On the outskirts of Dahara City.
When Ash had suddenly disappeared, Serena, Clemont, and the others had been quite panicked.
Fortunately, Steven had promptly calmed everyone down, called Ash, and confirmed his location.
"Then let's meet up in Dahara City."
"No need. Hoopa can bring you over right now!"
With the help of Hoopa's ring, Steven and the others joined Ash in Dahara City.
Meanwhile, Meray returned from buying Donuts.
Seeing Ash and the others, Meray knew Hoopa had probably gotten carried away playing again.
"I'm Meray. I've been taking care of Hoopa."
Dressed all in white, Meray had nothing particularly remarkable about her appearance, except perhaps the golden ring of Arceus on her chest.
That caught Steven's attention.
Even though she spent most of her time in the Valley of Creation, Meray recognized Steven, the renowned Champion.
The reason was simple: Steven was just that famous.
From where Steven and the others stood,
they could see Dahara Tower, built from white stone and standing majestically in the sunlight.
Behind Dahara Tower stood a golden wheel shaped like Arceus's golden ring.
Meray and Hoopa were headed to Dahara Tower to meet her older brother, Barza.
But Meray had an ominous feeling.
She had lost contact with her brother Barza.
Ash asked in confusion, "If Hoopa has that ability, why not go straight there through a golden ring?"
Meray explained, "Hoopa can't pass through its own golden rings."
At the mention of this, even the happy-go-lucky Hoopa couldn't help feeling a little dejected.
But that wasn't much of a problem.
The moment Serena brought out the Donuts, Hoopa perked right up.
"Why does Hoopa love Donuts so much?"
Meray explained with a smile, "That goes back to when we were little..."
Barza, Meray, Kopu, Piet, Luca, and the others had grown