Pokemon: Radical Redux

The message Ash sent through Aura flowed through the air and traveled all the way back to Charicific Valley, where Charizard was training with the King Charizard.

Charizard was breathing heavily as the King smirked at him. "Charizard! [Better, but still not good enough. Though it's interesting you managed to learn 'that' technique.]"

Charizard wiped the sweat from his brow. "Char-izard… [Yeah, well, you know if I could transform, I could beat you.]"

The King laughed. "Char! [I know you could, but the fact that you need a transformation to beat me only proves my point. Don't you want to be strong enough to defeat me with your own power?]"

Charla flew up, holding two big bowls of water, and handed one to each of them. "Char. [Oh, both of you, stop it! You nearly destroyed the valley the last time you pulled that stunt. Can't you take a break for one day?]"

The King chuckled as he took the bowl. "Char-izard~ [Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were upset that I was beating up your boyfriend~.]"

"Char! [We are not dating, you big oaf!]" Charla snapped, looking annoyed, as Charizard took his bowl and started sipping as well.

"Charizard~ [Well, sorry. I just assumed that since you keep all the other girls away, it was because you already claimed him. But I can go tell them he's available—I'm sure they'd be thrilled~.]" The King gestured behind Charizard, where a group of female Charizard was watching him with admiration in their eyes.

As Charla argued further with the King, who continued teasing her, you might be wondering why she could do so casually, without any fear, while every other Charizard quivered in his presence. The answer is simple: Charla is his daughter, the princess.

Charizard, meanwhile, sipped his water and watched the scene with amusement. He chuckled and took another sip when suddenly a message shot into his mind. It was Ash's voice: "I need you here."

Charizard didn't hesitate. His grip tightened, and he crushed the stone bowl in his hands, startling everyone. They stared at him in confusion as his expression grew serious and his red eyes glowed with determination. "Charizard! [I need to go.]"

As he flapped his wings and shot into the air, the King blocked his way. "Charizard. [Where do you think you're going? You're still far too weak.]"

Charizard glared at the King with an intensity the elder had not seen since their first battle. "Char… [I'm going, and you're not going to stop me…]" he said dangerously.

The King smirked, clearly enjoying the challenge. "Char. [Then show me.]"

Charizard clenched his fists as blue flames ignited around them, forming blade-like shapes. With a roar, he launched himself at the King.

—--

Entei ran back into the room, and when he arrived, Molly was there, holding a little broom and sweeping. "Yoisho, yoisho..." she mumbled under her breath. When she saw Entei and Delia, she immediately dropped the broom, ran over, and jumped into Delia's arms.

"Mom! It's me, Molly, your daughter! I knew you would come back!"

Delia felt a knot form in her throat. She had wanted to see Molly again, but not like this. It was clear that Molly wasn't in her right mind, but Delia couldn't bring herself to shatter her dreams. Instead, she gently placed her hand on Molly's head and began to pat her softly.

"Yes, I'm here. Don't worry, Molly. I'll protect you no matter what," Delia said with a warm smile.

As they sat on the bed, Delia cradled Molly, resting the little girl's head on her lap. Molly quickly fell asleep, looking peaceful and content for the first time in a while. Entei stood silently in the corner, waiting patiently for Molly to tell him what to do.

Delia gazed at the child in her lap, her heart heavy with worry. She couldn't stop thinking about Ash. She knew he wouldn't sit idly by; that wasn't who he was. She only hoped he was safe.

Her attention turned back to Molly. The poor girl was traumatized, her mind clouded by confusion and pain. On the side table, Delia noticed a photo. It was of Molly's real mother. Yet in her current state, Molly didn't even seem to remember her.

Delia meant every word she had said. She would protect Molly and find a way to get her out of there. But deep down, she worried about the toll this was taking on Molly's fragile mind. Whatever was coming, Delia hoped it wouldn't break her further.

—-

Ash walked down the crystalline road alongside Misty, Brock, and Yellow. They came across a stream as it hadn't been turned into crystal-like everything else. Misty, the group's water expert, looked up and confirmed her thoughts.

"At least the water didn't change to crystal. If we follow this stream, we should be able to get to the mansion."

Ash, however, didn't wait. He grabbed a Pokéball and tossed it into the air.

"Not good enough. Lapras, take care of this," he said flatly.

Lapras emerged from the Pokéball, nodded, and fired an [Ice Beam], freezing the water and even the waterfall. When the task was done, Ash gave Lapras a brief pat before returning her to her Pokéball. Without a word, he began walking across the frozen stream.

