A mega chapter to finally wrap up the movie and at least make up a bit for the delay!
That said, the Patreon should be ready sometime between tomorrow and Thursday, so I'll let you know here as soon as it's up.
Thanks, and enjoy this final part of the movie—I'm sure you'll really like how it ends.
...
Back to our protagonist.
It was a beautiful flower field, and under normal circumstances we would have stayed there to admire it for a while. Unfortunately, we were in a hurry, and this wasn't even real, so...
"We should keep going," I said.
The girls nodded, and we started walking, but only a few seconds later, a figure appeared: Entei, carrying something—or rather, someone—on his back.
"I see... I thought Molly and Entei showed up on a higher floor. I must've mixed it up..." I muttered.
The downside of not having seen the movie in years.
"The three of you are Pokémon trainers, right?" Molly asked.
The Molly in front of us didn't look like the real eight-year-old Molly at all. Instead, she looked about fifteen, the age required to become a Pokémon trainer in this world.
"Don't you think you should give my mother back?" I said in a serious tone.
I don't remember the exact line, but... I think Ash said something like that.
My words didn't seem to matter to Molly or Entei, and they came down the crystal staircase in front of us.
"I don't need your answer. It's obvious you are," Molly said as she got off Entei's back.
"Didn't you hear me, little girl?" I asked again.
Like I said, I think he said something along those lines.
"You're annoying. You know that?" Molly said with a frown.
"Your opinion is honestly something I couldn't care less about. Give me back my mother, or I'll go get her myself," I said seriously.
Adult Molly's tone was starting to get on my nerves. I'm not someone who tolerates disrespect very well. In my previous life, I was a very good person, and I hated conflict. I always stayed quiet and endured everything without even complaining, but that was exactly what led me to ruin. My lack of courage made everyone underestimate me and take advantage of me, and that in turn caused everything to go wrong until I ended up homeless, alone, without family or a home. Part of everything that happened to me was because I never knew how to get angry or stand up to my problems, but in this life, I have no intention of letting anyone disrespect me for no reason. Otherwise, I might end up like my old self, and now that fate has given me a second chance in this world... I refuse to become who I used to be ever again!
That doesn't mean I'm going to turn into some antihero or anything like that. It just means I'll never let anyone walk all over me again. That's all.
"Your mother? I think you're mistaken. The only ones here are my mommy, my daddy, and me," Molly said, still frowning.
"Exactly!" Entei nodded as he glared at me in an intimidating way.
"You two..." I said angrily.
I wanted to say more, but Celeste interrupted me.
"Ash, I think this girl here must be Molly. Am I wrong?" Celeste asked.
"That's right. My name is Molly Hale," Molly nodded.
I already knew that, and Celeste had clearly guessed it, or she wouldn't have asked. Still, Pikachu and Roxanne were pretty shocked.
"But that shouldn't be possible. The professor's daughter is really little, and this girl... she looks around fifteen or so," Roxanne said in surprise.
"I think you should think about it more carefully. Since the Unown can alter reality... I think it's possible Molly's appearance was changed by them, or maybe she's a clone or something," Celeste said.
Wow, Celeste is smarter than I thought. I'm impressed.
"Okay, you figured it out. Now then... how about we battle?" Molly asked with a smile.
I think this is where Ash offered to fight, so I have to do the same.
"Fine, I'll battle with..." I started to say.
But Celeste cut me off.
"Why waste time fighting Ash when you can fight me instead?" Celeste asked.
"Are you sure? You're not even a trainer..." I said, worried.
"Don't worry. Just because I'm not a trainer doesn't mean I'm bad at Pokémon battles," Celeste said.
"All right. I trust you," I nodded.
"Ash, you should've noticed the stairs already. They both came down from there, so it's possible your mother is at the top of them," Celeste said.
"Ash, let Celeste handle her. We have to rescue your mother, and besides, Celeste can manage on her own. She's not as weak as you think," Roxanne said.
"All right, let's go," I nodded.
But before we left, Roxanne took one of her Poké Balls out and handed it to Celeste.
"Why?" she asked.
"In case you need it. If you have at least two Pokémon, you'll be able to keep her busy longer," Roxanne said.
"All right. I'll do my best," Celeste nodded.
And after saying that, Roxanne, Pikachu, and I rushed up the stairs as fast as we could.
...
While Ash and the others were going up the stairs...
"How about a two-on-two?" Celeste suggested.
Since Roxanne had lent her one of her Pokémon, a two-on-two was the best option. At least that way, she'd be able to stall Molly longer.
