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Celebi lay motionless, its tiny body shriveled and gray, like a dying leaf in autumn. Its breathing had stopped.
Ash and Sammy knelt beside it, panic rising in their chests. Ash reached for his bottle to pour water over Celebi's body—only to freeze when he looked back at the lake behind them.
The water had turned black.
What was once a clear and tranquil lake was now clouded and corrupted, the aftermath of battle and the lingering stain of the Dark Ball's energy.
"This can't be…" Ash whispered.
Then his eyes lit up. "Kai! I remember—you said Suicune can purify water! Please, you have to help Celebi!"
He didn't call Suicune directly. Ash knew Kai's Pokémon were fiercely loyal, whether it was his Gardevoir, Gengar, or Jolteon; they rarely obeyed anyone but him. And Suicune, the Legendary Beast of the North Wind, was no ordinary Pokémon.
All eyes turned toward Kai. Even Erika looked at him with silent hope. But for Mr. White and the forest elder, the realization struck like thunder.
"Wait… that Suicune… belongs to him?!" White stammered.
No one had ever heard of such a thing. To the people of Johto, Suicune was a sacred guardian pure, untouchable, a being above human command.
Yet the truth was before them.
Kai turned to Suicune and gave a quiet nod. "Go. It's your turn now."
He had summoned Suicune for this very reason. Even if Ash hadn't asked, he knew this was the next step.
With a clear, resonant cry, Suicune stepped forward. Its body shimmered with blue light, the ripples of its aura spreading warmth across the devastated lakeside. Then, with a single graceful leap, Suicune landed on the surface of the water—standing atop it as if it weighed nothing at all.
Step by step, it crossed the darkened lake. Every place its hooves touched shimmered with pale azure light, cleansing the black water. The purification spread outward like a wave until the entire lake gleamed clear once more.
No one spoke. They watched in awe as Suicune danced lightly across the lake, as elegant as a phantom of the wind.
When it returned to shore, standing proudly beside Kai, everyone finally understood why Suicune had chosen to appear before him.
Ash gently lowered Celebi into the purified water, hoping the touch of life would bring it back. But there was no response.
"Celebi…" Ash murmured, his voice trembling.
He called its name again and again, but Celebi remained still. Its chest didn't rise. Its eyes didn't move.
Misty turned away, tears glistening in her eyes. Erika lowered her head in silence. Even the forest Pokémon that had gathered nearby let out sorrowful cries.
Only Kai remained calm. He looked to the sky, quietly waiting.
He knew this wasn't the end.
And he was right.
A flash of brilliant green light burst through the clouds, sweeping across the forest like dawn breaking after a storm.
"What's happening?!" Brock shielded his eyes.
Erika gasped softly. "It's the Voice of the Forest…"
The light grew stronger, filling every corner of the woods. Then, out of the radiance, came shapes—tiny, glowing, and familiar.
"Wait—those are… Celebi?!" Ash exclaimed.
Dozens of Celebi descended from the light, each shimmering with a soft blue-green glow. They circled above, their bells echoing like chimes in the wind.
Several flew down to the lakeside, surrounding the fallen Celebi. Their psychic energy lifted their bodies gently into the air.
The others joined in, spinning faster and faster, their light merging into a single, blinding beam.
When the light finally faded, the once-lifeless Celebi stirred its color returning, its body pulsing with life once more.
"It's alive!" Sammy shouted.
Celebi opened its eyes and fluttered weakly, then joyfully twirled in the air. The surrounding Celebi chirped in delight before fading away, one by one, returning to their own times.
"They weren't other Celebi…" Kai murmured. "They were all the same Celebi reaching across time to heal itself."
Ash stared at him. "You mean… it reversed time?"
Kai nodded slowly. "Not resurrection. Restoration. Celebi simply rewound its own timeline to before it died."
He took out his PokéGear, snapping a photo of the scene but the image came out overexposed, the brilliant light washing everything into pale shapes. Only faint outlines of the Celebi remained, like stars caught midflight.
Kai smiled faintly. "Good enough. I'll remember."
Celebi, now brimming with life, swooped low over the group, chattering happily. But as it flew over the ruined clearing, a shadow rose from the debris.
A metal hand shot out grabbing Celebi by the waist.
"What?!" Ash cried.
From the rubble emerged the Iron-Masked Marauder, his armor dented and scorched but his grin undiminished.
"You really thought you could defeat me that easily?" he growled.
Before anyone could move, his jetpack roared to life, and he shot into the sky with Celebi struggling in his grasp.
"Kai!" Erika shouted.
"I've got him!" Kai swung onto Dragonite's back in one fluid motion. "Stay here this isn't over yet!"
Dragonite surged into the air, its powerful wings cutting through the clouds as it pursued the fleeing Marauder.
Ash clenched his fists. "I'm not letting him get away again!"
He reached for a Poké Ball—then froze. Charizard wasn't here. It had been sent back to Charicific Valley.
But Ash wasn't one to give up. "Noctowl follow them!"
With a flap of silvery wings, Noctowl took to the sky, chasing after Kai and the Marauder as Ash and Sammy dashed into the forest below.
Back at the lakeside, Erika and the others could only watch the battle disappear into the horizon.
"Let's trust them," Erika said softly. "Kai won't fail."
Suicune stood silently beside her, gazing at the sky.
The wind carried away the last traces of darkness.
But high above the forest, another chase was already beginning.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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