Driven into despair, Pikachu shattered the darkness with thunder.
Even though everyone was drowning in grief,
they were still violently shaken by the sheer terror of Pikachu's lightning.
Even Red was stunned.
He silently glanced at the Electric Mouse beside Ash,
then subconsciously compared Pikachu to his own Charizard…
…Forget it. No comparison possible.
His hacked Charizard couldn't compete with this hacked Pikachu.
That apocalyptic lightning—
It could have outright erased Mewtwo from the Cerulean Cave back then.
Even present-day Mewtwo might not survive it.
Mega Evolution might give it a chance—might.
"You're using me as a unit of measurement again?"
"Don't joke around. The atmosphere is heavy. My counterpart just died."
"He didn't die. There's life energy on him."
"You can smell that through a screen?"
"Say one more word and I'll twist your head off."
"I don't believe you."
"..."
After that exchange with Mewtwo, Red finally calmed down.
If Mewtwo said Ash wasn't dead, then he wasn't.
Not only was Mewtwo the strongest Pokémon on his team,but
he also had the keenest perception of high-level energies.
It seemed Ho-Oh hadn't failed to act—
It had acted long ago.
Everything Ash endured was still part of the Rainbow Hero's trial.
Just… this trial was on a completely insane difficulty setting.
Among Champions and Elites
Everyone twitched.
That despair-fueled Volt—stronger than even Gigavolt Havoc—
No amount of lives could tank that.
So this was the true ceiling of Ash's Pikachu?!
Zapdos? Raikou? Gods of Thunder?
In front of Pikachu, they didn't even deserve the title.
Even Zekrom might not dominate Pikachu in raw lightning.
If there was a true God of Thunder—
It was Pikachu.
The Darker Side of the World
Across the globe, evil organizations reacted differently.
Ash's death was tragic—but also a relief.
They had noticed a pattern.
The parallel-world Ash followed nearly the same path as the real one.
Charmander.
His companions.
His growth.
If the Ash in the footage died—
Then the real Ash might face the same calamity one day.
To every villain group, Ash was a thorn.
As long as he lived, they slept uneasily.
Within the Footage —
After unleashing that catastrophic lightning, Pikachu still held Ash's hat.
His thunder had only purged the corrupted Rainbow Wing's dark influence.
It hadn't targeted the surrounding Pokémon.
Otherwise—
Every single one of them would have died.
Still, even Ground-types were paralyzed.
Marshadow collapsed onto the ground in fear.
With the dark influence gone, it reverted to its timid nature.
That world-ending lightning—even as collateral—had terrified it.
Pikachu cried softly.
The world had returned to light.
But the light in his heart…
Was gone.
The Colorless World
The scene shifted.
Ash suddenly appeared again, standing on Mount Tensei's cliff.
But everything was colorless.
Ash himself included.
Was this… the afterlife?
Ash looked around, confused.
He remembered dying.
The pain was still vivid.
So what was this place?
Back in the Living World —
Pikachu stopped crying.
He felt something.
He looked toward the spot where Ash had vanished.
He could feel him.
A bond forged through countless days together could never be mistaken.
"Pika!"
The Colorless World —
Ash snapped his head up.
He felt it.
Pikachu was calling him.
Their bond transcended space itself.
Even separated by life and death—
Pikachu's voice reached him.
"Pikachu!!"
Ash began to run.
And in the real world—
Starlight gathered before Pikachu.
Hope ignited in everyone's eyes.
Could it be…?
As Ash ran, colors returned—
Grass.
Flowers.
Mountains.
Oceans.
And beside him, a yellow figure ran too.
After what felt like an eternity—
The figure solidified.
Pikachu appeared at Ash's side.
And led him out of the colorless world.
Reality —
The starlight blazed.
"Pika… pika!"
Pikachu felt him.
He leapt into the light.
The starlight took form—
Ash reappeared.
He had returned.
Global Reaction
Lance: "I almost had a heart attack!"
Diantha: "If Ash had really died, you'd all be answering for it!"
Lance: "..."
Leon: "I thought Ho-Oh would save him… but it never appeared."
Red: "It already did."
Cynthia: "You mean… Ash's revival?"
Red: "Ho-Oh's power—and Pikachu's bond. Without Pikachu guiding him, Ash would have been lost forever."
A bond strong enough to connect worlds.
Revival was defying fate itself.
Aftermath Across the World
Relief collapsed into exhaustion.
May leaned against a wall.
Serena sank into her sofa.
Dawn wrung out her soaked handkerchief.
Misty nearly collapsed from tension.
Too terrifying.
Back to the Footage —
Ash smiled brightly.
"I'm back, everyone!"
Then he felt something in his hand.
A radiant feather lay in his palm.
The Rainbow Wing—reborn.
"When the Rainbow Flower blooms upon the Rainbow Rock, Ho-Oh will appear.
Go, young one. Become the Rainbow Hero."
With all obstacles gone—
Ash could finally challenge Ho-Oh.
Kross watched from afar, smiling.
"Go, Ash… You truly are the world's greatest Pokémon Master."
"As for me… I have sins to atone for."
He chose a new path—
Not strength.
Redemption.
Rescuing abandoned Pokémon.
Ash placed the Rainbow Wing on the Rainbow Flower.
Seven-colored light erupted.
A rainbow arced across the heavens.
"SKREEEEE—!"
A cry shook the sky.
A radiant, rainbow-winged Ho-Oh descended.
Not a Shiny Fearow.
Ho-Oh.
Majestic. Divine.
Ho-Oh scattered stardust.
All wounds vanished.
Life itself answered.
Standing atop the Rainbow Rock, Ho-Oh gazed at Ash.
"Ho-Oh! Battle me!"
Ho-Oh nodded.
"This was meant to be a test…
But that Pikachu nearly destroyed the mountain.
What kind of Pikachu is that?"
The world burst into laughter.
The Final Battle Begins
"Pikachu! You're up!"
"Pika!"
Ash's revival left Pikachu brimming with power.
"Thunderbolt!"
Lightning struck—
Ho-Oh shook it off effortlessly.
The gap was vast.
But no one doubted Ash anymore.
Moments ago—
Pikachu had become a god of thunder.
"SKREEE—!"
Sacred Fire erupted.
Pikachu dodged.
Ash countered.
Thunderbolt again.
Stronger.
And stronger.
Red and gold light clashed—
For an entire day.
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