Chapter 187: Entei Says He Wants to Start a New Guard

Outside the Crystal Tower, the real Entei and Suicune sensed the attribute fluctuations coming from inside the tower. Entei's eyes widened, looking dazed.

Eh? No?

It was already outrageous to sense "another Entei" inside the tower at first, not to mention that this matter made the news. How come there is another one now?

Who is fighting in the Crystal Tower?

Is it "me" and "me"?

That "me" standing beside Suicune... could it be a fake! This thought... is really strange!

"Wu." Even Suicune looked at Entei, then at the Crystal Tower, feeling the three very similar powers and auras that only differed in details, and blinked curiously.

It seems that this trip was not in vain. I really saw a rare scene. I didn't expect Entei to have two "brothers."

"This is wrong, this is wrong." Entei shook his head. His heart was full of strangeness. He decided to figure out what was going on, so he and Suicune jumped to the two spires of the Crystal Tower, using their psychic power to carefully sense the situation inside the tower.

And inside the tower, the fake Entei, who used "Extreme Speed" to break through the crystal floor and instantly brought Molly's mental incarnation back to her body, felt the "Extrasensory" of the real Entei coming from afar at the same time!

"?"

The fake Entei looked up in astonishment. It was covered in scars, but those scars were disappearing quickly.

Another "my" power coming from the top of the tower?

This, what is going on? How many "me" are there?!

"Daddy!" Molly, who had been frightened by the battle just now, opened her eyes from a half-dream and half-awake state, hugged the furry Entei and sobbed. She was really worried just now. That ferocious Pokémon that looked so much like "Daddy" almost killed Daddy!

"Molly, I'm fine. As long as you believe in me, I won't be defeated by that Pokémon."

"But it's the same as me, it won't get hurt here. We must move away from here, otherwise they will catch up soon."

The fake Entei originally thought that as long as he stayed by Molly's side, he could protect her and fulfill his responsibility as a father, but he didn't expect that because of an action of "kidnapping Mommy," so many powerful and strange humans had entered this tower.

"Leave here, go where? I don't want to leave."

Molly is just an ordinary little girl after all. Although she has a dream of growing up to be a Pokémon Trainer and fighting, this dream was shattered before it even fully began. She gripped Entei's mane hard, her shoulders heaving and crying:

"Daddy, let's stay here..."

The fake Entei fell into silence.

If Molly wished, he would stay, because he came here to be Molly's father.

"Molly, listen to me..." At this time, Delia, whose mental control had been lifted, said to Molly: "I am not Molly's real mother..."

"You can't stay here anymore."

Delia's mental control being lifted was beyond Entei's expectation, and Delia, as a mother, was persuading Molly to face reality. However, the frightened little girl didn't want to admit the current situation at all. She didn't want to leave here, even though her "Daddy" and "Mommy" were persuading her!

Although the meaning of "leaving" in Entei's and Delia's words was different, they both hoped that Molly would walk out of here, whether for safety or to untie the shackles on her heart.

Entei was silent. He should have scolded this woman at this time and told her to shut up immediately, but the severe situation forced him to admit that regardless of the purpose, leaving here now was the best choice, otherwise...

"Entei! Let go of my mother!"

The reckless shout came from the only crystal passage. Ash's trio and Pikachu finally arrived at the top floor, and seeing Entei's body that had not fully recovered, Ash immediately understood that this "Entei in fantasy" seemed to have been defeated below!

"Are you running up? Since you lost, leave quickly..." Ash waved his hand and looked at Molly: "Molly, do you remember me? We met in Pallet Town!"

"Leave here with us!"

A long time ago, Ash had not yet embarked on his journey. At that time, Molly's father, Dr. Hale, once took a photo with Ash, Delia, and Professor Oak, but for a little girl with an immature mind, that occupied a very small corner of her memory.

"No..." The panicked girl shook her head gently, watching more and more people invade the "private room" of her and her parents. Her dream gradually shattered at this moment, and her expression became more aggrieved and angry, finally accompanied by a sharp shout—

"I don't want to!"

Bang! Sharp crystal spikes suddenly appeared on the ground, piercing all the objects in the room like spears!

The sharp crystal spikes spread rapidly to every corner of this crystal room, forming tall and sharp barriers to block anyone who wanted to approach Molly! Even the crystals outside the house expanded and became huge! The shattered crystals formed a terrifying phenomenon like a blizzard, causing everyone to be blown away!

Brock resisted the blizzard: "Not good, this is a place transformed by Molly's heart. It must be that the Unown echoed Molly's inner heart. She went out of control!"

