Doubts

Early in the morning, Yuga was taken by the king and Dusknoir to another palace beside the royal palace.

Pointing at a large door within the palace, the king introduced to Yuga, "This is the entrance to the Togepi Paradise. To open it, you need the power of Togepi."

Yuga furrowed his brows upon hearing this because he didn't have a Togepi.

Seeing Yuga's puzzled expression, the king sighed and said, "We can't open it ourselves either. In the past, the kingdom was home to some Togepi, so we had a tradition of using their power for the coronation. With the power of these Togepi, we could open the Togepi Paradise."

However, at some point, the Togepi in the kingdom disappeared, and the Togepi Paradise has remained closed for a long time.

Yuga realized that this situation had become quite complicated. Togepi was not a common Pokémon that could be found on the streets, and he had no way to obtain one.

He wanted to ask Dusknoir if there was a solution, but even Dusknoir seemed helpless.

During its travels outside the kingdom, Dusknoir had also kept an eye out for wild Togepi, but they were exceedingly rare. It had never come across one in all its journeys.

While it had seen Togepi in the hands of human trainers, it couldn't simply take one from them.

With no Togepi as the key, the matter of opening the Togepi Paradise was put on hold. Yuga and the king left the palace where the paradise was located.

Hans, who had been discreetly observing the king and Yuga, was pleased to see them return without success. However, his satisfaction didn't last long.

Back in his room, Yuga thought about a good idea. Even though he didn't have a Togepi, he could borrow one!

Of course, Yuga didn't know any trainers with Togepi, but he did know someone who had Togepi's final evolution—Togekiss.

That trainer was Cynthia!

Since Togepi could open the Togepi Paradise, there was no reason why its evolved form couldn't. Yuga decided to give it a try. After all, it couldn't hurt.

After last year's Elite Four Challenge, Like Steven, with the support of the Temple clan, Cynthia became the Sinnoh League Champion.

Also in the same year's Elite Four Challenge alongside with Cythia were Yuga's friends, Flint and Volkner also participate.

Flint succesfully went on to become one of the Elite Four members of Sinnoh region, and Volkner reached the finals of the Elite Four Challenge and he's currently the top candidate for Sinnoh Elite Four member.

Previously, Flint lost to Cynthia in the Sinnoh League Conference, and he had always considered defeating her to be his goal. However, when they met again in the Elite Four Challeng, he was defeated even more decisively than before.

No, it would be more accurate to say that she had become even stronger.

Thinking of a solution, Yuga immediately contacted Cynthia, who didn't hesitate to lend her Togekiss to him.

While the Mirage Kingdom maintained a traditional monarchy, its technological and cultural level was on par with the outside world. In the royal palace, there was also a Pokémon Trade Machine. It didn't take long for Yuga to receive Cynthia's Togekiss through this device.

Upon learning that Yuga was going to use Togekiss to try and open the Togepi Paradise, the king once again brought Yuga and Dusknoir to the entrance palace.

When Hans heard that the king had taken Yuga and Dusknoir to the entrance palace once more, he became very angry. He gestured to one of his trusted aides and whispered something in the aide's ear before quickly hurrying toward the entrance palace.

He felt that he couldn't let the king continue to act recklessly.

At the door of the palace, Yuga released Cynthia's Togekiss and said to it, "Togekiss, it's up to you."

The king had already told Togekiss how to proceed.

"Togekiss!"

Togekiss nodded and flew into the air and It used Metronome move at the door.

When a Togepi uses Metronome move, it generates a strange energy fluctuation that resonates with the door to the Togepi Paradise. This is the principle of why using Togepi as the key to open the Togepi Paradise.

It's just that whether this principle is still useful here when its used by Togekiss still need to be tested.

Metronome move was an easily comprehensible move for Togepi and Togetic, and Selene's Togekiss also had it.

However, being a bird-like Pokémon, Togekiss didn't have fingers, so it used its wings to generate the energy.

"Toge...kiss...toge...kiss..."

As Togekiss flapped its wings while chanting, a strange energy fluctuation appeared around it. Shortly, a white light was emitted from it and shot towards the door.

Hum!

