"Roar!"
Charizard, who had just regressed from his Bond Evolution, let out a roar to stop Ash. He knew Ash's mental state was deteriorating. After all, this was a battle against the power of a Legendary Pokémon! In this short span of time, Ash had already undergone two Bond Evolutions. If he forced it a third time, he would definitely fall into a coma again.
Charizard struggled to his feet and lunged at the Unown with a Dragon Claw. Pikachu wasn't about to be left behind either, unleashing a Thunderbolt, only to be blasted back once more by the Unown's counter-shockwave.
"Damn it!" Ash gritted his teeth as he lay on the ground. "The power of Pokémon lost to a rampage is truly terrifying."
"Ash! Ash!"
At that moment, Entei arrived with Delia and Molly. Ash looked at them and Entei, but he didn't waste time with words. His eyes lit up.
"Entei, I need your power!"
Entei himself was an illusionary Legendary Pokémon born from the hopes Molly shared with the Unown, yet he possessed his own thoughts and emotions. Entei nodded and let Molly and Delia climb down.
"Molly, the only thing I can do now is send you safely out of here."
With those words, Entei stood beside Ash. Ash used his telekinesis to pull out the twenty-eight Poké Balls he had used earlier. Because of the carry limit, these captured Unown could not be summoned. The only way to bring them out now was...
To release them!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Unlike the blue light of a standard summon, the light released during a Pokémon's release was a dim red, carrying a sense of reluctance and parting. The twenty-eight Unown were released, but they continued to hover around Ash. They didn't join the rampage; instead, they sensed Ash's desire to save their companions.
"Please, help me!" This was Ash's last resort, but it turned out to be the perfect solution.
The twenty-eight Unown hovered above Ash's head, moving in a synchronized pattern drawing a dragon on the left and a rainbow on the right. A mysterious power began to materialize around Ash, responding to his thoughts.
"I feel a bit like a Green Lantern," Ash chuckled to himself.
With a flash of white light, he was suddenly clad in a shimmering set of God of War Armor, holding a God of War Trident in his hand. He had briefly considered a three-pointed double-edged blade, but he felt the trident carried more majesty.
"Ash is so cool!" Molly whispered, hugging Delia's leg with stars in her eyes.
"Kid, you're a bit too 'chunni' for your own good," Entei couldn't help but criticize. What in the world was he doing?
"What, you jealous?" Ash gave a provocative grin, but his expression soon turned grim. "Let's finish this!"
He raised his arm and leaned back, preparing to hurl the trident.
"Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"
"Charizard, Entei, Flamethrower!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
The attacks were unleashed once more, but this time, they were guided by Ash's God of War Trident. The trident pierced through the Unown's defensive layer first, moving with unstoppable force. It didn't punch all the way through, however; it stopped dead in the center of the formation.
Then, the attacks from the four Pokémon arrived simultaneously, slamming directly into the trident.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion created a massive tremor that finally scattered the circling Unown. Without their unity, these individual Unown were once again powerless.
The expansion of the Crystal Tower halted. The crystals began to recede, slowly unveiling the vibrant, life-filled Greenfield that had been hidden beneath. The Unown seemed to regain their senses. A spatial rift opened above the tower, and one by one, the Unown drifted inside. That was the world where they truly belonged.
However, the twenty-eight Unown that Ash had caught and released remained by his side. Ash was still clad in his crystal-like armor, standing majestically as it shone brilliantly under the sunlight.
Molly was the first to rush over. "Ash, you're so handsome!"
Ash patted her head gently, then turned her to face Entei, who was beginning to revert into his crystal form. "Molly, say your goodbyes to Entei."
"Daddy..."
Molly looked at Entei with eyes full of sorrow and longing.
"Molly, thank you for letting me be your father," Entei said, slowly closing his eyes. "I shall return to your dreams now."
With that, Entei vanished along with the rest of the Crystal Tower.
"Ash!" Molly leaned against Ash's shoulder as her tears began to fall again.
Ash smiled. "Molly, you have to be strong. You are Entei's daughter! In the future, you'll definitely become a powerful Trainer!"
Hearing this, Molly looked up and nodded vigorously. "Yes! I am Entei's daughter! I'm going to travel with you, Ash, and I'm going to find my real daddy!"
Regarding that point, while Ash had only agreed earlier as a temporary measure, now that Molly was serious, he wouldn't refuse her. In fact, throughout his future travels in many regions, he would often have this little companion following him.
"I might actually have some clues about your father!"
"Really? Ash, you're the best!"
After comforting Molly, Ash turned his attention to the twenty-eight Unown still hovering nearby. Unown had twenty-eight different forms. Ash had used twenty-eight Poké Balls, but catching one of each form had been nothing more than a dream. Since they had fallen at random, there were bound to be duplicates.
Ash took a moment to inspect them. It was a fairly complete set, missing only the rarest "?" and "!" forms, as well as "G," "L," and "P." He had an extra "M" and three extra "O" forms. It was likely because those shapes were larger and easier to knock down.
"You don't want to go back? Do you want to stay with me?" Ash asked. These big-eyed little monsters were actually quite cute.
The answer he received was a melodic chirping that sounded like tiny bells. Since he had released them, his previous Poké Balls were now useless. Ash contacted Professor Oak, who brought a new batch when he arrived to help Ash catch the twenty-eight Unown once more.
"Ash, you did a fantastic job this time!" Professor Oak was not stingy with his praise. He had watched Ash grow step by step.
"Professor Oak, John, do you know where the ruins that Professor Spencer Hale was investigating are?" Ash asked, holding Molly's hand.
Now that he thought about it, Professor Spencer Hale must have encountered the Unown at those ruins and been pulled into their world. Since the Unown had returned, it stood to reason that the Professor should have been sent back as well.
Sure enough, John led Ash, his companions, and Molly back to the ruins. There, they found the unconscious Professor Spencer Hale.
Molly's father had finally come home.
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