In a Black World —
[Lance]: Uncle Pryce looks like a rookie trainer who just met Ho-Oh for the first time. He looks completely bewildered!
Looking at Uncle Pryce's shocked expression, Lance couldn't help but crack a joke. Known as the 'Winter Man,' Pryce usually wore an expressionless face. But in the White World, after Pryce reunited with his Piloswine, he smiled a lot more. However, a smile was different from shock. A shocked Pryce, like the one in the Black World whose worldview was about to collapse, was a sight to be preserved!
[Pryce]: Boy A-Ju, I think it's been too long since I taught you a lesson!
[Lance]: Uh… let me correct you. I've never been taught a lesson by you…
[Pryce]: …
Seems he's very happy now, huh? Lance… It seems I haven't made a move for so long that even a junior feels he can tease me! It's time to track him down and give him a beating, so the 'Invincible Dragon Master' knows I'm old, not dead!
[Lorelei]: Ahem, Uncle Pryce, no need to be so angry. Because I think… A-Ju from the Black World is about to get his comeuppance soon.
[Lance]: ?
[Lance]: What do you mean? What happened to me in the Black World? There's no scene with me!
A-Ju thought carefully. Aside from arresting Giovanni, there shouldn't be any scenes of him in the Black World! What did she mean he'd be sanctioned soon?
[Bruno]: Oh! I get it, A-Ju! You're about to get NTR'd!
[Lance]: ? ? ?
Can you speak properly? I don't even have a girlfriend! What do you mean I'm about to get NTR'd!
[Pryce]: I see… Hmph, I finally feel avenged.
[Lance]: ? ? ?
No, what do you all mean? Explain clearly! Don't talk in riddles! What did I do? Why do I feel like I'm the only one kept in the dark?!
A-Ju, harassed by the group, could only fire off question marks. Their words were understandable separately but completely incomprehensible together!
[Steven]: There are two kinds of people I hate the most! One is someone who only speaks half their mind, and the other is…
[Wallace]: 666, a double standard, right?
[Professor Oak]: Haha, alright, enough teasing the Champion. I think Lorelei and the others are talking about the red Gyarados.
[Professor Oak]: Although Black Ash had no intention of capturing the red Gyarados, its physical condition was restored because of him, and their Auras briefly connected.
[Professor Oak]: After feeling the warmth of Black Ash's Aura, I think it's unlikely the red Gyarados would choose another trainer.
[Professor Oak]: For example, imagine a person injected with a drug by someone, causing every part of their body pain, their mood stuck in a state of rage, unable to help but destroy everything around them!
[Professor Oak]: At that moment, another person steps forward, not only healing their injuries and calming their rage but also letting them feel the warmth of the world… After recovering, such a person would happily follow them!
[Professor Oak]: If you replace the people with simple-minded Pokémon, then what I said above is even more reasonable, right?
[Lance]: …
Oh, so that means… the him in the Black World can't capture the red Gyarados? Isn't that a form of NTR…
[Lance]: Good grief, you're all speaking in riddles! And you said I was getting NTR'd, Bruno! Weren't you NTR'd too? Your Onix was also taken by a kid!
[Bruno]: Um… no need for us to rub salt in each other's wounds, right?
[Cynthia]: Haha, I can testify for A-Ju. Bruno started it.
[Lance]: See? I have a witness!
Bruno was speechless. He never should have waded into this muddy water with Lorelei. In the end, he got himself tangled up. Thinking about it… wasn't this hurting the enemy a thousand and yourself eight hundred?
Ugh! Major loss!
...
In a Black World — Under Ash's comfort, the red Gyarados finally fell into a deep sleep. After Gyarados fell asleep, Ash turned to look at Uncle Pryce, complex thoughts in his eyes.
Originally, after calming Gyarados, he intended to let Pryce capture it. However, Pryce's philosophy on treating Pokémon was completely different from his own. This Gyarados had serious trauma towards humans because of Team Rocket. If captured by Pryce… their compatibility would be extremely poor. One was unwilling to invest emotions in a Pokémon, and the other was a Pokémon deeply hurt by humans. The result of combining the two… was that Gyarados's psychological wounds might never heal!
