Chapter 0764: Freeing Hoopa and The Power of One(Two-in-One)

The Gengar gathered in groups—shaking hands with sly grins, wrestling for fun, even peeling open their mouths in a contest of faces.

Because Gengar are naturally mischievous Pokémon, the situation quickly spun out of control.

Hoopa levitated, covering its mouth and giggling:

“Which one of these is your Gengar, anyway?”

“It’s this one.”

Natsume reached out and patted the Gengar at his side.

The Key Stone pulsed with the warmth of their unique Bond. Their hearts were connected—he’d never mistake his Gengar.

“Gengar~(≖‿‿≖)”

Gengar squinted its eyes, stuck out its long tongue, and gave Natsume a soggy, sticky lick—a feeling Natsume had grown used to, even standing his ground against the paralyzing sensation.

Now that’s the feeling!

“Ugh!”

Hoopa’s face twisted. It glanced around sheepishly, hanging its head. “What? Hoopa lost…nh…”

“Hmph!” Hoopa puffed its cheeks and immediately changed its tune. “Hoopa definitely didn’t lose!”

It waved a hand; golden rings floated up, trying to summon even more Gengar.

“All right—that’s enough play for now.”

Natsume reached out, palm glowing with a gentle golden light that stretched toward Hoopa.

The Power of One could soothe emotions and suppress negative Aura.

For a troublemaker like Hoopa, it was very effective.

In the story, the Messenger Ghris had also used The Power of One to imprison Freeing Hoopa’s strength and taught Hoopa the meaning of ‘Punishment.’

Hoopa paused, gazing at Natsume with confusion and a hint of awe.

From him, Hoopa could sense something incredibly familiar.

That gentle but stern presence, almost overlapping with Ghris’ image.

Hoopa shook its head, puffed its cheeks, and stared silently at Natsume. “Hmm…”

“Open your golden ring and let these Gengar go home.”

Natsume took out a Pokéblock case and smiled. “And as thanks, I’ll give you something delicious.”

He slid open the box—inside were Pokéblocks of all colors and flavors, giving off a mouthwatering aroma.

Hoopa sniffed, eyes going wide. “Food!”

It reached out and fumbled at the golden ring. Suddenly, Natsume was surrounded by golden rings, with little hands peeking through, reaching for the Pokéblocks.

Natsume dodged away and pointed firmly at the crowd of Gengar, shaking his head.

“…Fine.” Hoopa drooped in disappointment, clicked its tongue, and tossed its head-ring high into the air. “Hoopa~!”

The golden rings expanded, forming Hoopa’s signature move—Hyperspace Hole-sized spatial tunnel, radiating with a spatial warp Pulse.

“Everyone, you can go back now!” Hoopa called.

“Gengar!” Gengar, in the manner of an old big brother, floated up to a platform and drew out his ‘limited edition microphone’ with a satisfied grin.

Bzzzz—

After adjusting the volume, Gengar nodded, “Gengar!”

Given the occasion, please allow me to perform a song as a farewell to all of you!

“Gengar♪Gengar♪”

Gengar became enraptured with his own singing.

By the long pavilion—by the ancient road—

Natsume’s face turned ashen.

Oh no, it’s Perish Song!

Hoopa had gone pale as well, cowering beside Natsume. “S-so terrible!”

The “Gengar Family” was thrown into chaos. The Gengar all wore horrified faces as they elbowed one another, racing for the portal.

“Gen-ga, Gen-Sirfetch’d!” (Don’t crowd in the back!)

“Gengar~” (This one is way too dangerous, I’m leaving right now!)

“Gengar…” (I don’t have Levitate… o(╥﹏╥)o )

There was chaos on the other side of the portal.

Perish Song continued.

Gengar after Gengar rushed in single file through the portal.

One ‘Gengar’ was so spooked it reverted into a Ditto and bounced away into the portal as well.

When the song finally finished, the last Gengar had vanished through the portal.

“Gengar~”

Gengar scratched its backside, popped the ‘limited edition microphone’ back into the shadows, and nodded in satisfaction.

Looks like the performance was a huge success!

Natsume took his fingers out of his ears, expressionless, and turned to Hoopa.

Hoopa had fished out a pair of noise-canceling earplugs—now the two exchanged glances.

Natsume froze.

Damn! I should have had Hoopa fetch me another pair of earplugs!

Deal complete.

Hoopa stretched out a hand to Natsume: “Hoopa’s snack!”

“Got it.” Natsume dropped two golden cubes into Hoopa’s palm.

“Aaah~”

Hoopa munched on the cubes, floating happily with bubbles rising around his face, hands pressed to his cheeks. “So tasty~”

Natsume smiled calmly.

Banana Berry, Razz Berry, Golden Nanab… three kinds of golden Berry pressed into golden cubes.

Even Mega Rayquaza would call them delicious!

“Hoopa wants more, Hoopa wants more!” Hoopa called, circling Natsume.

