Chapter 293: Hoopa's Decision
Ryan's words instantly stunned Meray and her brother. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the reluctance in each other's eyes. Meray hesitated, then said, "Isn't there any other way?"
"I think you understand better than I why Hoopa's power was sealed. It simply believes no Pokémon is stronger than it. But what if there is? It will definitely fight a stronger Pokémon. Beat it until it doubts its existence, only then will it calm down and listen to what people are saying!"
Ryan explained the situation to Meray and her brother in a calm tone. Of course, they could also choose to let Hoopa resolve the situation itself, expelling the evil entity through its own will. However, the consequence of doing so would be that the evil entity would become the truly Unbound Hoopa, and they would have to take care of it. It's simpler to just beat it down.
Seeing that Meray and her brother were still hesitating, Ryan walked directly to Hoopa and looked at it earnestly: "Hoopa, can you trust me this once? Let that evil entity return to your body, and I'll take responsibility for defeating it, okay?"
"Hoopa will disappear, Hoopa is so scared." Hoopa trembled in Lillie's arms. The feeling of not being able to control itself after the evil entity entered its body had truly terrified Hoopa. Moreover, the evil entity kept telling Hoopa to disappear. Powerless, Hoopa could only hide in the darkness, trembling, with no one to help it.
"Hoopa won't disappear." Lillie comforted Hoopa by patting its head.
"That's right, Hoopa won't disappear. Hoopa, just think of it as a nap. When you wake up, everything will be resolved." Ryan looked earnestly into Hoopa's eyes, hoping to give it confidence.
"Hoopa won't disappear?" Encouraged by Ryan and Lillie, Hoopa gained a little courage.
"No, let's make a promise." Ryan extended his little finger and said, "After we promise, you have to keep your word."
Hoopa looked at Ryan's extended little finger, and after a long while, revealed its signature mischievous smile and said, "Lying is bad, so Hoopa believes you. Hoopa wants to reclaim its power, Hoopa doesn't want to disappear!"
After saying that, Hoopa also extended its little finger and hooked it with Ryan's little finger. Ryan showed a relieved expression. What Ryan feared most was that Hoopa was afraid and unwilling to accept that power.
But Ryan could also guess that the more Hoopa feared the power that originally belonged to it, the greater the evil entity's anger would be. Only when Hoopa and the evil entity opened their hearts to each other and could have a spiritual communication could the evil entity's anger be eliminated and Hoopa's power be restored to normal.
"Hoopa, promise me, even if you're swallowed by the power, don't give up. Communicate well with your power; it's your power, and that is, yourself. Don't let it continue its tantrums. Talk to it properly, tell it about the wonderful things that have happened to you, share your life since you were separated from it, and it will understand."
The earnest voice reached Hoopa's ears, and Hoopa nodded, seemingly understanding. Meray walked over and handed Hoopa the donut she was holding: "Hoopa, don't lose to it. When you come back, we'll take you to eat your favorite donuts."
Hoopa took the donut, ate it in a few bites, and nodded, saying, "Meray, I know. Hoopa won't disappear!"
Seeing that Hoopa had made a decision, Ryan beckoned with his finger, and the Prison Bottle, under the influence of his psychic power, gradually floated up and flew towards Ryan. When the Prison Bottle flew to Ryan, he said calmly, "I've heard you're strong, but I can only say you're just inexperienced. There are many beings stronger than you. I'll release you soon and then defeat you. Be prepared."
With that, Ryan released Lugia Jr., hoisted Lillie and Hoopa onto its back, and said to Meray and her brother, "Hoopa's destructive power is still considerable after its power is restored. Don't fight in the city; let's go to the desert. Get on."
Meray and her brother nodded. They could only follow Ryan's advice. They knew very well that Hoopa's power within the Prison Bottle was a ticking time bomb for them. Although their desire to restore Hoopa's power was well-intentioned, they also knew they were powerless against a berserk Hoopa and could only leave it to Ryan.
Lugia Jr., with everyone on its back, flapped its wings powerfully, stirring up a cloud of sand, and then flew rapidly into the depths of the desert. Now that they had some free time, Ryan and Lillie learned that Meray's brother was named Baraz, and that they lived in a small place called Désert City's outskirts. It was a remote place, so they were naturally unaware of what was happening outside. Because the people of their village strived to resonate with nature, they possessed extraordinary energy—power they said they received from Arceus. That's why they wore golden wheel pendants shaped like Arceus. This was their way of showing their reverence for Arceus and expressing their gratitude.
Meray and Baraz's great-grandfather was the one who sealed Hoopa's power using the Prison Bottle. For a hundred years, Hoopa had been brought to their village by their great-grandfather, and Hoopa had grown up alongside Meray and Baraz, so their bond was incredibly strong.
"While we can travel anywhere using Hoopa's rings, Hoopa cannot. Our great-grandfather also told us that only after Hoopa understands the true meaning of its punishment can it freely use the rings to travel anywhere," Baraz explained to Ryan and Lillie.
Ryan and Lillie nodded; this was what they wanted to know as well. This was similar to fragments of Ryan's memory from the movie, but he still didn't quite understand it. In the original story, Hoopa hadn't actually grasped the meaning of punishment; it only crossed through the ring after its reluctance to be separated from everyone reached its peak.
But this clearly didn't make complete sense, especially considering Arceus's subsequent appearance. It was obvious that Arceus was helping Hoopa. Otherwise, Hoopa would have definitely died in that spatial collapse; it couldn't have escaped unscathed. So why would Arceus save Hoopa? If Ryan's guess was correct, then saving Hoopa was perfectly reasonable, since Hoopa's power was needed to fight that being. If Hoopa died, humanity would lose a crucial fighting force.
(End of Chapter)
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