Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 19: Spell of the Unown – Part 2
Brock had secretly obtained some rope and a copy of a map from the rescue team who were using it to come up with a new plan to approach the mansion. We found a possible way inside the crystalized zone without being spotted and it was by a stream that was leading toward the structure. The water had not been crystalized, so we could walk there with ease.
As a close up look at the area, it did look a little pretty, but now it felt ominous in the dark. The path of the stream was like an avenue that led us toward a small waterfall where we could get inside the courtyard of the mansion.
Even though there were no wild Pokémon around, I still felt a little frightened fearing a ghost-type Pokémon would suddenly pop out of nowhere, so it was no wonder I jumped when I heard an explosion in the sky. "What was that?!" I shrieked.
"I heard that too", Ash said and looked up, trying to find the source of the noise.
"Pi?" Pikachu looked around as well.
"Did Entei attack someone who tried approaching the mansion through the sky?" Misty questioned.
"Togi…?" Togepi yawned softly, ready to fall asleep in her arms.
"Whatever that was, I hope those people are okay", Brock said. "Now the tricky part is how we can get up to the courtyard up ahead."
We were just meters away from the next obstacle; a small waterfall where water poured out from the enclosed courtyard. The wall surrounding the courtyard had an opening large for us to get through. Now we just had to climb up there.
"This is a job for Ivysaur and Chikorita", Ash nodded and brought up three Poké Balls. "Ivysaur, Chikorita, Noctowl, I choose you!" The three Pokémon cried out once they came out from their Poké Balls, Noctowl releasing some shiny particles due to it being a shiny. "Noctowl, I need you to bring Ivysaur and Chikorita up to the top of the waterfall."
"Hooooh!" Noctowl hooted and flew up to grab Ivysaur by his half-open flower. Ivysaur used his Vine Whip to grab hold on the flying-type Pokémon. Noctowl hooted something to Chikorita before he flew up with only Ivysaur, taking one Pokémon at the time. He dropped Ivysaur at the top of the waterfall and flew back down to give Chikorita a ride. She climbed onto his back and Noctowl took her to Ivysaur. Noctowl flew back once he had dropped off Chikorita and rested on a crystal branch by the waterfall.
"Okay, Ivysaur, Chikorita, use your Vine Whips to get us up!" Ash yelled from the bottom of the waterfall after Brock passed him the rope.
The two grass Pokémon extended their vines down to us and wrapped them around Ash's torso. Ash checked them to make sure he was secured before he began climbing up the waterfall. I watched anxiously as my brother climbed up the slippery wall; we have never done this maneuver before, so I was nervous to climb when it was my turn. I didn't notice Misty had tucked Togepi away in her duffle bag because I screamed in fear when Ash slipped once and dangled in the air. I thought he was going to fall, but Ivysaur and Chikorita didn't allow that to happen.
Ash managed to get a firm grip on the wall with his shoes and climbed the rest of the way up. Then we took turns climbing up with both the Pokémon's help and the rope Brock got for us. Brock climbed next so he could help Ash pulling me and Misty up. We made it up the waterfall without any other incidents and Ash praised his Pokémon before he recalled them.
I peeked carefully out from the opening and looked around the courtyard to see if anyone had come to intercept us, but it was as quiet as a haunted mansion. Not even those Unown were there. We waded through the water reaching something that looked like the entrance to the mansion, but it was sealed off by crystals.
We were just about to inspect it when my PokéGear started ringing, which caught me off guard. I recovered from the surprise and picked up the device from my pants, flipping it open to see Lisa was calling. I answered the call and the top screen revealed the worried face of Lisa's. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yes, we're fine", I responded.
Lisa's PokéGear got snatched from Professor Oak who gave us a strict glare. "Kids, what are you doing?! We just watched you infiltrate the mansion on TV!"
"Sorry, Professor!" Ash apologized. "We just couldn't wait any longer and decided to go and try saving Mom and Molly. We should have said something, shouldn't we?"
"Yes, you should have, but what's done is done, so I won't stop you", Professor Oak replied. "But we'll have a talk after you get everyone out of there."
"Kids, this is Skylar", Skylar appeared at the corner of the screen. "Have you seen any Unown?"
"No, not yet", Ash replied.
"Pika pika", Pikachu shook his head no.
Professor Oak's expression softened a little before he became very serious. "Listen up. We've done some digging into Hale's research and I think we've figured out an explanation as of why this is happening."
"What is it, Professor?" I asked.
"Unown has the ability to read the thoughts of other lifeforms, Pokémon and humans alike. We also believe the Unown can create new realities, altering the world by using thoughts and dreams. So I suspect this crystallization is caused by the Unown after reading Molly's thoughts and turns her dreams into realities."
"So, what you're saying is…Molly has an imaginary world in her mind and the Unown are recreating it?" Misty asked.
"Exactly. And one thing I'm highly concerned about is if Molly doesn't realize this is putting Greenfield and the rest of the world in danger and she gets highly agitated, the Unown might sense her emotions and might lose control of their own powers and transform our world into something where we cannot live. So it's important to make Molly open her eyes and face the reality and not stay awake in her dreams."
"This information is of great help, Professor Oak", Brock said. "When we find Molly, all we need to do is to make her wake up from the dreams."
"Wake up from dreams, even though she's awake…?" I mumbled, not really getting it. How could somebody dream if they were awake? Unless they were imagining a world according to them even while they were awake, like what I used to do…
That's it! Now I understand what it means! I just needed to figure it out with my own logic.