"Mommy, over here!" Ash was looking for his mother Delia in the sharp crystals, and Molly felt sad and lost when she saw Delia moving towards Ash:

"Daddy... Mommy, Mommy is going to be snatched away by that boy."

Even though Ash told the fact that he had met Molly, the lonely girl didn't remember anything about Ash and Delia at all. She was just acting according to the "facts" she had determined. Getting Molly's order, the fake Entei growled.

Although he really wanted to say "Leave that woman and leave here"... but now...

"At least here, she is Molly's mother."

The fake Entei began to threaten Ash: "Get out quickly! If you don't get out, I'm going to drive you out!"

I hope there is still time! The fake Entei thought so.

"Don't you act on your own!" As a reckless person, Ash would of course not agree to the fake Entei's request. He took out a Poké Ball on the spot: "It's not that easy, Totodile, I choose you!"

Entei: "Do you think you can beat me!"

Ash: "I won't lose to you, a phantom!"

The optimistic Totodile started dancing "Wani Wani" as soon as it landed, and under Ash's command, it hit a Water Gun!

The fake Entei dodged quickly, but Ash's words just now...

Hmm! Damn it!

Why, whether it was the boy before or now, including the strange young man and the monster-like Pokémon he summoned, they all said I was a phantom?!

Ho-Oh, Entei, Burned Tower, Gouging Fire, Daddy, Mommy, Daughter, Ruins, Murals, Unown... Various memories and thoughts gathered and twisted in the fake Entei's mind. It roared viciously, perhaps unable to bear such stimulation anymore, and condensed all its power to hit a Flamethrower!

The raging fire directly knocked Totodile to the ground, and Ash originally intended to use Cyndaquil to continue the battle, but Entei directly used "Extreme Speed"!

The huge power knocked the Poké Ball away directly, and even pressed Ash, who was a super Pallet Towner, under him!

"Having seen my power, do you still dare to say I'm a phantom!"

"Ash!"

As helpers, Misty and Brock would of course not stand by, and they also threw out Pokémon. The fake Entei avoided the attack and followed up with continuous use of "Extreme Speed"!

One move for each!

Compared to the monster below, the Pokémon of these trainers were very weak. It didn't say another word and pounced on Ash again!

"Pika... Chu!"

Pikachu's Thunderbolt didn't cause any damage to Entei at all, and the fake Entei used its most powerful Blast Burn!

The violent flames pierced through the Crystal Tower. At a critical moment, Ash hugged Pikachu and tried to block the blow, but was directly knocked off the Crystal Tower by the explosion shock wave of the flames!

Below is an abyss of hundreds of meters. Once falling, even Ash, who has a super physique, would be in danger of life.

However, an orange-red figure appeared suddenly!

"Awoo!"

Charizard's voice came from outside the window!

Ash's Charizard came from the Charicific Valley from afar to rescue, because it saw this "disaster" on the TV show, so it came to help and started a fierce battle with Entei!

"The situation is developing in an out-of-control direction."

The real Entei and Suicune standing on the top of the tower watched the battle. The Rainbow Hero was riding Charizard, shuttling through the crystal spikes of the Crystal Tower, and fighting fiercely with that illusory Entei. However, that Entei's stamina was infinite. As a concrete object of mental power, it had no possibility of losing when fighting ordinary Pokémon.

Of course, it was only when fighting ordinary Pokémon.

"It is indeed a guy exactly like me." The real Entei lowered his head, his eyes moving with the battle between the two sides.

That "illusory Entei" had already been defeated once by a Pokémon below, which means that as long as the power is strong enough, it can also be put into trouble. The rest of the matter... just need to stabilize the girl's heart.

"I thought you would treat this as a trial for the Rainbow Hero."

"That's not my job." Suicune smiled, his gaze moving to the damaged part of the Crystal Tower: "Look, is that Pokémon... one of the sources calling you?"

Entei turned his head. Even from a great distance, he could see the... "abnormal Entei" that appeared at the empty crystal window!

"Roar!"

Gouging Fire directly smashed the passage of the Crystal Tower, shook off all the crystal debris on his head, and with a head butt, all the crystal spikes in front of him were shattered!

"Hmph!" Gouging Fire crushed those crystals, Xiang Guangtai followed up, with Doublade floating beside him, and the one trapped in the crystal...

Is it the trio?

"How did you guys get trapped here?"

In the original work, they should have been invisible after coming up and saving Ash's life.

"Because..."

"The time we came up was wrong."

"Haha..."

