This Pokémon movie is one of the few that was a little spooky to me with the scenes of Unown, but also very emotional to me due to Molly's loneliness. It was around the same time as I was enduring bullying at school and could only find comfort in Pokémon.

Also, it's been over a month since the stats stopped showing and have been flat zero. Have you guys noticed it too? I've contacted the support team about the matter a week ago or so, but they haven't responded. So I suggest you start contacting the support staff and spam them into fixing the issue now.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 18: Spell of the Unown – Part 1

I was still flabbergasted that Ash had caught a shiny Pokémon. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit jealous. I've always wanted a shiny Pokémon myself, but I knew it was just a matter of time and luck before I could find and catch one.

I snapped out of my thoughts when we finally reached a rest area that was also part a playground. Ash had found it on his PokéGear and it was the perfect place to take a rest and have some lunch. However, we weren't the only ones there. A pretty girl a couple of years older than us was relaxing on a bench before an Aipom ran to her after it had climbed down from a nearby tree.

"Aipoom!"

"Hi there!" the girl greeted us as she got up. "Is anyone of you a Pokémon Trainer?"

"Yeah, I'm a Trainer", Ash replied. "I'm Ash and this is my partner Pikachu."

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu waved his hand to the unknown Trainer and her Aipom.

"I'm a Trainer too", I nodded, hiding behind my brother because I suddenly felt a little shy after seeing the girl. "I'm Ashley, Ash's twin sister…"

Brock danced up to the girl like a love-struck Growlithe again. "And I'm Brock, a Pokémon Breeder!" he introduced himself. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"No thanks", the girl rejected him, which he took it hard. His face turned pale by disappointment before he walked back to us. "I'm Lisa and I've been looking for a Trainer to battle with", the girl introduced herself. "Wanna go for a round?"

"That'd be great! I do need to warm up for the Goldenrod City Gym!" Ash nodded as he got excited to battle.

"I need some training too…", I responded softly, thinking I wouldn't get a chance to battle.

"How about this?" Lisa called out. "I've got a complete Pokémon team. You two can take turns to battle my Pokémon, so you both get equal training."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Misty smiled. "That's so nice of you, Lisa."

"Togiprii!" Togepi chirped happily.

"It really is", I bowed softly. "Thank you, Lisa."

"But I take the first turn!" Ash declared as he grabbed a Poké Ball. "Ready when you are, Lisa!"

"That's the spirit!" Lisa smirked before she threw one of her Poké Balls. "Granbull, I choose you!"

"I choose you, Totodile!" Ash shouted as he threw his Poké Ball.

XXXXXXXXXX

The whole battle turned out to be quite even. Totodile beat Lisa's Granbull with a big Water Gun. Then it was my turn to use Victor against Lisa's Girafarig. It was a tough battle, but Victor won with a critical hit Bite. Next was Lisa's Aipom versus Ash's Noctowl. Lisa got caught off guard by the shiny Pokémon for a moment, but she regained her senses and told Aipom what to do. Even so, Noctowl won with a critical hit Peck.

The fourth battle was with Mystic and Lisa's Butterfree. I wanted Mystic to have more battle experience and Butterfree seemed like a docile opponent. Mystic did well, but he fell asleep by Butterfree's Sleep Powder and got knocked out by a Gust. For the fifth battle, Ash used Cyndaquil against Lisa's Mankey. That battle didn't last long before Cyndaquil scorched Mankey with a Flamethrower.

That meant the final battle was mine, which turned out to be a little problematic. Lisa's last Pokémon was a Quagsire, which had a good defense. The only Pokémon I had that wasn't weak against water or ground type moves was Trica, so I used her for the last battle. Just as I predicted, Quagsire was tough to defeat, but Trica successfully beat it after multiple Fury Swipes.

In the end, Ash won all three of his battles and I won two. It was a decent result, even though I had wanted to win all my battles. It just proved I still had much to learn and train with my Pokémon. After the battle, we treated Lisa to lunch that Brock and Misty quickly put together. We called out our Pokémon so they could also have something to eat.

"I must say I'm very impressed, you two", Lisa suddenly spoke up after she finished eating her share. "You're two of the toughest Trainers I've ever met."

"Thanks, Lisa", Ash chuckled. "Your Pokémon are really tough too."

