[Professor Oak: Black World Ash really did take the Crystal Onix!]
[Steven: Abominable! Envious! I'm so envious!!]
[Lance: How to put it… Both Ashs want to befriend all kinds of Pokémon, and Black World Ash is more driven to improve, but the current situation is that Black World Ash has more Pokémon than White World Ash.]
[Reily: I think it's their abilities and mindsets. Some Pokémon that White World Ash could obviously catch… he just doesn't!]
[Misty: That idiot just lacks confidence!]
[Misty: There were so many chances to catch Pokémon, but in the end, he thinks they might be better off in the wild and just lets them go.]
[Brock: For our Ash, that approach might not be wrong. He doesn't like constantly rotating his team; he prefers to build deep bonds.]
[Brock: But Black World Ash is different. Every Pokémon he catches gets balanced training time, with some focus, of course… Still, it's much more involved than White World Ash barely rotating his team at all!]
Kalos Region —
Serena held a notebook, jotting down what Misty and Brock said.
If Ash was watching to learn from Black World Ash, her goal was to learn more about her Ash from everyone!
Because… this was her world. He was the one she liked.
Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh Region —
A young girl sat on a sofa with her mother, watching the stream and comments.
A flicker of curiosity shone in her eyes.
Two people who loved Pokémon, yet so different because of their thinking.
Ash… what kind of person was he?
Was Black World Ash the real Ash, or was White World Ash the real one?
Or perhaps… they each had a bit of the other inside?
She didn't understand… but she was curious!
...
In a Black World —
After catching the Crystal Onix, Ash returned with Mr. Glass to the workshop on Kumquat Island.
They had arrived light, but left with a small army of Pokémon!
Ash had released his entire team to help collect crystals from the cave.
In the end, they gathered about eighty percent, leaving twenty to ensure the cavern's integrity.
As the saying goes, leave room for tomorrow. These were natural gifts; they shouldn't take everything.
Keep the roots so it can regrow—though Ash wasn't sure how crystals grew…
Back at the workshop, Mr. Glass successfully created a lifelike glass sculpture of a Charmeleon—the very one that had helped craft it!
With the Crystal Onix caught and the glass masterpiece complete, their business on the island was done. It was time for Navel Island.
But Ash chose to stay on Kumquat Island for one more week!
During that week, he had Professor Oak teleport over some Pokémon from the lab, taking them out on day trips around the island.
But… besides daily outings with his Pokémon, Sabrina, and Misty, Ash often stayed out late at night.
The group was staying at the Pokémon Center on Kumquat Island. Tracey had his own room; Ash, Misty, and Sabrina shared another (with bunk beds—get your mind out of the gutter).
But Ash's nightly disappearances had nothing to do with the room.
The girls didn't know where he went. He'd return near midnight, quiet but not quiet enough to evade Sabrina's senses.
They were curious… Where was he going? Some shady place on Kumquat Island?
But that didn't seem right! Ash wasn't that kind of person.
Even if he were a pervert like Brock… he didn't need to look outside, did he?
Was Misty not cute enough? Was Sabrina not striking enough?
Why seek out some random stranger?
On the seventh day, as Ash declared they'd had enough fun and should move on, Sabrina and Misty finally confronted him.
"Ash, where have you been going at night?"
"Yeah! Coming back near midnight every day… if you're having trouble, you can tell us! We can help!"
Tracey, overhearing, looked puzzled. Ash had been sneaking out? Kumquat Island didn't seem like that kind of place…
Ash scratched his head, embarrassed, then pulled two sparkling objects from his backpack.
"I was going to tell you tonight, but since you asked…"
"Here. Gifts for you."
The girls looked at his hands. They were crystals from the cave—but carved into perfect likenesses of themselves!
On the left was Misty in her tank top and shorts; on the right, Sabrina in the dress and stockings she wore when Ash first met her.
Both statues were exquisitely detailed, as if the girls themselves were dancing on Ash's palms.
"This… This is…"
Misty and Sabrina covered their mouths in disbelief.
"Heh, my study project this past week! Pretty cool, huh?"
"Using Aura, I found I've got a knack for carving!"
"I sold most of the crystals we dug up, but saved some to make these…"
"I practiced on glass first, then used Aura to steady my tools for the crystal. You should've seen Mr. Glass! He looked like he'd seen a ghost, asking how I carved such fine details into hard crystal. I told him it was a talent thing!"
Ash stood proudly, hands on his hips.
Misty and Sabrina gently took the sculptures. The crystal artworks gleamed in the sunlight.
Perfect was the only word. No wonder Mr. Glass was stunned. Carving crystal was outrageous enough; mastering it in a week and creating such lifelike portraits… it was otherworldly!
"Ash, did Mr. Glass actually kneel for you?"
Tracey asked, eyeing the sculptures with envy.
"Ah… not literally."
Ash recalled last night. After seeing the four sculptures… yeah, it was close. The man nearly called him master.
All he could say was… Aura's applications were broad! For detailed work requiring steady hands and sharp eyes, Aura was basically a cheat code.
Misty and Sabrina couldn't stop admiring their gifts. Being solid crystal, they were durable enough for a pocket or backpack.
"Tracey, this one's for you."
Ash pulled a smaller crystal sculpture from his backpack and tossed it over.
Tracey caught it—a Marill!