If possible, Ash had actually already found a trainer for it—himself. But… after all, Pryce had made the first move. If he captured Gyarados now without permission, how was he any different from those evil organizations that steal Pokémon? So, the struggle in Ash's eyes flickered for over ten seconds. Finally, he used his Psychic to lift Gyarados and gently placed it next to Uncle Pryce.
"Uncle Pryce, as agreed, I won't interfere with you capturing Gyarados."
"It's just… I hope… if you do capture Gyarados, you'll treat it with your heart. Gyarados's experience..." Ash briefly explained about Team Rocket and the Evolution Wave. Finally, he took a deep breath and bowed to Pryce.
"...So, please, if you capture Gyarados, please communicate with it heart-to-heart! I don't know what you've been through… but I believe Pokémon will never let you down!"
"What you invest in them, they will repay! It's never a one-sided effort!"
Pryce: …
Looking at Ash sincerely bowing deeply to him, Pryce seemed to see his past self. Back then… he too believed in his partners and the nature of Pokémon. But in the end…
"Hmph, if you haven't experienced what I have, what right do you have to draw conclusions for me?"
"I have no intention of capturing this Gyarados. If you want it, take it. I'd like to see what you can achieve by treating Pokémon with 'feelings'!"
"Things like feelings… are completely unnecessary in Pokémon battles!"
"You'll regret what you said today, boy!"
Ash slowly raised his head, a complicated look in his eyes. There was anger at Pryce's ideas, but also relief that Pryce wasn't obsessed with Gyarados. Although Pryce's thinking was problematic, thankfully his logic wasn't. Ash could be sure Pryce had originally planned to capture this Gyarados—a Shiny, wild, and immensely powerful one; its talent certainly wouldn't be bad. But after hearing Ash's words, Pryce understood this Gyarados wasn't suited for him. A Gyarados that had been treated inhumanely even before it evolved—its resentment towards humans went without saying. And Pryce was the type who refused to open his heart to Pokémon no matter what. So… this Gyarados was fundamentally incompatible with Pryce. Pryce didn't cling to it and simply gave it to Ash.
Ash wouldn't be overly polite about such things. Rather than leaving Gyarados for Pryce to handle, it was better for him to take care of it himself… But this would require a spot in his party. His current party was: Bayleef, Quilava, Croconaw, Pikachu, Noctowl, and Heracross. He also had a Tyranitar training in Johto, swapped occasionally. He usually traveled with these six. If he captured Gyarados, it would need to be a permanent member. Its heartache required long-term companionship. If teleported back to Professor Oak's lab… Gyarados might just demolish the place! So… who should he send back? Right, he'd teleport Heracross back. It could learn fighting techniques from Infernape. In terms of combat skills, even average Champion-level Fighting-type Pokémon couldn't compare to Infernape. There was no issue with Heracross going back to train.
Having decided, Ash took out a Poké Ball and directly captured the sleeping Gyarados. Pryce watched coldly. After seeing the Poké Ball click shut without any struggle, he recalled his Dewgong without a word and turned to leave. Seeing this, Ash called after him, "Uncle Pryce! I'll come challenge your Gym tomorrow! I hope to see you at your full strength!"
Pryce paused for a moment, almost laughing at Ash's words.
See me at full strength? Don't you know what level my 'full strength' is? If I fight you at full strength, you're just asking for a beating, right?
Pryce didn't answer Ash and continued walking slowly towards Mahogany Town. Soon, his figure disappeared from Ash's sight.
Then, Ash looked at the ice around him. Pryce was gone… but he couldn't leave all this ice here! If it melted naturally, such a large ice sheet might not melt for a day or two, causing too much trouble for the water-dwelling Pokémon. So, Ash had Pikachu use Iron Tail to shatter all the ice. The broken ice would likely melt back into lake water within a few hours.
After Ash returned to shore, the surrounding onlookers immediately swarmed around.
"Hey, kid! Are you a Psychic?"
"Please tell us, how did you calm that Gyarados and make it so obedient?"
"Did you just snatch it from under Master Pryce's nose? Anyone with eyes can see that Gyarados was almost exhausted. You must have used some special method!"
"Why did you end up capturing Gyarados instead of Master Pryce?"
The questions started out curious but gradually became sharper and more accusatory. Ash keenly sensed that the people asking the pointed questions had cameras in their hands…
Did the incident at the Lake of Rage even attract reporters?
