In a Black World — After Ash's game ended, it was Misty's turn to play in the afternoon!
Her opponent, Greta, was also a seasoned Water-type trainer who had beautifully dispatched her previous opponents. Influenced by Ash, Misty now also gathered intelligence on her opponents before a match. And since this opponent was a beauty, they naturally had to exclude Brock—who specialized in mature women—from the intel-gathering!
From the information Brock collected, the opponent had powerful Pokémon such as Gyarados, Lanturn, Golduck, and Seaking. Among them, Lanturn required extra caution due to its Electric typing. Misty made corresponding preparations…
The match began in the afternoon—both sides sent out their first Pokémon simultaneously. Greta sent out Lanturn, while Misty sent out Kingdra! To deal with the Water/Electric Lanturn, it was natural to send out the Water/Dragon Kingdra! As her trump card, Misty had never revealed Kingdra in previous matches, so Greta was surprised to see it. She had intended to gain a type advantage, but now found herself at a slight disadvantage… The opponent's Dragon/Water typing negated Lanturn's Water moves, and the quartered Water damage… it was better not to use them at all!
"You are indeed a tough opponent, Misty… Lanturn, Thunderbolt!"
"Likewise! Kingdra, block it with Dragon Pulse!"
This was Misty's first time commanding Kingdra in battle, but she was not unfamiliar at all. Ash's first rule was: know your own Pokémon! If you don't even understand your own Pokémon, how can you fight? So, after evolving, even though Kingdra hadn't been in a formal battle, it had sparred a few moves with Ash's Blastoise to get a feel for its current moves and general strength. Post-evolution, the power of Kingdra's Dragon-type moves had greatly increased, just like this Dragon Pulse! The dark green energy beam collided with the brilliant golden lightning. After a momentary stalemate, the golden light was quickly suppressed!
"Get out of the way!"
At the critical moment, Greta used a clever command to evade! Lanturn quickly canceled the Thunderbolt and dove into the water. The Dragon Pulse shot past. Misty wasn't disappointed but instead showed a smile.
"Just as I thought, you'd dive into the water… Ash, I'll use your tactics without holding back!"
"Kingdra, use Twister and Whirlpool!"
"Draa——!"
The Kingdra in the water radiated draconic power. The calm river water around it gradually began to ripple, the ripples growing larger and larger until they transformed into a huge silver tornado! Water still swirled around the silver tornado. The entire river was continuously drawn into it, finally forming a massive vortex at the center of the pool! A tornado above and a whirlpool below. The Lanturn at the bottom of the pool felt a tremendous pulling force. It wanted to escape but had no way to resist the increasingly powerful suction. As the tornado accelerated, the whirlpool spun faster, and Kingdra had already leapt back onto the platform. The Lanturn… had no chance of escape! Within three seconds, Lanturn's figure appeared within the whirlpool.
Greta looked panicked. She hadn't expected Misty to also use the field to create something like a Whirlpool. Although the tornado created this time was different from the one Ash made, the effect was the same. If Lanturn couldn't find a way out, it would have no choice but to faint inside!
"Lanturn, rush out with a Take Down!"
If normal strength wasn't enough, then use the force of a collision to break free! Unfortunately, the combined rotational force of the two vortex moves was too strong. Once caught, unless one had Psychic powers or used a powerful move to momentarily counter the rotation, escape was impossible. Misty didn't take the chance to attack. The extremely fast rotation made the Lanturn in the vortex dizzy and also made it difficult for Kingdra to land a hit. But that didn't mean Misty was idle…
"Kingdra, Dragon Dance!"
You didn't expect this, did you? This is my strengthening route!
Ash's second rule: use the field to create your own advantage!
The most important of Ash's rules: strengthen whenever you have the chance!
This was what Misty had learned from Ash!
So Greta could only watch as Kingdra, having jumped onto the platform to avoid being swept into the Whirlpool, continuously performed its proud dance. By the time the power of the Whirlpool and Twister slowly decreased, Kingdra had danced three times!
"We can't go on like this… Lanturn, break out and use Thunder!"
With a long-range move like Thunder, if you weren't careful, you could even hit yourself, but there was no other choice! Her Lanturn had the Volt Absorb Ability; a little Thunder was nothing!
"Kingdra, finish it! Use Giga Impact!"
