[Heihachi: Black Ash is still as violent as ever... But I like it!]
[Brawly: That's right! This feeling of fist meeting flesh is what a real man should have! I really wish I had Aura power so I could go fight Pokémon hand-to-hand!]
[Korrina: Girl, your idea is dangerous...]
What's wrong with everyone lately? Good Pokémon battles aren't enough—now they want to brawl with Pokémon directly! Is hand-to-hand combat with Pokémon really that fun?
[Ash: Well done!! Even though the ending last time was good, and Entei's situation was also pitiful... that doesn't mean He can kidnap my mom like that!]
To be honest, if he'd had Aura power back then, he would've kicked that Entei too! Ash is kind, yes, and he loves Pokémon, but that doesn't mean he could stay calm after seeing his mother kidnapped! If not for his lack of strength at the time, he'd have definitely kicked his way in to get her back! He still remembers the helplessness of pounding the ground in frustration. Now, seeing Black Ash kick the flying Entei brings an indescribable sense of relief. Maybe this is... vicarious revenge!
...
In the Black World—
Ash carefully brought Delia over to Sabrina and asked, "Sabrina, my mom's been hypnotized. Can you help undo it?"
The psychic energy from the hypnosis couldn't be hidden from Ash's senses, so he naturally knew why his mother was unconscious. If it were his own Pokémon, he could use Aura Fusion to break the hypnosis directly. But since it was his mother... he hadn't yet learned to undo hypnosis with Aura power.
Hearing Ash's words, Sabrina snapped out of her stunned daze—everything had happened too fast. Reacting quickly, she knelt down, her immense psychic power washing over Delia. Instantly, the hypnosis was lifted.
When Delia awoke, she saw her son's back. Ash was now confronting Entei head-on.
Entrusting Delia to Sabrina's care, Ash felt relieved. Now all he had to do was... ask this Entei what it thought it was doing! And more importantly... was this thing even really Entei? The Aura within its body felt like a hybrid of many different beings. This was the first time Ash had seen so many distinct Aura signatures in one creature!
Just who are you?
"You're asking me? I should be asking you! Who are you?! You're not really Entei, are you?"
I am Entei! I am also Molly's father!
"You're an Entei, my foot! If you were really Entei, you'd recognize me as the Rainbow Hero! The Suicune I met before recognized me instantly!"
Entei: ...
Rainbow... Hero?
What kind of thing is that...
This "Entei," created by the Unown with Molly's will as its core, didn't possess much real-world knowledge. Most of its understanding came from the computer in Molly's room, linked to the Johto-Kanto network. It truly wasn't the real Entei—just a powerful being with Entei's appearance. It possessed many special abilities, one being surveillance and another the ability to learn common sense via the internet. What Ash called the "Rainbow Hero"... it hadn't seen that online. And because it wasn't the genuine article, it couldn't sense the special power bestowed by Ho-Oh upon Ash. Though Ash had left the Rainbow Wing with Charizard, a true Legendary Beast should still recognize his identity as the Rainbow Hero!
On the other side, after refuting Entei's claim, Ash suddenly latched onto a keyword in its telepathic speech.
"You said... you're Molly's father?? Isn't her father Dr. Felina?"
That's right...
"Are you saying... Dr. Felina was transformed into Entei by some strange power and lost his memory?! But a father's sense of responsibility made you remember you're Molly's father!"
Everyone: ...
What kind of mental leap is that?!
How could a normal person's train of thought go there!
Professor Oak covered his face, saying somewhat helplessly, "Usually Ash is very reliable, but occasionally he has these... bizarre thought processes." The group nodded in agreement. Ash did sometimes have brain hiccups.
Actually... this time Ash wasn't guessing randomly! He made this assumption because of the strange Aura situation within Entei. Ordinary beings have only one Aura signature at most—whether strong or weak, it's a unique identity they're born with! That's also how Ash could repeatedly recognize Team Rocket's trio. But this Entei? It had more than one Aura reaction! A rough count estimated a dozen or twenty! Combined with Entei claiming to be Molly's father, there was only one answer, right? Dr. Felina was possessed by something strange! Then his appearance changed to look like Entei, and he lost his memory!! This explanation made sense no matter how you looked at it.
However...
