The quarrel between Karen and Steven was just a small interlude.
As the image on the Black World screen slowly disappeared, the image on the White World screen began to play.
In the White World —
After Ash and his party experienced the Celebi incident, they continued their journey toward Mahogany Town.
On the way, a new group of Grass-type Pokémon arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory and had a dispute with the original Grass-type Pokémon there.
Professor Oak asked Ash for help, hoping Ash would send Bulbasaur back to maintain peace in the backyard.
Ash naturally wouldn't refuse, so he sent Bulbasaur back.
All three members of Ash's original Kanto starter trio had now left him, each going their own way.
However, this wasn't releasing them—it was equivalent to special training elsewhere. Whether it was Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charizard, they would all return in the days to come!
Subsequently, they returned to Ecruteak City again and encountered Suicune once more.
After that, Ash also participated in a Pokémon racing competition, beating Gary by a hair's breadth and successfully winning the prize: a Pokémon Egg.
The Egg hatched not long after, revealing a small Ground-type Phanpy.
The newborn Phanpy learned Rollout during the Goldenrod Gym battle, which became a nightmare for Ash.
With the addition of Phanpy, Ash's team returned to six Pokémon.
Later, everyone experienced many more incidents.
When they were about to arrive at Mahogany Town, Ash and others were once again involved in a Team Rocket incident!
At the Lake of Rage near Mahogany Town, there was a ferocious Red Gyarados!
Ash and the others encountered the Red Gyarados and narrowly survived its violent attack.
At the same time, Team Rocket members also discovered Ash and the others. Because Ash had discovered their secret and seen the Red Gyarados, the Team Rocket leaders prepared to have those members capture Ash.
Fortunately, Lance arrived in time and rescued Ash and his party.
After that, Lance returned to the Lake of Rage, disguised himself, and infiltrated Team Rocket.
Ash and the others turned back at this time, and then gave themselves away…
Perhaps because their plan was about to succeed, the Team Rocket leaders didn't hide their research results in front of Ash.
It was a device called the Evolutionary Wave (or Forced Evolution Device).
It was said that Pokémon could be forced to evolve!
That Red Gyarados had originally been a regular Magikarp, but after evolving, it became a different color and was extremely powerful!
Therefore, that Red Gyarados was an extremely important research result for Team Rocket!
Ash and the others gave themselves away, but not entirely in vain, because this important information was heard by Lance, who was hiding nearby. It also laid the groundwork for the subsequent destruction of Team Rocket's device.
In the end, with considerable help from the Team Rocket trio and much insight gained, the Team Rocket branch at the Lake of Rage was completely wiped out!
Lance also used Dragonite to defeat the enraged Gyarados and capture it.
Lance said he would definitely take care of Red Gyarados as his partner in the future and reassured Ash and the others.
[Bruno]: So the Red Gyarados has such a story… Lance, you never told us!
[Lorelei]: Yes, you're too secretive. Lance, every time you mention Gyarados, you just brush it off.
[Lance]: After all, that's not a pleasant story for Gyarados. For him, he'd rather never return to the Lake of Rage for the rest of his life, let alone hear its name.
[Bruno]: But speaking of which, Lance, your Red Gyarados improved very quickly! I thought it already had Elite Four–level strength, but I didn't expect it was only around Gym Leader peak when you caught it!
According to the battle on the screen, that Gyarados definitely hadn't reached Elite Four–level. Its combat power was considered high if it reached Gym Leader peak.
But now…
[Lorelei]: Now that Red Gyarados has mid Elite Four–level strength, right? How long has it been? If you continue training like this, it'll become Champion-level in about a year, and you'll probably be able to use it as a trump card in three years.
[Lance]: Haha, luck, it's all luck. Mainly, Gyarados itself is very talented.
[Lance]: Team Rocket's Evolutionary Wave was in an unfinished state. Being able to evolve under that unfinished wave is enough to illustrate that Magikarp's talent.
[Lance]: Of course, that crap relies on anger to evolve Pokémon—there's no way to tap out the Pokémon's own power properly.
[Lance]: If I had trained that Magikarp from the beginning, I estimate that within three years, I could have made it a peak Champion-level Pokémon!
Lance sneered at the crappy thing invented by Team Rocket.
If the Evolutionary Wave were truly useful, that Magikarp wouldn't have been the only one to evolve.
That Magikarp evolved because it was very talented.
The Evolutionary Wave only played a promoting and catalyzing role.
Why didn't the other Magikarp evolve?
Because other Magikarp didn't have such powerful talent. They had to be carefully cultivated, raised with care, and bonded with—only then could the carp leap over the dragon's gate!
