With Aggron and the others stalling for time, Yveltal arrived first, followed by the sibling duo Latias and Latios to provide reinforcements.
With the help of these three Legendary Pokémon, the tentacles were quickly eliminated.
However, as the various Pokémon looked at the vanished tentacles and the charred land left in the wake, they were all dumbfounded.
Where was Kirlia?
Staraptor and Talonflame landed from the sky and jumped into the center of the scorched earth. They continuously dug at the ground with their claws, carving out a pit, yet Kirlia was still nowhere to be seen.
Could Kirlia have... died?
The pair leaned their heads together as tears slid down their faces, one by one.
Voir voir~
Gal gal~
Just then, two flustered cries rang out. Everyone looked back to see Gardevoir and Gallade stumbling toward them.
It turned out they had heard about what happened and had come running to find Kirlia.
As Psychic-type Pokémon, they possessed sharp intuition. Upon arriving at the scene, both felt a terrible premonition in their hearts.
They looked all around but never saw Kirlia's figure. In a panic, Gardevoir grabbed Hippowdon to ask:
Voir~ voir~ Where is Kirlia?
Hippowdon's gaze instinctively darted away, which only intensified the unease in Gardevoir and Gallade's hearts.
At this moment, Excadrill stepped forward and, enduring his own grief, told the couple what had happened to Kirlia.
Gardevoir could not accept the reality; after swaying for a moment, she fell straight backward, but fortunately, Gallade caught her in time.
Gallade then supported Gardevoir as they went to the spot where Kirlia had vanished, and the pair knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Gardevoir cupped the mud in her hands, and tears streamed out, quickly soaking her face.
Gallade held his wife's shoulders, sobbing aloud as well.
Seeing this scene, the other Pokémon could not help but shed tears of their own.
Poli poli~
Noiv noiv~
Talonflame and Staraptor approached with expressions of guilt, signaling that it was because of their reckless attack that Kirlia had ended up in danger.
Gardevoir looked up and stared at the pair for a moment, then shook her head gently.
Although she was grief-stricken, her reason remained. How could she blame Talonflame and Staraptor? They had been trying to rescue Kirlia!
If there was anyone to blame, it was only that tentacle monster.
Gardevoir and Gallade's understanding only made Talonflame and Staraptor feel even more guilty.
Just then, Riolu and the two Combee also walked over, their eyes glistening with tears.
If Kirlia hadn't tried to save them, she would have been perfectly capable of escaping on her own.
The sadness was wordless. For a time, all the Pokémon present suppressed their cries, but tears flowed uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, with Ange.
Under Nurse Joy's treatment, Umbreon had successfully passed the life-threatening stage.
However, it remained weak and was still in a coma. It would likely require a long period of recuperation before it could fully recover.
During Umbreon's treatment, Ange learned through communication with Meowth and Houndour that Umbreon's injuries had actually been caused by the same tentacle monster he had encountered previously.
The three Pokémon had originally lived in the woods outside the city, but while they were out foraging this morning, they were attacked by the suddenly appearing tentacles.
Meowth and Houndour were children Umbreon had taken in, and as its family, it had naturally blocked the way for them without hesitation.
In reality, Umbreon's strength was quite good, but it had underestimated the power of the tentacles.
This was, after all, a monster brought about by the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde losing control!
As a result, Umbreon sustained heavy injuries after only a few exchanges.
Fortunately, an unknown Pokémon appeared just in time and intervened, blocking the tentacles that were continuing to attack Umbreon.
Afterward, that unknown Pokémon instructed Meowth and Houndour to take the unconscious Umbreon away, while it stayed behind to deal with the tentacles.
When they got to this point, Meowth and Houndour could not help but worry about that Pokémon's safety, wondering if it had succeeded in eliminating the monster.
It would be terrible if it had been injured!
After that, Meowth and Houndour carried the unconscious Umbreon, at a loss, and wandered aimlessly into the Royal Capital, eventually hiding in the sewers.
After listening to the description from the two Pokémon, Ange's brow furrowed.
