Let us begin the final part. It's going to be comparatively short.
Anabel happily hummed to herself as she held up one end of a large white banner. Priscilla held up the other end, and Celebi held up the middle. At a mental signal to each other, they hung up their respective parts onto the edge of the roof on the Ketchum house.
"Is this all right, Mrs. Ketchum?" Anabel called.
"Please, Anabel, call me Delia. You are my son's girlfriend, after all. And Priscilla, you may call me Delia too, if you like," Delia replied. "And yes, that looks splendid!"
"Okay! We're done here, then!" Priscilla climbed down her ladder, and Anabel followed suit. "I say we check on the others and see how they're doing." Anabel nodded, and they began to walk towards the backyard when Anabel's communication device rang. It turned out that Damian was the one who had created the device, and so he had made two for Anabel and Sarah, with their own mental signatures.
Anabel picked it up to reveal Leon's face. "Ah, Leon. How are things going on your end?"
"I just checked up on the guests. They should be arriving at your location shortly, maybe two hours or so," Leon reported.
"And you?" Priscilla asked.
"Unfortunately, something came up. Seems a Pokémon has been causing trouble in Pastoria City's Safari Zone, and I promised Crasher Wake that I'd take care of it. It shouldn't take long. I'll be back before the party ends, so tell Sarah not to worry about me," Leon said.
"All right, but be careful. Try not to attract Aura Psychicorum's attention," Anabel advised.
"That's a given, Anabel. See you later." With that, Leon broke the connection, and Anabel returned her device to her coat pocket. She and Priscilla then continued walking to the Ketchums' backyard, where Ash, Victor, Damian, and some of their Pokémon were setting up tables, chairs, and even a stage.
"Hey, girls! The banner's up?" Ash called, noticing Anabel and Priscilla.
"Up and ready. Oh, and Leon just called. Everyone should be arriving in about two hours. The thing is that he's taking care of a wild Pokémon in Pastoria City's Safari Zone, so he's going to take a little while longer to get back. He'll be back in time for the party, though," Anabel relayed.
"A wild Pokémon? That should be child's play for Leon," Victor said.
"It's important enough that he has to report it, so you'll understand if I'm a little worried," Sarah broke in, carrying out aluminum tins of food.
"He told us to tell you not to worry, but I suppose that would be foolish," Priscilla smirked.
"You got that right," Sarah replied as she set down the trays on a nearby table.
What exactly were all these decorations for, one would wonder? After Leon had come clean about his promise to Ash's old friends, Ash took it surprisingly well, citing that he had put off his official, true return for long enough. Of course, it wasn't like him to very subtle, so in a display of sheer enjoyment, Ash planned to throw a party celebrating his return home. All of his old friends, their parents, Anabel's parents, and any other guests were invited.
Originally, Leon had suggested holding the party at Master Firesect's café, but Ash had demurred, stating that he would prefer to have the party at his house in Pallet Town; it was closer to where they were, and he didn't want to excite his old friends without proper preparation. Besides, his mother needed to meet his new friends. Seeing no problem with this logic, Leon quickly agreed, and as soon as Ash and his friends had settled themselves in Pallet Town, Leon went to Celestic Town to deliver the message to Ash's old traveling companions.
The party was today, and Ash and his friends were just about done setting up. In all truth, none of them really wanted to hold a party like this, especially with Iestyn's soldiers on the hunt (the mass murder of whom would draw even more unwanted attention), but as Ash had said, it was time to come clean.
"Well, then, is everyone ready?" Ash asked.
"As ready as we'll ever be," Marisa replied.
"Excellent. All we have to do now is wait. Victor, I trust that you are ready to show the guests in?"
"Usually, that would be Leon's job, but I'm prepared to take over," Victor said with a wry smirk. "And besides, I don't think that truly matters, Ashvier. The most important role is yours, as the host. And Miss Delia as the hostess."
