Chapter 672: The Ghost Army, Engage!

Chapter 672: The Ghost Army, Engage! (Combined, Requesting Monthly Votes!)

"Gengue?"

Gengue, Male scratched his nose, looking bewildered as the massive shadowy figure charged towards him.

Wait, who are you?

Oh, I almost didn't recognize you without the bottle.

Unbound Hoopa was furious. Temporarily abandoning its plan to reclaim its body from Hoopa, it lunged at Gengue, Male with renewed determination.

Jinghe, Male was speechless.

It seemed that Gengue, Male's ability to draw hatred was unparalleled in the entire Pokémon world.

But this was better than the "shadow" directly controlling Hoopa and restoring it to full strength.

"Gengue, Dark Pulse!" Jinghe, Male quickly retreated with Hoopa while giving the command.

"Gengue!"

Gengue, Male grinned mischievously, rubbing his hands together to form a massive black sphere, which he hurled at the incoming "shadow."

Bang!!!

The large Dark Pulse exploded upon contact with the black-red shadow, scattering the concentrated dark mist.

"Did it work?" Mayali exclaimed in surprise.

Jinghe, Male couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

Did it work?

Don't you know you can't say that in anime? Whenever someone shouts that, the enemy is always unscathed. Smoke without damage, got it?

Sure enough, just as Jinghe, Male was mentally criticizing, the scattered black-red mist rapidly reformed, accompanied by an angry roar.

"Hoopa is the strongest!"

Roaring, the black-red mist continued to twist and transform, eventually taking the form of a massive, malevolent creature—Unbound Hoopa!

With red eyes and a grotesque expression.

"No! Hoopa doesn't want to disappear!"

Hoopa, hiding behind Jinghe, Male, cried out in fear at the sight.

"Free! Hoopa is free!" Unbound Hoopa sneered, its voice filled with malice. Six thick arms materialized around it, one after another.

Perhaps because it had formed a body, or because it heard Hoopa's cry, Unbound Hoopa's crimson gaze finally fell on Hoopa behind Jinghe, Male.

"Disappear!!" Unbound Hoopa shouted with an imperious tone.

"No!" Hoopa, hiding behind Jinghe, Male, reflexively shouted, "Hoopa doesn't want to disappear!"

"Your existence is a disgrace to Hoopa!"

"Hoopa is not a disgrace!"

"You—"

"Gengue!" Gengue, Male suddenly interjected, cutting off Unbound Hoopa's words.

Damn it, don't ignore me!

With that, Gengue, Male formed another black sphere, but this time it was a Shadow Hole!

"Hoopa is the strongest!"

Faced with Gengue, Male's move, Unbound Hoopa laughed disdainfully, gathering immense malice in its hands to form a shockwave.

Dark Pulse!

"Nine-Tails, Fairy Terrain!" Jinghe, Male threw out a Poké Ball.

As a Psychic and Dark-type Pokémon, Unbound Hoopa was quadruply weak to Bug and doubly weak to Fairy. Nine-Tails' Fairy abilities undoubtedly posed a threat.

"Growl~"

As the Poké Ball was thrown, Nine-Tails landed gracefully, its tails spreading like a fan, and the vibrant Fairy Terrain spread out from its center.

"Fairy!!" Unbound Hoopa's laughter faltered, then grew even more sinister, "It won't work on Hoopa!"

"Whether it works or not isn't up to you!"

Jinghe, Male took a deep breath, and Aura Power spread from him in all directions.

Meanwhile.

The Shadow Hole Gengue, Male had thrown collided head-on with Unbound Hoopa's Dark Pulse.

But it was clear.

Neither Gengue, Male's current strength nor the type advantage was enough to match Unbound Hoopa.

Boom!!!

The Shadow Hole shattered, and the Dark Pulse continued to approach.

"Forger, Play Rough!"

Jinghe, Male remained calm, throwing another Poké Ball. The massive hammer of Forger appeared before the small, cute body, smashing the remaining Dark Pulse to pieces.

Bang!!!

After being blessed by the Gnome Field of Zygarde, both Nine-Tails and Forger had significantly improved their Fairy-type abilities.

"Gengue!"

Gengue, Male puffed out his cheeks, the dark mist around his body swirling.

