[Ash: It's already been a whole year since I started traveling, but I haven't heard anything about you, Serena. Are you traveling around Kalos now?]
From the earlier video, it was already shown that Serena's hometown was in the Kalos Region.
That's why Ash asked her that question.
[Serena: Mm… But just like my mom said, I haven't chosen my starter Pokémon yet. I've mostly been helping her take care of the Rhyhorns, while practicing baking and cooking.]
[Serena: When I… when I feel that I've mastered it all — that I can stand on my own — I'll come find you, Ash, and travel together with you. Is that okay?]
Serena hesitated for a moment—then sent the message!
Misty's eyes widened as she stared at the scrolling chat on the screen, her heart pounding wildly.
Th-this girl… how could she be so bold?!
Or maybe, during their childhood, Ash had left such a deep impression on her…
So deep that she could overcome her shyness and say something like that!
[Ash: Of course you can! I'll be waiting! After the Silver Conference, I'm going to keep traveling across the entire Pokémon world! I can't wait for the day we journey together, Serena!]
Ash didn't think too much of it.
To him, Serena was just the little girl he'd once met and helped long ago —
a playmate from childhood, at best.
Since she said she wanted to travel together, naturally he wouldn't refuse.
After all, what makes a journey special is the company.
But in Serena's heart… it was something completely different.
At that moment, she was so overjoyed that she could hardly think straight.
She'd never imagined that the wish she'd carried in her heart could come true so easily!
In the Black World—
After a full night of treatment, Charmander had completely recovered.
And he had officially become one of Ash's Pokémon.
Even while unconscious, he could feel Ash's care and determination.
And the life energy Ash had poured into him at the brink of death.
From that day on, Charmander's life belonged to Ash!
As for his former Trainer, Damian? Sorry—
that Charmander died in the downpour that night.
By the next morning, Officer Jenny had arrived and arrested Damian.
The ridiculous part? Damian actually thought Jenny had come to arrest Ash—
because he was the one who'd reported the incident in the first place.
He never expected that Jenny would cuff him the moment she showed up.
What awaited Damian now… was a long, dark sentence behind bars.
Later, Ash encountered the Squirtle Squad, eventually befriending and catching their leader.
Before leaving town, he even helped repair the group's reputation.
The remaining four Squirtle stayed behind,
eventually joining the local police as firefighters.
And how did Ash manage to fix their image?
Of course — with help from those three troublemakers.
As they set out for their next destination, Ash sighed.
"Those three from Team Rocket — they're always saying they want to cause trouble, but somehow they always end up helping us!"
"Could it be… they're secretly trying to be heroes who hide their good deeds?"
"Maybe they just pretend to be villains! That's… actually kind of noble!"
[Misty: I can't— Team Rocket are good people now?!]
[Brock: Actually, when you think about it… Black World Ash isn't wrong. Compared to the trouble they cause, they've helped us out quite a lot.]
[Ash: True. They're annoying, sure, but still… a lot of my Pokémon, and even some of my friends, I met thanks to them.]
How do you make friends quickly?
You need a common enemy.
And who provides that?
Team Rocket, of course!
[James: Hey! Don't slander us, twerp! We're real Team Rocket! Pure, bona fide villains!]
[Jessie: That's right! If it weren't for you brats ruining our plans every time, we'd have been promoted ages ago—living large as Team Rocket executives!]
Giovanni: …
To be honest, after reviewing their "achievements," Giovanni didn't dare promote them anywhere near the executive ranks.
If he did, Team Rocket would probably collapse from the inside out.
The trio were disasters incarnate—masters of failure.
Ever since the S.S. Anne incident, they'd sabotaged one Rocket operation after another.
Utterly hopeless.
If they weren't his personal connections,
Giovanni would've long since tossed them into the sea to feed the Magikarp.
In the Black World—
Ash and his friends arrived at Bill's Lighthouse.
While exploring the beach nearby, Ash found a frail-looking Krabby—
its body underdeveloped, stuck headfirst in the sand, unable to move.
At first, Ash simply wanted to return it to the sea,
but the moment he approached, that strange surge of instinct hit him again.
He stared at the weak Krabby, then glanced at his Poké Balls, torn with hesitation.
In the end, he threw a Poké Ball and caught it.
So what if it looked small and frail…?
There's no such thing as a "useless Pokémon."
Only useless Trainers.
With the right care, even one born weak could grow strong!
After a series of events, Ash and his friends were invited to stay at the lighthouse.
They learned that at a certain time of night, a mysterious giant Pokémon would appear.
So they decided to stay and wait.
And that very night—
the mysterious creature arrived.
Thick fog shrouded its form,
but through the power of Aura, Ash could faintly perceive its outline and presence.
"That's… a Dragonite? A huge Dragonite! Its strength… incredible. I don't think I can beat it right now."
"But still… Pikachu, shall we give it a try?"
Even knowing he couldn't win, Ash still wanted to fight—
because that's who he was.
Even if he lost, he was confident he could retreat unharmed.
That was the pride of the Super Rookie of Pallet Town!
As for why he hadn't fought Ho-Oh before…
That was simple—
against Ho-Oh, even Ash had no guarantee of survival.
But this enormous Dragonite… was a different story.
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