Swift as the Wind: Fairy Wind

Dian had long struggled with how to raise Hoppip. He had no great fortune behind him, so every Pokémon he trained needed to be useful—and trained exceptionally well.

Only then could he do right by the Pokémon that had chosen to follow him.

But he was also reluctant to force his Pokémon to change. If Hoppip truly disliked battling, there was always the Pokémon Contest circuit. She could also support the rest of his team.

So ever since catching Hoppip, Dian had made no special demands of her.

Judging by what she had just done, though, she seemed to have remarkable talent.

Holding Hoppip in one arm and three or four Red Pupil Berries in the other, Dian carefully avoided the direction Ekans had gone and made his way to a secluded patch of grass.

He sat down slowly. Only then did he notice how badly his whole body ached.

That was hardly surprising. He had run hard through the rain earlier.

Dian looked around, his expression grave.

If his guess was right, they were in the past—or, more precisely, temporarily in the past.

The black clouds, the Lightning, and even the Twister had clearly been the work of a mysterious Pokémon. The downpour afterward must have been Celebi's doing.

By that logic, the final green light had been a special power Celebi used to protect the lives that had failed to reach the lakeside in time, sending them temporarily to some point in the past.

Once it was safe, Celebi would withdraw her Blessing. Time itself would then correct the anomaly and send these trespassers back where they belonged.

Dian bit into a Red Pupil Berry and found it far sweeter than he had imagined.

He wondered if he could take some back with him when he left.

"Here, eat up."

He offered one of the Red Pupil Berries to Hoppip.

"Nana."

Hoppip's little eyes narrowed with delight. She caught the berry with the leaves atop her head and began taking tiny bites.

As she ate, those leaves kept trembling faintly, as though sensing movement around them.

Dian noticed at once, and warmth spread through his chest.

He gently stroked Hoppip's triangular ears.

"Nana?"

Hoppip gave him a puzzled look. When she saw that nothing was wrong, she happily returned to her food.

Rustle, rustle...

A green Bug Pokémon with distinctive red antennae was munching on leaves as it crawled steadily toward a better spot.

Suddenly, a pair of cold yellow snake eyes fixed on it.

Caterpie froze and fell from the tree. Luckily, it landed in a clump of grass and escaped serious injury.

But after using Leer, Ekans paid the hapless Caterpie no attention. Its eyes pierced through the layers of foliage and settled on a familiar face.

What a perfect opportunity!

A chill gleamed in its yellow eyes, along with a hint of vicious satisfaction.

Ekans flicked its tongue and slithered silently toward its target.

Dian was deep in thought.

Then, without warning—

"Nana!"

Hoppip gave a soft cry, her voice wary and a little tense.

The leaves atop her head spun rapidly. Something was closing in fast.

Dian quietly set down the berry in his hand, his eyes turning cold.

This time, he did not hide.

"Come out, Ekans," he called coldly.

He stood still after speaking, scanning his surroundings.

A dark shape suddenly lunged at him.

Dian immediately rolled out of the way.

He did not get up. Instead, he rolled backward once more. Sure enough, Ekans landed right where he had been.

At that moment, a swift gust of Fairy Wind struck Ekans.

Ekans had been focused entirely on Dian. Caught off guard, it was sent flying straight toward a nearby tree.

"Sss!"

Ekans whipped its tail around and struck the tree behind it, bringing itself to a stop.

It twisted onto a branch and coiled there, flicking its tongue as it stared coldly at Dian and Hoppip.

Ekans had thought Hoppip was just a useless little thing. Apparently, it could not underestimate any Pokémon belonging to this human.

It hesitated, then chose to retreat. Once it had recovered its strength, it would return to settle the score.

Dian spotted a wound on Ekans's belly. Beedrill had left that mark.

So it was Ekans after all!

Dian had already been suspicious. There was plenty of easy prey nearby, yet Ekans had gone out of its way to attack him. Now he knew why: an old grudge.

His time in the Forest had not been spent on training alone. Pokémon sometimes came looking for trouble, and one Ekans had done so more often than any other.

Each time it came, Dian's Pokémon drove it off. Yet it kept coming back, defeat after defeat.

Dian had wondered why he had not seen it lately. The wound from their last encounter had not healed, so it had been lying low to recover.

This time, it must have noticed that neither Beedrill nor Misdreavus was with him and seized the chance for Payback.

Dian felt a headache coming on. If Beedrill or Misdreavus were here, he would gladly take the battle experience Ekans had delivered to his door. But right now, he had only Hoppip, who had little experience in battle.

The fight itself was manageable. What worried him was poison. Ekans had no venomous fangs, but it knew Poison Sting.

And judging by their previous battles, it had put plenty of work into Poison Sting, probably in preparation for its eventual Evolution.

His backpack was not with him. If Hoppip got poisoned, they would be in trouble.

Grass-type Pokémon were especially vulnerable to Poison-type attacks.

Whatever happens, I need to find Antidote Grass.

Dian considered his options. Fortunately, he still had five stalks of Void Thorn. They could serve as a makeshift Potion, which was better than having nothing.

He shook his head. He had been so close to the lakeside. Could Celebi really not have made an exception?

If I ever get the chance... No, forget it. I'd be the one getting a lecture.

Only when Ekans had vanished completely did Hoppip relax a little. She hurried back, picked up a Red Pupil Berry, and resumed eating.

Dian was at a loss for words. She really was a little Glutton.

"Nana?"

Noticing Dian watching her, Hoppip tilted her head. After a moment's hesitation, she held out the Red Pupil Berry in her leaves, offering him some.

Dian smiled and stroked her head. "You eat it. Have as much as you want."

"I'm counting on you to protect me for a while."

He meant it as encouragement.

It was also the plain truth. He could tell Hoppip how to fight, but charging in himself? Not a chance. He had no intention of getting himself killed.

"Nana!"

Hoppip answered with a spirited cry, then lost herself completely in the delicious Red Pupil Berry.