Losing the power struggle, Gengue was unwilling to admit defeat.

However, it didn't act on its own and instead followed Jinghe, Male's instructions, slowly disappearing and merging into the shadows.

"Nine-Tails, Moonblast!"

"Aurora~"

Even in the daytime, a brilliant, silvery moonlight descended, enveloping the massive Unbound Hoopa.

"Hoopa!!"

"Gengue!" Jinghe, Male immediately called out.

In the blink of an eye, Gengue, Male moved from Jinghe, Male's side to Unbound Hoopa's, spreading his hands wide.

"Hypnosis!"

"Gengue!" Gengue, Male's eyes glowed red, his hands moving in circles.

Taste the "signature move" of the Jing family, you bastard!

Jinghe, Male's Waveguide also joined in, assisting Gengue, Male's Hypnosis.

However, the moment his Waveguide touched Unbound Hoopa, he felt boundless anger, supreme arrogance, and endless negative emotions.

In this state, Hypnosis was impossible.

But delaying it was enough.

Jinghe glanced at Giovanni, who had remained motionless the entire time.

Double weakness to Fairy, quadruple weakness to Bug!

Among Jinghe and Giovanni, the only Bug-type they had was—

Just as Jinghe’s gaze fell on him, Giovanni moved, as if perfectly in sync with Jinghe’s thoughts.

Giovanni, impeccably dressed, casually reached into his pocket and tossed a Poké Ball.

A Vespiquen emerged in a burst of red light!

Its crimson compound eyes showed no fear of the powerful and evil Unbound Hoopa, only a disdainful glare!

“X-Scissor!”

Buzz—

The Vespiquen, with incredible speed, charged at the momentarily paused Unbound Hoopa, its sharp, gleaming stinger like a spear, without a hint of hesitation.

Piercing through like a sharp spear, it impaled Unbound Hoopa’s chest!

Bang!

In an instant—

The massive Unbound Hoopa, formed by “Shadow,” burst like a bubble, dispersing into the black and red mist once again!

“Now!” Jinghe shouted, turning back.

Bazza, riding on his Braviary, swooped down, scooped up the “Punishment Flask” that had fallen to the ground, uncorked it, and aimed it at the black and red mist.

“Back in!”

Bazza growled, his Cosmic Arm glowing with a golden light. The peculiar power of the “Punishment Flask” generated a powerful suction, drawing the struggling “Shadow” back inside.

Seeing this, Jinghe’s mind subconsciously conjured up a word.

Magic Seal?

“Gengue~”

Gengue playfully waved at the resealed “Shadow.”

Bye-bye!

“Phew—”

Bazza sighed in relief after landing, quickly recorking the flask. He couldn’t help but marvel.

Teacher Jinghe’s timing was so precise?

He had been in the Desert Tower, trying to figure out how to make another “Punishment Flask,” when he felt an unusual disturbance. When he arrived, he saw Unbound Hoopa appear.

Just as he was worrying about how to handle it, he saw Unbound Hoopa briefly controlled by Gengue and then shattered by a stunning Vespiquen. And the timing was perfect, just as he arrived and grabbed the “Punishment Flask.”

Could the timing be any better?

“Jinghe, you’re amazing!” Hoopa, Jr. exclaimed.

You subdued that evil guy so quickly?

I’m amazing?

Jinghe smirked, glancing at Giovanni, who was quietly recalling his Vespiquen.

That Vespiquen—

Is this the power of a top champion’s ace Pokémon?

I wonder how well I would fare if I unleashed all my power.

Giovanni ignored Jinghe, as if he had just done something trivial.

He waved for the Rocket Team’s elites to carry away their captain, Ken.

Then he turned to the mayor of Desert City, who was still in shock, and smiled.

“Ahem, Mayor?”

“S-Sir Giovanni,” the mayor responded, snapping out of his daze.

“Let’s go over the contract details again,” Giovanni said.

“Eh? Weren’t the details settled already?” the mayor asked, a bit slow on the uptake.

“That was the previous price,” Giovanni replied coolly.

With such a powerful Pokémon in Desert City, Jinghe should have mentioned it earlier?

What about “dangerous infrastructure”?

The risk assessment was clearly inadequate!

Could the contract price remain the same as a few minutes ago?

