Baraz placed all his hope on Ash. If anyone there could resolve Hoopa's crisis, it was undoubtedly Ash! With Ash present... a way would surely be found, right? After all, he was the omnipotent "Super Pallet Person"!
In the Footage—
By the time Ash, Baraz, and the others arrived at the Pokémon Center, night had already fallen. Hoopa had recovered its health, and the Prison Bottle sat nearby.
Baraz planned to return it to the valley later. During their conversation, Clemont asked curiously:
"By the way, your great-grandfather was incredible! To think he could seal such a gargantuan creature!"
The group had witnessed Hoopa's terrifying power—it could snap a skyscraper in half with a single pull. It possessed Herculean strength, mystical rings, and a history of defeating other legendary Pokémon a century ago.
How could a mere human seal such an entity? What kind of power was that?
"Look at this. Does it remind you of anything?" Baraz held out a golden ring, prompting Ash's group to fall into deep thought.
"This thing... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..." Ash muttered, his memory searching. He usually had a sharp memory for such things.
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu called out to Ash and suddenly squished his own face into the shape of a llama! (Pikachu's face-mimicry skills are rivaled only by Ditto!)
Seeing Pikachu's transformed face, the dormant memory awakened in Ash's mind.
"A... Arceus!!"
Clemont and the others were shocked. Clemont quickly pulled up an image on Serena's Holo Caster. "The Arceus you're talking about... surely isn't the Creator God, Arceus??"
Baraz looked at Ash with surprise and nodded. "Correct. This ring is an heirloom of Arche Valley. Everyone capable of wielding the valley's power carries one.
Legend has it that our ancestor was Arceus's earthly messenger, able to communicate with the Creator and borrow a fraction of its power. That is how he was able to craft the Prison Bottle to seal Hoopa."
"We have that power too, but... our training is far from complete," Meray added with an embarrassed smile.
As a child, she was as mischievous as Hoopa and hadn't taken her training seriously. Her brother was much better at it, but still a far cry from their great-grandfather.
[Cynthia: It really is the power of Arceus! To think the people of Arche Valley possess such a miraculous gift. Incredible.]
[Gidion: Living a long life has its perks; I've learned something new today. So, Arceus has earthly messengers!]
[Lucian: How did Ash recognize Arceus's ring? Even those of us well-versed in mythology had to think for a moment. But Pikachu recognized it instantly, and Ash reacted immediately... Have they met Arceus before?]
[Lance: At this point in the timeline, he has already been to Sinnoh. With Ash's 'Legendary Socialite' constitution, meeting Arceus isn't that far-fetched.]
[Wallace: True, but Arceus... at most, it would be a fleeting encounter. Like Ho-Oh, just a sighting. Helping or interacting with Arceus seems impossible.]
[Diantha: ...Should I say it?]
[Catlin: Hehe, somewhere far away, Arceus might have just felt a strange surge of energy. If Arceus can see these comments and encounters a crisis in the future, Lance, you'd better watch out~]
[Lance: ...]
Surely not? Lance thought. Even with my 'jinx' power, I couldn't possibly jinx the Creator God.
In the Footage—
Baraz continued Hoopa's history. After the seal, his great-grandfather, Gulis, brought Hoopa back to Arche Valley. The screen displayed images of the past to illustrate. Gulis commanded Hoopa to live there, but Hoopa demanded its power back.
"Your power is too vast," Gulis had told it. "With your current heart, you cannot control it, and you will only be used by those with ill intent.
Until you understand the meaning of 'Punishment,' I will not return it. You are strong, but you must realize the world does not belong to you alone.
It belongs to everyone. Understand the value of life and punishment, and only then can you truly live in this world."
Hoopa only understood half of it: it wasn't getting its power back. Furthermore, it could no longer pass through its own rings, trapping it in the valley. Thus, Hoopa began its life with Gulis to learn. This small form was dubbed "Hoopa Confined."
