In the Black World —
Red returned to the forest after passing through the luminous tunnel, then mobilized the last fragments of power remaining in his body to make one final Teleport.
This time… he arrived at Pallet Town.
He appeared before a small boy.
The child was quite adorable, his skin slightly tanned from playing outdoors. He held a rubber ball, apparently practicing how to throw it.
The sudden appearance of Red made him instinctively look up, and then… though braver than most children his age, he was nearly scared speechless.
Because what appeared before him was an older brother whose form was almost completely illusory, floating in mid-air, looking exactly like a ghost!
Wasn't this… a ghost?!?!
Four-year-old Ash trembled in fear. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't cooperate—he couldn't move at all.
Red wanted to smile at young Ash, but the forced expression on his face was uglier than crying!
This only made Ash more terrified!
Seeing Ash's fear intensifying, Red abandoned the idea of winning his trust through smiles. Besides, he didn't have much time left—his energy had been calculated precisely.
…
"Hello, my name is Red. I am… a powerful Trainer."
After a moment's thought, Red settled on an approach to capture Ash's attention.
Though he and this Ash had only spoken briefly, and he didn't know young Ash's preferences—
Ash and he were parallel counterparts, after all. Logically, their dreams shouldn't be too different. That dream was… to become a powerful Trainer, to catch strong Pokémon, and so on.
Regardless, the word "Trainer" was inseparable from that dream.
So introducing himself as a powerful Trainer should attract Ash's interest.
As expected, upon hearing "powerful Trainer," Ash's eyes widened instantly, and his trembling ceased.
Cautiously, he asked Red,
"Big brother… are you a Trainer? But you now…"
You look like a ghost!
Young Ash didn't say this last part aloud.
He was afraid that if he said that word, the big brother might actually transform into a ghost and eat him!
"Haha. I have some physical issues right now, but it doesn't matter. I'll be fine soon."
"Little brother, what's your name?"
"I… my name is Ash! But I won't tell you I live in Pallet Town! Mom said you can't tell strangers where you live!"
Red: …
Was Ash this… innocent as a child?
The Ash he had met in the forest gave him a strong, composed impression. But the child before him… to put it simply, was a bit naïve.
Of course, Ash was only four years old—Red couldn't judge him harshly.
Yet if nothing had intervened… even at ten or eleven years old,
Ash might still be like this!
As the bearer of most of the world's fortune, the very destiny that protected him also hindered his development…
He wouldn't want to grow. Even if occasionally prompted by others to train hard, he would soon revert to his carefree ways…
Was this the trial this world set for its Protagonist?
To describe the world's trial for its Protagonist in one phrase: unenlightened!
Ash would undoubtedly rise to the apex of this world in the future. He possessed that potential. But because of this lack of enlightenment, the timeline would be significantly extended.
What might be accomplished in one or two years would take three, four, or even longer without that spark.
And Red had traveled to this timeline… precisely for this reason.
As for how Red understood Ash's current condition—it was because this world itself had helped Red condense the power of all the Legendary Pokémon into his soul body!
This was the world's instinct for self-preservation.
It possessed no emotions, no consciousness or wisdom, only the instinct to seek fortune and avoid disaster. So when Red's soul arrived in this world carrying the combined power of all the Legendaries he had befriended, this world had taken the initiative to fuse that power for him.
Its purpose was naturally self-preservation.
It had no consciousness, so it couldn't clearly express what it wanted Red to do. But it gave him a general direction:
Find this world's Chosen One. Awaken him.
That was all. The rest was left to Red's own judgment.
What followed unfolded as everyone had witnessed—
Red encountered Vicious and his Dark Lugia, and by chance, met Ash!
After hearing that Ash recognized him and described his form as even more illusory than it was now,
Red understood his next task.
Using the power of Celebi that still remained within him, he would travel through spacetime and go back to find Ash in the past!
He didn't know exactly when the Ash he met had encountered him, but somehow, he was certain he would be guided to the appropriate point in time.
And so, Red arrived nearly seven years in the past—when Ash was four years old.
Incidentally… Red had already asked where Ash lived.
Pallet Town in the Kanto region.
Upon reaching Pallet Town, Red naturally found Ash easily. And now… he was about to perform the final act he could still accomplish!