As for the sudden appearance of Unbound Hoopa “Shadow,” Giovanni was confident Jinghe could handle it. If not, he was still there.

With two trainers of champion-level strength present, Desert City was safer than most cities.

Leaving Giovanni and the bewildered mayor to their discussion, Jinghe took the “Punishment Flask” from Bazza as soon as Unbound Hoopa “Shadow” was resealed.

In the movie, Bazza’s lack of training led to “Shadow” influencing him, causing a series of events. This needed to be “prevented.”

“Wasn’t the seal on the ‘Punishment Flask’ fine?” Mayali was the first to voice her confusion.

Jinghe and Bazza had just checked the seal a few days ago and confirmed it was intact.

Jinghe and Bazza couldn’t explain why, but they were sure something had gone wrong with the sealing location.

More importantly, the crack on the “Punishment Flask”!

“It seems the crack is the cause,” Jinghe said, looking at the crack on the ancient “Punishment Flask.”

“We need to make a new ‘Punishment Flask,’” Bazza added.

As long as the “Punishment Flask” was intact, the “Punishment Power” would prevent Unbound Hoopa “Shadow” from fully recovering its strength if it escaped.

But if the “Punishment Flask” shattered and a new one wasn’t ready—

Bazza and Mayali felt a sense of urgency.

“Judging by this—”

Jinghe held the long neck of the “Punishment Flask,” feeling the slight vibrations in his hand.

“It won’t be long before ‘Shadow’ escapes again.”

Bazza and Mayali’s expressions tightened at this.

Even the brief appearance of “Shadow” had left the area in shambles. It was hard to imagine the threat it would pose if it escaped again and became even stronger.

But both of them thought almost simultaneously, at least Teacher Jinghe is here.

“What happened?”

At that moment, Daye finally arrived, looking at the chaotic garden and asking.

"Right", Jinghe said with a hint of annoyance.

This guy had tricked him into coming to the Desert City, and inevitably, he found himself entangled in a series of troubles.

Daiya, this grudge is on you, no problem, right?

"Little Jing, that was amazing just now!" Hoopa, Jr. floated out and exclaimed.

Daiya's eyes lit up at the words, and he said eagerly, "Could it be that there's a really worthy opponent to challenge?"

Mayali was about to mention Unbound Hoopa, but Jinghe cut in first.

"Right."

"Where is it? I want to challenge it too!" Daiya said excitedly.

"It's resting right now. Wait until it's done, and you can go first. I'll back you up."

"No problem!" Daiya clenched his fist. "Teacher Jinghe, just watch. I'll beat it so badly it won't even be able to cling to a tree!"

The Punishment Flask in Jinghe's hand shook even more.

Bazza and Mayali exchanged a glance. Considering Daiya was one of the Elite Four, his strength was undoubtedly formidable. If "Shadow" were to escape again, he would definitely be a great help to Teacher Jinghe. So, they didn't say anything more.

"Getting back to the main topic, have you mastered the method to create the Punishment Flask?" Jinghe asked.

Bazza looked troubled.

"I know the method, but to be honest, although we received instruction from our great-grandfather, we are far from reaching his level."

Mayali added, "Our great-grandfather Gullis once used the three energies of water, fire, and earth from Arceus, combined with his own power, to create the Punishment Flask at the site of the Desert Tower."

"Time has changed, but the Desert Tower still retains the Primal Water, Primal Fire, and Primal Earth needed to create the Punishment Flask. However..."

Bazza pointed to the metal rings on the Punishment Flask in Jinghe's hand, looking helpless. "We still haven't figured out how to make these things. They are probably the key to the Sealing power that the Punishment Flask possesses."

Jinghe thought back for a moment.

In the movie, when Unbound Hoopa's "Shadow" broke free from the Punishment Flask and destroyed it, it left behind these golden rings and the flask's stopper. Thanks to these remnants, Bazza and Mayali were able to recreate the Punishment Flask.

"So..."

Bazza let out a bitter laugh. "You have to wait until this thing breaks before you can make another one?"

You two are really unreliable.

Not learning everything is the same as not learning anything at all.

"What do you mean? If the flask breaks and you can't make a new one, can't you just ask someone?" Daiya interjected.

"Elite Four Daiya, you don't know, but the one who knew how to make the Punishment Flask, our great-grandfather, is no longer with us", Mayali said.

