(A few hours before…)
After parting ways with Rex , Zack and Rose traveled in various taxis and buses across the city (remember that, compared to Rex, none of his Pokemon forms had the ability to fly) and headed to Mina's school.
"You said that Mina had problems with her mom" Zack said to Rose as they walked across the last street to get there, "What did you mean?"
"Well, she always liked to play soccer after we came back from the Pokemon world" Rose replied, "He would even play against boys about our age and still beat them as if they were rookies against a professional. But when her mother picked her up from the sports field, she complained about how dirty she was. Some time later, I went to see her in practice, and when she finished, my mother came over to offer us the youth modeling contest I told you about"
"The one you won and then decided to become a fashion diva? Yes, I remember"
"Hey, I already told you that I have come back to be as I was before. Anyway... the thing is that I gladly accepted, but Mina said that the next day she would have an important game. That seemed to bother her mother a little as she said that she should stop playing games and she should think about a better future. She said it wasn't a 'ladies' thing. It was the last time I saw her physically. Since then, we only interact by calls or video calls"
"Well, her mother should support her instead of saying that, right?"
"I don't think it's that easy: her mother owns a chain of beauty salons exclusively for women. "She likes them to look radiant and beautiful."
"Aaaaaa… Now I understand: Mina doesn't exactly meet those expectations, right?"
"Well, not for her mother… Look, we have arrived."
It was a school with about two buildings (not as big as Luke's school). However, it had a large sports field made of grass; the two goals on the sides indicated that it was a field fully used for soccer. At that time, a large number of young people were playing there… It was a rather curious game: girls vs. boys.
"Look, there she is!" Rose shouted, looking to the side of the field.
Rose was one of the girls who was dressed in a red jersey (the boys were the blue ones), and they went with great skill: she dominated and carried the ball without any problem, she passed it to her teammates, and they returned it to her when they broke through the rival defenses' team. One would think that only a boy could have done that, but she was a girl what she did.
"There it goes!" Mina yelled as she kicked the ball towards the goal.
Undisputed goal. The goalkeeper didn't arrive on time and the shot was quite perfect. While Mina's friends were congratulating her for that good shot of hers, the boys were somewhat upset that a girl was the one who beat them. Just then, they declared a time out.
"Mina! Here!" Rose yelled at her as she returned with the others to the break benches.
"Rose...?" she asked her from afar seeing her. He paused for a moment, and then realized that Zack was with her, "Zack? What are you doing here? I thought the game with your school would be next week."
"I think we would lose because you are too good a player…" said Zack, "But, we didn't come to see you for that reason…"
Rose looked Mina.
"If it's because the fashion show you told me so much about is still looking for debutantes, Rose, you know what my answer is" she said.
"Actually…that show is trashed" Rose replied. So, she and Zack proceeded to tell her what happened. Mina didn't know anything because she had been busy with her training.
"Wow... who's behind this?" asked Mina, shocked by the situation.
"We don't know who, but that's why we're meeting: the Poke-Destined" Zack said, "Rex went to get Luke, are you coming?"
"I want to, but…" Mina tried to explain, "I need to finish the match: I owe it to myself to do it"
"Own you?"
"You will see…"
"Mina?" asked a voice behind her. The boys turned around: she was Mina's mother.
"Mother?" Mina asked, looking nervous, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, to know how you are, I don't like that you play soccer so much. Look at you! So dirty, so impolite…"
"Mother! You know that this game is my passion, don't treat me like a girl" Mina replied, quite upset, "I can't be the 'perfect lady' that you want me to be"
That conversation was indeed heated, but Zack and Rose did not dare to intervene, since it was a mother-daughter matter.
"Look Mina" her mother told her after making various excuses, "You always come back dirty and sometimes hurt, I don't think you should continue with this"
"Please mom, don't plan my life..."
The mother was going to complain, until someone yelled something about a 'spider' and then several more yells followed. On the soccer field, there were red spiders the size of a large dog... that was the look for those who didn't know Pokemon, unlike the kids: they weren't spiders exactly, but Ariados.
