A Togekiss and a Xatu suddenly appeared before Cole. He was stunned to see them, and they were equally shocked by his unexpected intrusion.
Why was there a human in their home?
Cole regained his composure and attempted to use Teleport to escape, but he suddenly froze in place. The Xatu across from him had immobilized him with its psychic abilities.
So powerful — impossibly powerful!
The moment Xatu's Psychic Power took hold of him, Cole realized just how formidable it was.
"Um, hello there!" Cole nervously greeted the two Pokémon.
At that moment, he finally understood where the Togepi egg that Ash would find in the future came from. It must be the child of these two Pokémon!
Xatu said something to Togekiss, who nodded before flapping its wings and flying toward the depths of the cave.
Cole wondered if the Berry tree, pool, and Dragonite skeleton all belonged to these two Pokémon.
"Human, where did you come from?"
A voice echoed in his mind — the telepathy of a Psychic Pokémon.
Xatu had sensed Psychic Power within Cole and guessed that he could use Teleport just as it could.
"I just wandered in here by accident. I didn't do anything. Can you let me leave?"
But before Cole finished speaking, Togekiss flew back looking flustered. It jabbered something to Xatu, whose expression immediately darkened.
Cole understood what Togekiss said — it had gone to check the situation deep in the cave.
"Human! Where did you take the Dragonite skeleton and the Magost Berry tree?!" Xatu's tone had lost all gentleness as it glared at him with fury.
"I don't know anything about a Dragonite skeleton or a Berry tree!" Cole deliberately played dumb, "Are you mistaken? It has nothing to do with me. I really just wandered in here by accident."
"Human, don't try to lie in front of me. I am a Psychic-type Pokémon and can sense changes in human emotions. Unless you can completely mask your emotional fluctuations, don't test my patience." Xatu said angrily.
Tsk~ Psychic Pokémon are such a hassle!
Cole's face broke into a disarming smile, "Well, you two, I didn't know those things belonged to you. The items have already been sent away. What do you suggest we do?"
"Toge~ Toge~" — Stop wasting time, hand over the items now, or we'll get rough with you!
Togekiss threatened him.
"They're really not with me. If you don't believe me, you can search me." Cole continued to play dumb.
In fact, Xatu had already scanned his entire body with its mental power and hadn't found anything suspicious.
"Where did you put them? We'll go with you to retrieve them." It said, barely containing its anger.
Cole: ...
These two Pokémon weren't easy to fool. If he didn't hand over the items today, he probably wouldn't be able to leave.
"Sigh~" Cole heaved a deep sigh, "Fine. Let me go first, and I'll take you to see the items."
Xatu hesitated for a moment before slowly withdrawing the Psychic Power restraining him. However, it remained vigilant — ready to immediately restrain him with its Psychic Power if he made even the slightest suspicious move.
To the surprise of both Pokémon, Cole opened the entrance to the Reverse World.
"There, your things are inside." He said, pointing at the blue vortex before them.
"Togekiss~" — What is this? You're not trying to trick us, are you?
Togekiss looked at him with suspicion.
"What do you think?" Cole thought this one was a bit silly — isn't your husband able to tell if I'm lying or not?
Xatu gave him a penetrating look, then said to Togekiss, "Let's go in."
With that, it plunged into the vortex. Togekiss followed closely behind its partner.
Cole went in last.
The moment they entered the Reverse World, Togekiss was stunned by the sight before them, especially the ridiculously huge Pecha Berry tree.
"What is this place?" Xatu asked Cole with puzzled eyes.
"Don't understand, do you?" Cole's eyes darted around, "Have you heard of Giratina?"
"Giratina?"
Xatu and Togekiss asked simultaneously, their voices filled with confusion. Just hearing the name sent a wave of intimidating presence washing over them.
"That's right, Giratina. It's the legendary lord of the Reverse World. Do you know about the Reverse World? This space is a corner of it, given to me by Giratina itself!" Cole said, mixing truth with lies.
"Really?" Togekiss's gaze was full of doubt.
Xatu's eyes showed confusion because it sensed that this human... didn't seem to be lying. Could he really have such significant connections? He even knew the legendary lord of the Reverse World?
It had heard of the Reverse World but didn't know its master was called Giratina, yet this human knew.
"Quickly take us to see the Dragonite skeleton and the Magost Berry tree!" Xatu urged.
"Sure, sure, sure." Cole readily agreed.
When they reached where he had placed the Dragonite skeleton and the Magost Berry tree, Xatu and Togekiss saw Dragonair swimming in the pool, brazenly licking the Dragon Orb.
Cole was instantly embarrassed.
Dragonair, do you have to be so shameless? If you're going to lick it, at least do it discreetly — not in front of everyone!
Dragonair: (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ You didn't say you were bringing other Pokémon!
"Ha... haha..." Cole laughed awkwardly, "My Dragonair is just playing."
The water and the Dragon Orb contained rich Dragon Energy, which was very beneficial for Dragonair's growth, so its behavior was understandable.
"Look, the tree has already been planted. Moving it back and forth would definitely cause irreversible damage. Are you sure you want to take it away?" Cole said with a troubled expression.
Hearing his words, Xatu and Togekiss fell silent. His words were infuriating, but the logic was sound.
"And this Dragonite skeleton — if it's moved frequently, it would definitely suffer significant damage, wouldn't it?" Cole continued.
Togekiss was nearly exploding with anger, "It's all your fault, human! If you hadn't stolen the Dragonite skeleton and the Berry tree..."
As it was about to attack Cole, Xatu fortunately stopped it. This really gave Cole a cold sweat.
