Meanwhile, back at the stadium, everyone was struggling. On the ground, there were countless Poké Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, etc.
Now, remember, when it comes to catching Ultra Beasts, a Beast Ball gives a 5x multiplier, while any other Poké Ball, regardless of type (except Master Balls), will always have only a 1x multiplier. But that did not mean they couldn't be caught in a regular Poké Ball.
"Damn it, three shakes and it still broke out?!" Bugsy shouted, as his Beedrill dodged a crater-making punch from Buzzwole that sent shockwaves through the field.
"Quit complaining and keep throwing!" Clair barked. Her Dragonair wrapped around Buzzwole's arm to stall it for just a moment, as Chuck's Hitmonlee and Bruno's Machamp rushed in, striking the Ultra Beast across the face and sending it flying back. "If you've got balls left, use them!"
Morty's eyes narrowed as Blacephalon's head popped off and exploded in a burst of neon light, forcing him to shield his face. "It doesn't matter if we don't weaken it first!"
"Easier said than done!" Whitney yelped, her Miltank dodging Celesteela's barrage of steel beams raining down from above. "You try fighting a skyscraper with a jetpack!"
"Then perhaps we should try something different!" Blaine said, pointing forward as his Magmortar blasted a [Flamethrower] straight into Celesteela's face, forcing it back a step.
"Alright, cover fire!" Surge ordered. His Electivire crackled with lightning before hurling bolts at Blacephalon mid-spin. The fireworks-like creature stumbled, dazed, its explosions going wild and scorching holes into the stands.
"Watch where you're aiming!" Erika cried out, shielding a group of fleeing trainers with Tangela's vines.
"Sorry, sorry!" Spark called out, nearly toppling off Metagross as it barreled through the arena to block Buzzwole's next punch. "They don't exactly come with instruction manuals!"
"Focus!" Sabrina's voice cut through the chaos. Her Alakazam teleported Jasmine out of the path of a falling steel beam just in time, as she tried to hold the portals closed so no more could come out.
Bugsy clenched his fists, forcing down the panic. "Beedrill, hurry!" he called out. Beedrill swooped in with twin [X-Scissor] strikes, cutting into Buzzwole's arm. "Okay, Poké Ball, go!" he shouted, throwing another ball.
The Poké Ball opened and drew Buzzwole inside. It began shaking.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three-
Then Buzzwole broke out, roaring again and glaring straight at Bugsy.
"Not good, not good, NOT GOOD!" Whitney cried, diving out of the way of a collapsing pillar.
Buzzwole's roar rattled the entire stadium, the shockwave of its flex making the cracked walls groan even louder. It pounded its chest, muscles swelling unnaturally, as if it were getting stronger with each failed capture attempt.
"Why does it look like it just leveled up?!" Falkner shouted, his Skarmory diving to rake Buzzwole's shoulder with steel-sharp wings.
"Because it did," Damian answered sharply, as his Gengar shot a [Shadow Ball] at Blacephalon. "They're learning as they fight."
"Great, so the longer we drag this out, the worse it gets!" Morty snapped. "Fantastic!"
Celesteela let out a low, metallic moan as it ignited its thrusters, blasting into the air. Its sheer weight made the ground quake each time the boosters flared, and then
"INCOMING!" Misty screamed as Celesteela began raining down another storm of missiles.
Lt. Surge snarled, hurling his last Ultra Ball while Electivire grabbed him and yanked him out of the blast zone. The ball struck Celesteela mid-air
One shake.
Two shakes.
…Then it burst apart in a flash, Celesteela screeching as if mocking them.
Surge slammed a fist into the ground. "Damn it! This is worse than the war!"
"Everyone, listen!" Blaine shouted over the chaos, his Magmortar blasting away incoming fire with desperate bursts of flame. "We can't just throw and hope, they need to be worn down! Otherwise those balls will never stick!"
"That's what I've been saying!" Morty barked, shielding his face from another neon explosion as Blacephalon cartwheeled through the smoke.
Whitney, brushing rubble from her hair, groaned. "Okay, then what's the plan, big brains? Because 'throw until it works' isn't cutting it!"
"I think I've got an idea," Brock cut in. He glanced down at his Keystone, he couldn't use it. His Tyranitar was out of energy from Mega Evolving. Unlike Ash, most trainers were hit with fatigue afterward, and besides, everyone was already drained from fighting grunt after grunt. At full strength, they could've crushed the Ultra Beasts easily, but they weren't.