"Sounds perfect to me," Molly nodded.
At that moment, Molly tapped the ground lightly with her foot, and the beautiful flower field transformed into a massive battlefield.
"Let's begin! Nosepass, I choose you!" Celeste exclaimed.
The Pokémon Roxanne had lent Celeste was Nosepass, Roxanne's signature Pokémon when you first challenge her in the third-generation games, a Pokémon all of us suffered against at some point while trying to take it down.
When Molly saw the Pokémon standing in front of her, she simply smiled.
Then she raised her hand, and a Poké Ball made entirely of crystal formed in her palm.
"Ampharos, I choose you!" Molly said.
A fierce-looking Ampharos came out onto the battlefield. An Electric-type against a Rock-type. Maybe it wasn't the best choice, but... Molly had no real battle experience, and no matter how much they could distort reality, the Unown couldn't create something like "experience." That was something you gained over time. It wasn't something that could simply be made from nothing. Even for the Unown, that was impossible.
Still, even if Ampharos wasn't the best choice against Nosepass, we couldn't forget that it had been created by the Unown, so this definitely wasn't going to be an easy battle...
*Note: I'm going to skip the battle. Honestly, it's boring, and it doesn't really affect the story whether I describe it or not, so I think it's better to get to the point instead of describing something that could end up being boring for you guys.
...
With the real Molly.
After falling asleep on Delia's lap, Molly took a few minutes to wake up, but when she did, she found Delia looking at her with a warm smile.
"Molly, do you see that?" Delia said, pointing at a brown book resting on the table beside them.
"Yes, it's the book Daddy used to read to me," Molly nodded.
Delia looked thoughtful as she stared at the book, as if something about it troubled her... or maybe bothered her.
"I'm so glad you're here, Mommy," Molly said happily.
Despite everything that was happening, Molly was only a confused eight-year-old girl who had suddenly lost both her parents, so Delia couldn't blame her for what was happening. She believed Entei was at fault, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do. All she could do was wait for Ash to help her.
Seeing how happy Molly looked, Delia gently stroked her beautiful hair while looking around the room. Earlier, it had been a perfectly normal room, but aside from the bed, the book, the desk, and a few photos next to the book, everything else had changed. Everything had been crystallized.
Delia looked at the photos and saw they were the same ones she had kept for years. In them were herself, Professor Oak, Ash, Spencer, Molly, and Molly's mother, all smiling and happy. None of them had known that not long afterward, tragedy would strike, Molly's mother would disappear, and shortly after that, Molly's father would disappear too... what a shame.
"After all these years... and he still kept the photos," Delia thought.
There wasn't just a photo of all of them together. Beside it was one of her and him alone back in high school, and another with her, Spencer, and Molly's mother all together.
"Spencer..." Delia thought sadly.
She still... and surely he did too... but then... what did he think...?
"You spend a lot of time alone, don't you, Molly?" Delia asked with a smile.
This wasn't the time to dwell on old memories. Molly was much more important right now than those sweet memories of the past that would never return.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Do you feel lonely?" Delia asked again.
"Well... maybe a little," Molly nodded.
Deep down, Delia was heartbroken. Why had Spencer never called her? If he often traveled and left Molly alone... why not move to Pallet Town? She could've looked after Molly while he was away. And no, it wasn't because they lacked money, because thanks to Arceus, they were very wealthy, and money was the one thing they definitely didn't lack. He could've bought a house in Pallet Town without any trouble.
"But I don't feel that way anymore. Now I have a mommy and a daddy," Molly said cheerfully.
Delia only smiled and gently stroked Molly's back as the girl drifted off to sleep once more on her lap.
A little girl who had lost her parents... Molly was simply a child who still hadn't fully understood that she no longer had them. Maybe this had all happened because, somewhere deep inside, part of her still believed they were alive.
With Ash and Roxanne.
After climbing the stairs, we arrived at something like a beach. There was a small sea with waves constantly rolling in and out, and a sun that radiated a lot of heat. In fact, if it hadn't been an illusion, we probably would've wanted to take a swim and enjoy the warmth.
After seeing where we had ended up, we noticed another crystal staircase farther ahead, but when we tried to climb it, Molly and Entei interrupted us again.
"Well? Which one of you wants to battle me next?" Molly asked with a proud smile.
"Celeste lost..." I said.
