Pokemon: Radical Redux-Chapter 321: The Night Begins to Shine

Ash, Misty, and Yellow took a moment to process everything. The air still crackled with the strange energy from the Unown. Tiara stood in the center of the swirling letters, breathing heavily, eyes squeezed shut as if willing the world to stay exactly as she wished.

Cynthia, brushing herself off, kept her eyes locked on Tiara. She wasn't angry—if anything, she looked even more intrigued. "Fascinating... The Unown really are responding directly to her emotions."

"Not the time! This is exactly what happened last time," Misty said, holding out her Pokéball and looking around for Psyduck, only to see that he had been blown into a tree. "Psyduck, get down here! Looks like we're gonna need you."

Psyduck looked down and hugged the branch tighter. "Psy..." [Psyduck is scared of heights...]

Tiara's mother tried to get up and run to her. "Tiara!"

But Brock didn't loosen his grip on her. "No, you can't. It's too dangerous! Let us take care of it!"

Just before Tiara's mom could protest, the darkness grew thicker. Suddenly, red eyes appeared in the mist, and from it emerged a shadow version of Pikachu, walking forward as the real Pikachu still mourned the doughnuts.

Misty's eye twitched. "Seriously? Again? How many times do we have to deal with stupid clones?" she groaned, kicking the tree, causing it to shake and making Psyduck fall down onto his butt.

"Psyduck, get to work! Can you do something?" Misty ordered, but Psyduck was too busy holding his butt in pain. She sighed. "...Okay, that one's on me."

Brock stood up and pushed Tiara's mother behind him, placing Bonsly in her hands. "We'll get Tiara back for you. Hold this." As soon as she took Bonsly, Brock ran forward, grabbing a Pokéball and throwing it out.

"Kabutops, get out here and use [Slash]!" he commanded.

From the Pokéball, his Kabutops emerged and dashed forward toward the illusion Pikachu.

But just as he did, the smoke grew another pair of eyes, and an illusion Kabutops appeared, clashing with the real one using its own [Slash], bringing them to a stalemate.

As they realized that the illusion Kabutops was exactly as strong as the real one, illusion Pikachu jumped onto illusion Kabutops' shoulder, then leaped high into the air, spinning before landing back down on Kabutops' head with a Thunder Punch, breaking its balance. Illusion Kabutops then pushed the real one back and slashed at its chest, landing a direct hit.

Kabutops was sent flying, wiping his chin as he struggled to get up.

Misty clenched her fists. Seeing Psyduck still struggling, she sighed. "Fine, plan B! Poliwhirl, you're up!"

Poliwhirl emerged, flexing and ready for battle.

"Poliwhirl, [Brick Break] on that Kabutops!" Misty commanded.

Poliwhirl ran forward, its hand glowing red. But just as it reached the target, a new pair of eyes appeared, and an illusion Poliwhirl jumped out, clashing with its own [Brick Break].

Again, they were evenly matched—until illusion Kabutops came from behind and slashed Poliwhirl, breaking its balance. Illusion Poliwhirl then delivered a nasty gut punch to the middle of Poliwhirl's swirl.

Poliwhirl was sent spiraling back, falling face-first onto the ground, struggling to get up after the hit. Misty ran over to check on her Pokémon.

Cynthia observed the battle carefully. "Careful. It looks like these illusions are exactly as strong as your Pokémon. And the more Pokémon you use, the more illusions it creates."

"Oh, now she tells us..." Misty said dryly.

"So we should probably use as few Pokémon as possible... or come up with another strategy," Brock added as Kabutops stood back up beside him.

"Don't worry, I can take care of this," Cynthia said as she grabbed a Pokéball from her belt. "Gar—wah!"

Just before she could throw her Pokéball, a hand shot up and grabbed her wrist.

"No, don't do that!" Ash said, pulling her hand down. "You said it yourself—it's as strong as us. If you send that out, it's going to have a Champion-level Pokémon, and then it won't matter if you can win. There'll be too much damage!"

He wasn't exaggerating. Cynthia's Garchomp was a monster. If two of them fought, there was a good chance they could destroy the entire city as collateral damage.

Cynthia bit her lip. "You have a point. Fine, I'll leave this to you three—but I can't just do nothing."

"You want to do something? Get to Tiara," Ash said firmly. "We can hold them off, but as long as Tiara is in there, there's no victory." He turned to Yellow.

