Chapter Ninety-Seven: Escape from Peril

"Celebi!"

A gigantic fireball came crashing down toward Cheng Cheng. Celebi raised a barrier of energy, shielding him within it.

When the fireball struck, it burst into a sea of flames, trapping Cheng Cheng and Celebi inside.

Celebi kept pouring out power to withstand the blaze. Only at such close range did Cheng Cheng truly feel how terrifying that fire was. It was far more powerful than any flames a Pokemon could unleash, and it showed no sign of dying out. Cheng Cheng did not know whether Celebi would be able to hold on.

He knew this was no place to remain. He had to get out immediately, and only then could Celebi be freed.

"Come out, Gardevoir."

"Gardevoir, is there any way to break through?"

At that moment, the surrounding space energy was in utter chaos. Gardevoir could not use Teleport to escape; it could only find a way to force its way out.

"Gardevoir."

Gardevoir shook its head, indicating that with its current ability, it could not break through.

What should he do? Was he really going to die here? No, he had to find a way out. Wait. There was still one more method.

"Gardevoir, try this."

Cheng Cheng lifted his arm, revealing the Evolution Bracelet.

"Gardevoir."

Gardevoir nodded.

Cheng Cheng and Gardevoir both closed their eyes, then connected their hearts through psychic power.

Very soon, Cheng Cheng felt his strength and Gardevoir's strength joining together.

"Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!"

"Gardevoir!"

The Mega Stone and the Key Stone resonated with one another. Gardevoir shone brilliantly, and at last the transformation succeeded.

"Gardevoir, let's break out."

Cheng Cheng did not waste another second and immediately let Mega Gardevoir carry him out.

Mega Gardevoir raised a barrier with psychic power, then charged outward together with Cheng Cheng, bursting through the flames.

Once Cheng Cheng and Mega Gardevoir had escaped the range of the fire, Gardevoir reverted to its original form and collapsed to the ground.

"Gardevoir!"

Cheng Cheng picked up Gardevoir and found that it had only exhausted itself and fallen asleep.

"Gardevoir, rest well for now."

He returned Gardevoir to its Pokeball.

When Cheng Cheng turned to look at Celebi, Celebi had already been completely swallowed by the flames. A wave of heat surged past, and the place where Celebi had been was now empty of everything. But Cheng Cheng believed Celebi was still alive.

"Celebi!"

Sure enough, when Cheng Cheng turned his head, he saw Celebi floating behind him.

"Celebi, I'm so glad you're all right."

Cheng Cheng ran over and gathered it into his arms.

Celebi wriggled free from Cheng Cheng's embrace and then looked up at the sky.

The fireball in the sky was gone now, and the blood-red heavens were gradually turning white again. But the land had already been scorched beyond recognition. The bodies of many Pokemon lay on the ground in a pitiful sight.

The scene made Cheng Cheng feel sick. He bent over and vomited.

Lying on the ground, he stared at the sky. The white spread farther and farther, and little by little he felt the weather growing cold.

He touched his face and found something icy had fallen upon it. Cheng Cheng looked up and saw pale white flecks drifting down from the sky.

Snow.

Normally, seeing such beautiful snowflakes would have made him happy, but now he could not feel happiness at all.

The snow fell faster and faster. A thin layer had already begun to gather on the ground, and the snow beneath his feet grew deeper by the second. Before long, it had covered Cheng Cheng's boots, and he felt a piercing cold.

"Bi..."

"I understand, Celebi. Let's go back."

"Bi!"

Celebi summoned its power, and a door of time and space appeared before Cheng Cheng.

He stepped through the gate, then paused and looked back. The whole land was now white, and all the corpses had been buried beneath the snow.

He sighed and entered the tunnel of time.

Inside the cave, after Teng Fu reached the end, he turned back along the same path and entered the cavern Cheng Cheng had gone into. Yet he found no sign of Cheng Cheng anywhere.

He continued searching the other caves, only to discover that Cheng Cheng had vanished as though into thin air.

Teng Fu searched every place he could think of, but still could not find him. Had he already gone out? He must have left already.

After searching for a long time without success, Teng Fu resumed his work.

On the other side of Mount Raus, a gate of time and space opened out of nowhere, and Cheng Cheng and Celebi emerged from the void of time.

What had happened in the ancient Pokemon world had shaken Cheng Cheng deeply. His mind was in complete turmoil, and he no longer knew what he should do.

Celebi noticed his condition and tried to comfort him.

"Celebi, it's all right. I understand that those things happened in the distant past. They are already over. Everyone now is still living well. Celebi, I really owe you one this time."

"Bi."

"All right, Celebi. Thank you. I'm heading to Mistralton City next. See you again."

Cheng Cheng managed a weary smile.

Then he set off for Mistralton City. Celebi glanced at him once, then vanished into the void.

Cheng Cheng moved slowly toward Mistralton City. In his poor condition, he was very slow, and by nightfall he still had not reached the city.

Exhausted, Cheng Cheng found a place to eat a little before sending out Chimecho to keep watch. Then he fell asleep.

When he slept, he dreamed once more of everything that had happened in the ancient Pokemon world. What he dreamed was even more terrible than what he had seen before. The horrendous deaths of countless Pokemon kept circling in his mind, and Cheng Cheng felt unbearable anguish.

"Bi..."

For some reason, Celebi's voice suddenly sounded in Cheng Cheng's mind, as if Celebi were singing within his heart.

Gradually, Cheng Cheng felt that everything was not quite so frightening after all. His emotions slowly calmed.

Before long, the nightmare of Pokemon's destruction vanished, and in its place came dreams of his life together with Pokemon.

He dreamed of playing with the Pokemon in the ecological garden of the breeding house, making delicious food for them, and accompanying them in training. Everything was so beautiful.

"Chimecho."

"Bi."

While Cheng Cheng was dreaming, two Pokemon were conversing beside him. They were Chimecho and Celebi.

Cheng Cheng had not met Celebi in a dream. Celebi had truly come here. It had used a soothing song on Cheng Cheng, calming his mind. This time, it had also brought along another Pokemon.

A beautiful Pokemon appeared directly above Cheng Cheng. If Cheng Cheng had been awake, he would have been extremely surprised. This Pokemon was none other than the goddess of pleasant dreams, Cresselia.

Celebi had called Cresselia over to help, asking it to give Cheng Cheng a good dream. With Cresselia's aid, Cheng Cheng was able to turn his nightmare into a dream of peace.

"Bi."

"Chimecho."

Then Cresselia and Celebi left, and only the sleeping Cheng Cheng, still wrapped in a beautiful dream, and Chimecho remained there.

Early the next morning, Cheng Cheng felt sunlight falling across his face. He opened his eyes, sat up, and stretched deeply. For some reason, he had slept wonderfully well the night before. He remembered that he seemed to have had a nightmare, and then a good dream, and that he had also heard some voices in the dream. But he could not recall the details.

"Chimecho."

"Thanks for watching over me last night, Chimecho. Go back into your Pokeball and rest for a while."

Chimecho must have been exhausted after keeping watch all night. Cheng Cheng recalled it, then continued on toward Mistralton City.

By evening, Cheng Cheng finally arrived in Mistralton City. So much had happened along this short journey that he still needed to sort through it carefully, but he had already walked all day and was terribly tired.

He went into the Pokemon Center and handed his Pokemon over to Nurse Joy for treatment. This journey had left several of them quite worn out.

After they were healed, Cheng Cheng brought them back to the room.

That day, Cheng Cheng skipped meditation and went straight to bed. This time he had neither a beautiful dream nor a nightmare. He slept through the night in plain, quiet peace.

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