The ancient Dragonite was not defeated by Pikachu's Thunder or the destructive Hyper Beam.
In fact, there wasn't even much visible damage on its body.
This was because its body was that of a true super ancient Pokémon.
Its enormous size and dense scales dispersed the power of the attack evenly across its whole body.
Even though it had endured such terrifying energy, it remained standing.
However, that didn't mean it was unscathed.
The ancient Dragonite had consumed an enormous amount of energy to maintain such a gigantic form.
The bigger the body, the more energy it needed to keep itself stable.
And because of that, her immense Rage slowly began to subside.
Her movements became a little stiff, the lingering electricity from Pikachu's Thunder still running through her muscles.
Feeling her strength drop slightly, Dragonite stopped moving for a moment.
Ash immediately seized the opportunity and extended his waveguide once again.
A blue light radiated around him as he reached out his thoughts toward her.
"Dragonite, listen to me. Those people who attacked you—Team Rocket—they're my enemies!"
"We aren't on the same side. Think about it carefully. You already agreed to come with me, right?"
"If I've already promised to be your Trainer, why would I ever attack my own Pokémon?"
Dragonite blinked, confused by his calm words.
Her large golden eyes flickered softly as she thought about what he said.
It did make sense.
This human had told her before that being "conquered" meant becoming partners—friends who would fight together and share joy.
So why would someone attack a friend they just made?
The timing of the rocket attack had been too perfect, too coincidental.
It made sense now why she had misunderstood.
Thinking of this, Dragonite slowly lowered her wings and let out a deep, soft growl filled with understanding.
Hearing that gentle sound, Ash finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that he couldn't defeat her if he wanted to.
After all, Pikachu still had his ultimate move—100 Million Volt Thunder God.
But if Pikachu used that here, the result would be catastrophic.
Ash knew that within a radius of several kilometers, everything would be reduced to ashes.
Even the entire Bill Lighthouse would vanish under the storm of that thunder.
That was the true power of Thunder God—unleashed only once and never forgotten.
So if peace was possible, that was the best outcome.
Ash smiled faintly, pulled a Poké Ball from his belt, and gathered his strength.
"Alright, Dragonite… let's see if you'll come with me now."
He threw the Poké Ball forward with precision.
The ball hit Dragonite squarely and absorbed her in a burst of red light.
It shook once, then twice, before making a clear clicking sound.
Captured.
Ash exhaled in relief—
But suddenly, a faint crack appeared on the surface of the Poké Ball.
Alarmed, he quickly picked it up from the ground and released Dragonite again.
The crack didn't spread further, and Ash finally relaxed.
It seemed the Poké Ball barely managed to contain the power of a super ancient Pokémon.
Ash looked up at Dragonite and said, "Try it, Dragonite. You should be able to control your size now."
Dragonite tilted her head curiously and focused.
A second later, her massive body began to shrink before their eyes.
In just moments, she had transformed into a size similar to a normal Dragonite.
She blinked in astonishment, examining her smaller form.
When she looked at her reflection in the water, the black streaks that had covered her scales earlier had vanished completely.
Now, she looked identical to modern Dragonite.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, then softened with gratitude.
This human… he truly hadn't lied to her.
He had actually helped her solve the problem that had haunted her for centuries.
Ash smiled proudly at her reaction.
It was the first time he'd encountered such a special situation—an ancient Pokémon capable of freely controlling its form.
He didn't know if her entries could now be controlled without interference, but soon the system gave him the answer.
As long as a Pokémon was subdued, it would automatically synchronize with his entry system.
That connection allowed them to master their innate powers completely.
But once separated from him, those entries would become chaotic again—unusable and unstable.
It was a system that was powerful, yet overbearing.
Then, a familiar notification appeared in Ash's vision.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the golden entry: Soaring in the Sky Dragon.]
Ash blinked, confused for a moment.
"Huh? What's that? A golden entry?"
He quickly opened the details window to read it carefully.
[Soaring in the Sky Dragon (Gold): A flying dragon that soars in the heavens. Can be mounted by Flying or Dragon-type Pokémon. Increases Flying-type skill power by 70% and Dragon-type skill power by 70%.
When fighting in the sky, all attributes increase by 30%.
When facing Dragon-type opponents, reduces enemy Dragon-type damage by 30%.
Pokémon with only one of these attributes gain half the effect of the other.]
Ash stared in disbelief.
"How did this drop even happen…?"
He hadn't defeated Dragonite—he'd simply tamed her!
And yet, this incredible golden entry had appeared!
He quickly opened his entry log and scrolled through the recent records.
Sure enough, it showed:
[Source of Drop: Defeated Super Ancient Dragonite]
Ash froze for a few seconds, completely baffled.
He hadn't defeated Dragonite at all—he'd just earned her trust.
So why did the system treat it as a victory?
Was it because he'd subdued her spirit instead of her body?
He could only shake his head and laugh softly.
Whatever the reason, this golden entry was his now.
And looking at the Dragonite flying gracefully above the waves under the night sky,
Ash felt his heart swell with pride.
(End of Chapter 42)