Well, it was obvious, but even so, I was surprised it had ended so quickly. I wasn't criticizing her—she wasn't a trainer, after all—but I was surprised by Molly's skill in battle. Or maybe it was because the Pokémon created by the Unown were several times stronger than the originals. Maybe both.
"She lost way too fast, although that might be because the Unown strengthened her Pokémon," Roxanne said.
We both nodded.
"No one can defeat Molly," Entei said after hearing Roxanne's comment.
"And it's also possible Entei is part of the illusion," Roxanne added.
Incredible. She guessed it!
"Could be," I nodded.
I couldn't exactly say she was wrong.
"Well? Which one of you is a better trainer than your friend?" Molly asked.
Naturally, Roxanne didn't hesitate for even a second.
"I am!" Roxanne said immediately.
"And who are you?" Molly asked curiously.
"I'm Roxanne, a Gym Leader from the Hoenn region," Roxanne said.
"A Gym Leader? Amazing!" Molly exclaimed excitedly.
Then she turned to Entei and asked,
"Daddy, do you think I could be a Gym Leader someday?" Molly asked eagerly.
"You can be anything you want," Entei nodded.
Suddenly, Molly was wrapped in light, and when it faded, Molly appeared again—but older, around twenty years old, maybe a little more.
"Ash, it's obvious she isn't the real Molly. The real one has to be with your mother, probably at the top of those stairs. I'll keep her busy, but I doubt I can beat her, so you'll have to hurry," Roxanne said.
Even though she was a Gym Leader, the Pokémon she had brought to this region weren't especially strong. In fact, her strongest Pokémon right now was her Crystal Onix.
"I will," I nodded.
Without another word, Pikachu and I ran off while Roxanne took out her Poké Ball.
"Why keep waiting? Onix, I choose you!" Roxanne exclaimed.
Onix came out of its Poké Ball and immediately dove into the water.
"An Onix that can swim? Incredible! But I won't fall behind. Kingdra, I choose you!" Molly exclaimed.
And just like that, the battle between them began.
...
While the girls battled and Ash climbed the crystal staircase, Team Rocket was climbing a different staircase submerged beneath the sea—the same sea where Roxanne and Molly were fighting.
"Hey, do you think we'll get a bigger role in the next movie the author writes, nya?" Meowth asked.
*Note: Who knows? 😉
"How should I know? Just keep climbing," Jessie said.
"Well, I'm with Meowth. Please, author, give us a little more screen time in this fic and in the next movie too," James said.
*Note: In the fic, I can do that. As for the next movie... we'll see. 😉
*Note 2: This is a nod to what happened in the movie, so just treat it as a comedic scene.
...
With Ash.
After running for a couple of minutes, I finally reached the top of the stairs, but unlike the previous two "rooms," there wasn't any kind of ecosystem here or anything like that. It was just a room covered in crystal, with two people inside: my mother and Molly, who was lying with her head in my mother's lap.
"Mom!" I shouted happily.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu said cheerfully.
"Ash, Pikachu, it's you," Delia said happily.
She had known Ash would make it this far.
"Of course. If you thought I was going to leave you here, then you were wrong," I said with a smile.
Even if it hadn't been part of the system mission, I still would've come. She was my mother, after all.
"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?" I asked, worried.
"No, I'm perfectly fine. The one I'm worried about is you. I wonder who you inherited all that bravery and audacity from," my mother said with a smile.
Hopefully not from my father—that bastard who abandoned us. I just hope he didn't leave us because he felt like it, but because he was dead. Otherwise, as far as I'm concerned, that man is dead. How could he leave my mother behind just to chase his stupid dream? I can't forgive him.
"Well, obviously from you. Who else would it be?" I said with a smile.
"Haha, maybe you're right," Delia smiled.
For her, her husband was a taboo subject. When he abandoned them to chase his dream, she never heard from him again after he won his first Gym Badge. In fact, after not hearing anything about him for such a long time, Delia went to the police, who began looking for him immediately and didn't take too long to find him. Where was he? Easy. After winning his third Gym Badge, he fell in love with another woman, and his love for her was so strong that he decided to abandon his family and move with her to the Kalos region, where he was still living with her to this day. Delia had been devastated by the news, but she never showed that pain in front of her son. In fact, she never told him, because she didn't want that man to darken her son's life. Obviously, she'd have to tell him someday, but for now, she wanted Ash to live his dream without any worries.
"That must be Molly, right?" I asked, looking at her.
Obviously it was her, but technically I shouldn't know what she looked like, so I asked anyway.
