[Shimi: What the hell! How could Black World Ash's Blastoise cause a wave without doing anything?! And this wave seems to be directly controlled by him—compared to the one White World Ash's Blastoise made, this is way too smooth!]
[Misty: I can't understand it, I just can't! If I could learn that, wouldn't becoming a Water-type master be right around the corner?! Ash, quick! Learn it and teach me!]
[Ash: …I don't get it either! Who could understand that?!]
[Lorelei: I don't know if you remember, but when that Blastoise carried Black World Ash toward New Island, there were violent storms, lightning, and raging tides all around!]
[Lorelei: But around the Blastoise Black World Ash was riding, everything was calm and safe! Don't you think… that's a bit too coincidental?]
[Mewtwo: That Blastoise… possesses the ability to control surrounding water sources. The scope and volume aren't clear, but merely having that control is an immensely powerful trait.]
[Mewtwo: From the knowledge I've gathered traveling the world, it seems only Legendary Pokémon can command natural forces—or those aided by certain artifacts.]
[Mewtwo: Yet whether it's Black World Ash's Pikachu or his Blastoise, they are far from what you'd call Champion-level, much less Legendary-tier… and yet they've already touched this power.]
[Raihan: It's Aura! He's channeling Aura!]
[Cynthia: Yes, Aura power! Come to think of it, back at the Indigo Plateau Conference, when Charizard and Venusaur had their Mega Stones, Black World Ash basically turned himself into a human Mega Stone to help Blastoise train.]
[Cynthia: Blastoise's wave control today must be the result of that special training!]
[Professor Oak: This shows how impressive it was for that world's Gary to tie with Black World Ash's Blastoise!]
If it weren't for the terrain advantage, Black Gary's Blastoise might not have even hoped to trade one-for-one with Black World Ash's.
[Steven: Aura power is just too broken! Is there anything it can't do?!]
Fighting, exploring, temporary power-ups, healing, even working out… it's practically omnipotent!
[Wallace: Huh? Why's Steven piping up—did you find the Crystal Onix?]
[Steven: Don't even mention it! It's gone! The cave's completely empty!]
Steven stared into the vacant cavern, feeling hollow. Crystal Onix, where did you go?!
[Wallace: What's meant to be will be, what isn't won't~ Let it go, Steven.]
[Steven: No! From the moment I saw Crystal Onix, I knew it was my life's pursuit!]
[Diantha: Eh… I hope you're not the type to fall for every rare Pokémon you see.]
[Steven: Impossible! Nothing in the world could be more perfect than Crystal Onix! It's a masterpiece of the mineral world!]
Steven was certain no other Pokémon could compare. It was a pity he had no leads now. What a sigh.
...
In a Black World —
Ash had successfully earned his first badge—the Cherry Blossom Badge.
Cissy was coming to terms with the fact that there was always someone better.
She hadn't expected to lose, but losing to Ash at surfing, her specialty, was a real blow.
Before she could recover, Sabrina stepped up to challenge her.
"I don't have a Water-type. May I use a Psychic-type?"
"Hmm… Alright. But for the first target challenge, you can't directly move the disc or jar with your mind. You must use psychic energy to launch stones—knocking down the cans or breaking the disc counts."
"I know it might seem unfair, but the world isn't perfectly fair."
Cissy swore she wasn't picking on Sabrina; she was just reciting the standard rules.
But when Sabrina had her Alakazam levitate a three-meter-wide boulder for the challenge, Cissy's face fell.
Are you targeting me?!
That rock wouldn't just hit the cans—it'd put a hole in the Gym!
Ash managed to smooth things over, and Sabrina had Alakazam use Psychic to slice a few smaller stones from the boulder.
That moment made Cissy realize the icy beauty before her wasn't just for show. Ordinary psychic power couldn't lift something that heavy.
Cissy got serious.
For the first round, she still used Seadra. At her brother Ada's signal, the match began.
