Uncle Pryce in the Black World not only suffered a social death in his own world, but it also affected Uncle Pryce in the White World.
After all, the two looked exactly the same. Seeing the Black World Pryce crying so bitterly and heartbrokenly, everyone would naturally think of the White World Pryce. So… White World Pryce was truly shot while lying down! He could already imagine the strange looks others would give him…
To bring shame upon two worlds with one face—a path he'd never imagined…
...
In the Black World—
Uncle Pryce cried for who knows how long, and finally cried himself unconscious! Even after fainting, he slumped against the Mamoswine, who carefully supported him to prevent a fall.
It could be said Pryce received enough stimulation today.
First, he was defeated by a trainer who had debuted less than a year ago. He'd gone all out and was also defeated conceptually! Then, his long-lost Mamoswine appeared, and he learned its disappearance was actually because of him!
The peaks and valleys of life occurred in just five minutes.
Pryce didn't know that so many people had been watching him cry, some even taking photos. If he knew… he'd probably faint again.
After Pryce fainted, everyone took him home to rest. Sima, also sobbing, explained Pryce's situation over the past few decades to the group. After the Mamoswine left, he'd barely smiled. Although she usually appeared cheerful, seeing Pryce's state pained her deeply as his wife. But she was powerless—only the Mamoswine could undo the knot in Pryce's heart.
Fortunately, today, Ash found the Mamoswine! And he uncovered the truth of what happened.
Although Pryce "died" once today, for him, even this death was better than a lifetime of pain! Even guilt was better than never knowing the truth!
Ash was silent for a moment, then said seriously to Sima:
"Aunt Sima, you probably noticed. We actually brought the Mamoswine from the start. The reason we didn't let it reunite with Grandpa Pryce immediately was due to my selfishness and… resentment."
"Selfishly, I naturally wanted a fair, head-on confrontation with Pryce. With our ideals clashing, Pryce would definitely go all out during the battle."
"That's one reason. The other is my resentment..."
After saying this, Ash pursed his lips, then looked at the quietly resting Pryce and the worried Mamoswine beside him.
"The Mamoswine braved the freezing cold for Grandpa Pryce, running outside to find burn-heal herbs."
"But Grandpa Pryce just assumed the Mamoswine had abandoned him… To be honest, I don't think this is solely Grandpa Pryce's fault. After all, the Mamoswine couldn't express itself clearly."
"But Uncle Pryce must bear most of the responsibility!"
"The Mamoswine can't speak, so it was hard for it to convey its intentions. But Grandpa Pryce had been with it for so long—couldn't he see it actually wanted to help him, not abandon him?"
"Moreover, Grandpa Pryce never went to search for the Mamoswine after recovering from his injuries… It was less than a thousand meters from the house where he was hurt!"
By the end, Ash's tone grew heated.
What's the scale of a thousand meters? Even searching a thousand-meter radius would only take about three days! It'd be even faster with a Flying-type!
If Pryce had been willing to look, the Mamoswine wouldn't have remained frozen so close by for decades!
He felt sorry for Pryce, and for the Mamoswine, but he was also angry at Pryce's arrogant stubbornness!
Couldn't he… have trusted the Mamoswine one more time?
The above was why Ash hadn't told Pryce about the Mamoswine from the start.
Sima fell silent after hearing this. In truth, she had tried to persuade Pryce back then. It was just his stubbornness… Sigh.
"You're right, Ash… I was wrong."
A withered, old voice spoke up. Everyone looked over to find Pryce had woken up at some point.
Ash wasn't too surprised. When he'd been telling Sima about finding the Mamoswine, he'd already noticed Pryce was awake. Yet he still bluntly spoke his mind, because Ash felt these words should be said to Pryce directly!
After getting up, Pryce immediately admitted his mistake to Ash, while stroking the Mamoswine beside him. He sighed, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, his eyes growing moist again.
"If only I could have let go of my pride..."
"If only I could have trusted my Mamoswine more..."
"If I could have been like you, Pikachu, and Charizard… perhaps this ridiculous tragedy wouldn't have happened."
