Chapter 16

It was too unbearable; the Ho-Oh he had been longing for had actually stopped right in front of Ash.

That was the "goddess" he had only ever dared to dream of seeing even once!

Steven: "Do you think Ash might end up catching Ho-Oh too?"

Wallace: "That would be the series finale right there. 'I, Ash, am invincible from the start.' He’d become the world's number one Trainer right after leaving the starter village."

Diantha: "It’s not that easy to take down Ho-Oh, is it? Even if Mew were willing to help, it wouldn't necessarily guarantee a capture."

Cynthia: "Dark Ash might be capable of catching Ho-Oh, but definitely not right now. Given his pride, it’s impossible for him to rely on Mew’s power to capture Ho-Oh."

Cynthia still understood Ash; she was absolutely right.

Although Mew traveled with Ash, in reality, Mew was not Ash’s Pokémon; its role was more like that of a fellow traveler.

Ash’s pride would never allow him to borrow Mew’s power to catch Ho-Oh.

Of course Ash wanted to catch Ho-Oh, but he only wanted to do it fair and square.

["Come on, let's make a promise. Once I become stronger, let's have a Pokémon battle!" Ash had never been as serious as he was today.]

[An interesting fellow.]

[Ho-Oh smiled faintly.]

[Ho-Oh did not take Ash’s words as a child’s joke; it accepted Ash’s challenge.]

[A Rainbow Wing drifted down from Ho-Oh’s wing, slowly floating into Ash’s palm.]

[By holding the Rainbow Wing up to the sun, he would be able to find it; it would be waiting for Ash’s arrival at any time.]

[After delivering the token, Ho-Oh flapped its wings and vanished into the horizon.]

26: The Master of Type Disadvantage Makes His Debut, Pikachu Sweeps the Team!

[After waving goodbye to Ho-Oh, Ash’s journey became a bit mundane.]

[He didn't meet Misty fishing by the river; at this time, Misty was still "raising fish" at the Cerulean Gym.]

[He arrived at the Pokémon Center without a hitch and even had a peaceful night’s rest there.]

Jessie: "Wait, I can understand the little girl not appearing, but why didn't we appear?"

Meowth: "Yeah, yeah, Meowth, we’re the protagonists!"

James: "Appear? How? If I remember correctly, a year ago you and I were still street thugs, Jessie. As for Meowth, you hadn't been kicked out of the office by the Boss yet; you were still acting as a nanny for him."

Jessie, Meowth: "Oh, right."

Kalos Region, Vaniville Town.

Serena: "Yay, we're ahead! The Ash in the other world hasn't met Misty yet."

Grace: "They just haven't met yet. Maybe they'll still become partners in the end. Besides, why are you happy? Even if we're ahead, it's the Serena of the black world who's ahead. You’re the one lagging behind."

Her mother’s words were too logical; Serena could only choose to remain silent.

As the two talked, the black-bordered screen gradually dimmed, and the white-bordered screen slowly brightened.

The scene begins—

[Viridian Forest, Ash is staring solemnly at a Caterpie.]

["Take this, Caterpie!"]

[Without even battling, Ash caught the Caterpie simply by throwing a Poké Ball.]

[As Caterpie joined the team, Misty also joined, using the excuse that Ash needed to pay for her bicycle.]

[Viridian Forest was truly Ash’s lucky place. After staying in the forest for just a few days, he caught a Pidgeotto. After successfully defeating the Samurai in the forest, his evolved Metapod evolved again into Butterfree. In less than a week, Caterpie had completed two jumps.]

[The experience in Viridian Forest made Ash incredibly arrogant. Upon arriving in Pewter City, he directly challenged Brock of the Pewter Gym.]

Roxanne: "A Bug-type Butterfree, a Flying-type Pidgeotto, and an Electric-type Pikachu—how is this lineup supposed to challenge a Rock-type Gym?"

Upon learning that Ash intended to challenge the Pewter Gym with these three Pokémon, Roxanne was dumbfounded.

No matter how you looked at it, this lineup had no way to challenge a Rock-type Gym.

For a rookie Trainer to challenge a Rock-type Gym, they should at least bring a Water-type Pokémon.

Lance: "It’s not like there’s no chance. Everyone knows about Brock’s strength."

