Chapter 22 Preparation for the next goal
When they go into the Galaxy Hall to find Kamado, they find that he is still talking to Arezu. Kamado thinks and says, "Hrm...So it's come to Ursaluna as well...This suggests that even Pokemon that are not nobles can become frenzied... I have received no word from Adaman or Irida...But this is something we can simply ignore. In any case, you have my thanks, Miss Arezu. You did well to inform us of Ursaluna's situation."
"No problem! Adaman's got his hands full running our clan and all, and Ursaluna's warden wouldn't even give me the time of day...So the Galaxy Team are the only ones I could turn to about this."
"Ursaluna's warden is Mistress Calaba of the Pearl Clan, is it not?" Kamado asks. "Of all the wardens, she is the most narrow-minded - Ahem! Bound by tradition. She likely does not take kindly to outsiders meddling in her affairs."
As he notices Ash and Serena, he says, "I have a new mission for you, Ash, Serena. I order you to study Ursaluna in the Crimson Mirelands! I permit you to show your strength if necessary."
Ash and Serena nod as they are now going to Captain Cyllene about the news. "The next area you will be sent to investigate is the Crimson Mirelands. You will find the Pokemon living there to be more fearsome than those in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Even the landscape itself is harsher, with steep ravines and seaside cliffs. It is not welcoming. At your current rank, you should be able to handle the Crimson Mirelands on your own. Here is what you need to know. Your destination is a place within the mirelands known as the Solaceon Ruins. That is where you'll find Ursaluna's warden."
"Oh boy..." Ash mutters, as he knows full well that place is filled with Unown. And after leaving, Serena asks, "Ash? You don't seem to be happy at the fact we're going to Solaceon Ruins..."
"It is not like that, but I know too sure that Solaceon Ruins is filled with Unown, and they are very terrifying if you get to know them."
"Is that so..." Serena says.
And they decide to continue to do the requests, they find a woman named Paria near the bridge, and she says, "Hey, listen to this! I saw something out of the fields! Oh, it was incredible!"
"Come again?" Ash asks, as a lot of people really said the same thing.
"The thing I saw was...a will-o'-the-wisp! A ball of bright red fire!" Paria exclaims. "When I was walking on Windswept Run the other night, it leaped at me like woooOOOooo!"
A boy named Waka just walks past them, and he says, "At it again with this story, huh? Don't listen to her, mister. My big sis always gets carried away with her fairy tales."
"Oh for goodness' sake, I'm not making it up! I saw that will-o'-the-wisp with my own two eyes!" Paria says.
"Oh yeah? Then why don't you show it to me? Heh. Good luck with that!" Waka taunts as he runs off.
"It's SO frustrating he won't believe me...I honestly did see one!" Paria says. "Say...You're with the Survey Corps, right? And I hear you're quite the prodigy!"
"Well, we are..." Serena says.
"I beet you could easily catch a will-o'-the wisp! Do you think you could catch the one I saw and bring it back here?" Paria asks.
"Well, we do have some Pokemon from the Windswept Run...I wonder what kind of Pokemon are you talking about." Ash says as he looks at the Pokedex with Serena.
"Maybe it is the Chimchar that we found that was on the tree?" Serena asks. Then they go to the pastures and get the Chimchar. And he asks Chimchar to rush up to the tree, and Paria gasps, "Th-that's it! That's the will-o'-the-wisp I saw, all right! So it was a Pokemon all along...In any case, you caught it just like you promised! The Survey Corps really are a talented bunch."
"It's nothing." Ash says.
"Now I just have to explain the whole thing to Waka somehow. Can't say I'm looking forward to that..." Paria mutters, but they already hear her brother's scream. "A w-w-will-o'-the-wisp!"
Waka is already behind them and he starts to run. "Nooo! Saaave me, Sis! Ahhhhh!"
Paria sighs as she quickly gives Ash 2 Exp. Candy S and rush to find her brother, and Ash and Serena quickly recall Chimchar before anything happens.
They also go back to the Galaxy Hall to see another request on the request board. "It seems a Mr. Mime has taken up residence here in Jubilife...but its eerie movements are making Andra, one of the villagers, a touch nervous! Speak to the poor chap and lend him your aid."
"Andra...if I remember, he was the one who wanted to find some Tumblestones and asks us to give him five Oran Berries, right?" Ash asks.
"Yeah." Serena says.
As they find the said person he says, "Oh, hello! Thanks again for finding me those Oran Berries. I had a wretched time in the fieldlands, getting harried by Pokemon left and right. They even got me with a few of their moves..."
"Ouch. That must be hurt." Ash says.