"Actually, I think I'll take the backseat today," Delia said, walking up.
"But Mom, it's your house. You're its mistress. Mimey literally ignored all of us and listened only to you!" Ash pointed out.
"Yes, but the hostess is often married to the host. And Anabel isn't married to you yet, but…" Delia smiled suggestively at Ash and Anabel, who still looked embarrassed despite the fact that their relationship was out in the open.
"W-well…Anabel…Mom's given her approval, so…would you…?" Ash stammered.
Anabel sighed and smiled. "It would be my honor."
When Ash's old friends entered Pallet Town, they had expected one member of the party to appear. They were hoping for perhaps Sarah, Marisa, or Anabel; they were the kinder members of the party, perhaps because they were more openly sympathetic to the old friends' plight. Besides, Marisa was an idol, so that was also a factor.
So, they were rather disappointed when the eccentric Crimson Artist greeted them at the entrance to Pallet Town with a Cheshire grin. "Welcome. I do apologize on my comrade's behalf that he could not be here; he is the host of this entire affair, after all," he greeted.
"Your comrade? You mean Ash?" Morrison asked.
"Ashvier, actually. That is his full name. Yes, I am aware that it seems odd, but next to Victorien and Leontus…not so odd. But I digress. If you will all follow me, the party is being held at the Ketchum house. Actually, since all of you have probably been to the house already, walk with me."
Misty gave Victor a deadpan look. "…Was your job to escort us or creep us out?"
"The former was my official role, the latter was my own bit of fun. I imagine it isn't working considering all the "danger" that you faced with Ash, but I still like to have my fun. Come on. He's waiting."
With that, Victor began to lead the way to the Ketchum house, and the others reluctantly followed. Victor's behavior sent chills down their backs, but he was right; they had been through worse with Ash.
Ash…speaking of behavior, his had been very different from that of the boy they had once known. Every time they had met since his return, he had acted hostilely and coldly towards them, constantly pushing them away and yelling at them. He had not hesitated to spin-kick Brock or knock out Misty with his power, and those two were his oldest traveling companions.
And yet…right in front of them, Ash had kissed Anabel full on the lips. The love in his eyes when he looked at her was obvious. Anabel was a Frontier Brain, merely someone he had battled twice. And yet he had fallen totally and deeply in love with her. What had happened to him? There were those among Ash's old companions who couldn't understand Ash's feelings for Anabel. Of course, none of them had any malicious intentions, but they could not help but feel jealous.
A deep chuckling and slow applause interrupted their thoughts as they neared the Ketchum house. "So these are Ashvier's old friends…"
A familiar red-haired man wearing a silver coat stepped into their view, his sharp eyes seemingly sizing them up. "I will join you here, Victor. The fun will begin soon, and the others are waiting. Priscilla is getting impatient as well."
"Do as you like." The man fell into step next to Victor to lead the party the short way to the Ketchums' backyard, where Delia, Ash, Anabel, Sarah, Marisa, and a sky-blue haired girl whom they assumed was Priscilla awaited them, standing in front of a long wooden table, the kind that a panel of judges for a contest sat at. The only one who was smiling was Delia; even Ash had a stern look on his face.
"Welcome, everyone." Ash indicated several large round tables with his hand. They were unadorned. "Take your seats wherever you wish, and we can begin."
Again, Ash's old friends were shocked by his cold behavior; his eyes were devoid of emotion as he greeted them. Still, they did as he asked.
"Everyone is seated. Good." Ash turned to the girl next to him. "Shall we begin, my dear one?"
"Of course." All of Anabel's Psychic Pokémon except for Celebi suddenly appeared standing on the round tables. Their eyes flashed, and then the scene changed. White tablecloths appeared on each table, and colorful helium balloons adorned the tables even further. An array of covered aluminum trays and bottles of soda pop appeared on the long table, and Damian and Victor uncovered them all to reveal an enormous variety of food. The chairs they were sitting on shimmered, and then the plastic white chairs were replaced with high-backed, cushioned, and padded wooden chairs. More chairs appeared behind Ash and his friends. A simple stage cloaked in a black covering appeared behind Ash and his friends, and now they were all smiling.