Bruno: "If he can firmly rank in the top two easiest Gyms in Kanto, Brock must have some tricks up his sleeve."

Daisy: "Hahahaha, top two easiest Gyms? What kind of ranking is that? It’s hilarious."

Misty: "Laughing? What’s so funny! The other one is you guys!!!"

[If Brock of the Pewter Gym was the 'Crouching Dragon,' then Ash, who had just become a rookie Trainer, was the 'Fledgling Phoenix.' When the Dragon met the Phoenix, it was bound to be an epic battle.]

[This epic battle lasted for one minute and ended with Ash forfeiting.]

Roxanne: "As expected, facing an Onix with both Rock and Ground types, that Pikachu had no way to win."

Volkner: "Definitely. No matter how strong Pikachu is, it can't deal damage to a Ground-type Pokémon."

Lorelei: "So why did Ash send out Pikachu? A Pikachu that only knows Quick Attack and Thundershock has no chance of defeating an Onix."

Bruno: "Sending out Pidgeotto and Butterfree was useless too; they aren't in the same weight class. He should have just gone to catch a Fighting-type or Water-type Pokémon if he wanted a chance to win."

Gary: "Did Ash go catch new Pokémon? Unlikely, that’s not Ash’s style."

Gary really understood Ash’s style well.

What did type effectiveness matter? As long as you were reckless enough, there was nothing you couldn't do.

[After a crushing defeat by Brock, Ash didn't go catch new Pokémon. Instead, under the guidance of a mysterious middle-aged man, he started special training for Pikachu.]

[Ash pedaled the water wheel until it started smoking, and Pikachu finally learned a new move—Thunderbolt.]

Roxanne: "??？？？？？ So what’s the use of this new move?"

Never mind Thunderbolt, even Bolt Strike wouldn't work; Ground types are immune to Electric-type moves. Did Ash not know that?

Misty: "Uh, Ash might really not know."

Roxanne: "..."

[Although his knowledge of the type chart was a mess, Ash was a man favored by the Goddess of Luck.]

[In the rematch, Pikachu showed off its power, and Thunderbolt directly scorched Geodude.]

Roxanne: "What the hell?"

Pikachu’s performance left Roxanne speechless. Why could an Electric-type Thunderbolt deal damage to a Ground-type Geodude?

Could it be that she was the one who hadn't memorized the type chart, not Ash?

Cynthia: "If the gap in strength between the two Pokémon is too large, Electric-type moves can deal damage to Ground-type Pokémon."

Diantha: "I guess Brock’s Geodude was too low-level, and Ash’s Pikachu was over-performing in this battle."

Roxanne: "That’s the only explanation."

[Taking down Geodude wasn't the end. Finally, with the help of the water sprinkler, Pikachu electrocuted Onix. If it weren't for Brock’s younger siblings interfering, Ash would have actually won two in a row.]

[Although he didn't win, Ash’s spirit still moved Brock, and Brock eventually gave the Boulder Badge to Ash.]

[During an in-depth conversation with Ash, Brock talked about his dream. Rather than being a Gym Leader, he wanted to be a Breeder, but his father’s departure left him unable to pursue his dream.]

[At this moment, the middle-aged man who helped Ash train revealed his true identity: he was Brock’s father, Flint.]

[After apologizing to Brock, Flint took responsibility and became the Gym Leader again, and Brock was finally able to pursue his dream.]

[Brock joins the team.]

(Flowers, reviews, monthly tickets, please, please, please, there's more today.)

27: Dark Ash is even crazier than Ash, the egg is about to hatch

Paul: "Struggling so much just to beat Brock? Is this the strength of the Ash from our world?"

Ash: "What do you mean struggling? Brock is very strong!"

Brock: "Ahem."

Paul: "Heh. You should learn from Dark Ash and see how he handles Brock!"

Reggie: "Dark Ash might not have a chance to fight Brock; a year ago, the Pewter Gym Leader was still Mr. Flint."

During the conversation between the brothers Paul and Reggie, the white-bordered screen gradually dimmed, and the black-bordered screen slowly brightened.

[Viridian Forest.]

[At this moment, Ash is searching for a suitable target in the forest.]