"But I did get those Tumblestones, so I think I've earned some time to cool my heels here. I didn't even have a chance to use all the Oran Berries you got me - but they made a lovely snack. It's nice to be able to carry so much. Asking that fellow at the headquarters to help me fit more in my satchel was definitely the right move. So, helpful soul that you two are, I suppose you're here about my request to the professor? On to the matter at hand, then. Would you mind investigating the Mr. Mime that's taken up residence here in the village?"
"Yeah, so what's is that about?" Serena asks.
"Just having a wild Pokemon among us is scary enough, and then there's the eerie way it moves...The Security Corps refused to handle it, for whatever reason, I'm hoping a Survey Corps person like you can help me out." He then notices Mr. Mime and yells, "Look! It's over there!"
Ash and Serena notice that it is in the alley, they know for sure that they can't just walk straight to him because of the Light Screen, after getting to it for the first time, it just runs away.
"Where did it go?" Ash asks.
"It ran off that way!" Andra says as they continue to chase. "It wouldn't run unless it had something to hide! Now we've really go to find out what it's up to."
They find Mr. Mime behind the Galaxy Hall, and they try to get through him by going through the light screen maze. Serena says, "This is ridiculous..."
After catching Mr. Mime, it runs away again. Andra asks, "You know, you've got a...roundabout way of trying to get up close to Pokemon. Are you secretly scared of them or something?"
"It's not our fault, Mr. Mime is a Pokemon that can create invisible walls." Ash says.
"What? You're joking! Unless that Mr. Mime is using some kind of mysterious power..." Andra says, "Whatever the case, this calls for further research! I've got to get after that Mr. Mime. Come quick!"
They continue to run and find him near the gate out of Jubilife Village. After finding Mr. Mime again, Andra says, "It's trying to run again!"
Andra tries to catch the Pokemon, only to be blocked by the invisible walls. "Whoa! I...I can't go any further! There's definitely something here I can't see!"
Ress, the guard comes, and says, "What is it, Mr. Mime? Looks like something's got you in a panic."
"What? Ress, you know this Mr. Mime?" Serena asks.
"Yep. It helps me guard the gate sometimes. When it stands out front and does that eerie dance, wild Pokemon can't get in. It's like there's some kind of invisible wall. It's docile, and it helps me with my job, so I just let it do as it pleases."
"Who would have thought..." Andra mutters. "Sorry to make you go all that trouble. But it brought me some peace of mind, if nothing else. If we've got invisible walls cropping up here and there, folks had better keep an eye out! Or...perhaps not an eye...Well, however one watches out for invisible obstacles!"
Then he gives them two Aux. Guard as compensation for doing that, Ash and Serena sigh as they take the items and leave.
And at the same time, back in the Sinnoh Region. A blue-haired woman is knocking at the door, she asks, "Dawn, you have been locked up inside your room for a lot of days. I've been worried about you..."
"Leave me alone, mom...I'm a monster...I killed two of my best friends..." That was the sound coming behind the door to Dawn's room.
On the day when Ash and Serena are killed, Dawn was asked by Brock to come to the Kanto Region to celebrate Ash's first place in the World Championships. But when she gets there, she is scared to see how Misty, May, Max, Iris, Clemont, Kiawe, Mallow, and Trip start to badmouth Ash about dragging them through the journeys. Serena, Gladion, Lillie, and Delia are the bold ones as they decide to demand what they mean. As for her and the others who didn't know this first hand, they just flinch there as they do nothing.
The fact that Ash and Serena are hit by the attacks of Pokemon, and what Ash said to them, hurts her a lot.
"You guys are thinking the same as those people, huh...I will never forgive all of you!" Ash says.
They didn't stand up to their friends, which means they are as bad as those murderers, so Brock suggests that they flee as well before the police start to accuse them of the murder of Ash and Serena. As they flee, they decide to take shelter at Professor Cerise's lab and tell Professor Oak about the whole truth from there. Goh and Chloe aren't at the party, but they are also angry at what Ash and Serena have endured. It was after a while, they hear the news of Ash's death.
Every one of them in the lab is shocked to hear the news, they don't want to believe that Ash and Serena are really dead, and the girls are now crying while the boys are gritting in anger. For now, they have to stay low as Lillie and Delia also announce that they are accomplices, and they are going to change their alias so that they can search for the murderers to revenge Ash and Serena.
After managing to get back home, Dawn has locked herself inside of her own room, crying day and night for the deaths of her two best friends. Johanna also knows the situation, she has been trying to help her out, but to no avail. She sighs as she just hopes that there will be a way to help her daughter.
And here is a new chapter, as the Obsidian Fieldlands Arc goes to an end, it will be time for us to get into the next location of the game: Crimson Mirelands. And in the end, I decide to give a sneak peak about what Dawn is doing in the real world since this is a Hisui region story. I hope you like this chapter.