In the Black World—
Pryce took the initiative to admit defeat when his Pidgeot could barely stand. He would likely have lost if they'd continued, but admitting defeat and being defeated were two different things. If it were Ash, it wouldn't be surprising—Ash might surrender for his Pokémon's sake. But for Pryce to make such a move was strange.
Think about it: a person who always claimed emotions toward Pokémon were useless chose to surrender when his Pokémon still had a last trace of fighting spirit. Normally, people who spout such words are the kind who would fight to the bitter end. Even if their Pokémon lost, they'd just scorn them as trash. That's the impression such people give.
What Pryce did… was obviously completely different from that type of person—it could even be said to be the opposite! This was why Ash felt surprised and even a little happy. Pryce's actions showed he wasn't truly heartless toward his Pokémon.
Pryce also knew what Ash would think after such a move, but he refused to admit defeat in their ideological debate. In reality, his debate with Ash was no different from a loss now, but he wouldn't acknowledge it. As long as I don't say it, it's not a loss.jpg!
So, Uncle Pryce wordlessly took out a Poké Ball to recall Pidgeot. However, the moment he was about to do so, he saw the Mamoswine behind Sabrina. If Sima could recognize the Mamoswine, how could he not? As a result, his Poké Ball fell to the ground, his wrinkled face showing indescribable excitement and disbelief. His body trembled as he shouted the name "Mamoswine" intermittently.
Hearing this, Ash's expression turned serious. He looked back and saw that the psychic light screen Sabrina used to hide the Mamoswine had indeed vanished. Now that the battle was over, it didn't matter if Pryce saw it. He first stepped forward to pick up the unconscious Pikachu, then sent a little Aura power over. With his vitality slightly restored, Pikachu slowly opened his eyes.
Ash could have done this during the battle, but that would be equivalent to secretly healing mid-fight… which went against the spirit of competition. Of course, in a non-competitive battle, that would be different.
"Pikachu, are you okay?"
"Pikapi, Pikachu~"
Pikachu, cradled in Ash's arms, weakly shook his head, then apologized.
Sorry… I lost this match.
That's what Pikachu meant.
Ash didn't look gloomy, but rather relieved.
"You were already amazing, Pikachu. Even though you had a type advantage, the opponent had the Tailwind status."
"That Pidgeot's speed might not match an average peak Champion-level Pokémon, but you're only mid-Champion level."
"Even though we lost this battle, we can be proud of our effort!"
"Losing isn't terrible. As long as you can learn from failure and grow stronger, then the loss is worth it!"
"After all, failure is the mother of success!"
"Pika Pika~"
Pikachu nodded. Though his face still showed a hint of unwillingness, it was overshadowed by determination.
Next time… I won't lose again!
Ash smiled and nodded back. In truth—I'm so unwilling… If only I'd observed more carefully, if only my commands were better, if only…
No one wants to fail. Even if failure brings experience, it's normal to feel regret. But Ash didn't want to show this emotion in front of Pikachu. Only at times like this did he seem more like a child—clinging to victory, resenting defeat, and not wanting to appear weak before his most important partner.
"Mamoswine!!"
Pryce's shout snapped Ash and Pikachu from their reverie. They saw the tearful Pryce and the Mamoswine that couldn't wait to run to him.
As the Mamoswine ran toward Pryce, it even slammed on the brakes at the last moment, afraid of crashing into him. Otherwise, this touching reunion might have turned into a supernatural collision scene.
"Is it really you? Mamoswine?..."
Pryce's withered palms stroked the Mamoswine's brown fur. It still felt as smooth as he remembered. Even after decades, Pryce hadn't forgotten.
"Hum hum~~"
The Mamoswine nuzzled its large snout, then leaned cautiously against Pryce, rubbing gently. Then, as if remembering something, it turned and ran back to Ash, nudging him.
Ash silently took an herb from his inner pocket and handed it to the Mamoswine. Happily taking the herb in its mouth, the Mamoswine ran back to Pryce and placed it at his feet.
There they stood, man and Pokémon atop the ruins, with a severely weakened Pidgeot watching from the side. The scene seemed odd, yet profoundly warm.
The herb lay on the rubble. Pryce carefully picked it up, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
"This is… a burn-heal herb? Mamoswine, you… what are you doing?..."
