Back to the Projection
Ash was completely stunned by what he'd just seen.
He rushed forward immediately and lifted Charmander out of the puddle.
That single kick—
Had made Charmander's already weak condition even worse.
And yet—
Even now, Charmander looked at that boy with confused, searching eyes.
"You…"
Ash's voice trembled with anger.
"Are you Charmander's Trainer?!"
"Huh?"
The boy sneered.
"What do you want?"
"Answer me!"
Ash's eyes burned.
The rain continued to fall.
Charmander trembled weakly in his arms.
And behind the boy—
Lycanroc bared its fangs, red eyes gleaming with menace.
Seeing the ferocious look on Ash's still-youthful face—
Even the punk-haired boy couldn't help but take a step back.
But the next second, he realized what he'd done.
His face twisted with embarrassment and anger.
He had just been intimidated… by a brat?
Recovering himself, he sneered coldly at Ash.
"I was its Trainer. That's true."
"Was…?"
A bad feeling rose in Ash's chest.
"Yeah. Was."
The boy laughed mockingly.
"Later on, I realized this thing was too weak, so I ditched it."
"Charmanders like this are everywhere. You can find as many as you want on the street."
"And after I abandoned it, this idiot still followed me around shamelessly."
"So I told it, 'Wait here for me.'"
"Who would've thought it'd actually wait here like an idiot?"
Ash froze.
Molly exploded in rage.
"You bastard! Don't you know that if you tell a Pokémon you've caught to 'wait here,' they'll wait until they die?! Do you have any humanity at all?!"
"So what?"
The boy shrugged indifferently.
"Weak things don't deserve to be my Pokémon."
[Live Commentary]
[Lance]: Damn it! This guy is just as disgusting as that trash named Damian!
[Diantha]: Worse. I find this one even more unbearable.
[Volkner]: Damian was all talk with no strength. This one's different—look at the Pokémon behind him. That Lycanroc is no joke.
[Leon]: No matter how strong a Trainer is, no matter how powerful their Pokémon are—abandoning a Pokémon is never justified.
[Cynthia]: Agreed. Someone like this doesn't deserve to be called a Trainer.
Even the Champions and Elite Four were openly disgusted.
Yes—this boy was stronger than Damian in this world.
But so what?
Strength was never an excuse to abandon a Pokémon.
If this were their world—
His fate would be exactly the same as Damian's.
Rotting in prison.
Back to the Projection
Ash's anger finally erupted.
He grabbed the boy's backpack as he tried to walk away.
"You bastard!! How can you do something so cruel to a Pokémon?!"
The boy spun around furiously, flinging Ash's hand away!
At the same time—
Lycanroc's eyes sharpened.
With a violent swing of its head, it charged Ash, the sharp stone atop its mane aimed straight at him!
Instinctively—
Ash reached out with one hand.
And caught it.
He seized the stone mid-charge.
His body slid back only a single step.
Molly: !!!
The punk boy: ???
Lycanroc: ???
What the hell was that strength?!
Even a casual charge from Lycanroc wasn't something a human should be able to stop!
The audience, however, was already numb to this.
Basic operations, understood?
Just basic operations.
Ash casually shoved Lycanroc aside and continued staring straight at the boy.
Meanwhile, Molly quietly cradled Charmander, shielding it from the rain as best she could.
The boy forcefully suppressed his shock and said arrogantly,
"This world is ruled by strength! Winners are kings!"
"My goal is to become the strongest Trainer in the world!"
"Failure means elimination! That's why I don't need weak Pokémon like that Charmander—understand?!"
Molly snapped back immediately.
"Isn't it a Trainer's responsibility to make their Pokémon stronger?! If weak Pokémon are just abandoned, this world would've fallen into chaos long ago!"
"Oh?"
The boy sneered.
"And what's your brilliant suggestion?"
"What?"
"I'm asking—since you talk so nicely, what method do you have to make Pokémon stronger? Don't tell me just running your mouth does the trick. That's hilarious."
Laughing arrogantly, he turned to leave.
Then—
Ash spoke.
"Become friends."
"…Huh?"
"Become friends with your Pokémon!"
Ash said firmly.
"Train together! Play together! Grow together!"
"That's the secret to becoming strong!"
"…Pathetic."
The boy scoffed.
"Listen carefully. I'm going to be the strongest Trainer in the world."
"My name is Cross."
"Trash like you who rely on 'friendship' will never catch up to me."