"Surprise, everyone!" Ash crowed, spreading his arms wide and laughing. He and the others then shed their long trench coats to reveal that they were wearing what, to them, was relatively casual clothing. The boys wore leather jackets the color of their respective Aura over plain white T-shirts, while the girls wore shirts, black leggings, and skirts of various colors that went down to a little bit past their knees. Marisa and Sarah were wearing cardigans, and Anabel and Priscilla were wearing scarves. There were no hats, no long coats, no gloves, not even any boots; all of them were wearing sneakers.
"Did you think this would be all formal and serious? Lighten up!" Anabel laughed at their shocked faces.
"This is a celebration, everyone! To my return! I'm sorry that it's taken this long, but here it is! Oh, and I'm sorry for anything bad that happened to you while this was all going on, especially when I spin-kicked Brock and knocked out Misty!" Ash added.
"That was pretty funny, though," Victor muttered to himself. Sarah elbowed him.
"Anyway, enjoy yourselves! The food has been prepared, for both humans and for the Pokémon!" Anabel mentally called in the last surprise, and Celebi revealed herself along with Gyarados and Milotic, both of whom were coiled around something. At Celebi's nod, both Pokémon unraveled themselves to reveal the rest of Ash, Sarah, Priscilla, Damian, Marisa, and Victor's Pokémon standing happily behind stacks of bowls of Pokémon food and berries.
"Now, let everything begin!" Ash dramatically announced, spreading his arms with a flourish.
There was no response. Nothing moved. Ash and his new companions looked at his old ones expectantly, but none of them moved. Not even the young Max did anything.
"Please don't tell me you're afraid that this is all a trick," Ash deadpanned.
"Well, how can we trust you anymore, Ash?!" Dawn cried. "Every time we've met again, you've pushed us away, treated us like dirt, even almost let us die at the hands of some lazy bum!"
"Who?" Priscilla whispered.
"Sloth," Sarah replied.
"Ah."
"But I didn't let you die, Dawn. I still care about all of you. That's why I did what I did," Ash said, losing his happy grin.
"Ash, you invite us here after constantly driving us away! You meet us with so many of these new "friends" of yours, and a Legendary Pokémon! And plus, you were supposed to tell us everything about what was going on a week ago, in Cameran Palace! And then Team Rocket attacked, and after it was all over, we tried to talk you again! But noooo, you just had to…"
"Rescue my girlfriend from the clutches of an evil organization, you stupid boy," Ash snapped, fully out of patience with Barry's ranting.
"W-what…?!"
"Maybe this is my fault. Maybe I was too harsh. Maybe I did make a serious mistake by trying to push you guys away. But this time, I won't be stupid enough to make excuses or justify what I did," Ash murmured.
He fell to his knees and prostrated himself before his old friends. "Everyone, I'm sorry! I really am sorry!" Raichu joined him on the ground.
Victor and Damian both clenched their teeth behind their lips at the sight of Ash lowering himself like this, but neither of them did anything about it. They both knew it was necessary.
Damian glanced at Priscilla, and she glanced back. It won't work, she thought to him.
Anabel's eyes narrowed as she looked at Ash's old friends. She wasn't so rude as to read their thoughts, but even Ash could not hide his feelings from her when they first met again. In other words, with her new experience and the lack of training of Ash's old friends, she could easily see the feelings that they had in their faces; they were as plain as day.
Distrust. Anger. Suspicion. Anabel could read them all. Even with Ash's display of humility, Anabel could tell that he was far, very far, from being forgiven. But like Damian and Priscilla, she kept silent.