"I'll get off the phone now. The sooner you find Delia and Molly, the faster we can deal with the matter of the Unown. Be careful!"
"We will, Professor", Ash nodded before the call ended.
"How do you think we can get inside?" Misty asked while I pocketed my PokéGear.
Brock stepped over to the blocked entrance and knocked on the crystal wall. "I think we need to melt it down with a Flamethrower", he said.
Ash snatched a Poké Ball from his belt and held it up. "Cyndaquil, I choose you!"
The device opened and let out Cyndaquil. He materialized on one of those crystalized step stones in front of the dry land that looked like blossomed flowers. "Cyynda!"
"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower on that building!" Ash shouted.
"Daaa…QUIIIL!" Cyndaquil breathed his Flamethrower at the crystalized door, creating a hole large enough for us to climb through.
"Alright!" Ash cheered happily along with the rest of us smiling. However, the celebration came a little too early because the damage quickly got restored by the magic force of the Unown.
"No way! The hole's repaired?!" my brother gasped.
"It must be the Unown", I pointed out. "We need to find another way inside."
"Wait! I've got an idea!" Misty called out. "Cyndaquil and Vulpix can use Flamethrower to make a larger gap and we then let Totodile and Staryu use Water Gun to prevent the hole from closing in and we can get inside through the Water Gun itself!"
"That's a great idea, Misty!" Ash praised her before he grabbed his Lure Ball. "Come out, Totodile!"
"You too, Staryu!"
"Help us out, Vulpix!"
I felt a little sad that I couldn't help out with the breaking in because my Pokémon didn't have the right moves. I stayed quiet in the background and watched how the fire-type Pokémon melted down the crystal wall. They swiftly switched to the water-type team that used Water Gun. Just like last time, the damage was getting repaired by the Unown's power, but they were unable to close the last gap thanks to the flowing water from the Water Guns.
Ash and Brock called back their fire Pokémon while Totodile and Staryu showed no signs of cancelling their moves. "Okay, Pikachu! You go first!" my brother said.
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder and into the Water Gun stream. His silhouette flowed with the water and made it to the other side.
"I'm next!" Misty said. She took a deep breath and jumped into the water. Her large silhouette showed us she made it safely to the other side where Pikachu waited for us.
"See you on the other side!" Brock called and jumped in too, successfully making it into the building.
"Okay, you're next, Ashley!" Ash told me.
"R-Right…", I nodded, getting a little nervous. The incident with S.S. Anne may have happened about a year ago, but I still remembered how my lungs were about to explode by all the water I swallowed. I didn't want to experience that again.
I took a deep breath and covered my mouth and nose with both my hands before I jumped into the Water Gun tunnel. I could feel the current pushing me forward before I collided with a wall that pushed me out of the water. I removed my hands and took deep breaths to make sure my lungs were okay.
Ash roared as he jumped through the hole with Totodile and Staryu in his arms. The second they jumped inside the enclosed gazebo, the hole got repaired and trapped us inside the mansion. Totodile jumped out of Ash's arms and bounced on his feet happily, even though this was a serious situation. His cheerfulness brought a smile on my face, so I guess it was nice having a moment when all seemed hopeful.
"Thanks for your help, Staryu. You were great", Misty praised her Pokémon that was exhausted after intensely using Water Gun as if it was Hydro Pump and returned it to its Poké Ball.
"You too, Totodile", Ash chuckled before he recalled the cheerful Pokémon.
Everyone except Ash was wet, but we had no time worrying about it. We were on a rescue mission to save Mom and Molly and stop the Unown.
We walked through a tunnel that led us into the main area of the mansion. Everything was literally made of crystal, even the stairs. It was eerie quiet and made my hair stand up, even though we were alone. Weren't the Unown aware we were inside their territory?
We walked up some stairs, assuming they were leading to the tower where Mom, Molly and Entei were staying. However, it didn't take long before we got to see more of Unown's power. We were just a few steps up when the whole room transformed into some weird void with floating stairs in the middle of the void with crystals around us.
"What's going on?!" Ash shrieked after the transformation took place.
"Kaa!" Pikachu shrieked in surprise.
"It must be the Unown creating a new reality, just like what Professor Oak said!" Misty responded.
I couldn't help but cold sweat as I stared down at the endless void beneath our feet. "I-I hope we won't slip and fall…", I shook and rubbed my arms, suddenly feeling very cold.
"Just don't look down, Ashley", Brock reminded me.
"We can't let this stop us! Let's go!" Ash yelled determinedly and ran up the stairs with ease. I was right behind him, so I swallowed down my nervousness and ran after him. I looked down a few times to make sure I didn't misstep on the floating stairs, silently reminding myself not to look at the dark void.
It didn't take two minutes before we saw light coming from the top of the stairs. Ash stopped by the last few steps and made me almost run into him. "Ash?" I called concernedly.
My brother climbed up the last of the stairs and I followed him, only to feel a gentle breeze touch me. This floor was a meadow that reached beyond the horizon with pink sky and fluffy clouds. It felt so real and yet it was just an illusion.
"Where are we?" Misty wondered.
"This must be another dream world of Molly's that got created by the Unown", Brock suggested.
"It is…beautiful", I admitted before I felt a frown appear on my face. "But…this isn't real. It almost feels like…Molly doesn't want to face the real world."
