In the Black World —
Red stated without hesitation that he was, in truth, already dead.
However, even in death, his soul had been preserved. He wasn't completely gone!
This was what it meant to be the Protagonist—the center of the world!
In truth, through Rainbow Rocket's many years of conquest,
Red was undoubtedly their most difficult opponent.
Not all Protagonists… were like Red.
Red then explained the concept of the Protagonist to everyone.
"Of course, this doesn't mean the Protagonist cannot die. But… it's not that simple."
"Ash, as the center of your world, you will inevitably encounter all kinds of opportunities meant for you. You should have noticed by now—you frequently encounter Legendary Pokémon and events that others might only see once in hundreds or thousands of years."
Ash reflected on his experiences…
Well, now that he mentioned it…
The Legendary Pokémon he'd met in his first year as a Trainer were more than most people would encounter in a lifetime…
Red glanced at the Team Rocket trio, who had been trembling ever since the discussion turned to world-ending crises.
"Didn't you just ask about the world's fortune?"
"Though I don't know your specific circumstances, I'd wager you three are rather lucky, aren't you?"
"For instance, you often encounter rare Pokémon others have never seen, or you always manage to find a way to survive in moments of crisis."
Team Rocket: …
They couldn't deny it!
They'd been following Ash and his group, and they truly had witnessed countless Legendary Pokémon ordinary people never see.
As for surviving crises… they were always sent blasting off by Ash, yet somehow always ended up dangling from trees or landing on soft inflatable mattresses, completely unharmed…
That should count, right?
So… all their luck was spent on these bizarre outcomes?
"Truthfully… I don't know the exact method to save this world."
"But I have a rough idea. If this doesn't work… then there truly is no hope."
As he spoke, Red looked at Ash—or more precisely, at the Pokémon on Ash's shoulder: Pikachu!
"By gathering the power of all Legendary Pokémon, combined with the power of the eighteen Plates, and channeling all of it into Pikachu… there is hope of defeating Rainbow Rocket. Of course, it's not just Pikachu—you, Ash, must grow as well."
Ash's Pikachu: ???
Do you even hear what you're saying?!
You want me, Pikachu, to do what even Arceus couldn't?! If you want me dead, just say so!
If Pikachu was going to fight Rainbow Rocket, they might as well prepare a tombstone now.
And… gathering the power of all Legendary Pokémon and eighteen Plates—never mind the impossibility of achieving that—if Pikachu actually contained that much power, it would explode before even facing the enemy!
Ash had never considered his Pikachu weak; he'd always regarded it as his ace. But what Red described was too fantastical. Channeling the power of every Legendary and Arceus's Plates into one Pokémon, and that Pokémon being Pikachu… Anyone who heard this would think the person suggesting it was insane!
Yet the one suggesting it was Red—another world's Protagonist, who had once defeated every Legendary except Arceus!
His words carried weight.
"Why Pikachu?"
"Pika pika?!"
Not just Ash—Pikachu itself was stunned.
Please, if the power of that many Legendaries was forced into me, I'd explode on the spot!
And that was assuming Pikachu even knew how to absorb Legendary power—
Not to mention Ash actually collecting all that power and the Plates first.
Just thinking about it made the entire endeavor seem utterly impossible!
Red raised his hands. By now, they had become noticeably translucent.
If he was sixty percent transparent before, now only thirty percent remained.
"After my death, I preserved my soul using the combined power of all the Legendary Pokémon I had befriended in life."
"Some time ago, with the aid of a powerful being, I successfully integrated that energy into my soul itself."
"I became a being comparable to a Legendary-tier Pokémon. In this world, I could handle most situations."
"But at the same time, the energy within me is my life. The moment it is exhausted, I will fade completely—truly dead."
Red explained his current state calmly.
Given his transparency… he was clearly not far from the end!
Yet Red showed no sorrow of the dying. Instead, he carried the relief of one who had said all he needed to say.
"Theoretically, the energy of a Legendary-tier being should allow me to survive for centuries."
"But my battle with Dark Lugia left me with only sixty percent of my energy."
"After that fight, about sixty percent remained. Now… less than thirty."
"Where do you suppose my energy went?"
Hearing this, Ash and the others were stunned.
Yes—Red's dissipation was accelerating far too quickly!
If Legendary-tier energy could sustain him for centuries, then Red had just consumed nearly a hundred years of life force in mere minutes!
Yet aside from speaking with them, Red had done nothing!
Where had his energy gone?
"Brother Red… the Legendary Pokémon you spoke of—they're the ones you befriended in life, aren't they?"
Ash seemed to realize something and asked aloud.
Receiving Red's confirmation, Ash pressed his lips together and continued.
"If I'm guessing correctly… you used your Future Sight on me, didn't you?"
Everyone: !!!
Future Sight?
That was a delayed attacking move, wasn't it?
Theoretically, it couldn't literally predict the future.
But upon hearing Ash's answer, Red's stiff face seemed to soften. Though he still couldn't smile, his satisfaction was evident.
"You're right. I used Future Sight on you—but it wasn't just that…"
"I also borrowed the temporal power of Celebi and Dialga, amplified by Psychic energy, to glimpse a fragment of your future."
"Your Pikachu possesses potential that exceeds all expectations… but the path there will be fraught with hardship."
Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder. Pikachu returned his gaze with a confused expression.
Hardship? So far, he hadn't faced any true hardship. He'd rarely even lost—only two battles, and even then, his opponents had let him go for various reasons.
Strictly speaking, Pikachu had never suffered a clean defeat since Ash's journey began!
But Pikachu was far from possessing "terrifying potential."
After all, Pikachu had been training with Ash even before Ash started his journey—years longer than any of his other Pokémon!