"Dra——!"
The ultimate Normal-type move, Giga Impact! Misty had no intention of dragging the match out. After strengthening, she would naturally go for a one-hit KO! A bright golden stream of light enveloped Kingdra, and a terrifying aura filled the air. As Kingdra shot out fast as lightning, a huge path was carved through the water's surface that hadn't yet fully calmed! Terrifying waves cascaded to both sides; in the vast pool, a broad road opened up as if specially made for that golden figure! The Lanturn resting atop the water, its two small bulbs still glowing with golden light, seemed frozen in place, the terrifying killing intent rendering it immobile—
"BOOM!!"
The fish's lament sounded, and the explosion sent water splashing even into the surrounding stands! The overwhelming waterfall of spray blocked the view of many spectators. Even the commentator was at a loss for words for a moment. As the water fell, the pool returned to calm, and Greta's shocked face appeared in everyone's sight. She slowly turned her head like a machine running out of oil. Behind her, the Lanturn was… quietly embedded in the wall.
Misty was also shocked by Kingdra's Giga Impact. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue, then clasped her hands and bowed to Greta.
"Sorry, Miss Greta, I accidentally had Kingdra use too much force…"
The Giga Impact enhanced by three Dragon Dances was simply terrifying… Greta weakly waved her hand to indicate it was okay, then recalled Lanturn. She then sent out her next Pokémon—Golduck! The Water/Psychic-type Golduck should, in theory, be more adept in this aquatic arena. In fact… if Greta had sent out Golduck first, Misty might have had a tough fight. But now, the Kingdra that had performed Dragon Dance three times far surpassed Golduck in both strength and speed! After a brief struggle, Golduck was finally defeated by another Giga Impact. Unlike the helpless Lanturn, Golduck at least used Psychic to try and block it. However, Kingdra's strength far exceeded Golduck's psychic power, so the Psychic was useless. A loss was a loss… And so, Misty also successfully advanced to the finals! This result wasn't beyond Brock and Sabrina's expectations, but seeing the beautiful older sister defeated, Brock bit his handkerchief in agony. Sabrina and Ash were long used to this. Anyway, he'd be fine by tomorrow…
...
[Daisy]: Wow, Misty has changed so much in the Black World! I almost didn't recognize her as our little sister.
[Violet]: Yeah, although our world's Misty has changed a lot too, her command skills are completely different compared to the Black World's Misty.
[Cynthia]: There's a saying: 'He who lies with dogs, rises with fleas.' Black Ash is so strong, it's normal for him to influence Black Misty.
[Lance]: Putting that aside, I think the combat principles summarized by Black Ash are quite good.
[Steven Stone]: Understand your own Pokémon, utilize the environment, and strengthen when given the chance. These three principles can be said to capture the essence of battle.
[Wallace]: Especially for newcomers. If they can manage these three things, they can be considered good trainers.
Wallace's words made many people immediately start taking notes. Although Black Ash was strong, he was obviously still far from Champion-level. But now, even a Champion had acknowledged Black Ash's training and command methodology and said it was very suitable for new trainers. If you don't take notes now, when will you?
[Lorelei]: I didn't expect Black Ash to be quite good at teaching~
[Bruno]: That Blastoise is even stronger… It's a pity Black Ash isn't from our world, otherwise I'd really want to examine his Blastoise up close!
[Lorelei]: That's right… Although Black Ash's Blastoise hasn't reached Elite Four–level, its water flow control has ascended to a higher realm!
[Lorelei]: Although both Black Misty and Black Ash create whirlpools to control their opponents, one merely uses water while the other commands it. The two aren't on the same level at all…
Only Elite Four and Champion-level trainers like Lorelei and Bruno could see how far Black Ash's Blastoise had progressed in water manipulation! Misty's Kingdra used wind and the move Whirlpool to create a vortex, and that vortex was uncontrollable. Ash's Blastoise, however, completely regarded water as an extension of itself—that Whirlpool… could be controlled at will! Whatever form it wanted the Whirlpool to take, the Whirlpool would take. This was the decisive difference between the two, and also the abnormality of Blastoise… To arbitrarily control external water sources was no longer a matter of level, but involved a deeper layer, akin to a certain bird's control over wind—a power that belonged exclusively to Legendary Pokémon!
