In the Black World—
"You want Latias to train?"
After hearing Ash's thoughts, Kanon couldn't help but exclaim.
Mainly because… she had never had this idea before.
According to legend, Latias and Latios saved the water city of Altomare, so these two Pokémon were theoretically very powerful. But Kanon, who had been with Latias since childhood, knew very well that while Latios might have some combat ability, Latias… was just a cute little girl.
Asking her to train for fighting felt a bit too forced, right?
"This is what must be done—"
Ash said to Kanon with a serious expression.
"Latias herself is an extremely rare Pokémon, known as a Legendary. No matter where she is, she will attract the prying eyes of those with ill intentions."
"For that reason, Latias must have the power to protect herself. What if I hadn't been here today? Can you imagine what would have happened to Latias?"
"..."
Kanon was silent.
Ash was right. If he hadn't been here today, Latias likely would have been captured without the ability to fight back.
What a terrible blow that would have been for her.
She hadn't considered this before, but now that someone had discovered Latias, it was likely there were more than just these two women.
Ash couldn't stay in Altomare forever. If Ash left, could Latios alone defeat those people?
Latios had some fighting power, but only a little.
From this perspective… it seemed not only Latias, but Latios also needed training?
"Then… how do we train…? I don't know how either..."
After considering it, a new question arose… How to train Latias and Latios?
These two Pokémon were both Legendary-tier, even rarer than pseudo-Legendaries.
Not to mention the resources training them would consume, Kanon didn't even know the training methods!
"Leave that to me! That guy just finished his training. Let him try out what it's like to guide others. After all, this is also worldly experience~"
Ash showed Kanon a bright smile, but Kanon felt… behind this bright smile, there seemed to be an inexplicable sense of mischief…
Who is 'that guy'? Could Ash have tricked some strange person into coming here?
And… even though Latias casually brought Ash here, not just anyone could enter this place. If more people came here, even she would feel a bit troubled...
...
[Lance: Could it be the guy Black Ash is talking about?...]
[Cynthia: Well, it's most likely Him. He's finished his training already? Faster than I thought!]
[Leon: Indeed. That was the barrier leading to the top. To break through it in such a short time…]
[Bruno: How ruthless! Not only does his own Pokémon grind, but he's making Pokémon that aren't even his grind with him… But what Black Ash said is right.]
What's the difference between a Legendary without the power to protect itself and an unlocked safe full of gold bars?
[Korrina: Wait, wait, what are you all talking about? Why can't I understand?]
[Mewtwo: They're talking about me… That guy Ash, he's treating me like a tool!]
Mewtwo said this, but in truth, he felt a little envious of his counterpart in the other world.
Not to mention anything else, just being promoted to the Legendary-tier in three months was probably enough to arouse the envy of all sub-Legendary Pokémon in the world.
Some sub-Legendaries would never step into the Legendary-tier in their entire lives.
Even he, in this world now, hadn't fully stepped into the Legendary-tier. And his other self, before even the Silver Conference, had already finished his training and completed his promotion.
It was terrifying!
Three months was a long time for humans, but for the time needed to break through from sub-Legendary to Legendary-tier, it was simply too short!
Furthermore, the way Black Ash got along with Mewtwo over there also made this Mewtwo a little envious.
He said Black Ash treated him like a tool, but he understood this was proof that Black Ash didn't treat him as an outsider at all, but as one of his family.
Who would stand on ceremony with their own family?
[Ash: I don't treat you as a tool! I definitely didn't think of the other you that way!]
[Mewtwo: I know. Am I still unclear about your character? I'm just teasing.]
[Mewtwo: And coming to teach Latios and Latias isn't a bad thing for the other me. On the contrary, while teaching them, he can also use the opportunity to better control his surging power.]
[Caitlin: Yo yo yo! Mewtwo can actually joke now, and seems much more relaxed~]
[Mewtwo: More or less. I seem to be able to see all sorts of things in the world through this live stream. I feel my mindset has changed a lot.]
[Ash: That's right! In this world, the main thing is to enjoy yourself. Don't be so gloomy, and don't doubt the meaning of your existence. Just find a goal and keep pursuing it!]