As the white light appeared, an identical palace to the one they were in materialized above. However, this new palace was like a mirage, and it floated upside down in the sky.

On the mirage-like palace, there was a door identical to the one in the real palace. This door quickly turned into a whirlpool under the influence of the white light. Through the whirlpool, you could faintly see the other side, with lush trees and grass.

The appearance of the mirage-like palace caused quite a commotion. Hans, who was rushing to the palace, saw the floating mirage and immediately realized that something was amiss. He hurriedly led his group towards the palace.

"Open, it's really open!" The king exclaimed in joy as the whirlpool appeared.

Upon seeing Togekiss successfully open the door, Yuga turned to the king and Dusknoir and said, "Let's go in and take a look!"

Just as they were about to enter the Togepi Paradise through the whirlpool, they heard Hans's voice from behind.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing!"

The king turned to see Hans who had hurried over, and he said without any worry, "Hans, what are you doing here? This isn't a place you can enter. Step back!"

Hans's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Why can't I come? If I don't come, Your Majesty might do something foolish!"

The king furrowed his brow and said, "What are you talking about?"

Hans angrily pointed at the whirlpool in the air and declared, "This is our Mirrage Kingdom's sacred place. But now, Your Majesty is bringing outsiders in and even planning to give away the Togepi inside. I absolutely cannot agree to this!"

The king spoke with a solemn tone, "This is the ancestral will..."

Hans interrupted the king, "What ancestral will? What ancestors? Who even are these ancestors? As long as I'm here today, none of you will enter the Togepi Paradise, especially this outsider!"

Then, he pointed at Yuga, who was of unknown origin, and continued, "This stranger has the same intentions as a thief to covet the kingdom's sacred place. Only you, Your Majesty, would foolishly fall for these Pokemon' deception!"

Hans directed his accusations at the king and even the Dusknoir, who had remained silent, saying, "What it said about being ancentors Pokemons are something it claim on its own. Who knows if it's true or not? Maybe it was the one who killed the ancestors. It It should be enough to dominate the kingdom for so many years and It's time for it to stop!"

Hans's tone was filled with accusations towards the king and Dusknoir.

The king, already in poor health, was nearly knocked off balance by Hans's sudden barrage of accusations. Fortunately, Yuga was there to support him.

The king pointed at Hans angrily, saying, "You... How dare you doubt the ancestors! You... If you behave and leave peacefully today, I'll... I'll act as if this never happened!"

Hans truly had no knowledge of the ancestral will, as this knowledge had always been known only to the king. However, the king didn't expect Hans to say such things.

But Hans was, after all, his own younger brother, and if possible, the king didn't want to become enemies with him.

"Leave?" Hans sneered, "Today, no one is leaving!"

The king's face changed, and he asked, "What do you mean?"

Before Hans could reply, Yuga, who was supporting the king, sneered and said, "What else could it mean? Isn't it just that you've set your sights on the king's throne? All those noble words mean nothing! If it weren't for Dusknoir, this kingdom would have vanished long ago. You wouldn't have enjoyed the royal lifestyle for so many years, and you might not even exist. You have no right to accuse Dusknoir like this."

In the end, it all boiled down to selfish ambitions.

"Hmph!"

Hans didn't mind Yuga exposing his ambitions. He sneered and ordered his soldiers behind him, "Arrest them all."

The soldiers immediately moved to surround Yuga and the others.

The king was so angry that he could hardly complete his sentences. He pointed at the soldiers and shouted, "You... You... Cough, cough, cough... You dare to defy me, the king? Cough, cough... Are you planning a rebellion?"

However, the soldiers didn't pay any attention to the king. After years of regency, Hans had already gained control of most of the kingdom's power, and the king had been gradually sidelined without even realizing it.

However, as these soldiers approached, they suddenly found themselves unable to move. Subsequently, they were tossed aside like sacks.

Needless to say, Dusknoir was not one to mince words, and he immediately took action.

Upon witnessing this scene, Hans turned pale.

Nevertheless, Hans intended to use a human wave tactic to encircle Dusknoir. He didn't believe that Dusknoir's power was anything significant, as he assumed Dusknoir's significance in the Mirrage Kingdom was more symbolic than practical.