Brock's eyes hardened. "They're too comfortable fighting next to each other. Let's separate them."
"Finally, a plan I can work with!" Whitney hollered. Miltank rolled in with a wild [Rollout], clipping Buzzwole's leg and sending the flexing monster stumbling.
Will nodded sharply. "Alright, leave it to us, Xatu [Future Sight]!"
"Hitmonlee, follow up!" Chuck roared. His fighter leapt high, driving a flaming kick into Buzzwole's jaw and snapping its head back.
Meanwhile, Blacephalon giggled eerily, juggling its head again, only for Sabrina's Alakazam to blink into place and smack it aside with a psychic shove. "Not this time," Sabrina said coldly, her eyes glowing.
Blacephalon reeled against the wall, preparing to lob its head for another explosion, but two Gengar suddenly rushed it from behind. Cackling, they stole its head and tossed it skyward, where it detonated harmlessly into fireworks.
Before Blacephalon could generate another, Brock's Tyranitar charged forward, grabbed its body, and dragged it along the stadium wall. Karen's Tyranitar was waiting, slamming it into place, while Blaine's Magmortar unleashed a [Rock Tomb] from its arm cannon. The stone prison erupted around Blacephalon as the two Tyranitar held it down.
On the other side, Jasmine's Steelix lunged upward, metal jaws clamping around Celesteela's frame. With a bone-rattling crash, it slammed the beast back to the ground, dragging it away from the others.
Celesteela screeched as steel clashed against steel, the impact echoing like thunder. Sparks flew as Jasmine braced, shouting, "Hold it down!"
Steelix roared in defiance, straining against the thrusters, while Surge's Electivire dashed in, fists sparking before slamming a [Thunder Punch] into Celesteela's face. The impact rattled its frame, smoke trailing from its head, but it fired its boosters again, trying to break free.
"No you don't, it's my turn!" Tempest ran up beside Surge. "Alright, [Thunderbolt]!"
Her Electivire charged a blinding bolt of lightning and fired. The current surged through Steelix harmlessly, its Ground typing left it immune, but the electricity flowed straight into Celesteela, which shrieked as its systems seized up. Paralyzed.
Jasmine raised her hand, eyes flashing. "Steelix, [Earthquake] now!"
The stadium floor split open beneath Celesteela's weight, jagged cracks swallowing its legs. It wailed, thrusters sputtering as it tried to lift off again, but Steelix slammed it down with another point-blank [Earthquake].
Meanwhile, Buzzwole staggered to its feet after Hitmonlee's kick, chest heaving, muscles bulging as it flexed and let out a bassy roar. Chuck and Bruno charged forward in perfect sync, their fighters slamming into it with twin punches that actually forced the beast back.
"Alright, almost there," Misty said as she pointed toward Blacephalon. Her strongest Pokémon, Starmie and Gyarados, were out of commission, so next up she brought out her newly evolved Blastoise. "[Hydro Pump]!"
As Blacephalon struggled to get its head back from being stolen again, Blastoise aimed her cannons and blasted a torrent of water, sending the Ultra Beast flying into the wall.
Blaine was the closest. He pulled out a Poké Ball. "Now's the chance!" He hurled it, and it struck Blacephalon.
One shake.
Two shakes.
Three shakes.
Ding!
They had finally managed to catch one of them. "One down!" Whitney hollered, pumping her fist as Blacephalon's Poké Ball zipped to Blaine's belt.
Buzzwole's roar shattered the moment, its muscles rippled, veins glowing faintly, and beside it Celesteela groaned, sparks still crawling across its frame from the paralysis.
"They're not letting up!" Falkner shouted, Skarmory diving in to slash Buzzwole's arm again.
"Then we won't either," Karen snapped, pointing. "Tyranitar, [Stone Edge]!"
Jagged pillars erupted from the ground, slamming into Buzzwole's chest and pinning it against the wall. The Ultra Beast snarled and tore through the rocks with brute force, only to be met by Chuck's Hitmonlee and Bruno's Machamp, both crashing in with synchronized punches to its face and driving it back into the stone.