The Team Rocket trio was stuck in the gaps of the crystals in a strange posture. It wasn't until Gouging Fire destroyed the crystals that they were able to escape. They let out a sigh of relief in unison!

"Saved! (X3)!"

"That girl suddenly went out of control, and we were stuck by the crystals as soon as we came up." Meowth danced and explained in detail. Xiang Guangtai turned his head and saw Molly surrounded by crystals, even though Ash's mother Delia tried to appease her: "Think about your real father and mother..."

But for Molly in front of her, it didn't seem to be of any use.

Ah, oh no.

Xiang Guangtai slapped his head.

Perhaps because he shattered the girl's "dream," she didn't enjoy the fun of summoning crystal Pokémon to fight. Because she didn't fulfill her dream and was constantly questioned, her heart became even more lonely than in the original work!

So, is it my fault?

"Hmm... then appease her."

Xiang Guangtai has a way to deal with this situation... Although the child's heart is very lonely, for a child who has lost both parents, compared to Mewtwo who was persecuted by humans and finally realized the truth and became a philosophy master, is the little girl's heart harder to deal with than Mewtwo?

Children need appeasement, guidance, and then, let her understand everything currently.

"Doublade." Xiang Guangtai commanded: "Psycho Cut."

"Yo-wu~" Doublade's eyes emitted a powerful psychic beam, and instantly dense and sharp mental threads filled the entire venue. Those solid and sharp crystals were easily cut off, the cuts were smooth and flat, and they could reflect people!

A large amount of cut mental crystals fell down. Gouging Fire snorted. In his opinion, it would be simpler to use his horns to crush these crystals, just a light bump...! As for that girl, whether she can survive depends on herself. Why bother?

"That's an ancient idea. The era of the law of the jungle is different from modern times."

Xiang Guangtai walked towards the shivering Molly, and the girl was completely frightened at this time.

The spikes created were easily split, and the beautiful and solid crystals couldn't stop the monster in front of her... This made Molly more and more afraid, and the more her mood fluctuated, the more thoroughly the power of the Unown in a certain hall was released!

Bang bang bang bang! Uncontrolled large columnar spikes kept emerging from the ground, the power of the Unown was completely released, and a runaway phenomenon occurred!

"Molly! Don't touch her!"

The fake Entei fighting outside witnessed all this, and he also discovered that the "Gouging Fire" had reached the top floor. He immediately knocked Charizard flying with one claw, and then used the crystal spikes extending from the tower as a springboard, wanting to go back to save his "daughter"!

But a blue-white violent flame suddenly fell from the sky!

Boom! The flames formed a wall of fire, burning quietly, as if it had life. Those flames were melting the crystal wall, and standing in front of the fake Entei was the real Entei of the Ho-Oh Guard!

The move just now was Sacred Fire!

"Are you... me?"

The fake Entei saw the "Entei" in front of him clearly this time, and the real Entei of the Ho-Oh Guard had no anger. He just looked at the fake Entei calmly, and a kind of sadness gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Phantom in fantasy... now the thing to do is not to fight. The power of the Unown has gone out of control. Once the power is released, even they themselves cannot control it. If this continues, the crystallization phenomenon will spread rapidly from the grassland until it spreads to the distant towns."

"The destruction they cause is immeasurable."

"What on earth are you! What on earth are you..." However, the fake Entei had fallen into mental agitation. It absolutely did not admit that it was just a fantasy product, even though the real Entei had already come to it, and even shouted angrily:

"I am Entei!"

"Is that so? It seems that only by using power can you understand the current situation. The girl's mental vibration has also caused you anxiety and pain." The real Entei surged with the flames of life. That is the holy fire that can make dying things regain their lives, the gift from Ho-Oh, and the change produced by combining his own power!

The two Entei started a one-on-one duel. Ash, riding Charizard, watched the development of this extraordinary situation in a daze. Just at this time, the originally crazily proliferating crystal spikes suddenly... slowed down in generation!

Inside the tower.

The originally terrified Molly had a funny big-headed doll in her hand.

When the doll of Calyrex was forcibly stuffed into her hand, her originally fearful heart calmed down.

Fear was dissipating, and the girl could see the people in front of her clearly again.

Then, in a daze, she was put on an orange-yellow amulet by Xiang Guangtai.

Amulet of Courage.

Both of these props have the effect of calming the soul, eliminating negative emotions, stimulating positive emotions, and resolving psychological barriers.

"The power of the soul is a power that can be truly seen. Although you are still young, you have caused such an exaggerated phenomenon. From this point of view, you may have great talent as a psychic."

