[Professor Oak: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Ash and Gary have both made it to the quarterfinals!]
[Lance: Black World Ash making the quarterfinals isn't surprising… but Gary breaking out of his "destined" track and pushing into the quarterfinals too? That's the real shock!]
[Bruno: Honestly, it makes sense. Gary's talent has always been high. In our original timeline, his growth got capped because he spent more time flexing and sightseeing than training…]
[Steven Stone: Meanwhile, Ash is the type to grind nonstop—Gary's more like "train three days, slack two days."]
[Cynthia: So Black World Ash's relentless pace dragged Black World Gary out of his comfort zone, forcing him to actually travel seriously—and that accelerated his potential early. Butterfly effect, huh?]
[Professor Oak: Exactly! That's it! At this rate, Ash and Gary might really meet in the finals. Shame it's another world… it'd be incredible if our Ash and Gary could do that too.]
[Ash: I don't know if Smell-You-Later Gary will make it to the finals, but I definitely will! No— I'm winning the championship!]
[Gary: Keep dreaming! I used to slack off and still beat people—why would you, Mr. Daily-Grind, get the trophy? The champion is obviously me!]
[Raihan: Uh… ever consider the possibility that neither of you wins?]
[Ash: …]
[Gary: …]
That Galar Gym Leader really knew how to stab people in the heart.
In a Black World —
Ash and Gary successfully advanced into the Indigo League quarterfinals.
Ritchie, though frustrated, still offered Ash sincere congratulations.
After a crushing defeat like that, there wasn't much left to feel besides bitterness—and respect.
The next day, the quarterfinals began.
Gary battled first, so Ash and the others went to watch.
At this stage, every Trainer was the real deal.
Gary's opponent was a seasoned traveler with years of experience.
But after being pressured nonstop by Ash these past six months, Gary's improvement had far outpaced most people.
Even so, the match was intense.
Gary won with a 4–2 scoreline.
That afternoon, Ash faced a Trainer named Lily.
Ash finally brought out Pokémon he hadn't shown much in earlier rounds: Muk, Tauros, and Infernape.
The opponent was strong.
Muk took down one Pokémon, then fell.
Tauros smashed through two, but lost to Lily's ace—Ivysaur.
Against Ivysaur, Ash sent out Infernape, despite the type disadvantage.
Recently, Ash had been drilling martial-arts style close combat with Infernape—and it finally paid off.
Infernape forced its way through, defeated Ivysaur, then swept Lily's remaining Pokémon in succession.
A clean three-knockout sweep.
Ash and Gary both advanced to the semifinals.
Semifinals — Day Three
Gary's opponent, Meng Li, was vicious.
A single Electabuzz nearly paralyzed Gary's Blastoise and stole the match outright.
Luckily, Gary had prepared two Ground-types—Nidoqueen and Golem—and barely secured the win.
A razor-thin 6–5 victory.
As for Ash—
He opened with Aerodactyl, stunning the crowd on entry and blasting through two Pokémon in a row.
Then Ash sent out Butterfree.
Butterfree wasn't Ash's strongest in raw power…
but in status control, it was a nightmare.
Stun Spore. Poison Powder. Sleep Powder.
The opponent never even touched Butterfree before getting dismantled completely.
When it came time for Ash's fifth Pokémon, he finally released the one that hadn't appeared in ages:
Venusaur.
The opponent's last two Pokémon were Arcanine and Fearow—both strong into Grass-type matchups.
Normally, Ash avoided bad type matchups.
But today, he had a sudden urge to do a type-disadvantage challenge.
Venusaur carved through Arcanine's Flamethrower with Razor Leaf.
This wasn't "type advantage vs disadvantage" anymore—
this was a level gap.
Then Venusaur wrapped Arcanine with Vine Whip and slammed it into the ground repeatedly.
Within a few hits, Arcanine collapsed.
Fearow tried to take to the air—
but Venusaur's vines hardened and surged upward like a living cage, trapping it until it couldn't breathe.
No counterplay. No comeback.
Ash won the semifinals without losing a single Pokémon.
Finals Confirmed
Ash and Gary would meet in the Indigo League final on Day Four.
Livestream Chat
[Ash: YES!! He made it!! The finals!!]
[Misty: It's not you in the finals. Why are you so excited?]
[Ash: Black World Ash is still me, basically! Watching him get there feels like I got there!]
[Elesa: So you're Black World Ash's #1 fan, huh?]
[Ash: Yup!]
[Gary: Hey! I'm in the finals too! Watch me beat "another world you!"]
[Ash: Gary, are you awake? Stop dreaming in broad daylight!]
[Gary: …]
Realistically, the odds of Black World Gary beating Black World Ash were about the same as winning the lottery.
But hey—without dreams, what's the point?
