Ash stood on the edge of the roof with his hands up. He knew that he had to be careful. He stepped closer and was disorientated by Ho-oh's order. He stopped immediately. "Okay, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you Ho-oh. I just want to help," Ash called soothingly to Ho-oh. Ho-oh glared at him. "What makes you think that you can help me?" Ho-oh demanded coldly. Ash took a breath and edged a little closer. He wasn't comfortable being so close to the edge of the roof. "I've seen you before. I've actually seen you three times before today and I thought that might mean something," Ash explained. He was now quite a distance from the edge. Ho-oh regarded Ash carefully. Then the legendary bird shimmered slightly and a light green glow shone around Ash momentarily. "Liar!" Ho-oh shouted outraged. "You are here because the king of Pokelantis ordered you to be here!" Ho-oh growled. Ash froze. He didn't understand why Ho-oh thought that but the name did sound familiar. "What makes you think that?" Ash asked softly, trying to keep Ho-oh as calm as he could. "I sense his essence around you," Ho-oh informed Ash angrily. Ash frowned in confusion.
Back in the tent, everyone was shocked at how Ho-oh had called Ash a liar. They had thought Ash was doing well. "King of Pokelantis… hey Brock wasn't that the spirit that possessed Ash at the battle pyramid?" Max asked Brock. Brock stared at Max and nodded slowly. "But how would Ho-oh know that?" Brock asked and a moment later they heard Ash's voice asking a similar question. "I sense his essence around you," they heard telepathically. Brock turned to the doctor who was watching the events silently. "What does Ho-oh mean?" Brock asked the doctor. The doctor frowned in concentration. "I've heard legends where Ho-oh was able to sense what lay in the hearts of humans. However I'm not sure that's what Ho-oh is doing," the doctor murmured thoughtfully. Max noticed that Ash looked confused on the screen and took it upon himself to press the button on Clemont's device and remind Ash of when he was possessed.
Ash nodded slightly. He didn't think he should say anything unless he wanted Ho-oh to hear it. He also wasn't sure how Ho-oh would take learning that there were people listening to their conversation. "I can explain… I was possessed by the king of Pokelantis a while ago now," Ash offered and waited to see how Ho-oh would take his explanation. Ho-oh regarded Ash carefully. "Continue," it prompted. Ash took a deep breath. He knew he had to tell Ho-oh the truth but he also knew that Ho-oh wasn't going to like what Ash had to say. "During my travels, I… competed in the battle frontier and on my way to the final challenge I, with my friends, fell down a hole into some ruins. The ruins used to belong to… well they belonged to the king of Pokelantis. While there I heard a legend that told of after Ho-oh destroyed Pokelantis and the king looking to imprison the Ho-oh as punishment for what happened. It was rumoured that the king succeeded and that the Ho-oh was in the ruins we were in," Ash began. He paused and took another breath. It was the moment of truth, if Ho-oh was going to attack him then it would do so after he said what happened next. "I heard the legend and I ran off looking for… well I guess you. I found the king's chamber and picked up a stone pokéball where the Ho-oh was meant to be. I invited it out and then a dark… a dark cloud came out instead and I guess that's when it possessed me because I kind of blacked out then. It's thanks to my friends that I'm not still possessed now," Ash finished. He waited.
I know this is a short chapter but I love cliff-hangers and this was one I couldn't afford to miss.
So, until the next chapter.