[Gary: What's with the platitudes? Just replace 'person' with 'Pokémon,' right?]
[Delia: Haha, this at least shows my Ash is using his brain~]
Indeed, it moved, but not completely.
...
In the Black World—after Ash's explanation, Kanon also learned who the person Ash was talking about was.
To be precise, the other party wasn't a person, but an extremely powerful Psychic-type Pokémon.
This Pokémon was also Ash's Pokémon, but recently, because it was improving its strength, it wasn't with Ash.
"So, after catching Pokémon, there are situations where they're not with you?"
Kanon, who had never been a trainer, was a little curious.
In her mind, Pokémon you caught were always with the trainer.
Why would they leave the trainer and train on their own?
"Hmm… Even a regular trainer can only carry six Pokémon. If there are more than six, they get teleported to the professor who gave you the Pokédex, or to your own family."
"Of course, my Pokémon is a bit different. He found a place suitable for his training outside, so he stayed there. Normally, he'd travel the world… He's a guy who likes to philosophize a lot."
"Anyway, you'll know when you see him."
Ash held the back of his head with both hands and said to Kanon with a smile.
It was clear Ash was in a good mood now.
After all, Mewtwo had successfully broken through to the Legendary-tier and was planning to come find him in the next day or two.
For any trainer, if their Pokémon made a great improvement, they would definitely feel excited!
"Oh."
Kanon nodded knowingly… In short, she'd know when she saw him.
A Pokémon who liked philosophy… Were there such Pokémon?
Later, Ash walked through the garden again, led by Kanon, and arrived at a small pool with gurgling water. In the pool was a gem emitting a beautiful, soft light.
"...This gem is called the Soul Dew. It's said to have the power to save Altomare."
"However, if used by someone with an evil heart, the Soul Dew will become tainted… Of course, after staying here so long, I've found this gem has no other function besides making water flow."
"Saving Altomare or something… is just a legend after all~"
Kanon clasped her hands behind her back, raised her pretty face slightly, and gazed into the distance.
The faint light fell through the dense leaves, shining on the Soul Dew in the pool, making it appear even more beautiful.
If possible, Kanon felt this kind of legend should always remain just a legend.
After all… if the legend became reality, wouldn't that mean the Soul Dew would activate its power to protect Altomare?
In other words… Altomare would be facing a crisis of destruction… No matter how you thought about it, that wasn't a good thing, right?
Ash looked at Kanon standing tall and felt a slight stir in his heart, then shook his head, suppressing the inexplicable throb.
"Legends like that are usually true, but… I think it's best we never see this one come to pass."
"Hm?"
Kanon chuckled softly, then raised her lips and smiled at Ash.
"Yes, it's best never to see it..."
"Hey Kanon, why didn't you tell me when you came to the garden?..."
Just as the atmosphere between the two was good, a slightly rough voice came, then suddenly jammed like a broken music box, unable to speak further.
Ash and Kanon looked toward the sound simultaneously and found a bald old man with a white beard.
After being stunned for a moment, the old man beamed like a cheerful aunt and nodded frantically at the two of them.
"This way… so that's how it is… I won't disturb you. Have a happy date here."
With that, the old man turned to leave.
"Grandfather! What are you talking about!"
Two blushes appeared on Kanon's fair face, and she stamped her foot, shouting at the old man.
After some commotion, Ben finally resolved the misunderstanding, but… whether Ben truly thought that, no one knew.
"...Speaking of which, Grandfather, why aren't you surprised to see Ash here?"
Kanon asked Ben with some doubt.
Even she had been shocked when she first saw Ash here.
If she hadn't seen Ash and Latias lying on the grass, she might have almost mistaken Ash for an intruder!
But aside from the initial misunderstanding, Ben never showed any sign of surprise.
Why was that?
Ben smiled mysteriously.
"Because… I started paying attention to Ash a long time ago!"
Ash: What kind of stalker have you been, noticing me for a long time?
Could it be besides Latias, there was also an uncle like you with thick eyebrows and big eyes spying on me before?!
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 .
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