When the orange-red sun slowly rose from the eastern sea horizon, a tiny green Pokémon with a head resembling an onion fluttered the small wings behind its back, cheerfully weaving through Crown City.
Her highly characteristic trilling cry seemed to call out to everyone, immediately attracting a large number of Pokémon inhabiting the city's flower beds, rivers, and tree canopies. They all poked their heads out just to greet Celebi—the Pokémon of Crown City could be said to hold both friendship and respect for Celebi.
Often, wherever Celebi passed by, emerald green particles would gently sprinkle down. One by one, budding autumn chrysanthemums would proudly bloom, making the already incredibly verdant city even more colorful and gorgeously varied.
Celebi strolled leisurely through the old town of Crown City like this, not avoiding appearing in front of humans either.
For example, the old grandmother of the flower shop, Mrs. Tomo, and her Pokémon Tangrowth were originally tending to their potted plants. As a result, Celebi suddenly appeared laughing, and then used her ability to catalyze plant growth to make all the shy flower buds reveal beautiful smiling faces.
The old grandmother was stunned at first, then wept tears of joy: "Good heavens! Is that... Celebi!?"
Twenty years ago, Crown City experienced a catastrophe of unknown cause. All the plants in the city withered and died. Since then, Celebi had almost never returned to Crown City.
Seeing Celebi again after a twenty-year hiatus, Mrs. Tomo was moved by the reunion, but she also didn't forget to bring this good news to her good friend—the old man from the clock shop, Mr. Joe.
The old grandmother agilely hopped onto her tricycle, pedaling vigorously all the way to the door of the clock shop. The natives of the Pokémon world... are truly terrifying!
"Mr. Joe, Mr. Joe!"
"Mrs. Tomo? What is it?"
"Mr. Joe, listen to me, I saw Celebi!"
"Wh-what... are you saying... Celebi!?"
"Yes, it's been twenty years..."
Both old folks shed tears silently. This was probably a precious memory unique to their generation.
It's worth mentioning that Mrs. Tomo and Mr. Joe seemed to have a very good relationship, and there was always a somewhat ambiguous feeling between them. In the eyes of unknowing passersby, the two of them were practically a deeply affectionate old couple.
Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to appreciate the vitality and beauty of Crown City, such as Zoroark standing on the clock tower.
She took a deep breath: In order to reunite with her daughter, she had to play the villain herself.
Even knowing it wasn't a good deed, she would do it even if she had to repeat it a hundred times, because she is a mother.
Zoroark let out a resentful, long howl to the sky, and then transformed into the image of a Legendary Pokémon, one of the Ho-Oh's guards—Suicune. Leaping down from the clock tower, she brought massive waves behind her to wash through the city's streets and alleys!
Suicune's appearance and the flood-like water currents immediately caused panic among the people on the streets. Wherever "Suicune" passed, citizens wailed and began to take refuge!
But actually, the water waves following behind her weren't physical entities, but equally virtual images formed by Zoroark's illusion ability—she could indeed be considered a master of illusions, capable of creating such widespread, vivid illusions!
Meanwhile, in the airship, Kodai and his female secretary, Rioka, also received the news that Zoroark had begun taking action. Then, while recording, they started editing and processing the video.
For example, using special effects to create the false impression of statues being destroyed by "Suicune," and so on.
After completing the show in the guise of Suicune, Zoroark ran into an empty dark alley and transformed into Entei. This time, following behind her... were what appeared to be surging, scorching flames!
So this time, people's reactions became even greater than before. The public order in the old town spiraled out of control towards chaos.
Finally, she also transformed into the appearance of Raikou, leaping onto a towering lighthouse to create the signs of dark cumulonimbus clouds and a rainstorm...
Kodai was extremely satisfied with Zoroark's performance. So far, the plan was proceeding very smoothly.
And next was to use his public influence to force the residents to evacuate outside the city for refuge. This way, it would be convenient for him to search for the Time Ripple within the city!
Thus, the television stations and street screens in Crown City all switched to Kodai's image. At that time, he was putting on a serious and sorrowful face to "apologize" for his mistake.
"Hello, residents. I am Grings Kodai. First of all, I want to say I'm sorry here. The Legendary Pokémon Entei, Suicune, and Raikou, who were representing my company, Kodai Network, in the Pokémon Baccer World Cup, have caused massive destruction in the urban area due to being controlled by the escaped evil Pokémon Zoroark. Please watch the footage, everyone."
After saying that, the screens began playing the pre-edited video of the three Legendary Beasts destroying the urban area, immediately causing a massive uproar.