"Ash, you…"
He hadn't expected a gift too. What a bro! Not one to forget his friends!
(Of course, a Marill sculpture was much simpler than a human one.)
Ash then pulled out another sculpture for the Pikachu on his shoulder—a Pikachu figurine!
Pikachu held it happily, beaming.
...
[Lance: Holy cow, this is next-level emotional intelligence! Note taken!]
[Bruno: What, our world's undefeatable Dragon Master is taking notes?]
[Lance: If I'd known tricks like this, I wouldn't be single today!]
[Cynthia: Oh? But do you have a way to carve crystal? Can you learn it in a week? Do you have that sculpting talent?]
[Lance: …]
Point taken! Straight through the heart!
Think about it: Black World Ash's method required either insane sculpting talent or Aura precision. Mr. Glass, after years of work, only achieved top-tier glasscraft after being inspired by Crystal Onix—and he was considered highly gifted.
Then there's Black World Ash…
Speechless.
No wonder Mr. Glass almost knelt. Who wouldn't?!
It's like training for ten years to become a top-tier Champion, only to see someone become Champion in one year and then beat you. You'd kneel too.
[Sabrina: Who wouldn't be captivated seeing this?! No wonder my other self is so taken.]
[Misty: Yeah! If our Ash had half that emotional intelligence…]
[Gary: He'd probably have a harem already, right?]
[Selina: Eh… 'Harem' is a bit much. Tell me when it's my scene!]
[Diantha: Wouldn't Ash need to travel to Kalos for you to appear?]
[Serena: N-no way… would he?]
Travel to Kalos? When would that be? After the Silver Conference?
[Ash: I think the other me might've forgotten about Serena. If she hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't remember either.]
[Serena: Hey! Ash! That's mean!]
[Lillie: Shame on you!! You have to be considerable of a girl's heart, Ash!]
[Ash: Huh? Oh… sorry, didn't mean it like that.]
[Serena: It's fine. It's Ash, after all. It's understandable.]
[Ash: …]
Even though Serena forgave him, her words felt a little pointed…
...
In a Black World —
Misty and Sabrina reluctantly tucked their crystal sculptures into their backpacks, their joy overflowing.
"I'm sorry, Ash. We didn't realize you were out there making these for us…"
"Yeah, we even thought you were out…"
Ash: ?
"Out what? Looking for a battle? Where would you even battle at night?!"
The girls glanced at each other and smiled. Ash was still Ash.
Then they both stepped close, leaned in, and planted soft kisses on his cheeks.
"This is your reward!" x2
"Wh-wha—?!"
Even Ash's steady heart fluttered. His cheeks burned red.
"You… you two…"
"Hehe, a blushing Ash is pretty cute too~"
"C'mon, let's head to the next island!"
With that, Misty and Sabrina each took one of Ash's arms and led him toward the beach. (Their other hands held Togepi and Jigglypuff.)
Tracey covered his eyes—but left a big gap between his fingers.
"Shouldn't look, shouldn't look…"
"Ah, youth! So vibrant… Not that I'm old."
Muttering, he hurried after them.
...
[Caitlin: Ooooh! Kissed!]
[Sabrina: How bold…]
[Misty: This… this is too forward!]
[Cynthia: Bold and direct—and effective! Look at Black World Ash, red as a Magikarp! Hehe~]
[Ash: So weak! I didn't blush when I got kissed!]
[Misty: You don't get it!! You probably didn't even take those kisses seriously!]
[Ash: It was two! Two times! Latias kissed me!]
[Caitlin: Hmm?! Tell me about Latias kissing you! I want details!]
[Altomare: When did Latias kiss you?]
[Ash: Yeah! She was disguised as you, but I could tell from the feeling it was Latias!]
[Altomare: !!]
In Altomare —
The girl stared in shock at Latias, who was swinging nearby in her form.
You little—!
You actually impersonated me to kiss Ash?!
Have some decency!
…Wait, she's not human.
Latias tilted her head, confused by the girl's flustered glare.
[Lance: Incredible! I thought only Black World Ash had luck with romance, but White World Ash has his share too!]
[Caitlin: Even more exciting—one of them is a Pokémon! Tell us about Latias! I want to hear!]
[Cynthia: Okay, Caitlin, reel in the fangirl vibes… But I am curious too. Two kisses, Ash—no reaction? No blush, no heartbeat?]
[Ash: Uh… my heart raced, but I didn't blush.]
Whether it was Melody or when Latias kissed him, his heart had pounded. He'd even been stunned.
But not to the point of blushing.
Though… remembering the time Misty kissed him, he felt his face warm up involuntarily.
Huh?
What was that about…
Misty, next to Ash, didn't notice his distraction, still typing.
[Misty: This guy's a block of wood! It's a miracle his heart even sped up—no way he'd blush!]
[Cynthia: Not necessarily~ With Black World Ash as an example, maybe our Ash is realizing something. Misty, why not test it with a kiss?]
[Misty: Wh-who wants to kiss Ash! Don't joke around!!!]
[Caitlin: Ahem, tsunderes aren't the way~]
[Misty: …]
Even if she weren't tsundere, she couldn't just kiss Ash! What about her dignity?!
She might act tough, but deep down, she was a shy girl! (Believe it!)
Ash read the chat, the warmth on his face growing.
What was going on… Was he sick?
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