"And it was worth to train too", I nodded. "It gave me ideas for the next battle."

"That's the important thing to learn from your battle, whether you win or lose", Misty commented. "But the twins' Pokémon are getting tired. This was the fifth battle this week."

"Yeah, we really need to find a Pokémon Center", Ash agreed.

"Say, Lisa, do you know if there's a Pokémon Center nearby?" Brock asked.

"There is one in my hometown Greenfield just over the mountains", Lisa replied.

"Greenfield…?" I repeated slowly before I rubbed my forehead. "I feel like I've heard that name before…"

"Yeah, same here", Ash nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "But I can't remember from where…"

"Greenfield is one of the famous towns in Johto", Misty told us. "It's said to be one of the most beautiful places on the whole planet."

"Really?" I asked, surprised to hear that.

"That explains your beauty, Lisa", Brock flirted with the girl.

"Thanks for the compliment", Lisa smiled. "I'm actually on my way home to see my family and take a break from my journey. I can show you the way."

"Thank you, Lisa", I smiled before I finished my cup of soup, sighing in relief by the warm liquid.

XXXXXXXXXX

It took around an hour to walk through a forest on top of the mountains, but then we were greeted by the beautiful view of meadows with flowers in bright and lovely colors. The air was so fresh and it smelled sweet by the pollen.

"It's so pretty…", I smiled as I looked around, fully enjoying the view. I could even see some wild Pokémon roaming among the flowers.

"This is just the beginning", Lisa giggled. "You can see Greenfield from up at the top of the hill ahead."

"Let's go!" Ash called before he ran ahead with Pikachu on his shoulders.

"Pikaa!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Misty shouted as she ran after my brother.

Brock and I ran after them while Lisa followed behind us. Ash and Misty made it to the top of the hill and froze immediately. I first assumed they got flabbergasted by the amazing view, but when I reached them I got one of the biggest shocks in my life.

A massive crystal structure dominated the town. It looked like a flower with two towers that first looked like there was made of glass, but they weren't transparent and had the same shade as a crystal. Even the vegetation around the structure was crystalized.

"W-What is that crystal…?" I stuttered.

"What is-", Lisa joined us before she let out a huge gasp in shock. "What is that?!"

"You don't know what that is, Lisa?" Brock asked.

"I've never seen it before!" Lisa exclaimed, still shocked by the sight. "The area where the crystal is is where Professor Hale's mansion's supposed to be!"

"Professor Hale…?" I repeated the name. The gears were moving in my head again. I could have sworn I've heard that name before too.

"Quick! We've got see what's going on!" Ash yelled before he ran down the hill.

We followed my brother to get a closer look at the crystal structure. When we were just meters from the crystal area, a mystical wave went by us and crystalized the grass and flowers right in front of our eyes.

"W-What's going on?" Misty asked worriedly.

"I think we should stay away for now", Brock suggested. "We don't know if this weird power can crystalize us too."

"I agree", I nodded as I took a few steps back. "I can't figure out which Pokémon can have this power to crystalize such a big area."

"You actually don't know what Pokémon it could be, Ashley?" Ash gaped theatrically.

I glared at him in response. "I may have read a lot, but I don't know everything about Pokémon, Ash", I muttered irritably.

We walked back to a path where Officer Jenny drove past us on her motorcycle. We didn't have time to call and ask her what was going on until a TV van appeared out of nowhere. A reporter and a cameraman quickly stepped out and prepared themselves for a live report. We made sure to stay out of view but also stayed closed so we could hear what the female reporter had to say about this crystallization and the current circumstances.

"Behind me lies the normally peaceful town of Greenfield. But these green fields have suddenly undergone a disturbing transformation. Officials are baffled by this shocking phenomenon, which appears to have originated from the hilltop mansion of renowned Pokémon researcher Spencer Hale, whose wife is currently hospitalized due to an incident two years ago."

"Spencer Hale…", I mumbled before I gasped in realization. "Ash! I remember now! We've met Professor Hale before!"

"We did?" Ash asked confusedly.

"Yes!" I nodded rapidly. "He was friends with Mom, Dad and Professor Oak. I think we were seven years old when we met Hale's family for the first time and his daughter Molly who was only one year old."

"No way!" Lisa gasped. "You guys know Professor Oak?"

