"I am Hansen, Regent of the Mirage Kingdom," the man said with cold arrogance. "For certain reasons, I require the power of Togepi. Leave it here and depart this land at once."
"Over my dead body! Give Togepi back!" Misty snapped, stepping forward protectively.
"Then I'll have to remove you by force." Hansen smirked, snapping his fingers.
From the shadows, a ghostly Pokémon floated forward.
"Ah! That's a Shedinja!" Max shouted in surprise.
The eerie white ring above Shedinja's head began gathering solar energy—charging up a Solar Beam.
"Eevee, use Nasty Plot! Pikachu, Electroweb—save Togepi!" Ash ordered.
"Eevee~!""Pika~!"
With dazzling speed, Pikachu dashed forward, blasting the cage holding Togepi and freeing it in an instant. Meanwhile, Eevee released a wave of dark energy from Nasty Plot, knocking out Shedinja before it could fire.
Everyone paused in silence.
(། – _ – །) ...That was... too easy.
Pikachu returned Togepi safely to Misty.
"Togepi! You're safe—thank you, Pikachu!" Misty said, hugging the little Pokémon tightly."Pika~!"
"Wow, Ash! You beat Shedinja in a single move!" May exclaimed.
Ash explained, "Shedinja's ability is Wonder Guard—only super-effective moves can damage it. Once it's hit, it's done."
Misty looked at Ash with admiration. "You've gotten stronger. You've really grown up." Brock nodded quietly in agreement.
"Grrr… Give it back! Now!" Hansen growled, snapping his fingers again.
This time, two Ninjask flew out.
"Aaah—bugs!" Misty yelped, trembling.
"Misty's got a bug phobia," Brock whispered. Misty nodded, still shaking.
May and Max exchanged glances.
"Let's end this quick!" Ash stepped forward. "Pikachu, Glittering Thunder Light! Eevee, Zippy Zap!"
With their incredible bond boosting their power, the two Pokémon fired off twin lightning-fast attacks. The Ninjask dropped instantly.
Seeing their situation worsening, Team Rocket deployed Seviper to release Haze, covering their escape. Hansen, growling in frustration, recalled his Pokémon and vanished into the fog as well.
Ash and his friends wandered the palace grounds searching for a way out. In a garden, they encountered a graceful young woman in a flowing blue dress, light pink hair, and a matching hat. A maid followed behind her.
"Boji~ jiao ji~ Boji bu li~" Togepi chirped happily.
The girl's eyes lit up. "A Togepi!"
"My name is Sara. I'm the princess of the Mirage Kingdom," she said with a refined curtsey.
Everyone introduced themselves, with Brock already heart-eyed and nearly proposing. Max had to hold him back.
Princess Sara led them to the royal palace, where they met the Old King. After listening to their explanation, he sighed.
"I'm truly sorry you've been caught up in this. Hansen and I often clash over how this country should be governed. But I fear… he may have darker intentions for your Togepi."
Sara added earnestly, "Please believe us. We've never wanted to steal your Togepi."
The king nodded. "Even so, it would be safest if you all left Mirage Kingdom immediately. Prepare a ship."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Outside the palace, Ash and the others paused as Misty turned to Sara.
"Princess, if you don't mind… can you tell us what's really going on?"
Sara hesitated for a moment, then spoke solemnly.
"Our people have worshiped Togepi for generations. It's said that Togepi is a guardian of peace and freedom. Each new monarch must find and earn the blessing of a Togepi. My father did so… and became king."
"So what happened to the previous Togepi?" Brock asked.
"It returned to the distant place from where all Togepi come. In our tradition, once the monarch's Togepi departs, it means the ruler is officially recognized—and succession is complete."
"Wow… Togepi really is amazing," May whispered.
Sara continued, "Tomorrow was meant to be the official succession ceremony. But since I haven't found a Togepi… I'm not eligible to inherit the throne."
"So Hansen plans to use our Togepi to claim the throne?" Misty asked.
Sara nodded grimly.
At that moment, Brock dropped to one knee, taking her hand. "Fear not, my princess. I shall defend your kingdom from corruption!"
Sara blinked in stunned silence.
"Come on, Brock…" Misty stepped in, grabbing his ear and twisting."Ow ow OW—Misty! I was trying to be chivalrous!"
(✧∇✧) Max's eyes sparkled. She's amazing. I want to be her apprentice.
"Princess Sara, we'll help you!" Ash offered.
But Sara shook her head. "I can't put you in danger. Please—leave Mirage Kingdom."
At the airport, Sara stood with the group one last time.
"Miss Misty, please go. Take Togepi and your friends and get away before Hansen sends pursuers."
Suddenly, the sky above the temple shimmered—like a mirage. The clouds reflected the image of a brilliant paradise in the sky!
Togepi began to glow with a soft blue light and floated toward it!
"Could it be…?" Sara gasped. "Has Togepi sensed the true Paradise through the mirage?"
Just then, Shedinja returned, charging up Solar Beam again!
"Togepi!" Misty leapt forward, clutching her partner and narrowly dodging the blast.
Hansen appeared, flanked by Team Rocket.
"You're not escaping!""Hand over the Togepi, meow!"
"No way! You creeps are never getting Togepi!" Misty growled.
"Then suffer! Shedinja, use Solar Beam again!" Hansen barked.
"Not this time! Pikachu—Fly!"
(・◇・)???"Wait, Pikachu can FLY?!"
"Pika~!" Pikachu soared forward with shocking speed, slamming into Shedinja and knocking it out in a single hit.
Ash smirked. "Once you know its weakness, Shedinja's no threat."
Hansen turned red. "Ninjask—Hyper Beam!"
The twin Ninjask began charging up black-violet energy beams.
"Eevee—Protect!"
"Eevee~!" Eevee formed a glowing green barrier that blocked both attacks perfectly.
Just as Ash stepped forward to finish things, a radiant silver-white light shone down from the mirage. It engulfed the group, and in the next moment, they were gone—
Teleported into Togepi's Paradise.
To be continued…