!
One had finally won Ash's affection after a long journey, the other had traveled with Ash for most of a year, experiencing all sorts of events, and had only recently received an unsolicited confession from him.
And Melody… how long had she even known Ash?! Just hugging his arm and giggling like that—how brazen!
For a moment, the two felt both jealous and a little envious of Melody, envious that she could launch such a bold offensive.
Is this what they call 'going for it' in love?
As the person in the middle, Ash was starting to sweat.
Was he comfortable? Physically, yes—his body's reaction didn't lie.
Was he uncomfortable? Mentally, absolutely! The psychological discomfort was real! After all, his two girlfriends were right behind him! What girlfriend could calmly watch her boyfriend being hugged tightly by a girl she'd just met?!
"Melody, um… you're a little too close…"
"Huh? I think it's fine!"
"No, it's not!"
Misty's voice came from behind. She snatched the marshmallow from Melody's hand, gulped it down in two bites, and pulled Melody away from Ash's arm.
"Come on, let's go play that shooting game over there!"
With that, Misty dragged a reluctant Melody toward a balloon stall in the distance to play the pellet gun game. Melody got into it quickly, and soon she and Misty were having fun.
Ash wiped the sweat from his forehead. His nervously pounding heart finally calmed down.
"Thank goodness for Misty… Why is this girl so hard to deal with?"
Sabrina walked slowly to Ash's side and smoothly took his arm.
"It's hard because you have feelings for her~"
Ash: …
What was he supposed to say at a time like this? Probably better to say nothing.
"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to play the villain~"
Sabrina then began to share her thoughts on Melody.
Generally speaking, Melody was actually a good girl. A bit hyperactive, but brave, kind, fearless, and decisive in love and hate. That much was true regarding Ash.
They'd met Melody's sister, Captain Tucker, yesterday evening. Before meeting Ash, Melody had been indifferent to boys and men alike. She might seem soft and smiley, but… to a certain extent, no one could really get close to her!
And Ash… was clearly an exception. At their first meeting, Melody gave Ash her first kiss—even if it was just on the cheek, for a girl, that meant a lot! Combined with Melody's behavior around Ash these past days, they concluded that Melody might have genuinely fallen in love at first sight!
Despite their own grievances and even anger, they'd… ultimately accepted it. After all, Ash already had more than one sweetheart now. Whether it worked out depended on whether Ash accepted her.
"...To be honest, my feelings about Melody are complicated. Besides, I probably don't know her as well as you two do, but… she's so forward, I…"
"You don't know how to refuse, right?"
A hint of helplessness flashed across Sabrina's delicate face. Ash's gentleness was one of the reasons they were drawn to him, but right now, that gentleness was becoming a flaw…
"Let's wait and see. I don't think Melody will travel with us. Even if she becomes your girlfriend, she'll probably stay on Shamouti Island~"
"Probably."
Their brief conversation ended.
Misty returned with Melody and a large Psyduck plushie. It seemed they'd successfully scored a prize from the game stall.
The four of them spent the whole day playing on the island.
The next day, Ash said he had to leave. The things to do on this island seemed endless. If this kept up, even with his willpower, he'd probably lose his drive to continue!
Misty and the others had already boarded Captain Tucker's boat, while Ash said his final goodbye to Melody.
"Really won't stay and play a few more days?"
"If I stay any longer, I might not even want to challenge the Supreme Gym Leader!"
"Alright~ Go on, go. I know you boys have big ambitions. But… if you have time, remember to come back and see me!"
With that, Melody leaned close to Ash's face. The warmth of her breath brushed his earlobe, giving him goosebumps. Then, a whisper entered his ear.
"I'll wait for you here… I'll always wait for you~"
After speaking, a warm touch pressed against Ash's cheek. Before Ash could react, Melody pulled away and smiled playfully at him. If you looked closely, you could see tears glistening in Melody's eyes. She… really couldn't bear to see him go.
Ash took a deep breath, a sunny smile appearing on his face.
"Yeah, I'll come back!"
Meetings are always too brief; partings always feel too long.
The events on Shamouti Island would definitely become an unforgettable memory for Ash. Because he'd remember that on this island, there was someone who would always be waiting for him.
...
[Lance: Huh? Melody is so devoted! Does love at first sight really exist in this world?]
[Caitlin: Love at first sight is just the beginning. So-called 'love at first sight' is just infatuation with appearance. What truly attracts people is a person's inner self.]
[Cynthia: That's right. Black Ash's exceptional performance during the world crisis is the reason Melody is so taken with him!]
[Melody: That's Black World Melody! It's not me! Don't make it sound like it's me!]
[Elesa: We know you like White Ash. They're similar—six of one, half a dozen of the other.]
[Melody: ...]
Since Elesa was telling the truth, Melody didn't know how to refute it. After all, Melody wasn't as tsundere as Misty.
[Brock: Unbelievable! Ash, you sinful man! Attracting girls your own age is one thing! How can you even attract older sisters!]
[Misty: Melody isn't an 'older sister,' right? She's at most fourteen or fifteen. I don't know what's so great about Ash that they all stick to him!]
[Sabrina: Weren't you the first to stick to him?]
[Misty: !!]
[Misty: It was for the bicycle! The bicycle!!]
She repeatedly emphasized this to ease the guilt in her heart. In her heart, even without the bicycle factor, she would have ended up traveling with Ash anyway. The bicycle was just the catalyst…
...
In a Black World —
After bidding farewell to Melody, Ash and the others, ferried by Captain Tucker, arrived at an unnamed island. Since Tracey wanted to observe and sketch here, everyone said goodbye to the Captain.