To be honest, as a boy not yet eleven, part of him wanted the spotlight, but what these people said truly irritated him. Ash couldn't be bothered to answer them. He pushed the crowd aside with his Psychic, then had Sabrina Teleport them away from the Lake of Rage.
...
[Lorelei]: It really is NTR, haha! A-Ju, you've finally met your match!
[Lance]: …That's not strictly me!
Can these people stop throwing around the word NTR so carelessly!
[Professor Oak]: By the way… what did Black Ash say to Uncle Pryce just now? 'See you at your full strength'? Does he want to face Pryce's Champion-level Pokémon?
[Pryce]: Champion-level… If I really go all out, I should send out Articuno and Lapras. Those two were at peak Champion-level, close to Champion's Ace level.
[Pryce]: However, decades have passed since their peak. Their strength and stamina have declined now. I'd say… only about high Champion-level remains.
High Champion-level despite the decline… This was clearly not an opponent Ash could handle currently. Even if Ash's Pikachu could handle one, who would deal with the other? Gym battles are two-on-two; he couldn't use one Gym-level and one Champion-level Pokémon to fight, right? If you want to go all out, go all out; if you want to hold back, hold back completely. How could he win like this?
[Lance]: Actually… Ash still has one more Champion-level Pokémon! That one can reach Champion-level without Aura Fusion!
[Flint]: Huh? Does Black Ash have such a Pokémon on hand? Without Aura Fusion, the highest-level Pokémon Ash Ketchum has is Pikachu, right?
[Leon]: No way? You can't even remember this? That's White Ash's ace, and Black Ash's secondary ace—Charizard!
[Flint]: Charizard? Without Aura Fusion… wait a minute, MEGA Evolution?!
Flint hadn't forgotten Ash's Charizard, but he'd momentarily forgotten about its Mega Evolution! This was a new evolution that appeared not long ago. It had been a while since Black Ash's Charizard Mega Evolved, so Flint actually forgot for a moment. Only after the 'Unbeatable Champion' reminded him did he remember… Black Ash's MEGA Evolution!
[Cynthia]: Indeed, Mega Evolution greatly enhances a Pokémon… but Black Ash hasn't tried pure Mega Evolution yet!
[Professor Sycamore]: Yes, the Mega Evolution Ash performed before relied on his own Aura power as a link. During Mega Evolution, he also used the Aura Fusion technique!
[Professor Sycamore]: That's why Charizard could instantly leap two levels, directly reaching Champion-level from peak Gym-level! Even if it was just barely touching Champion-level, it was still Champion-level!
[Diantha]: But now, Charizard's strength is at least low Elite Four-level. The gap between Gym and Elite Four is huge. Even without Aura power assistance, Mega Evolution alone should be able to raise it to around Champion-level, right?
[Flint]: Really? Those in the know understand it's Mega Evolution; those who don't would think it's possessed by a god!
[Flint]: One evolution raises Charizard from low Elite Four to a whole major level higher… No matter how you look at it, that increase isn't that great, right?
Flint was skeptical of everyone's speculation. Charizard's terrifying improvement before, he felt, mostly relied on Black Ash's Aura power. Black Ash's Aura was the ultimate weapon for overcoming level gaps! As for Mega Evolution… it had its improvements, but it couldn't be that terrifying! What was the concept of a whole major level… When Ash's Pikachu was high Elite Four-level, using Aura Fusion only raised it to mid Champion-level. By that conversion, could Mega Evolution improve it more than Aura Fusion?
[Professor Sycamore]: We'll know once we see… In short, Ash will definitely send out Charizard. What level Charizard is currently at, and what level it can reach after Mega Evolution, remains to be seen.
In the video, Black Ash often communicated with Gurkinn, but the video didn't show Charizard's exact current state. It was only known that Charizard's strength was increasing at an extremely rapid pace. So, no one knew its current level. As for what happens after Mega Evolution… that was even more unknown. They'd have to wait for the battle to begin to find out…
...
In a Black World —
Sabrina Teleported Ash and the others to the nearest Pokémon Center. Ash let out a sigh of relief, then walked to the landline phone in the center and began dialing the number he'd been wanting to call…
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