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They looked up to see a small airship descending toward them. Inside were the Forest Elder, Sammy, and Mr. White, the boatman who ferried supplies around Arborville.
"Kai! Ash! What's happening?!" Sammy shouted as the craft touched down.
Kai quickly explained. "Celebi's been captured corrupted by the Marauder! We're going after him!"
Mr. White slammed his fist on the control panel. "That man's crossed the line. No one abuses a guardian of the forest on my watch!"
"Please," the Forest Elder said urgently. "We must reach Celebi before the corruption becomes permanent."
Mr. White nodded grimly and piloted the airship north, following the path of destruction.
Moments later, they saw it the floating sphere, now warped further. Roots and boulders had merged into a grotesque body, forming a monstrous creature that hovered in the sky.
"Celebi!" Kai shouted. "It's us! We're here to save you!"
But the Marauder noticed them immediately.
"Celebi, destroy them!"
Celebi turned its dark gaze toward them and unleashed a massive Dark Pulse.
"Brace yourselves!" Mr. White yelled, jerking the controls. The airship banked hard, narrowly avoiding the full blast—but the shockwave ripped through its hull.
The craft spiraled downward, crashing violently onto a nearby lake.
"Hold on!"
Water surged over the deck as they skidded across the surface. Somehow, the ship stayed afloat—barely.
"Whew… still in one piece," Mr. White gasped, wiping his brow.
"Don't jinx it!" Sammy shouted.
Another blast hit.
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed the ship, throwing everyone into the lake.
Cold water swallowed them. Kai surfaced first, spotting Erika struggling nearby. He swam over quickly, pulling her to safety.
"Erika! You okay?"
"Y-Yeah…" she coughed, shivering.
Ash, Misty, and Brock emerged next, swimming toward shore.
"Kai!" Ash shouted. "Where's everyone else?!"
A splash answered him—Mr. White appeared, dragging Sammy and the Elder onto a nearby rock.
He glanced back at the flaming wreckage and gave a bitter laugh. "Well… there goes my ship."
Kai turned slowly toward the lake's edge—and his eyes widened.
"This place…" he murmured. "It's the same lake where we camped last night."
The others followed his gaze. The forest around them was scarred and silent—the once-peaceful sanctuary now twisted by Celebi's pain.
And high above, the Iron-Masked Marauder watched, certain that victory was his.
The ground trembled beneath their feet as the colossal wooden monster, the twisted form of Celebi, staggered forward, crushing everything in its path.
Ash and his friends barely had time to catch their breath before launching into battle once again.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!"
Lightning and fire lit the air as the group's Pokémon attacked from both sides. Kai and Erika joined in, coordinating with Misty and Brock to distract the Iron-Masked Marauder and his corrupted Pokémon.
The Marauder stood at the lakeshore, his armor glinting beneath the crimson sky. "Futile," he hissed. "You can't stop me. My Dark Tyranitar destroys them all!"
His Dark Ball-controlled Tyranitar roared, colliding with Brock's Onix in a thunderous clash. The two titans wrestled violently, their attacks shaking the ground.
"Onix, bind it down!" Brock ordered.
Onix coiled around Tyranitar, trying to restrain it long enough for the others to reach Celebi.
Ash and Sammy (the boy from the past) seized their chance, sprinting toward the towering creature.
"If we can get close enough," Ash shouted, "maybe we can reach Celebi inside!"
The two began climbing up the tangle of vines and roots that formed the creature's body. But halfway up—
"Hold it right there!"
A familiar voice rang out.
"Team Rocket!" Ash growled.
Perched among the vines were Jessie, James, and Meowth, striking their usual pose.
"If you want to mess with the boss, you'll have to get through us first!" Jessie declared, smug as ever.
Ash's patience snapped. "Out of the way!"
"No can do, twerp!" James replied. "Hand over Pikachu while you're at it!"
Their interference was perfectly timed. Ash and Sammy had no Pokémon with them—their partners were still on the ground—while Team Rocket had the advantage of height and cover.
But Pikachu, sensing danger, bounded up the vines in a flash of yellow light.
"Pika… CHUUU!"
A single Iron Tail struck, sending Team Rocket flying off the monster and deep into the forest below.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
With them gone, Ash and Sammy kept climbing, finally reaching the creature's open mouth. Inside, tangled in vines, was Celebi, its body glowing faintly within the writhing darkness.
"Celebi!" Ash called out. "Please—stop this! It's not who you are!"
"Remember who you are!" Sammy pleaded beside him.
Celebi stirred. Its eyes flickered—just for a second, the darkness wavered.
Ash reached forward, grabbing hold of its tiny hand. "You're not alone anymore. We're here to help you!"
The words seemed to pierce the corruption. Celebi trembled, the vines tightening, then loosening again.
Outside, the Marauder's control began to falter. "No… what's happening?! Obey me, Celebi!"
He turned just in time to see Suicune—the Legendary Pokémon of the North Wind—leap into battle.
The majestic beast landed between Tyranitar and Onix, a shimmering aura rippling across its blue body.
"Suicune!" Erika gasped.
Kai's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who had summoned it—he could see Looker (formerly Xia You) standing quietly behind the tree line, watching everything unfold.
"Suicune, purify it!" he commanded.
The Legendary Pokémon nodded and dashed forward with incredible grace, weaving through the chaos. Tyranitar lunged, but Suicune's speed was unmatched it kicked off the beast's back, sending it sprawling into the dirt, then raced toward the towering forest creature.
The Marauder's eyes widened. "Suicune?! Impossible! Another rare specimen for my collection!"
He reached for another Dark Ball, hurling it with precision—but Suicune dodged effortlessly, the sphere exploding harmlessly behind it.
"Curse you!" he roared.
As the Marauder's attention shifted, his grip over Celebi weakened further.
Inside the creature, Ash and Sammy pulled together, straining against the vines. "Come on, Celebi! You can fight it!"
A blinding green light erupted. Celebi's eyes cleared and the massive wooden monster began to convulse.
Outside, the Marauder staggered. The Dark Ball embedded in his chestplate began to crack, leaking purple smoke.
"No… NO! What's happening?!"
The Dark Ball shattered in his hand with a violent burst. Smoke engulfed him as the creature collapsed, the vines unraveling into dust.
The shockwave flung the Marauder from his machine. He plummeted into the forest below, disappearing beneath the debris.
Ash, Sammy, and Celebi floated gently down, carried by Celebi's psychic energy.
"It's… over?" Misty whispered.
Brock exhaled heavily. "Looks like it."
The others rushed forward, gathering around Celebi. The Mythical Pokémon blinked weakly, its body dim and frail, its energy nearly gone.
"Celebi!" Ash cried, kneeling beside it.
Kai looked grim. "It's burned through all its life force escaping the Dark Ball. The corruption's still inside—it's eating away at what's left of its power."
"What do we do?" Sammy asked desperately.
Erika looked toward the fallen Suicune, who approached slowly, lowering its head. "Suicune… can you help?"
The North Wind Pokémon closed its eyes. Ripples of light spread across the lake as pure water rose, encircling Celebi in a glowing cocoon.
As the healing began, Kai watched silently. Deep down, he knew this was the turning point not just for Celebi, but for everything that was about to come next.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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