Misty, Brock, and Yellow exchanged uneasy glances. They couldn't help but notice how different Ash seemed. Normally, he would've cracked a joke like "See? Easy," or "Modern problems need modern solutions." But now, he walked in silence, his face set with a grim determination.

They couldn't even blame him or ask him what's wrong, since well it was obvious what's wrong, his mom got kidnapped, and he was mad, and he stopped smiling. So they could only follow quickly trying to keep up since Ash showed no interest in waiting for them, it was completely different to the Ash they knew.

As they hurried to keep up with him, the ground beneath them began to shift. The crystals started to spread, and suddenly, a sharp, spiked crystal shot toward Ash at incredible speed.

Before anyone could shout a warning, Ash reached out, caught the crystal with his bare hand, and crushed it without even stopping. Then, he kept walking.

When they reached the frozen waterfall, before anyone could offer a suggestion, Ash grabbed a Pokéball and threw it in a high arc. It landed at the top of the waterfall and opened, revealing Venusaur.

Ash gave a sharp whistle, and Venusaur extended a thick vine down toward the group. Ash grabbed it, and then looked at the others.

"You coming or not?" he asked, his tone firm.

"Uhh, right!" they said in unison, quickly running to grab the vine. Venusaur began pulling them up, one by one, with ease.

—

Back in the mansion, Molly was sitting on Delia's lap, watching TV. The channels continued to broadcast the situation outside, including the news reporter covering the crystallization spreading through the area.

"Look, Mama! They're showing our house on television! It looks nice," Molly said happily, still snuggling into Delia's lap.

"Y-yeah, it's really pretty," Delia replied, holding Molly protectively by the waist.

Then, as the camera zoomed in, they saw Ash and his friends being pulled up the frozen waterfall by Venusaur's vine. The group then continued their determined march forward.

Molly tilted her head and looked up at Delia. "I don't understand, Mama. Why is that boy trying to get into our house?"

Entei, who had been sitting silently, finally opened his eyes and growled at the screen. "It's that boy again. Shall I go take care of him, Molly? I'll make sure he never bothers us again," he said, a flicker of anger in his voice as he remembered the previous encounter.

Delia panicked slightly, her eyes darting around the room until they landed on a picture frame. She grabbed it and showed it to Molly, pointing at the young Ash in the photo.

"No, see? That's Ash, your brother. Look, he's right here in this picture!"

"Brother?" Molly repeated, tilting her head as if the word sounded unfamiliar. "I have a brother?"

"Yes, don't you remember? Ash used to carry you and give you piggyback rides," Delia said, her voice soft and nostalgic. She hoped that at least some of those memories would come back to Molly.

Molly's hazy eyes lit up with recognition. "Wow, now I remember! I always wanted a brother! I remember him carrying me and giving me yummy candy!"

Delia nodded with relief. "That's right. And those people with him are his friends. I'm sure they'd love to play with you, too."

Molly clapped her hands, looking excited. "Play! Do they want to play with me? That sounds so fun! What do they like playing, Mama?"

"Well," Delia began, trying to think quickly, "Ash is a Pokémon Trainer." She held up a finger as if making an important point.

"Wow, Pokémon! I know a lot about Pokémon, Papa showed me so many of them!" Molly said, beaming. Then her expression shifted to a thoughtful pout. "But I don't have any Pokémon. I'm too young... How can I play with my Onii-chan?"

Entei stepped closer and lowered his head. "If that is what you wish, then simply believe you can," he said, his voice deep and soothing.

He gently pressed his nose to Molly's forehead. Her eyelids drooped, and she fell asleep in Delia's lap. To Delia's shock, another version of Molly appeared—this one sitting on Entei's back.

Delia instinctively tightened her protective hold on the sleeping Molly, her heart racing as she watched the surreal scene unfold.

The version of Molly on Entei's back clapped her hands, her expression amused. "Yes, Papa, I believe!" she declared. As she spoke, her body began to transform, growing taller and more mature until she appeared as a 16-year-old version of herself.

Entei gave a low growl of approval, then leaped into the ground, disappearing into the crystalline floor with the older Molly on his back.

—-

Ash and his friends reached the base of the tower, where a door should have been, but it was completely covered in crystal. As they approached, Ash's PokéGear suddenly began to ring. He answered it quickly.

"Hello, is this thing on?" Professor Oak's voice crackled through.

Yellow leaned closer to the PokéGear and responded, "Yeah, we can hear you, Professor."

"Ah, good," Oak said. "Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is we've likely figured out the source of the crystals. Schuyler informed me that he saw Unown."

"Unown?" Brock repeated, surprised. "I think I read about them in a storybook for my siblings once, but I never thought they were real."