After all, that Evolutionary Wave was completely useless.
[Giovanni]: Hmph, that was just an unfinished product of our Team Rocket. If it could be fully produced, evolving any Pokémon would be easy!
[Lance]: Really? Then why don't you try building another one? No matter how many you make, I'll destroy them for you to see!
[Giovanni]: Tch, Team Rocket's hegemony is blocked by ignorant guys like you!
[Lance]: You're hilarious. You call that thing "power and hegemony"? It's just crooked stuff! If you want to reach the top of the world, you can only rely on yourself, step by step! Reaching the sky in one step is something only idiots like you Rockets can think of!
[Giovanni]: Step by step? So are you at the top now? The "Dragon Master" doesn't fly anymore? Are you walking on your feet instead?
Both sides were so aggressive that most people couldn't get involved at all—and no one wanted to.
Everyone watched with relish as the top figures of justice and evil argued like children.
Although both sides were very angry, the scene was very harmonious!
If it could be solved with words… that would be perfect!
Think about the Black World… people there wouldn't talk to you!!
In the White World — After saying goodbye to Lance, everyone finally arrived at Mahogany Town!
The Gym Leader of Mahogany Town was called Pryce. That might not have been his original name, but as he got older, he came to be called that.
Moreover, he was one of the few Gym Leaders with a title—Pryce of the Winter!
It meant he was extremely harsh on his Pokémon training and battling, just like the cold winter!
Most importantly, Ash and the others had actually met Pryce before.
During the battle at the Lake of Rage, Pryce had once commanded his Dewgong to help them.
At that time, Pryce also said that one must be strict with Pokémon; relationships with them were meaningless.
Ash wanted to refute Pryce's idea and sent out his Phanpy to battle, but was instantly defeated by Pryce's Piloswine—without even landing a hit. Referred to as "Piloswine Kill."
Later, due to trouble caused by the Team Rocket trio, Pryce and Ash fell off a cliff.
Ash and his Pokémon cooperated with tacit understanding. The way they worked together made Pryce want to believe in the bond between Pokémon and humans.
However… because of the incident with his Piloswine years ago, Pryce still didn't want to believe in the so-called bond between humans and Pokémon.
It turned out that Piloswine and Pryce had once battled a trainer's Magmar in a type-disadvantaged matchup.
As a result, Pryce was hit by a Flamethrower while trying to protect Piloswine, burning his body.
But Piloswine simply gave up on Pryce and ran away. From then on, Pryce no longer believed in the feelings between humans and Pokémon.
However… Ash firmly believed that Piloswine would never abandon Pryce!
"Pokémon are simple creatures. If you treat them well, they'll treat you well. If you make them do bad things, they'll do bad things."
"So I don't believe a simple Pokémon would do such a thing!"
"There must be some reason behind Piloswine's departure!"
After saying this, Ash and Pryce were searching for a way out from the cliff when they encountered Piloswine—frozen into ice!
And in Piloswine's mouth was a piece of herbal medicine used to treat burns!
In an instant, Pryce understood the truth of what happened that year. Transparent tears streamed down from Pryce's eyes like a downpour. In that moment, Pryce hated himself for ever suspecting that Piloswine had abandoned him…
[Lorelei]: I just said I'd heard recently that Pryce from Mahogany Gym suddenly became extremely gentle, and even held back during battles, mainly focusing on teaching. So this is what happened!
[Professor Oak]: Haha, Pryce told me about this too. That old man seemed to have a second spring when his partner, who had been away for decades, returned. He was so happy!
[Lance]: I didn't expect spring to come even to Pryce of the Winter.
[Pryce]: You kid! If you have the ability, come challenge my Mahogany Gym!
[Lance]: Um… well, I'm busy with things, so I really don't have time to go there! Let's talk about it if fate allows~
Lance wisely backed down.
Even though Pryce was old, he was a true Ice-type Champion!
His rich experience wasn't even comparable to Lorelei's!
If it weren't for the disappearance of his main Pokémon, Piloswine, and now being over fifty—his old friends beginning to decline somewhat—
It probably wouldn't be Lance's turn to be the Johto Champion now!
Pryce of the Winter was one of the top Champions of his era!
Even now, Lance, the Dragon Champion, didn't dare go there and cause trouble.
[Professor Oak]: Haha, to be honest, Pryce, you have to give Team Rocket and Ash a thumbs up. If not for them, you really wouldn't have found your old buddy so easily.
[Pryce]: Of course I'm very grateful to them. To put it bluntly, if not for them, I would have carried my resentment toward Piloswine with me until my death. By then, I would have definitely gone to hell.