Xiang Guangtai put his hand on Molly's head, and the Soul Amplification was slowly released, calming the uneasy and terrified soul. And beside Doublade, there was also a faint fluctuation, which was Aura.

Aura is with me. Doublade didn't forget the magical spell taught by Xiang Guangtai and was muttering silently.

"Everyone is a partner. Life meets life, and then new things will be born. If you go out to travel, where do you want to go?"

"On the way to travel, you will meet many new people, new Pokémon, fight with them, interact, and become partners. Your real father and mother are still alive, and they will see you soon. I won't lie to children."

Molly blinked, and she subconsciously held the Amulet of Courage around her neck. When Xiang Guangtai talked to her, although she didn't know the person in front of her, a sense of confidence and warmth burst out from the amulet, and her heart was also infected.

So gather your courage!

Children cannot understand escapism. They just don't want to admit the cruel reality, so they choose to weave beautiful dreams for themselves. And when they wake up from the beautiful dreams and finally glance at the future, that real and heavy scene will inevitably leave a deep impression on their hearts.

Next, it's time to choose. Continue to indulge in beautiful dreams, or gather courage and move towards a new tomorrow?

"I... I'm sorry."

Molly realized something. The amulet and the doll gradually resolved the negative parts of her emotions. When the child truly realized all this, that was the moment called "growth."

Next, it was the home field of Delia, who acted as a temporary mother. She hugged Molly, who was crying loudly, patted the girl's back gently, and comforted her in the gentlest tone, making this girl who was finally willing to face reality gradually become strong.

And Ash, Misty, and Brock also came to Molly's side. At this time, the battle outside the tower also came to an end.

Because Molly gathered her courage and dispelled the fear and darkness in her heart, the combat power of the fake Entei as a fantasy product dropped sharply. He was forced into a corner of the Crystal Tower by the real Entei, and the scars accumulated on his body no longer recovered quickly.

But the fake Entei also lost the desire to fight at the same time.

"I lost..." The fake Entei sensed Molly's inner changes. That courage also affected him, and in the battle with the real Entei, as Molly's cognition of her own reality recovered, he also began to realize his identity.

It turned out that he was really just a phantom, a fantasy product born as a father with only power.

How could this be, how could... this be!

"Is the battle over?"

The blue figure fell lightly from another tower. That was a Pokémon the fake Entei had never seen before. Entei nodded to it: "This is another member of the Ho-Oh Guard, Suicune."

"We three legendary beasts are Pokémon born with the grace of Lord Ho-Oh. We were burned to death in a great fire, and it was Lord Ho-Oh who resurrected us and gave us a noble mission. In a sense, our determination to protect Lord Ho-Oh is the same as your determination to protect your daughter."

"So, for the sake of your daughter, join us in stopping the runaway of the Unown, otherwise, she will be in danger! And this land is the same!"

"Roar!"

A huge roar came from the damaged part of the tower. Gouging Fire jumped down from the tower, shaking the ground with dust, and walked out of the smoke with momentum and low growls, looking down at the embarrassed fake Entei in front of him.

Hmph! The guy who was defeated below and fled halfway, are you going to taste failure again here?

In our era, a Pokémon like you would attract the attention of predators, and then they would gather in large numbers to bring you the most intense siege!

"Hmm... who are you?" The real Entei had wanted to ask for a long time. There are three "Entei" in front of him!

The real Entei, the phantom Entei, the paradoxical Entei!

Suicune looked at the three Entei gathering together. Even if he was usually as cold as him, he couldn't help but show a mischievous smile at this time.

This is really a rare scene! Ah, it's a pity that Raikou and Lord Ho-Oh can't see it. I really want them to see it too!

"You have similar power to the phantom me... but I feel that you are real. Why is that?"

Entei asked: "I heard your roar before, just like dream talk. You and me... no, what is the relationship between you and us?"

"Are the ruins about 'Entei' that appeared in the Johto region related to you? We are so similar..."

Ah... the three of us can form a new "Entei Guard" and become sworn partners?

The fake Entei didn't speak, just stared at Gouging Fire silently.

This question, he had wanted to know the answer to for a long time.

"Roar!" Gouging Fire glanced at the real Entei. This Entei gave him a completely different feeling—well, if the fake Entei's roar was like an inescapable nightmare, then the existence of the real Entei was probably "another me in the world," like an Easter egg in a dream?

So, let's get to know each other. I am a fire dragon from ancient times! Humans call me... Gouging Fire!

"Roar!"

Without further ado, let's stop this endless nightmare journey!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 188 =====