That's why Pikachu remained stronger than the rest.
Charizard, Infernape, Pidgeot—all had reached Elite Four–level. Many others had peaked at Gym Leader strength.
Charizard might even be high Elite Four–level now, or higher!
Yet Pikachu, after all that training, had only reached the peak of Elite Four–level.
And that was with the Light Ball doubling its offensive stats!
Without the Light Ball… Charizard might have already caught up!
So Pikachu's potential was respectable—perhaps the pinnacle of its species—but "potential that shocks everyone"? That seemed a stretch.
"The future I saw was incomplete. The information I could glean was extremely limited."
"Even so, it cost me centuries of life. That alone should tell you how extraordinary your destiny—and your future—truly is."
As everyone knew, divination and peering into others' futures typically demanded life force as payment.
The energy within Red was his life. Burning it meant burning his lifespan.
Through this sacrifice, Red had glimpsed a corner of Ash's future. If he hadn't been fused with the combined energy of so many Legendaries, he wouldn't have been able to attempt such a feat.
"The information I gleaned from the future is this: You, Ash, must journey across the entire world, gathering the power of every Legendary Pokémon. After collecting Arceus's eighteen Plates, your Pikachu will have developed a body capable of bearing that power."
"As for what comes after… I cannot see. The only information I obtained was this."
"Travel the world within five years, Ash… Only then will this world have a glimmer of hope."
Five years…
Travel the entire world, find every Legendary Pokémon, persuade them to entrust a share of their power. And locate Arceus's eighteen Plates.
These tasks—not five years, not fifty, not even five hundred might suffice!
Also… Arceus's Plates should be seventeen, shouldn't they?
Only seventeen types had been discovered in the world. What was this about eighteen Plates?!
By now, Red's form had become increasingly ethereal.
If, as he'd said, he still had thirty percent of his strength remaining, he shouldn't be fading this quickly—unless he'd done something else.
"Ash… This world. My world. All parallel worlds. I leave them to you."
"So long as you defeat Rainbow Rocket… every parallel world will be restored to its original state."
With each word Red spoke, his form grew more insubstantial.
Ash's eyes widened. He reached out to catch Red, but his hands passed through empty air.
His disappearance… seemed irreversible.
"There is still much I wished to tell you… but it seems time has run out."
"I will use the last of my strength to unbind your shackles."
"You are us—the final hope of all parallel worlds."
"Finally… use… the Ball… to capture… Cele—"
Red's final words dissolved into fragments, and then he vanished completely from Ash and the others' sight.
Just as he had appeared so suddenly, he now disappeared just as abruptly, his last explanation left unfinished.
Yet they could faintly discern that Red's final instruction involved Celebi.
…
[Lance]: A legend of an era… gone just like that!
[Professor Oak]: Such a towering figure from another world… I never imagined his end would be this tragic.
[Cynthia]: Red… he was a man worthy of respect.
[Diantha]: Even facing death, he burned everything to fight for a glimmer of hope for his world… If our world faced such a crisis, Ash would likely do the same.
Red's passing drew sighs from across the world.
A legend's end, concluded in haste.
He could have continued existing, but for his world—and for Ash's world—
Red had burned the vast majority of his remaining life.
The legend faded into silence, witnessed only by Ash and his companions, and by Suicune, who had listened intently nearby.
But counting the livestream's viewers, countless people bore witness to Red's farewell.
[Steven Stone]: So… the world's hope rests on Black Ash's Pikachu? Is that Pikachu truly so special?
To bear the power of every Legendary, and Arceus's Plates—never mind Pikachu, not even a Legendary-tier Pokémon could accomplish that!
Red had revealed too much information; everyone struggled to process it all at once.
Levels beyond Legendary-tier—Ultra Beast–level, Creation-tier—
Rainbow Rocket possessed at least eight Creation-tier beings: the corrupted, fused Arceus known as the God of Chaos.
Such concepts demanded considerable time to absorb.
Among it all, the hardest to accept was this: that little Pikachu was the hope of the entire world—all parallel worlds!
Of course, Black Ash himself was indispensable, but everyone had grown accustomed to Black Ash's exceptional nature.
Hearing that his Pikachu was equally special… that took some getting used to.
[Professor Oak]: That information was purchased with Red's life. It should be reliable. But one thing eludes me… Red claimed he still had enough energy to persist for some time. Why did he dissipate so swiftly?
[Professor Kukui]: Yes… According to Red, he had roughly thirty percent of his energy remaining. Why did he fade so abruptly at the end?
Red's final dissipation was too sudden.
If most of his power had been spent peering into the future, then what had he done with the remainder?
Soon, the livestream provided everyone's answer.
After Red vanished, the screen didn't linger on Ash. Instead, it dimmed briefly, then revealed a scene awash in light.
Red, who had supposedly disappeared, suddenly reappeared on the screen!
…
In the Black World —
Red stood in a passage flooded with radiance, his expression solemn, his gaze cold.
The fleeting images around him indicated he was traveling somewhere.
After an unknown span of time, the light subsided, and Red materialized in a forest.
It was the same forest where Ash and his friends had been moments ago, but now no trace of them remained.
Instead, the clearing was filled with small, gentle Pokémon: Rattata, Pidgey, Budew, Oddish, and even a rare Bayleef!
The Pokémon startled at Red's sudden appearance, but sensing the natural aura he emitted, they cautiously approached.
Red gently stroked the Bayleef beside him, then fixed his gaze eastward—and vanished once more.
When Red reappeared, he stood in a quiet town.
His form was nearly translucent now, barely clinging to existence. But he had reached his destination.
Before him stood a small boy with cherubic features, carved from pink and jade.
This place was called… Pallet Town.
And the boy's name was… Ash!
…
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