Pryce's words were filled with emotion.
If Team Rocket hadn't accidentally hit them and pushed them under the cliff, if Ash hadn't ignited the only feeling he had left for Pokémon in his heart, he probably wouldn't have found Piloswine. Even if he had found it, reconciliation would have been difficult…
So this proud old Champion felt grateful to Team Rocket and Ash from the bottom of his heart.
Even if Team Rocket had just wanted to capture Pokémon and accidentally sent them to the bottom of a cliff, it still counted.
In the White World —
Ash and Pryce found Piloswine and rescued it from the ice.
After decades, Piloswine still recognized Pryce and was very close to him.
Because he had recovered Piloswine and untied the knot in his heart, Pryce suddenly felt as if he were decades younger.
The next day, Ash and Pryce began their Gym battle.
The match was two-on-two. In the first battle, Ash's Quilava used its skills to defeat the opponent's Dewgong.
Later, Pryce used his Piloswine to instantly defeat Quilava.
What followed was a duel between Pikachu and Piloswine.
The offensive and defensive battle between the two sides was extremely fierce.
Pryce didn't struggle with coordination despite being separated from Piloswine for many years.
On the contrary, their cooperation was so close that within three rounds, Pikachu fell into a disadvantage.
Then, Pikachu used the ice on the field to slide, regaining its agile movements.
The two sides clashed again. Piloswine had been frozen in ice for decades; its strength was basically at the same level, and because it had just emerged from the ice, its strength had even declined.
However, even so, Piloswine unilaterally suppressed Pikachu. Pikachu endured four Thunder attacks, plus Thunderbolt and one Thunder in the water—yet Piloswine still didn't lose its ability to fight!
In the end, Pryce, concerned about Piloswine's physical condition, took the initiative to concede. After all, Piloswine had just woken up from the ice. Not only did Pryce have extremely deep feelings for Piloswine, he also felt guilty toward it. So… in the end, he chose to concede.
At this point, Ash obtained his seventh badge!
After everyone chatted with Pryce for a while, they began moving to the next destination.
Finally—the Gym known as the most difficult to obtain among the eight Johto Gym badges: the Blackthorn Gym in Blackthorn City! Also called the Dragon-type Gym!
[Lance]: Pryce really went easy on him…
[Professor Oak]: After all, Ash is only a trainer who has been journeying for a year. Just sending out Piloswine was already bullying, right?
[Lorelei]: Piloswine stayed in ice for decades. Not only did its strength remain unchanged, it may have suffered decline due to year-round nutritional deficiency!
[Lorelei]: And the damage sustained from being in ice for decades definitely wouldn't recover so quickly. So Ash didn't really have much advantage, did he?
[Karen]: Wow~ Even in this situation, Pryce took the initiative to concede and gave Ash the badge… If the battle continued, Ash might not have won!
[Ash]: Ah… I thought I got the Mahogany Gym badge fair and square! Pryce, you really held back!
[Pryce]: Haha, no matter what, I'm still a Champion. Using my full strength against a new trainer… Do you want me to lose my old face?
[Pryce]: What's more, even though my Piloswine was in ice for decades, it could still exert its peak Gym Leader–level fighting power! So, Ash… reaching this level in less than a year, your Pikachu is already very powerful.
Peak Gym Leader–level… was probably the level Pikachu could reach when Black Ash first started traveling. But Ash knew his own Pikachu's capabilities well…
He had long discovered that his Pikachu's strength fluctuated depending on the situation!
Sometimes violently strong!
Sometimes pitifully weak!
He couldn't tell if it was strong or weak, but when dealing with Pryce, Pikachu was clearly overpowered!
Otherwise, under normal circumstances, Pikachu wouldn't have been able to withstand so many Blizzard attacks.
After blocking that many Blizzards, Pikachu used Thunder four or five times…
Under normal conditions, that one battle alone would have been enough for Pikachu to lose the ability to fight twice!
Until now, Ash hadn't figured out Pikachu's upper and lower strength limits…
In the White World —
Ash and his party left Mahogany Town and came to a place called Crystal Lake.
Here they met a Zapdos that was injured and needed to recuperate.
After meeting Zapdos, everyone… said goodbye to it.
Then Misty's Poliwhirl accidentally evolved into a Politoed!
After that, everyone arrived at the last Gym—Blackthorn Gym!
The Gym Leader of Blackthorn Gym was called Clair. She was a very beautiful woman.
At the same time, she was also the Dragon Tamer who used Dragon-type Pokémon!
This was why this Gym was called the most difficult Gym for outsiders to defeat.
◇ 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