The show at the Cerulean Hall was completely full. With the collaboration between the Sensational Sisters and the Marina Group, the stadium was sold out within the hour.
As for the gang, they just sat back, went up to one of the VIP seats, and enjoyed the show. Ash just laid back and thought about how he could tease/annoy Misty after this, but the ones more excited were Brock and May.
May, since, well, this was two famous groups putting on a beautiful show. And Brock, because, well, with Misty's sisters and Lizabeth there, he spent the whole show with hearts in his eyes.
At some point, he had produced multiple glittering banners reading 'DAISY-SAMA!', 'LIZABETH YOU'RE MY TIDAL WAVE!', and 'VIOLET MARRY ME!' No one knew where he stored these things. Ash checked before they entered, his pockets were empty.
But ignoring that, the show was a great success, and Misty of course played her part, officially becoming the tomboyish mermaid. Of course she didn't call herself that, but that wouldn't stop Ash from teasing her with that nickname.
When the show was over and people left, the gang stayed since, you know, they were friends. The performers went backstage to finally relax.
They walked over to the benches where Ash, Brock, May, and Max were sitting.
Lizabeth excitedly high-fived Daisy, "That was incredible!"
"You were incredible!" Violet shot back.
Shep let out a long breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, "Well...I guess that answers what's next."
"Yeah, world tour. Like, obviously!" Lily said, going over and very obnoxiously taking the seat next to Ash.
"No," Misty immediately shot her down while drying her hair, "In case you forgot, I have responsibilities, and you promised to help," she said, throwing the towel over Lily's head.
Lily pulled the towel off her head, "Aww, no fun. Come on, you can't tell me you're not at least a little curious. Just think about it, everyone calling you The Tomboyish Mermaid!"
Misty felt like she got hit over the head when Lily said that as she stood up straight, "I told you to stop calling me that. I have never called myself that!"
"Hey, I'm not the one who came up with the name," Lily twisted as she pointed to Ash with her thumb, poorly covering it with her other hand.
Misty slowly turned to Ash with an embarrassed face, and Ash just grinned, "Me? I would never do something like that," Ash lied as he turned to an Aipom next to him, "What do you think?"
The Aipom shook its head and Ash turned back, "See?"
Misty's eye twitched, "You're the worst."
"Wow," Ash said, placing a hand over his chest dramatically, "I compliment your performance, give you a cool stage name, support your brand identity—"
"I do not have a brand identity!" Misty snapped.
"—and this is the thanks I get."
May giggled from the bench, "I mean...'Tomboyish Mermaid' does kinda fit."
Misty whirled on her, "You too?! I thought you were the normal one!"
Brock floated forward dreamily, hands clasped, about to say another pick-up line to Misty's sisters, but Daisy casually shoved him back down onto the bench, "Sit."
Lizabeth laughed, brushing glitter from her costume, "Honestly though, Misty, you were amazing out there. The dive sequence at the end? That was insane!"
Misty crossed her arms, trying very hard not to smile, "Well...yeah. I practiced."
Ash leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, "Oh, we could tell. You even did that little hair flip at the end. Very dramatic."
"I did not do a hair flip!"
"You totally did."
Max nodded, "Yeah, you did."
Misty sputtered, "It was not a hair flip, it was—pff—it was a tactical turn!"
Ash grinned, "Uh-huh. Very tactical. The Tomboyish Mermaid strikes again."
Pikachu nodded and smirked while holding a very small Misty flag, while Vee wagged his tail teasingly.
Before Misty could lunge at him, the Aipom beside Ash suddenly clapped enthusiastically, nodding in agreement.
Everyone paused for half a second.
"…Right?" Ash added, gesturing to it.
The Aipom gave Misty a thumbs-up.
Misty blinked, "…Thanks?"
Max blinked, "Wait...whose Aipom is that?"
There was a very brief silence.
Ash shrugged, "I dunno."
Max turned to Brock, "Brock?"
Brock shook his head, still holding a crumpled "VIOLET MARRY ME!" banner, "It's not mine, and I would know if it was one of Misty's sisters'."
The Aipom casually hopped off the bench, grabbed one of Brock's glittering banners, and held it up proudly like it had helped make it.
"See? Team spirit," Ash said confidently.
Max squinted, "Ash...since when do you have an Aipom?"
Ash opened his mouth, "I don't," he said very seriously, keeping a blank face.