The ecological imbalance in Kalos was intensifying. If this continued to develop, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ange was a bit curious about which Pokémon had saved Umbreon, as neither Meowth nor Houndour recognized it.
Judging by the chaotic description from the two Pokémon, Ange could not guess its identity.
Could it be a Pokémon from another region? One thing was certain: its strength must be exceptional.
As he thought about this, Ange saw Nurse Joy and Chansey wheeling Umbreon out. He hurried to meet them with Darkrai, Meowth, and Houndour.
Nurse Joy smiled and said, "Your Highness, Umbreon is fine. It just needs good rest from here on out."
Ange said gratefully, "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I am deeply indebted."
Meow meow~
Awooo~
Meowth and Houndour also thanked Nurse Joy with faces full of gratitude.
Nurse Joy gave a sweet smile and said, "You're welcome, it's all in a day's work."
Meowth and Houndour couldn't help but think: Nurse Joy is truly beautiful!
Of course, Ange, who had saved Umbreon, was also very handsome!
Afterward, Nurse Joy prescribed some medicine for Umbreon. As long as it was taken on time, Umbreon would recover quickly.
After paying the bill, Ange returned and asked Meowth and Houndour, "What are your plans for the future?"
Meowth and Houndour looked at each other, their faces showing a trace of confusion.
With Umbreon unconscious, they had no idea where to go.
Ange continued, "Why don't you come home with me for the time being? Umbreon needs a suitable environment to recover."
Meowth and Houndour looked grateful upon hearing this.
During their time spent with Ange, both Pokémon had fully experienced his kindness, so the wariness they had felt earlier was long gone.
"In that case, let's get going!" Ange said with a smile. He then turned his head toward Darkrai and said, "Darkrai, you carry Umbreon."
Dark~ Darkrai obediently picked Umbreon up from the cart.
Just as Ange was planning to take the Pokémon home, his phone suddenly rang.
He took it out and saw that the caller was actually Diancie. He couldn't help but look puzzled.
Could it be that she was worried because I had been delayed too long?
After he answered the phone, Diancie's face, full of anxiety and grief, appeared on the screen.
"What's wrong, Diancie?" Ange suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Ange..." Overcome with grief, Diancie recounted what had happened to Kirlia at high speed.
Ange's expression shifted violently upon hearing it. He immediately hung up the phone and said to Darkrai, "Darkrai, take me home as fast as you can."
Darkrai had also overheard Diancie and knew Ange was in a hurry, so it tucked Umbreon under its left arm and grabbed Ange, tucking him under its right arm.
Then, two long legs sprouted from its previously ethereal lower body.
Dark~~ Darkrai let out a cry to Meowth and Houndour, and upon hearing this, the two Pokémon quickly grabbed onto its legs.
Just like that, Darkrai took flight with Ange and the three Pokémon, returning to the Munchlax Home in the blink of an eye.
After arriving home through a spatial portal, Ange first had Darkrai take Umbreon and the others to a guest room to settle in, while he walked briskly downstairs.
He saw that all the Pokémon were gathered in the first-floor lobby without a word, some still sobbing softly.
"Everyone!" Ange called out.
Seeing Ange return, the Pokémon gathered around him as if they had found their pillar of support.
Voir~
Gal~
Gardevoir and Gallade stepped forward, both of their eyes bloodshot.
Ange reached out to hug them, then looked at the other Pokémon. "Who can tell me what happened in detail?"
Diancie had only given him a rough idea over the phone.
Like Gardevoir and Gallade, Ange could not accept Kirlia's death at this moment. He tried to find a glimmer of hope for Kirlia's survival in the minutiae of what had happened.
As Ange finished speaking, Riolu, the two Combee, Aggron, and the others all stood forward.
Ange noticed the evolution of Aggron and Excadrill. Under normal circumstances, he would have been overjoyed and announced a feast to celebrate.
But at this moment, he had absolutely no mood for it.
Just then, Latias and Latios also flew up to Ange. Their eyes shimmered with blue light, and Ange immediately found the scene around him changing drastically.
