In the end, Ash successfully captured Regigigas.
"Ugh… What happened? Agh—Regigigas!"
Both Brandon and Miss Maria slowly regained consciousness.
When Mewtwo appeared earlier, Ash had asked it to hypnotize the two of them. He didn't want to risk them exposing what they'd seen—even if Brandon probably wouldn't say a word, Ash wasn't willing to gamble on that.
Better safe than sorry.
"Don't worry, Mr. Brandon," Ash said with a cheerful smile. "Regigigas has calmed down now. It's back to its original, peaceful state."
He had asked Dawn and Anabel to head to the Snowpoint Town Pokémon Center first to rest, while he stayed behind to "explain" what happened.
Though… Ash wasn't telling the whole truth.
The truth was—he had captured Regigigas. The Colossal Legendary Titan was currently inside a Master Ball, quietly resting.
"I see... Sounds like it was an intense battle. Ash, to think you could suppress Regigigas head-on and actually calm it… That's remarkable. Honestly, I think you've already surpassed Champion level. Youth like you are truly awe-inspiring!"
Brandon showed no doubt. After all, the surroundings bore the marks of a fierce battle, and Regigigas was nowhere to be seen.
"Haha, well… The Snowpoint Temple will need to be rebuilt. The original was destroyed."
Ash tactfully sidestepped Brandon's comment about his strength.
Brandon and Maiden Maria resolved to start rebuilding the Snowpoint Temple immediately.
Ash personally donated 5 million PokéCoins to support the reconstruction—stunning Brandon once again.
Ash scratched his nose, thinking to himself, Well, I did just capture Regigigas. A few million PokéCoins? Totally worth it.
As for how he solved the problem of Regigigas needing to remain at the temple?
That came from the system.
Long ago, the system had promised it could help Ash resolve the issue of Regigigas being bound to the Snowpoint Temple. The temple needed Regigigas's energy to remain stable—but the system had extracted a portion of its power and condensed it into an orb of light.
This orb resembled the one Regigigas transformed into when it entered hibernation.
What's more, the system had restored the two stone pillars that were previously destroyed by Hunter J.
With that orb infused with Regigigas's energy, plus the fully restored three guardian pillars, the only thing left was rebuilding the structure. The Snowpoint Temple could once again serve as the city's sacred symbol.
Everything fell into place perfectly.
Ash, Dawn, and Anabel stayed in Snowpoint Town for five days, overseeing the reconstruction process.
On the sixth day, Dawn's mother, Johanna, made a surprise video call.
During that downtime, Ash also composed the official theme song for their Sinnoh journey.
"Dawn, you're in Snowpoint Town now, right? Twinleaf Town is about to hold its big annual festival! If you, Ash, and Anabel have time, come home for a visit!"
Johanna sipped her coffee and spoke in a warm tone.
"Huh? The Twinleaf Festival?! I have to go back for that!"
"Piplup-pi!"
Dawn and Piplup both jumped up in delight.
"Ash, Anabel—you've never been to my house, right? This is the perfect chance! The Twinleaf Festival is super fun!"
Dawn was already bouncing with excitement.
"And Ash," Johanna added with a teasing smile, "I've invited Professor Oak from Pallet Town too. Your mom is coming along as well!"
"…Wait, my mom is coming too?!"
Ash blinked. But it was Dawn and Anabel who were more shocked than he was.
Anabel remained calm—she'd already met Ash's mother before.
But Dawn?
Her face turned crimson.
Her heart began to pound wildly.
Wait… If Ash's mom comes to my house, and she meets my mom… Isn't that like… meeting the parents?!
Just the thought made her chest tighten.
"It's settled then! Take the shortcut through Mt. Coronet and you'll make it in time. The festival is still two weeks away—you've got plenty of time!"
Johanna hung up with a smile.
"The Snowpoint Temple is already halfway rebuilt. It'll be finished in three days. We'll leave after that, take the shortcut through Mt. Coronet."
"Pika pi!"
"Pipipipipluuup!"
Pikachu and Piplup bounced around happily at the news.
Dawn and Anabel had no objections.
Ash took a moment to call Elesa in the Unova region and also sent her the Sinnoh travel theme song he'd finished.
The familiar melody played in the background…
With hearts full of secret strength,
We climb high Mt. Coronet,
Who will we catch?
Where will we meet?
The thrill of the unknown—
Like a hidden base full of wonder.
New towns, new friends—
Let's move forward, in this shining time…
Yeah, yeah, yeah…
This song—"Together"—the official theme of the Sinnoh arc, was now in Elesa's hands.
Elesa deposited royalties from the music into Ash's account every month.
He hadn't checked in a while, but now that he looked… His account had nearly 15 million PokéCoins in it!
Three days later, the Snowpoint Temple was complete.
A grander, even more majestic version now stood in place of the old one.
Brandon made the decision to stay in Sinnoh and continue researching ancient ruins. Unless someone came to challenge the Battle Pyramid back in Kanto, he wouldn't be returning anytime soon.
Ash and his group began their journey through Mt. Coronet, heading toward Dawn's hometown—Twinleaf Town.
A week later, they arrived.
By then, Twinleaf Town was already bursting with activity in preparation for the festival.
Colorful decorations lit up the entire town.
Every street and alleyway was lined with pop-up stalls.
These stalls would soon be filled with food vendors, carnival games, and Pokémon-themed toy shops.
During the festival, all the locals would come out to support and celebrate together.
Finally, the trio arrived at Dawn's home.
Nervously, she reached out and pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong!Ding dong!
Clack!
The door swung open.
Johanna stepped out wearing an apron—clearly in the middle of preparing lunch.
"Oh my, welcome home! You must be Ash and Anabel—thank you both for taking care of my daughter. Please, come in!"
Though she smiled warmly, Johanna's gaze lingered… mostly on Ash.
Noticing this, Dawn's heart skipped a beat—her whole body felt awkward and flustered.
Why does Mom have to look at Ash like that?!
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T/N:
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