"No longer with us?"

Daiya was taken aback, then said casually, "But he didn't just learn it out of thin air, right? Someone must have taught him."

"Arceus taught him", Bazza said, his face showing even more frustration.

Neither their great-grandfather nor Arceus were someone they could ask now.

However, Daiya shrugged and said, "That's simple."

"Simple?"

"Right, just have Teacher Jinghe ask Arceus."

Bazza and Mayali were stunned and exchanged a glance.

Ask Arceus?

Teacher Jinghe?

They both looked at Jinghe in unison.

Jinghe was looking at Daiya with a complex expression.

He didn't expect that sometimes, this guy's recklessness could actually lead to a solution.

Asking Arceus would be much more convenient than trying to find the method from Gullis.

It's just that an ordinary person wouldn't think of it.

"Hey, you guys don't know, not long ago in Sinnoh, Mijina, I and Teacher Jinghe gave Arceus a good beating!" Daiya said proudly.

Bazza and Mayali were shocked.

Beating Arceus?

If they knew, Daiya's words would be no different from saying, "I and Kobe scored 81 points."

"Cough."

Jinghe lightly coughed, quickly interrupting Daiya's boasting. They were about to ask Arceus, and he was rubbing salt in the wound, which wasn't appropriate.

Jinghe took out his Arceus Bracelet from his inner pocket.

"This is..." Bazza's pupils dilated.

"Hey, you two have them too?" Daiya noticed the Arceus Bracelets hanging from Bazza and Mayali's chests. "But they look a bit different from Teacher Jinghe's."

"These are faith tokens passed down through generations in Genesis Valley, symbols of our belief in the great Arceus, granting us powers closer to nature", Mayali explained.

"Teacher Jinghe, yours is..."

"Oh." Jinghe lightly pinched the slightly warm Arceus Bracelet and said casually, "Arceus gave it to me."

Bazza and Mayali: "..."

Buzz.

A powerful Waveguide was injected through the Arceus Bracelet, and Jinghe tried to contact Arceus.

However, Arceus didn't respond, as the Arceus Bracelet itself provided the answer.

Jinghe slowly opened his eyes.

"Teacher Jinghe, what did Arceus say?" Daiya asked impatiently.

Jinghe glanced at him and said coolly, "It said it will talk to you next time."

Daiya: Σ()

Ignoring him, Jinghe pointed to the Arceus Bracelets on Mayali and Bazza's chests.

The two were taken aback, then realization dawned on them.

"So... it's made of the same material as the faith tokens."

According to the guidance Jinghe received, the golden ring is made of the same material as the "Cosmic Arm" worn by Bazza and Mayali. This material is designed to better transmit and retain energy, to seal Hoopa's "Shadow."

"I'll go back to the valley and find the elder!" Bazza declared immediately.

This material can only be used by the elders of Genesis Valley.

"Hoopa will take you! Lao Lao!" Hoopa Jr. immediately patted its chest.

Bazza and Mayali were forbidden from using Hoopa's dimensional travel ability easily, as they wanted Hoopa Jr. to understand the meaning of "punishment." However, given the urgency, no one knew when the "Shadow" might break free from the "Punishment Flask", so Bazza, after a moment of silence, did not refuse.

"Lao Lao! Hoopa Lao Lao!"

Seeing this, Hoopa Jr. chanted while waving its arms. The golden ring flew from its horn, grew larger, and formed a passage to Genesis Valley.

"Teacher Jinghe, please take care of Hoopa, the Punishment Flask, and Mayali."

Before entering the passage, Bazza entrusted them to Jinghe.

Jinghe waved his hand.

Once Bazza disappeared, Jinghe stretched and said:

"Regardless, let's wait for Bazza to return first."

"Alright", Mayali nodded, worried.

In the living room, on the sofa.

Giovanni sat with his legs crossed, gently shaking a glass of wine.

He seemed to be in a good mood, likely because he got a good price from the mayor of Desert City.

But suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed the wine glass from his hand.

Giovanni was not upset, just saying:

"Pour your own if you want to drink."

However, the hand exerted force and snatched the glass from him.

This was something Giovanni had never experienced before, and he looked at Jinghe, who had taken the glass, in surprise.