With that, Cross turned and walked away, unwilling to waste another second.
To him, thinking about improving his Pokémon was far more important than arguing.
"Hey—stop!"
"Char…"
Charmander slipped from Molly's arms and stumbled after Cross.
But its strength was already gone.
It couldn't keep going.
Splash.
Charmander collapsed into a puddle.
The flame on its tail—
barely visible.
"Ash, forget him! We have to get Charmander treated now!"
"…Right!"
Ash clenched his teeth.
He stopped looking at Cross.
Scooping Charmander into his arms, he wrapped it in his clothes and began sprinting through the pouring rain.
At this moment—
Just like that moment.
Once before, Ash had run through the rain like this, carrying Charmander in his arms.
Different world.
Same destiny.
Ash and Charmander—
Were bound together once more.
[Commentary Continues]
[Lance]: Even without companions to rely on, Ash is still Ash.
[Diantha]: Who says he has no companions? Pikachu is right there.
[Lance]: …?
[Alder]: And look at that girl. She might end up traveling with Ash, too.
[Cynthia]: Quite possible. After seeing that performance, it'd be hard not to fall for him.
Misty: Danger detected.
Why does every divergent timeline spawn another tomboy Water-type girl?!
And she even uses Water Pokémon?!
Misty could feel the will of the heavens mocking her.
Inside the Cave
After running for who knew how long, Ash and Molly finally found a cave.
They rushed inside to escape the rain.
Pikachu and Piplup shook themselves violently, flinging water everywhere.
Fur and feathers hated getting soaked.
But to their surprise—
They weren't the first ones there.
A fire was already burning inside.
Someone sat calmly by it, eating.
Looking closer—
Wasn't that the green-haired boy with Lucario?
The one named Sōji, who had challenged Entei earlier?
Seeing Charmander in Ash's arms, Sōji's expression changed instantly.
He rushed over and began scolding Ash—
Until Molly hurriedly explained everything.
Only then did Sōji realize—
Charmander had been abandoned.
After a flurry of activity, Sōji prepared medicine and fed it to Charmander, stabilizing its condition.
Inside the cave, a single flame warmed the three of them.
The tension from earlier encounters faded.
After Sōji and Molly introduced themselves and explained their goals—
Ash spoke as well.
"…I want to become a Pokémon Master."
"…The strongest Trainer in the world?" Sōji asked.
"Nope!"
Ash grinned.
"It's something even greater than that!"
"…What kind of answer is that?"
Molly laughed.
"I don't get it at all!"
The three laughed together.
Then—
A sound echoed from the cave entrance.
A majestic, four-legged Pokémon stepped inside.
Behind it followed many others.
"Entei…?"
Ash whispered.
It was indeed Entei.
Even a Legendary didn't want to remain in such brutal weather.
Entei glanced at the three once—
Then found a place to rest.
Sōji, aspiring Pokémon researcher, pulled out a tablet-like device and displayed images.
"According to legend, Entei was revived by Ho-Oh."
"Not just Entei—Suicune and Raikou as well."
"In ancient times, people worshipped the gods and built towers in their honor. Ho-Oh resided in Bell Tower, watching over harmony between humans and Pokémon."
"Then, around three hundred years ago, humans sought to seize its power."
"Enraged, Ho-Oh burned the tower and left humanity."
"Three Pokémon perished in the flames."
"Ho-Oh revived them with divine power."
"They became Suicune, Entei, and Raikou."
"They were sent into the world to judge whether humans and Pokémon could truly coexist."
"When that day comes—Ho-Oh will return."
[Reactions]
[Morty]: He knows the legend well… a true admirer of Ho-Oh.
[Lance]: If Ash met Ho-Oh and even received its feather—doesn't that mean Ho-Oh is ready to forgive humanity?
[Professor Oak]: Very possible. Don't forget—the title is Rainbow Hero. The key may lie with Ash.
[Cynthia]: Even Ho-Oh was drawn to Ash's pure heart… Truly, only Ash.
For centuries—
Ho-Oh had vanished from human sight.
And yet—
It appeared for Ash.
Once again proving—
Just how special he truly was.
Author's Note:
The legend used here is based on folklore. In the movie canon, Ho-Oh disappeared for about 150 years, and Bell Tower was destroyed by lightning rather than by Ho-Oh directly.
I chose the folk version because it provides a better explanation for why Ho-Oh rarely appears before humans.
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