[Olivia: He just left home and already caught all three Starters… Should I say Ash is lucky, or just lucky?]
[Lance: Forget everything else—for a rookie trainer to encounter and capture all three Starters right after setting out, that's already the stuff of legend!]
[Diantha: Has anyone noticed that behind Ash catching all three Starters, there's always a certain trio secretly helping him?]
[Steven: Hahaha, Diantha, you mean Team Rocket, right? They say they're after Pikachu and trying to cause trouble, but somehow their bad intentions always turn into good results.]
[Brock: Tsk~ Mr. Steven and Miss Diantha are right! Team Rocket's always interfering, even trying to steal our Pokémon, but they've never actually succeeded—and somehow they've even helped us a few times.]
[Misty: Wait… are you saying those three might actually be helping us, but pretend to be Team Rocket because they're too embarrassed to admit it?]
[Jessie: Hey! Watch your mouth, little girl! We are the real Team Rocket trio!]
[James: Exactly! Before we met you guys, we were feared across Viridian City—no, the entire Kanto Region! It's only after meeting you that we…]
…turned into comedy acts.
James swallowed the last part of that sentence.
But after hearing everyone's comments, he couldn't help but feel something was off.
Yeah! They used to be elite operatives of Team Rocket, feared wherever they went.
Yet ever since they decided to chase that kid's Pikachu,
they hadn't succeeded at a single evil deed—
and with every failure, their ranks dropped lower and lower…
By now, they were basically "rookie members" of Team Rocket.
Rookie members with one very special privilege—they could contact Giovanni directly.
At that moment—
Inside Team Rocket Headquarters, Giovanni sat grim-faced in the operations meeting room, surrounded by his most elite subordinates.
The instant the mysterious light screen appeared, Giovanni had summoned all his top brass—
the Four Rocket Commanders, several scientists, and his personal secretary—
all gathered to discuss the sudden appearance of the black-and-white live broadcast.
At first, the scenes on the white screen made everyone chuckle… but also stirred a faint sense of unease.
That reckless-looking kid really did have the makings of a legend.
However—when the images on the black screen appeared,
the room fell silent.
Everyone's warning instincts screamed, and yet… they also felt a strange relief.
Thankfully, this "Black World Ash" didn't exist in their world.
Otherwise, given his growth rate, it wouldn't take him more than a few years to reach the top—
and at that point, Black World Ash would become the greatest enemy of all villainous teams!
An opponent who was physically trained to the peak and had incredibly strong Pokémon…
Even Team Rocket—no, all the villainous organizations—wouldn't know how to handle him!
Now, as the champions in the chat began discussing Team Rocket—specifically, that trio—
Giovanni's expression stiffened.
Those three might be low-ranked rookies now, but to him, they were anything but ordinary.
James came from one of Team Rocket's main financial backers.
Meowth was a once-in-a-century talking Pokémon.
And Jessie's mother… had been his mother's closest friend—
she even sacrificed herself for Team Rocket's Mew Project.
That's why, despite countless failures, those three were still allowed to stay—
and even retain direct contact with Giovanni himself.
So when he saw their foolish comments flying across the live chat,
how could Giovanni not be on edge?
He still hadn't revealed his identity as the true leader of Team Rocket.
If those three idiots slipped up and said something…
"Send down my orders. Liquidate all businesses under my name—cash them out and transfer everything to Team Rocket accounts. I don't care if we take a loss."
As the former Viridian Gym Leader, Giovanni had plenty of assets—
including the Celadon City Game Corner, among others.
But now that his identity risked being exposed,
he had to move fast and secure everything under Team Rocket's control!
"Yes, sir!"
——
Meanwhile, in the world of the white screen,
Ash and his friends had arrived at a lighthouse,
where they encountered an enormous, mysterious Pokémon!
Ash himself had no idea what it was,
but those watching immediately recognized the massive silhouette—
a Dragonite!
However, Ash's group didn't interact much with it before parting ways.
Soon after, they reached their third Gym—the Vermilion Gym!
The screen dimmed slowly.
[Bruno: That huge shadow—wasn't that a Dragonite?]
[Lance: Definitely! I'd know a Dragonite anywhere, even if it turned to dust!]
[Diantha: If it turned to dust, I don't think you'd recognize it…]
[Professor Oak: Such a gigantic specimen… Could it be an ancient Pokémon?]
[Leon: Or maybe a Gigantamax form?]
[Raihan: It really does look like Gigantamaxing, but there shouldn't be any Dynamax zones in Kanto.]
[Bill: Huh? Gigantamax? Ancient Pokémon? Wait—that was a Dragonite?! I'm still here at Bill's Lighthouse waiting for it to return!]
[Professor Oak: Ancient Pokémon are creatures from ancient times—massive in size. Gigantamaxing, on the other hand, is a phenomenon unique to the Galar Region, where Pokémon temporarily grow huge by using G-Max energy.]
[Professor Oak: But let's save that discussion for later—the story of Black World Ash is about to begin.]
The white screen faded to gray, and the black screen lit up once more.
Now it was Black World Ash's turn.
——
In the black screen world—
Ash had formed his trio and was heading toward Cerulean Gym.
Even on the road, his training never stopped—he was literally using hand grips as he walked.
Pidgeotto and Butterfree were released to practice flight speed above them.
And when Ash learned that Brock was a Breeder,
he humbly asked to study Breeder skills from him!
Cooking, Pokémon food composition, massages—he was learning it all.
Watching Ash read a Breeder's Handbook by the campfire in Mt. Moon Cave, Brock fell silent for a moment.
Then he turned to Misty and asked,
"Is he always like this?"
Meaning: always this eager to learn?
Misty's mouth twitched.
"Eager isn't quite the word… Ash is just too driven. Back in Viridian Forest, he never missed a single chance to train."
"I thought he was already going all-out then—but apparently, that wasn't even his limit. Now he's learning Breeder techniques too! What's next? Is he trying to become an all-around Trainer?"
Ash proved it with his actions:
There's no such thing as 'the most driven'—only 'more driven'!
When Brock finally asked why Ash wanted to learn breeding skills,
Ash replied without hesitation:
"The more skills I have, the better! But most importantly… Brock, you're reliable and always help me take care of my Pokémon, but… they're still my family! I want to be able to raise them myself!"
"Besides, you can't travel with me forever, right? What if someday you're not around? Should I just let my Pokémon go hungry—or feed them poorly made rations?"
Brock froze for a moment, then understood.
Ash wasn't just a workaholic—he had purpose behind his drive.
Rather than saying he wanted to learn everything,
it was more accurate to say Ash was thoroughly thoughtful.
He had barely joined up,
and he was already thinking about the day Brock might leave the group.
Truly… what a cautious kid.
——
If you Enjoyed Reading
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 30+ Chapters Available
https://www.patreon.com/c/sagamaster789
Thanks for your support!