The Aipom nodded sagely and patted Ash on the shoulder like a supportive partner.
May tilted her head, "It's been sitting there this whole time."
"Yeah," Lizabeth added slowly, "I thought it was with you guys."
The Aipom suddenly pulled a pair of heart-shaped glasses out of nowhere and slid them onto Brock's face.
Brock gasped, "A true ally!"
"It's blending in way too well," Meredith muttered.
Ash leaned toward the Aipom suspiciously, "Okay, buddy. Real talk. Who do you belong to?"
The Aipom looked around dramatically, then pointed at Misty.
Misty recoiled, "Me?!"
It nodded confidently.
"I have never seen you before in my life!" Misty frantically pointed at the monkey.
The Aipom gasped, placing a hand on its chest as if deeply offended.
Ash smirked, "Wow, Mist. Abandoning your Pokémon already? Cold. It's like Psyduck all over again."
"I am not—!" Misty started, before stopping and looking around, "Wait a minute...where is Psyduck? Come to think of it, it's been pretty quiet for a while. When was the last time I saw him?"
"Did you really lose Psyduck again?" Brock asked, "I thought you said you wouldn't let that happen anymore."
"Hey, I didn't! And yeah, I do like Psyduck now, but I'm being serious. I guess I've been too busy. I don't know where he is." Misty tapped her chin.
"I mean, let's be honest, it's Psyduck. He's probably fine. He always comes back," Ash said, waving his hand.
—
{Meanwhile}
Psyduck had spent the last two months doing nothing but studying in libraries. He even took an exchange program over to Kalos and somehow managed to steal valuable research from Lysandre Labs.
How?
Don't question it. It's just an average Psyduck subplot.
But anyway, he had been sent on a mission to find a way to make Mega Evolution permanent, all to turn Abby normal again.
His headaches had grown more frequent and powerful as his intelligence increased, and now he might be strong enough to rival an Elite Four Pokémon, and he was well on his way to Champion rank.
But now he found it, in an ancient book written by someone whose name had faded away because it was so old. The only letters left were Z and A.
But he found it.
So immediately he grabbed the book, picked up a phone, and dialed Alakazam, "[Psyduck believes that Psyduck has found the answer to the conundrum,]" he said in a now much more sophisticated voice.
Alakazam answered back, and Psyduck could hear chaos going on in the background. It was probably another recording of the Abby show, "[Why are you talking like that…]" Alakazam asked.
"[Psyduck's intelligence has grown over the time you have allocated, so Psyduck has changed. Psyduck would enjoy sharing notes later, but this takes priority. Psyduck has the notes. Psyduck will be teleporting to Kanto now. Meet Psyduck at the designated coordinates.]"
"[Alright, I'll tell Hypno. I think Abby said she was going to go pick something up, so we'll use that excuse to drop by and pick you up. Meet you there.]"
"[Understood,]" Psyduck answered as he hung up. He grabbed the book and teleported out, going all the way back to Kanto.
—
Misty tapped her chin and shrugged, "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Okay, I think we're getting sidetracked," Max said, pointing at the Aipom, "Whose Aipom is this?"
Ash shrugged, "I dunno. I think it just walked in and stayed to watch the show."
The Aipom nodded enthusiastically like that was the most reasonable explanation in the world.
"I guess this one does," May said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that's what Aipom do," Brock said absently, still staring dreamily at Daisy until Violet snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"No flirting while I'm glitter-sweaty," Violet warned.
"Worth it," Brock sighed.
"Okay, so let's put this on the back burner for a bit, since it looks like it's just a wild one," Ash said.
And actually, he knew what Aipom this probably was. There was only one Aipom that could be this eccentric and enjoy watching shows this much. It was OG Ash's Aipom, the one he eventually gave to Dawn over in Sinnoh
Guess without Team Rocket making a giant Slaking...don't ask...this one was just walking around.
"Okay, well now that the show is over, I guess we should start thinking about where we're gonna go," Kyle said, tapping his chin, "Since we left our van at those ruins and all…"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I sent Abby over to go pick it up," Ash said.
As Meredith was about to clap her hands and say how thoughtful that was, Misty nearly spit out her drink when she heard that.
"You what?! You sent her?"
"Yeah, but it's Abby. What's the worst she can get herself into? Especially since it's just a van," Ash said, pushing Misty back down.
Misty sighed and crossed her arms, "Even though you're probably right...I have a bad feeling."