"Maybe…", Misty nodded and tightened the grip on the straps of her duffle bag. "She's gone through a lot with her mother in a coma and now she lost her father."
"We can talk to her as soon as we find her and Mom", Ash stated. "I see the next stairs up ahead! Let's go!"
"Pika!"
We hurried to the next transparent floating stairs across the meadow when a large landed on top of them. It was none other than Entei with a young adult woman on its back. The woman wasn't Mom, but she still looked familiar.
"Entei!" Ash growled at the sight of the fake Pokémon.
"You four must be Pokémon Trainers, right?" the woman asked.
"What have you done with our mother?!" Ash yelled, not answering the question.
Entei jumped down from the stairs and landed on the ground meters from us with the adult jumping off its back and landed gracefully next to the brown hound Pokémon. "Let's have a battle!" she suggested out of the blue.
"Don't change the subject!" Ash repeated, his tone now aggressive. "Entei, you kidnapped our mom! Where is she?!"
"There is no Entei here!" the woman responded. "There's only Mama, Papa and me here!"
"Yes!" Entei growled, baring its teeth at us. Due to its voice sounding so masculine, I decided to use the he/him pronouns, even though the majority of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon were known to be genderless.
"Liar…!" Ash hissed through his gritted teeth.
"Calm down", Brock told my brother. "Miss, is your name perhaps Molly?"
Brock's question made my eyes widen before I checked the woman in front of us. I had seen Molly's picture on that video email and now I could tell this woman looked like the grown-up version of her.
"That's right", the woman replied. "I'm Molly Hale."
"What…?" I mumbled quietly, not getting it how Molly could have grown up so fast. She was still just five years old.
"Brock, she can't be Molly…", Misty whispered. "She's too old…"
"Remember that we're inside Molly's dream world created by the Unown…", Brock replied, loud enough for us to hear. "The Molly in front of us must be how she's imagining herself as an adult Pokémon Trainer right now…"
I sighed in relief, glad to hear nothing had happened to the real Molly and the one in front of us was just an illusion. Perhaps she was seeing us right now in her dreams.
"So, you wanna have a battle with me or not?" the adult Molly asked once again.
"Yeah-", Ash began when Brock stepped in and interrupted my brother.
"I'm the most experienced Trainer among us, so how would you like battling me?" the former Pewter City Gym Leader asked Molly.
"I'd like that", Molly nodded.
"Brock!" Ash yelled at our friend.
"They came from the staircase, which means we're close to your mom and the real Molly…", Brock whispered. "I'll stall them while the rest of you go…"
"Entei must be their guardian, so it's best to distract him while we go look for Mom and Molly…", I nodded.
"They're right…", Misty agreed. "Let's go, Ash…"
Ash frowned, but he collected himself and nodded in response. "Okay… Let's go, Pikachu…!"
"Ika…!" Pikachu yelped quietly.
"Be careful, Brock…", I whispered before we ran to the staircase.
Entei and the adult Molly ignored us entirely as they created a large battlefield between them and Brock. We were far up on the staircase, but we could still see a little of the battle. Brock had called our Zubat as his first Pokémon and Molly had picked a Flaaffy, probably another imagination of one of Molly's favorite Pokémon.
It took a short time before the scenery changed from the magical meadow land into the same void we were in before as we continued running up the stairs. We couldn't see the meadow any longer so we had no idea how Brock and his Pokémon were doing.
The stairs seemed to go endless until we reached the next floor, thinking we were going to find Mom and Molly. Instead, we got hit by the scent of salt and seaweed before getting greeted by the sight of a beach by an imaginary ocean and a honey-colored sky. There was some vegetation with blossoming hibiscus flowers I've read about. They could be found in tropical regions like Alola. Maybe Molly was imagining to one day visit Alola with her family?
"It's so pretty here…", Misty mumbled in awe by the sight.
"It is pretty", I nodded, softly kicking the white sand beneath our feet.
"Piika…", Pikachu mumbled, awed by the imaginary land.
"We can't let this distract us", Ash shook his head. "Mom and Molly aren't here so we need to go to the next floor."
Just as we were about to head to the next staircase, crystal energy materialized in front of us and shapeshifted into the adult Molly. Was she already done with the battle against Brock?
"I beat your friend, but I'd like to battle again", the imaginary adult stated. "Who would like to battle me now?"
"Did Brock really get defeated by you?" Misty asked.
Entei materialized next to Molly and answered Misty's question instead. "She cannot be defeated."
"So Entei is an illusion too…", Ash mumbled.
"Did you actually doubt it, Ash…?" I asked, a little surprised after hearing how my brother might have thought Entei was a real Pokémon.
"Is anyone of you stronger than your friend?" Molly asked.
"I am!" Ash stated immediately.
"Wait, Ash", Misty stepped in. "Let me battle Molly this time."
"And who are you?" Molly wondered.
"I'm Misty, a water-type Trainer", Misty introduced herself. "And I'm the Gym Leader of Cerulean City, currently traveling to expand my experience."
"You're a Gym Leader?" Molly asked with a surprised expression.
"That's right", Misty nodded. "I'm the best among my big sisters."
"You mean you don't have to be an adult to be a Pokémon Trainer?" Molly asked.
"You can become anything you wish", Entei assured the illusion Molly.
The illusion of the grown-up Molly became transparent like crystal, the energy shapeshifting her into a shorter version, around our height. She now looked more like a teenager, resembling more of the little girl.
"I'll keep her distracted while you two go…", Misty whispered. "Hurry and find your mom and Molly…!"
