The classic "but" had finally arrived.
Behind almost everything that looked simple, there was always a "but."
And this "but" was usually the turning point, the moment when things stopped being easy.
Legendary Ash: However, this will only ensure Lugia's survival. If my judgment is correct, the power inside it must come from a Legendary Pokémon of the same tier. Otherwise, it would be impossible to forcibly strip the Psychic attribute from a first-tier legendary species like Lugia.
Legendary Ash: In other words, its life can be saved, but whether that power can be controlled depends entirely on you and Lugia. If you fail to convert that Dark-type energy into Lugia's own strength, then it will be tormented by it for the rest of its life, suffering constant pain and being unable to use any combat power at all.
Legendary Ash: As for the source of this Dark-type power, based on your description, Newbie, it definitely isn't from an ordinary Legendary Pokémon. At the very least, it's first-tier. Otherwise, your Tokiwa Power wouldn't have been assimilated so easily. My guess is that it belongs to Yveltal.
Ash's heart sank slightly.
The seniors in the Chat Group had once introduced him to the Legendary Pokémon of each region. Among them, Yveltal was the God of Death of the Kalos region, an existence that stood in direct opposition to Kalos's other deity, Xerneas, the God of Life.
Xerneas granted life to all things. Yveltal reaped life from all things.
Death and rebirth formed a natural cycle, with no inherent distinction between good and evil. Yet from the perspective of human emotions, death was always something to fear.
Because of that, Yveltal was one of the Legendary Pokémon least favored by humanity.
Yveltal itself never cared.
Throughout recorded history, whenever it appeared, almost nothing good followed. Each of its manifestations was accompanied by omens of death, lands withering, nations collapsing.
Among all Legendary Pokémon, it was the one humans least wanted to encounter.
And now, the power inside Lugia might actually belong to Yveltal?
Even if it was only a conjecture, coming from a newly appeared big shot, it certainly wasn't baseless.
Just where did Team Galactic obtain Yveltal's power?
And why would they implant it into Lugia's body?
What exactly were they trying to accomplish?
Newbie Ash: So the key to solving Lugia's problem is whether that Dark-type power can be properly utilized, right?
Legendary Ash:Exactly. If my guess is correct and it really is Yveltal's power, then the crucial point lies in whether you can strip away the "death" aspect within that Dark attribute. Tokiwa Power is capable of doing that, but as for your current Tokiwa Power… that's a bit uncertain.
It wasn't that Ash's Tokiwa Power was weak.
It was simply that the power inside Lugia was far too strong.
After all, it was the power of the God of Death itself. Being unable to contend with it was only natural. Ash had only awakened his Tokiwa Power recently, his foundation was still shallow.
If one of the true big shots in the group were present, the outcome would be completely different.
Champion Ash: I actually have something to add. Newbie, besides Tokiwa Power, don't you possess another power with immense vitality?
Newbie Ash: Another power? You mean… Venusaur?
Champion Ash: Exactly. Your Venusaur has inherited a portion of Xerneas's power. Although it's still weak at the moment, combining that vitality with your Tokiwa Power should be more than enough to deal with a fragment of death power.
Legendary Ash: Oh? You've obtained Xerneas's power? That's even more useful than Tokiwa Power. Xerneas and Yveltal are existences that restrain and counterbalance each other. Using Xerneas's power to dispel it should be effortless. You can relax now.
Ash finally exhaled in relief.
Newbie Ash: I understand now. Thank you! By the way… what exactly do you do? How do you know so much about Legendary Pokémon?
Fishing Ash: Heh. This guy lives up to his name, a complete "lucky one."
Newbie Ash: Huh?
Ash was confused. What did the title Legendary Ash have to do with being lucky?
Tactical Ash: Isn't it obvious? Anyone who keeps running into Legendary Pokémon nonstop is already ridiculously lucky. And every time this guy meets one, something inexplicable happens and they end up becoming close friends.
Breeder Ash: "Close friends" is putting it lightly. He's basically captured almost every Legendary Pokémon by now, hasn't he? Calling him Legendary Ash is underselling it. There are only two combat-power ceilings in this group: Champion Ash… and him.
Ash's eyes widened slightly.
To become one of the absolute ceilings across all parallel worlds, Legendary Ash's strength was obviously extraordinary.
But if what Breeder Ash said was true, then it made perfect sense.
The power of Legendary Pokémon was self-evident. If someone truly possessed most of them, then even if their self-trained Pokémon were mediocre, they would still stand at the top of the world.
Moreover, being able to capture Legendary Pokémon in the first place was proof of strength.
How they were captured didn't matter, as long as it wasn't through despicable means.
And capturing them wasn't even the most critical part.
The real problem was command.
Legendary Pokémon were notoriously difficult to control. Yet according to the others, Legendary Ash shared a unique bond with every one of them, formed through shared experiences that turned into deep friendships.
Disobedience simply wasn't an option.
With that level of control, Legendary Ash was undeniably one of the supreme existences across all parallel worlds.
Breeder Ash's sarcasm stemmed from a fundamental difference in values.
To him, relying on Legendary Pokémon as combat power felt entirely different from raising Pokémon with one's own hands. Although cultivating a Pokémon to Legendary status was nearly impossible, it wasn't unheard of.
In fact, only a handful in the entire group had managed to raise God –level Pokémon themselves.
Champion Ash was one of them, possessing more than a full team of God–level existences. That was why he was respected as a ceiling.
As someone deeply rooted in breeding, Breeder Ash understood better than anyone how difficult that path truly was.