"I will take responsibility for this incident and will do my best to compensate for the property damage caused. In short... I implore all residents to orderly evacuate and retreat from the old town to take refuge first!"
The people right now also had no choice. Even those who "luckily" survived the power of the three Legendary Beasts didn't suspect the true identities of the three Legendary Beasts. Mostly, they just lamented how fortunate they were to have barely kept their little lives.
So, a dark, swarming crowd of refugees evacuated the old town together under the command and dispatch of the Officer Jennys.
However, among them, the flower shop grandmother and the clock shop grandfather did not leave—as people of the older generation, Celebi visiting the city again after twenty years truly brought them joy, a joy that could even overshadow fear.
On the other hand, Mrs. Tomo and Mr. Joe firmly believed: As Ho-Oh's guards, Entei, Suicune, and Raikou are the guardian deities of this city, they are Pokémon of justice. It was absolutely impossible for them to destroy the city.
Either there was a reason for it, or it was simply fake.
Most importantly, this was their home, so they held quite a conviction to live or die with it.
However, they were actually quite relaxed, currently holed up in the flower shop drinking tea and chatting.
However, when the real three Legendary Beasts far away sensed the crisis in Crown City, as the true masters and city guardian deities, they seemed unable to sit idly by any longer, and with tacit understanding, dashed wildly towards Crown City!
Not only that, the colors of these three Suicune, Raikou, and Entei were even different from usual; they were extremely rare Shiny Pokémon!
After the crowd was finally evacuated, Kodai led his men to begin searching for the Time Ripple in the completely empty old town. And Zoroark was naturally of no use to him anymore.
So not only did he not let the mother and daughter reunite, but he instead planned to exploit Zoroark's love for Zorua to lure and capture her, tossing her aside now that she had outlived her usefulness...
"Goon, handle the matter with Zoroark properly."
"Yes."
Using a small, spherical illusion core, Kodai's most trusted subordinate, Goon, generated a hologram of Zorua, remotely controlling it to move and approach in Zoroark's direction.
"Zorua!? Don't be afraid, Mom is here!"
Zoroark took the bait as expected. Whenever it came to Zorua, she became so anxious that she fundamentally couldn't think calmly. So she also accurately fell into Kodai's trap and was locked up in an electrified cage...
On the other side, Lorze and Ash's group had just barely arrived at Crown City. The connecting area between the new town and the old town had already gathered a large number of refugees, and the bridge leading to the old town was also completely blocked off.
The electronic screens were broadcasting Kodai's framing of Zoroark. This undoubtedly made Zorua extremely furious.
Just as she was about to shout and scream, Lorze timely settled the bristling little fox down.
"Don't be anxious, Zorua. We're going right now to rescue Mom from the bad guys' hands, okay?"
"Woo, Lorze..."
The little fox looked at Lorze aggrievedly. That look truly made one increasingly want to dote on her.
"You have to trust your Daddy, right?"
"Mhm! Lorze definitely has to rescue Zorua's mom, and then come be Zorua's dad!"
Fortunately, their conversation was very quiet. This dialogue, capable of shattering the worldview of any passerby, wasn't heard by anyone else, including Ash's trio.
The three of them also cared very much about little Zorua, inevitably feeling extremely anxious about the current situation.
"Mr. Lorze, the old town is blocked off. What should we do now?"
Lorze smiled mysteriously and led everyone away from the crowd, then revealed an extremely unruly smile: "Isn't it obvious? Since it's Kodai's conspiracy, we have to go stop him even if we have to sneak in!"
However, their strange behavior attracted a young man who questioned them with a serious face about what they were sneaking around here for.
His name was Karl, Mr. Joe's grandson—who also played an unignorable role in the movie Master of Illusions.
But right now, Karl still harbored a trace of vigilance towards the group.
"Well, my man, don't be too vigilant. I think there's a high probability we are comrades on the same front, you know? To tell you the truth, Zoroark isn't the culprit at all, and the urban area is perfectly fine too."
"Words without proof, how am I supposed to believe you?"
"Hmph hmph, you are investigating Kodai, right? Let me put it this way, the mastermind behind this farce is Kodai! Exposing his evil deeds is also one of my goals, which is why I said we are comrades. What do you think?"
Karl clearly paused. Seeing this, Lorze simply laid his cards on the table and pressed his advantage, telling everyone all the information he knew about Kodai and the important clues in the movie—there was no need to act like a riddler about this kind of thing.