"Bugsy! Now's your chance!" Clair barked. Her Dragonair looped around Buzzwole's legs to drag it down, while her Dragonite flew behind and grabbed its arms, holding tight.
Bugsy's hands shook as he gripped another Poké Ball, sweat dripping down his face. "Not yet… Beedrill needs one good shot. Hold it still."
Beedrill's stinger began glowing purple. Buzzwole thrashed, slamming an elbow into Dragonite's face, but the dragon refused to let go. Then Bugsy saw the opening.
"Right there! Now [Poison Jab]!" he cried.
Beedrill dashed forward, driving its stinger straight into Buzzwole's exposed chest. The Ultra Beast roared in pain, collapsing to its knees. A sickly purple spread across its veins, it was poisoned.
"Do it, kid!" Chuck shouted.
Bugsy hurled the ball with everything he had. It smacked Buzzwole square in the chest
One shake
Two shakes
Three shakes
Ding!
The ball sealed with a flash, and Buzzwole was gone. Bugsy stood frozen, staring at the trembling ball in disbelief before finally clutching it to his chest. "I—I did it…"
"Nice work, bug boy!" Clair clapped him on the back so hard he nearly toppled.
But there was no time to celebrate. Celesteela screeched, thrusters flaring wildly as it began lifting both itself and Steelix off the ground. Jasmine's partner roared in defiance, but the Ultra Beast's sheer weight threatened to rip free.
"Not happening!" Surge barked. "Electivire, [Wild Charge]!"
His partner blurred in a streak of lightning, charging toward Celesteela. But the beast shifted, preparing to dodge.
"Steelix, bind it!" Jasmine ordered. The massive serpent coiled tighter, dragging Celesteela back down into the dirt.
"I've got you!" Misty called, pointing forward. "Blastoise, [Hydro Pump]!"
Blastoise fired another blast, drenching Celesteela in water just as Electivire slammed into it. Electricity surged harder through the soaked frame, the boosted [Wild Charge] blasting the Ultra Beast across the arena as Steelix released it.
"One more should do it!" Blaine shouted as he ran forward. "Magmortar, [Fire Blast]!"
Magmortar's chest glowed, flames spiraling into the shape of a massive kanji as it roared and unleashed the blazing attack. The inferno slammed into Celesteela's soaked frame, the water steaming instantly, superheating its metal body until it glowed red. The Ultra Beast wailed, a metallic shriek that rattled teeth and shook the crumbling arena.
"Now! While it's overheating!" Jasmine cried, her fist clenching tight.
Steelix slammed its tail down with an [Iron Tail], smashing Celesteela into the fractured floor. The impact shook the earth, sending dust billowing upward in a choking cloud.
Lorelei stepped in next. "Now, [Ice Beam]!" she commanded Lapras.
Lapras fired a frigid beam of ice. The blast struck Celesteela's glowing frame, super-cooling it in an instant. And if at this point you don't know what happens when something scorching hot is suddenly super-cooled, then you haven't been paying attention. So, one more time,this will be on the test.
It's called thermal stress. When it happens, materials can crack, shatter, or even explode. More importantly, it sends a shock wave through the structure, weakening it further.
The point was clear: Celesteela was now in agony. Its alloy didn't shatter outright, but cracks spiderwebbed across its frame, its metal skin growing brittle.
As Celesteela writhed, a sudden flash tore everyone's attention away. In the distance, a colossal beacon of light shot into the sky, splitting the clouds as a wave of energy swept across Johto. The portals that had been spilling Ultra Beasts into the world suddenly… stopped.
No explanation. No reason. Just gone, as abruptly as they had appeared. Relief washed over the fighters, at least they wouldn't have to worry about more spilling out. But they still had one last problem.
Celesteela.
"Alright, let's finish this! Electivire!" Surge roared.
His partner burst forward in a blazing arc of electricity, fists crackling as it drove a double [Thunder Punch] into Celesteela's core. The giant shuddered, sparks and smoke spewing from vents across its body.
"It's down! Someone throw!" Sabrina's voice cut sharply through the chaos.
Whitney fumbled at her belt, but before she could move, Jasmine's hand was already on a Poké Ball. "You're mine."
She hurled it. The ball struck Celesteela's frame, snapping open in a burst of red light. The behemoth was pulled inside in an instant, the ball clattering to the cracked ground.
