All the Trainers were utterly shaken, their minds buzzing blankly.
Pikachu was a lower-mid-tier existence among Electric-type Pokémon.
Back in Ho-Oh's ranking video, Ash's Pikachu being able to fight the legendary Pokémon Marshadow had already been outrageous enough.
But that could still be accepted.
After all, Marshadow had only been in its juvenile stage, and with the help of one of Ho-Oh's feathers, it had only briefly displayed legendary-level power.
At most, that feather had probably only let Marshadow unleash the strength of a third-tier divine beast.
But this—
Your Pikachu's Thunderbolt had actually shocked Hoopa Unbound numb?
It was already ridiculous enough that it could even deal damage.
That was Hoopa Unbound, a being that stood above countless first-class divine beasts.
According to the earlier flashback, Hoopa had once summoned entire pseudo-legendary species and then crushed them all by itself.
Not a single one of them could even break through its defense.
And yet Pikachu, from a species with relatively low innate potential, had actually broken through and even inflicted brief paralysis on Hoopa.
That was absurd to the extreme.
In subspace…
Palkia and Dialga were both dumbfounded.
Hoopa Unbound was an existence capable of controlling them.
And yet a yellow mouse had actually managed to break through its defenses?
Was that for real?
Looking at the versions of themselves in the video, they were both furious, yet utterly helpless. That Pokémon called Hoopa really was stronger than they were.
And somehow, for some reason, Hoopa carried Arceus's power.
Could it be… Arceus's illegitimate child?
In the Valley of Creation—
"A dark Hoopa with two-thirds of my power… got hurt by Pikachu?" little Hoopa said in disbelief. "That Pikachu is amazing."
"In the future, am I friends with Ash and Pikachu? They actually saved me."
Watching the scene where Ash had risked himself to carry it away, a strange feeling rose in little Hoopa's heart.
It had never felt anything like this before.
Even with only one-third of its complete power, it still stood at the peak of the world.
It had never experienced what it felt like to be saved by someone without hesitation.
The meaning of punishment…
It vaguely felt as though it had grasped something, but also hadn't.
"Could it be… Pikachu is actually a very powerful species, and we just don't know how to bring out its potential?"
Professor Oak pondered, but quickly rejected the idea.
Throughout all of history, there had never been another Pikachu like Ash's.
Whatever was special about Ash's Pikachu—
perhaps only Ash himself knew.
Maybe the future him had some unique training method, or some special encounter.
"Whoa, Gary, Gary, did you see that? Future me is so cool!!" Ash laughed foolishly, face full of excitement. "I really want to grow up soon and go on adventures. I really want to meet Pikachu already."
Professor Oak: "..."
Looking at the silly little Ash, they truly couldn't imagine that his future achievements would reach such heights.
Professor Oak stared at the dumbly cheerful Ash.
When it came to a figure destined to become extraordinary in the future, there were only two choices—either make him an ally, or eliminate him before he grew up.
For certain large organizations in this world, getting someone's information was incredibly easy.
Ash and his mother had already moved into the Oak Research Lab.
What the simple-minded Ash didn't know was that ever since he appeared in Ho-Oh's ranking video and fought Marshadow, his information had already been exposed.
Some groups from other regions' Pokémon Leagues wanted to win him over.
Certain underground evil organizations wanted to abduct him. If cooperation was possible, then cooperate. If not, then even if they couldn't have him, they would rather destroy him than let someone else get him.
The Kanto League and Professor Oak's own family had already increased the number of guards stationed around the area.
Several groups with malicious intent had already tried to approach over these last few days.
Looking at Ash, so simple-minded and yet full of boundless love for Pokémon—
perhaps it was exactly that kind of nature that allowed him to reach the height shown in the video.
The special episode continued.
Ash rode Noivern as he carried little Hoopa away.
The duck that was already in the pot had flown off, and Hoopa Unbound was enraged.
"You won't get away!!"
Demonic energy surged as Hoopa Unbound's oppressive aura crashed down toward Ash, ferocious light flashing in its eyes.
In an instant—
Noivern couldn't endure the terrifying pressure. Its eyes rolled back, showing the whites, and it fainted on the spot, losing all ability to fight.
Ash and the others began free-falling from high above.
Then, directly below them, a golden ring appeared, attempting to teleport them away.