Schuyler's voice came over the line next. "Oh, they're very real. Professor Hale and I spent years researching them, and we recently discovered their location. Their powers, as the stories say, are mysterious, but we have some theories."

"Yes," Oak continued. "Since they're Psychic Pokémon, we believe they have the ability to read people's minds. Not just that they may also have the power to alter reality. We think all of this the crystals, the tower was created by Molly's imagination."

"What?" Misty exclaimed. "Are you sure? Why would a little girl want all of this? And what does Entei and Ash's mom have to do with it?"

"That's something we're not certain about," Oak admitted. "Wishes and imagination are complex things. There are countless reasons why this might have happened, but we don't have time to delve into that right now."

"You're right, Professor," Ash said, his voice calm but firm. "But cut to the chase. Why are you telling us this specifically?"

Everyone was slightly surprised by Ash's bluntness, but no one said anything as Oak cleared his throat.

"Right, yes. The reason is this: if you want to stop all of this, you need to take down the Unown. That's your win condition. Capture them, defeat them, drive them out—I don't care how, but they must be removed!"

"Got it," Ash said curtly as he hung up the PokéGear and turned his attention to the crystal-covered door.

"So, how should we get inside?" Misty asked. "Should we look for another way in?"

Brock nodded, examining the structure. "Yeah, if we climb up this side, there's a window to the left we might be able to use."

"Not good enough," Ash said, his tone final. He cracked his knuckles, and a blue glow began to form around his fists as his aura became visible. "I'm going to break this door off its hinges."

Ash stepped forward, his fists glowing with concentrated energy. Just as he was about to strike, the crystal began to retract on its own, and the door swung open silently.

Ash extinguished the energy in his fists, narrowing his eyes at the now-open entrance. "Well," he said, his voice low, "looks like they know we're here. Good."

"Uh, should we be worried about that? This is screaming ominous boss fight," Misty said, glancing warily at the now-open door.

"Why?" Ash asked, continuing to walk forward. "It's not like we're trying to be sneaky."

Misty groaned and hurried to catch up as they entered the tower and reached a spiral staircase. "That's not the point! If they know we're coming, what if there are traps or—or some kind of ambush? This is way too suspicious!"

"Not really," Ash replied casually as he ascended the staircase. "Sounds like you're just being paranoid."

Brock nodded in agreement. "Yeah, while it's definitely strange that they're letting us walk in, I don't think we need to worry too much about traps. They probably know we'd get in one way or another."

"How am I the only one who's scared for us? Yellow, you agree with me, right?" Misty asked, turning to Yellow with a flicker of hope.

Yellow had been too distracted by the castle's shimmering crystal outlines to follow the conversation. Startled by Misty's question, she jumped slightly. "W-what? I—I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Misty groaned, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to die here. You people are going to be the death of me."

"Don't be dramatic," Ash said flatly, his tone devoid of its usual teasing playfulness. It felt more like he was shutting her down than trying to reassure her.

"Ugh, fine," Misty huffed. "But if there's a trap, I get to say, 'I told you so.' I mean, it's not like we're going to walk up there and find Entei waiting for us or something."

As soon as they reached the next floor, Misty's words died in her throat. Sitting in the middle of the room was Entei, regal and imposing, with a grown woman perched on his back. And Ash immediately knew that was Molly.

Misty muttered a curse under her breath.

Molly waved her hand playfully that almost didn't match the grown body she had, she looked like she was the oldest one there yet was acting like the youngest, and to people who didn't know this was confusing to them, she jumped off Entei and ran up to Ash jumping at him in a hug. 

Molly leaped gracefully off Entei and ran straight toward Ash. Before anyone could react, she flung herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Onii-chan! You're here! It's so good to see you! Do you remember me? It's me, Molly!" she said, nuzzling her cheek against his.

"Ehh?" Ash managed to sputter. This was... not one of the outcomes he'd prepared for. Sure, Molly had called him "brother" when they were younger, but he could tell this was different. Now, she genuinely believed they were siblings.

Behind him, Misty, Brock, and Yellow looked equally stunned. They knew Ash was an only child, and now this grown woman who claimed to be Molly was calling him "Onii-chan"? They needed a moment to process it all.

Ash cleared his throat awkwardly and patted Molly's head. "Uh, hey, Molly. Long time no see. You've, uh, definitely grown. How are you?"

Molly pulled back with a bright smile, leaning into his head pats, "I'm great! I have Mama and Papa, and now I have you! We can all be a family again!"

She grabbed Ash's hand, her eyes lighting up as she noticed Pikachu perched on his shoulder. "Let's play! I was too little before, but now that I'm big, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" she said confidently, her smirk brimming with excitement.