One shake
Two shakes
Three shakes
Ding!
The sound rang out. The ball clicked shut, sealing tight, and the entire stadium seemed to exhale at once.
For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then Whitney whooped, leaping into the air. "Yes! That's how it's done!"
"Speaking of done, I'm also done," Bugsy muttered, collapsing to the ground. "I really hope Shelly can take over as Gym Leader for me soon… I don't know how much more I can take."
"You can say that again…" Misty sighed, leaning against her Quagsire. "Wasn't today supposed to just be a tournament? How did it turn into a boss rush?"
"No idea," Darwin said, rubbing the back of his head. "But man, this is gonna be a nightmare to clean up." He glanced around at the wrecked arena.
"Tell me about it. When we got sent to help the League, this is not what I expected…" Candela muttered.
"So, what's next? I doubt the Silver Conference will continue like this, at least not for a while."
"Most likely they'll delay the conference, or cancel it altogether," Blanche suggested, looking around.
"No, not cancel altogether," Lorelei explained. "I've been doing this longer than you, and I can tell you, what's probably gonna happen is they'll delay it, for maybe a week. Then it will continue, to show the people that we, as the League, are not bothered by what happened."
"So, just keeping the agenda. Got it," Whitney sighed. "I'm too pretty for all of this."
"Well, I guess it makes sense in its own way," Erika muttered, putting a finger on her chin. "If the Silver Conference is canceled, it will make people afraid. And fear can be quite a dangerous thing."
"Yeah, yeah," Surge muttered. "This is why I don't want to get in this complicated stuff. It was easier to just beat stuff up."
"Not how I would put it, but you have a point," Morty sighed. "But it's also our job as Gym Leaders to make sure everyone is safe and happy, or… whatever that means."
"Honestly, I don't quite have the answer myself," Blaine said, fixing his cracked glasses. "But I do know that this is probably one of the hardest experiences I've ever faced in my life. So, if you'll take it from an old man, I am honored to be a Gym Leader alongside all of you, the next generation. I'm sure you'll all surpass me soon enough."
Before anyone could respond, Koga finally reappeared in front of them and stood tall. "I see you all finished everything. I apologize for taking so long, but I had to find and get the International Police and Rangers to come and start arresting the Team Rocket members."
"Oh, great…" Janine sighed, looking down. "So they show up after the work is done… great police we have, don't we…"
That earned her a side-eye and raised eyebrow from Falkner, who, reminder, was also a police officer. Janine slightly jumped. "O-oh, I didn't mean you! I mean, well, I just thought, no, sorry, I mean—" she tried backpedaling, waving her arms frantically.
But then, a laugh came from above. "HAHAHA! Man, Koga, your kid's funny with that. Good to see they get along. And is that a blush I see? Adorable."
When they looked up, Falkner's eyes widened. "F-Father!"
Because up in the stands, Falkner's dad, Walker, was sitting there, smirking down as he waved to him and Chuck, "Yo, been a while! Good thing I don't have to pretend to be dead, huh!" Walker said with a sneer.
As that was going on, Misty blinked, just looking tired. She glanced at the people closest to her, "Didn't we have to go look for Ash?"
"It's Ash. Let's be honest, should we?" Brock asked.
"Not wrong. Knowing him, he probably had something to do with that light and is already done," Morty mumbled.
"Yeah, good point. If we wait here, Ash will probably come back," Erika nodded, completely dropping her formal tone now that things were over, just talking like a normal girl.
"What else is there to expect? It's Ash," Sabrina sighed, rubbing her eyes. She was completely drained, if she had any energy left, she would've teleported away to either go home and crash, or to find Ash, whichever was closer.
"Alright then." Jasmine stood up and clapped her hands. "Let's see what we can do here." She looked around at the destruction, at the people finally coming out from hiding now that it was all over.
–
The gang pretty much left the ruins limping; everyone was tired. Cynthia led the way out since they didn't know where they were, they had just been teleported into the chamber. Meanwhile, Cynthia had pretty much mapped out most of the ruins while running around looking for them.
As they were walking, however, Ash noticed something at the very edge of his vision. He saw all the Unown moving around again, some setting themselves in the walls, others leaving. But he saw two particular Unown that caught his eye: an A and a P.