"Okay…! Thank you, Misty…", Ash nodded before he turned to me. "Let's go, Ashley…"
"Mm…", I nodded and followed my brother to the staircase. We made it up a few steps before my heart almost bounced out of my chest. The water in the ocean raised itself up like a huge tsunami wave and splashed down at the beach where Misty, Molly and Entei were. The worst part was the water rose upward filling the whole area. Ash and I ran as fast as we could to avoid the water, but it still engulfed us. I covered my mouth and nose, fearing I was going to drown again. We were still running the stairs, only slower because of the water, so we didn't get swept away by the current.
When I couldn't hold my breath any longer, feeling my lungs burn, I opened my mouth to take a new deep breath when I realized I didn't inhale any water. I could still breathe. "Are you two okay, Ash, Pikachu?" I asked, some air bubbles coming out of my mouth.
"Yeah, we're good!" Ash replied. "Maybe Molly makes it possible for us to breathe underwater here."
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded.
I glanced down to see the battle and almost lost it when Molly called out a Kingdra. Kingdra was one of my favorite dragon-type Pokémon. I wished my Seadra, Queendra, would one day evolve into a majestic Kingdra too. I clapped my cheeks to call myself back to reality. I could daydream about things later.
Thankfully, the water only reached to the edge of the imaginary room before we were in the void once again. Our clothes were completely dry and we could run normally with nothing holding us back. The stairs were just as long as the first two, so we were on the third and final floor in less than five minutes.
This room looked as normal as it could be in the current state with just one bed in the center. And on that, we found the people we have been looking for.
"Mom!" Ash and I shouted as we rushed to the furniture where Mom sat with Molly sleeping on her lap. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and climbed onto the soft bed.
"Ash! Ashley!" Mom called in a low voice. "Are you two okay?"
"Of course we are, Mom", Ash nodded rapidly. "But how are you?"
"I'm good", Mom nodded. "But I was so worried about you. You nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw you on the news. I can't believe how reckless you've become ever since you began your journey."
"We must've gotten the recklessness from Dad", Ash chuckled.
"Obviously", Mom giggled.
I walked closer to her and checked Molly who still hadn't woken up. "Is this Molly…?" I spoke softly.
"Yes", Mom nodded, gently caressing the little girl's hair.
"And Unown? Have you seen any?" Ash asked. I looked around to spot any weird letters floating above us, but there were none.
"Are you talking about the big brown Pokémon? It left a while ago", Mom replied.
"That brown Pokémon is Entei, a Legendary Pokémon", I corrected her. "But that Entei is an illusion created by the Unown by turning Molly's dreams into reality."
"Like what's happening in Greenfield", Ash added. "The crystallization is part of Molly's dreams."
"Oh dear…", Mom gasped softly after hearing the main reason behind the unnatural phenomenon.
"C'mon, Mom, we need to leave now", Ash said.
"Pika", Pikachu nodded.
"Okay", Mom nodded before she softly shook Molly to wake her up. "Molly. Wake up, sweetheart."
Molly opened her big blue eyes and purred like a Meowth that had just woken up from a nap. "Mama… I dreamed I won the battles…", she yawned.
"Molly, listen to me", Mom said in a serious tone, which the little girl sensed because she sat up and looked at her. "I'm so sorry for telling you this, but I'm not your real mother."
"What…?!" Molly gasped in pure shock.
"You had to learn the truth sooner or later", Mom continued and nodded at me and my twin brother. "I'm their mother."
Molly whipped her head around and finally noticed us. She stared at us like we were ghosts here to steal her mother.
"We're Ash and Ashley", my brother introduced us. "We met a long time ago when you were very little back in Pallet Town."
"We can talk later. We have to go now", Mom told Molly.
"B-But…why?" Molly jumped off the bed and stepped back from us, looking very scared.
"Molly, we must leave", Mom said.
"N-No… I don't wanna…", Molly shook her head as tears gathered in her eyes.
All of the sudden, I got goosebumps again like a strong force was about to get unleashed. And given Molly's state of mind how she was about to throw a tantrum…and the Unown used her dreams to recreate the world…
"Molly, calm down!" I softly shouted at her, fearing the worst.
"NOOO!" Molly screamed, refusing to listen to us. At her scream, crystal stalagmites grew from the ground, nearly piercing us with their sharp edges. They grew between us, separating me and Ash from Mom. Pikachu had jumped onto my brother in time before he could be forced apart from us.
The whole room became dark as the light faded away, leaving the room looking like a crystal cave. We couldn't see Mom or Molly, so we didn't know if they were safe.
"Mom!" Ash and I yelled as we ran between the stalagmites, hoping to spot her between the gaps.
"Pika!" Pikachu yelled and pointed in one direction, probably hearing Mom. We followed his direction and found Mom safe behind some stalagmites.
"Mom, are you okay?!" Ash shouted, peeking through the crystals.
"I'm okay", Mom assured us.
I looked around to find Molly, but she was so small and the stalagmites were taller than Mom. I could still hear her soft sobs echoing, but I couldn't locate her. "Molly?" I called out.
Ash ran to a gap that was big enough to climb through. "Mom, come over here!" he shouted.
I snapped out of my trance and rushed to Ash to help Mom climb through the gap between two stalagmites. We each grabbed one of Mom's arms and helped her, but a new stalagmite suddenly grew from the floor, forcing us apart and trapping Mom.