"Yeah, I forgot to mention Ashley and I come from Pallet Town", Ash explained.

"We should probably get to the Pokémon Center and contact Professor Oak immediately about the situation", Brock said. "Perhaps he can help the town solve this mystery."

"I agree", Misty nodded.

"Professor Hale is well known as a leading authority on so-called Legendary Pokémon", the reporter continued the live report.

"Legendary Pokémon…", I mumbled before I took one last glance at the crystal flower, which I've decided to call the giant crystalized structure. "What Legendary Pokémon could be behind of this…?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Lisa guided us to the Pokémon Center where there was full chaos. A could of maids were crying on a cushioned bench while a man dressed as a butler tried comforting them. A man in his thirties with brown hair spoke with some important people including Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. The nurse noticed us and immediately walked to us to help us. "Welcome to Greenfield's Pokémon Center", she welcomed us. "And welcome back, Lisa."

"It's been a while, Nurse Joy", Lisa replied.

"Ooom!" Aipom greeted.

"What happened to Professor Hale's mansion? What's going on?" Lisa asked concernedly. "When did this happen?"

"The crystallization happened just last night", Nurse Joy revealed.

"So it happened recently?" Ash asked baffled.

"Yes", Nurse Joy nodded with a sad expression. "The servants and Professor Hale's assistant Skylar made it out in time before the crystallization could trap them inside the structure. But…"

"Don't tell me Professor Hale's daughter is still inside them?!" Lisa gasped worriedly.

"No!" I gasped in horror and covered my mouth with a hand. "It can't be…"

"What about Professor Hale? Where is he?" Lisa asked.

The male with the brown hair must have overheard us because he left the important people and walked to us. "I can answer that", he said.

"And you are…?" Brock hesitated.

"I'm Skylar, Professor Hale's assistant", the man introduced himself. "The two of us were investigating some ruins for the Professor's research when I looked away for a few seconds and the next thing I knew, he was gone."

"He vanished without a word?" Misty asked.

"Togiii…", Togepi yawned and began falling asleep in Misty's arms.

"I searched for him in the entire ruin with a rescue team, but we never found him…", Skylar trailed off and clenched his hands, probably feeling frustrated and sad about the situation. "And now this happened and Molly's trapped inside the crystalized mansion with the mysterious tiles we found in the ruins…"

"Is there anything we can do to help out?" Ash asked.

"Chuu…", Pikachu whined sadly.

"I don't know yet, but I appreciate your sympathy", Skylar said. "I've contacted Professor Hale's senior, Professor Oak, and he's on his way right as we speak."

"Professor Oak is on his way already…?" I mumbled quietly.

"We should stay here and wait for Professor Oak and see if we can find a way to save Molly", Brock told us.

"Yeah!" Ash, Misty and I nodded, completely agreeing with him.

XXXXXXXXXX

We stayed at the Pokémon Center for the night. I actually had a hard time sleeping, fearing the crystallization was going to spread to the Pokémon Center and trap us inside. Thankfully, that nightmare didn't come true, but the large structure seemed to look larger than yesterday. We were almost done with the breakfast when Skylar rushed to our table.

"Kids! Professor Oak has arrived!" he informed us.

"Already? That was so fast", Misty commented after she wiped the corner of Togepi's lips clean.

"Priii!" Togepi chirped happily.

"Let's go and see him!" Ash said and gobbled down the last of his breakfast before he stood up from the booth. Pikachu jumped up on his shoulder after munching on the last of his own food.

I drank the last drop of my tea and ran with my brother and friends to the crowded entrance. The same reporter and the cameraman were there along with Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny and some of her colleagues, Lisa and other people that had come to help out with the emergency. Professor Oak stepped out of a vehicle and noticed us immediately. "Ash! Ashley!" he smiled and waved to us.

"Professor Oak!" my brother and I responded simultaneously.

"Pi? Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed and jumped down from Ash's shoulder and ran to the car.

"Pikachu?" Ash called for his Pokémon. The next person who stepped out of the vehicle had caught Pikachu's attention and it was none other than Mom!

"Hi, Pikachu!" Mom greeted Pikachu and picked him up, cuddling with him.

"Mom?!" Ash and I gasped at the same time, very surprised to see her here.