"Here too?" Rose asked, "How come they show up where we are?
"We'll think about that later…" Zack opined, "Watch out!"
The Ariados had begun attacking with their Webs, filling the grass field with those sticky webs. People were starting to run, but several of them were being tangled up and were screaming in fear.
"Let's get out of here!" Mina's mother yelled, as she grabbed her daughter by her hand, trying to get her out of there.
"No, mom..." Mina resisted.
One of the Ariados fixed his attention on the boys, so he fired a Web.
"Time to evolve!" Zack yelled, raising his Pokephone. Likewise, Rose took out hers.
The devices glowed and Zack and Rose transformed into Shinx and Chikorita.
"Shinx evolves into... Luxio!"
"Chikorita evolves into… Bayleef!"
Zack making use of the rays of him, stopped the Web. While Rose attacked the Ariados with Razor Blades.
"We'll take care of it!" Zack yelled.
"Get everyone out of here!" Rose continued.
"Rose? Is it really you?" asked Mina's mother so impressed that her jaw dropped.
"Mom, there's no time..." her daughter stopped her, "I have to get you out of here"
Mina took her mother out of here, at the same time that several people also escaped.
"Thunder Fang!"
Zack charged onto the soccer field, using his Thunder Fang ability to gank and take down the Ariados.
"Razor Blades!"
Rose used her attack to free the prisoners from the nets. Then, she lifted them up with Vine Whip.
"You're free now" she told them as she helped them to their feet and escape, "Escape as soon as possible!"
All the people managed to escape, covered by Zack.
"Thunderbolt!" Zack attacked, defeating several Ariados.
"Energy ball!" Rose attacked.
Within a few minutes, the 30 Ariados that had arrived had been reduced to unconscious Pokemon. Each of them was being controlled by black rings. However, before they could celebrate their victory, a triple bolt of fire, ice, and lightning rained down on them, nearly killing them if they had not dodged it in time.
Above them, a draconian silhouette was shown, but it was not like any like the boys had seen before: it had six wings and looked like a mixture of a cerberus (three-headed dog) and a black dragon...
"A Hydreigon!" Zack yelled as he noticed the Pokemon.
The Hydreigon dove towards Zack and Rose, this time using Dragon Pulse. The kids dodged the attack.
"Time to Ultra-evolve!"
"Beyleef ultra evolves into…Meganium!"
"Luxio evolves into…Luxray!"
The kids used their Pokephones and went to Ultra level, to balance the fight.
Fighting against a bug Pokemon like Ariados was one thing, but a voracious dragon Pokemon like Hydreigon was another thing as they later realized.
"Razor Blades!" Rose attacked the Hydreigon.
The blade attack hit the Hydreigon squarely, but the Dragon Pokemon's thick coat shattered every blade thrown. In counterattack, the Dragon Pokemon launched a powerful electric beam that Zack intercepted in time.
"Charge beam!" Zack attacked, fully charged with energy.
Although the lightning bolt from a moment ago had charged him with energy, it hit the Hydreigon squarely, but it did not remain unconscious, as it roared in fury. The Dragon Pokemon then prepared to launch another powerful Tri Attack at them.
(Meanwhile…)
Mina and her mother helped everyone out of school. However, when an explosion of fire, ice and lightning ensued, Mina turned around, heading towards the field. However, her mother stopped her.
"Mina, what do you think you are going to do? It's too dangerous!" said her mother.
"I have to go mom" Mina replied, "They are my friends! I must… no, I fight too!"
"You can't, you can't…"
"Why do you never want to understand me?!" Mina yelled at her, almost crying, "I fought evil Pokemon long ago when I disappeared! That's the truth!"
Nina's mother froze in the moment, as she did not believe what her daughter was telling her. For her part, Mina looked at her hand, trying to remember her Pokephone. Instantly, her hand glowed and a small ball of light appeared in it. Then it took shape and materialized into a Pokephone.
"I'm sorry, mom…" Mina said, before her astonished mother. Then, she proceeded to run to where her friends were. Her mother followed her from a distance.