But the others were not idiots, either. One by one, Victor, Marisa, and even Sarah saw that this was all pointless. Sarah and Marisa were kind enough to keep silent and see how things played out. But Victor had no such restraint.
Victor stepped forward and laid a hand on Ash's shoulder. When Ash and Raichu looked up at him, Victor gestured with his face at Ash's old friends. When Ash looked at them, he saw the same emotions that his comrades had.
Ash exhaled once. "I see. That's all right. I guess there really is no real way you can trust me after how I treated all of you. I understand. If you'll excuse me, everyone, I'm going to go change clothes back."
Everyone, even the Pokémon, displayed various levels of surprise at Ash's completely giving in. Gyarados even roared in anger at Ash, but Victor glared back at him. "Gyarados, don't bother! This is Ash's decision, and it isn't up to us to force him to change his mind!" Victor barked. Gyarados growled and reluctantly settled down.
Raichu looked at the people whom he once considered close friends and sighed in disappointment before leaping up back to Ash's shoulder. Ash then called back his Pokémon and began to walk back into the house. "These clothes are ridiculous, anyway, just like this entire affair."
Anabel's eyes widened for an instant before she immediately followed him. He slowed his pace as her mind touched his, allowing her to walk at his side to the back door. He opened the door for her and let her in before closing the door behind him.
Victor, Marisa, Sarah, Damian, and Priscilla glanced at each other before they all returned their Pokémon. Then, everyone except Sarah followed Ash and Anabel back into the house.
Delia, who had stood silently to the side watching the whole thing, now stepped forward. There was not a trace of blame in her heart; not towards Ash for his suddenly giving up, or to his old friends and his new friends for their coldness. There was only sadness—sadness that through everything that had happened, Ash was no longer the boy that he once was, at least not entirely. There was not a single person there that had not changed since they were ten or younger. They had all matured, all grown up and were beginning to face the harshness of reality. It would have been nice if they had accepted his apology. But sometimes, that sort of dreamlike life was not what reality gave. Delia had accepted that when Liam had walked out of her life.
And so, when she sat down with Ash's old friends, she wasn't planning to ask forgiveness for Ash, nor was she trying to justify his actions. She would only tell what she knew about his story. That was the point of this celebration, after all.
Delia had some help. When Sarah looked to the house after the others had gone in, she saw Ash peering down from a second floor window. She met his eyes, gave a small smile, and mouthed, "Leave it to me."
Ash mouthed, "Thank you," before turning away from the window. Then Anabel came and gave Sarah a grateful smile, to which Sarah responded with a nod before joining Delia at the table.
"Let's get one thing straight before we start talking, all right?" Sarah suggested as she sat down. "We're not here to justify Ash's actions to you or ask for forgiveness. We're only here to tell you what we know about what he's gone through. After that, you can judge him for yourselves."
Everyone was silent, and Sarah continued. "Now, why don't you all get some food first? Release all your Pokémon and have them eat, too. I hear that Spearow are pretty common in this area. Trust me, we do NOT want a flock of them here. Go on. It's not like the food's poisoned. None of us even know how to use poison."
"Why are you doing this?" Brock asked.
"Because you deserve to know," Delia said. "Ash has been keeping a lot of secrets, and usually I would say that it's not my story to tell, but I'll make an exception this time. We'll start once you all get your food. Mimey worked very hard to make it, and even though we helped, it was very difficult to set up."
They all understood and willingly stood up. They even released their Pokémon, who gleefully raced towards the food in front of them and began to partake. Surprisingly, there was enough for every Pokémon.
When they had all sat down again, Delia smiled. "Good. Everyone's ready. So now we can start. If you want to leave and get seconds, go right ahead, because this is going to be a long story."
"That's all I know. Sorry I couldn't provide much information about the training he went through, but I think I made up for it by telling you what's going on now," Sarah said.
There was not a single person who didn't have their mouths wide open. Even Delia had her lips opened in an 'o' after hearing the new information about Syntalius, Casshern, Lyuze, Iestyn, and the like.