"Hi, my darlings!" Mom greeted us while Pikachu purred and nuzzled against her palm.

"I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here, kids", Professor Oak commented while Ash and I walked to our mother.

"It was a big coincidence we came here to Greenfield and was met by that weird crystallization", Misty said.

"But now it feels safe that you're here to help everyone out, Professor", Brock nodded.

"How are my two Pokémon Masters?" Mom giggled.

"We're doing great, Mom", Ash said while Pikachu climbed back onto his shoulders.

Mom embraced us both at the same time while the cameraman had the camera aimed at us. "I've missed you two so much", she told us. "You have grown so much since you left home."

"Well, we're kids, so of course we're growing, Mom", Ash chuckled.

"I missed you too, Mom…", I mumbled as I nuzzled against her bosom, hearing her heartbeat that was my favorite sound. It felt warm and soothing.

"Where's Mimey, Mom?" Ash wondered.

"Mimey decided to stay home and look after the house with the Squirtle Squad whenever they're not on duty", Mom explained. "He's a great housekeeper."

Misty and Brock joined us along with Lisa while the rest of the adults walked inside the Pokémon Center to come up with a plan to deal with the mysterious phenomenon. "What made you come here, Delia?" Misty asked.

"Hi, Misty, Brock", Mom greeted our friends. "I couldn't just stay at home and do nothing but worry about little Molly."

"You know Professor Hale's family, ma'am?" Lisa asked.

"Aipo-om?" Aipom chirped from her shoulders.

"Why, yes, I do", Mom nodded.

We settled down in the back of the Pokémon Center around a table outside with some drinks Nurse Joy got for us. Mom passed us some pictures of us and Professor Hale and his family that were taken when Ash and I were seven years old, so I had remembered the timeline. The only person who was missing on the picture was Dad.

"I've known Professor Hale for many years", Mom explained. "He studied Pokémon alongside Professor Oak until he got his Ph.D. and became an official Pokémon Professor."

"Then he set off to continue his research in a different field and moved away, right, Mom?" Ash asked.

"Yes, but he and his family returned to Pallet Town for a reunion a couple of years ago when this picture was taken", Mom nodded, holding said picture. Molly looked so small compared to me and Ash. At that point, my hair was short because I had cut my hair the year before, so I looked like a carbon copy of my brother.

"I think I remember it now…", Ash replied as he scratched the back of his head.

"I do", I nodded. "We were so careful with Molly and played with our Pokémon plushies when the adults were talking in the kitchen."

"But then…the tragedy began", Mom sighed sadly and turned to look at the crystal structure. "Professor Hale's wife got injured in an accident two years ago and fell into a coma… Professor Hale disappeared…and now this is happening…with Molly trapped inside that thing."

"This is so weird", Brock commented. "It's like a Butterfree effect."

"Butterfree effect?" I asked, never heard of it before.

"It's when a chain of events happen and it's usually associated with bad things", Brock explained.

"Ah", I nodded, now understanding the saying.

"It's been peaceful in Greenfield for so long, so I can't imagine what caused this", Lisa shook her head.

"Professor Hale loves researching Legendary Pokémon", Mom stated. "So… I believe this might have something to do with a Legendary."

"But, Mom… I don't know what Legendary Pokémon has this power that can crystalize such a big area", I argued.

"Do you perhaps remember what Legendary Pokémon Professor Hale researched about, Mom?" Ash asked.

"He loves researching every single Legendary…", Mom tapped her chin while narrowing her eyes, trying to remember. "But… He was determined to figure out the mystery about one particular Pokémon, but I can't remember its name…"

Pikachu, Togepi and Aipom were eating some light snacks on the table while we were speaking. Everything seemed fine until I suddenly felt goosebumps on my body. I immediately rubbed my arms to feel warm again and noticed Ash had the same reaction. "W-What was that?" he asked, looking around frantically.

"What was what, Ash?" Misty asked concernedly.

"I suddenly got goosebumps and it wasn't by the wind", my brother replied.

"I felt the same thing", I nodded. "It's like…something big is coming."

Mom stared at us, like she knew what we had just experienced. "Honey-"

"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly yelled and jumped down the table. He ran ahead and growled with his cheeks sparking. "Piiiii…!"

"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash called confusedly.