He couldn't withstand a single hit from Togekiss.
No wonder it was angry. This Dragonite was its ancestor, and its clan had protected the ancestor's skeleton for generations. Now that it was under its care, something like this had happened — how could it not be angry?
Don't be confused about how a Dragonite could be an ancestor to a Togekiss. When it comes to Pokémon, some things just can't be explained.
Dragonite's egg groups include Water 1 and Dragon, while Togekiss's egg groups include Flying and Fairy.
So as long as Dragonite's mate has an egg group combination of Water 1-Flying, Water 1-Fairy, Dragon-Flying, or Dragon-Fairy, it's possible to produce offspring like Togekiss, even though Togekiss's type counters Dragonite.
Of course, no Pokémon has been discovered yet that simultaneously belongs to both Dragon and Fairy egg groups.
The actual situation might be more complex because you don't know how many generations separate Dragonite and Togekiss.
Since the underground cave contains ancient fossil Pokémon like Kabuto, Omanyte, Kabutops, Omastar, and Aerodactyl, it indicates that Dragonite lived in a very distant era.
"Human, tell us how you propose to resolve this situation." Xatu said.
Its emotions had always been stable. Even knowing the situation was irreversible, its first thought was how to solve the problem, rather than losing its temper like its wife.
"Well... how about this: why don't you two follow me from now on?" Cole said brazenly.
He had already decided to start a Pokémon boarding service and foresaw that many excellent Pokémon would join his household in the future. He would need one or two powerful Pokémon to maintain order.
This Xatu and Togekiss were perfect for the job.
Having failed to persuade the thousand-year-old Gastly earlier, and now with leverage over Xatu and Togekiss, he had to seize this opportunity. This chance wouldn't come again.
"You're dreaming!" Togekiss exploded in anger upon hearing his proposal.
Cole said, "What's wrong with following me? Look, I have so many high-quality berries that you can eat whenever you want. Following me means you can go out freely — isn't that more comfortable and liberating than staying in that dark underground cave?
Don't you have to sneak around every time you enter that place? Aren't you constantly worried about someone discovering your tracks and finding the underground cave?
If you follow me, you won't need to worry about any of that! With the Dragonite skeleton and berry tree hidden in my space, who could possibly find them?
And what's more... what if you have children in the future? Would you want them to live in that sunless place too? To live the same secretive, restricted life as you?..."
He continued listing the benefits of following him, successfully rendering both Pokémon speechless.
Though his words were clearly meant to persuade them, they contained undeniable truth. At the very least, Xatu didn't want its future child to endure the same life it had.
Unlike Togekiss, Xatu hadn't always been guarding the Dragonite skeleton — the skeleton originally had no connection to it. It only began guarding the underground cave after partnering with Togekiss.
It loved Togekiss deeply and willingly sacrificed its freedom and the sunlight for its sake — but what about their child?
After a long silence, Xatu was the first to speak.
"Fine, I'm willing to follow you!"
Togekiss stared at its husband in disbelief.
Seeing this, Xatu pulled Togekiss aside. Whatever was said between them remained private, but when they returned, Togekiss — though still visibly reluctant — had grudgingly agreed to follow Cole.
Upon receiving the Pokémon's confirmation, Cole was overjoyed.
'I really am a genius!'
He took out two Poké Balls and held them out to Xatu and Togekiss, "Xatu, Togekiss, please take care of me from now on!"
Xatu entered the Poké Ball without hesitation, while Togekiss, after a moment's reluctance, angrily tapped the button with its wing.
Cole released both Pokémon again, "You two will live in the Reverse World from now on. If you want to go out, just let me know — I come in here frequently."
Xatu nodded, while Togekiss maintained a stern face without speaking.
Next, Cole asked them about handling the underground cave and the fossil Pokémon inside. They told him he could do whatever he wanted. Since they had already left the cave, whatever happened to it was no longer their concern.
As for the fossil Pokémon, Xatu and Togekiss cared even less. Those Pokémon normally just slept in the underground cave; if Cole hadn't suddenly intruded and awakened them, they would never have interacted with them at all.
With the Pokémon's approval, Cole felt completely reassured. Now he could proceed with his original plan to inform Professor Oak about this place.
Using Teleport to exit the underground cave, he immediately called Professor Oak.
[What?! Are those fossil Pokémon you mentioned really there?] Professor Oak's voice shouted through the phone.
"Of course they are, right in Grampa Canyon." Cole replied.
[Good, wait there. I'm coming right now!] Professor Oak hurriedly hung up.
He arrived at Grampa Canyon riding his Dragonite. Cole only waited a little over an hour, showing just how eager the professor was.
"Quick, quick, take me to see the fossil Pokémon!" After dismounting, Professor Oak impatiently grabbed Cole.
His hair was disheveled and his clothes were in disarray — where was his usual dignified manner?
"Those Pokémon aren't going anywhere. Why don't you catch your breath first?" Cole said helplessly.
"Catch what breath? I could die right now and I wouldn't care!" Professor Oak retorted irritably.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you there now." Cole shook his head resignedly.
In a flash, both men and the nearby Dragonite vanished from the spot. When they reappeared, they were inside the underground cave.
By now, all the Pokémon that had been hypnotized by Brionne's song had awakened, but faced with Professor Oak's Dragonite, none dared to act out. One Thunderbolt from that imposing creature would leave them all foaming at the mouth.
"They really are fossil Pokémon — Kabutops, Omanyte, Omastar..." Professor Oak muttered in awe as he swept his flashlight around the cave.
✲✲✲
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