[Lance: Still… Black World Ash's semifinal looked even easier than I expected. Indigo League semifinal, and he didn't lose a single Pokémon.]
[Cynthia: And he even chose to fight type disadvantage at the end. For someone as cautious as him, that's basically "letting loose."]
[Blaine: I've never seen Razor Leaf cut through Flamethrower like that.]
[Raihan: When the level gap is huge, type matchups matter less. Venusaur's Razor Leaf was fast—and the Grass-type energy was clearly stronger than the fire it met.]
[Ash: Exactly! Type matchups aren't everything!]
[Cynthia: Speaking of that… it reminds me of your Pikachu. Black World Pikachu prepares for Ground-types. Your Pikachu just brute-forces into Ground-types.]
White World Ash's Pikachu had done it more than once:
Electric-type vs Ground-type—still wins anyway.
That was the true "type disadvantage master."
In a Black World — Indigo League Final
Day Four arrived.
The Indigo League final officially began.
Ash and Gary stood opposite each other on the stadium field, listening to the cheers, the roar, and the announcer's excitement.
Both felt slightly unreal.
Half a year ago, they'd just started traveling.
Now they were here—on the final stage.
In the stands sat Professor Oak, Delia, Misty, Brock, Sabrina—and even some of Gary's entourage.
The entire stadium was packed to the brim.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Ash said quietly. "Did you ever picture this, Gary?"
"Hah! My imagination was bigger than this," Gary snorted.
"Oh? Planning to challenge the Elite Four and Champion next?"
The Indigo League champion earned the right to challenge the Elite Four, and potentially the Champion.
Ash's meaning was obvious:
I'm going to win.
"Hmph. Trash talk won't affect me. Let's see who makes it to the end."
The big screen spun—
Ash moves first.
"My first Pokémon—Pidgeot!"
"Piii—!"
A majestic Pidgeot took the air.
Gary kissed his Poké Ball and threw it with flair.
"Let's go—Electabuzz!"
Electabuzz landed with a heavy thud, electricity popping around its body.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Well prepared."
"Obviously!"
"Quick Attack!"
"Thunderbolt—cover your whole body!"
Electabuzz surged with crackling electricity like a defensive field.
Pidgeot dove—fast enough to blur—
but Ash's voice cut through sharply:
"Now! Slice the ground with your wings!"
Pidgeot tilted sideways and dragged a wing through the dirt, flinging sand into the air like a razor wave.
Some grains were blasted away by the electricity, but most slipped through gaps.
Sand hit Electabuzz's eyes.
The electric field collapsed.
"Now!"
Pidgeot slammed into Electabuzz and launched it into the air.
"Electabuzz! Don't stop—keep firing Thunderbolt!"
Electabuzz grit through the pain, releasing electricity at point-blank range.
"Hold it! Spin—then Hurricane! Throw it down!"
Pidgeot endured the shock, rotated at high speed, and wrapped itself in a raging cyclone.
Electabuzz spun with it—then fainted midair.
Pidgeot dove like a meteor wrapped in wind and lightning and smashed into the ground—
BOOM!
Smoke filled the field.
When it cleared, Pidgeot flapped free, scorched but standing.
Electabuzz lay motionless.
Electabuzz: unable to battle.
Gary recalled Electabuzz, expression tightening.
"Ash… you really are on a different level."
"But I didn't come unprepared."
He threw his next Poké Ball.
"Go—Jolteon!"
A spiky yellow Jolteon appeared, crackling with electricity.
Ash grimaced.
"Gary… stop kissing the Poké Ball every time. It's gross."
Gary's face stiffened.
"Mind your business! This is affection!"
Then, instantly:
"Thunderbolt!"
Jolteon fired a precise bolt toward Pidgeot.
"Quick Attack—dodge!"
Pidgeot spiraled through the air, slipping past the lightning.
Ash tried the sand tactic again—
but Gary was ready.
"Swift!"
Golden stars pierced through the sand cloud and struck Pidgeot, disrupting its timing.
"Now! Jump on it—Thunder!"
Jolteon leapt onto Pidgeot mid-motion.
A thunderbolt crashed down from the sky.
Pidgeot screamed in pain—
but Ash's voice didn't waver.
"Don't drop! Gain height—then throw it off!"
Pidgeot forced its wings open and surged upward, flipping Jolteon away.
"Hyper Beam!"
Pidgeot's mouth flashed gold.
"Thunderbolt!"
Jolteon fired back—
but Hyper Beam overwhelmed it and slammed Jolteon into the ground at full speed.
BOOM!
Jolteon lay in the crater, twitching once before going still.
Jolteon: unable to battle.
Ash's Pidgeot had taken down two Pokémon in a row.
And the finals… were only just beginning.
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