At that moment, a thought that horrified Pryce sprouted in his mind. If it were true… he might even wish for death.
However, the next second, Ash directly explained the truth to Pryce.
"Grandpa Pryce, you're right. The Mamoswine was looking for burn medicine for you."
"I heard your story from Professor Oak… You believed the Mamoswine thought you were useless after your loss and abandoned you. But I don't think so."
"Uncle Pryce, you're an amazing Trainer. How could a Pokémon who bonded with you ever do such a thing? What's more… Pokémon are kind-hearted creatures. I believe there's no such thing as unreasonable hatred."
"So I thought… the Mamoswine definitely didn't abandon you, but had another reason. So I asked Professor Oak about where the Mamoswine disappeared, then searched for a long time yesterday. The result was..."
Ash took out his Pokédex. It had a photo function, and he'd taken a picture of what they'd found yesterday. He showed it to Pryce.
Pryce looked at the image on the Pokédex screen. His heart pounded, his body trembled, his lips quivered—he felt as if struck by lightning.
The photo showed a frozen Pokémon, and that Pokémon was none other than the Mamoswine! It was encased in ice, with an herb clutched in its mouth—the very herb he now held.
The预感 in Pryce's heart was infinitely magnified, now solidified into certainty.
"Mamoswine… could it be… you went there for me? For me… How could it be… How could this be?..."
Pryce trembled uncontrollably, his words barely coherent. He dropped the herb and hugged the Mamoswine tightly. Heart-wrenching sobs echoed through the ruined Gym. Due to the Gym's collapse, the sound even reached the surrounding residents who had come to see the commotion. They were stunned.
What happened today? First the Gym collapses, then Pryce of the Icy Winter is crying bitterly while hugging a Pokémon?!
To those who didn't know, it sounded as if Pryce had suffered an irreparable loss!
At this moment, Pryce had no attention to spare for the onlookers. The guilt in his heart had overflowed, rendering him speechless! If he hadn't cried out to vent this inner agony, he might have fainted from the pain and been sent straight to the hospital!
Fortunately, Pryce usually exercised and didn't have conditions like high blood pressure. Otherwise, today's shock might have hospitalized him for ten to twenty days.
...
[Lance: Tsk tsk, Pryce's reaction in the Black World is much more intense than in the White World!]
[Bruno: Of course. In the White World, Pryce discovered the Mamoswine with Ash. In that case, Pryce cried. Here, it's even more emotional.]
[Cynthia: Today, Pryce had to constantly reinforce his beliefs during his battle with Ash to ensure his commands didn't falter. Because of this, he needed to repeatedly 'whip the corpse' of the Mamoswine in his mind…]
The so-called "whipping the corpse" meant he had to mentally reiterate what was wrong with the Mamoswine back then. Otherwise, under Ash's constant emphasis on "bonds in battle," Pryce's resolve might have shaken unprecedentedly—leading to defeat before the battle even ended!
[Cynthia: Because he 'whipped the corpse' repeatedly, upon seeing the Mamoswine, Pryce's guilt in the Black World was at least ten to twenty times greater than in the White World, maybe more! The fact that he didn't faint from guilt shows his mental fortitude.]
[Professor Oak: In a sense… Black Ash probably anticipated this. I'm afraid that's also why he chose not to tell Pryce immediately about the Mamoswine's return.]
[Professor Oak: After all, he loves Pokémon so much and was deeply unhappy with Pryce's subconscious belief that the Mamoswine abandoned him. So, he orchestrated this scene.]
[Pryce: What awful taste! Black Ash is really too much!]
[Lillie: I think the Uncle Pryce who didn't believe in his Mamoswine went too far.~]
[Pryce: ...]
There was no need to refute. No matter the reason, he hadn't trusted his Pokémon back then. He hadn't even gone to search for the Mamoswine after recovering. He'd thought then: Since you abandoned me, I won't go looking for you. I'll train a Pokémon stronger than you! You'll regret it later!
It was this arrogant mindset that caused Pryce so much regret… In the Black World, he was even more heartbroken, crying as if his heart were breaking. Not only that… in the Black World, many residents of Mahogany Town were also watching!
This time, his reputation was truly dead!
...
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