Legendary Ash: See? This is exactly why I don't show up often. Pure, unfiltered jealousy. If you have any other questions, @ me in the group again, Newbie. I'm heading out.
Fishing Ash: Hey! Don't run! What do you mean jealousy?! Who's jealous of you?! We're just disgusted by your getting everything for free! Where are you? Come out!
Champion Ash: Haha, don't take it too seriously. That's just how everyone jokes around. The reason Legendary Ash hasn't appeared much lately is because he's constantly traveling. Wherever he goes, incidents seem to follow, so he rarely has time to show up in the group.
Newbie Ash: …
Could this really be called "luck"?
Wasn't this more like being a walking jinx?
Newbie Ash: Anyway, thank you, everyone. I'm going to make preparations now. I'll help treat Lugia tomorrow.
Champion Ash: Go ahead. Just remember one thing, no matter what happens, don't rush. Feel with your heart and find the answer, whether it's in everyday matters or in battle.
Newbie Ash: I understand!
Back in the real world, Ash slowly opened his eyes, a trace of complexity flashing through his gaze.
Those final words from Champion Ash felt deliberate, as if they had sensed his recent defeat.
Perhaps this was the tacit understanding between "selves."
Even though Ash hadn't mentioned the loss and the conversation had revolved around other matters, his counterpart from another world had still noticed, and offered guidance in his own way.
With such an outstanding "teacher," how could Ash remain dejected?
If he lost once, he would simply win it back next time.
He had lost to Cynthia this time, but he would reclaim that victory in the future.
"Pika… pika?"
Pikachu, who had nearly fallen asleep, noticed Ash waking up. He lifted his slightly groggy face, rubbed his eyes with his small paws, and looked at Ash questioningly.
"Yeah," Ash said with a smile. "I've already found a solution. Let's go to the Pokémon Center first and transfer Venusaur's Poké Ball."
Time passed quickly, and morning arrived.
Cynthia had confirmed the timing with Ash the previous night, so she arrived at his residence at exactly nine.
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Cynthia returned to the battlefield from the day before. Mewtwo also appeared silently behind Ash, as if she had always been there.
Seeing her, Ash asked in surprise, "Mewtwo? Where did you go? I looked for you for half the day yesterday and couldn't find you."
'I went to the Orange Islands to see if I could locate the one called Lugia,' Mewtwo replied calmly. 'I scanned the area and only found three large birds. There were God–level reactions. My Psychic power couldn't extend far enough beneath the sea, so it's likely down there.'
In less than half a day, Mewtwo had searched nearly the entire Orange Islands but found no trace of Lugia.
Based on what Ash had described, Lugia's strength was at least mid-to-high God level. The three birds she sensed barely brushed the threshold of that realm, they clearly weren't Lugia.
Since Lugia wasn't anywhere on the surface, there were only two possibilities.
Either Lugia wasn't in the Orange Islands at all…
Or it was deep beneath the sea, thousands of meters below, far beyond the reach of Psychic detection.
Given Lugia's title as the god of the sea, the latter was far more likely.
A single day was nowhere near enough to explore the ocean depths. Not wanting Ash to worry, Mewtwo abandoned the search for now and returned.
"You actually went to the Orange Islands…" Ash said, deeply moved. "Mewtwo, thank you. That's really touching."
He reached out to hug her, but Mewtwo instantly vanished with Teleport.
'I didn't go there for you. I was just curious about this so-called god of the sea. Since I didn't find it, the trip was boring.'
Classic Mewtwo.
Ash was already used to it. In the nearly two months since she had joined him, she had rarely spoken frankly. Even yesterday's words of comfort were already unusually direct for her.
That had only happened because of Ash's emotional state.
"Don't say such hurtful things," Ash complained mildly. "Hugging strengthens bonds!"
Mewtwo ignored him completely.
Let him hug her? In his dreams.
Unless the sun rose in the west, she would never do something that embarrassing.
After the brief exchange, Ash officially began treating Lugia.
He first released Venusaur, then had Cynthia release Lugia. Once Cynthia carefully placed Lugia on the flat ground, Ash stepped forward and pressed his palm against its body.
Aura Power and Tokiwa Power flowed into Lugia simultaneously.
As the two energies circulated through its body, Ash gained a clearer understanding of its condition.
Compared to yesterday, Lugia had deteriorated even further.
Even the specialized Poké Ball that stabilized its condition couldn't completely halt the decline, it could only slow it significantly.
Today, no matter what, he had to restore Lugia's physical state.
"Lugia," Ash said softly, "I know you can hear me. It's going to hurt a bit in a moment, but you have to endure it. As long as you make it through, you'll be able to recover."
Lugia didn't respond or move.
But Ash knew it could hear him.
These words weren't meant to elicit a response, they were preparation. After all, forcibly converting a Psychic attribute into a Dark attribute was no ordinary pain.
This was Ash's first time attempting something like this. All he could do was complete it as quickly and decisively as possible.
Once he finished speaking, Ash increased the output of his power.
His Aura Power located Lugia's remaining Psychic core, and then pushed forward violently.
Crack!
The core shattered instantly.
"WOOOO—!"
Lugia, which had been enduring the pain with its eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. Its eyes were bloodshot, and the agony contorting its expression was dozens of times worse than before.
If pain alone could cause unconsciousness, it would have fainted long ago.
But now, no matter how overwhelming the pain became, it couldn't pass out.
A power was forcibly keeping it awake.
At this moment, Lugia absolutely could not lose consciousness.
If it did, the consequences would be catastrophic.