Kanto Region.
"Pikachu, use Cross Thunder!"
"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika!"
Eerie blue lightning surged around Pikachu's body, wrapping it in a storm of energy.
In an instant, Pikachu vanished from sight.
The next moment, a thunderous crack echoed across the clearing as the boulder Ash had chosen as their target was obliterated into dust.
The surrounding ground was scorched black, electric sparks still flickering across the surface.
Misty and Brock stood frozen, jaws slack.
Only one thought crossed their minds—a bolt of divine thunder.
Just one new move had increased Pikachu's strength more than threefold. It was terrifying.
With Latias by his side and a Pikachu that had mastered Cross Thunder, Ash felt completely unstoppable.
As for those clowns like Otoshi bragging in the chat room? If they really ran into him now, they wouldn't last even three rounds.
"Pika…"
After unleashing the move, Pikachu panted heavily. Cross Thunder consumed a massive amount of energy—its only real weakness.
Chat Room:
[Ash: It's amazing! Cross Thunder is truly amazing!]
[Gary: Argh, kill me already… watching Ash get stronger is pure torture.]
[Ash: Hehehe, Gary, just wait! At the Indigo Plateau Conference, I'll definitely defeat you!]
Normally, Gary would've mocked him instantly. But now? He couldn't even find the strength to argue.
Latias, and a Pikachu using a move on Zekrom's level—how the hell was he supposed to compete with that?
He had no choice. He had to keep answering those livestream questions. Without rewards, he'd be left choking on Ash's dust.
The white-bordered screen resumed playing.
Ash took the exhausted Pikachu to the Pokémon Center.
While Pikachu was being rushed into the emergency room, Ash called his mom to let her know he was safe.
After hanging up, he noticed a stone sculpture of Ho-Oh in the lobby. Before he could investigate, Professor Oak's call came through.
Ash told him about the Pokémon he saw, but Oak didn't believe him.
After all, it was a Legendary Pokémon no one had seen in over a century—and Ash supposedly saw it on his first day of travel. It sounded absurd no matter how you looked at it.
Once Oak confirmed Ash was safe, he ended the call.
Before Ash could even catch his breath, Misty appeared again—carrying something blackened and broken.
It was her bicycle. Charred beyond recognition.
[Bruno: I thought Ash traveling all the way from Pallet Town to Viridian City with an injured Pikachu in one day was already insane. But Misty? She walked that whole distance carrying her bike?]
[Lorelei: The distance between that forest and Viridian City's Pokémon Center is at least 30 kilometers! She carried that wreck the whole way?!]
[Lance: Heh, Superhumans are weak! The Cerulean Superhuman race has unmatched endurance!]
[Lily: Hey Misty, can I interview you? What strength kept you going all that way?]
[Misty: Money. That bike was expensive!]
Misty, originally fuming with anger, was ready to explode at Ash. But after hearing Pikachu was in critical condition, her anger faded.
Instead of scolding him, she comforted him.
Just then, the lights in the emergency room dimmed, and Nurse Joy and Chansey wheeled Pikachu out.
Good news—Pikachu was out of danger.
But before Ash could even breathe a sigh of relief, chaos erupted.
Team Rocket invaded the Pokémon Center.
They planned to steal every Pokémon inside—but Pikachu, despite still being weak, taught them a shocking lesson.
That battle became the first of many encounters that would forever link their fates together.
The white-bordered screen faded away… and in its place, the black-bordered screen slowly lit up.
[Steven: Here it comes—Parallel world Ash's era begins. I wonder if Professor Oak actually agreed to let him start traveling at nine.]
[Elesa: What I really want to know is Black Ash's strength right now. He's the one Professor Oak himself called "a monster."]
[Goodshow: Oak's no fool. If he said that, it means nine-year-old Black Ash was already stronger than ten-year-old Lance.]
[Lorelei: Is that even a question? Obviously yes. Black Ash trains with Mew. Lance doesn't have that luxury.]
[Lance: Heh, don't underestimate the Dragon Clan's heritage!]
[Lorelei: Name one Pokémon stronger than Mew.]
[Lance: …None.]