"It wasn't until we were born that Hoopa found true friends," Baraz said.
Hoopa happily held their hands in agreement. They were like siblings, spending their days helping the elderly or playing pranks.
Gulis had long since accepted Hoopa as family. Sadly, Gulis passed away shortly after they grew up. Years later, they wondered if it was finally time to return Hoopa's power. They knew its heart better than anyone.
But they were too naive. Hoopa still couldn't control it. "Theoretically, it shouldn't be like this. I need to take the bottle back to the valley to investigate," Baraz concluded.
"Hoopa won't go!" "But if you don't, you can't regain your form!" "Then Hoopa won't be big! This way is fine!!"
[Lance: Hoopa has truly changed. It would rather stay small than risk losing control again.]
[Cynthia: Its heart has matured, but it's still child-like. It fears being swallowed by that runaway power.]
In the Footage—
As they argued, a mechanical arm suddenly snatched the Prison Bottle!
"Who's there?" "Prepare for trouble!" "And make it double!"
The True Protagonists arrived! Team Rocket had returned to steal the bottle. As Meowth reached for it, Baraz screamed: "Don't touch that!"
Meowth ignored him, thinking it was a power-up device. The moment his paw touched it, black energy surged through him. Possessed, he pulled the cork. Hoopa's dark side was unleashed once more! The energy slammed into Hoopa, who shrieked in agony.
"Hoopa!!" Meray tried to rush forward but was repelled by a shockwave. Baraz immediately channeled the mysterious power of Arceus, using his golden ring to amplify it.
He poured the golden light into Hoopa, trying to suppress the darkness. Meray joined him. Ash and the others could only cheer from the sidelines.
"Hoopa, hang in there! Don't lose to that power!"
With the support of the humans and the Creator's power, Hoopa summoned every ounce of its will and expelled the evil energy. Simultaneously, the bottle in Meowth's hands shattered into pieces!
The expelled black energy coalesced nearby, forming a towering figure: Hoopa Unbound, the Djinn Pokémon! This was a manifestation of a century's worth of sealed resentment.
The small Hoopa fell into Ash's arms. "Ash-kan, Hoopa... tried hard! Hoopa won!" "You did great, Hoopa. You won," Ash said softly, but his eyes were fixed on the new entity. The power had gained a mind of its own.
Team Rocket, seeing the giant, began plotting again. "That guy looks strong! Let's catch him for the Boss!" "Great idea, Meow!"
The audience: Are you insane? That thing can destroy the world!
The Unbound Hoopa heard them. It punched through a ring, and a golden portal appeared behind Team Rocket's balloon. One hit sent them flying into the ring, gone in an instant.
[Cynthia: Now what? Ash's Greninja is strong, but can it face a literal Demon God?]
In the Footage—
Facing the terrifying aura of Unbound Hoopa, Baraz sent out his Braviary, but it was swatted away instantly. Small Hoopa, realizing the danger, tossed a golden ring into the air.
"Come on out! Come on out!!"
The ring glowed with a deep blue light. A massive pillar of water erupted into the sky, arcing across the air to land in front of Unbound Hoopa.
BOOM!
The water exploded, revealing a white, bird-like Pokémon with a blue underbelly. The Guardian of the Seas—Lugia!!
"Lu... Lugia?" Ash and the others were stunned.
"Lugia! Long time no see!" "Wait, 'again'??" Clemont's glasses nearly fell off.
"It's a long story... anyway, Lugia, lend us a hand!"
Lugia looked down and saw a familiar figure on a rooftop. Isn't that my Chosen One? Who is this big guy? Doesn't look friendly. If Ash asked for help, I'm in!
"SKREEE!!"
Lugia let out a deafening roar, drawing the Unbound Hoopa's attention. Sensing the power and hostility of the Sea God, Unbound Hoopa decided to deal with this "bird" first.
The battle was about to begin!
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