The Entei opposite Ash looked at him with an expression akin to seeing an idiot, then used Telepathy again.
I don't know what you're talking about. I am Entei! I am also Molly's father!
Hand over that woman. She is Molly's mother!
Hearing this, the somewhat relaxed expression Ash had worn due to the earlier tangent turned solemn again.
"No joking around! Who would hand over their mother?!"
"Although I don't know what's going on... if I knock you out, I'll definitely find out something!"
Saying that, blue energy once again erupted from Ash's body. The super rookie was warming up. The super rookie had arrived!!
Entei's expression also slowly turned serious here. That kick earlier made it clearly understand—this human before it was no ordinary person! It had thought it was an illusion or something, but now it seemed... how could that be an illusion?!
I warn you one last time, human. I don't want to hurt you. Hand over the woman behind you, and I'll leave immediately.
"So I'm telling you... stop with this ridiculous joke!"
With that, Ash pushed off the ground, his body shooting forward like lightning!
This time, Entei was prepared. It roared, and countless sharp crystals erupted directly from the ground! This crystallization... was the same substance composing the crystal tower!
However, those rising crystals only halted Ash for a moment before shattering into skyward fragments!
Let all obstacles before me—be shattered with one punch!
Mewtwo's psychic power could still be overcome by brute force and tactics, let alone this physical attack! Now, to defeat Ash in a head-on clash would likely require at least a sub-Legendary-tier or even Legendary-tier being! That kind of crystal... couldn't even stop Ash for a second!
Seeing Ash's unabated charge, Entei understood that this opponent... probably couldn't be dealt with using just its claws! Though its practice of arbitrarily taking people's mothers was a bit twisted, Entei actually didn't intend to hurt, let alone kill, anyone. Therefore, when dealing with Ash just now, it hadn't used its full strength. Those crystals had formed walls to block Ash, not spikes to impale him. But now...
"ROAR!!"
Entei opened its maw, and a dazzling purple-red flame spewed forth!
Delia, who had slowly woken up, saw Ash engulfed in flames and couldn't help but cry out. Sabrina quickly comforted her. "It's okay, Aunt Delia. Ash is very strong!"
As if confirming Sabrina's words, within the eerie purple fire, a pinpoint of blue light flashed—then erupted! The flames were directly shattered, turning into sparks that slowly vanished into the world.
Before Entei could recover from the shock of its full-power attack failing to harm Ash, Ash had already closed the distance. A fist sheathed in Aura hammered fiercely onto Entei's face!
This move was called—Friendship-Shattering Fist!
Oh, wait, they didn't seem to have much friendship.
So, just a simple Face-Shattering Fist.
This punch directly left Entei's head spinning, its face dented inward. However, Ash had clearly held back. Otherwise, Entei wouldn't just have its head knocked sideways; it would have been sent flying hundreds of meters!
Entei's head tilted to one side, an expression of utter disbelief on its face—it couldn't believe it had been dazed by a human!
"BANG!!"
Before Entei could react, the other side of its face took a heavy blow! Its head snapped to the other side!
Entei: ???
"BANG! BANG!!"
Ash controlled his strength but not his punching speed. The sound of continuous pummeling echoed in everyone's ears. Seeing this scene, Professor Oak still felt somewhat shocked. Even if that probably wasn't the real Entei, it at least bore Entei's appearance! Yet such a powerful Pokémon wearing Entei's likeness was being relentlessly punched in the face by Ash, who stood his ground! It was... thrilling!
"Has Ash grown this ferocious now?" Professor Oak whispered to the trio. He only knew Ash's Pokémon were growing stronger through their journey; he hadn't expected... it wasn't just his Pokémon—Ash himself had grown too!
Misty scratched her cheek awkwardly, saying with some difficulty, "Actually... the Ash now probably isn't even using a tenth of his strength." After witnessing the events of Ash vs. Mewtwo and Ash & Lugia vs. the Legendary Birds, everyone had a clear understanding of Ash's power. It was truly god-like!! What was happening now was just child's play.
Professor Oak: ...
Really? The power Ash is displaying now already far surpasses ordinary humans! And Misty says he's not even using a tenth... Is this a horror story?
...
[Bruno: Hiss~ Watching Entei get beaten one-sidedly, why does it feel a bit satisfying?]