"Any questions?"
"So we're all going to die?!" Morrison panicked.
"No. Not as long as we can help it. The eight of us together will stop Iestyn," Sarah promised.
"And what if you don't? What if that guy succeeds and brings back Syn…Syn…" Max couldn't pronounce his name.
"Then I'll be realistic with you. If that happens, we will have failed, and you will all die at the hands of a hybrid Aura Guardian/Psychic madman."
Before they could start screaming, Sarah held up a hand. "I'm not telling you to give up hope. I'm only stating the worst-case scenario to help you realize what to expect. That's why I'm asking you all to give your Pokémon the best training you can in the next eight or nine months."
"Why?" Misty asked.
"Aura Psychicorum isn't just about Aura Guardians and psychics. There's Pokémon involved with them, too. The agents will probably use their powers to subdue you, but if your Pokémon can beat theirs, then you'll have a fighting chance. And besides, if you all want to help, then the best thing you can do is increase your own chances of survival. Iestyn's going to try to revive Syntalius during the winter solstice. That gives us at least eight months to train to beat him. As strong as we all are, we still can't beat Iestyn. So we're just going to get stronger until we can. It's about the only thing we can do at this point," Sarah explained.
"Good…that is the exact attitude to take, Sarah Isecolt…" a new voice whispered.
Sarah spun out of her chair and around to face the newcomer. It was a man completely covered in a dark cloak, to the point where his face was covered. Sarah was immediately wary, not because the man was covered in a cloak, but because Ash had told her and the others about the man whose Aura they could not sense. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice level.
"My name is of no consequence. I am only a messenger."
"What is your message?" Sarah's grip tightened on the chair behind her.
"The eight of you are all much more powerful than the average person, and even among your special kind, you are exceptional. The same applies to all of your Pokémon. But you are all still too weak…far too weak to combat him."
"Iestyn?"
"Syntalius."
"We won't have to deal with him. We'll stop Iestyn before Syntalius is released," Sarah snapped.
"As usual, your group does not understand the truth," the man sighed, shaking his head.
"I understand the truth well enough," Sarah said, struggling to keep her voice even.
"You and all your friends only have a flawed understanding of the truth. You think that you know all there is to know."
"There's more, isn't there?" Sarah sighed.
"More than you might expect."
"Are you going to tell me?"
"If you and all your friends—all of them, including Leontus Firesect who has not yet returned—defeat me in a battle, then I will tell you. Both our sides will be allowed to use our powers and our Pokémon, and the only thing you are not able to do is kill the other side," the man said.
"Do we have any choice but to fight? For all intents and purposes, it would be so much easier if you just told us. Besides, I would like it better if we didn't fight here," Sarah appealed.
"I am not without honor. My power is not such that I will harm civilians if I fight you. However, you must fight me—all eight of you, at the same time. It will take at least that much to beat me. And if you cannot beat me, or refuse to fight, then the information that I have will not be yours. I promise you, it is very worthwhile."
"It will take all eight of us to beat you, huh?"
"Correct."
Sarah weighed her options. She knew that Ash would choose to prioritize his friends' safety. No matter how important the information was, he would still keep from attacking. Any retaliation could hurt his friends. Marisa and Anabel would keep from attacking as well, just because there were civilians in the area. She didn't know about Damian or Priscilla's preferences. Leon and Victor would also choose to at least take the fight away from the civilians. But this was about what Sarah thought was necessary. She had to get as much information as she could, and then negotiate. "I have no real quarrel with you. None of my friends do, either. How important is this information, exactly, to the point where we have to fight you? Both Anabel and Priscilla can read your mind like a book."
"I have already taken them into consideration. I can promise you, they will not be able to touch me, even with their powerful telepathy. But if you have no real quarrel with me, then…" The man raised a hand, and Sarah instantly reacted.