Less than a second later, it was over…
Cissy tilted her head, staring blankly at the innocent-looking Sabrina.
If I ever challenge a Psychic specialist again, I'm a dog!
Who knocks down all the cans with ten stones in one go?! No matter how fast Seadra was, it couldn't outpace that!
Cissy immediately canceled the surfing race. Racing a Psychic-type on waves? They could just float ahead of you!
So the second match became a straight one-on-one battle: Cissy's Blastoise vs. Sabrina's Alakazam.
In under three minutes, Cissy lost.
Sabrina's Alakazam completely overwhelmed Blastoise's attacks with sheer psychic force, deflecting every Water-type move.
Psychic-types were among the trickiest to face, and with Alakazam's strength superior, victory was nearly impossible…
Cissy handed over a second Cherry Blossom Badge.
Giving out two badges in one day was something she'd never imagined.
Today's challengers are monsters!
She glanced weakly at Misty and Tracey. "You two… you're not Gym Leader–level too, are you?"
Her demeanor was the polar opposite of her earlier confidence. Frankly, Cissy had been intimidated by the last two. They weren't ordinary Trainers—they felt even more oppressive than Drake, the Orange Islands' Head Trainer!
Misty and Tracey just smiled and waved. One was an observer, and the other only had two Pokémon, one barely battle-ready. A Gym battle wasn't for them.
...
[Cissy: That's terrifying! If that were me, I'd be traumatized!]
[Drake: That is you in the video.]
[Sabrina: How am I stronger there than I am now…?]
Sabrina frowned slightly. She had kept training after Ash left, but she still felt a gap compared to her Black World self.
Could it be… the power of love?
[Tracey: I feel bad for the Orange Island Gym Leaders after this.]
[Gary: Yeah, Black Sabrina's even more ruthless than Black World Ash! Black World Ash holds back a little—Black Sabrina goes all out! Look what she did to Miss Cissy.]
[Drake: I'm not gonna get hammered twice in another world, am I? We still don't know if Black Sabrina has other powerful Pokémon besides Alakazam and Hypno.]
If those two were her only strong Pokémon, Drake felt he could manage. But if she had a full team of that caliber… he might as well dig his own grave.
...
In a Black World —
Both Ash and Sabrina now held Cherry Blossom Badges. Their next destination was Navel Island.
The stretch between Navel and Shakan held many islands. After half a day's travel, the group of four reached Kumquat Island just before dusk.
The moment they stepped ashore, the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, the Togepi in Misty's arms, and the Jigglypuff Sabrina held all tensed up.
Ash's Pikachu struggled briefly before calming down, but Misty's Togepi and Sabrina's Jigglypuff contorted with rage and leaped from their arms!
"What's wrong, Pikachu?"
"Pika! Pikapi!"
"Someone's using hypnosis to control you?!"
Ash's expression darkened. Beside him, Sabrina's face turned stormy. She'd grown quite fond of Jigglypuff over their days together. Seeing it snarl at her now was unacceptable.
"Hmm—"
Blue light ignited around both Ash and Sabrina simultaneously.
Ash used his Aura to trace the hypnotic signal straight to its source. Sabrina's formidable psychic power reversed the hypnosis affecting Jigglypuff and Togepi.
When Togepi returned to normal, looking around in confusion, Misty rushed over and hugged it tightly. "You scared me to death, Togepi! I thought you were leaving me!"
"Thank you, Sabrina. Ash."
Ash steadied Misty as she tried to bow, forcing a slight smile. "Why so polite? Besides… the priority now is finding the jerk who tried to control our Pokémon."
His fists clenched with an audible crack. Whoever was behind this was about to learn what it meant to strike iron.
"H-help… help us, kid…"
A weak voice caught their attention. Ash looked toward the water to see Jessie and James of Team Rocket dragging themselves ashore, utterly bedraggled.
The group exchanged glances and asked what had happened.