—
{Meanwhile}
Abby was currently driving the Marina Group's van after teleporting it back to Kanto.
Was she supposed to be doing this? No. Did she have a license? Also no. But was she doing it anyway? Absolutely.
In the other seats, Alakazam was strapped in with at least three different seat belts, and over in the back Hypno and Kirlia were trying very hard not to get motion sickness.
After Alakazam said he was going to pick up Psyduck, Abby insisted they all go together. At the time, no one saw anything wrong with it.
But they were wrong.
The only one that wasn't there was Abratwo, who stayed in the studio to edit.
"[ABBY]," Alakazam said flatly, gripping the dashboard with psychic force as the speedometer crept into numbers that felt illegal in several regions, "[The posted speed limit is forty.]"
"[It's more like a suggestion]," Abby replied cheerfully, one hand on the wheel, the other waving out the window at a confused Pidgey flock they nearly clipped.
Hypno clutched the back of the seat, "[I am going to hypnotize myself into thinking this is fine.]"
Kirlia had both hands over her mouth, eyes wide as Abby swerved around a Slowpoke that hadn't even noticed it was in the road.
They hit a bump.
They hit several bumps.
They may have hit a mailbox.
"[No worries, senior brother!]" Abby chirped, "[I've played, like, three racing games!]"
"[That is not transferable experience!]" Alakazam snapped as Abby drifted around a corner that absolutely did not require drifting.
The van fishtailed dramatically before straightening out as Abby cackled.
Up ahead, standing near a small clearing by a lake, Psyduck adjusted his grip on the ancient book and checked the coordinates.
Perfect timing.
He nodded to himself, "[Psyduck has arrived at the designated rendezvous location. Efficiency is paramount—]"
That was when he heard it, the sound of an engine and the sound of a radio blasting music, the song was of course, "Driving In My Car Right After A Beer."
He looked up. A van burst through the tree line and was heading straight toward him. Psyduck blinked, then turned and started running as fast as his little legs could take him.
But that wasn't fast enough.
He only avoided it for a few more seconds before the van ran him over and launched him.
Psyduck flew backward in a perfect arc, still holding the book. He rotated once midair and smacked into a tree with a hollow thok before sliding down into a heap.
The book, meanwhile, flew out of his hand, landed in the lake, and sank to the bottom, dissolving the old paper and washing the ink off the letters.
Abby blinked, "[…Oops]"
Hypno slowly pushed open the side door and stepped out shakily, "[Please tell me we did not just run over our friend.]"
Kirlia rushed over first to check on Psyduck, Psyduck was face down in the grass.
Alakazam teleported in front of him instantly, "[Psyduck.]"
Psyduck groaned as he rolled over. There was a very visible bump on his head. His eyes were spinning, "[…Wha happen?]" he said.
Alakazam frozen, "[Define that tone.]"
Psyduck blinked up at him, "[…Why is the sky...sideways?]" he said, back in his normal air-headed tone.
Abby teleported over, "[Oh good, you're alive!]"
Psyduck slowly sat up.
He looked at his hands and flipped them over, but one showed the back while the other showed his palm. They didn't match.
So he switched them both at the same time.
Same problem.
He switched them again.
"[Psyduck's hands don't match…]"
"[Psyduck!]" Alakazam quickly grabbed his shoulders, "[Please tell me you remember what we sent you to do?]"
Psyduck blinked very slowly, "[What are you asking Psyduck?]"
He was completely back to his dense self.
The concussion had made him forget everything.
Alakazam fell to his knees and screamed into the sky, "[NOOOOO!!!]"
—
"Well, I hope everything will work out," Shep said with a chuckle, "But this whole adventure had been fun for us too."
"Yeah, though if I would have known a Manaphy was involved, I would have done it myself," Misty muttered with her arms crossed. Yeah, they told Misty; they had no reason not to. She was more salty that she didn't get to go herself.
So much so that, thankfully, she didn't get mad at Ash for almost dying again. Now granted, she did try to hit him, but Ash had memorized her attack pattern, so his no-hit run still lives.
"Well, I'd love to do this again one day," Lizabeth added.
"Like, tots, we can do it like every season!" Lily clapped her hands.
"Well, maybe we talk about it more than just that," Daisy said helplessly.
"We'll definitely talk about it," Kyle nodded. Then he looked over at Ash and the gang, "So now, what about you all? What's next for you?"
