In this world created by Molly's heart, she was nearly omnipotent.
Yet Ash had still defeated the Pokémon she had conjured out of thin air.
One had to understand that there was only one way those Pokémon could lose: if Molly believed they were defeated, only then would they actually fall.
This was why Entei was so interested in Ash. Seeing the bond between Ash and Houndoom, Entei hadn't been able to resist stepping in personally to act as a sparring partner.
Of course, it was also possible that this reflected Molly's subconscious desires; she still remembered Ash's kindness.
Riding on Entei's back was an incredible feeling. Ash couldn't help but grin. "Entei, one day, I'm going to catch a real Entei!"
"If it's you, perhaps you truly can," Entei replied.
Entei brought Ash to the top floor. Before they arrived, Molly's phantom had already vanished.
The real Molly was currently leaning against Delia, lost in a beautiful dream.
Ash hated to shatter such a dream, but Delia wasn't Molly's real mother, and Entei certainly wasn't her father.
"Mom!"
"Ash, you're here!"
Ash nodded and gently tapped Molly's shoulder. "Molly, wake up."
"Ash, you're here! This is great! Papa and Mama are both back, and I even get to see you!" Molly smiled happily. It had been so long since she had been surrounded by so many people.
Ash remained silent for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. He suddenly didn't know how to break it to her.
It was Delia who spoke up. "Molly, the truth is... I'm not your mama. I'm Ash's mama."
"Mama?" Molly looked at Delia in disbelief. She scrambled out of her arms, her eyes welling with tears.
"Molly, you can't stay here. Come with us," Delia continued to plead, hoping to pull Molly out of her self-imposed isolation.
Well... Since his mother had been so direct, Ash didn't have much choice but to follow through.
Predictably, Molly's dream was shattered, and her emotions went into a tailspin.
"No! No!"
It was as if her heart were being encased in ice again. Jagged crystals began to erupt throughout the interior of the Crystal Tower. Sensing Molly's psychological trauma, the Unown in the space above went into a frenzy.
Ash had to move quickly to shield Delia.
A ring of upright crystals surrounded Molly. As she stood there, lost and confused, Entei reappeared at her side. "Molly, what's wrong?"
"Ash is taking Mama away!"
At her words, the crystals shattered. Entei and Molly stood before Ash and Delia. "Put that woman down!"
Please... with lines like that, I feel like I'm the villain here, Ash thought.
"Molly, I promise you, I will never let you feel lonely or helpless again!" Ash ignored Entei's threat and looked Molly in the eye, speaking with total sincerity.
"Liar! You haven't come to see me in all these years!" Molly cried, refusing to believe his promise.
"Boy, get out. If you don't leave, I'll throw you out!" Entei stepped directly in front of Ash.
"You really think I can't beat you?" Ash gripped a Poké Ball tightly.
"Go away! Go away! I don't ever want to see you again! I just want my Papa and Mama!" Molly's final scream served as the battle cry for the final showdown between Ash and Entei.
"Charizard, I choose you!"
"Roar!"
Charizard's level was far beyond that of the recently evolved Houndoom. Furthermore, its physique had been honed by the system-provided Macho Brace. In terms of sheer presence alone, it was overwhelmingly superior!
"Flamethrower!"
The brilliant red dragon fire collided head-on with Entei's purple fireballs. They were perfectly matched; an explosion was inevitable.
"Dragon Claw!"
The pace of the battle hit its limit instantly. Just as the explosion occurred, Charizard's silhouette blurred, appearing directly in front of Entei and sending him flying with a massive claw swipe!
The current Charizard's combat power was insane!
"Entei, do you really think staying here is what's best for Molly?" Ash asked grimly, questioning the seemingly unharmed Entei.
"As long as it is what Molly wants!" Entei insisted. Enveloped in flames, he charged back and slammed into Charizard, knocking him back.
"Hmph. Molly is just a child. Since she calls you Papa, you should be looking out for her! If you can't do that, then get out of my way!" Ash didn't even look at Charizard. With a maxed-out Bond Level, he could track Charizard's condition perfectly without looking.
"Charizard, drag this idiot Entei out of here!"
Thump-thump!
Their heartbeats synchronized. A reddish-gold fire engulfed Charizard.
Fiery wings unfurled, and Charizard's form underwent a dazzling transformation!
An exaggeratedly large Dragon Claw swatted the stunned Entei away like a fly. Charizard followed up with a Flamethrower, blasting him right out of the Crystal Tower!
However, the tower suddenly sprouted several jagged spikes to catch Entei and hold him aloft.
Though he couldn't fly, Entei had immense support from the tower itself!
Under the Bond Evolution, Charizard and Ash were of one mind and body; they even shared each other's pain. Ash could see everything through Charizard's eyes.
He could command the battle from a distance with perfect precision.
"Charizard, show this illusion our true power!" Ash had been annoyed with this arrogant Entei for a while now.
From the start, the beast had acted like it was second only to God, and its first move had been to kidnap his mother. Ever since waking up from his coma, Ash had been looking for a chance to give this Entei a proper thrashing!
"Don't push your luck!"
Standing atop the tower, Entei gritted his teeth as he watched Charizard hover on wings of fire. He unleashed a Flamethrower in retaliation!
"Dodge!"
Charizard swerved easily. Without waiting for a command, he fired back a Flamethrower of his own.
Then, Charizard vanished. He reappeared instantly, his massive Dragon Claw sending Entei flying once more.
The dragon and the lion began a high-speed chase around the perimeter of the Crystal Tower.
While keeping an eye on the battle, Ash walked over to Molly with Delia.
"Molly, I promise I'll find your father, okay? Professor Hale must have run into some trouble, and he's waiting for you somewhere in the world!" Ash knelt gently before her. Seeing her tear-stained face made his heart ache.
"Ash!"
Hearing news of her father, Molly tensed up. Had he stayed away only because he was in trouble?
"Ash, can you really bring him back?" Molly grabbed his sleeve. "You'll bring Papa back, right?"
Ash nodded confidently. "I'll bring your papa back right now!"
He turned to Delia. "Mom, take care of Molly. I'll be right back!"
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