The next thing we knew, a huge canine Pokémon jumped from the corner of the Pokémon Center and landed meters from us. I instantly recognized the Pokémon, but what I also noticed at the same time was how the grass and flowers turned into crystals around its paws.

Everyone but Mom jumped straight up from the chairs and pulled back in surprise at the sight of the Pokémon. "What is that?!" Lisa called while her Aipom climbed up on her shoulders.

"That's an Entei! A Legendary Pokémon!" I exclaimed.

"Guys, the ground crystalized around Entei's paws!" Brock noticed the same thing I did. "Is that Pokémon behind the whole crystallization?"

"No… Entei is supposed to be only a fire-type Pokémon…", I mumbled, not recalling any information about Entei having crystalizing powers.

Mom got up from her chair and took a few cautious steps toward Entei, passing by Pikachu. "Mom!" Ash and I called for her worriedly.

"Why have you come here?" Mom asked the mysterious Entei.

"I have come here…for you", a deep voice echoed in my head, surprising me.

"Did you hear that voice?!" Ash asked the rest of us.

"Yeah! Did it come from Entei?" Misty wondered, cradling Togepi in her arms.

"Priii…", Togepi chirped, sounding her frightened by the presence of the Legendary Pokémon.

"It must be telepathy", Brock said.

"Take me…to my child…", Mom mumbled quietly, but my ears still caught that.

"Mom…?" I called back.

Mom fainted without a warning just as Entei rushed forward and caught her on its back before it ran away with her. "MOM!" Ash and I yelled and ran after the kidnapper with Brock, desperate to save Mom.

Pikachu had managed to climb onto Entei's tail so we had to save both him and Mom. We ran as fast as we could after Entei, but the Legendary Pokémon was way faster than us. "MOM! PIKACHU!" Ash screamed desperately.

"MOM!" I yelled in the same tone, my heart pumping the blood faster as I was full of adrenaline. I didn't even notice the media team when we ran past them by the Pokémon Center.

Entei ran back toward the crystalized area with the crystal flower towers. Before it made it to the closed off area, Pikachu attempted to use Thunderbolt to slow Entei down without harming Mom, but it was ineffective. I saw from the distance how the Legendary hound stopped for a second to shake Pikachu off its tail before it ran into the crystalized zone.

"Come back!" I screamed, my voice sounding coarse by the sudden long run.

"Mom!" Ash yelled as we got closer to the crystalized area. We were just about to step inside of it when Brock grabbed us by the arms and held us back.

"Ash! Ashley! Don't go in there!" the teenager yelled at us. "We don't know what'll happen if we step into the zone!"

"Let me go…!" Ash struggled to get out of Brock's grasp, refusing to listen to him.

I was in the same position. I wanted to run after Entei and save Mom. I couldn't lose her. If Ash and I were to lose her now…and with our father so far away from us… We would have nobody left!

"Let go…! Mom!" I cried as tears began running down my cheeks, my legs burning by the lactic acid. The strength swiftly vanished from my legs. My body betrayed me and made me collapse on my hands and knees, bawling my eyes out.

Ash collapsed next to me and banged on the hard crystal that was right in front of us. "S-She's gone…! MOOOM!" he screamed desperately, letting some heavy tears out of his closed eyes.

We failed to save Mom. And who knows what is going to happen to her…

XXXXXXXXXX

I was already very exhausted after everything that had happened in less than twenty-four hours. My brother, friends and I met Lisa yesterday and went to Greenfield, only to see a giant crystalized hill where Professor Hale's daughter Molly was strapped inside. Then the very next day, Professor Oak and Mom arrived to help out when a mysterious Entei appeared out of nowhere and kidnapped Mom.

Ash and I got some time to recover after we both fell into a daze shortly after our meltdown. I even fell asleep and woke up feeling a little refreshed and better. We ate a late lunch before Professor Oak called us to an office with Misty, Brock and Lisa inside the Pokémon Center where he and Skylar had studied the notes from Professor Hale's research. Apparently, Professor Hale had sent some of those notes to Professor Oak before his disappearance, which was now very helpful to fully understand what was happening right now.

"How are you feeling, Ash, Ashley?" Professor Oak asked, looking concerned about our well-being.

"A little better…", Ash replied quietly.