She sent the chair rocketing at the mysterious man. The chair shattered in an explosion of black energy. Sarah released a spray of dirt at the explosion's source, but when it fell, the man was gone.
"You're too slow…" he suddenly whispered from behind her.
Sarah rocketed herself away and whirled around, but the man was not there. She gasped as she suddenly felt his grip on her arm. He bodily swung her around and tossed her away. She landed heavily on the ground and slid backwards. Sarah quickly regained her footing.
"Sorry about tossing a chair at you. That was on reflex," Sarah said.
"Leontus taught you well. Attacking me was the correct choice, for I planned to attack you and force you to defend yourself. But you lack the power, the skill, and the conviction to match me alone."
"That's where you're wrong. I'm prepared to fight if it means that you won't hurt them," Sarah said.
"And so are we," Ash called from the house. He and the others had changed out of their casual clothes and back into their normal long-sleeve shirts, button-up vests, gloves, and boots. As none of them had any interest in explaining things, they had passed the time by playing card games and such. Victor had thought to look out the window after they felt that they had given Sarah enough time to explain things. The instant they saw Sarah fighting, they had rushed outside. Marisa was now taking the time to usher in every non-combatant.
"I'm sorry, Sarah," Ash continued, he and the others besides Marisa joining Sarah's side.
"For what?"
"For pushing the explanation on to you. There was no need for you to do it."
"I don't regret it, Ash. I'm more concerned about him. You all saw how strong he is from my little scrap with him." Sarah jerked her head at the man.
"Yes. You were moving as fast as you could with telekinesis, and he still easily outpaced you. He completely kept from our sights and our Aura senses, too," Ash said.
"He was that fast?!" Sarah asked, incredulous.
"No. we simply couldn't sense his Aura. I do not understand, though. How can we not sense his Aura?" Victor asked.
"I'm not getting anything either," Damian added.
"But his mind is still there," Priscilla said.
"It doesn't matter now," Marisa interrupted, finished with her role of getting everyone inside. "He's a threat."
"A threat, yes, but not a menace. I will once again repeat the deal that I proposed to Sarah; beat me in a battle, no-holds barred, and I will give you a very valuable nugget of information," the man said.
"I would rather not fight and endanger the lives of so many civilians just for information," Anabel said.
"Precisely. Which is why we will fight tonight, after everyone is either gone or asleep. And tonight is a full moon, so you will have no trouble seeing me. Is that fair enough?" the man asked.
The others looked at each other. On the one hand, they would have to wait for Leon, and they had time to do that if they waited until night. Plus, there was less risk of injuring Ash's old friends in the crossfire. On the other hand, they had no idea who this man was and what he was capable of. However, they all knew that the best way to find out more in this situation was to fight the man, because they knew that they could not simply talk their way out of this.
Still, there was still the alternative. "What if we refuse to fight?" Anabel asked.
The man cocked his head before slowly pointing his hand to the side. Ash and his friends were instantly wary, but even they were surprised when six enormous circles of light suddenly appeared in the air. "You cannot. A certain someone wishes to see you face me. He wishes to see if you are worthy of this information. To that end, he has dispatched six of his trusted agents to help."
"Who is it?!" Victor demanded.
"You have a bit of that power yourself."
They looked on uncomprehendingly, but instantly understood when six beings appeared from the holes, one from each. They were all very recognizable.
The first was a huge, dragon-like white bird with a dark navy blue underside. It had a long, slender neck and spikes around its eyes, like a mask of some sort. Its wings resembled hands, and dark plate-like protrusions lined its back. A long tail with small spikes at the tip completed the body.
The second was a smaller bird than the first, but only in the way that a sea is smaller than an ocean, because it was still quite large. It was like a phoenix, with primarily red feathers. It had a crown of gold feathers on its head and another crown of tail feathers. Its wings were edged with green feathers, and it had black rings around its eyes and black feet. Its underside was white.