"Yellow, go with Cynthia. And take this."

He tossed a Pokéball to Yellow. She flinched, nearly dropping it, but managed to catch it in her hands.

"Use that when you get to Tiara. Now go!"

Yellow nodded sheepishly. "I—I'll do my best," she said, grabbing Chuchu and running alongside Cynthia.

Meanwhile, Ash ran over to stand beside Brock and Misty. Pikachu was on the ground, still recovering.

"You two got a plan here?" he asked.

"I don't know... How are we supposed to beat our own Pokémon if they're just as strong as ours? And if we send more out, they'll just create more illusions. It's nearly impossible," Brock said.

"No, it's not," Ash countered, smirking. "I could beat you both any day of the week."

"Oh, go eat a shoe. Not the time," Misty shot back. "Besides, we're confident we could beat you instead."

"Alright then, you guys take care of the Pikachu," Ash said, standing with Pikachu, who was wiping his eyes and glaring at the illusions. "I'll handle your clones. Let's see who finishes first."

Ash squared his shoulders. "Alright, let's do this. Pikachu, ready?" he asked, kneeling down to his partner.

Pikachu stood up, rubbing the last of his tears away.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, his cheeks sparking with determination.

"Alright then [Extreme Speed]!"

Ash added an extra thought in Pikachu's mind using Aura, and Pikachu understood instantly. He disappeared from view.

The illusions braced themselves. They assumed he would target the illusion Pikachu or Poliwhirl, since Kabutops resisted Normal-type moves. But to their surprise, that was exactly what Pikachu did.

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He landed on Kabutops' head.

"Now [Electroweb]!" Ash commanded.

Again, the illusions expected him to target Poliwhirl or Kabutops since the illusion Pikachu had Volt Absorb. But, once again, that was exactly what he did.

Pikachu wrapped the web around the illusion Pikachu. Even though the illusion absorbed the electricity and took no damage, that wasn't the goal. Now, the illusion Pikachu was trapped.

Pikachu jumped up, dragging the illusion with him, flipping through the air before hurling it to the side, right where Brock and Misty's Poliwhirl and Kabutops were waiting.

Kabutops caught the illusion mid-air and slammed it into the ground, just in time for Poliwhirl to hit it with a [Waterfall] attack at point-blank range.

As the remaining illusions saw this, they turned to rush to their ally's aid—

But Ash whistled.

"Where do you two think you're going? Did I say you could leave?" he taunted with a smirk. "[Electro Ball]!"

Pikachu spun in the air, launching a crackling Electro Ball directly at the center of the battlefield. The impact kicked up dirt and blasted the remaining illusions backward.

Ash wiped his cheek free of dust as Pikachu landed beside him, sparking with energy.

"You might have their strength," Ash said, cracking his knuckles, "but you've got no creativity on how to use it."

The illusion Poliwhirl and Kabutops dashed around, surrounding Pikachu. But neither Ash nor Pikachu looked worried as the illusions launched their attack.

"Predictable [Counter Shield]," Ash said with a flick of his hand.

Pikachu flipped around, spinning on his back and then onto his arm as electricity surged from his tail, forming a rotating halo of energy around him. In one swift motion, he jumped up and kicked both illusions in the face, sending powerful shocks directly into them.

Poliwhirl and Kabutops were sent flying back, but they managed to stay on their feet, struggling to recover.

Meanwhile, on Brock and Misty's side of the battlefield, they were steadily pushing the illusion Pikachu back with relentless attacks.

After taking the last hit, the illusion Pikachu's cheeks sparked as it fired a [Thunderbolt] at Poliwhirl.

Misty smirked. "You think we haven't been working on how to counter Pikachu? Poliwhirl, [Whirlpool]!"

Poliwhirl shot out a spiraling vortex of water, forming it in front of her just as the [Thunderbolt] struck. The electricity was absorbed into the churning water, rendering it completely ineffective.

While the illusion Pikachu was distracted, Brock seized the opportunity.

"Now, [Liquidation!]"

Kabutops darted from behind the water vortex, taking Pikachu by surprise as he slashed downward, landing a direct hit.

Misty's eyes gleamed. "I've been waiting for this, finish it with [Ice Beam]!"