He could tell from their Aura that they were the ones connected to the ones that got Spencer. So, as he walked out, he sent a message with Aura over to Abby.
Speaking of which, now that it was all over, the partnership was finished, so the legendaries left. The gang released them, snapping the Poké Balls open, not that they needed to, since they were regular Poké Balls and the legendaries could just leave. Suicune, Raikou, Entei, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were released.
Then Ho-Oh and Lugia, who were never caught, gave a final look at everyone before leaving with their respective trio, flying out through the hole they had made in the ceiling.
And then there was Celebi and Mew. They were going to leave, but Celebi, even though it was childish and playful, still took its job somewhat seriously. Seeing the two Pichu here, not in their proper time, was a problem. So Celebi made it clear it would be back once it figured out where the Pichu came from. For now, though, Ethan and Lyra would take care of them.
And of course, Mew was Mew. It just giggled at everything without elaborating, then left, but somehow, everyone knew that wasn't the last time they'd see the little pink Pokémon.
Now that the legendaries weren't sharing their power anymore, everyone was hit with even more fatigue. Thankfully, though, they didn't leave Ash or Yellow with empty reserves, otherwise, they would've just collapsed.
But they did let them keep their new drip, and made it clear that if they needed help in the future, they'd be there. In a way, the two were now connected with the legendaries, at least somewhat.
Other than that, everyone put their Pokémon back into their Poké Balls. Everyone was exhausted; even Vee and Pikachu chose to return to their balls to nap. For Pikachu, it might have also been because he had just found out he had kids on the way.
"Just a little further," Cynthia pulled Ash out of his thoughts. "If my map's right, there should be an exit up ahead."
Silver snorted, dragging his feet. "If your map's right… Great, we're betting our lives on a 'should.'"
"Don't complain, at least she has a map," Kris mumbled, half-carrying Ethan, who had insisted he was fine but hadn't stopped swaying since they started walking. "Still," Kris added with a faint smile, "we made it out. That's what matters."
"Barely," Gary muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. "I feel like a Snorlax sat on me. Twice."
"Cheer up," Lyra said, still clutching the shiny Pichu in her arms like it was the greatest treasure in the world. "We saved the world, didn't we? That's worth a little limping."
"I guess," Green said, leaning on Silver, less because she was tired and more because she felt like it.
As they kept walking, they moved through one more corridor, and there they saw Pryce, Lance, Giovanni, and Oak again. As they looked over, Lance and Oak looked relieved.
"Thank Mew you kids are here," Oak started. "Lance told me everything. Are you all alright? Should I schedule the medics to come check on you all?"
Lance cleared his throat. "Professor, I think they're fine. More than fine, really. I see you all got some new clothes, they look good on you all. You look like you could be champions. Though… when did you have time to change? And where are the Legendary Beasts and Birds?"
"Uhh, long story, but they kinda gave us these clothes," Lyra explained, fluttering her cape. "And I like it. I'm keeping it, and I'm getting at least five more exactly like this."
"I'll give you mine if you don't tell anyone I wore a dress…" Kris mumbled.
"No way, you look great!" Lyra crossed her arms. "You're keeping it."
Ethan smirked, tilting his head at Kris. "Yeah, you looked pretty stylish out there. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone… well, maybe."
"Don't even think about it," Kris shot back, glaring at him.
Silver rolled his eyes. "Focus. We just finished fighting. Can we skip the fashion talk?"
"You're one to talk," Green said, leaning into him with a sly grin. "You pull it off. You look like you walked out of a magazine."
Silver stiffened, looking away. "…Shut up."
"Well, I suppose," Giovanni started as he looked back at Silver, "I am glad you all made it out." Then he looked over to Green, who still had an arm over Silver.
Green slightly flinched, pulling her arm back to her side. Giovanni's eyes caught the earring she wore, a Keystone. It didn't take a genius to know it was one of the ones he'd lost when they battled. "You're Green, right? That's my Keystone, isn't it?"
"O-oh, this? Well… yeah, it is," Green admitted. Giovanni was really intimidating, especially after the last time they met. Things weren't exactly… you know.
Silver noticed and bit his bottom lip for a moment, then spoke up. "Um, Green… she's like a sister. She took care of me when I was in Pallet, and… she was my first friend."
Giovanni's face didn't change, but at the word sister, something flickered in his eyes. Still, his expression remained unreadable. "I see…" he said.