"But there are no 'if onlys' in this world. No matter what, I let the Mamoswine suffer outside for decades. I wasted its prime, and I wasted my own life..."
"I will spend the rest of my days doing my utmost to care for the Mamoswine—not only to atone for my sins, but to train it properly!"
"You know… back then, the Mamoswine was my true ace!"
The current Mamoswine was only around Elite Four–level. Having been frozen so long, its strength was still diminished; being at the peak Gym level was already good. But this was the strength it possessed decades ago, when Pryce was just starting out!
If losing the Mamoswine hadn't been such a devastating blow, Pryce might have become one of the world's most formidable Champions back then, instead of the current top Ice-type specialist.
Now Pryce was over fifty, nearing sixty. Although the Mamoswine aged slower while frozen, it was also middle-aged. Training it to Champion-level now would be extremely difficult, but there was no hint of retreat in Pryce's eyes. He had clearly vowed in his heart to raise the Mamoswine back to world-class strength.
"...I believe you can do it, Grandpa Pryce. Now that you've regained your bond with the Mamoswine, you'll definitely succeed!"
Seeing Pryce's current resolve, Ash finally let go of the resentment in his heart and offered his sincere congratulations.
He believed that after this, Pryce would never again hold the belief that emotions between humans and Pokémon were useless. Ash was also happy that one of Professor Oak's elder friends had found his way back.
Finally, after Pryce awarded Ash the Glacier Badge, Sabrina mentioned… she still had to battle, though not against Pryce at full strength—just a standard Gym battle. Though a bit unwilling to admit it, Pryce's true power was beyond her current reach. She'd need to grow for at least two or three more years, perhaps longer…
So the next day, Pryce used his standard team for a match with Sabrina. In this battle, Pryce partnered with the Mamoswine for the first time in ages, and Sabrina consequently experienced her toughest fight yet. After challenging six Gyms, she had to admit this was her most difficult one. Fortunately, with the aid of her psychic synchronization, she finally defeated Pryce and earned her seventh badge.
Immediately afterward, Ash formally bid farewell to Pryce. They first returned to the Pokémon Center in Mahogany Town to fully heal Pikachu and Charizard. Earlier, concerned with Pryce's condition, Ash had only given them basic first aid.
After the healing, Ash teleported Charizard back to Charizard Valley, then had Professor Oak teleport it back again. Earlier, Ash had exchanged Heracross for Gyarados and also recalled Quilava. (Author's Note: I missed detailing this earlier.)
Now, after sending Charizard back to the valley, Ash recalled Quilava. In Johto, Ash was focusing on training his newly caught Johto Pokémon. The Pokémon caught in Kanto and the Orange Archipelago were also sent over periodically to test their training progress at the Oak Research Institute.
After organizing his team, Ash and the others prepared to head to the next Gym—also the final one—the Blackthorn Gym! This Gym was no small matter. The Gym Leader, Clair, was the cousin of the Johto Champion, Lance. Of course, she wasn't as powerful as Pryce, but it was said that when going all out, she possessed Elite Four–level ability.
As for which Pokémon to use against her… that's a story for later~
On the way, Ash and the others took a detour for some reason and passed through a village hosting a Pokémon racing competition. The prize was a mysterious Pokémon Egg. Naturally, Ash entered.
Coincidentally, among the contestants was Ash's old acquaintance and rival—Gary Oak! The two, meeting after so long, naturally clashed.
In the final race, Ash, relying on Bayleef's nimble footwork, barely defeated Gary's Arcanine and successfully won the prize Pokémon Egg!
...
[Lance: Unexpectedly, Black Ash still entered the competition and won the racing championship!]
[Ash: Hmph~ What does that mean? It just shows what's mine is mine! No matter which world, Gary can't beat me!! Haha!]
[Gary Oak: Why don't you go rewatch the footage? See how your Pikachu was thrashed by my Eevee? Good grief, just because I haven't beaten you in a while, you don't know your place, do you?]
The corner of Gary's mouth twitched. He really couldn't let this slide at his age! He'd teach this guy a lesson before retiring!
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