"Oh, probably gonna go back to Hoenn," Ash said as he pulled out his phone and checked his DMs, "Yep, Flannery texted me saying she's back at her Gym and ready for our battle, so I can finally go do that."
"Finally, it felt like the universe was trying to stop you from getting your badge, big bro," Max said. Now that the initial embarrassment was gone, he was more than happy to get to call Ash big bro.
"Yeah, but looks like our time is over, Mist. Try not to miss me too much again," Ash said, putting his hand on his head dramatically.
"Don't get full of yourself," Misty said, rolling her eyes, but she didn't correct him, "How about you promise to not almost die again?"
"My lawyer has advised me to plead the fifth," Ash said, holding Pikachu up.
Misty snorted and pushed Pikachu away by his cheek, "Again, we are not in Unova. That doesn't apply here."
"Finnnneeee, I'll try. Is that enough?" Ash said with a grin.
"That's the best I'm getting," Misty shook her head helplessly, then looked over at May, "Well, remember what you promised. Make sure these two don't do something stupid."
"I will certainly try," May said, nodding along.
"Good to know you're not delusional," Misty said with a smirk. If May had said she will keep them in line, she might have had to check if her brain was actually in there.
As she said that, suddenly they heard the honk of a horn. When they looked out front, they saw the Marina Group's van and Abby sitting in the driver's seat waving at them.
"Oh good, she's here early," Ash said, checking a watch that wasn't there, "I honestly thought she would take another hour."
"Guess she might be getting better," Lizabeth said, not knowing the horror that is Abby.
Meanwhile, while everyone was looking at the van, the group consisting of Alakazam and Hypno sneaked in through the back carrying a confused Psyduck to bring him in and pretend nothing happened at all.
"Well, guess our ride's here," Ash said, looking over to Brock, May, and Max, "But first I think there is something important to talk about."
"Yes there is," Violet said as she turned and then frantically started pointing at the Aipom, "WHO'S MONKEY IS THIS?!"
The Aipom looked around at everyone accusingly, like they were the weird ones.
Ash leaned back on the bench, "I still vote wild."
"It is sitting next to you," Daisy said flatly.
"It sat next to us," Ash corrected.
Max squinted, "It literally put glasses on Brock."
Brock adjusted the heart-shaped glasses proudly, "In all seriousness, where did he get these? They aren't mine, even though I think I rock this look," Brock said, rubbing his chin.
The Aipom nodded solemnly and gave Brock a supportive pat on the shoulder.
"Maybe it's just like watching shows?" May suggested.
Aipom nodded and clapped his hands. Then Aipom suddenly produced a tiny glitter pom-pom from somewhere and started cheering before doing a bow.
"…Okay, that's actually adorable," Lily admitted.
The Aipom bowed dramatically.
Then it casually walked over to the snack table, grabbed an entire bag of popcorn, and walked back like it owned the place.
Max rubbed his forehead, "Why does it act like it's part of the crew?"
Meredith covered her mouth in a barely contained giggle, "Because no one has stopped it."
Lizabeth crouched down in front of it, "Hey, little guy. Where did you come from?"
The Aipom pointed vaguely toward the ceiling.
"…The sky?" Max said.
It nodded confidently.
Ash snorted, "Ah yes. The rare Sky Aipom. Very common species."
Misty gave him a look, "You're not helping."
The Aipom suddenly hopped up onto the back of the bench, then onto Ash's shoulder. Ash blinked, "…Hey."
The Aipom saluted, then grinned wider, stole Ash's hat, and jumped off his head, landing right onto Max's head.
Max screamed, "AH—MONKEY—!"
But he didn't stay long. Aipom used Max like a springboard and launched toward the exit, making Max nearly fall over.
"HEY!" Max shouted.
It was almost free. Too bad he was dealing with Ash. Ash didn't even say anything; he just casually snapped his fingers, and Pikachu walked up.
"Chu…" he said with an almost bored look as he flipped and shot out an [Electroweb] across the hallway like a glowing net.
And the Aipom flew straight into it mid-jump.
"AP—!"
ZZZZZT
The web crackled with electricity.
The monkey stiffened like a cartoon statue...then dropped to the floor with a soft thump, tangled in the glowing web, with spirals in its eyes.
Everyone stared.
The web slowly dragged across the floor as Pikachu reeled it in like a fishing line.
Ash stood up casually and walked over.