Annoying as they were, these two had been following them for over half a year. Seeing them in such a state, Ash was curious who'd done it.
After hearing their story, everyone paused.
Their goals aligned perfectly.
Kumquat Island had been peaceful until a few days ago, when Pokémon began disobeying their Trainers. The Meowth of the Team Rocket trio had also been controlled!
Tracking Meowth led them to the culprits: Team Rocket's "pirate duo."
"Pirates… Cassidy and Butch?"
It took Ash a moment to recall the pair he'd met once before. Their motto was too similar to the trio's to forget.
"It's not 'Little Three'—it's 'Little White'!"
"I think it was 'Kogoro'…"
Ash: "…"
"Whatever. So they're using a radio-wave device from Golden Mandarin Island to control every released Pokémon on Kumquat Island, right?"
Jessie and James nodded frantically.
Click—
Ash snapped his fingers, gaze fixed in the direction he'd sensed. What a coincidence. Time to settle old scores.
...
[Butch: My name's Butch! Butch! Not 'Little Three' or 'Koshiro' or 'Kogoro'!]
[James: Shut it! You're the knockoffs here!]
[Cassidy: Who're you calling knockoffs?! You're the fakes!]
[Jessie: Facts don't lie. Compare our screen time in the livestream to yours—then you'll know who's original and who's pirated!]
[Cassidy: …]
Damn it! On that point, she really couldn't argue.
If Ash's group were the main protagonists, the Team Rocket trio were the secondary leads. Their screen time and popularity far outstripped Cassidy and Butch's…
[Lance: Well, if I had to choose, I still think the Rocket trio is cuter.]
[Cynthia: Hehe, they're charming villains, after all~ Though they'd be even cuter if they weren't villains!]
[Caitlin: Charming or not, they're still villains… Not that they've ever succeeded at anything~]
Team Rocket Trio: …
Please, stop. At this rate, Giovanni really will fire them.
...
In a Black World —
Ash's group brought Jessie and James to Cassidy and Butch's hideout. Jessie and James were stunned Ash could find the place without directions—just like he always saw through their disguises. They couldn't help feeling a newfound awe.
Awe aside, they still had to catch Pikachu. That was their lifelong mission, unchanging!
At the entrance, James and Jessie offered to act as bait to lure the duo out. Ash just patted their shoulders and motioned them back.
Then, under their terrified stares, Ash took a deep breath and kicked.
BOOM!!
The reinforced metal gate blasted inward.
James & Jessie: …
Hiss!!
What kind of person is he?!
All those times Pikachu electrocuted them… they were lucky it was Pikachu! If Ash had punched them instead, they wouldn't be standing here!
The noise alerted Cassidy and Butch. Checking the now-dark monitors, they rushed outside to find Ash, an old acquaintance, and the Rocket duo.
"You…! The kid and the girl from before! And you two! Jessie, James—betraying Team Rocket?!"
Jessie scowled. "Who's betraying anyone?! You stole our Pokémon first! Give back Weezing, Arbok, Victreebel, Lickitung, and Meowth!"
"Hmm—"
Before Cassidy could retort, a brilliant blue sphere of light coalesced in Ash's palm—an Aura Sphere.
"No need to chatter. We're here now."
He hurled the sphere straight at the distant Hypno and the massive hypnotic-wave generator.
BOOM!!!
The machine shattered instantly. Hypno was buried under the wreckage, unmoving.
"I didn't aim directly at Hypno. It's a Psychic-type—it'll live. Don't worry."
Ash addressed the petrified Rocket members.
Jessie, James, Butch, Cassidy: Who's worried about Hypno?! What the—?! Fire!
That world-obliterating sphere… could humans do that?!
Jessie and James fell into profound self-doubt.
If you enjoyed reading
Visit my p@treon for more chapters
Advance 80+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/Sagamaster789
If you really Enjoyed Reading. Give Power Stones and Reviews!