Chapter 624: The Punishment Flask
Chapter 624: The Punishment Flask
"We've arrived at Desert City! Maya, Hoopa, you'll get to eat lots of donuts!" Maya stood atop a sand dune deep in the desert, gazing at the city nestled within the arid landscape.
After a day and night of traveling, they had finally reached their destination.
Hearing Hoopa's words, Maya smiled and said, "You really like donuts, don't you? Alright, once we get to the city, I'll go to the store and buy some donuts for all of you!"
"Yay, Maya is the best!" Hoopa cheered.
The group arrived at Desert City without any issues.
Maya placed the Pokemon on an empty spectator stand to rest while she took out her wallet and said, "I'll go buy some donuts for you guys, so wait here for a bit, okay?"
The Knight Explorers had no objections, and Hoopa happily agreed.
The Pokemon waited and waited, but Maya didn't return even after a long time.
At that moment, Hoopa noticed the troubled expressions on Dreamy and Teddiursa's faces, and an idea popped into its head.
"Dreamy, are you hungry? Don't worry, Hoopa will get donuts for you!"
As Hoopa spoke, the golden ring around its waist flew out, and a blue light flashed in the center.
"Hoopa, grab them!"
Hoopa reached into the ring and quickly pulled out the first donut.
Witnessing this, Dreamy, Teddiursa, and Bickity all widened their eyes in surprise.
"Miu!"
Wow, what an incredible ability!
"Hehe!" Hoopa was flattered by their admiring gazes and immediately reached into the ring again, saying, "There's more!"
One, two, three...
As expected, Hoopa pulled out more donuts.
But just as Hoopa was about to grab the fourth one, it felt something grab its hand.
It was slightly startled and pulled hard, only to find a human boy and a Pikachu being pulled out along with it.
The boy, around sixteen or seventeen years old, was shirtless, wearing only a pair of shorts.
He looked around at the suddenly changed environment in surprise, "Where are we?"
But the next moment, the boy spotted several familiar figures on the other side of the ring.
"Dreamy... Teddiursa... How did you get here?!"
Dreamy and Teddiursa also recognized Ash and Pikachu.
"Miu?"
"Miu?"
Their faces mirrored the boy's confusion.
Ash seemed to understand and stood up, smiling as he said, "I get it. You must be traveling nearby, just like me! I've also just arrived here!"
"Huh?" Hoopa was curious about their interaction, "Do you know each other?"
Teddiursa happily nodded, "Miu, miu!" (They're Ash and Pikachu, great partners!)
"Ash... Pikachu..." Hoopa mumbled the names.
"It's Ash and Pikachu!" Ash corrected, "And you are...?"
"Hoopa!" Hoopa introduced itself, looking curiously at Pikachu, "This is the first time Hoopa has seen you!"
The Knight Explorers stood by, amusedly watching the interaction between Hoopa and Ash.
Meanwhile, Teddiursa took out the Rotom Phone to call Shizuru and tell him about their encounter with Hoopa.
The call connected quickly, and Shizuru's face appeared on the screen.
"It's Dreamy and Teddiursa?" Shizuru asked with a smile, looking at the two Pokemon in the ranch, "Where are you guys traveling now?"
"Nini!" Bickity flew into the frame from off-camera, along with it and it!
"Long time no see, Bickity!" Shizuru greeted the Pokemon.
The three small Pokemon crowded around the screen, all looking at Shizuru.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Teddiursa got down to business.
"Miu, miu!" (By the way, Shizuru, we found Hoopa! But how can we help it break free from its seal?)
Hoopa? Shizuru was slightly taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "You found it?"
"Miu!" (That's right!)
The camera automatically flipped, and the next moment, the screen displayed a scene of Hoopa playing with Ash and Pikachu.
That Pokemon... it was indeed Hoopa!
Upon seeing this, Shizuru immediately realized that the events of the movie "The Super Deity of the Halo" were about to unfold.
This movie was famous in Shizuru's previous life, featuring a gathering of legendary Pokemon, with almost all the legendary beasts making an appearance. An ultimate battle took place in Desert City, and it was here that Dark Rayquaza fought seven opponents, and Groudon returned to Johto.
This movie left a deep impression on Shizuru due to these memorable scenes.
If his memory served him right, Maya's brother, Balza, would soon return with the Punishment Flask, but he would be controlled, and Hoopa would be released.
Later, the Punishment Flask would be broken by the Rocket Team trio, causing Hoopa's sealed power to break free. Due to the anger from being sealed for 100 years, this power would manifest as Hoopa's clones, seeking to replace Hoopa as the original.