"This is bad!"
Ash inwardly cried out. That was one of Hoopa Unbound's rings.
But in midair, there was no way to dodge it.
Just as they were about to fall in—
Whoosh!
A white figure shot in and saved them again.
"Thanks, Lugia!"
Ash patted Lugia. It was Lugia that had saved them.
Having his prey snatched away again and again, the veins around Hoopa Unbound's eyes bulged violently.
Six golden rings floated before it.
Then all six of its arms plunged in at once.
Space quivered as golden rings began appearing all around Ash. Hoopa Unbound's arms reached through them, crossing space again and again as they grabbed for little Hoopa.
But before Lugia's speed, Hoopa Unbound couldn't catch them at all.
"Buzzing around everywhere like a fly is so annoying!! Hoopa is the strongest! Hoopa never fears battle! You don't deserve to be Hoopa!!"
Hoopa Unbound let out an enraged roar.
Suddenly, six golden rings appeared around Lugia.
They aligned one after another, the front and back of each ring pressing together.
The six rings fused into one long golden tube.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—!
The power of six combined rings increased geometrically.
Lugia dived downward, skimming low over the ground.
Then a terrifying suction force burst out.
Its body was pulled out of control, slowly dragged into the rings, completely unable to break free.
The pull was so overwhelming that in the end, all it could do was jerk its body violently and toss Ash and the others off its back.
Whoosh!
Lugia's entire body was sucked into the rings.
Deep beneath the sea in the Kanto region—
a golden ring suddenly appeared out of thin air, and a white figure shot out from it.
It was Lugia.
Hoopa Unbound's rings had sent it back to the deep sea where it usually slept.
Lugia beat its wings and shot backward, trying to dive back through the ring and return to the battlefield.
But—
it missed.
Just as it was about to enter, the ring vanished.
Lugia roared in furious frustration.
The battlefield had already been severed from the main world, so it had no way of getting back.
The scene returned to the battlefield of the divine beasts.
"Ash, all the residents have been evacuated!" Clemont, Serena, and the others called out to him.
"Then get out too and wait for me outside! It's too dangerous here!" Ash shouted.
"Okay, be careful!"
Clemont and the others quickly ran through the rings and left.
The rings shrank and returned to little Hoopa's body.
And at that very moment—
something changed in the sky.
At some point, enormous meteors had appeared overhead, each one as large as a mountain, with absolutely no warning.
All the Trainers' eyes widened. They recognized the move.
A Rock-type move.
—Rock Tomb.
It was Groudon's move.
Earlier, Groudon's opponent had been Lugia.
Now that Lugia had been sent away by Hoopa Unbound, Groudon turned its attention toward little Hoopa and the others.
Everyone was stunned.
This was way too terrifying.
When ordinary Pokémon used Rock Tomb, they summoned rocks a few meters across at most.
But Groudon's Rock Tomb had summoned an entire mountain range!
And they all desperately wanted to complain—
According to the information revealed in Rin Aokawa's videos, Groudon was a Ground-type Pokémon, and after Primal Reversion it was Ground/Fire.
So what was it doing using a Rock-type move like Rock Tomb?
But then again, when you thought about the fact that it was the God of Land, creating mountains out of thin air suddenly didn't seem all that strange.
Boom boom boom boom—!
Countless mountains came howling down toward the ground.
This time, little Hoopa wasn't completely helpless anymore.
And it no longer needed to divide its focus to protect humans who hadn't evacuated.
One of the rings on its body flew above its head, then expanded.
All the incoming Rock Tombs were swallowed into it.
And then—
a golden ring appeared above Groudon's head, ripples of light glimmering within it.
One mountain after another suddenly came crashing down.
Groudon was smashed stupid by its own move. Its body was flipped over, losing balance, and with a staggering lurch it toppled into the sea, sending water flying everywhere.
Ash let out a breath of relief.
Hoopa Unbound attacked again.
A massive golden ring appeared around them, and Hoopa Unbound's giant body emerged from it.
Little Hoopa was in its punished state because of the Prison Bottle. Until it understood the true meaning of punishment, it couldn't pass through the rings itself.
Hoopa Unbound, however, had no such restriction and could move through them at will.
"Ash, Baraz and Meray are using the power of creation to restore the Prison Bottle. We just need to hold out until then!" little Hoopa shouted.
