Chapter 17

It was 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 dreamed of seeing just once!

Steven: "Do you guys think Ash might even capture Ho-Oh?"

Wallace: "That would be the series finale right there. 'Me, Ash, invincible from the start.' Becoming the world's number one trainer right after leaving the starter village."

Diantha: "It's not that easy to take down Ho-Oh, right? Even if Mew is willing to help, it's not guaranteed they can take Ho-Oh."

Cynthia: "Dark Ash might be able to capture Ho-Oh, but definitely not now. With his pride, it's impossible for him to use Mew's power to capture Ho-Oh."

Cynthia still understood Ash; what she said was absolutely correct.

Although Mew was traveling with Ash, in reality, Mew was not Ash's Pokémon; its role was more like a traveling companion.

Ash's pride would never allow him to use Mew's power to capture Ho-Oh.

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

【"Come, let's make a promise. After I become stronger, come and have a Pokémon battle with me!" 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 wings, slowly floating into Ash's palm.】

【By holding the Rainbow Wing up to the sun, one could find it; it would be waiting for Ash's arrival at any time.】

【After delivering the token, Ho-Oh flapped its wings and disappeared 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 dull.】

【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 any trouble 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, meow, we're the protagonists!"

James: "Appear? How would we appear? 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 working as a nanny for the Boss."

Jessie, Meowth: "Oh, right."

Kalos Region, Vaniville Town.

Serena: "Yay, I'm in the lead; 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, what are you happy about? Even if there's a lead, it's the Serena of the black world who's leading. You're the one lagging behind."

Mother's words were too reasonable; Serena could only choose silence.

While the two were talking, the black screen gradually dimmed, and the screen with the white border slowly brightened.

The scene begins—

【Viridian Forest, Ash is confronting a Caterpie with a solemn expression.】

【"Take this, Caterpie."】

【Without even battling, Ash captured the Caterpie just by throwing a Poké Ball.】

【As Caterpie joined the team, Misty also joined the team using the excuse of making Ash pay for her bicycle.】

【Viridian Forest was simply a lucky place for Ash. After staying in the forest for just a few days, he captured a Pidgeotto. After successfully defeating the Samurai in the forest, the evolved Metapod evolved again into Butterfree. In less than a week, Caterpie completed two jumps in an instant.】

【The experience in Viridian Forest made Ash swell with pride. After 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 was going 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 that there's no chance; those who know, know Brock's strength."

Bruno: "To be steadily ranked in the top two easiest gyms to bully in Kanto, Brock definitely has some tricks up his sleeve."

Daisy: "Hahahaha, top two easiest gyms to bully, what kind of ranking is this? I'm dying of laughter."

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 Crouching Dragon met the Fledgling Phoenix, it was bound to be an earth-shattering battle.】

【This earth-shattering battle lasted for one minute and ended with Ash forfeiting.】

Roxanne: "Sure enough, facing the Rock/Ground dual-type Onix, that Pikachu had no way to deal with it."

Volkner: "Definitely. No matter how strong Pikachu is, it has no way to cause 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 Onix."

Bruno: "Sending out Pidgeotto and Butterfree is useless too; they aren't even in the same weight class. He should obediently go and capture a Fighting-type or Water-type Pokémon to have a chance at winning."

Gary: "Did Ash go to capture new Pokémon? Unlikely, that's not Ash's style."

Sure enough, Gary still understood Ash's style very well.

What does type advantage count for? As long as you're reckless enough, there's nothing you can't do.

【After a crushing defeat by Brock, Ash didn't go to capture new Pokémon, but instead, under the guidance of a mysterious uncle, he started special training for Pikachu.】

【Ash pedaled the water wheel used for training until it smoked, and Pikachu finally learned a new skill—Thunderbolt.】

Roxanne: "???????? So what's the use of this new skill?"

Let alone Thunderbolt, even Bolt Strike wouldn't work; Ground-types are immune to Electric-type skills. Doesn't Ash know that?

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

Roxanne: "..."

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

【In the rematch, Pikachu showed off its power, and Thunderbolt directly electrocuted Geodude.】

Roxanne: "What the hell?"

Pikachu's operation left Roxanne speechless. Why could an Electric-type Thunderbolt cause damage to a Ground-type Geodude?

Could it be that it wasn't Ash who hadn't memorized the type chart, but her?

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

Diantha: "I guess Brock's Geodude's level is too low, and Ash's Pikachu exploded in power during this battle."

Roxanne: "That's the only explanation."

【Taking down Geodude wasn't the end; Pikachu finally used the water sprinkler to electrocute Onix. If it weren't for Brock's younger siblings interfering with the battle, Ash would have really achieved two consecutive victories.】

【Although he didn't win, Ash's spirit still infected Brock, and Brock finally gave the Boulder Badge to Ash.】

【In a deep conversation with Ash, Brock also 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 uncle who helped Ash with special training revealed his true identity; he was Brock's father, Flint.】

【After apologizing to Brock, Flint took the 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, 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 to beat Brock? Brock is very strong!"

Brock: "Ahem."

Paul: "Heh. Learn from Dark Ash, look at how he beats Brock!"

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

During the conversation between the two brothers, Paul and Reggie, the screen with the white border gradually dimmed, and the screen with the black border gradually brightened.

【Viridian Forest.】

【At this moment, Ash is looking for a suitable target in the forest.】