"Yes... but don't blame her. This child lost both her parents not long ago, and she still hasn't been able to process it. On top of that, all she really wants is affection. She's just a little girl, Ash..." my mother said as she stroked Molly's hair.
If Molly looked cute in the movie, here she was ten times cuter. I have to admit it, the waifus I used to see in games and anime are far more beautiful in real life than they ever looked on a 2D screen. Anyone who says they prefer 2D is only saying that because they've never seen what anime and game waifus look like in the real world. Otherwise, they'd change their mind almost immediately.
"I don't blame her. Losing both your parents must be really hard, and I wouldn't want to be in her place..." I said.
The truth was, I had already gone through that in my previous life. My parents died, and I was left an orphan. Sure, I was already an adult back then, but... did that really matter? Losing your parents is devastating whether you're an adult or not. Still, it hits little kids like Molly even harder.
"By the way, have you seen any Unown around here?" I asked curiously.
This was one of those random movie lines nobody would ever remember, and yet for some reason, I did.
"If you mean the Pokémon that brought me here, then yes, but it left a while ago," my mother said.
"No, the Pokémon that kidnapped you was Entei, a Legendary Pokémon created by the Unown, just like all the crystal covering this place," I explained.
"I see," my mother nodded.
While it was true that Delia wasn't a Pokémon expert like Professor Oak or Talia, she still knew what Legendary Pokémon were, even if she had never seen one before.
"In any case, since Entei is gone, now's our chance to leave too," I said.
"You're right," my mother nodded.
But before getting up, she looked down at Molly, who was sleeping comfortably in her lap.
"Wake up, Molly. Wake up," Delia said gently.
Hearing her "mother," Molly slowly opened her little eyes, waking from her wonderful dream.
"I was dreaming..." Molly said as she rubbed her eyes.
"Molly, listen to me," my mother said.
At those words, Molly looked at her in confusion.
"What is it?" Molly asked, not understanding.
"You need to know something. I'm not really your mother. I'm Ash's mother," Delia said.
Of course, deep down the little girl already knew that, but in her mind, she had convinced herself that Delia was her mother, so the subject had to be handled carefully or Molly would probably end up traumatized.
My mother turned her gaze toward me, and Molly looked at me too.
"Hi, Molly. I'm Ash Ketchum, and I think we used to play together in Pallet Town," I said.
Good thing my mother told me everything before she got kidnapped. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to say that.
"There'll be time for introductions later. We need to go," Delia said as she stood up.
"Why?" Molly asked, moving away from us.
Well, here comes the action.
"We have to leave, Molly," my mother said.
"No, I don't want to," Molly refused.
Her sadness began to rise, and as if they were connected to her, the Unown started spinning faster and faster.
"I don't want to," she said again.
They spun even faster.
"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed.
Because of her intense emotions, the Unown lost control, and sharp crystal pillars began erupting from the ground.
The crystal pillars kept bursting up one after another, so I had to move to dodge them, even though I knew nothing would happen to me even if I stood still. I still had to put on the act, though.
[What are you talking about? Do you think you're immortal or something?]
The system's words confused me. Obviously nothing happened to Ash in the movie, so nothing should happen to me either.
[I think you're mistaken. Yes, you are Ash, but this is not a movie or an anime. This is real life. Here, if you're not careful, you can die just like anyone else.]
Huh? But the mission...?
[A mission is just that—a mission. But don't think that just because you have a system that gives you quests to strengthen your Pokémon, you're immortal. No. You're just as mortal as any other human on this planet, at least for now.]
So... does that mean I can die at any moment? Don't I have protagonist plot armor?
[What you have is a strong destiny, but... protagonist plot armor? This isn't a novel, host. That doesn't exist here.]
I see... I guess I already knew that, but I thought that at least during the events of the movies, I'd have some kind of protection or something like that.
[No, you have nothing. So stop spacing out in your head and dodge.]
Right!
Now that my eyes had been opened, I started dodging the crystal pillars like my life actually depended on it. Luckily, they stopped appearing soon after.
What had once been a beautiful room was now just a huge chamber made entirely of crystal, with nothing else left. Crystal everywhere.
"Mom!" I shouted.
Luckily, Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder at the most critical moment and was safe, but my mother wasn't so lucky and got separated from me while we were dodging the pillars.
I soon spotted my mother trapped between several crystal pillars, so I rushed over to her.
"Are you okay, Mom?" I asked worriedly.
If I could die, then I supposed she could too.
[Yes. If you're not careful, anyone can die.]
"Yes, I'm fine," my mother nodded.