"Mom!" Ash and I yelled and punched the crystal in hopes of breaking it.
"Ash! Ashley!" Mom shouted from the other side.
"Leave her here!" Entei's voice spooked us. We jumped back and faced Entei with Molly hiding behind him. The fake Legendary Pokémon looked very aggressive and didn't seem to hesitate to attack us if that's what Molly wanted.
"She is going nowhere", Entei said, clearly referring to Mom.
"She can 'cause she's our mom!" Ash growled.
"No! She is now Molly's mother!" Entei retorted.
"She's coming with us!" Ash argued.
"She'll stay here! Leave or I'll throw you out!" Entei threatened.
"Try that if you want!" Ash yelled and threw his Lure Ball. "Totodile, I choose you!"
"Totooo!" Totodile hissed aggressively, sensing he couldn't be cheerful and happy at the moment.
"Do you really believe you can defeat me?" Entei asked nonchalantly.
"I won't lose to an illusion!" Ash declared. "Totodile, use Water Gun!"
"TOOO!" Totodile fired a beam of water toward Entei, but the fake Pokémon swiftly jumped and dodged it with ease.
"You fool! You call this an illusion?" Entei retorted and breathed a pink version of Flamethrower. Totodile barely dodged the first move, but he didn't have the same luck the second time. The flames engulfed him and the force threw him back and made him crash on the crystal floor.
"Totodile, return!" Ash recalled his Pokémon back before Entei could hurt him more.
"I'll try next!" I shouted as I grabbed a Poké Ball. I had a feeling we might not be able to do much harm to the illusion Pokémon, but it was still worth a try. "I choose you, Cedric!"
"Laaar!" Cedric shrieked and stretched his arms when he came out.
"Cedric, use Rock Slide!" I shouted.
"Tar!" Cedric jumped up and used his power to summon a couple of large boulders above him. He threw his arms at Entei, sending the boulders toward him. Entei dodged those too with ease, but he used his Flamethrower to destroy one that got a little too close to Molly. He jumped onto the boulders that had crashed onto the floor and breathed a new Flamethrower at Cedric who was coming down from the air. Cedric got engulfed by the flames just like Totodile and dropped down to the floor like a stone, weakened after that single attack.
"T-Taar…"
"Cedric, return!" I recalled him quickly so he could recover after being burned.
"You're strong", Ash admitted to Entei.
"Have I proved to you that I am real?" Entei asked.
"Even if you are powerful, you're still just an illusion of an Entei created by Molly's imagination!" Ash retorted.
"No… You're wrong", Molly spoke up, her voice barely heard from the other side. "You're wrong!" The little shriek came with new smaller stalagmites and a cold wind blowing around us with some snow that felt cold and real, even melting at contact with my warm skin.
"I am no illusion!" Entei persisted with a roar. "I am this girl's father, and I will protect her!"
Now this was the moment I dreaded about. Entei ran toward us to literally hurt us. Pikachu quickly jumped in and tried shocking Entei with a Thunderbolt, but it had very little effect. The illusion Pokémon changed his target to Pikachu and started playing the Meowth-and-Rattata game. Ash and I did our best to dodge some of the Pokémon's attacks while they ran between the crystal stalagmites. Every now and then, I threw an eye on Molly to make sure she was safe, but I feared to get too close to her. I didn't want Entei to attack me.
Before I knew it, smoke engulfed us after Entei had fired a large fire ball at Pikachu. My heart almost stopped when Ash swooped in and grabbed Pikachu at the impact, sending both of them through the think crystal window and out of the building.
"NOO!" I screamed and rushed to the hole on the wall, falling down on my knees with tears in my eyes to see my brother's body disappear in the shadows of the large crystal structure. "ASH! PIKACHU!"
Entei stomped toward me from behind. "You are next. You can leave voluntarily or you can face the same fate as your brother and his Pokémon."
I wiped my eyes clean and stood up before I turned to the fake Pokémon with a glare, refusing to give up. "I'll stay here and fight for our mom!" I yelled determinedly. "Even if I have to die for it!"
"No, honey!" Mom yelled across the room, now standing with Molly after she had found a way out from her crystal prison.
"So be it."
Just as Entei was about to gather energy, a normal Flamethrower blew past me and headed toward him. The flames were close but still far away from me so I didn't get burned. Entei jumped back and dodged the Flamethrower with ease. "Who did that?"
"RAAAWR!"
My eyes widened when I heard that familiar roar. I turned around in time to see a Charizard land next to me. And not just any Charizard. The sky-blue scarf around its neck told me enough.
"Firered!" I cried in relief and hugged him tight. It hadn't been that long since Ash and I left him and Charizard in the Charicific Valley, but I could tell Firered had grown a little taller. It must've been thanks to the special training with the other wild Charizards.
"RAWR!"
I looked up just as Ash's Charizard landed next to us carrying Ash and Pikachu. "Ash! Pikachu!" I sighed in relief and hugged my brother as soon as Charizard let go of him. "Thank Arceus you're okay!"
"Yeah, thanks to Charizard", Ash nodded against my shoulder, but I could still feel his body shaking a little, probably by shock. I patted his back to comfort him before we returned the attention at Entei.
"Who are they?" he asked.
"These are Charizard and Firered! Our friends!" Ash responded.
"Your friends?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.
"Rawr!" Firered and Charizard growled simultaneously.
"Every Pokémon of ours are our friends", I added. "They're our family too."