He grabbed the dangling Aipom by the tail and took his hat back. Then he slung the limp Aipom over his shoulder like a bag.
"…Welp," he shrugged, "Guess he's mine now."
"I'm not even surprised, honestly," Misty said with a blank look on her face.
Brock sighed, "If I had a dollar for every time you caught a monkey Pokémon in a weird way, I'd have two dollars, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice."
"Do you at least want to put it in a Poké Ball first?" May asked.
"Oh yeah, I guess I should," Ash pretended to forget as he just threw a regular ball at the monkey and caught it. It didn't even need to roll, and he put it away. He might as well have it to give as a gift to Dawn later.
"Alright then," Ash said as Abby finally got out of the van after Shep practically dragged her out, "Everyone hold onto the Abby Express."
May and Max groaned since they still hadn't gotten 100% used to the teleportation sickness, but Brock had just learned to live with it as they all put a hand on Abby.
Ash turned to Misty and gave her a grin, "Alright, see you around, Mist. Don't worry, I'll come visit on your birthday~"
Misty scoffed and crossed her arms, "You better," but she still had a smile, "Bye, Ash. It was good to see you."
"Same to you. Bye." Ash saluted everyone as he put a hand on Abby and they teleported away.
As they left, Misty smiled fondly at the spot where they had been. So Daisy, doing the responsible thing all big siblings should do, elbowed her softly and smirked teasingly, "Aww, do you miss your friends already~?"
Misty rolled her eyes and looked away, "Shut up, Daisy," she muttered as she almost too quickly walked back into the Gym, making Daisy's smirk even bigger.
—
{Meanwhile in Hoenn}
Flannery was sipping coffee from a cup in her hand, reading a book, just waiting. She had just texted Ash that she finished all the Gym Leader duties and he could come by for his Gym battle, but she didn't expect him to come anytime soon.
As for the things that were decided in the Gym Leader meeting...let's just say they're still divided and need more information, and leave it at that for the moment. One thing she did find weird though: no one came to interview her about the attack, and she made a public statement too. This isn't something she's particularly hiding, but it's also not something she's screaming about.
It's just weird...but it's probably nothing.
As she thought that, she heard the sound of a teleporting pop and Ash's voice.
"Aaaaallllright!"
Flannery froze mid-sip, her brain immediately short-circuited as she thought, HE'S HERE?! RIGHT NOW?!
Without thinking, she flung the coffee cup behind her like it was evidence in a crime scene. It shattered against the stone wall with a loud CRASH.
Flannery shot to her feet so fast her chair tipped over behind her. She straightened her posture, folded her arms, and tried to look cool.
And that was about the time when the gang peeked their heads into the Gym, blinking since they heard the sound of something breaking.
Brock looked and saw the brown liquid on one of the rocks, "…Did something happen?" he asked slowly.
Flannery stood there stiffly, chin raised, trying very hard to pretend she hadn't just committed mug homicide, "A-Ahh yes," she said loudly, "Ash! I've been expecting you!"
There was a long pause.
Ash slowly looked past her shoulder at the shattered mug and the coffee slowly dripping down the rock wall.
"…Have you?" he asked.
Flannery didn't move, "Yep!" she said way too quickly.
Another pause.
Pikachu tilted his head and looked over at Vee, "Pika?"
Vee just shrugged and didn't question it.
Max leaned toward May and whispered, "Did she just throw her drink?"
May whispered back, "I think she panic-threw it."
And being that Flannery was not expecting Ash to be here, she kind of forgot her whole Gym Leader pre-speech she had ready. So she quickly went into her pocket and pulled out what looked like little white note cards.
Then she cleared her throat dramatically and raised one card like it was a sacred script.
"Welcome!" she declared.
She paused as her eyes scanned the card, "No, wait." She flipped it, "I mean...Puny Trainer, you've done well to make it this far!"
Ash blinked.
Brock blinked.
Max blinked.
Flannery flipped to the next card.
"Let's see. I'm, uh...honored to be serving as the Gym Leader of—"
She stopped, "…No, wait, that's the old one." She flipped again, "I mean...I'm Flannery, and I'm in charge here!" she pumped a fist awkwardly.
Ash slowly leaned toward Brock, "Is she buffering?"
Brock whispered back, "I think she forgot her own script."
Flannery, now slightly sweating, flipped another card, "You'd better not underestimate me just 'cause I've only been Leader a short time!"
She paused.