When Mina returned, she gave a muffled scream: more Ariados, at least 10 had appeared and on the field, Zack and Rose were up, but quite injured. In front of them, the Hydreigon had descended and was approaching them with its 3 voracious mouths.
Without important anything, Mina crossed the battlefield while, from a prudent distance, her mother watched her. The Ariados saw Mina arrive, and launched her nets towards the chosen girl. Mina lifted the Pokephone from her.
"Time to evolve!" she yelled.
Immediately, a light came out of it and Mina began to transform: with hard scales and thorns, into a Nidoran. But she didn't stop there...
"Nidoran evolves into... Nidorina!"
Mina, now with her body evolved from her, charged and knocked down each of the Ariados. They tried to use their spider-webs to immobilize her, but the sharp claws and thorns on Nidorina's body tore the webs.
The Hydreigon used Dark Pulse to attack Mina, but she jumped over the attack, at the same time that a symbol glowed from her chest. It separated from her body and was reunited with a new glow from the Pokephone.
"Nidorina ultra evolves into... Nidoqueen!"
Now, Mina had evolved again.
"Rock Smash!" attacked Mina with a heavy blow to Hydreigon's chest. This one was not only a Dragon type, but also a Dark one, so that attack was extremely effective. With a single blow, she struck down the Sinister Dragon.
The remaining Ariados closed in as Hydreigon fell, but Mina was quick to act:
"Stone Edge!" she attacked them.
Mina stomped and split a piece of dirt, releasing quite a few small sharp stones. Then she with her energy scattered them with the power of a shot, hitting all the remaining Ariados. While she was at it, the Hydreigon got up and launched into the air, readying a Tri-Attack again.
"We're going to counterattack together," Zack said, standing up.
"Yes, that attack is a triple attack…" Rose added, "We also launched a triple attack"
"Alright!" Mina agreed.
Hydreigon launched his Tri-Attack of Fire, Lightning and Ice, but Mina, Rose and Zack countered with his best attacks.
"Hyper Beam!" Mine attacked.
"Solar Beam!" Rose attacked.
"Thunder!" Zack attacked.
Hydreigon's three attacks collided with the attacks of the three friends. However, the force of the union surpassed that evil force and they impacted on the controlled Pokemon and knocked it down, removing the dark ring. Just before it fell, Mina's Pokephone flashed and caught the Hydreigon. After being defeated too, the Ariados started to glow and were trapped by all three Pokephones.
"Ugh," Mina said, returning to normal with the others, "I almost don't remember how intense the Pokemon battles were... Well, now that I won't have matches for a while, I think I can accompany you"
"Of course, but you'll have to tell your mom everything…" Zack pointed towards the stands.
There in the stands, Mina's mother had been watching the entire battle.
"Mom... I was trying to tell you..." her daughter said when she approached her, "I hope you believe me..."
"Well, I do believe you, but…" said her mother, "would you mind telling me everything more clearly?"
"Okay…"
Then, Mina proceeded to explain everything that happened, with the support of Zack and Rose. When the woman had heard everything that happened to them, she said:
"I guess I can't stop you from not going, can't I? Fine, just promise me you'll take care of yourself."
"Okay mom... I'll do it..." she replied, in a huff.
In addition, she paid for a bus trip to the coast, so that they will meet with her companions. While they were traveling, Mina told her friends:
"My mom hopes that one day I will take over her beauty salon. She sees me as her heir, that's why she didn't want me to play soccer"
"We already knew it," Rose told her, "Don't worry, friend, I'm sure that now that she has seen what you are capable of, she will value you in a different way"
"It's good to be with you again," her friend replied with a smile, "Now that I think about it, what about Dylan?"
"Well, he's on vacation in a beach house, on the coast," Zack answered, "That's what Rex told me before we parted ways. And we're almost there I hope Rex and Luke are coming too..."
With this, he pointed out the window of the vehicle where, in the distance, you could see a sea illuminated by the sun's rays, giving the impression of crystal-clear water.