Poliwhirl leapt into the air, and just as the illusion Pikachu struggled to rise, Poliwhirl fired a light-blue beam straight at it. The freezing attack struck, encasing the illusion Pikachu in a solid block of ice. When the mist from the cold settled, the illusion Pikachu was completely frozen.

Misty and Brock exchanged a victorious high-five before Misty turned to Ash with a smug grin.

"What's wrong? Need some help over there?" she teased.

"Nah," Ash replied, smirking. "Just watching to see what secret training you two have been doing without me. Gotta say, I'm impressed. Maybe you could have beaten Pikachu before, but now... let me show you something."

Ash turned back toward the remaining illusions, raising his hand as if preparing to snap his fingers.

"[Thunderclap...]"

Pikachu fired a powerful bolt of electricity aimed directly at the illusion Poliwhirl and Kabutops. They braced themselves for impact.

Then Ash finished his command.

"[...And Flash]."

With a snap of his fingers, Pikachu vanished.

A split second later, he reappeared above the very bolt he had fired—moving faster than lightning itself. With a swift Iron Tail, he slashed through the attack mid-air. The collision and conduction of energy caused the electricity to explode, catching the illusions in the blast.

As the dust settled, Pikachu walked out completely unscathed. The illusion Poliwhirl and Kabutops, however, were sent flying, slamming into trees before vanishing into nothingness.

Ash turned to Misty, flashing her the same smug grin she had given him earlier.

"You better not think that's enough to beat me. Maybe train for another year, and then we'll see."

Meanwhile, in the background, as the battle raged on, Cynthia and Yellow were moving carefully through the dense smoke, trying to find an opening. But the thick haze made it difficult to see, and any attempt to attack could risk summoning even more illusions.

Cynthia reached out through the thick smoke, her fingers just barely brushing Tiara's shoulder, only for the swirling Unown to react violently. A crackling barrier of energy flared up, forcing Cynthia and Yellow to stumble back.

"Tiara!" Yellow called out, clutching Ash's Pokéball tightly in her hands. "Please, you have to snap out of it!"

Tiara's breath came in ragged gasps, tears streaming down her face. "No... always night... it always needs to be night... for Cleffa..." she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cynthia glanced at Yellow's trembling hands, her eyes settling on the Pokéball. "Do you know what Pokémon is inside?"

Yellow shook her head. "No, but I trust Ash. If he gave this to me, he must know it can help."

Cynthia nodded, scanning their surroundings. "Then you might want to use it. I don't see another way through."

Without hesitation, Yellow pressed the Pokéball's button. A flash of light burst forth, and from it emerged Ash's Clefairy, landing gracefully on the ground.

"Fairy?" Clefairy chirped, tilting her head curiously.

At the soft, squeaky voice, Tiara turned around. Her vision was blurred by tears, but she caught sight of a small, pink, round figure. In her heart, she only saw Cleffa.

Rubbing her eyes, Tiara suddenly sprinted forward, shocking even the Unown. They hadn't expected her to move so suddenly, but they made no attempt to stop her.

As she ran, an explosion erupted behind them from Pikachu's final attack. The force of the blast sent the lingering mist scattering, revealing the Unown.

Tiara threw herself into Clefairy's arms, hugging her tightly, too overwhelmed to even check if it was even Cleffa.

Meanwhile, Ash reached for one of his own Pokéballs, his Aura Sight revealing something peculiar about the I Unown. Not only was it the one Tiara had been talking about, but it shared the same energy signature as the Unown Ash had caught before.

Without hesitation, Ash hurled the Pokéball.

The Unown barely had time to react before the I Unown was struck and captured. The remaining Unown faltered, without the I, they could no longer spell out NIGHT. Realizing the battle was lost, they quickly formed a swirling portal and disappeared through it.

As they vanished, the first rays of sunlight broke through the darkness. The eternal night was finally over.

The change spread rapidly, golden light bathed the city, flooding the streets and buildings. One by one, people peered out their windows, their faces lighting up in awe as they saw the sky brighten once more.

Then, a ripple of joy spread through the town.

Cheers erupted, voices overlapping in celebration. People hugged one another, tears of relief glistening in their eyes as they basked in the long-lost warmth of the sun.

In the midst of it all, Tiara wiped her eyes and finally got a clear look at the Pokémon she was hugging. Her heart skipped a beat.

"You're... not Cleffa..." she whispered.