[Will: Watch your words, Bruno! Lord Ho-Oh is still here!]
[Bruno: Ah... Sorry, sorry, sorry...]
[Ho-Oh: It's fine. It's not the real Entei anyway, and Black Ash clearly held back. That kid really is kind-hearted!]
[Cynthia: Indeed. Encountering a counterfeit Legendary Beast that inexplicably tried to take his mother, Black Ash could still restrain his strength and think about uncovering the truth... For a ten-year-old, it's truly remarkable!]
[Cynthia: The reason the strong are strong is precisely because they possess great power and a heart capable of restraining and controlling that power. Young Black Ash already understands this principle.]
Many in the world go astray because of power—they gain strength but not the heart to match it. And Black Ash... his overall power already surpasses ninety-nine percent of the world's population! Yet he hasn't been corrupted by his might. Perhaps this is precisely because he shares White Ash's innate kindness! The powerful are feared, but the powerful who can control their power—they are worthy of respect!
...
In the Black World—
Delia watched Ash single-handedly suppress Entei and couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't even know Ash was this powerful!" Unconsciously, her child had grown to this extent! But...
"Ash, don't hit it too hard! I feel that Pokémon probably means no harm. Besides, it claims to be Molly's father, right? In that case, it should know Molly's whereabouts, maybe even Dr. Felina's!"
Hearing his mother's shout, Ash's swinging fist halted. I guess that's enough, he thought. Entei's head was about to be pummeled swollen...
However, the next second, several sharp crystals suddenly shot up from beside Ash! Ash instinctively dodged, then swung his palm down, cleanly slicing the protruding crystals in two!
Seizing this opportunity, Entei quickly turned and fled, creating layer upon layer of crystals up to ten meters tall along its path to block Ash's pursuit.
"Hey!! Don't go! I still have a lot to ask you!!"
Ash wanted to give chase, but the crystal barriers Entei left behind proved effective. Though he could smash through them punch by punch, by the time he broke through, Entei would be long gone.
...
[Lance: Turtle turtle, it's a completely different script from White Ash's side!]
[Bruno: Even though Entei still ran back to the Crystal Tower in the end... Black Ash's side is a full-on retreat!]
[Flint: Man, when Entei gets back and remembers it was beaten home by a human, will it want to off itself?!]
[Korrina: No way. Who told it to run into Black Ash? Forget this fake Entei—even the real Entei would definitely lose in a one-on-one against Black Ash.]
[Ho-Oh: This... I have to agree. The three Beasts under me probably really couldn't beat Black Ash in a solo fight.]
Ho-Oh's Admission.jpg!
...
In the Black World—
After Entei fled, Ash and the others returned to the Pokémon Center and had Professor Oak's assistant teleport over Pidgeot, Vileplume, and Blastoise.
Pidgeot was for approaching the Crystal Tower. You can run, but you can't hide. No matter where it fled, if he went to the origin of everything—the Crystal Tower—he'd definitely find it and learn the truth! And perhaps find Molly too.
Vileplume and Blastoise stayed behind to protect Delia. Since Entei had targeted Delia once, there could be a second or third time! Ash had to guard against this!
Once prepared, Ash and Pikachu mounted Pidgeot and began rushing toward the Crystal Tower! As for Brock and the others, Ash asked them to stay and guard against Entei together. No one knew what was inside the Crystal Tower; he didn't want his partners or his girlfriend in danger!
Regarding this, Sabrina and Misty were a little worried, but they also understood: if Ash couldn't handle it, their going would be in vain. Better to hold down the fort here so Ash could infiltrate the Crystal Tower with peace of mind.
As the scene shifted, Ash, riding Pidgeot, had already arrived directly above the Crystal Tower! He scanned the entire structure with his Aura power and easily located Entei at the tower's pinnacle—and the little girl he'd played with as a child, Molly!
Inside the Crystal Tower—
"Sorry, Molly. I couldn't bring your mother back... But don't worry, I'll go again tonight! I'll definitely bring her back this time!"
Before Entei, a little girl as delicate as pink jade nodded sadly. "Okay. I believe you, Daddy!"
BOOM!!
Just as the two were speaking, a section of the Crystal Tower's wall suddenly shattered!
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