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The Iron-Masked Marauder glared at the man before him, Kai, his hatred burning behind the steel of his mask.
One hand clutched the weakened Celebi, while the other fumbled at his vest for another Dark Ball. His fingers scraped against empty slots.
That's when he remembered his Dark Tyranitar, Dark Sneasel, and Dark Scizor had all been lost in the chaos of battle. Even their Poké Balls were gone.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, searching the other side of his belt until he found two remaining Dark Balls—the last of his arsenal.
The Pokémon within them weren't his elite creations—just ordinary Pokémon he'd captured and enhanced through the Dark Ball's power. Still, they would have to do. Anything was better than surrender.
"At least they'll buy me some time…" he hissed.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the Dark Balls forward. Two flashes of corrupted black light burst open revealing Dark Poliwhirl and Dark Graveler, their eyes glowing a sinister violet.
Across from them, Kai stepped forward calmly, drawing two Poké Balls from his belt.
"Go—Gardevoir, Jolteon!"
Twin bursts of blue light erupted as Gardevoir and Jolteon materialized on the battlefield. From Kai's expression alone, it was clear he wasn't holding back this time. Against the Iron-Masked Marauder, he would fight at full strength.
But as soon as the battle began, something strange happened.
While the Dark Pokémon lunged forward, the Marauder didn't attack—he turned and ran, vanishing behind a tree line. Within moments, Gardevoir's Psychic wave and Jolteon's Thunderbolt had already felled the two Dark Pokémon.
Kai blinked. So that was his plan an act of desperation.
He dashed after the fleeing Rocket agent, racing past the unconscious Dark Pokémon. But as he rounded the tree, a flash of black light streaked toward him another Dark Ball!
The Marauder had been lying in ambush, hoping to catch Kai or one of his Pokémon in the Dark Ball's grasp.
But Kai was ready.
"Gardevoir!" he shouted.
A nearby stone rose into the air, propelled by Gardevoir's telekinesis, and struck the Dark Ball mid-flight. The ball clattered harmlessly to the ground, its capture beam never activating.
It was a trick Kai had learned from Ash just days ago deflecting Dark Balls before they opened. And only his psychic partner, perfectly in sync with his thoughts, could execute it so precisely.
The Marauder snarled as Gardevoir and Jolteon closed in again, pinning him down. This time, there would be no escape.
Footsteps echoed behind Kai. Ash and Sammy came running up, panting heavily.
"You… you monster!" Ash gasped, glaring at the Iron-Masked Marauder. "Let Celebi go!"
"You fools!" the Marauder barked. "I was so close! With Celebi's power, I could've escaped the Rocket syndicate… I could've ruled this entire world!"
"Escaped Team Rocket?" Kai muttered, raising an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected that. But it made sense—someone like the Marauder would never be satisfied as Giovanni's pawn. Given a taste of power, he'd want it all.
"Give it up," Kai said coldly. "It's over. Hand over Celebi, and I'll make sure the police take you alive."
The Marauder's laugh was sharp and cruel. "Alive? You really think you've beaten me?"
He reached into his vest and drew his final Dark Ball.
Ash and Sammy tensed, unsure if he meant to release another corrupted Pokémon or to capture one of theirs.
But the Marauder did neither. Instead, he pressed the Dark Ball's scanner against Celebi's head.
Kai's eyes widened. "No—he's trying to control it again!"
If he succeeded, Celebi could rip open time itself, taking the Marauder into another era far beyond their reach.
"Don't let him do it!" Kai shouted.
He and Sammy charged forward, Gardevoir and Jolteon attacking in unison.
But it was too late.
The Dark Ball's energy beam flared just as Celebi's eyes snapped open.
"No… not again!"
A piercing cry echoed through the forest as Celebi's power exploded outward, a blinding surge of green light sweeping across the clearing. The sound of time itself resonated—a deep, shimmering hum that shook the air.
Kai shielded his eyes. The Marauder screamed, his mask glowing from the reflection of Celebi's aura.
"I won't be controlled again!" Celebi's voice rang in their minds.
The Time Travel Pokémon unleashed its full might, enveloping itself and the Marauder in a pillar of blinding blue-green light. The shockwave expanded, swallowing Kai, Sammy, and the forest around them.
Ash turned away, eyes squeezed shut. When he looked back—the light was gone. So were Kai, Celebi, and the Marauder.
The forest was silent again.
Ash stood frozen, his breath shallow. "Kai… Sammy… Celebi…"
He stared at the empty clearing, the fallen Dark Pokémon the only proof that any of it had been real.
---
When Kai opened his eyes again, the world was spinning.
He felt weightless, then crashed to his knees as gravity returned. A man's scream pierced the air.
It wasn't Celebi—it was the Iron-Masked Marauder, writhing on the ground, clutching at his mask.
"My eyes! I can't see!" he screamed, thrashing wildly.
Kai scanned the surroundings—his Gardevoir and Jolteon were nearby, dazed but unharmed. Sammy stood a few feet away, equally disoriented. But Ash was nowhere in sight.
"Did we… travel through time?" Kai muttered, realization dawning.
He looked up—and there was Celebi, trembling in midair, before darting off into the trees.
"Celebi! Wait!"
Kai called after it, but the forest swallowed it quickly.
"I'll go after it," he told Sammy. "Stay here and keep an eye on him."
"W-wait—!" Sammy started, but Kai was already gone, soaring into the sky on Dragonite's back.
Sammy sighed and looked down at the Marauder, who was still rolling on the ground in agony. "Guess it's just you and me now."
He released his Charmeleon, keeping watch as he kicked the fallen Dark Ball out of reach. The last thing he needed was another disaster.
---
High above the forest, Kai pursued Celebi through the treetops.
It was flying aimlessly, frightened and lost—its small body glowing faintly as it darted through the sunlight.
"Easy," Kai murmured as Dragonite slowed its flight. "You're safe now."
Celebi finally stopped at a large tree, plucking a few berries and eating quietly. When it turned, seeing Kai approach, its fear softened.
It remembered him—not as an enemy, but as someone who had tried to help.
Kai dismounted, smiling gently. "Celebi… where are we? Can you take me back to my own time?"
Celebi tilted its head, chirping curiously.
Kai sighed and released Gengar, who rose from his shadow with a lazy yawn.
"Time to earn your paycheck," Kai smirked.
Gengar floated beside Celebi, listening as it spoke in a series of melodic chimes.
"It says," Gengar translated, "this is its original timeline—the same forest it left a few days ago."
"Then… we're forty years in the past," Kai realized.
He glanced at the peaceful greenery, the air fresh and untouched by time.
"Can you take me back?" he asked.
Celebi nodded softly but tilted its head again, curious.
"It's asking… why?" Gengar relayed. "It says this time is safe—why not stay?"
Kai smiled faintly. "Because my friends—and the one I love—are waiting for me in the future. I can't leave them behind."
Celebi understood. It raised its tiny hands, light gathering around its body—then paused when Kai lifted a hand.
"Wait. Sammy's still there. I can't leave without telling him."
Celebi blinked, then nodded in understanding. The light around it dimmed as Kai exhaled.
"For now," he said softly, looking toward the horizon, "let's find our way back—together."
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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