Clefairy gave her a gentle smile and reached into her pouch, pulling out a small cupcake. The top was decorated like a smiling Cleffa.

Tiara blinked in surprise before hesitantly accepting it. She sniffled, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you... you're nice..."

"Tiara!"

Tiara's mother came running, still clutching Bonsly in her arms. She quickly handed the little Pokémon back to Brock before scooping Tiara up into a tight embrace.

"Mommy..." Tiara whimpered, burying her face into her mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I just... I just wanted to see Cleffa again..."

Her mother held her even closer. "I know, sweetheart. I know."

Nearby, Ash stood up, holding the Pokéball that now contained the Unown. He clipped it to his belt before crouching down beside Tiara.

"You know," he said softly, "I think I know why you couldn't see Cleffa at night."

Tiara wiped her eyes and looked up at him, sniffling. "Really?"

Behind Ash, Misty was watching carefully, rock in hand, ready to throw it at him if he said something stupid.

But Ash just smiled and gently patted Tiara's head.

"It's because you were looking in the wrong place," he said. "You know... the sun is a star too."

"Really? The sun is a star?" Tiara asked, tilting her head.

"Yep," Ash nodded. "And I think Cleffa is up there. You feel how warm the sun is? That's Cleffa hugging you, watching over you from the sky."

Tiara glanced down, her expression thoughtful. "But... what about at night?"

Ash smiled, gently ruffling her hair. "Then Cleffa goes to sleep too, which means you two can dream together. You'll always be together in the dream world." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You loved Cleffa, and Cleffa loved you. You'll always be connected, in spirit and in your heart."

Tiara wiped her eyes, the last of her tears drying as a small smile formed on her face. "Really? I never knew..."

Cynthia sat down beside her, offering a warm smile. "It's okay now, Tiara. No one is mad at you. You only did what you thought was right. It's not a crime to be a child. Even the Unown saw that, they weren't bad, they just tried to help you in the only way they knew how."

"You're right," Tiara said, gazing up at the sky. "Thank you."

Ash smiled and unclipped the Pokéball from his belt. "Tell them that yourself."

With a press of the button, the I Unown emerged, floating in the air before them.

Tiara beamed and waved. "Bye-bye, Mr. Eye! Thank you for everything!"

Then, turning to Clefairy, she gave the Pokémon a warm hug and a small kiss on the forehead. "And thank you. You're not Cleffa, but you remind me so much of her. Thank you for letting me hug you."

Clefairy chirped happily. "Fairy!"

Tiara's mother stood up, looking at the group with gratitude. "Thank you all, for everything." Then she turned to her daughter with a loving smile. "Come on, Tiara. Let's go home. I'll make your favorite dinner tonight."

"Yay! Thank you, Mama!" Tiara cheered, taking her mother's hand as they walked away. She waved one last time. "Bye, everyone!"

As soon as they were gone, the group let out a collective sigh of exhaustion.

Misty rubbed her eyes. "Well, that was exhausting."

"Yeah, but we did it," Brock muttered.

Yellow stepped forward, handing Ash Clefairy's Pokéball. "Um... here."

Clefairy, however, had no intention of leaving. She ran up and leapt into Ash's lap, looking pleased with herself.

"Thanks," Ash chuckled, patting Clefairy's head.

Cynthia crossed her arms, smirking. "That was certainly more exciting than I expected when I came to this town." She then glanced at Ash. "So, what's next for you?"

Ash stretched lazily. "Dunno. I kinda just want to rest. We were heading to Ecruteak, but we just sorta stumbled into this place."

Nearby, Pikachu was dramatically digging a small grave for the fallen doughnuts.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Hey, bud! Stop crying. I'll buy you some ice cream later."

Pikachu's ears perked up instantly. "Pika!" he cheered, abandoning the grave site entirely.

Cynthia chuckled. "Well then, how about we all go get some ice cre—"

Before she could finish, her phone rang.

She sighed and answered. "Hello? ...No, like I said... What do you mean? ...Ugh, fine. But just this once."

Hanging up, she shook her head. "Sorry, looks like I'm needed back in Sinnoh. Champion duty calls and all that."

"It's all good," Ash said with a nod. "It was nice meeting you."

Cynthia smiled. "The pleasure was mine. I'm still searching for the Sinjoh Ruins, so maybe we'll cross paths again someday. But for now, farewell."

With that, she turned, heading off into the distance.