Green played with the earring, tracing her finger over it. "I mean… do you want it back?"
Giovanni looked at her, then over at Gary, who had the other one made into a ring. He closed his eyes. "Keep it. Consider it a gift for taking care of Silver when I couldn't."
Green blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? You're… serious?"
Giovanni opened his eyes again, the sharpness still there, but his voice softer. "Yes. A Keystone isn't worth much. Just a few million. I've got another. I don't need it."
Silver froze, not sure what to say. He just muttered, "…Thanks, Father."
Giovanni gave him the smallest nod before turning away, adjusting his coat. "Don't waste it."
The awkward air was broken by Cynthia clearing her throat. "Well… with that settled, I suggest we all move. As much as I would like to finally study these ruins, I'll do it on my own time. For now, I think we should get out of here."
"Agreed," Lance said, already stepping forward. "We'll get you kids out, and we can deal with what comes next."
"Fine by me…" Ash muttered as he stretched his back. "Still, do me a favor. If anyone has to take credit, you take it. I don't wanna be famous, it's too much of a drag."
"Yeah, I remember from last time," Lance nodded. Then he looked to everyone else. "Would you all like the same? To make sure no one hears about what happened here in these ruins?"
Everyone glanced at each other, waiting for someone to speak. Ethan finally shrugged and said, "I guess I'll say it. Yeah, that would be nice if we could hide everything."
"Alright, then I'll take care of it. Don't worry about it. Now let's go and get something to eat. I know a nice burger place, I think we could all use one after this day," Lance said.
–
A week passed since then.
In that week, Ash and the gang made it back to the stadium where the Gym Leaders were waiting, and immediately, Ash was grabbed and manhandled for doing something stupid.
But more than that, people were relieved that they were all okay. Things didn't go back to normal right away, though. The damage had been done, and the aftermath was chaotic. When people finally noticed their change of clothes, they didn't even have the energy to question it.
Once they returned, Pryce was officially placed under arrest. Lance explained that Pryce was the Masked Man. Everyone was shocked; Pryce had always seemed like a kind old man. But in the end, he was the one behind this.
Before leaving, he turned to Lorelei and Misty, asking them to take care of his Lapras sanctuary and the Pokémon there.
They had no problem with that. Misty offered to move the sanctuary to the Cerulean Gym, since it had the space, and Lorelei promised to oversee the transfer of the other Pokémon. And to expand the Gym's breeding facilities to take care of the Lapras. Once they were healthy, Lorelei would release them back in the Sevii Islands herself.
Pryce was satisfied with that. Then he looked at Ash, handing him La Glace, and asked that Ash pass her to someone who would truly care for her. So who better than Yellow. She was surprised, and tried to say no, but after some encouragement, she accepted La Glace, promising she would take care of her
With that, Pryce left without regrets, allowing himself to be taken into custody with a faint smile on his face. Carl and Sham, less cheerful, were shoved into the truck with him, powerless to resist.
As for the other Team Rocket members, those under the control of the mind masks, things were more complicated. Remember, Team Rocket had gone into hiding for over a decade, so many people didn't even realize they still existed. And those who did didn't think there were that many left.
So the League did the simplest thing. They went through everyone's background. Those they couldn't link to crimes, misconduct, or anything suspicious were released, assumed to be innocent people who had been kidnapped and mind-controlled.
Those that raised suspicion, mostly people who joined Team Rocket out of desperation, or because they had no other choice due to a past crime (of course, they didn't know about the Team Rocket part, just the background), were kept a little longer and put through more questioning. Depending on how they answered, they would either be arrested or let go.
Then there were the ones they could directly link with Team Rocket. They were arrested as well, though with a little more leniency since, you know… mind control.
As for those who were released, once they got back to base, Giovanni sent each of them a message. For those who had been mind-controlled and later freed, the ones assumed to have been kidnapped and forced to join, he told them that if they wanted to leave Team Rocket after what happened, they could.
He wouldn't blame them if they did, since this whole situation broke one of the promises he made. They would be given a sum of money depending on how long they had been in Team Rocket, and all records of their involvement would be erased, as if they had never existed in the organization.
In the end, from the thousands of grunts who had been mind-controlled, about half, maybe a little more, decided to leave. And, as promised, Giovanni kept his word.