"Run!"
Ash immediately grabbed little Hoopa and ran.
[Only the Prison Bottle can seal Hoopa Unbound again]
[So Ash and the others need to buy time until the Prison Bottle is restored]
They fled for their lives.
They rushed into the city ruins, hoping the buildings could act as cover against Hoopa Unbound.
Hoopa Unbound charged after them, smashing through everything in its path with all six arms.
At that moment, Groudon climbed back out of the sea, rage boiling in its chest.
It opened its mouth. Its scales blazed with scorching red light, boiling the seawater around it.
Then ten streams of fire, as molten as lava, shot toward little Hoopa and the others.
Little Hoopa tried to do the same trick again and use its rings to redirect the attack.
But Hoopa Unbound was right behind them, using its own rings to ram into and interfere with little Hoopa's rings, making it impossible to use them properly.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball!"
Ash shouted.
Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder, formed an Electro Ball, and with a flick of its tail sent it flying toward the incoming Flamethrower.
Boom!!
The two attacks collided.
For a moment, they held.
But soon the Flamethrower pushed through, forcing the Electro Ball backward and rushing toward Ash and the others.
The viewers across the dimensions watched nervously.
Groudon had used that attack with brutal precision.
It wasn't aimed directly at Ash—it targeted the ground just ahead of him.
If Ash wanted to avoid it, he had to stop moving.
But if he stopped, Hoopa Unbound would catch him instantly.
And if he didn't stop, the fire beam would slam into him head-on.
Of course…
there was another option.
Ash could use one of little Hoopa's rings to escape.
But that raised another problem—
little Hoopa itself couldn't pass through the rings.
And the key to this entire battle was still the clash between little Hoopa and Hoopa Unbound.
Whichever one of them won would decide everything!!
Just as everyone worried over what choice Ash would make—
Ash pulled out a red-and-white Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball opened. A flash of white light burst out.
A light-blue Pokémon appeared.
It had a long tail, a frog-like face, and a long tongue wrapped around its neck like a scarf.
The Trainers of the Pokémon world immediately recognized it.
—Greninja.
The final evolution of the Kalos region's Water-type starter Froakie.
But everyone was confused.
Sure, Water was strong against Fire, but that was Groudon's Flamethrower!
How could an ordinary Water-type possibly withstand that?
And then—
Ash turned his cap around.
An unbelievable scene unfolded.
Countless rainbow-colored lines began emerging from both Ash and Greninja, stretching into the air and linking the two together.
White light covered Greninja's body.
When it faded—
Greninja had transformed.
A red crest had formed on its head, resembling the cap Ash wore.
Its face now resembled Ash's own.
Its body's contours had become sleek and sharp, its muscles lean and powerful.
Its entire being radiated an indescribable aura.
Fine streams of water coiled around it.
Looking at it gave the audience the strange impression that Ash and Greninja had fused into one.
Most striking of all was the giant blue shuriken on Greninja's back, entirely made of water.
"Ash-Greninja, Water Shuriken!!"
Ash shouted.
Greninja reached back and pulled down the enormous shuriken, flooding it with energy.
The Water Shuriken expanded rapidly until it was over ten meters across.
Then Greninja hurled it.
A sharp tearing sound split the air.
The Water Shuriken smashed into the Flamethrower.
The two collided.
A torrent of water exploded outward, and the Water Shuriken slammed against the flames.
Then, at the moment of impact, the giant shuriken suddenly rotated and turned sideways like a shield.
Groudon's Flamethrower crashed into it—and was blocked.
Ash, Hoopa, and the others kept sprinting forward.
The danger was averted.
Pokémon World—
everyone was stunned all over again.
What the hell was up with Ash's Greninja?!
The evolution line of Greninja was familiar to all Trainers.
Froakie → Frogadier → Greninja.
But what was this form?
Why did it look so much like Ash?
And what were those countless rainbow threads that had connected Ash and Greninja before the transformation?
Especially the Trainers who had their own Greninja—
they were utterly lost.
Everyone understood the logic.
All of them had Greninja.
So why was yours so ridiculously cool? So absurdly strong? Why could it directly clash with Groudon's attack?!
"Wooooah, so cool! My Greninja is amazing!!" Ash shouted excitedly.
