The transformation of the Unbound Hoopa into its "Confined" form won over many hearts. Compared to the demonic giant that had terrified the world, the small, imp-ish Hoopa was far more likable.
Humans are, by nature, visual creatures; given the choice between cute and terrifying, everyone knows which way to lean.
In the Footage—
Ash, having fallen through the ring, shook his head to clear the dizziness. He looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He was no longer at the desert Pokémon Center.
"Where are we? Did that golden ring do this?" Ash reached toward the ring, but nothing happened. As he peered through the hollow center, a cute, grey, smiling face suddenly popped up.
"Surprised you!" "Whoa! You definitely did!"
Ash stumbled back, startled. Hoopa let out a mischievous giggle, hung the ring on its horn, and happily munched on a donut.
"Who are you?" "I'm Hoopa!!" "Hoopa... a Pokémon? I've never heard of that one..."
While Ash was thinking, Pikachu's expression changed to one of pure shock. He grabbed Ash's ear and forcibly yanked his head toward the horizon.
"Ow, ow, ow! What is it, Pika... chu..." Ash trailed off. In the distance stood a glittering metropolis with a legendary tower. "That's... Dahara City? But we were just at the Pokémon Center! That's a half-day walk from here!"
Ash looked at the grinning Hoopa. "Did you do this? You teleported us here with that ring?" "Hehe~ Yup! Hoopa is amazing, right?"
Hoopa floated over, peering curiously at Pikachu. "This one... Hoopa hasn't seen!" "Oh, you mean Pikachu? He's my partner! The best there is!" "Pikan-pi?" "It's Pikachu! And I'm Ash. Nice to meet you." "Pikan-pi, Ash-kan!"
Ash sighed. Despite his best efforts to correct Hoopa's pronunciation, the little Pokémon stuck with its own nicknames. Ash-kan it was.
"Ash-kan, do you like Pikan-pi?" "Pikachu? Of course! He's my best friend and most important partner! I love Pikachu more than anyone!"
[Diantha: Pikachu doesn't even have to try; he just wins by default!]
[Wallace: In the end, Pikachu is the true love.]
[Professor Oak: Haha, what did you expect? Yesterday, I asked Ash who was most important to him, and he said Pikachu without blinking. The girls in the room looked quite heartbroken~]
[Cynthia: I suspect Hoopa's original rampage wasn't just its own fault. Look at the people in the old footage—they were cheering for the destruction like it was a show. Such a pure, simple mind like Hoopa's is easily influenced by the desires of those around it.]
In the Footage—
Hearing that Ash loved Pikachu, Hoopa's eyes lit up. He threw two golden rings into the air. "Come on out!!"
"Pika!" "Pika!" "PI-KA!"
In an instant, an endless flood of Pikachu poured out of the rings! Ash was completely overwhelmed by a yellow tide of mice. Some were wearing hats, some had heart-shaped tails, and some were in strange costumes.
Hoopa covered its mouth, snickering. "Hehe, surprised, Ash-kan? Can you find your Pikan-pi?"
To anyone else, they looked identical. But without a second's hesitation, Ash reached into the sea of yellow and scooped one up. "This is him!"
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu nuzzled Ash's cheek. Their bond had long since reached the level of soulmates. Finding each other was as natural as breathing.
[Lt. Surge: I'm not even mad I lost to him anymore. Look at that! That's the King of Pikachu, the Pika-God! My Raichu was trying to beat a legend!]
[Professor Oak: I didn't realize the Pikachu I gave him was this special. It can command its entire species, hurt Ground-types with electricity, and sense Legendaries... no wonder Team Rocket is obsessed with it.]
In the Footage—
"Aww, you found him? Hoopa loses~" Hoopa pouted, rolling on the ground like a spoiled child.
Suddenly, one of the summoned Pikachu accidentally discharged electricity. It triggered a chain reaction.
Within seconds, nearly a hundred Pikachu were firing Thunderbolts. Ash, at the center of the "Thunderstorm," took the full force of a multi-million-volt discharge.
The world gasped, but as the smoke cleared, Ash just stood there with his hair standing on end. "That was... shocking." The "Super Pallet Person" resistance was truly terrifying.
A girl in a white dress and blue headscarf, holding a box of donuts, came running up to the lookout point. "Hoopa! Are you causing trouble again?!"
"Ah! It's Meray!"
Meray scolded Hoopa and told him to send the Pikachu back. Hoopa looked troubled—teleporting a hundred mice back one by one would take forever.
"Pika! Pikachu!"
Ash's Pikachu jumped onto a stone pedestal. He let out a thunderous roar and a spark of golden lightning that silenced the entire crowd.
With the authority of a general, he began directing the other Pikachu into an orderly line. Hoopa opened the rings, and the "Pikachu Army" marched home in perfect formation.
After the chaos, Ash used the rings to bring Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie to the city. They learned that Meray was Hoopa's guardian.
They decided to visit the Dahara Tower, and Hoopa opened a ring to take them there. But as the humans walked through, Hoopa tried to follow—only to be slammed back by an invisible barrier.
"Hoopa can't pass through the rings," Meray explained sadly. "A mysterious power keeps him confined to this area."
Ash smiled. "Then we'll just walk together! The journey is half the fun anyway."
Serena offered Hoopa a donut to cheer him up. Hoopa beamed, but suddenly, his expression froze. His pupils shivered. Something terrible was coming.
A young man riding a Braviary descended from the sky. He wore a red turban and cloak, looking much like the man from the old footage.
But his eyes were glowing with a sinister red light, and his face was a mask of cold indifference. In his hand, he held the Prison Bottle.
Arche Valley:
Baraz turned pale. "That's... me! But why do I look like that? Why am I holding the bottle?!"
In the Footage—
The young man, Baraz, landed and wordlessly opened the Prison Bottle. A thick, oily black mist erupted, coiling around the small Hoopa.
Within seconds, the cute imp began to grow. Its limbs elongated, its shadow loomed large, and the demonic, six-armed giant reappeared.
"Hoopa... evolved?" Bonnie whispered. "No," Meray said, her voice trembling. "That is Hoopa's true, unsealed form. But something is wrong... that shadow... it's not our Hoopa!"
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 60 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.