In the real world, because Black Ash had captured Zapdos, the live chat's focus shifted from teasing Groudon back to persecuting the Thunder God!
[Volkner]: Holy moly, this is the Thunder God? That's it? Just this?
[Zapdos]: You punk! Come out here and say that! I'll show you what the real Thunder God is!
[Volkner]: Ahem, I'm not targeting the Thunder God from the Orange Islands. I'm targeting the one in the video. To be honest… I could do that too!
Although Volkner was a Gym Leader, his strength wasn't far behind Flint, Sinnoh's strongest Elite Four member. At full power, he should be at the peak Elite Four level. The Zapdos in the image was only mid-Elite Four level. If it were his opponent… he really might not lose!
[Zapdos]: Oho! Bullying the weak and fearing the strong! There are actually such shameless humans!
[Volkner]: Hehehehe! Watch your words! I'm the Electric-type Gym Leader with Elite Four–level strength. In terms of electrical mastery, I am indeed stronger than that Zapdos in the video!
[Volkner]: So, there's nothing wrong with me mocking that Zapdos, right?
An Elite Four member or Champion wasn't incapable of defeating a Legendary. Many second-tier Legendaries that hadn't fully grown were no match for Elite Four members. Even fully grown second-tier Legendaries would have a hard time against a Champion. Only second-tier Legendaries with divine authority or those approaching first-tier status were difficult for Champions to handle—even overwhelming. So, there really was nothing wrong with Volkner mocking a mid-Elite Four–level Zapdos… It just made the Thunder God, Zapdos, look a bit bad. But… Volkner was far away in Sinnoh, and the Thunder God Zapdos didn't know which city he was in. Even if it wanted to come teach him a lesson, it would be difficult. Unless it could really come through the internet cable…
[Zapdos]: Alright, alright! You remember this!
[Volkner]: If you're not convinced, come and get me!
[Flint]:Hiss~ I never realized you were so cheeky, Volkner!
[Volkner]: Let me tell you, the main reason is I've been spoiled by this live chat. There are too many different kinds of people here; you accidentally pick up their bad habits.
[Cynthia]: You really are something… But speaking of which, Black Ash has already caught two of the Legendary Birds. If he catches Moltres… he'll have collected all three!
[Professor Oak]: The three Legendary Birds… I don't know if the other world is lucky or unlucky.
It was fortunate that all three Legendary Birds would come to his research institute in the other world. For a Pokémon researcher, was there anything more joyful than observing Legendary Pokémon up close? But unfortunately… the people in that world were facing a life-and-death crisis. Five years… only five years! Could Black Ash really turn the tide?
[Ash]: Well~ just take it one day at a time! No need to think so much about what comes next. Leave tomorrow's problems for tomorrow's us. Right now… we just need to enjoy all this!
[Ash]: The me in another world… will always find a way, right?
Ash's attempt at enlightenment didn't lighten the mood but made people feel heavier. Didn't he mean… you just have fun, and let the other Ash figure it out?! This sounded a bit like empty words, but if you thought about what White Ash had done, you'd realize… Black Ash's thinking was probably the same as his. They were both the type to shoulder everything themselves! It was true! In the White World, he had also experienced more than one world crisis. At the same time, White Ash had his life threatened more than once! Even so, he remained optimistic and would stand up immediately when danger arose. This was Ash! No matter which world… it was the same!
[Cynthia]: This kid Ash… sometimes really doesn't seem like a ten-year-old boy. Other times, he has a childish side. But no matter what, he's truly a remarkable kid.
[Professor Oak]: Haha, that's just how he is. Even though this kid is a bit scatterbrained, he really steps up when it counts. To sum it up in one sentence…
[Professor Oak]: The more relaxed the atmosphere, the sillier he gets; but the more dangerous the situation, the more reliable he becomes! That's Ash's most essential nature.
[Ash]: Hey, hey, hey! Professor Oak, how rude! What do you mean 'the more relaxed, the sillier'?!
Ash muttered discontentedly, but he also knew Professor Oak was praising him, just in a slightly different way.
In a Black World —
After Ash captured Zapdos, he walked over and picked up the Poké Ball. At the same time, Lorelei gently clapped her fair, jade-like hands in congratulations.
"Congratulations, Ash. You now have two of the Legendary Birds. You're just one short of collecting all three."