Soon, a grand battle between a multitude of legendary Pokemon would unfold in Desert City.
In the anime, although the details weren't explicitly shown, based on Shizuru's understanding of those legendary Pokemon, even a simple finger snap from them could bring terrible disasters to Desert City.
Not to mention, Groudon and Kyogre have already regained their Primal Reversion powers and have become even stronger by absorbing a massive amount of natural energy.
If things were to unfold as they normally would, the entire Desert City would be engulfed in catastrophe.
But...
If this event didn't happen, Hoopa would never be able to regain its original power.
"Miu?" (Does Shizuru know how to help Hoopa lift the seal?) Dreamy looked up and saw Hoopa, who was playing with Ash, pulling out the companions they were traveling with.
The group was amazed by Hoopa's mysterious power.
"It all depends on Hoopa itself," Shizuru replied.
Only when Hoopa truly understands the meaning of "Punishment" and is willing to accept the power that belongs to it, will the anger sealed for a century dissipate.
At that time, Hoopa will regain its own power.
"Miu..." (Hoopa...) Dreamy repeated Hoopa's name softly.
The next second, Hoopa's voice rang in their ears.
Hoopa suddenly appeared, flying into the middle of the screen, curiously looking at the Rotom Phone.
"Hoopa is here! Huh? What's this?"
Bickity: "Nini!" (It's Shizuru, the logistics of the Knight Explorers! Teddiursa and I both received his help. Shizuru is a very, very, very good human!)
"Shizuru..." Hoopa suddenly felt a bit mischievous: "Hehe, then let Hoopa bring him over to play too!"
The next second, a golden halo appeared beside Shizuru.
Before Shizuru could react, Hoopa, with a mischievous smile, poked its head out and stretched out its hand, pulling him over.
The force was so strong that Shizuru couldn't even struggle, only managing to exclaim, "Hey!"
Immediately, the surrounding scenery changed, transporting him from the ranch to Desert City in the distant Alola region.
Shizuru: "..."
Upon seeing Shizuru, Teddiursa and Bickity's eyes lit up with joy.
Great! Shizuru is here too!
Not far away, Ash and his group also witnessed this scene, and Ash ran over with a delighted expression.
"Mr. Shizuru, how did you come here too?"
Sylina, Yurika, and Hitoru also ran up, looking at the human who had been pulled over by Hoopa.
"Mr. Shizuru?" Sylina couldn't help but ask.
Ash nodded: "Yes, that's right! He's a very powerful Trainer!"
Shizuru rubbed his head with a hearty laugh: "I never thought I'd run into you all here. It's been a while, Ash, Pikachu."
Hoopa looked left and right and then happily said, "So everyone knows each other!"
At this moment, Maya, who had gone out to buy donuts, finally returned.
Seeing the additional people, she stood there in surprise.
Ash's group came forward to explain, and Shizuru took the opportunity to borrow Dreamy's Rotom Phone to contact the ranch, explaining the current situation before turning his attention to Maya.
Maya was apologizing to Ash and the others.
"I'm so sorry for involving you."
"It's okay!" Sylina politely replied: "We were planning to come over here anyway."
"That's right, Hoopa helped everyone!" Hoopa happily fluttered around.
Shizuru, who had been unexpectedly pulled over: "..."
At this moment, Shizuru suddenly sensed a familiar aura from Yurika.
He looked curiously at her backpack and saw a small, cell-like creature.
That was... the Gigalith Core? If he remembered correctly, Yurika had given it a name, Little Soft.
The Gigalith Core also noticed Shizuru's gaze and turned its head curiously, but then it sensed the aura of cells and Z2 from him.
Little Soft was taken aback.
Shizuru withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself that he had never expected to call that name, but now he was truly impressed.
However, he had met Z2, not Little Soft.
But as cores of Gigalith, they were essentially the same, with no significant difference.
"Who is this gentleman?" Maya looked at Shizuru, who was standing behind.
"Hello, I'm Shizuru," he said.
"He's a good friend of Dreamy and Teddiursa!" Hoopa added helpfully.
Good friend? Maya asked in surprise: "Are you the Trainer of Dreamy and Teddiursa?"
"You could say that," Shizuru said, turning his attention to Hoopa and asking, "The power on this child seems incomplete."
Upon hearing this, Maya was slightly taken aback.
"Hoopa's power is incomplete, Miss Maya. What's going on?" Ash couldn't help but ask.