But for some reason, she noticed a book lying on the floor beside her. It was the book Molly's father used to read to her almost every night, the book about Legendary Pokémon, and it was open to one specific page: a world filled with crystal.
"This can't be..." my mother said nervously.
Meanwhile, Molly, who wasn't too far away, had her eyes closed and her hands clasped together, as if she were praying or something, while countless crystal pillars surrounded her.
My mother had realized what was happening with Molly, and from her expression, I could tell she wanted to help her.
"Mom, we can't do anything for her right now! Let's get out of here first and then come up with a plan—we'll come back for her!" I shouted.
My mother looked at me, then at Molly again, then back at me, and nodded. Ash was right. The best thing to do was get out of there first and figure out how to help Molly once they were safe.
But Molly, who had already opened her eyes and was watching her "mother" trying to leave with her supposed "son," felt her heart tighten in panic.
At that exact moment, Entei appeared beside her.
"What's wrong, Molly?" Entei asked.
"That boy is taking Mommy away," Molly said as she looked at Ash.
I was trying to free my mother from the pillars when suddenly an even thicker crystal pillar rose up between us.
"Mom!" I shouted.
"Ash, help me!" my mother cried.
"I will! Pikachu!" I said, looking at Pikachu.
Pikachu understood immediately and jumped down from my shoulder, ready to act.
"You'd better leave her," a voice suddenly said.
When we turned, it was Entei, and he did not look happy to see either of us.
"And get out of here," Entei said in a threatening tone.
"You think threatening me is going to make me leave without my mother? Never!" I shouted.
My mother is my family, and I will never abandon my family.
"No! She's not your mother anymore. She's Molly's mother now!" Entei roared.
"Tch, I don't care. I already said she's coming with me, and I'm not leaving without her!" I said angrily.
Now I'm really starting to get mad.
"She stays here. Leave, or I'll make you!" Entei said angrily.
"No way! Wartortle, I choose you!" I shouted.
Luckily, even though I was angry, I still remembered this part of the movie and didn't let my rage take over... not completely.
"You think you can defeat me?" Entei asked.
"I won't lose to a mere illusion! Wartortle, use Hydro Pump!" I shouted.
"Torrrtle!" Wartortle cried.
Wartortle gathered all her strength and unleashed a powerful blast of water. Combined with the Mystic Water she was holding, its power was tremendous.
But surprisingly, Wartortle's attack was easily dodged by Entei, as if it were nothing to him.
"You think I'm an illusion? Let's see if an illusion can do this!" Entei roared.
Then he used an attack I recognized as Flamethrower, except this one wasn't red. It was purple.
"Dodge it!" I shouted.
But Wartortle's speed wasn't enough for something like that, and the attack hit her directly, knocking her out on the spot.
"Wartortle!" I shouted as I returned her to her Poké Ball.
Then I smiled at the Poké Ball and put it away. I wasn't going to hurt any of my Pokémon just to complete some stupid mission. Thankfully, in the movie, Ash didn't send out any more Pokémon to fight.
"I told you already—I'm not an illusion!" Entei said.
Then he slammed his paw into the ground, and the crystal began spreading even faster.
"I am this girl's father, and I must protect her!" Entei roared as he lunged at me.
But Pikachu jumped between Entei and me and unleashed an incredibly powerful Thunderbolt that hit Entei head-on, yet somehow didn't hurt him at all. Seriously? Pikachu couldn't damage him? My Pikachu is much stronger than Ash's Pikachu was back then. Why couldn't she even scratch Entei?
Pikachu had started fighting Entei without me even needing to order her around. She kept firing Thunderbolts in every direction, trying to hit him, trying to protect her trainer and friend from any harm. But Entei was overwhelmingly powerful and dodged Pikachu's attacks with ease.
Meanwhile, Delia, who had been watching everything while trying to escape, looked at Molly.
"Molly! Only you can stop this! Think of your real father and your real mother! They're always with you! Please, think of them!" Delia cried desperately.
By the way, while all this was happening, Team Rocket managed to reach the place without being noticed at all.
"It's a little chilly in here," Jessie said, shivering.
But then one of Pikachu's attacks passed close enough to her to instantly warm her up.
"What's going on?" Jessie asked in confusion.
"Must be a battle, nya," Meowth said.
"And this is the battlefield?" James asked.
But at that exact moment, two powerful attacks collided and created a huge cloud of smoke that covered almost the entire area.