"Then I shall defeat your family too!" Entei threatened, his mind still set on kicking us out of the crystalized mansion.
Firered and Charizard got agitated by Entei's threat and charged together at him. Entei was still stronger than them and head-butted Charizard back who flew into Firered. The two Charizards slid backwards and pushed me and Ash toward the hole in the wall. The floor was slippery, so we didn't have a hold with our shoes. Ash almost slipped out of the wall, but I grabbed his wrist in time before he could fall back out. However, he was heavier than me, so he pulled me along as I held onto the wall, trying to pull him back inside.
"Let go, Ashley!" Ash yelled at me. "I'll drag you out!"
"I won't let go!" I shouted back. "You are my brother and my family! I refuse to let go of you!" My fingers lost the strength as I clutched onto the wall. One finger after another let go of the wall, but just as the last finger lost the grip a large hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back inside the structure.
"And we won't let you fall!" Brock called behind me.
"We're like family too!" Misty yelled.
"Misty! Brock!" Ash shouted as he and I were pulled back to safety.
"And don't forget us!"
Once we were safe, we let go and noticed Team Rocket was with us. How did they get here? Unless they were the ones who got hit by an attack from Entei some time ago?
"Team Rocket's here to help you, twerps!" the trio sang.
"Why are you helping us?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, you're bad guys", Ash pointed out.
Team Rocket got a little embarrassed and laughed sheepishly. "Well, things got changed after we came to Greenfield", Jessie replied.
"We originally chased after you, but that Entei destroyed our balloon making us crash-land here", James added.
"But now we can tell this is serious, so we'll help you", Meowth finished.
"So we're having a truce?" Brock asked.
"That's right!" Team Rocket replied.
Charizard and Firered got up from the ground and roared at Entei again who barely flinched by the threat in their voices. Ash walked past them which made the fake Pokémon stand on guard. "Molly", my brother called. "If you come with us, you can have real Pokémon."
The little girl shook her head, looking frightened, while energy formed in front of her and created crystal illusions of a Flaaffy, a Teddiursa and a Phanpy. "I already have Pokémon…", Molly said. "Leave me alone!"
That was the command for Entei to attack us again. Ash and I quickly climbed onto our Charizards before everyone dodged the pink Flamethrower. It had been a while since I flew on Firered, but I didn't have any issues. Pikachu haven't had time to climb onto Ash, so he was left behind with Brock and Misty.
"Firered! Charizard!" Ash and I shouted our respective Pokémon names.
The Charizards responded to Entei's attack with their own Flamethrowers, which once again Entei dodged with ease. Mom said something to Entei, but I couldn't hear it since we were far away from them. I did catch something like Entei couldn't replace Molly's real father, but Entei insisted he was the real father to the girl.
Entei then started playing the Meowth-and-Rattata game with me and Ash and our Charizards. The Pokémon used their fire moves inside the room, which put everyone at risk, so the battle moved to the outside. Entei jumped across the crystals while Firered and Charizard flew after him.
Now that we were outside, I could see the changes to the environment. The huge petals surrounding the mansion have grown much larger and were almost engulfing the two towers, blocking the view from the outside. Did this show how much scared Molly was of the real world and she wanted to stay sheltered inside her dreams? She had to wake up soon and realize the real world is not as scary as she thought it was. She had to face it and take a mature step forward and show that she could be strong, knowing her real parents would be proud of her.
At some point, I thought we had the advantage over Entei when it came to the ground, but large crystal spears were created whenever Entei needed to jump to get closer to us. We tried convincing him to let Molly go, but he refused to listen to us. Crystal spears grew from the side of the towers and forced me and Firered apart from Ash and Charizard. Entei chased after my brother and Charizard, so we tried coming to their aid. It sadly was too late when Entei used his fire attack that threw them back inside the tower where everyone else was. Entei jumped after them, leaving me and Firered behind.
"Hurry, Firered! After them!" I yelled worriedly.
"Rawr!" Firered flew into the hole and dived toward the ground. My heart dropped when I saw Entei standing above Charizard with one paw on his throat. Ash lied on the ground next to the two Pokémon, probably got thrown off when Charizard hit the ground.
"D-Don't, Entei…!" Ash shouted as he tried getting up, but he was too weak to move.
"It is over!" Entei didn't listen to my brother and prepared a new move.
Firered moved swiftly and landed next to Entei before holding his sharp claws by Entei's throat. I got off my Pokémon and ran to Ash to shield him while the Pokémon were locked in a standoff. Entei was still collecting energy for his move, but Firered poked him on the throat with Metal Claw, threatening him to slash him if he dared to attack his comrade.
"Move away from me!" Entei yelled at Firered.
"Rawr!" Firered growled back.
"Stop it, Entei!" I shouted at him, not realizing I was getting braver now in such deadly situations. "You will only make Molly sad if you hurt Pokémon!"
"I am eliminating the threats toward her!" Entei responded, proceeding to complete the energy collection for his move.
Tiny steps echoed next to me before a small shaking voice cried out. "Stop, Papa!"
Entei snapped out of his trance and cancelled the move I couldn't identify. Firered still had his claws against his throat, but just like the rest of us he stared at Molly. The little girl took a few steps closer, so Firered canceled the Metal Claw move and stepped back before Molly rushed to Entei, clutching onto his fur.
"Stop fighting! I don't want this…! Please, Papa!" Molly sobbed against the fur.