He appeared in a familiar flower field. In the center of the field, Kirlia was chatting and laughing with Riolu and the two Combee.
Under the sunlight, the scene of Kirlia holding fresh flowers and dancing gracefully with light steps was so beautiful, yet it made Ange's heart even sadder.
How could such a wonderful Kirlia be dead?
What Ange was seeing now were the memories Kirlia had shared with Riolu and the others.
This was one of the abilities of Latias and Latios—Dream Projection.
Through this ability, Latias and Latios could view the scenes they had seen or were currently seeing.
They could also reconstruct the experiences in other Pokémon's memories by reading them.
What Ange was seeing now were the memories belonging to Riolu and the two Combee.
Then, by viewing the memories of Aggron, Talonflame, and the other Pokémon, Ange understood exactly what had happened.
Once the projection ended, the surrounding scene disappeared, and Ange reappeared in his first-floor lobby.
"Kirlia must be alright. None of you actually saw the moment of its death, right?" Ange recalled the image of the incident and comforted the other Pokémon, while simultaneously comforting himself.
The Pokémon's eyes lit up with a spark of hope!
That's right! Ange was right; none of them had seen Kirlia's death.
"Kirlia was just taken away by an unknown force; it definitely isn't dead!" Ange continued.
Voir~
Gal~
Gardevoir and Gallade didn't know if everyone else believed Ange, but they certainly did.
On one hand, they could not accept Kirlia's death; they wanted to cling to even the faintest hope.
On the other hand, it was Ange who said it, and they were willing to believe everything Ange said.
But if Kirlia wasn't dead, where was she now?
Therefore, the most urgent task was to find Kirlia.
Kirlia's disappearance was bizarre, and everyone was completely at a loss on how to find her.
Suddenly, Ange had an inspiration. "I know how to find Kirlia!"
The Pokémon all looked at Ange with surprise.
Ange said, "I know a psychic who can foresee the future. We can ask her to help us locate Kirlia!"
The person Ange was referring to was, naturally, the Gym Leader of Anistar City, Olympia.
So, under the expectant gazes of the Pokémon, Ange dialed Olympia's number.
Soon, Olympia's face appeared on the screen.
"Ange, long time no see! I am very happy that you contacted me!"
"Long time no see, Olympia! I am also very happy to see you again, but I have a favor to ask of you this time!" Ange began.
Olympia appreciated Ange and was very accommodating. "Tell me, if I can help, I will certainly try my best!"
Ange was overjoyed upon hearing this and told Olympia about Kirlia.
Olympia fell into deep thought after hearing the story.
"I have heard of that tentacle monster. It is inextricably linked to the disaster that Kalos is about to face!"
It turned out that when Ash and his friends had challenged the gym, Olympia had already predicted through them that the Kalos region was about to face a major catastrophe.
Green flames were burning across the Kalos continent!
Within those green flames, she had seen the figures of Ash and his friends, and at the same time, they were the key to resolving the disaster.
Olympia continued, "As for locating Kirlia, perhaps I can help. However, I cannot conduct a prediction over the phone; you need to come before me in person!"
Ange quickly said, "No problem, I will set out for Anistar City immediately!"
Olympia added, "You should bring Gallade and Gardevoir. With them present, the possibility of me predicting Kirlia's location will be much higher!"
Ange nodded. "I understand. I will bring Gallade and Gardevoir!"
Gallade and Gardevoir, who were to the side, finally showed a trace of a smile on their faces upon hearing this.
They knew Ange would have a way!
After hanging up, Ange said to the Pokémon, "I am going to Anistar City to inquire about Kirlia's location. I leave it to you all to protect the house!"
The Pokémon all assured him that they would look after the house well.
Ange added, "You must be vigilant against the tentacles appearing again."
Kirlia's incident this time was partly because everyone had let their guard down.
After the tentacles first appeared, everyone had indeed remained on guard for a period, but as they never reappeared, everyone gradually relaxed.
Of course, Ange felt he had a responsibility as well; he hadn't reminded them after they had grown lax.