While Team Rocket kept talking, Pikachu and Entei continued fighting, but it was completely useless. Pikachu's attacks weren't having the slightest effect, and she was barely able to keep fighting.
The battle against Entei had taken a toll on Pikachu. She was utterly exhausted and nearly down from sheer fatigue, while Entei looked perfectly fine, just like he had at the start of the battle. Should I make a mistake and use another Pokémon to replace Pikachu? I've followed the mission perfectly up to now, but I can't stand watching my Pokémon suffer. I think I should send out another Pokémon to help Pikachu... maybe Mew?
But just when I had finally decided what to do, Entei fired a powerful attack at Pikachu. Because of how exhausted she was, Pikachu couldn't dodge and got blasted away.
"Pikachu!" I shouted.
I moved as fast as I could and caught Pikachu in midair, stopping her from crashing into the wall, but there was one little problem. The place where Pikachu had been blasted to was a huge hole in the wall that Entei had made while fighting her. In fact, one of the room's walls was completely gone, and unfortunately, I fell through the opening.
"Damn it, heeelp!" I screamed.
Sorry, but falling into the void from hundreds of meters up would scare even the bravest person, so I shouted without being able to stop myself. But then I realized something.
"Charizard, save us!" I shouted.
Charizard burst out of her Poké Ball and immediately flew at full speed to catch both of us.
"Thanks, Charizard. Now take us back up, please," I said.
"Char!" Charizard nodded.
Charizard quickly carried us back to safety. Thank goodness. I honestly thought I was going to die, and in a horrible way too.
Seeing her son was safe, Delia let out a sigh of relief and looked at Molly, who had also made it through the chaos unharmed.
"Are you okay?" Delia asked Molly.
She tried to stroke the girl's head, hoping to calm her down, because she knew Molly was scared and confused.
"Yes..." Molly said.
But before Delia could touch her head, Molly moved away from her.
"It's strange. I've noticed how much your Pokémon care about you, and I can't understand why," Entei said as he approached.
"Someone told me something similar a while ago, but the answer is simple. It's because we're friends and family, and family protects and supports one another," I said with a smile.
"Pika pi!/Char!" they both nodded.
"Your friends?" Entei asked, confused.
"That's right. But they're also my family," I nodded.
"Your family?" Entei repeated.
Entei stared at me for a moment, but then his expression hardened into anger.
"Then I'll defeat your family!" Entei roared.
Entei unleashed a powerful attack that all of us managed to dodge, but I lost my balance in the process and almost fell again when...
"We won't let you fall!" Celeste said.
"After all, we're family!" Roxanne said.
"Celeste, Roxanne! Even Team Rocket?!" I exclaimed in shock.
But I wasn't surprised to see Celeste or Roxanne. I was shocked to see Team Rocket there. Of course I knew they appeared in the movie, but the reason they made it there in the movie was because Ash was already traveling through Johto at the time, and since Team Rocket was always following Ash, they simply followed him there. But with me, it's completely different, because I'm still traveling through Kanto. So how was it possible that Team Rocket had followed me all the way here and showed up at the exact same moment Ash first saw them in the movie? Seriously, if Jessie, James, and Meowth were spies instead of thieves... they could go really far. Too bad they're thieves—or at least trying to be.
"I'd tell you to prepare for trouble, but it looks like you've already got plenty," Jessie said.
"Well said," James nodded.
"Hey, don't steal my line, nya!" Meowth shouted.
"But I don't get it. Why are you helping me?" I asked, confused.
That line, I do remember.
"Well..." Jessie said.
"You see..." James said.
"Well, you see, if something ever happened to you, we'd be out of a job, nya," Meowth said.
"You could always just try stealing other people's Pokémon," I said.
I know I shouldn't be saying this, but when I watched the movie, I never understood their explanation. I mean, it's not like they're in Team Rocket because Giovanni hired them specifically to steal from me. If I died or disappeared, they could just steal from someone else. So then... why did they say that? Maybe it was a translation mistake, but they said the same thing here too, so I don't think so.
"It wouldn't be the same if it wasn't you," Jessie said.
"That's right. It's more fun with you around," James nodded.
"And besides, we'd get bored without you, nya," Meowth said.
Even they themselves didn't really know why, but they enjoyed trying to steal Ash's Pokémon, so if he died, life in Team Rocket wouldn't be the same.
"I don't know what to say to that... maybe thanks?" I said awkwardly.
Should I feel flattered by that?
Anyway, it was time to put an end to all of this, so I looked at Molly, who was standing nearby.