“No more. Unless you stay put and don’t run off,” Natsume responded.

In the original story, the Prison Bottle’s shadow’s first target was to consume Hoopa.

If Hoopa ran far away, he couldn’t protect it.

Hoopa sighed in disappointment.

He’s just like Ghris when he nags like this.

“Oh right!” Hoopa perked up. “What’s your name?”

“Natsume.”

“Louie?”

“It’s Natsume, not Louie!”

A vision of green-capped Mario’s brother Luigi, flashed through Natsume’s mind.

“Hehe, little Ye, little Ye~”

Hoopa spun around him, chanting nonsense like a little kid.

Natsume ignored it, glancing over at Arche Valley.

Someone should be coming for Hoopa soon… Just wait here for a bit…

Suddenly, Natsume vanished.

Gold and the others followed the ‘unique’ song of Gengar, rushing over.

“Gold, are you sure it’s in this direction?” Crystal asked anxiously.

“Definitely! That horrible Perish Song—it has to be Natsume-sensei’s Gengar!” Gold affirmed.

Gengar’s ears twitched: “Gengar! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ ”

Heh, I’ll remember this grudge!

Just then, Natsume met up with Gold and the others.

They were all relieved to hear Togepi was unharmed.

“What’s that…”

Crystal curiously scanned Hoopa with her Pokédex.

[Beep… No data available!]

“An undiscovered Pokémon?” Silver was stunned.

“Hehehe~ Scared ya!” Hoopa giggled, covering its mouth.

“Hah, I’ve been scared since I was a kid!” Gold yawned, stretching with arms behind his head.

Hoopa snorted, tossing a golden ring above Gold's head to form a massive portal.

At the same time…

Far away at a resort, Ash and friends were enjoying a party. Suddenly, the pool water began roiling.

“What’s going on?” Bonnie cried in surprise.

Clemont looked up, staring at the portal in the sky.

“That thing… it’s sucking the pool water up!”

The water was pulled by a tremendous force into the portal and vanished.

SPLASH—

Water crashed down like a waterfall over Gold’s head.

Gold, caught by surprise, went from lounging to drenched in seconds.

Gold: ???

Silver glanced at Gold, struggling not to laugh. “Ahem…”

“Gold…” Crystal worriedly asked, lowering her head.

“Hey!!”

Gold pulled out a comb and tried to fix his bangs, screeching: “I just styled my hair!”

Natsume calmly folded his arms, stifling a laugh behind his hand.

“Hehe, did I scare you?” Hoopa taunted, hiding his mouth behind his hand.

“Dammit…” Gold gritted his teeth, stripping off his wet shirt.

Crystal quickly covered her eyes.

Silver coolly picked up his phone to take a video.

“No photos!” Gold yelled at Silver.

Suddenly, an urgent shout rang out.

“Stop, quick!!”

Everyone looked up toward the Arche Valley.

A woman in white robes came hurrying over.

On her chest hung the symbol of Arceus’s golden rings.

“My name is Meray. I’m the Guardian of Arche Valley—and also Hoopa’s caretaker.”

She introduced herself, shooting Hoopa a stern look.

Hoopa hid behind Natsume, clearly frightened of her.

“I apologize for Hoopa’s pranks.”

Meray bowed to Gold: “But this child means no harm… It’s just in his nature.”

“It’s all right.” Gold scratched his head. “Still, this is a legendary Pokémon?”

“Not quite. It’s a Mythical Pokémon.”

Meray explained: “Hoopa has always lived in Arche Valley, cared for by me, my brother, and our great-grandfather. Since my great-grandfather passed away, I think Hoopa’s just been missing him and snuck out of the valley.”

“Hoopa…” Hoopa mumbled, still hiding behind Natsume.

“Come now, Hoopa. Let’s go back.”

Meray looked severe. “We have to wait for a league Champion…”

“To be honest…”

Natsume explained, “I’m the League’s special inspector here, sent to coordinate with Arche Valley.”

“You’re…” Meray paused in surprise. “Natsume-sensei?”

Natsume nodded.

“Wonderful!” Meray breathed in relief. “Please join me in returning to Arche Valley to discuss the details of the Imprisonment.”

“And your companions—we’ll be sure to give you all a warm welcome.”

Nobody objected.

“Hoopa doesn’t want to go back!” Hoopa shouted.

“Hoopa, don’t throw a tantrum,” Meray said.

“It’s scary there…”

Hoopa trembled, recalling the shadow in the Prison Bottle, and cried, “Hoopa… will disappear!”

“How could that be? With my brother and Natsume-sensei working together, we’ll definitely imprison the shadow again.”

“No!”

Hoopa hid behind Natsume.

Maybe because of The Power of One, Hoopa felt a natural closeness to Natsume.

Natsume sensed something was wrong—he recalled the original plot:

“Your brother?”

“Yes. My brother Baraz and I are guardians of this generation’s Hoopa and Prison Bottle.”

A drop of cold sweat slid down Natsume’s brow.