"Chuu…", Pikachu whimpered sadly.

"Mm-hmm…", I nodded, blinking my sore eyes. Last time I looked at the mirror, the eyes were a little red and they still stung, so I tried resisting the desire to rub them.

"I just hope…nothing awful will happen to Mom…", Ash mumbled while looking down.

"Me too…", I said and rubbed my right arm for comfort.

"I'm sure your mother is safe, Ash, Ashley", Professor Oak responded as he turned back to the computer. "However, it is a concern of how an Entei appeared out of nowhere without any sightings of it in this area…" He showed us a picture on the computer that had an Entei flying with a girl with fairy wings riding it. The art looked old and ancient.

"Professor… Isn't Entei supposed to be a pure fire-type?" I asked, remembering a crucial detail.

"Yes, it is, Ashley", Professor Oak responded. "Are you perhaps referring to how it crystalized the ground wherever it ran?"

"Yes", I nodded, surprised he already knew about it.

"Brock has already informed me about this and as far I know, Entei does not possess crystalizing powers", the professor replied.

"Professor, I believe the Unowns have something to do with Entei's sudden appearance", Skylar pointed out.

"Unown?" Ash repeated.

Professor Oak pulled up some new pictures of black Pokémon that looked like letters and each one of them had a single large white eye. "These are the Pokémon you and Hale were researching before his disappearance, right, Skylar?" he asked.

"Yes. I brought a chest home that was full of tiles with letters looking just like Unown, assuming it had something with Hale's disappearance", Skylar explained. "The last thing I saw before we evacuated the mansion was the real Unowns surrounding Molly and everything began crystalizing."

"Those Unowns didn't hurt Molly then?" Misty asked.

"No, so Molly might be safe inside there…", Skylar trailed off, biting his bottom lip in frustration for not knowing how the little girl was doing.

"So, in other words, the Unowns might be behind of everything that's happening in Greenfield right now?" Lisa asked.

"Correct", Professor Oak nodded. "Very little is known about Unown. They've been called the ancient letters because they've been located in ruins that are thousands of years old. In fact, they were the foundation of the modern alphabet."

A knock on the closed door interrupted us. "Come in!" Professor Oak called.

Officer Jenny stepped inside the office, much to Brock's joy. I could see how his eyes lit up for a couple of seconds, but he quickly calmed down and didn't try flirting with her. "Professor Oak, I have new information for all of you", she said.

"What is it, Officer?" Professor Oak asked.

"The crystallization has spread farther in Greenfield", the female officer told us. "Now, half of Greenfield has been crystalized, so whatever that is causing this is slowly getting out of control."

"Oh no…", many of us gasped quietly in horror.

"Continue evacuating the whole town", Professor Oak responded. "The people in the Pokémon Center should be the last ones by the evening."

"Yes, sir. We're also working on a rescue plan as we speak", Officer Jenny continued. "A bulldozer shall soon enter the prohibited area and find a way inside the mansion in hopes of saving Molly Hale and Delia Ketchum."

I instinctively wrapped my arms around my twin brother's right arm and buried my face against his shoulder. "Mom…"

Ash placed his other hand on top of mine and squeezed it. "She'll be okay, Ashley. She's strong…", my brother comforted me.

"Pika…", Pikachu mumbled concernedly.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun had gone down and replaced it with the moon when the rescue mission began. We watched the live feed through the computer inside the office, the same media team we saw before covering the story. The bulldozer had no problems crushing the crystal field, so everything seemed to go well at the beginning.

That was until crystal boulders grew from the ground and forced the bulldozer away from the structure before it even got halfway there. The driver only had seconds to get out of the vehicle before a wave engulfed it and turned it into crystal. The driver and the media team were forced to run away before the mystical wave could crystalize them too. Thankfully, they got away as the wave slowed down now that the danger was over.

The last live footage showed us how the petals around the two flower towers grew bigger like they were preparing to close them up and protect them from all danger.

"They failed…", Misty mumbled sadly.

"Prii…", Togepi chirped with the same tone.

"The Unowns must have sensed the danger and prevented the rescue team from entering the mansion", Skylar commented. "I think they believe the mansion is now their new territory and they're allowing Molly and Delia to stay there for whatever reasons."

"We need to continue the research and figure out why", Professor Oak nodded.