"Molly, come with us. We'll be your family, and you'll get to have real Pokémon too," I said with a smile.
Even if you can't become a Pokémon trainer until you're fifteen in this world, anyone can have a Pokémon at any age. Even an eight-year-old like Molly can have one.
Hearing that, Molly hesitated, but in the end, she took a few steps back.
"I already have real Pokémon! Get out of here!" Molly shouted.
You can't really blame her for the way she was acting. She was just a frightened and confused little girl. Anyone would make mistakes in her situation, and as a child... well, you get what I mean.
"Get out!" Entei roared.
Suddenly, Entei started attacking again, but this time I saw it coming.
"Come on, Charizard!" I said.
"Char!" Charizard cried.
I climbed onto Charizard's back, and we dodged the attack with ease.
"Charizard, use Dragon Breath!" I shouted.
Time to counterattack.
Charizard's powerful attack shot toward Entei, but he dodged it with ease.
"Daddy!" Molly cried, worried.
Seeing this, Delia finally ran out of patience and could no longer stay quiet.
"I don't care whether you're real or not, but you can't take the place of her real father!" Delia shouted.
"I am her real father as long as that is what she wants!" Entei declared.
Then he lunged at us again, but Charizard flew outside to avoid Entei's attack.
When Entei saw that, he didn't stop chasing us. In fact, he started running across the rooftops to try and catch us.
"We already tried doing this the nice way. Now we'll do it the hard way! Charizard, use Dragon Breath!" I shouted.
"Char!" Charizard cried.
Charizard fired another powerful attack at Entei, and this time it hit him directly, but even though he seemed to have gotten a few scratches, he didn't look bothered at all and immediately started firing powerful bursts of flame at us.
Charizard kept dodging Entei's attacks and launching her own, but Entei was too powerful. He dodged nearly everything we threw at him, and the few attacks that did land barely seemed to affect him at all. In fact, if this were a video game, Charizard was probably only dealing 1 HP of damage per hit. That was the only way to describe it.
"Charizard, we can't give up! We have to get Molly out of this place!" I said firmly.
My shout was so loud that even Molly heard it, and she was clearly surprised by Ash's words while Delia held her tightly.
The battle continued for a while, but eventually Charizard started to tire, and because of that, Entei finally landed a hit and sent us flying straight into the wall of the room we had come from.
"Damn it... Charizard managed to beat Mewtwo's cloned Charizard, but she can't even hurt this Entei," I said angrily.
The attack had hurt me too, so I was struggling to stand back up while Pikachu, Celeste, Roxanne, and even Team Rocket helped me.
"It's time to end this," Entei said as he charged up a powerful attack.
Charizard was almost completely spent and could barely move, so if that attack hit her... it might be over.
"Stop! She can't keep fighting anymore!" I shouted.
But Entei ignored me completely and kept charging the attack. Then, just as he was about to fire...
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she shouted.
It was Molly. She ran up and threw her arms around Entei.
"Stop fighting, Daddy. Please, stop..." Molly said sadly.
Entei simply nodded and stopped charging his attack, so I gathered the strength I had left and rushed over to help my Charizard.
"Charizard, are you okay?" I asked as I stroked her head.
"Char..." Charizard nodded.
She looked a little better than before, so it seemed like she was recovering.
"Do you want to rest in your Poké Ball?" I asked, taking it out.
"Char," Charizard shook her head.
She was curious to see how the story would end too, so she didn't want to go back into her Poké Ball and miss it.
"All right, but don't push yourself. If I see you're really not okay, I'm returning you to your Poké Ball without hesitation. Understood?" I said.
"Char," Charizard nodded.
Celeste and Roxanne looked at each other and nodded as well. They no longer wanted to stay silent in this situation. It was time to bring everything to an end and finally get some rest.
"Molly, I can't believe what a good trainer you are. You even managed to beat me," Roxanne said.
"Really?" Molly asked.
"Yes. And earlier you said you wanted to become a Gym Leader, and with your level... it'll be incredibly easy for you to do that someday," Celeste nodded.
"That's right. You're already a Pokémon trainer, and a very good one at that," Roxanne nodded.
"The girls are right. In the end, even if we're Pokémon trainers, all of us love our Pokémon, because they're not machines made to fight. They're our friends, our partners, and our family," I nodded.
"Pika pi!/Char!" Pikachu and Charizard said happily.
"Come on, come with us," I said with a smile.
"That's right. We're family, after all," Celeste nodded.
