The name Molly was very common. At least since coming to this world, Natsui had already met several people named Molly.
And hearing her call Delia 'Mom,' Ash immediately became anxious.
"Give me back my mom!"
Although Molly had gone to Pallet Town with her parents a few years ago and had even taken a group photo together, it was clear that neither of them had any impression of the other. They had only met once, and they were young at the time. Seeing each other now, they had no memory at all and were no different from strangers.
And seeing this person admit that she was Molly, Misty still found it hard to believe. She leaned close to Natsui and whispered, puzzled, "She's Molly? But didn't Aunt Delia say she was very young?"
Natsui pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Since this is the world she has created, it's not surprising that she would appear before us as an adult."
On the other side, Molly stared intently at Ash. Even facing this legitimate son who was related to Delia by blood, she showed no weakness and had no thought of being in the wrong.
"She's my mom now. If you want to take her back, then battle me!"
It had to be said, this had turned into a game of snatching a mother…
Although she had taken on the appearance of an adult, Molly's mind was still immature, and her speech was inevitably still that of a child.
But then again, it made sense. After all, only a naive little girl like her would do something so childish.
And hearing such an outrageous request, even if Ash didn't want to fight, he now had to agree. But just as he was about to battle, Brock suddenly took a step forward.
"Ash, I'll hold her off! You guys go and rescue her!"
"Huh?" Ash was taken aback. "But…"
"There are no buts!" Brock said decisively. "Aunt Delia must be up there right now, waiting for you to rescue her! You can't delay here!"
At this point, he added in a half-joking tone, "And although Molly is essentially a little girl, since she's appearing before us as a beautiful big sister, her opponent should be me."
Brock's actions at this moment undoubtedly moved Ash.
This was the reliability of a trustworthy teammate. At a critical moment, he could always step up to share the pressure for his companions.
But, Natsui had reason to suspect that, given Brock's personality, his choice to stay behind was very likely just because he was smitten.
Seeing Brock insist on battling Molly, Ash couldn't help but hesitate. And seeing his indecision, it was finally Natsui who made the decision.
"Alright then, we'll leave this to you. Be careful, and don't be careless," Natsui said to Brock. He then looked at Ash and Misty. "Alright, time is tight. Let's get going."
Since Natsui had made the decision, Ash's heart was set, and he no longer hesitated, following behind him with Misty, rushing towards the staircase.
The three of them ran past Molly and Entei, but the expected interception did not happen. Molly looked straight ahead, with no intention of stopping them, not even giving them a proper look, as if she wasn't worried at all that they would snatch Delia away.
After climbing the stairs and reaching a higher level, Natsui looked back one last time.
At that moment, Brock had already taken a stance against Molly and had taken the initiative to send out his Golbat to battle. And Molly had also materialized a Poké Ball, sending out a Flaaffy to fight back.
In the blink of an eye, the two Pokémon were already battling.
Misty asked, not without worry, "Will he be okay on his own?"
"Believe in him," Natsui said without stopping. "After all, he's also an official Gym Leader. He won't be defeated so easily."
As they climbed higher and higher, the grassland below soon disappeared. And when they left this level, the surroundings became silent again, as if they were in a void.
The environment here became even more bizarre. The crystals were like the branches of trees, and also like cell nuclei, spreading out in all directions. The feeling was as if they were inside some kind of alien creature.
After running upwards for a long time, a few minutes later, light reappeared before them.
And when they reached this level, the scenery changed again. This time, what appeared before them was a vast, boundless sea under the dusk sky.
The sunlight was not so dazzling. Under the sea breeze, the leaves of the palm trees swayed gently. Their shoes left a string of footprints on the sand, which were then washed clean by the waves.
Although everything before them was so real, they knew that, just like before, it was all an illusion created by the Unown.
At the very least, when the sea breeze blew on his face, Natsui didn't smell the sea.
He figured that these illusions were all based on Molly's memories, but she was unable to remember such details, which was why this place was not so perfect.
Just as they were looking for any sign of Delia, a flash of light appeared beside them, and Molly had once again appeared before them.
Misty's eyes widened in surprise.
"What's going on? How did she appear? Isn't she supposed to be battling Brock right now!?"
Because he didn't remember the plot, Natsui also didn't know if the Molly before them had quickly defeated Brock and then teleported here, or if it was a new avatar.
But whatever it was, he didn't forget to remind the two behind him, "This place is too strange. Let's be careful and adapt to whatever comes."
Before they could ask, Molly crossed her arms again and smiled at Ash. "I told you, it's impossible for you to take back your mom. This time, who among you will battle me? I hope to fight someone stronger."
And hearing her words, Natsui knew that Brock must have lost the battle just now.
As Molly spoke, Entei also appeared before her, watching them with a calm gaze.
In fact, after seeing the environment here, Misty had already made up her mind. At this moment, she also knew that after Brock, it was her turn to step up.
She took a step forward and said solemnly, "It's my turn this time! Natsui, Ash, you guys continue up and rescue Aunt Delia."
Natsui hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Then you be careful. Brock must have been defeated by her. It seems she's very tough to deal with. But her real body should be with Aunt Delia right now. When we get there, the illusion should be dispelled."
"I understand!"
And with Brock's experience, Ash didn't say much this time. He followed behind Natsui and ran towards the stairs on the side again.
This time, Molly still didn't stop them, just fixed her gaze on Misty. At this moment, the two women were staring at each other, their auras fully released, both full of fighting spirit.
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