Your brother… he’s the one who releases Freeing Hoopa, isn’t he!

In the original, Baraz didn’t have enough strength and fell under Freeing Hoopa’s control.

Right now, the top priority is to find Baraz and restrain him!

The sky was a clear blue; the call of a Braviary echoed overhead.

Meray looked up, gazing at the silhouette on Braviary’s back. “Brother?!”

“Hoopa, stay behind me,” Natsume said, face grave.

Hoopa glanced at Natsume and nodded firmly.

Braviary landed; Baraz dismounted, grasping the Prison Bottle, eyes glowing red.

“Brother…” Meray moved to approach, but was blocked by Gold’s pool cue.

“There’s something wrong with him.”

Gold lowered his goggles, cue in hand, eyes narrowed.

“Sunbo, Flash!!”

A Poké Ball rolled to Baraz’s feet. Sunflora burst out, unleashing a blinding Flash.

Baraz shielded his eyes; the Prison Bottle in his hands seemed to boil, erupting with deep purple shadows.

“Gengar, Disable.” Natsume ordered.

He needed to subdue the target as gently as possible.

“Gengar!”

Gengar’s shadow stretched across the ground, locking Baraz in place.

Suddenly—pow!—the shadow shattered as the darkness around Baraz exploded out.

Natsume was taken aback.

“Gengar, Hypnosis!”

“Gengar!” Blue beams flared from Gengar’s eyes, surging toward Baraz.

The purple shadow leapt up, batting away the blue light.

Natsume realized the truth.

Baraz was entirely controlled by Freeing Hoopa—Dark type is immune to Hypnosis!

“Keep flashing!” Gold shouted.

Under the blinding light, Baraz’s red eyes overflowed with tears—agonized but unblinking.

He surged with purple shadow, robotically twisting open the Prison Bottle.

An immense flood of shadow erupted!

A wild, savage laugh echoed around the plaza.

“Hoopa—IS FREE!!”

Hoopa’s face froze with terror as the shadow rushed straight toward him.

Natsume’s gaze sharpened; he stepped forward, palms ablaze with golden The Power of One, summoning a powerful aura.

“Get BACK!!”

The golden pendants on Baraz and Meray’s chests flashed simultaneously.

“Wait, that’s…” Meray gasped at Natsume.

So my hunch was right—the golden light shining from his palms—

That’s a Power of One comparable to Grandfather’s!

This Champion… he is also Arceus’s Messenger!

Energy rolled out in waves; the gentle golden light formed a shield, blocking the violet mist.

Baraz, collapsed on the ground, slowly awoke, mumbling, “What did I…”

He stared at the standoff between shadow and Natsume-sensei, then the Prison Bottle on the ground, overcome with regret.

What have I done?

“No one can stop Hoopa!”

Freeing Hoopa howled in rage.

“Hoopa is the STRONGEST!!”

The shadow grew more violent.

Natsume lost his patience. “That’s bull!”

“Sylveon, Pixie Plate!”

A beam of light fired from a Poké Ball at his waist.

“Sylveon!” Sylveon’s eyes glinted, ribbons cradling a radiant pink Plate.

The Pixie Plate floated upward, then hovered over Natsume’s head, boosting The Power of One instantly!

“An Arceus Plate?” Meray stared, eyes wide.

A legendary Item—actually real!

“Pixie Plate… How?” Baraz murmured in disbelief.

Freeing Hoopa’s laughter faltered, growing icy: “Hmph, Plate…”

Dark-type Freeing Hoopa, facing the Pixie Plate, was at a huge disadvantage!

“Empower, Order of Time and Space!!”

Head framed by the Pixie Plate, Natsume’s hands were bathed in golden energy, pushing back the purple shadow.

“Hoopa—!” Freeing Hoopa roared furiously, “I am the strongest!”

“What are you waiting for?” Gold shouted to Baraz. “Seal him now!”

Baraz nodded in panic—the pendant on his chest lit up as he held the Prison Bottle high.

The force at the bottle’s mouth tore deeply at the purple shadow.

CRACK—CRACK!

The Prison Bottle spidered with cracks.

“No—Hoopa doesn’t want to go back!!”

Freeing Hoopa’s howls were in vain—the shadow was sucked forcefully back into the Prison Bottle.

CRACK—

Baraz watched nervously as a deep crack split the bottle’s surface.

It might even shatter.

But with the shadow sealed inside, the Prison Bottle was at last silent.

Baraz, soaked in sweat, collapsed to the ground.

Not a sound in the plaza—only Natsume’s ragged breathing and Hoopa’s fearful murmurs.

“That was terrifying… Hoopa, will disappear…”

“Don’t worry—I promise you—”

Natsume exhaled and said, “I won’t let you disappear.”

Hoopa looked up at the black-haired young man, eyes dazed.

“Really?”

“What do you think?”

Natsume smiled, gaze firm as steel.

“I’m the Champion of the Touran League.”