Entei listened to her begging and removed the paw that had nearly crushed Charizard's neck. Firered helped him to get up while everyone gathered next to us. I let out a sigh of relief now that we didn't have to battle anymore. I helped Ash up on his feet so he could walk to Charizard and I cuddled with Firered.
"You're a great Pokémon Trainer, Molly", Brock praised her, probably for the battle they had before through the illusion of adult Molly. "For many Trainers, they don't know when to end the battle."
"You already have what it takes to be a Trainer", Misty agreed. "And I think you can be a great Gym Leader too."
"Huh…?" Molly mumbled confusedly, obviously a little surprised by the praises.
"Do you see, Molly? We always battle hard, but we always stay friends 'cause we love Pokémon", Ash grinned.
"Rawrrr", Charizard rumbled from his throat.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded.
I crouched down to be on eye level with Molly who looked conflicted on what she should do. "Molly. I know you're scared of the real world because of what happened to your parents…", I began slowly, seeing how her eyes turned glassy when I mentioned her family. "But you cannot stay in an imaginary world where you feel safe. You can become much stronger by facing the fear and break past them…together with your Pokémon."
"Grrr…", Firered rumbled behind me.
"Umm…", Molly mumbled hesitantly.
"Come with us, Molly", Ash told her calmly.
"The real world and battles may be a little scary, but that's part of the wonderful world", Misty nodded.
"And the friends are real, just like the Pokémon", Brock added. "So… What do you say, Molly?"
Molly looked among us, still looking very reluctant of following us to the outside world. She locked eyes with Mom who nodded at her with a soft smile. "That's what your Papa and Mama would want", Mom said and held her hand out.
Molly looked down at her feet and pondered a bit with a frown on her face. She then nodded to herself and stepped over to Mom. She reached for Mom's hand and clutched it to her face while Mom crouched down to pat her on the back.
"I want everything…to be real again", Molly wished, a soft sob escaping her lips.
I noticed the room became a little brighter. I looked out the open window and saw the petals around the mansion were opening up, like a flower blossoming ready to face the beautiful world. The crystal Pokémon vanished, no longer needed by the little girl, and Entei stepped away from us which Molly noticed. "Papa?"
"I was created to be the father that could make you happy here", Entei spoke, never turning back. "If you would be happier outside…in the real world, then I must go."
Of course. I had almost forgotten this Entei was just an illusion and not a real Pokémon. Still, even if he was a fake, he still felt so real like he had a spirit within him.
I flinched when I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine. Ash reacted in the same way and even let out a soft gasp. The Pokémon too reacted on the same weird feeling I was experiencing. The next thing we knew, stalagmites sprouted from the ground, but they didn't look the same as the ones before. They looked more viciously like thorny bushes and the spikes looked even sharper. The holes both on the roof and the wall became covered by crystal energy, but the stalagmites kept sprouting out of control and not just from the floor. They grew from the walls and even the roof, like things were getting out of control.
We gathered in one clear part of the room while Firered and Charizard flew in the air, dodging the stalagmites and stalactites. Entei blasted his Flamethrower and melted the crystal, revealing a staircase leading down the tower. "This way!"
"Hurry!" Ash called and ran ahead with Pikachu on his shoulders. Mom, Molly and I were right behind him and helped Molly get up on the weird petals that were around the staircase. Ash held her close and shouted to Charizard. "Charizard, you take Molly!"
"Rawr!" Charizard landed on the stairs next to them.
Ash placed Molly on his neck and patted her on the back. "Hold on tight, Molly!"
"Mm…!" Molly nodded before Charizard flew down the stairs, followed by Firered.
I ran down the stairs, taking the lead with everyone else behind me. My heart was panicking as I saw the crystallization expanded to the void and the walls sprouted more stalagmites. This had to be the Unown's doing, but why was it happening?
I grabbed my PokéGear and called Lisa's number, hoping she'd answer. "Hello?" she called.
"Lisa, get Professor Oak quick!" I shouted, panic clear in my voice.
There was a quick ruffle of noise before I heard my teacher's voice. "What's wrong, Ashley? Have you found Delia yet?"
"Yeah, we've got Mom and Molly, but there's chaos in here just when I thought everything was going to return to normal!" I shouted. "Crystals are sprouting everywhere inside here like crazy!"
"It's the Unown's doing!" Professor Oak confirmed my suspicions. "They must've generated so much psychic energy that they're unable to control it any longer!"
"The crystallization is heading straight toward us!" Skylar yelled in the background.
"Listen to me! Get out of there or you could be trapped forever!" Professor Oak shouted as I heard the scrap of a chair being pulled back.
"Okay!" I nodded and ended the call so I could focus on my steps and not slip and fall to my doom.
I have never experienced such an extreme situation before and yet my body whispered something like I have, but I couldn't remember where I had been involved in something similar.
XXXXXXXXXX
We found the large lounge where the Unown had occupied ever since they were summoned here by Molly. They were circling around with energy gathered in the middle of the large orb they had created around them. The energy emitting from them was so strong it made the hair on my body stand up, signaling they were a huge danger if we didn't stop them now. Is it possible the weird feelings I got was actually sensing their power?
"So these are the Unown!" Ash exclaimed after we found them.
"They look like alphabet soup but without the soup", Meowth commented.
"We have to find a way to stop them!" Misty said.
Ash, being my reckless brother, ran toward the Unown to deal with them himself, but he ran straight into an invisible shield that protected the Pokémon from danger. "Ow!" he yelped and rubbed his face.
