"Huh?"
Ash suddenly froze, recalling the relaxed expression Ampharos had shown the moment he approached it earlier. Logically speaking, Ampharos was not in pain at that time. If anything, the vitality he released should have only made Ampharos feel a sense of affinity toward him.
"Ash, what's wrong?" Sabrina asked, noticing his stunned expression. After learning that Ampharos only had one month left to live, she also felt a quiet sadness.
"Ah… I just thought of a method, but I'm not sure if it will work. We can only know after trying. And… if it fails, Ampharos might die sooner. I don't know if you're willing to take that risk with me."
Thinking back to his earlier contact with Ampharos, Ash came up with a seemingly feasible approach, though he lacked confidence in its success.
Just moments ago, he had carefully examined Ampharos and discovered that the golden cells inside its body were devouring the red cells. The reason was simple. The red cells were too weak and did not meet the standard required to fuse with the golden cells.
But what if the red cells could reach that standard?
Wouldn't that mean the golden cells would stop devouring them and instead merge with them?
"Ampha!!!"
"Ampharos, don't move like that, you need to rest!" Jasmine said anxiously as Ampharos suddenly stood up in excitement the moment Ash finished speaking. Despite its weakened condition, its gaze remained firm as it looked at him.
"You want to gamble with your life? You understand that you might die, right?" Ash said as he met Ampharos' eyes.
He could clearly feel Ampharos' determination to evolve further, to step into the realm of Legendary Pokémon. It was a dream deeply rooted in many Pokémon.
"Ampha…"
Ampharos cried out, as if completely disregarding the shadow of death hanging over it. In truth, if nothing was done, its fate was already sealed.
Having finally touched upon that elusive threshold, Ampharos refused to give up this chance, even if it meant walking toward death. Even if it were to die on the path of understanding that power, it would have no regrets.
"I admire your courage to face death and the unknown," Ash said, his tone serious, "but this decision isn't yours alone to make."
He turned toward Jasmine and her father.
"Miss Jasmine, sir, what do you think? Do you want to gamble, or let Ampharos spend its final month in peace?"
After all, Ampharos belonged to Jasmine's family. Just like a critical surgery, the decision had to come from them.
"I…"
Jasmine hesitated, unable to decide. Despite being a strong Gym Leader, she was still only human, and this choice was far from easy.
"I choose to trust Ampharos."
Her father stepped forward, his voice firm.
"If it wants to gamble, then I will support it."
"Dad…"
"Don't hesitate," he continued. "Instead of watching Ampharos slowly fade away over the next month, I'd rather stand by its decision to fight. For years, it has maintained this lighthouse, guiding countless ships safely through the night. With that kind of resolve, I believe it can succeed."
Hearing this, Jasmine fell silent.
Yes, compared to waiting helplessly, it was better to fight together.
"Ampha…"
Ampharos smiled, gratitude evident in its eyes as it looked at its trainer.
"Master, what are the chances of success?" Shirō asked. Unlike Ampharos, he wanted clarity.
"The success rate is both one hundred percent… and zero percent."
Ash's answer made everyone tense.
"The reason Ampharos' red cells are being devoured is because they are too weak and fail to meet the fusion standard. Even I don't fully understand the mechanism behind the fusion of these golden and red cells."
"If the goal is simply to raise the red cells to the required standard, then the success rate is nearly one hundred percent. But if we try to match the strength of the golden cells completely… then it's no different from courting death."
Ash's method was straightforward in theory. He would use vitality and electric stimulation to temporarily enhance the strength and activity of Ampharos' cells. It would only be a short-term boost, but if fusion occurred during that window, it would count as success.
"Mr. Ash," Jasmine's father said as he stepped forward, "no matter what happens afterward, we are grateful. Please, do everything you can."
"I will," Ash nodded. "If this works, it won't just help Ampharos. It could also become a key method for my partners to reach that level in the future. This is beneficial for both of us."
"Before we begin, we need to prepare."
"Sabrina, contact Nurse Joy in Olivine City and have her bring medical equipment here immediately in case anything goes wrong."
"Shirō, record the entire process. I'll need a copy later for analysis."
After making the decision, Ash immediately began preparing.
The first step was to contact Nurse Joy and have her bring medical equipment as quickly as possible. No one could predict what might happen during the process, so having proper treatment on standby was essential. At the same time, he instructed Shirō to record everything. This wasn't just for safety, but also so Ash could study the process later and potentially apply it to his other Pokémon.
"Don't worry, Master. I'll record everything clearly."
Shirō was visibly excited. After all, witnessing a Pokémon attempting to step into the realm of Legendary Pokémon was not an opportunity most people would ever get.
Ash let out a quiet sigh and rubbed his temples as they waited for the equipment to arrive.
"I should've asked Ho-Oh and Lugia about this back then… how they helped the Legendary Beasts and the Legendary Birds grasp that power. If I had known more in advance, we wouldn't be this passive now."
His voice carried a hint of regret.
At this point, everything came down to this single attempt.
Whether Ampharos would live or die would be decided here.
(End of Chapter)
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