The unnamed island was quite close to Kumquat Island; the remaining distance could be crossed by riding Dragonite or Blastoise.
On the unnamed island, Tracey observed and recorded various Pokémon, while Ash went to hang out with Misty and Sabrina.
Along the way, they encountered a Poliwag being chased. The ones chasing it were, naturally, Team Rocket! However, the Rocket trio was missing a member this time, which slightly surprised the group.
Upon seeing Ash and the others, James and Meowth explained that Jessie had been hit by a Vileplume's Stun Spore and needed a medicinal herb, and that kind of herb could only be found by Poliwag! That's why they were chasing it.
Ash thought for a moment, then used his Aura to locate the herb they needed and gave it to James and Meowth.
"You three, even though you're always harassing us, you've been following us for over half a year now. I'll help you this once. But if you come bothering us again, I'll blast you off without mercy!"
After the two Team Rocket members got the herb, they thanked Ash and left at lightning speed.
Because of this incident, Misty also ended up catching the Poliwag as a new partner.
After a short break, the group set off again. This time their journey was smooth, and they reached Kumquat Island by evening. The Team Rocket trio didn't come to interfere—perhaps they were remembering Ash's help?
After registering at the Kumquat Island Pokémon Center, the match was scheduled for 10 a.m. the next day. Everyone also went to take a look at the Kumquat Stadium and the adjacent Victory Palace. The Victory Palace was where those who had defeated the Orange Archipelago's Supreme Gym Leader left their mark. But ever since Drake became the Supreme Gym Leader, no new marks of victory had been added to this palace… Because… Drake had never lost!
Hearing this, Ash grew even more excited. A Trainer who had never been defeated—that sounded incredibly strong!
Returning to the Pokémon Center that evening, Ash researched information on Drake and adjusted his lineup based on the opponent's known Pokémon.
...
[Lance: Black Ash is as well-prepared as ever.]
[Brock: No kidding. Our Ash never prepares, and he doesn't have much to prepare with… Aside from the six in his party, he only had thirty Tauros, plus Muk and Kingler at the Oak Ranch.]
[Misty: With not enough variety of Pokémon, it's hard to adjust your lineup to counter the opponent's… But not researching the opponent's Pokémon at all is Ash's old flaw.]
It was all reckless charging! Crisis management全靠临场发挥! That was the old Ash! He'd improved a lot now. Even without the live broadcast appearing, Ash was already a fully capable Trainer! At least he had some tactics!
...
In a Black World —
At 10 a.m. the next day, Ash and Drake stood facing each other in the arena. The first field was a combined water and rock field. After one side lost three Pokémon, the field would be switched.
Drake was slightly surprised upon seeing Ash's appearance—he hadn't expected this challenger to be so young. After a friendly handshake, the battle officially began! The challenger sends out first.
The Pokémon Drake led with was Ditto! This was also the biggest hurdle when facing Drake! Since Drake became Supreme Gym Leader, countless challengers couldn't even get past Ditto! Quite a few were swept 6-0, all because the move Transform was simply too annoying! Besides copying the opponent's appearance, Transform could even copy special techniques and base stats! Of course, the前提 was that the opponent's stats didn't exceed Ditto's level by too much; otherwise, this Pokémon would be invincible! However, Drake's Ditto was clearly very high-level. While not quite at Elite Four–level, copying most Gym Leaders was definitely no problem.
Facing Drake's Ditto, Ash sent out…
"It's your turn, Infernape!"
Whoosh!! As soon as Infernape appeared, it was like an excited child, hopping from side to side, brimming with energy. After all, it hadn't battled in a while.
"Infernape… Ditto, Transform!"
In the next second, Ditto transformed into an Infernape.
And then… the scene fell silent! Ash didn't order Infernape to attack, and Drake didn't have Ditto strike first either! Time passed minute by minute. A full minute later, the two were still staring each other down! This made the audience in the stands start booing for a refund! Who came here to watch a staring contest?! Of course, spectators here entered for free, so there were no tickets to refund… But the atmosphere still slightly affected Drake's mood, making him the first to lose patience and attack.
"Ditto, Cross Chop!"
Drake didn't know what moves Infernape had, so he could only choose Cross Chop, a move commonly learned by Fighting-types. This was also why Drake wanted Ash to attack first. If Ash didn't attack… how would he know what moves Infernape had?
In the end, Ditto still managed to use Cross Chop! Ditto charged out with a howling wind, its hands forming an 'X' shape, covered in an orange glow!
"Dodge it."
A simple command, but it allowed Infernape to evade the opponent's Cross Chop by a millimeter, then kick Ditto in the back, sending it tumbling face-first!
"From that position, use Low Sweep!"
The fallen Ditto followed the command, placed its hands on the ground, and swept its leg out. Infernape jumped casually and dodged.
Immediately after, Drake had Ditto continuously launch attacks—Seismic Toss, Fury Swipes, Close Combat… A series of moves were used, yet not a single one touched Infernape! And Drake noticed that Infernape had closed its eyes at some point!
"How… how is this possible?! How can an Infernape with its eyes closed dodge all of Ditto's attacks!"
Hearing this, Ash smiled proudly.
"Even if you can copy the same stats through Transform, you can't copy skill!"
"This is my original technique, and Infernape's—the Ultimate Freedom Style!"
"Now it's our turn to attack!"
"Infernape, Low Sweep!"
By now, Ditto was panting from continuously using moves. Infernape suddenly opened its eyes, dropped low, and swept its leg, knocking Ditto to the ground!
"Cross Chop!"
Hands coated in orange light slashed down hard onto Ditto's body, smashing it into the ground…
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