Jinghe walked to the water plants, placed the "Punishment Flask" on the sink, and then poured out the red wine.

This left Giovanni even more astonished.

What is he doing?

Is he trying to take over?

But then Jinghe said irritably:

"Don't drink if your body is unwell. You shouldn't even be shaking a wine glass. A patient should act like a patient!"

Giovanni was taken aback, then suddenly laughed.

As the sound of water rinsing the glass faded, his laughter also slowly died down, until Jinghe put the glass down and looked at him straight.

"Cough, cough."

Coughing again, Giovanni calmed down and said calmly:

"Did you notice?"

"It's hard not to, especially with what you said."

After a moment of silence, Giovanni changed the subject:

"Ken has already told me everything. It's the Flare Team."

Jinghe was about to ask more, but hearing "Flare Team" inevitably diverted his attention.

"Flare Team?"

Giovanni nodded slightly, "A force in the Castelia region, originally a research institute, with excellent holographic technology. They have some cooperation with us."

Jinghe rubbed his temples.

How did this involve the Flare Team?

But after learning about the Flare Team, he understood the general situation.

The Flare Team must have somehow discovered the location where Hoopa was sealed and tried to break the seal violently. This was encountered by Rocket Team members who were surveying the environment around Genesis Valley.

The commotion from the battle, or perhaps the actions of one of them, must have triggered Hoopa's "Shadow", leading to Ken bringing the "Punishment Flask" to reenact Bazza's actions from the movie.

"You haven't told me yet", Giovanni pointed to the "Punishment Flask" on the sink.

Earlier, due to the mayor's presence and his trust in Jinghe, he didn't ask.

Jinghe exhaled, "The 'Punishment Flask' seals Hoopa."

"Hoopa."

Giovanni repeated silently.

"The legendary Hoopa that defeated the ancient giant Regigigas over a hundred years ago?"

Giovanni, it seemed, was also familiar with the legends and history of the Castelia region.

Jinghe immediately added, "That was an unawakened Regigigas."

As a good friend, he felt the need to clarify.

"Understood."

Giovanni nodded, stood up, and walked towards the door, saying:

"Since it's for your sake, I'll stay a bit longer."

"Boss Giovanni, you—"

"I'll act when the time is right, just like before."

The two had been perfectly in sync earlier.

As for Hoopa's power—

Opening the door, a beam of golden sunlight shone in, making him squint.

Powerful?

Ha.

I am Giovanni, the master of the earth!

"No, I meant, where are you going?"

"For a walk."

Giovanni, standing by the door, turned his head slightly, a smile on his lips, "Didn't you say a 'patient' should act like a 'patient'?"

Jinghe, who had intended to ask more about Giovanni's health, shook his head slightly.

Forget it.

Once this is over, he would have Hoopa summon Togedemaru, whom he missed.

"Gengue."

Gengue, who had been watching, turned his eyes and approached Hoopa Jr.

Leaning close to Hoopa Jr.'s ear, he whispered something.

Hoopa Jr.'s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Alright! Hoopa knows, Lao Lao!"

On the cliffs of Genesis Valley.

"Another surge of 'Desire' energy, and it's much stronger than before!"

Kuseloski, a Flare Team officer, detected the energy surge again.

"Desert City?"

He had a strong feeling about it.

The power born from "desire" could help Flarov's representative unleash his full strength, allowing him to control Z2.

Meanwhile, Kuseloski's eyes, hidden behind his dark glasses, flickered slightly.

He, too, had "ambition"!

Inside a sealed room at the top of Desert Tower in Desert City.

"Sun Stone, shine!"

Hum—

Gentle light illuminated the entire room.

In the center of the room was a mound-like area, with a pillar standing in the middle and three stone slabs arranged in a triangular pattern around it. A golden ring was embedded at the top, with its center aligned with the central pillar.

"This is the place", Bazza said, placing the materials he had obtained from the elder of Genesis Valley on the central pillar.

"We need to use the power of Pokémon to activate the three primal forces of earth, fire, and water", Mayali explained.

The three stone slabs arranged in a triangular pattern around the pillar were colored in earthy yellow, fiery red, and deep blue, respectively.

"It really is the power of the stone slabs."

Jinghe, Male, who wasn't unfamiliar with stone slabs, looked at the three standing slabs and thought to himself.