[Misty]: Although I know the gap is huge… hearing Master Lorelei say it feels like a critical hit of 10,000 damage…
[Ash]: Hehe, I'm going to become a Pokémon Master. It's normal that you can't catch up to me, Misty~
[Misty]: Hah—wait until you grow to Black Ash's level before you say things like that!
...
In a Black World — With Misty's victory, the schedule reached its final moment—the championship match! The next day, the finals began: master versus apprentice, a contest between a young couple. Ash didn't show any mercy just because Misty was his girlfriend. The Blastoise, unleashing its full power, defeated Misty in just five minutes! In response, Misty shot Ash a resentful look. During the final handshake, she even said to him with a strained smile, "So ruthless, Pokémon Master."
"Well~ It's a battle, so you have to go all out! Don't you think so, Misty?"
After saying that, Ash pulled Misty into a strong embrace. To outsiders, it looked like a public display of affection. Misty's face turned red from suppression; whatever she wanted to say vanished with Ash's move. Feeling Ash's broad palm stroking her back, Misty thought—Ah losing isn't so bad
Sabrina, in the audience watching this, wasn't just hard—her fists were clenched. Although the two of them had accepted Ash's affections, it was only natural for women to be jealous. Watching Misty and Ash show off in front of hundreds of spectators, how could Sabrina not feel jealous? When Ash gets back, he needs at least two kisses… no, three kisses for me to forgive him! Such thoughts arose in the lovestruck girl's heart. Brock stood there holding Pikachu and Togepi, feeling that this was youth! The surrounding audience cheered and teased even more. They hadn't expected the two finalists to be a young couple. No wonder the girl's fighting style was so similar to the boy's—it made sense now.
After Ash's hug and comforting words, Misty no longer felt angry about being so soundly beaten in public. She had actually been prepared for her loss. After all, how powerful Ash was, she, his partner and girlfriend who had followed him from the beginning, knew all too well. But to lose without being able to fight back at all, with Starmie and Kingdra defeated instantly… How rude…
At the end of the finals, Ash stepped onto the podium to receive the award. The Team Rocket trio chose this moment, when everyone was most relaxed, to appear, ready to snatch the huge gem called the Sea Soul and Ash's prize—the Mystery Water. Ash couldn't tolerate this. They were all familiar with each other, but trying to steal his treasure? Now I'm awake! Pikachu, following Ash, leapt into the air and used Iron Tail, sending the three in the hot-air balloon flying off to an unknown distance in the sky. The trouble caused by Team Rocket was just a minor episode.
Ash finally received the Mystery Water and the so-called blessing of the sea. It was said to be a special blessing from Lugia… but Ash didn't feel any divine power blessing him, so… this thing really was a lie!
After obtaining the Mystery Water, Ash gave it to Croconaw. It wasn't that Blastoise couldn't use the Mystery Water, but mainly because Blastoise wasn't his main fighting force currently. At least before the official Johto League competition, Blastoise wouldn't see much action. More importantly, Blastoise didn't need the Mystery Water to assist its training. It had already comprehended the power of water with the help of Ash's Aura. When it came to the god-like power of controlling water, Blastoise only needed to thoroughly absorb and utilize it, which was enough to carry it all the way to Champion Ace–level, or even to Legendary-tier! But Croconaw was different… Croconaw didn't have the innate talent for water control like Blastoise. Ash had already tested it with his Aura power—Croconaw lacked that specific talent. But in terms of physical attacks, Croconaw's talent was stronger than Blastoise's. In short, the Mystery Water was temporarily given to Croconaw for its use.
This trip to the Whirl Islands was about to end. Everyone would return to Ecruteak City the next day to prepare for the Ecruteak Gym challenge. It was worth mentioning that after the match, Sabrina received the 'compensation' she desired. Additionally… until they were about to return to Ecruteak City, Ash hadn't seen any sign of Little Lugia's mother. Logically… with Little Lugia missing, and its mother being a Legendary-tier Pokémon—even without a formal 'divine portfolio,' even if not fully Legendary-tier—she should be able to find Little Lugia by following its aura. But now… Little Lugia's mother still hadn't appeared, which made Ash feel a bit uneasy. Surely… nothing had happened, right?
The next day, as Ash and his group were taking a boat back to Ecruteak City, a figure floating on the sea caught their eye… It was…
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