A Sudden Farewell

The girl raced through the jungle. Neither thorny bushes nor trees with sprawling branches slowed her steps.

The scenery around her flew backward.

Suddenly, the Hoppip in her arms struggled free. "Na-na!"

A swift Fairy Wind shot forward through the branches and leaves.

"Sha."

Ekans glanced over and prepared to dodge.

But suddenly, it realized it could not move.

An invisible force held it fast, bearing down on it with immense pressure.

Bang!

Fairy Wind struck the rigid Ekans head-on, then slammed it hard against the tree behind it.

"Icy Wind!"

"Fairy Wind!"

Dian and the girl gave their commands almost simultaneously.

Whoosh!

Swirling currents laced with snow and blades of ice hurtled toward Ekans as it slid to the foot of the tree.

Boom!

When the wind and snow settled, they revealed an Ekans stiff all over and coated in snowflakes.

"Sha..."

Ekans managed a weak cry before collapsing to the ground, unable to fight any longer.

"Phew—"

Dian breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he realize that his whole body was covered in cold sweat. He was about to raise a hand to wipe his forehead when he noticed a faint green glow rising from his body, growing steadily brighter.

Even his body seemed to be turning faint and insubstantial.

"Na-na?"

By then, even Hoppip had noticed the green light around itself. It hopped a few times, but when it found it could not shake the light off, it settled down and tilted its head in confusion.

It was not just them. The entire forest gave off a faint green glow, including Ekans, whose eyes had already turned into spirals.

"Time's up."

Understanding dawned on Dian. He knew Celebi had dealt with the trouble and was now displaying its power once more, correcting everything that had been distorted and returning all things to where they belonged.

"Thank—"

He had barely begun to speak when his figure vanished, along with Hoppip and Ekans on the ground.

Only the astonished girl and the curious Smoochum remained.

The girl slowly lowered her outstretched hand. "We didn't even get to introduce ourselves..."

She seemed a little dejected.

"Smoo."

Smoochum gave her a kiss, as though trying to cheer her up.

The girl chuckled and stroked the Smoochum in her arms. "If fate brings us together, we'll definitely meet again."

With that, she turned and headed deeper into the jungle.

Soon, as the Pokémon that did not originally belong there disappeared, the slumbering Island Forest grew peaceful again, as tranquil and mysterious as it had always been.

The island's inhabitants, too, went about their ordinary lives, as though endlessly repeating the past, living on forever.

After watching Dian vanish completely into the green light, Liyin, Misdreavus, and Beedrill were just about to run over when specks of green light began dancing throughout the forest. At the same time, brilliant shafts of light pierced the black clouds and shone down into the woods.

Suddenly, Rainbow Light flashed across the horizon, and an invisible wind accompanied the multicolored glow, gradually scattering the dark clouds.

"Bii!"

A cry that pierced space and time rang out.

Every ominous trace vanished with it. The trees uprooted by Twister, the jungle destroyed by fire, and the Pokémon lying gravely wounded on the ground all returned to their original state.

The mysterious figure vanished in a flash.

The Pokémon that had disappeared from the forest reappeared.

Thud!

An Ekans slowly woke up. It shook its head, looking somewhat dispirited, then began slithering forward.

"Ratta?!"

A Rattata that had been about to flee noticed that Ekans was not chasing it. Instead, Ekans passed by with its head hanging low, much to Rattata's surprise.

Had its escape skills become so incredible that it could turn invisible?

Delighted, Rattata spun around in celebration, then ran toward its companions. It wanted to share its joy with the other Rattata.

"Mis!!"

Dian had barely opened his eyes when Misdreavus flew at him and grabbed his hair, overjoyed.

Even Beedrill felt a rare sense of relief. It flew over as well, with Dian's backpack hanging from the poisonous stinger on its arm.

"What was that just now?"

Once she saw that Dian seemed unharmed, Liyin asked in astonishment.

"A Pokémon's power."

Dian hesitated. Rather than naming Celebi outright, he gave a vague answer.

"A Pokémon?!!"

Liyin froze. That miraculous power had actually come from a Pokémon.

She felt her entire worldview being rewritten once again.

"Yeah. Looks like we were really lucky. We may have just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Dian was filled with emotion.

Traveling through space and time probably really was something that happened only once in a lifetime.

At that moment, Hoppip came to its senses as well. It immediately ran over and held up two pale stalks of Star Grass, as though seeking praise.

Only then did Dian remember. He hurriedly opened his thick padded coat, revealing a pure-white stalk of grass lying inside. It looked extraordinary.

What a haul!

Excitement spread across his face. Although he had faced some danger, he had not only experienced a rare adventure but also obtained some valuable treasures.

Of course, their monetary value was not what mattered most to Dian. What mattered was that he could continue his unique Beedrill training method.

Dian immediately took two airtight containers from his backpack and placed the pure-white Star Grass inside.

He put the oldest specimen in a container of its own, while the other two went into the second container.

"The Void Thorn?"

Dian was about to put away the Void Thorn he had been carrying against his chest as well, but not a single stalk remained.

Only then did he remember that, in the other time period, he had hastily given all his Void Thorn to the purple-haired girl.

Dian looked up into the distance. Before he knew it, the sun had begun sinking in the west. The deep-red setting sun was still casting its final rays, its lonely beauty carrying a grandeur that stirred the heart.

A flock of Pidgey circled over the reborn forest, as though giving thanks for something.

Three of the Pidgey looked rather small. They stayed close behind a stern-looking Pidgeotto with a tuft of pink feathers on its head, afraid they might accidentally get separated from the flock again.

Suddenly, Pidgeotto glanced toward Dian and the others, then turned its sharp eyes forward.

"Bii!"

It beat its wings and soared high, calling several times. Two Pidgeotto broke away from the flock and followed it, speeding toward the distant mountains. Soon, they disappeared from sight.