A ringtone echoed from the computer. An envelope emblem appeared in the middle of the screen, blinking rapidly. "An email?" the professor said in surprise before he clicked on it.

The emblem opened a new window of Professor Oak's email inbox and revealed the email. It turned out to be a video message from Molly herself. She looked safe and unharmed, but she looked very angry.

"Mama, papa and me want to live by ourselves forever, so stay away from our home! Everybody, leave us alone!"

"Molly!" Skylar exclaimed in shock as the video message came to an end.

"Did Molly just say her mother and father are with her?" Professor Oak asked.

"That's impossible! Professor Hale's wife is still in the hospital, right, Mr. Skylar?" Misty asked.

"Yes, she's still in a coma", Skylar replied.

"And Professor Hale disappeared on that expedition just days ago", Lisa added.

"Mama and papa…", I mumbled as I rubbed my forehead, trying to recall what was said before Entei kidnapped Mom. It said he had come for her and then Mom mumbled something about taking her to her child…

"What if…", I began, getting everyone's attention. "What if she thinks…that our mom is her mother and Entei is her father?"

"That makes sense!" Brock exclaimed. "Delia and Entei are the only ones with her, besides the Unowns, so I wouldn't be surprised if she sees them as her parents."

"But she should know they aren't her real parents…right?" Misty asked hesitantly.

"Is she then…imagining it?" Lisa wondered.

Ash had been quiet this whole time and stared out the window, watching the crystalized structure. He gave me a glance, silently telling me to follow him. I nodded slightly, answering his hidden message.

"Guys, I need to grab something to eat", Ash spoke up. "I'll be back."

"Me too", I said. "I'm hungry…"

"Pika pi…", Pikachu hummed softly.

"Go and grab some dinner, kids", Professor Oak nodded. "Skylar and I'll continue with the research."

Ash and I left the office and walked down to the lobby of the Pokémon Center. We looked around, seeing there were no witnesses, before we walked out of the building. With no eyes on us, we ran to the top of a hill where we saw the crystalized mansion.

"I can't wait any longer", Ash growled. "We're going there to save Mom and Molly!"

"Yes", I nodded, determined to save them before something could go wrong like the Unowns losing control over their own power.

"You ready, Ashley, Pikachu?" my brother asked.

"I am", I glared determinedly.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"Hold it!" Misty called behind us.

"Huh?!" Ash and I gasped when we turned around and saw our friends right behind us. "Misty? Brock?" Ash said in surprise.

"Why are you here?" I asked them.

"We're going with you, obviously", Misty responded.

"Togiprii", Togepi chirped, even though she looked tired.

"We can't just stay behind and let you two save Delia and Molly by yourselves", Brock added. "We're with you through thick and thin!"

I wasn't really used to having people, rather alone friends, who would actually go through water and fire just to help me and my brother. I was really moved that I had friends who cared about us and our family.

"You guys…are the best", Ash replied smiling and wiped a tear off.

"Thank you…", I mumbled in response, feeling fresh tears in my eyes.

"Aipom ooom!" Aipom ran past them and went straight to us. It opened its hand tail, revealing a silver and pink PokéGear.

"A PokéGear?" Ash said confusedly.

"You guys have PokéGears, right?" Lisa appeared between Misty and Brock. "Let's exchange numbers so we can stay in touch."

"You're staying here, Lisa?" Ash asked.

"Yes. That way, if Professor Oak learns something very important about the Unowns, we can call you and tell you about it", she explained. "And, don't worry, I won't tell him what you guys are up to until he figures it out."

"That's so nice of you. Thank you", I smiled before I reached for my PokéGear to register each other's numbers. We exchanged numbers and took off toward the direction of the crystalized prison where Mom and Molly were trapped.

Mom… Molly… We're coming for you!

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Ashley's party:

Cedric the Larvitar (male)

Trica the Furret (female)

Hikaru the Flaaffy (male)

Mystic the Togepi (male)

Victor the Houndour (male)

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Ash's party:

Ivysaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Chikorita (female)

Cyndaquil (male)

Totodile (male)

Shiny Noctowl (male)

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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Heracross (male)

Wartortle (male)

Tauros (male)

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Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Poliwhirl (male)

Chinchou (female)

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Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)

Pineco (male)