With Professor Oak's explanation, the collapse of that world-on-screen continued.
...
In a Black World —
Just as Ash and his group returned to Ecruteak City, something drifting on the ocean caught their attention.
At first, Misty thought her eyes were playing tricks on her—until Ash leapt off the boat without hesitation and shot out over the water. Only then did she realize she hadn't imagined it at all.
There really was someone floating out there.
Ash hauled the unconscious figure back to shore. The three of them leaned in—and couldn't help shouting at the same time:
"Ritchie?!"
That's right. The person Ash dragged back was Ritchie—the trainer Ash had crushed in the Top 16 at the Indigo Plateau Conference, who'd continued traveling afterward.
No one expected to run into him again like this.
A Seaking had been keeping him afloat out at sea. But if they'd left him there much longer, Ritchie probably wouldn't have survived.
Ash gently laid him down, clenched his fist, and struck his abdomen with controlled force.
Ritchie immediately coughed up seawater, choking out a hoarse, desperate rasp.
"Give… him… back…"
Ash and the others exchanged confused looks.
"Him" was the nickname Ritchie gave his Pikachu.
Had his Pikachu been taken?
"Ritchie, wake up. It's me—Ash."
As he spoke, Ash used a small amount of Aura to stabilize Ritchie's breathing and bring his consciousness back.
Aura was life-force itself. If it was strong enough, it could steady a person's body and spirit—at least temporarily.
With that support, Ritchie finally opened his eyes.
Blue sky. White clouds. Familiar faces full of worry.
Ritchie jolted upright, gasping hard, eyes filled with fear, anger… and stubborn refusal to give in.
"Ritchie—are you feeling better?" Ash patted his back, trying to calm him.
Only then did Ritchie register who was standing over him.
"A-Ash? And Misty… Brock… Sabrina… Why are you here?"
Ash let out a quiet breath of relief. "We're headed to the Whirl Islands Cup. But why are you out here?"
"And I heard you say 'give him back.' What happened to your Pikachu?"
The moment Ash asked, Ritchie's expression turned dark again. His fists clenched so hard his nails dug into his palm.
"Ren… was taken."
Then his voice cracked.
"Not just Ren. Ben… Bobby… Cruz… all of them… everyone…"
The air around them went heavy.
All of his Pokémon—taken.
Ritchie had made the Top 16 at Indigo Plateau. Even if he'd lost badly to Ash, that kind of result still proved he wasn't weak.
So who could defeat him, take every Poké Ball… and leave him like this?
Ash's voice dropped, cold and sharp.
"Who did it?"
"Team Rocket," Ritchie said, teeth clenched. "But not those three clowns who play pretend. This one… it's big. And the guy they call Doctor has a device that can forcibly boost a Pokémon's power."
"They beat my team… then used Poké Balls to take them."
The "three clowns" could only be referring to Jessie, James, and Meowth.
But… Team Rocket should've been in chaos by now. Why would they be operating around the Whirl Islands?
Then Ritchie's next words made everyone's faces change.
"And the worst part…"
He swallowed.
"They captured Lugia."
...
The chat erupted.
And in that storm of messages, one detail stood out.
They'd used a Poké Ball to forcibly take Pokémon that already belonged to someone else.
Under normal circumstances, stealing Pokémon came down to two methods:
Physically seize the Pokémon, imprison it, or destroy the trainer's Poké Ball.
Steal the Poké Ball itself and take control of it.
But what Ritchie described sounded like something else entirely.
Professor Oak's eyes narrowed.
"As far as I know… there's only one kind of Ball with that kind of forced-capture mechanism."
Mewtwo's gaze went distant.
"...You mean the Mewtwo Ball."
Discussion spiraled. If Team Rocket—especially Vicious and his offshoot faction—had obtained the data blueprint, then the likely culprit was the Dark Ball: a weaponized Ball capable of forcibly capturing Pokémon and even warping their will.
And if the Dark Ball could be produced in quantity…
That wasn't just a threat to Ash's friends.
It was a disaster for the entire world.
...
In a Black World —
After hearing everything, Ash's hand instinctively tightened around the silver Poké Ball pendant hanging at his chest.
He'd wondered why Lugia hadn't appeared for so long.
Now he had his answer.
His "bad feeling" hadn't been paranoia at all.
Lugia really had been taken.
Ash raised his head into the sea wind, voice steady and decisive.
"Then we're getting Lugia back. And we're taking back Ritchie's Pokémon."
Ritchie opened his mouth like he wanted to object—but Sabrina cut in first, calm and unflinching.
"Are you worried about Ash?"
She didn't soften the truth.
"Don't be. It's harsh, but you and Ash aren't on the same level. If he moves, he'll bring your Pokémon back—and Lugia."
Misty nodded firmly. "Yeah. Trust him, Ritchie."
Brock added quietly, "You can trust Ash."
Ritchie held their gazes for a long moment… then finally spoke.
"No. That's not what I wanted to say."
Everyone blinked.
"I wanted to ask… do you even know where Team Rocket's base is?"
Silence.
"…You don't know?" Misty asked.
"I don't know," Ritchie admitted, face turning red.
Ash stared at him.
He didn't even have words for it.
Ritchie hurried on, embarrassed. "All I know is it was under the sea. I followed their submarine in—I didn't know the route, and now I've drifted who-knows-where."
Great.
Not a base "in a river," but an undersea base.
That was even worse.
Even with Aura, the ocean was endless. Finding one hidden structure down there was like searching for a needle in a planet-sized haystack.
Then a new voice spoke—unexpectedly serious.
"We know where it is."
Ash turned.
Jessie, James, and Meowth were walking toward them, expressions unusually grim.
Ash already knew they'd been aboard the boat earlier. They hadn't interfered, and he hadn't forced a conflict. That was his rule: don't start trouble unless you have to.
But now…
They might actually matter.
...
Half an hour later, a powerful Blastoise dragged the whole group through the water by rope toward a massive structure looming in the deep.
Under the Team Rocket trio's guidance, they found it.
A hidden undersea base.
Ironically, it used to be Giovanni's territory—until Team Rocket splintered. The land (and sea) had been divided.
Now this base belonged to Vicious.
But anyone who'd been in Team Rocket long enough still knew the location.
That was the advantage of having inside knowledge.
As for why Jessie, James, and Meowth helped…
Simple.
They despised Vicious.
His faction called itself Team Universe—born from Team Rocket, but refusing to recognize Team Rocket at all.
For the trio—people with an absurdly stubborn sense of belonging—that wasn't just betrayal.
It was an insult.
In other words…
They had the same enemy.
Before reaching the entrance, Ash quietly extended his Aura and opened a narrow gap in the sealed entryway—then closed it again the moment everyone slipped through.
He had to admit it:
Aura, applied right, was terrifyingly convenient.
...
Author's Note :
"From here on, there will be a lot of second-creation based on the original. I'm going to start using my brain!"
And the link between the Dark Ball and the Mewtwo Ball wasn't baseless.
Also, Black World Ash's awakening was already foreshadowed back in the Celebi arc.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.
If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789