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"Just now… that was… Celebi!!"
Liam froze the instant he turned around. The fleeting glimpse of that green figure, combined with the prompt from the system in his mind, left him certain: the mysterious silhouette that had just appeared behind him could only be the legendary guardian of the forest — Celebi, the mythical Pokemon said to travel through time and bring life to all things. He never expected that he would truly encounter it here…
"Hm? Liam? Why did you stop? If we don't hurry, we'll have to spend the night in the forest. Wasn't it you who said that? Why aren't you moving?"
Delia, who had been tugging at Liam's arm to hurry him along, also stopped when he did. She turned back to him in puzzlement, but before he could reply, her gaze fell on the flower field — now in full bloom — and she was immediately entranced once more by the breathtaking sight.
"Wow! What happened here?! Just a moment ago they were all still buds! How did they all suddenly bloom at once? But… it's so beautiful~"
Unable to restrain herself, Delia let go of Liam's arm and walked deeper into the flowers.
"Ri!"
The Riolu faithfully following behind her stayed alert, eyes scanning the surroundings while releasing faint waves of Aura to search for the strange energy it had sensed earlier.
Thanks to Celebi's power, the meadow — which had only reached Delia's ankles before — had grown much taller. The grass now rose above her knees, and the flowers were even higher. As she moved among them, the blossoms reached her waist, and Riolu behind her disappeared completely from sight.
"Delia, be careful," Liam called softly. Standing at the edge of the meadow, he scanned the area once more but found no sign of Celebi. It had either fled or gone invisible; either way, he could no longer see it. Looking back to see Delia already wandering further into the flowers, he couldn't help but remind her.
"Haha~ don't worry~ I know, I'll be care—ahhhhh!!!"
"Ri!!"
Delia had turned back with a cheerful smile, walking backwards as she spoke, but before she could finish, she cried out and suddenly fell into the flower field. At the same time, Riolu's sharp cry rang out.
"What?! Delia!"
The sudden turn of events shocked Liam. Without hesitation, he sprinted straight toward the spot where she had vanished.
"Delia! Don't worry! I'm coming!"
He shouted as he rushed over.
"Liam! I'm here! I'm fine, hurry over!"
Delia's head soon popped up from the flowers. She waved to him energetically, calling out.
"Phew… okay! Stay right there! I'm coming!"
Relieved, Liam pushed aside the blossoms and quickly reached her side.
"This…!"
But when he arrived, the sight before him made him freeze in shock. His gaze fell upon an unexpected pair — a boy and a Pokemon lying injured in the grass. He stood stunned, at a loss for words.
...
By dusk, they had returned to the same hollow tree where they had sheltered before. But this time, the number of people inside had changed.
"Liam… how could this boy suddenly appear here, and so badly hurt… And… maybe it's just me, but don't you two look a lot alike? Could he be some distant relative of yours?"
Delia sat inside the tree hollow, looking at the unconscious boy lying nearby with a puzzled expression. She asked while Liam busied himself preparing medicines.
"Ah! Uh… do we? Hahaha, you must be seeing things…"
Startled by her words, Liam quickly forced an awkward laugh, scratching his head as he took healing supplies from his pack.
"…I can't shake the feeling you're hiding something from me…" Delia narrowed her eyes and fixed him with a sharp stare.
"Ahem. Forget that for now. These two are badly hurt, so we need to treat them first. Delia, take these medicines and tend to the Pokemon."
Uncomfortable under her gaze, Liam coughed loudly, shoved the Pokemon medicines into her hands, and sent her off to treat the creature. Then, frowning, he knelt beside the wounded boy, carefully applying medicine.
The boy's blue shirt and jeans were torn in many places, exposing skin covered in scrapes and cuts. Several wounds were still bleeding, showing that the injuries were fresh.
He looked around thirteen or fourteen, still with traces of youth on his face. And as Delia had said, there was indeed a striking resemblance between him and Liam. He could easily have been a distant relative… but Liam already knew that was impossible. Because he had recognized this boy.
"Ash… How could this be? Why are you here, and why are you so badly hurt? Who did this to you? Was it Celebi? And… where's Pikachu…?"
Yes — Liam knew him well. The boy lying before him was none other than Ash Ketchum. Only… this Ash looked a little older and a little different than the one Liam remembered — not the eternal ten-year-old he once knew.
"Hm? Liam, what are you muttering about? Did something happen?"
Delia had overheard his low murmur but not clearly. She turned back and asked.
"Eh?! N-no, nothing at all…" Liam shook his head furiously, denying it.
"Hmph. Ever since this boy appeared, you've been acting suspicious… Whatever. Forget it. By the way, do you know what kind of Pokemon this is? I've never seen it before."
Delia gave him a sidelong glare, clearly dissatisfied, but then turned her attention back to the blue-skinned Pokemon beside her. With a bit of annoyance, she sprayed a liberal amount of potion onto its body — as though venting her frustration.
"Uh… sorry about that…"
Liam sighed apologetically, then turned his eyes toward the Pokemon that had appeared alongside Ash.
"That Pokemon is called Greninja, from a faraway region known as Kalos. Judging by its condition, it was trained exceptionally well — its strength is extraordinary. Which makes me wonder… what kind of danger could have injured them both so badly…?"
His hands curled unconsciously into fists, and a flicker of fury passed through his eyes. His face hardened as he gazed at the still-unconscious Ash lying before him.