Ash smiled, operating his Pokédex to send back Zapdos's Poké Ball as he replied to Lorelei. "I was just lucky to catch two Legendary Birds. I don't dare ask for more than that. And… rather than catching new Legendaries, I want to train them to the point where they can rival the leaders of their clans! It's just that they don't need my training right now, haha~"
As mentioned before, even if these Legendary Pokémon aren't deliberately trained, they slowly improve their strength in the right environment and on the right occasions. Training is more of an auxiliary function, allowing them to grow a bit faster. But… not all Legendaries could grow to second-tier status, let alone bridge the gap between second-tier Legendaries! What Ash had to do was help them break through their bottlenecks when they encountered them! Never mind whether they could become the invincible, divine-authority versions of the Legendary Birds; Ash had to at least train the two Legendary Birds in his possession to be the strongest aside from those divine-authority birds! Otherwise, he'd be too embarrassed to have them as his Pokémon…
Hearing Ash's thoughts, Lorelei was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Ash's vision to be so far-reaching. Most people would probably be complacent after catching Legendary Birds, even thinking about how to show off. But Ash… after catching them, was still thinking about how to improve them. This might be one reason why the Legendary Birds, and even Lugia, recognized him…
"That's an excellent goal. I believe you can do it, Ash. I'm quite looking forward to the day you can train Articuno to the point where it can battle me."
The current Zapdos was only mid-Elite Four level. Ash's Pikachu could defeat it in two moves using Electric-type attacks! If it were her turn… it might be even worse. Of course, if Zapdos wanted to flee, Lorelei might not be able to stop it—after all, everyone knew about Legendaries' escape abilities… And Lorelei's hope was… to one day have a fair battle with Articuno! Zapdos? Not interested!
"Yes, I believe that day won't be too far off!" Actually, Ash was more inclined to use Articuno to battle Lorelei in the upcoming Elite Four Exhibition Match. But… in that match, no matter how fast Articuno improved, it wouldn't reach Champion-level. And the Elite Four Exhibition Match would be broadcast live across all regions, even internationally! By then, most people in the world would probably know he had Articuno, leading to countless troubles. Although Ash wasn't afraid, it would still be a hassle… so he had to give up on that idea.
After capturing Zapdos, Ash and the others also bid farewell to Lorelei. Lorelei set off for Silver Town. But unlike before, she had quite a lot on her mind this time—the largest portion naturally concerning Ash. Today's Pikachu vs. Zapdos, although Ash hadn't used that strange fusion state with Pikachu, still showed Lorelei many new things: Pikachu's progress and improvement, the magical golden thread that allowed Pikachu to stay airborne… This might be a bit unfair, but…
"Don't blame me, Ash… In Pokémon battles, information is crucial~"
"Since you didn't stop me from staying today to watch you capture Zapdos, you can't blame me if you lose our match~"
Lorelei murmured softly to herself on the road, watching Ash and the others depart. A hint of moisture and… expectation glinted in her burgundy eyes. Lorelei had gained a lot of intel from this battle, but she overlooked one thing… Ash's rate of improvement was even faster than the light!
On the other side, Ash and the others arrived at the next small town. The Pokémon Egg in Ash's care also hatched. It was a small Ground-type elephant. The little guy saw Ash the moment it emerged, but even if it hadn't, Ash had been using his Aura power to warm the egg. The little elephant had already imprinted Ash's scent in its mind. The little guy seemed very clingy, and everyone was happy about the new addition.
However, a new arrival meant a parting. Ash now had Bayleef, Quilava, Croconaw, Pikachu, Gyarados, and Noctowl—six Pokémon in total. Ash had to send one back. After careful thought, Ash decided to send Croconaw back. If it were Bayleef, sending it back… would only turn Professor Oak's backyard into a mess. Quilava… to be honest, Ash didn't have any Fire-type mentors in the backyard. The only Fire-type boss he knew was in Charicific Valley, so sending Quilava back meant no mentor. He could only keep it by his side and teach it himself. With Moltres's feather, it could serve as a low-grade Rainbow Wing. As for Croconaw… it could go back and seek training advice from Blastoise. As for Noctowl… honestly, not having a Flying-type was quite inconvenient. Even though Ash had various ways to fly, in the end, having a Flying-type Pokémon was more convenient. So Croconaw… would just have to feel aggrieved.
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