When An Xin'er gave him a firm answer, Hoopa ducked behind Baimu without a second thought. "Hoopa doesn't want to!"
Did she think he was stupid?
"..."
An Xin'er raised her thin arm, looking a little awkward.
She quickly pulled Hoopa aside and whispered, "Didn't we agree? You said you'd help me catch Rayquaza!"
When An Xin'er had first seen Rayquaza, all she'd thought was that if she could catch a Pokémon like that, maybe she could help her mother.
Hoopa had been the one to say he could help. He'd said he was an incredibly powerful Pokémon and that helping An Xin'er catch Rayquaza would be easy.
That was what had made her want to go after Rayquaza.
"Hoopa did say that, but Hoopa didn't mean now!"
Other people might not know how strong he really was, but Hoopa certainly did.
All that travel through Other-Dimensional Lumiose and Parallel Worlds might make it look as though he could go anywhere he pleased, but that was how his powers worked!
His powers were one thing. His strength was another.
The Pokémon World had always made a clear distinction between the two, which meant Hoopa had no chance of going toe-to-toe with Shiny Rayquaza right now.
An Xin'er stood frozen.
No matter how sensible she was, she was only six years old. She hadn't started school or seen much of the world.
And so Hoopa's boasting had fooled her completely.
The blow to her little heart was so great that she staggered and nearly fell.
Hoopa hurried to steady her. "I'm sorry. Hoopa's just too weak."
"..."
An Xin'er's expression shifted several times before she let out a heavy sigh. "It's okay. I got ahead of myself."
The little girl quickly accepted reality. Having inherited Diantha's excellent genes, she was so