Professor Oak stared blankly, his eyes dazed.
Had he, a Pokémon Professor, really lived his whole life like a dog?
Why were there so many things in this world that he didn't know?
[Ash-Greninja. This is Ash's exclusive form]
[Their meeting was the arrangement of destiny]
[When the gears of destiny turn, when their bond surpasses life itself, their Life energy combine and transform into an entirely new form]
[In the future, Ash and Ash-Greninja will bear the mission of saving the world]
Hiss—!!
Listening to that narration, everyone sucked in a cold breath.
Only Ash's Greninja had this form?
A fated meeting, a bond, their life energies combining…
And in the future, Ash and Greninja would save the world?
"I'm a Water-type Trainer—Greninja is so cool! Please, please release a video about Ash and Greninja saving the world!"
"Same here! Seriously, this Greninja is incredible."
"Waaah, I'm from Kanto—can I trade my Squirtle for one of those?"
Professor Oak let out a long breath and finally recovered from his state of self-doubt.
So it wasn't that he was ignorant.
It was because this form of Greninja—
only existed for Ash's Greninja.
The moment that one strike was blocked—
Groudon flew into a rage again.
Just as it was about to act—
a black streak of lightning dove down from above.
It was shiny Rayquaza.
Its tail glowed white as it lashed out, smashing hard into Groudon and sending it flying away.
Rayquaza gave little Hoopa a low growl, indicating that it would take care of this one.
It was going to fight two against one—
taking on both Groudon and Kyogre.
Elsewhere—
Giratina let out a low roar toward Latios and Latias.
It had already beaten Dialga until it was howling, and it still had room to deal with one more.
Latios and Latias were second-tier divine beasts, but after Mega Evolution, if the two of them joined forces they could briefly contend with a first-class divine beast.
At this moment, their opponent was Palkia.
Giratina roared at them.
It was telling them to go help Ash and Hoopa.
Palkia would be left to it!!
Giratina was going one against two as well, taking on both Palkia and Dialga.
In subspace—
Palkia felt depressed.
It was about to get beaten up again.
Whoosh, whoosh—!
Latios and Latias quickly flew over, letting Ash and the others climb onto their backs as they dodged Hoopa Unbound's pursuit.
The divine beasts' battle continued without pause.
By now, only a small portion of the city still remained. Everything else had been blasted away.
The battlefield of the divine beasts had already shifted entirely into the endless void.
Rayquaza vs. Kyogre and Groudon.
Giratina vs. Palkia and Dialga.
Zekrom vs. Reshiram.
Kyurem vs. Regigigas.
Hoopa Unbound believed victory was certain.
One against two—how could little Hoopa possibly turn it around?
It crazily pursued little Hoopa, constantly using its rings and attacks.
Even with the speed of Latios and Latias, they were nearly caught several times.
And so, the situation reached a stalemate.
Hoopa Unbound was furious inside.
It was waiting.
Waiting for the divine beasts it had summoned to defeat the divine beasts little Hoopa had summoned.
After all, little Hoopa's side had fewer numbers.
It turned its gaze toward the divine beasts' battlefield—
and suddenly froze.
"Impossible!!"
Rayquaza was beating both Groudon and Kyogre.
Giratina was also beating the hell out of Palkia and Dialga.
Hoopa Unbound stared in disbelief.
"Why!?" it roared.
"Hee-hee-hee." Riding on Latias's back, little Hoopa let out a mischievous laugh. "I've learned a lot these past few years, you know. Rayquaza is the god who rules the sky—naturally above the sea and land."
"And Giratina is the god of the Reverse World. Time and space can't beat it."
"Hehe, what's wrong? Lacking culture?"
Hearing little Hoopa's mocking words, Hoopa Unbound was so angry its veins nearly exploded.
It knew now that it had to finish things quickly.
Otherwise, once all its summoned divine beasts were defeated, it would have to face them itself.
It panicked.
And as if bad luck always came in pairs—
little Hoopa suddenly sensed something and quickly opened one of its rings.
Two people shot out.
The boy and girl.
Their faces were pale, and the golden pendants on their chests no longer shone as brilliantly as before, instead looking dim and exhausted.
But in their hands—
they held something.
A bottle.
The Prison Bottle…
had been restored!
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