"Zoroark and the Zorua in my arms are actually mother and daughter. And Kodai used her soft spot, Zorua, to pressure the mother, forcing her to create illusions of the three Legendary Beasts to cause trouble in the city, using this to drive everyone out. Actually, the city itself hasn't suffered any destruction!"
"But... what is Kodai's purpose in doing this?"
"For the Time Ripple."
"What?"
"Whenever Celebi returns to the present from traveling in the future, the Time Ripple appears as an energy replenishment. Twenty years ago, it was exactly because Kodai obtained the Time Ripple that he possessed the psychic power to see the future. However, the reverse flow of energy also produced irreversible consequences. The reason why all the plants in Crown City withered back then, and why Celebi hasn't visited Crown City in twenty years, were all single-handedly caused by Kodai!"
These words made Ash very surprised, while Karl looked thoughtful: "Actually, I've always been suspicious of Kodai, and I've always wanted to uncover the truth about him as a journalist. If it's truly as Sir Lorze says, then everything makes sense. But, how does Your Excellency know these things?"
"To tell you the truth, my strength is very powerful, even more powerful than Sinnoh's Champion Cynthia. So it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call my information network unfathomable. As for the specific sources, please forgive me for keeping it a secret~"
The current Lorze had perfected the art of keeping a straight face while spouting nonsense. When traveling abroad... one's identity is whatever one gives oneself. But the key point was, he really wasn't bragging!
As an ordinary person, Karl couldn't judge truth from falsehood. He only knew that his Pokémon all looked fierce and wicked, so it was better not to defy him.
After all, Lorze's Pokémon were also very strong in strength, and their gentleness and seductive charm as women were always reserved for their husband. Lorze felt there was nothing wrong with this; their beauty and charm only needed to be enjoyed by him alone.
"Everyone, listen to me. To stop Kodai and reunite the Zoroark mother and daughter, we need to work together! I hope Karl and Ash, you guys can go stop Kodai from finding the Time Ripple. Meanwhile, I will rescue Zoroark first, and at the same time, I will take responsibility for dealing with the real three Legendary Beasts!"
"The real three Legendary Beasts!?"
"That's right. The disturbance inside Crown City has already attracted the attention of this city's true guardian deities. Actually, they are currently on their way here. I will have a good talk with them."
"This... The three Legendary Beasts are indeed the guardian deities of Crown City. Although I'm a bit unwilling to admit it, Sir Lorze practically understands my hometown better than I do. Then let's do it according to Mr. Lorze's division of labor! I know a secret passage leading to Crown City..."
However, Lorze waved his hand, instead flipping and leaping onto Rapidash's back.
"I'll go ahead a step early to rescue Zoroark. We'll contact and regroup then. I'll leave Kodai's side to you guys, Ash, Karl!"
After finishing his instructions, Lorze gently and tightly hugged Rapidash's neck, flirtatiously patting the mare's flanks with his two legs. It's hard to say his actions didn't carry selfish motives.
"Rapidash baby❤, let's go find Mom for Zorua❤~"
As expected, the mare, who was fierce to outsiders, finally revealed a shy yet sweet smile, raising her head high and whinnying loudly!
"Neigh——"
Amidst a burst of crisp, loud horse whinnies, Rapidash took a flying leap. However, using psychic powers, she tapped the river surface like a dragonfly skimming the water, creating ripples. Elegantly and swiftly, she galloped towards the old town of Crown City on the other bank!
The people over here were all shocked by the sight before them, with Dawn in particular being deeply mesmerized.
Determined to achieve results in Pokémon Contests, she was more sensitive to "beautiful" things. Rapidash's snow-white body, frequently tossing off a tiny bit of fat as she ran, made her unable to tear her eyes away.
Rapidash undoubtedly blended the glamorous maturity of a wife with gentle delicacy. Yet her running posture always perfectly interpreted the words elegant and strong, even making Dawn, as a fellow woman, feel a trace of envy and jealousy...
"So amazing, and so beautiful too..."
She really wanted to ask Lorze how he cultivated Rapidash to be so beautiful, unaware that to Lorze, Rapidash was also one of his deeply loved wives.
If a husband can meticulously care for his woman, and if the wife also deeply loves her husband, they will naturally proactively become beautiful and moving. Even for Pokémon wives, the same holds true.
But now wasn't the time to space out, because they also had to contribute their strength to stop Kodai's conspiracy!
Unfortunately, Ash's side couldn't ride a big horse and tread across the river water as coolly as Lorze did. They could only obediently follow the secret passage into the underground water pipes, and then push up a manhole cover in the old town to climb out...