"They've created a barrier that protects them!" Brock exclaimed.
"And I don't think it's the normal Protect move…", I mumbled with a cold sweat.
"Charizard, try to break through the shield!" Ash shouted.
"You too, Firered!" I nodded.
The Charizards roared and flew toward the Unown. They collided with the shield and bounced back, but in response they fired their Flamethrowers. The combined move appeared to work at first, but the Unown dodged the flames without getting injured. The barrier came up again and expanded so it threw Firered and Charizard back to the ground.
Pikachu joined the fight and used Thunderbolt to try attacking the Unown. Our Charizards quickly got back up on their feet and assisted Pikachu with their Flamethrowers. Sadly, the result became the same as the first. The Unown didn't get hurt and they used the barrier to force the Pokémon back. The letter Pokémon became agitated and trapped us in the lounge, even barricading the twin doors we came through.
"Let us go, Unown!" Ash demanded. The answer was new stalagmites with extra sharp edges that nearly pierced Ash if he hadn't jumped away in time.
The situation seemed hopeless. We would either starve ourselves to death or we would have to call out every single Pokémon we had with us to attack together to stop the Unown.
A roar echoed above us before a pink Flamethrower melted the wall and revealed Entei. He got left behind for some unknown reason or he had to be by himself to think about something important. Molly got relieved to see him again. He melted the stalagmites that had trapped before he jumped down in front of us.
"Molly", Entei called. "I was happy…and proud to be your father. The last thing I can do for you…is to bring you outside of this place."
"B-But…how?" Molly whimpered.
"I was born off your dreams. If you believe in me, there is nothing I cannot do!"
Entei attempted to jump through the barrier, but it failed to work just like with our Pokémon. Instead, he sent a fireball at the additional crystal barrier the Unown had set up after our attacks. There was an opening big enough for Entei to slam himself into the invisible barrier and he used everything he had not to get pushed back.
"Papa, no!" Molly shrieked, clutching onto Mom's skirt.
"Molly! Help me!" Entei roared as he pushed his face into the barrier to get much closer to the culprits.
I realized something very important now. Entei was created from Molly's dreams, so if she used her dreams to power up Entei, he could defeat the Unown and save not just us but the whole town.
"Molly, this is now you need to use your dreams!" I called. "Use your dreams and wishes to believe in Entei and give him the strength to defeat the Unown!"
"Believe in me, if that is what you wish!" Entei roared.
Molly bit her lip before shouting with all her might. "You can do it, Entei! I believe in you!"
"Firered, help Entei with Flamethrower!" I shouted.
"You too, Pikachu and Charizard! Use Thunderbolt and Flamethrower!" Ash yelled.
Our Pokémon used their moves to weaken the shield so Entei could break through it. He succeeded with it and used his final move to strike the Unown. The letter Pokémon were engulfed by the light of the move and quit floating frantically, their psychic powers now canceled thanks to the attack.
Entei floated up from the ground and hovered above us. "Molly. Thank you…for believing in me. But I must go now…just as you must go to the real world"
"E-Entei…", Molly sobbed as she stared at the illusion Pokémon while it slowly dissipated from its paws. "I'm gonna miss you…"
"And I'll miss you too…", Entei replied, now only his neck and head left. "Keep me close…in your dreams…"
Molly let out a louder sob after he said that just before he had truly vanished. "Papa…!" she cried, tears running down her cheeks like waterfalls.
Just as Entei disappeared, the Unown floated down to the ground, weakened after the attack. A small wormhole opened among them and spat out small tiles that had carvings of the Unown. They must have been the tiles Skylar mentioned that he brought back after Professor Hale went missing in those ruins they were exploring.
The tiles dissipated and left no evidence of their existence. The Unown recovered quickly and flew into the wormhole, probably returning to their true home. As soon as the last Unown entered the wormhole, it disappeared and the crystallized mansion returned to normal in the blink of an eye. The early morning sun shone its light through the windows, signaling a new day had dawned.
Molly showed us the way to the front doors that led us to the outside. I breathed in the fresh air, smelling the sweet scent of the nature. Greenfield was normal again with no leftovers of the crystallization. Now with everything back to normal, I could truly see the beauty of the town. Team Rocket quickly left the premises, not wanting to get involved with the police caravan that came toward the mansion, but they promised they were going to steal our Pokémon next time.
Perhaps Jessie, James and Meowth had more humanity within them compared to their boss Giovanni and the other Team Rocket grunts. They had been very respectful and never attempted to steal our Pokémon in the middle of the chaos.
Professor Oak, Skylar, Lisa, the head butler and the maids jumped out of the vehicles before they ran to us to see we were okay, especially Molly. The police scattered around the mansion to ensure there was no longer any threats hovering above us and the town.
After all of this, I needed to take a good long rest, but I felt happy for making a good deed and becoming a hero.
A hero… I guess anyone can become a hero, no matter who you are. You don't need a red cape or know how to fly. You just need to be yourself and convey your feelings to others. That's what I've learned today.
XXXXXXXXXX
I experienced so many nostalgic feelings watching this movie again. I shed tears so many times because the music enhanced so many touching scenes. If people say Pokémon is childish, they are wrong! Pokémon is beautiful and something anyone, young and old, can enjoy.
I always thought the Unown used their power to transform Professor Hale into Entei due to Molly's wishes. I mean, Hale and Entei had the same voice actors both in the American and the Swedish versions. So I guess some part of it is true…?
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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)