Black Ash's capture of Entei caused quite a storm in the real world.
Many people were initially shocked, but soon regained their composure.
Shock was instinct; calmness was reason.
Black Ash had done shocking things not once or twice. By comparison, catching Entei wasn't that big a deal.
If there was anything surprising… it was that Black Ash caught Entei without seeking its consent first. But upon reflection, did Black Ash really need Entei's consent?
He was the Rainbow Hero!
Originally, defeating the three Legendary Beasts was one of the conditions for him to challenge Ho-Oh.
So, was there any reason to let the Beasts go after defeating them? Subdue all three and have them play a role in the battle against Ho-Oh.
This was the script of a hero conquering an evil dragon… After an arduous journey, the hero defeats various enemies who then become companions, culminating in the final victory over the dragon!
Of course, Entei and the others weren't Ash's enemies, and Ho-Oh wasn't an evil dragon… it was just a metaphor anyway...
...
In the Black World—
After Ash caught Entei, the group returned to the Pokémon Center. First, they healed Charizard and teleported it back to Charizard Valley. After recovery, Entei remained in Ash's care for the time being, as he still had some questions for the Legendary Beast.
They bid farewell to the monk, Shang, first. After all, some things… were better kept from him, as they were merely acquaintances. Even if Shang wasn't a bad person, caution was necessary.
After saying goodbye to Shang, the group set out, arriving at a dense forest where Ash released Entei. Ash held Larvitar in his arms, and the young Pokémon gazed longingly at Entei, who had regained its majestic form.
"Entei, according to the rules for challenging Ho-Oh, it should be fine for me to catch you after defeating you, right?"
"Roar~"
The victor is king, the loser is vanquished. This had always been the way in the Pokémon world. If you defeat me, you naturally earn the right to catch me.
"Roar~"
It had nothing to do with you being the Rainbow Hero or not. Simply because you defeated me, you can catch me. Entei was quite self-aware and wasn't arrogant toward Ash just because it was a Legendary Pokémon. After being defeated, acting arrogant? Moreover, Ash had Dark Lugia! He hadn't released that to finish Entei off directly—that was being polite! In terms of strength, Ash could obliterate him. In terms of status, Ash was the chosen hero of his direct superior. How dare Entei be arrogant in front of Ash? And why should he be?
"The victor is king, the loser is vanquished…"
Ash muttered the phrase, shook his head, and didn't continue. This view seemed deeply engraved in the minds of all Pokémon, which was why some, once defeated and caught, would willingly obey their Trainer. But Ash didn't quite agree with this view… The rule he had always believed in was heart-to-heart connection first. Fists… were just to make the other party sit down quietly and have that talk with him!
"Then, when I challenge Ho-Oh later, it's okay to send you, Entei, right?"
Entei: …
Good grief, you want me to die! Taking your subordinate to challenge the boss, is that it?
But now that he was Ash's Pokémon, he would naturally help Ash challenge Ho-Oh. In fact… this was one of the hidden systems Ho-Oh had set with this rule. Defeating the three Legendary Beasts meant catching them, then challenging Ho-Oh with the three Legendary Beasts! Otherwise… how could an ordinary Trainer alone defeat Ho-Oh through normal training?
Of course, even with the three Beasts added, an ordinary Trainer might still not succeed. However, Ash was no ordinary Trainer…
After a few seconds of thought, Entei slowly nodded, confirming Ash's thoughts.
"In that case, we still need Suicune and Raikou… We'll find them after the Silver Conference!"
"During this period, we need to increase Pikachu and Charizard's strength as much as possible..."
The three Legendary Beasts, Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo! This was the lineup of six to battle Ho-Oh.
Using all three Beasts wasn't strictly necessary; it would depend on the situation. If they expended all their power and Ho-Oh still had considerable strength left, then he could only replace one of the Beasts with Dark Lugia! A high-tier Legendary, a peak-tier Legendary, plus the Trainer's commands, against a Legendary! They could at least give it a try, right?
After deciding the next steps, Ash sent Entei's Poké Ball back to the Oak Research Institute. Entei was now a high-tier Champion-level Pokémon. Once a Pokémon reached the Champion level, general training had little effect unless Ash conducted targeted training using his Aura power and arranged sparring with Pokémon of the same level. Only then could Entei progress further on the Champion path.