However, these stone slabs were not the pure ones from Arceus.

In other words, these three slabs had been infused with the power of Arceus's stone slabs.

Otherwise, if they were true primal stone slabs, why would they need the power of Pokémon to activate them?

The power of just three stone slabs, if used well, might even be enough to match Unbound Hoopa.

But this method of infusing and converting power into primal forces actually had significant benefits for Pokémon, allowing them to better understand and harness their own strength.

"Teacher Jinghe, Male, please help", Bazza said.

Jinghe, Male nodded and, without further ado, threw out three Poké Balls.

"Bear, Crimson Blade Phantom, Male, Blastoise, feel the power of the elements", Jinghe, Male said.

"Roo! zzz"

The three Pokémon stood behind the three stone slabs.

"Bark."

Blastoise, looking at the earth-colored slab in front of him, felt the familiar power of the earth slab and couldn't help but drool.

"Blastoise, control yourself", Jinghe, Male coughed.

"Bark!"

Blastoise immediately straightened up.

"About right", Jinghe, Male waved his hand.

"Inject your power to activate the primal forces!"

Thicklipuku's water, Crimson Blade Phantom, Male's fire, and Blastoise's earth.

Hum—

As their power infused the slabs, the unique patterns on the slabs lit up, forming three beams of light that shot toward the central pillar.

At the same time, Bazza and Mayali exchanged a glance and immediately ran to the pillar, extending their hands.

"Time, sky—"

The creation of the new "Punishment Flask" began!

But soon, Bazza, drenched in sweat, stammered, "Teacher Jinghe, Male, could you ask your Pokémon to tone it down a bit? The firepower is too intense."

"Uh—"

Jinghe, Male rubbed his nose.

Too intense?

"Everyone, don't overdo it."

"Goocha!"

Crimson Blade Phantom, Male, upon hearing this, retracted one of its blades and stood with one hand on its hip, looking incredibly cool.

At the same time, as the creation of the new "Punishment Flask" began, Unbound Hoopa's "Shadow" seemed to sense the threat, and the "Punishment Flask" in Jinghe, Male's hand began to shake violently.

His expression changed.

"Shadow has sensed it. This is in your hands now."

He hadn't expected "Shadow" to start attacking the "Punishment Flask" so soon, likely due to its fear of the new "Punishment Flask."

"Teacher Jinghe, Male, please help!" Bazza shouted.

"Teacher Jinghe, Male, Hoopa is counting on you", Mayali said with worry.

Jinghe, Male smiled, turned around, and grabbed the golden ring that appeared beside him. Before entering it, he said:

"Don't worry. We might not need the new 'Punishment Flask' today."

He then disappeared from the top of Desert Tower, leaving the two of them puzzled.

Crack!

As soon as he stepped out of the golden ring, the "Punishment Flask" in his hand cracked even more, and a torrent of blackish-red energy surged out more powerfully than before.

Jinghe, Male immediately let go.

"Hoopa—this time, you're truly free!!"

Crack, crack, crack—

A web of cracks appeared on the flask.

In the blackish-red energy, a pair of crimson eyes locked onto Hoopa, Jr.

But Hoopa, Jr. suddenly found courage, placing his hands on his hips and shouting:

"Hoopa isn't afraid of you! Hoopa isn't afraid at all!"

"You can disappear!" Unbound Hoopa roared.

Hoopa, Jr. indeed showed his true colors, retreating behind Jinghe, Male, but he still shouted:

"Hmph! Hoopa has help!"

"Gengue!"

Gengue, Male, appeared in front of Unbound Hoopa at some point.

"It's you again!"

However, the next second—

"Gengue~"

"Gengue?"

"Gengue!"

One after another, Gengue, Male appeared, standing in front of Unbound Hoopa.

"So many?" Unbound Hoopa was taken aback.

Jinghe, Male's Gengue, Male sneered, lifting his hands from below, and a Ghost Terrain instantly spread out.

He pointed at Unbound Hoopa and beckoned with his finger.

"Gengue!"

Come on! This time, it's a one-on-one battle, no cheating!

As he spoke, the various Gengue, Male entered the "Ghost Terrain" he had released.

The Ghost Legion, attack!

King of Ghosts, Gengue!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end