Maya looked at Hoopa, and seeing their expressions, she sighed instead of hiding anything.
"That's because Hoopa's true power has been sealed away."
"Sealed?!" Ash and the others were taken aback.
"Yes," Maya nodded and explained, "A long time ago, Desert City was just an ordinary town until Hoopa appeared before the residents one day."
"It took some food but then brought great wealth to the town, bringing prosperity. The residents revered it for that."
"One day, the residents wanted to witness its power, so they asked it to battle other Pokemon. In that battle, Hoopa consecutively defeated many powerful Pokemon."
"To prove its strength, Hoopa even summoned legendary Pokemon. In the end, it lost control..."
"Our great-grandfather, at that time, used the Punishment Flask to seal Hoopa, and it became like this."
"My brother has gone to find the Punishment Flask. Once he returns, Hoopa can regain its power."
As she spoke, Maya looked at Hoopa.
"You're not scared, right?" Hoopa scratched the back of its head in embarrassment.
Ash and the others were stunned.
"Just as I thought," Shizuru spoke up.
With these words, everyone's gaze immediately shifted to him.
"If I'm not mistaken, the power that sealed Hoopa is from Arceus, right?" Shizuru asked.
"Arceus?!" Hitoru, standing nearby, was shocked. Wasn't that the legendary Pokemon that created the world?
Maya paused, then nodded, "Our ancestors shared a deep connection with Arceus, and they were granted power by Him. Our great-grandfather had complete control over that power. Unfortunately, we haven't reached that level yet... but how did you know about this?"
"That's because I also have a connection with Arceus," Shizuru replied.
Hearing this, Maya was stunned once again.
Shizuru then turned his gaze towards Hoopa.
"This can't continue. I can sense that if Hoopa's sealed power is released directly, it won't merge with Hoopa but will instead fight against it. Anger will consume everything, including Hoopa."
"But..." Maya was at a loss for a moment.
Just then, Hoopa suddenly sensed a fearful aura.
It quickly looked around, raising its head.
A sharp cry echoed from the sky.
It was the cry of the Brave Eagle.
Maya's eyes lit up with joy, "My brother has returned!"
She eagerly looked up at the sky and rushed towards a small square ahead.
The Brave Eagle landed, and Balza jumped down holding the Punishment Flask.
"Great! You found it! You found the Punishment Flask!" Maya was thrilled.
"Danger!" Shizuru frowned.
Before anyone could react, Balza coldly opened the lid of the Punishment Flask and aimed it at Hoopa.
The next moment, a dark purple energy surged out, enveloping Hoopa's body.
Hoopa let out a painful cry.
"Huh?"
"What... what's happening?" Sylina asked worriedly.
Within the light, Hoopa's body grew larger, eventually becoming a colossal being.
Its appearance was none other than the original Unleashed Hoopa!
Balza held his head, regaining consciousness from the state of being controlled by the Punishment Flask.
Before anyone could understand what was happening, a purple energy surged from the Unleashed Hoopa. Its eyes turned red, and it roared, stretching its giant hand towards Balza, who held the Punishment Flask.
As if sensing the evil energy, the Punishment Flask burst into a blue light, forming a protective shield that enclosed everyone within.
Witnessing this, the golden aura around the Unleashed Hoopa slowly rose, and its giant hand reached into the shield, forcibly tearing down a building and hurling it towards the group.
"Mew, use Psywave!" Shizuru frowned and turned, "Miss Maya, please use the Punishment Flask to retrieve that power!"
"Huh? Yes!" Maya snapped out of her daze.
Mew's Psywave collided with the building, causing a massive explosion.
The giant body of the Unleashed Hoopa burst through the smoke and dust.
At the critical moment, Maya raised the Punishment Flask in her hand, aiming it at the Unleashed Hoopa.
The next instant, a vortex appeared within the flask, absorbing the immense energy surrounding the Unleashed Hoopa.
As time passed, when all the energy was resealed, the Unleashed Hoopa reverted to its Punished Hoopa form.
The weakened Hoopa seemed to have lost all its strength, stumbling and falling from the air.
Mew quickly caught it with its psychic powers.
The struggling of the Unleashed Hoopa caused the Punishment Flask to slip from Maya's hand and fly away.
Noticing that she wanted to retrieve it, Shizuru quickly stopped her, "Don't touch the Punishment Flask! It can control people's minds!"
Maya quickly retracted her hand.
She looked at the mysterious man before her, then at the weakened Hoopa, her face filled with worry.
"Mr. Shizuru... what's going on here?"
(End of Chapter)
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