Then there was the case with Ashtwo, or D. He was taken to a hospital, and since all the bruises on his destroyed face were fake, his face wasn't actually ruined. Any good doctor would have called it out.
If only there was someone who could slip in and 'do the procedure' himself, so no one would see… oh wait, there was.
During the downtime, Ash went to the hospital. After showing his credentials, he was let in. Thankfully, most patients were stable, and no one needed life-saving surgery. So he made his way to D's room, covered his face with a face mask, and sent everyone else out.
When he did, he literally just wrapped bandages around Ashtwo's face like a mummy, then sat down on the couch, scrolling through his phone for like an hour. After that, he left, making it seem like he had performed the surgery. But D would stay unconscious for a while, since he was supposedly in a 'coma'
Meanwhile, with the Unown, Abby caught them for him easily. He just threw the balls and got them captured. Ash kept it quiet, but he did tell Oak and handed them over, since Oak already knew about the Molly situation. Oak took them without a word.
Speaking of Molly, during that week of downtime, when Ash finally got back, Molly threw herself at him and refused to let go. She looked like she was crying, after all, when this whole mess started, Ash had just teleported her away with no warning, no explanation. When she told Delia, she said she'd tried calling him, but he had turned his phone off.
So, for the first time in eleven years, Ash was grounded…for like a day. They were just happy he was safe. They were curious about the new clothes, and especially the fact that Ash was wearing a suit, but Delia mostly cared so she could take a picture and slip it into the photo book.
As for the League, yes, it was delayed because of the attack, but it was still going to happen. It just wouldn't be as big as the Indigo League. For one, all battles except the final would be three-on-three. Only the championship match would be six-on-six. And there would be no losers' bracket this time.
And that's how we got to right now.
Ash was sitting on the bleachers, sighing. He was still wearing the suit, adjusting its collar. It wasn't his idea, it was mainly Green's. She had whispered it to Delia, and together they convinced him to keep the new clothes on since he looked good in them.
That was the problem, though. He didn't really want to stand out or look so good that people recognized him. But it looked like he had no choice. He sighed again, glancing up at the stands.
His friends who weren't participating were sitting there. Molly was between Green and Yellow, with Pikachu and Vee beside them. Lyra had both Pichu in her arms since Ethan was going to be battling.
Speaking of which, during that week there had been some good news, Chuchu wasn't pregnant… anymore. She laid her eggs. Now Yellow was holding onto two Pichu eggs, which was a whole different can of Wormadam for another day.
Ash sighed again as Gary came over and sat next to him. He was also wearing the suit, but unlike Ash, Gary actually enjoyed showing off. Ash glanced at him.
"So this is it, huh? Kinda familiar," Gary said.
"Yeah. Hard to go back to normal after everything, huh?" Ash mumbled.
"Oh please, we've never been normal, even before." Gary smirked, punching Ash lightly on the shoulder. But as he did, Ash noticed something strange, just a little flicker in Gary's eye, like he was hiding something.
Before Ash could ask, the speakers flared to life, calling them to the stadium. It was time.
"Alright," Gary said as he stood, fixing the sleeves of his coat. "You ready?"
Ash stood too, tugging at his collar. "Show time."
Together they began walking out as the announcer introduced everyone, one by one. Normally there would've been a quick battle to determine the last slot, but Jon Dickson had backed out. That meant there were now eight people total.
On the stage already were Silver and Ethan, both wearing their new clothes. Ethan because he thought they looked good (and they did), and Silver… well, he would've changed out of them, but Green had told him to keep them on. And he couldn't say no to his sister.
Next to them were Shelly, Virgil, Vincent, and Harrison. That left only Ash and Gary.
As the announcer spotted them walking up, he leaned into the mic.
"And finally, you may know them, they caused quite the commotion in the Indigo Conference last year! And it looks like this year they're back for blood! For those of you who don't, let's introduce them: the winner of the Indigo League and the runner-up, Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak from Pallet Town!"
The crowd erupted in clapping and cheers, especially from those who had been at the Indigo League last year. Ash and Gary walked up the steps, adjusting their suits as they took their place on the podium.
"Let's get this over with," Gary mumbled.
"Agreed," Ash replied, hearing the fangirls squealing in the crowd. He sighed. He really didn't like being popular.