A radiant trio of colors illuminated the land.
Cresselia had indeed sensed Darkrai's presence—that was the reason it appeared.
However, upon arriving, it discovered that Darkrai wasn't actually there...
Instead, it found a human exuding a thick aura of Darkrai.
And two girls who also carried faint traces of that same energy.
"Lia~~Liaya?"
Cresselia: Have you encountered Darkrai? I only came here because I sensed its presence, but I don't see it anywhere nearby.
Perched on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu—the mighty Pika-god—spoke up.
"Pika~ Pika Pi, Pikachu!"
Pikachu: Actually, Darkrai only visits to feast on the local specialty fruits of Canalave City. It never intended to plunge people into nightmares.
"Lia? Liaya-lia..."
"Pika…"
Cresselia and Pikachu conversed for a while. Finally, Cresselia said it wanted to come along and observe how they intended to solve this problem.
Officer Jenny stood completely baffled.
"Ash, what exactly is your plan for dealing with this situation?"
This issue had persisted for a long time.
Ever since Officer Jenny had taken command at the Canalave City police department, this problem had lingered unsolved.
And now a young Trainer claimed he had a way to fix it?
Suddenly, she felt like she'd stumbled upon a lifeline.
If this could be resolved, Canalave City might finally be spared from being "named and shamed" every year by the Sinnoh region's central police department…
"It's simple. Tomorrow, we'll bring Cresselia to Canalave City. Once Darkrai senses her aura, it'll appear on its own."
"Pika pika."
Ash and Pikachu shared a smile.
Dawn and Anabel seemed to understand too.
The quiet night passed peacefully.
The next morning, Ash's group—along with Cresselia—arrived in Canalave City.
Naturally, to avoid causing a public spectacle, Officer Jenny brought everyone to a secluded island nearby.
There were no outsiders here.
Cresselia floated gently in midair, curious as to how this human planned to resolve things.
After all, it had been protecting Canalave City for years...
Because of Darkrai.
As expected, Darkrai arrived.
The moment it spotted Cresselia, it instinctively prepared to attack.
Cresselia did the same.
Darkrai launched a Dark Pulse.
Cresselia countered with a powerful Moonblast.
"Pikachu, use Thunder to calm them down!"
"Pikachu…CHU!"
Pikachu leapt up and fired a Thunderbolt, slicing right between the two Legendary attacks and dispersing them instantly.
Though Cresselia was Level 85—two levels above Darkrai—Pikachu, at Level 82, had its power amplified by its Electric Ball.
That raw strength made both Cresselia and Darkrai glance over in surprise.
"Pika pika pikachu!"
After Pikachu spoke, Cresselia and Darkrai locked eyes once again… but didn't fight.
"Darkrai, since you love the specialty fruits of Canalave City, how about helping to protect this place instead? I'm sure the city would happily share fruit with you in return. Before, they didn't know you liked the fruit—that's all.
"Officer Jenny, during this time each year, just set aside a small batch of these fruits and bring them to a specific island near Canalave City. That way, Darkrai won't cause nightmares anymore. It's only when Darkrai stays in one place too long that people nearby suffer those effects."
As Ash finished speaking, Darkrai was visibly excited—this idea was genius.
It didn't even have to do anything. Just remain near the city like it already was doing.
And now, during this time of year, people would bring the fruit directly to it?
How convenient was that?
On the other side, Officer Jenny lit up with joy.
Ash's proposal had zero drawbacks and countless benefits!
Plus, Darkrai would be protecting the city!
As for the fruit?
How much could one Darkrai possibly eat?
And that particular fruit? Canalave City grew more than enough every year!
"Wow! I think that's a fantastic idea! Both sides get what they want—Ash, you're amazing! No objections from me!" Dawn hugged Piplup and added cheerfully.
"Piplup piplup!"
"Exactly! This is a win-win situation!" Anabel chimed in.
"Ash, you really pulled this off. Darkrai, how about it—shall we live in peace from now on?" Officer Jenny turned to look at Darkrai.
Darkrai nodded, agreeing with the plan.
And just like that… Ash had solved the whole thing!
—A perfect resolution!
Cresselia, too, realized it had completely misunderstood Darkrai.
Officer Jenny and Darkrai left together, leaving Ash, Dawn, Anabel, and Cresselia behind.
"Come out, Darkrai. Come out, Latias."
Ash called out—and summoned his own Darkrai and Latias!
Both of them radiated immense power at Level 100. Even without unleashing their full strength, their presence alone was awe-inspiring!
Cresselia instantly entered a guarded stance, its eyes locked on Darkrai.
"This is my partner. My friend. Cresselia, what do you say? Want to come with us and see the world?"
"Lia?"
Cresselia hadn't expected Ash to make such an offer.
It gazed at this unbelievably powerful Darkrai... and the unfamiliar Latias by its side.
Cresselia fell into contemplation.
With the problem in Wellen City solved, there was no reason for it to stay bound here.
But… that Darkrai, with its unmatched strength—100 levels!
Cresselia was tempted.
Who didn't want to grow stronger?
"Lia lia~~lia…"
After careful consideration, Cresselia finally nodded to Ash's proposal—but with one condition.
It wanted to return to Canalave City occasionally with Ash, whenever time allowed.
Such a simple request—how could Ash refuse?
He agreed immediately!
Then, he pulled out a system-produced Premium Ultra Poké Ball...
Gently tapped it against Cresselia—and just like that…
With a single thud, it was captured.
No resistance at all.
Even Ash hadn't expected the capture to go this smoothly!
A beautiful Legendary like Cresselia—if he brought it to a Contest to battle Wallace, more than half the audience would probably keep their eyes on her alone!
Of course, Ash was just fantasizing.
He'd come to solve a problem… and ended up gaining a powerful new companion.
Not bad at all!
Next stop: Iron Island, to check in with the father-son duo running the Oreburgh and Canalave City Gyms!
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T/N:
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