Red slowly crouched down, reaching to touch the top of Ash's head—but his hand, now nearly unreal, couldn't make contact at all.
"Ash… a fine name. I'm glad to have met you. And then… let us meet again, in the distant future."
At the end, Red's form finally became completely illusory—until he vanished entirely.
Ash simply watched Red disappear completely before his eyes, leaving behind only scattered golden light particles.
A moment later, those particles surged forth, swarming into Ash's body.
In an instant, Ash's pupils contracted. The ball in his hand fell to the ground, and then he collapsed, unconscious…
In a place invisible to all, the shackles that had bound Ash's mind and body shattered one after another!
Red had burned his final soul to break, on Ash's behalf, the restraints the world had placed upon him!
When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it first vexes his spirit, toughens his sinews and bones…
Red's sacrifice allowed Ash to bypass the final two stages of this trial.
And Ash also inherited fragments of Red's mindset, abilities, and even his talent.
Red's talent was the "Battle Man"—a gift that allowed Pokémon to grow rapidly through combat!
But… somehow… after being inherited by Ash, this talent had skewed.
The Battle Man talent had manifested in Ash himself.
In other words, Ash himself would now improve rapidly through battle and training…
Simultaneously, Red's obsession took root in Ash's mind.
Become stronger. Keep becoming stronger. You MUST become stronger!
Only then can you protect what you wish to protect!
At the same time, Red's own memories were sealed away by Red's own will.
The seal would only break on the day Ash met him in the future.
Thus, after waking, Ash began to act completely unlike his former self.
He listened to his mother and began to exercise. He listened to Professor Oak and began to study Pokémon knowledge.
When he met Pichu, he immediately began training with it—continuing relentlessly until the day he came of age and set out on his journey!
At this moment, spacetime formed a closed loop!
…
[Lance]: …
[Professor Oak]: …
[Ash]: …
Witnessing Red's final act, everyone fell silent.
At last, they understood why the gap between Black Ash and White Ash had existed since childhood…
Between them lay the difference of Red!
Guided by Red's mentality, Black Ash instinctively sought to become stronger, instinctively opened textbooks—
[Ash]: So… all this time, I've subconsciously neglected training my Pokémon because I carried too much of the world's fortune… The world instinctively suppressed my rate of growth?! That's so unfair!!
After all this… it turned out he had been working hard—he'd just been cheated!
[Lance]: I never imagined the reason Black Ash started his relentless grind since childhood was because of Red's intervention! This is a closed time loop… Time truly is a difficult thing to comprehend.
[Professor Oak]: According to Red's explanation, because Ash's talent is exceptionally powerful, the world required him to undergo more tempering. This made it difficult for young Ash to grow. But as time passed, his rate of improvement would continuously accelerate.
[Professor Oak]: Red's appearance served to directly untie the shackles that would have only loosened gradually over time, allowing Black Ash to begin growing from childhood.
This meant that without Red, White Ash's growth followed a fixed trajectory.
Though he still grew quickly, it was suppressed to an unknown degree.
During this period of suppression, Ash remained ignorant in many aspects.
For example: Electric-type moves are ineffective against Ground-types. Electric-type moves are ineffective against Ground-types. Electric-type moves are ineffective against Ground-types.
Having recited it three times, facing a Ground-type Pokémon—
Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!
This was early-journey White Ash's reality.
He would still forget knowledge he had memorized, almost as if suffering from amnesia.
The same applied to many tactical applications.
But with Red's help, such things never happened to Black Ash.
This was the difference between Black Ash and White Ash.
Moreover, Black Ash had begun receiving Red's influence at age four—training himself, acquiring knowledge, conditioning his Pokémon.
Even if White Ash had awakened at age ten, catching up to Black Ash would be extraordinarily difficult.
[Cynthia]: Ash, you shouldn't feel unbalanced. After all… Black Ash's shoulders bear far more than yours!
[Ash]: I was only complaining about my thinking being suppressed… As for envying Black Ash, I don't feel that at all.
After witnessing what Black Ash carried, any lingering envy in White Ash's heart had long since vanished.