Flannery slowly lowered the card, "…I've been the leader for over a year now."
Flannery panicked, threw that one behind her, and flipped to the next card, "With the skills inherited from my grandfather, I'm gonna...uh...demonstrate the hot moves we've honed in this land!"
She raised both fists dramatically, "Haiyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Ash stared.
Max stared.
May bit her lip to stop laughing.
Brock had turned away entirely and was shaking.
Flannery blinked, "…I had that planned better in my head."
Ash suddenly clapped, "10/10 entrance."
Flannery instantly turned bright red, "I PANICKED!" she shouted.
May burst out laughing.
Brock politely turned away to hide a grin.
Max collapsed onto the floor wheezing.
Pikachu and Vee had to walk out to laugh so they wouldn't embarrass her more.
"I WAS PREPARING A COOL ENTRANCE, OKAY?!" Flannery stomped her foot.
Ash tilted his head, "…You were preparing it after we walked in?"
Flannery pointed at him accusingly, "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE YET!"
Ash shrugged, "I texted you."
"You texted 'On my way,' that could mean HOURS!"
Ash slowly raised a finger, "Teleportation," he said in a deadpan voice.
Flannery groaned and buried her face in her hands, "Please forget that happened."
"Sorry," Ash said, "My brain automatically records embarrassing moments."
Flannery peeked through her fingers, "…You're joking."
Ash pulled out his phone, "I already sent it to Brock."
Flannery's eyes widened in horror, "You WHAT?!"
Brock calmly pulled out his phone and checked the message, "Ah, yes. 'Flannery Panic Speedrun Any%.' Nice title."
May grabbed the nearest wall to stay upright, "Ash! You recorded that?!" she wheezed.
Brock was trying very hard to be respectful, but his shoulders were shaking violently, "I-I apologize, Gym Leader Flannery," he said, not sounding apologetic at all.
Flannery's face turned the color of molten lava, "You-YOU!!" she pointed at Ash like she might actually set him on fire.
Ash held up his hands defensively, "Hey, I'm preserving history."
Flannery took a deep breath, then clapped her hands sharply.
"OKAY!" she declared loudly, "Battle! Now! Before you upload that anywhere else! I'm gonna win and this will be my 200th victory, and if I win you have to delete it!"
"Sure," Ash said, smirking, "I don't mind breaking your streak~"
—
{Meanwhile}
The Frontier Brains were heading toward the Artisan Cave. They had all prepared as much as they could for this confrontation, for Noland, and for Jirachi.
They flew in using Tucker's Salamence since it would be faster, and Anabel was the one giving directions since she was the best fit to find it because of her psychic powers.
"…There," she said suddenly, opening her eyes and pointing toward a distant cluster of rocky cliffs, "I think there's something there."
"Something wrong?" Lucy asked from behind her.
Anabel nodded, "I feel it too, but that's what we're here for. Tucker, get us down there."
Tucker nodded and immediately leaned forward, "Salamence! Faster!"
Once they landed, they immediately jumped off the dragon and ran into the cave. Almost immediately they saw the person they were looking for, or at least they thought so, because standing in the center of the cave was a single man in full plate armor with a sword.
"The star that will make my wish come true...come to me now!" he said, raising his hand toward seemingly nothing.
Anabel would have liked to wait and listen in, maybe get a surprise attack on him, but Tucker had other plans and stepped up first.
"Hey you! You have some explaining to do!"
The armored man, who was Guile Hideout, barely registered them. He simply turned and narrowed his eyes.
"Leave now. This is mine," he said, not clarifying anything.
Seeing as they had lost the element of surprise, Greta sighed and walked up next, "We're the ones asking questions. Who are you, and are you the one who attacked Noland?"
Guile still did not answer them. He simply repeated, "Leave. I will not ask again."
Tucker's eye twitched, "Oh, this guy is insufferable…"
"You're here for Jirachi, aren't you?" Brandon stepped up this time.
He didn't answer, but based on the slight shake in his wrist and the way his hand moved toward the sword at his side, that was all the confirmation they needed.
"You're coming with us," Anabel said, pointing at the man, trying to subtly use her power to grab him from inside his armor. But for some reason she couldn't. She played it cool, "We won't allow you to get away with what you did, and you won't get Jirachi either."
That made Guile's entire demeanor shift. He glared at them and, almost yelling, said, "Jirachi is MINE!" Then he drew his sword.