In the Real World
Azou stared at the screen, momentarily stunned.
Azou: "What… what kind of monster is that?! Black World Ash's Pidgeot wasn't anywhere near this strong back in Viridian Forest, was it? It's only been half a month! That thing has to be on growth enhancers!"
Professor Oak: "That should be the effect of the Silver Wing, right? Perhaps the Pidgeot comprehended something from it and underwent a second stage of development."
Lugia: "The Silver Wing does indeed have that effect. However, it isn't a miracle item that guarantees growth."
Lugia: "What a Pokémon can gain from it depends entirely on its own aptitude, understanding, and comprehension."
Lugia: "Some Pokémon only manage to slightly enhance their Flying-type energy. Others… like that Pidgeot, are able to strengthen themselves in all aspects."
Lugia: "Just from the footage alone, I can tell—its body, speed, endurance, and control have all been enhanced."
The realization struck everyone at once.
Divine artifacts were not omnipotent.
They didn't make Pokémon strong by default.
How powerful one became depended on talent, will, and comprehension.
And Ash's Pokémon… clearly lacked none of those.
Ash: "No wonder Black World Ash's Charizard looks stronger every time I see it. Not only is it taller than mine, but its muscles are way more defined!"
Flint: "With all due respect—if Black World Ash's Charizard wasn't stronger than your underdeveloped one, then the Rainbow Wing and all that training would've been completely wasted."
Steven Stone: "Ash isn't talking about the Charizard you saw before. He means the one that returned from special training. That Charizard is far larger than it used to be."
Champion Diantha: "After changing its innate limitations through divine power… that Charizard must have endured unimaginable hardship. I really want to see it for myself."
Talent was a gift from birth—something bestowed by the heavens.
Trying to change it was no different from defying fate itself.
And yet…
There was something in this world capable of doing just that.
A miracle.
What Professor Oak once called a bond.
But miracles, by definition, were rare.
They required not only an unbreakable bond between trainer and Pokémon,but also an unyielding will and unyielding pride from the Pokémon itself.
That was why—even though Ash's Charizard was worlds apart from Flint's—
Flint still wanted to see it.
Steven Stone: "Well… that backbone is definitely something."
Steven Stone: "When I first arrived, it got beaten more than a hundred times a day. I almost moved a Pokémon Center right next door."
Ash: "W-What?! Charizard actually went through that?!"
Ash froze.
He knew Charizard had worked hard—but he hadn't imagined it was that brutal.
Subconsciously, Ash tightened his grip on the Ancient Charizard Training Manual in his hand.
No matter what… I have to get that material.
In a Black World —
Ash's Pidgeot and Azou's Pidgeot faced each other in the sky.
Although Azou was intensely curious about Ash's method of training Pidgeot,this was a battle—there was no time for conversation.
Even if he admired Ash's Pidgeot…
He still wanted to win.
"This victory is mine! Pidgeot—Agility!"
With a sharp cry, Azou's Pidgeot beat its wings violently.Its brown figure blurred and vanished like a bolt of lightning.
Ash's lips curled upward.
Competing in speed with his Pidgeot?
Naive.
"Pidgeot—Quick Attack!"
Ash's Pidgeot screeched, wings flaring as it disappeared in a flash.
For a moment, the battlefield seemed frozen in time.
If not for the intermittent sonic booms tearing through the air,one might have thought nothing was happening at all.
Seconds later—
One Pidgeot came crashing down from the sky.
The other reappeared above, gazing down coldly.
Azou's pupils shrank.
"Don't fall—!"
He recognized it instantly.
That was his Pidgeot.
The clash between Agility and Quick Attack—his longtime rival's specialty—had ended in defeat.
If his Pidgeot fell and was pursued, the battle would be over.
Fortunately, Azou reacted in time.
"Steady yourself!"
With a sharp shout, Azou's Pidgeot snapped its eyes open mid-fall,beat its wings, skimmed the ground, and spiraled back into the sky.
But before Azou could even breathe in relief—
"Air Slash!"
Ash's Pidgeot swept its wings.
White crescent blades erupted like machine-gun fire.
"Use Double Team—dodge!"
Too late.
The moment Azou hesitated, the blades had already arrived.
Slash—Slash—Slash!
Wind blades tore into flesh.
In an instant, Azou's Pidgeot was covered in wounds.
Azou stared in disbelief.
Too fast.
Not just the Pokémon—but the moves themselves.
In every possible sense, Ash's Pidgeot completely outclassed his.
At the base level…
He couldn't win.
"Brave Bird!"
Ash's voice remained calm.
Air Slash alone wouldn't finish a Pokémon with such a powerful physique.
So he went straight for the Flying-type's ultimate attack.
"I… can't lose like this…"
Azou's voice trembled, then rose sharply.
"Pidgeot! Twister! Then use Agility to evade!"
Despite its injuries, Azou's Pidgeot obeyed.
A violent storm erupted as wind and momentum fused together,forming a raging vortex in the sky.
Golden light enveloped Ash's Pidgeot.
Like a divine bird descending from the heavens,it tore straight through the storm without slowing.
Azou never believed the storm could stop it.
He only wanted to delay it.
But then—
Something terrifying happened.
The storm changed direction.
The wind twisted, redirected, and sealed off every escape route.
Azou's Pidgeot froze.
It couldn't evade.
It couldn't flee.
With a piercing cry, the golden Pidgeot tore through the storm itself.
Feathers scattered across the sky as Azou's Pidgeot fell helplessly.
"How… how is that possible?!"
Azou shouted.
Losing to Brave Bird was acceptable.
Losing to speed was acceptable.
But this?
His own Twister being turned against him?
Worse—
It felt like Ash's Pidgeot was controlling the wind itself.
Even Ash was stunned.
Since when could it do that?
That storm wasn't his.
And yet… the wind had obeyed him.
Live Chat
Lugia: "Wind manipulation?! That level of comprehension… is absurd."
Articuno: "That ability is tied to atmospheric control—a domain associated with Lugia."
Lance: "You're saying… a Pidgeot touched that realm?"
Lugia: "Potentially."
Silence filled the livestream.
A Pidgeot.
Touching a Legendary-tier domain.
Unthinkable.
Back on the battlefield, Azou stared blankly as Ash recalled Pidgeot.
"How did you control the storm?"
Ash: "I didn't."
Azou: "…Of course you didn't."
With a bitter smile, Azou handed over the Feather Badge.
Just as Ash accepted it—
A familiar chill ran down his spine.
He turned.
Sabrina stood behind him, her expression icy.
◇ 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