But now, Ash had many Pokémon in his care, and those still growing hadn't received proper training yet. To train Entei… he might as well bring Charizard back for cultivation. So, for the time being, Entei was allowed to retire at the Oak Research Institute.
Besides retirement, Entei could also serve as a senior to teach the other Pokémon at the lab. Ash was also planning to bring Quilava back from Charizard Valley. Why suffer in Charizard Valley without a ready-made mentor?
A day passed. Ash and the others arrived at a nearby city and called Professor Oak.
As soon as the call connected, Ash held the receiver away from his ear.
Sure enough, Professor Oak's howl of excitement almost shattered the microphone!
Don't be fooled by the fact that Ash had already caught two Legendary Birds, Zapdos and Articuno. Everyone knew about Legendary Pokémon. Catching one was coincidence, catching two was good luck, but catching three was pure skill! This referred to the skill of even encountering Legendaries! Catching three Legendaries… what a constitution that seemed to attract Mythical and Legendary Pokémon!
This was getting out of hand…
It was normal for Professor Oak to be excited. For researchers, could one ever have too many Legendary Pokémon? And these were different types of Legendary Pokémon! Legendary Pokémon like the Three Beasts and Three Birds might not be seen by ordinary people for decades or even centuries, let alone captured.
Therefore, even a world-renowned professor like Samuel Oak knew very little about Legendary Pokémon. Every additional Legendary was a supreme treasure to him! That was why Professor Oak was so excited.
After Professor Oak's excited speech ended, Ash began giving his instructions. Ash didn't need to mention Entei's living arrangements; Professor Oak,狂热 about Legendary Pokémon and eager to study them, would definitely arrange the best. What Ash needed to explain was about Quilava's training, as well as getting updates on his other Pokémon.
There were still about a month until the start of the Silver Conference, and Ash planned to start rotating his Pokémon for training after resolving the Larvitar incident. He now had over thirty Pokémon. Even rotating six at a time, each Pokémon likely wouldn't get more than a week of dedicated training.
After explaining matters, Ash hung up, said goodbye to Professor Oak, and continued their journey to Mt. Silver.
Along the way, Larvitar proactively told Ash it wanted to train! It wanted to become stronger!
Ash smiled and agreed.
A few days later, on the eve of arriving at Mt. Silver, the group encountered a cluster of Unown. With the Unown's help, everyone learned what had happened to Larvitar when it was still in its Egg. Ash also remembered the appearance of those poachers who had discarded Larvitar's Egg.
If he met them again… he'd definitely serve them a full-course meal of Thunderbolt!
After the Unown incident, Larvitar's heart was finally completely untied. Although Larvitar had accepted Misty and the others before, it had been in a state of resistance to the outside world. One reason for accepting them was Ash's speech, and the other was that after spending time together, Larvitar could feel that Misty and the others were sincerely good to it.
However, Larvitar had always been resistant to things it didn't understand about the outside world. Not understanding led to fear. Because of this, Ash's training of Larvitar during this period hadn't been effective. It was difficult to increase strength if one's heart was knotted.
Now that the knot was untied, Larvitar's own potential erupted in a short period! Based on this training progress, Ash estimated Larvitar could reach Gym Leader–level in less than a month… Its talent was among the top three Ash had ever seen among so many Pokémon!
After untying the knot, Larvitar demonstrated all the moves it had learned. The incredibly powerful Hidden Power made even Sabrina feel its strength. That's right, Larvitar was born knowing Hidden Power, and it had awakened as the Psychic-type. This meant Larvitar had a greater affinity for Psychic powers. Future training could focus more on Psychic-type moves, catching opponents off guard!
In just a few days of training, Larvitar had made tremendous progress. Given sufficient training time, Ash was confident that before arriving at the Silver Conference, Larvitar could complete its first evolution and even reach the Gym Leader–level!
It was a pity… the time for parting was approaching.
After several days of travel, everyone finally arrived at the foot of Mt. Silver. This meant Larvitar would soon see its long-lost mother. It also meant… it was time for Ash and Larvitar to say goodbye.
...
P.S.: In the original plot's 260th episode, Larvitar used Hidden Power right after birth. Hidden Power has no fixed type; its type varies depending on the Pokémon. The Hidden Power Larvitar used to defeat Team Rocket's excavator was likely the Psychic type. The above is purely personal speculation.
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