Was Black Ash amazing? Under eleven years old, already possessing multiple Elite Four–level Pokémon—one of them at peak Elite Four–level, with combat power rivaling Sub-Legendary-tier beings.
But all of this was bought with Red's life—and an entire parallel world!
If Red's parallel world hadn't been destroyed,
Red wouldn't have come to this world,
And Black Ash wouldn't have received such assistance.
Simultaneously, the power Black Ash now wielded came at tremendous cost.
Black Ash was burdened with saving the world!
Not just his own world—all parallel worlds!
No one knew the weight pressing down on a boy not yet eleven years old.
That Black Ash hadn't been crushed under it was already a testament to his resolve.
Even White Ash, who enjoyed showing off, had no desire for this kind of spotlight!
This kind of pressure would definitely kill you!
[Brandon]: There are still many unsolved mysteries in the Black World. For example, Arceus's eighteen Plates…
[Brandon]: I've researched Arceus. He should only have seventeen Plates. And… even if there truly are eighteen Plates, how will Ash find them? Will he ask Arceus directly?
[Cynthia]: Don't forget, Ash once saw one of Arceus's Plates in the Mirage Kingdom… In other words, the current Arceus is not in a complete state.
[Cynthia]: It's difficult to imagine what could have happened to make Arceus allow a Plate to separate from itself…
[Lillie]: And there's more! What about the God of Chaos from Rainbow Rocket? That God of Chaos has fused at least seven Arceus! How do you fight that?!
Seven Arceus… the very words sounded hopeless!
Even if Black Ash truly gathered the power of every Legendary Pokémon and the so-called eighteen Plates, could that possibly threaten a fusion of seven Creator Gods?
[Flint]: It's somewhat embarrassing to admit… but I'm actually relieved our world hasn't encountered such a thing. Otherwise, I truly can't think of any word besides 'despair'.
[Volkner]: Wait a moment… Red said that among all the parallel worlds, the only one remaining is Black Ash's parallel world. So… doesn't that mean our world isn't counted?!
[Professor Oak]: I am also confused about this… Let me consult various texts on spatial theory. Current knowledge is frankly insufficient!
[Leon]: I feel that the world we live in and the world where Black Ash lives cannot simply be described as 'parallel worlds'…
[Leon]: For instance… a greater universe might contain many smaller universes—parallel spacetimes. Our world and Black Ash's world might actually belong to two different greater universes?
[Diantha]: It's not impossible. Things beyond common sense have appeared in the livestream before. I wouldn't be surprised by any strange cosmic laws at this point.
[Serena]: Speaking of which… on Ash's side, the Vicious from Rainbow Rocket hasn't been dealt with yet, right?
[Norman]: Given Ash's character… he won't just let Vicious go, will he? That would be outrageous!
The other party was a villain who had come to invade the world!
Like a malignant tumor in the human body. Such a person… shouldn't even be placed in a police station!
The best solution was to execute him on the spot!!
Though somewhat harsh, it was the optimal resolution.
However… given Black Ash's temperament, such an act would be difficult for him.
Even if the other party was utterly despicable,
Black Ash would likely only send him to Officer Jenny, not kill him.
So… what would Black Ash do?
…
In the Black World —
Red had finally vanished, but he had done everything within his power.
His life had been magnificent. In life, he achieved what no one else could accomplish.
In death… he still planted the seeds of hope for the world's survival.
Without Red, there would be no Black Ash as he existed now.
The timeline had arrived at the present—
Ash and his companions still stared blankly at the empty space before them, where Red had disappeared.
Though their time with Red had been brief, he had left an indelible mark on their hearts.
Beyond sorrow, Ash also recalled details of his childhood encounter with Red—and realized Red hadn't seemed to know him, hadn't even known his name.
At the end, Red had told him to capture Celebi…
An idea formed in Ash's mind.
Could it be…
Red used his last strength… to go find me as a child?
Come to think of it… before he met Red as a child, he hadn't really thought about Pokémon training or self-improvement.
After meeting Red—and then forgetting him—he had suddenly become enlightened and begun studying obsessively.
So… this was what Red meant by giving him that final push?
That man had been helping him until the very moment of his death!
Ash wiped his damp face. When he looked at Vicious nearby, his gaze had turned fierce.
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