The third was a very simplistic creature, in that it was a ferocious-looking green serpentine dragon with yellow designs all over its body. It had rudder-like wings edged with red, and similarly designed fins were on its tail. Its head had four horns on it, the upper two longer than the lower two. Finally, it had small, yellow eyes with black pupils and two hands with three clawed fingers.
The forth was not a flyer. It was a colossal white golem-like creature with black stripes all over its body, and seven dot eyes. The eyes were on a thick yellow band on the middle of its body, and four more were on its shoulders and wrists. Six gems, two red, two ice blue, and two silver lined the area around its eyes. Its hands had three thick, blunt fingers each, and it had moss growing on its neck and feet.
The fifth was smaller than the rest, but it was by far the most alien-like. It was red and blue in varying areas around its body. Its arms were four tentacles, two on each side, arranged in a double helix-like formation. There was a purple stripe running down its face, and a purple crystal in its chest.
Finally, there was a Pokémon that none of them had ever seen before, only heard of. It stood on four bulky legs, and its body was mostly red with blue and yellow markings. There were spikes edging its face. It had bushy yellow eyebrows, yellow toe claws, and a yellow lower jaw. The front part of the body was larger than the back, likely to support the very large, arm-like cannon structures on its shoulders. The cannons were separated into three sections, each with a blue dot and small growth. More growths were on its ankles. Overall, it was a very sturdy-looking Pokémon.
Ash's eyes were wide, and his mouth was open. Similar expressions of shock were on his friends' faces. "N-no way…"
"Have you figured it out yet?" the man asked.
"Lugia, Ho-oh, Rayquaza, Regigigas, Deoxys, and…if I'm not mistaken, that last Pokémon is…" Victor breathed.
"Volcanion. The only Fire-Water Type Pokémon in known existence, discovered in the Kalos region, like the Fairy-Type. They say that it has enough heat in its body to turn water vapor into steam in an instant, and it can blast away mountains," Marisa explained.
"You understand, do you not? You know in your hearts who it was that sent me. Who is the only one who can command such power? I will leave you to your thoughts."
With that, the man and the Legendary Pokémon disappeared, leaving Ash and his friends alone.
"He is beyond strong…" Ash murmured.
"He is so far beyond us, even beyond Iestyn, maybe. To control such Pokémon…" Damian said.
"Not control," Anabel said.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.
"I don't think those Pokémon felt any sense that he was their trainer. After all, he didn't make them come out of Poke Balls. He summoned them out of those holes of light. He doesn't control them. Those Pokémon saw him as an equal, someone they would not hesitate to defeat if he got too out of hand. In turn, he would keep them in check," Anabel explained.
"He said that someone sent them. Which likely means that whoever it is even more powerful than they are. But who…or what…could be that powerful?' Priscilla wondered.
"I don't think this question requires that much thought," Leon cut in, walking up to them.
"Ah, Leon! You're back!" Victor greeted.
"How did you deal with that Pokémon?" Sarah asked.
To her surprise, Leon gave her a sad smile. "I'll talk to you about it later. Right now, we have to focus on this. I got back around the time that the guy and all the Legendary Pokémon disappeared, so I more or less know what's going on from your conversation."
"So what do you think about all this?" Damian asked.
"We all know that there's only one being who can summon up so much power. It doesn't even bear thinking about," Leon said. He was right. They all knew who it was. "If that is the case, then I'd say we have to take this fight. The information is most likely important."
"You're right," Ash said.
"So are we going tonight?" Marisa asked.
"Yes," Ash replied.
I do apologize for this long wait. I had severe writer's block for some reason. But as of this moment, many of you are likely very angry at me for not putting the forgiveness sessions and feels here. Well, here's the thing...I was going to, but then I thought, Nah, this way is more interesting. Don't worry, the forgiveness is coming. I just felt like this wasn't the right time.
Leave a comment below if you so wish. They motivate me, you know.