"We'll be your family from now on," Roxanne said.
Moved by everyone's words, Molly looked at Delia, and Delia nodded.
"It's what your father would've wanted," Delia said, reaching out her hand.
This time Molly didn't reject it. She took Delia's hand and then hugged her tightly, as if she were afraid to let go in case she disappeared. But just when everyone thought it was finally over and everything would return to normal, the power of the Unown suddenly went out of control for some reason, and crystal pillars started bursting out nonstop.
Entei was the first to react. He unleashed a powerful blast of fire that revealed the staircase the Unown had blocked off earlier.
"This way, quickly!" Entei shouted.
We all nodded and ran. By the way, I let Molly ride on Charizard so we could move faster.
...
Meanwhile, outside—more specifically, at the Pokémon Center.
The crystal, which until then hadn't spread any farther at all, suddenly began expanding rapidly, causing everyone there to flee in panic.
"It looks like the end of the world! Here at the Greenfield Pokémon Center, the entire building is being swallowed by the crystal formation!" the reporter shouted.
Professor Oak, Talia, Lisa, Skyler, Nurse Joy, and Officer Jenny—who had joined them after Ash and the others left—hurried out of the Pokémon Center just before it was completely covered in crystal.
"Quickly! We can't stay here!" Professor Oak shouted.
The others nodded and quickly moved away from the spreading crystal.
...
With Ash and the others.
Thanks to Team Rocket, we made it to the room where the Unown were, spinning at top speed without stopping.
"Pika pi," Pikachu cried as she looked at me.
"All right, let's try it... Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" I shouted.
"Pika piiiii!" Pikachu cried.
Pikachu fired a powerful electric attack that struck the shield protecting the Unown and opened a hole in it, but the gap closed so quickly it barely remained open for more than a second.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" I shouted.
"Char!" Charizard cried.
Charizard and Pikachu attacked again and again, but no matter how many openings they made, the shield sealed itself instantly. In fact, it was closing faster each time.
"Ugh, this is really dangerous," Jessie said fearfully.
"When there's trouble, Team Rocket blasts off again, nya," Meowth said.
"I agree. Let's get out of here," James said.
But when they tried to leave, countless crystal pillars cut off their path.
"Too late! We need help!" Jessie cried in terror.
No matter how many attacks struck the shield, it always regenerated, and faster every time. There was nothing we could do anymore. Now we could only rely on the one who had saved Ash and his friends in the movie: Entei.
Entei looked at everything happening, then looked at Molly, who was trembling with fear in Delia's arms, and after seeing her like that... he made up his mind.
Without hesitation, he stepped in front of all of us and signaled for Pikachu and Charizard to stop attacking. They both nodded and stopped immediately.
"Molly... it has been my pleasure, and my honor, to be your father. That is why the last thing I can do for you is get you out of this place," Entei said.
Then he looked at my mother, the girls, and finally at me.
"Take good care of her," Entei said.
"We will," I nodded.
"What?" Molly asked, confused.
"Molly... I was born from your dreams. If you believe in me, then there is nothing I cannot do!" Entei roared.
Then he charged at the barrier.
The moment Entei crashed into the shield, an agonizing pain ran through his entire body, but... he couldn't give up. He had to get Molly out of there. So he endured it and kept slamming into the barrier, determined to break through.
Watching all of this, Molly remembered everything she had gone through with Entei, and...
"You can do it, Entei!" Molly shouted.
"Mollyyyyy!" Entei roared.
"Pikachu! Charizard! Help him!" I shouted.
"Pika pi!/Char!" they cried.
Then both of them attacked the shield directly to help Entei break through it.
Entei's entire body was in pain, but he kept going for Molly's sake, to get her to safety, and thanks to that determination, he finally broke through the shield. Once inside, he unleashed a powerful attack at the Unown, and the moment it hit them, they stopped moving at once.
Pikachu and Charizard had already stopped attacking and were now simply watching the scene in front of them, because after Entei attacked, he rose into the air while a green aura surrounded his body.
"Molly," Entei said.
Molly looked at him in confusion, not understanding what was happening.
"Now I have to go, Molly," Entei said.
"Entei... I'll miss you," Molly said sadly.
"And I'll miss you too. Keep thinking of me... in your dreams..." Entei said.
Little by little, his body began to disappear, until after a few seconds, Entei vanished completely, leaving behind no trace that he had ever been there at all.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the mission! Calculating rewards... Since the host made no mistakes, an extra reward will be granted! Congratulations, you have obtained: ?!]