Ash's Story (Part 5: Modern Sinnoh)

Chapter 70: Festival Roots

After Michina Town, ordinary sunlight felt strange.

I kept looking at my hands whenever the road grew quiet, half expecting to see Plate light there, half afraid I would see the ruins again. Pikachu stayed on my shoulder more than usual, and Lillie kept close without making me talk before I was ready.

The next route toward Lilypad Town gave Dawn something else to focus on. She wanted Mamoswine ready for her fifth Ribbon, so we stopped near a forest clearing where the grass grew thick and the trees leaned over the path.

"Mamoswine, try turning Hidden Power into something beautiful," Dawn said, holding her hands out like a Coordinator guiding a dance.

Mamoswine released a burst of glowing orbs. They wobbled, scattered, and one bounced harmlessly off Piplup's head.

Piplup blinked, then laughed before he could stop himself. Pikachu covered his mouth with both paws, but his shoulders shook.

Mamoswine's eyes narrowed.

"Mamoswine, wait!" Dawn cried.

Mamoswine charged into the trees, hurt pride carrying him faster than anyone expected. Dawn ran after him at once, and Piplup followed with panic replacing laughter.

Tox already looked annoyed with all of us. "Laughing at failed coordination is not training support."

"He is right," Lillie said, worried. "We should find them."

The clearing grew awkward after Mamoswine disappeared. Dawn had been practicing because Lilypad mattered to her, but the hurt on Mamoswine's face reminded me that a Contest move was still a Pokémon's effort before it became anyone's appeal. I knew that lesson too well after Lake Acuity. A partner could give everything and still hear the wrong response at the wrong time.

Lillie looked at me as if she knew where my thoughts had gone. "We should make sure Mamoswine knows we are not laughing at him."

"Yeah," I said. "We fix that before we fix any move."

Before we could enter the forest, a woman in ranger gear stepped onto the path and raised one hand.

"No Pokémon beyond this point without permission," she said firmly. "This part of the forest is under protection."

"I'm Ash," I said quickly. "Our friend and her Mamoswine ran in there."

The ranger's expression shifted from strict to concerned. "I'm Verona. Then we have another problem, because something has been draining Pokémon in this area."

Verona guided us under hanging moss and warned us not to touch the pale roots along the path. She explained that the forest had one old tree at its center, older than the ranger records and older than the town signs. For years, Pokémon had gathered around it when storms damaged nests or food ran short.

The wild Tangrowth did not attack again while we listened. It hovered near the old tree, vines twitching toward every weakened Pokémon like it wanted to help and did not know how to stop hurting them first.

A vine swung down before she finished.

A wild Tangrowth dropped from the branches, wrapped vines around Staraptor and Glaceon, and used Absorb. Their strength drained just enough to make them sag. Then Tangrowth released them and gently placed Sitrus Berries in front of them.

Daniel stared. "That is not predation. It is taking energy, then compensating."

"That does not make the drain harmless," Tox said, checking Glaceon. "But it suggests purpose."

Tangrowth's meaning came heavy with urgency. "Tree dying. Forest fading. Borrow strength. Give fruit. Need more."

We followed Tangrowth deeper and found Dawn with Mamoswine near an ancient tree whose bark had gone gray around the roots. Wild Grass-types gathered around it, anxious and weak.