Outside, Eevee gently patted the bubble wall with its little paws, but it could not penetrate the seemingly fragile Barrier.
With every pat, faint ripples spread across the bubble's surface, as if responding to it, yet the barrier did not budge.
"Vee! Vee!" Eevee's voice was plainly anxious. Its fluffy tail stood high, and its big brown eyes stared unblinking at the bubble.
Behind Eevee, Blaziken had risen to its feet as well. Its blue eyes were fixed tightly on the bubble, its aura as steady as a mountain, yet faintly tense.
Its right claw shifted half a step forward—that was the stance it took when ready to attack at any moment.
Gardevoir floated beside Eevee, her red eyes narrowing slightly as her Psychic Field quietly began to circulate.
She did not act rashly, but she was ready to make a move at any time.
Mightyena, Zigzagoon, Krokorok, Milotic, Charmander, Axew, Weedle, Golem—every Pokémon had gathered around the bubble.
Just then, Old Sceptile leaped up from the edge of the platform. His aged body cast a long shadow beneath the moonlight, his steps steady and unhurried.
He walked before his companions, calmly gazed at them with his amber eyes, then let out a low, reassuring cry.
"Sceptile... Sceptile!" (Don't worry. Celebi means no harm. It is only talking to your Trainer and will not hurt him.)
Eevee stopped patting the bubble wall and turned around, a trace of uncertainty still lingering in its brown eyes.
"Vee?" (Really?)
Old Sceptile nodded slightly. He walked to the edge of the platform and sat cross-legged, his amber eyes turned toward the bubble. There was no worry in his gaze, only the calm and certainty born of long experience.
Eevee hesitated, then finally retreated from the bubble's edge. Still, it crouched in the nearest