So, under Hans's orders, more and more soldiers and over a dozen Ninjask and Shedinja gathered around. Yuga could identify that this group of Ninjask and Shedinja was different from the ones that had attacked him the previous night.

Unfortunately for Hans, Dusknoir's power was beyond his imagination. A Master level Pokémon could hold its ground against thousands.

As the surging soldiers and their Pokémon approached, Dusknoir once again used his psychic powers to send them flying.

Following this, with a hum, Dusknoir's Trick Room enveloped Hans and his Ninjask, Shedinja, and soldiers.

Inside the square blue space, the Ninjask and Shedinja found themselves struggling as if trapped in quicksand. Every movement became agonizingly slow.

Within the Trick Room, Dusknoir moved at an incredible speed, appearing beside the Ninjask and Shedinja. Before they could even react, punches struck with precision, causing them to fall from the sky like dumplings.

Dusknoir's Shadow Punch was executed masterfully. Witnessing this, Hans attempted to flee, but Dusknoir's gigantic hand already had a grip on Hans's neck.

"Hegh... Hegh..."

Hans groaned in pain as he clung to Dusknoir's hand, attempting to pry it off with all his might. But how could his strength compare to that of Dusknoir?

Dusknoir, towering above, held Hans by his neck, leaving him dangling in the air. Hans knew that even the slightest pressure from Dusknoir would snap his neck.

"You can't kill me, or the queen and the princess won't live!" Despite being in a life-threatening situation, Hans refused to surrender.

As his words trailed off, several soldiers escorted the queen and the princess into the blue space formed by Dusknoir's magic.

"Your Majesty!"

"Father!"

The queen and the princess both had sharp Ninjask claws against their necks, and they called out in distress while being protected by King Yuga and Dusknoir.

As it turned out, before Hans came here, he had dispatched his trusted subordinates to capture the queen and the princess, with the goal of ensuring his safety when the situation became unfavorable.

"Queen! Cela!"

Upon seeing his wife and daughter held as hostages, the king's face turned pale.

"Hans, I... *cough*... I don't understand what I've done to you. *cough* Why... *cough*... why are you doing this?" The king shouted in despair, his eyes welling up with tears, as he was held by Hans.

"Hegh... *cough*... *cough*..."

Hans struggled in the grip of Dusknoir's hand, gasping intermittently. "You... *cough* such a weak man... *hegh*... how can you lead the kingdom to prosperity? Since... *cough* you're unfit to be king, it's only natural that I take your place."

"You... *cough*... you..."

Hans's words left the king so angry that he couldn't speak. He could only point at Hans with trembling fingers.

Just as Hans believed he could use the queen and the princess as leverage to control the king and Dusknoir, the soldiers holding them suddenly convulsed and fell to the ground, while the Ninjask with their claws at the queen and the princess's necks were knocked down by two Shadow Ball that appeared out of nowhere.

With a mischievous grin, Yuga's Gengar emerged from the ground, holding the queen and the princess by their collars and levitating into the air.

Outside, the soldiers quickly commanded their Pokémon to attack the sudden appearance of Gengar. However, Gengar effortlessly absorbed their attacks into the black hole it created.

Gengar's black hole might have struggled against a Champion level Pokémon's attacks, but it easily absorbed the attacks from these small fry.

Seeing the queen and the princess rescued, Hans realized that the situation was beyond his control. His Pokemon was also get crushed.

Witnessing Hans's defeated demeanor, Yuga coldly remarked, "In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are nothing but clouds. With your meager strength, you dared to aspire to rule and dominate. It's just a dream."

Hans, with a grim expression, offered no retort.

Due to the events involving Hans, the king couldn't accompany Yuga into the Pokémon Paradise. Instead, he let Yuga go in with Togekiss, while he and Dusknoir left to handle the aftermath of Hans's rebellion.

After Hans's capture, Dusknoir returned to his ghost ship and summoned his subordinates. With the help of this group of powerful Ghost-type Pokémon, the rebellion incited by Hans was quickly quelled.

Hans was imprisoned, and the soldiers and individuals involved in the rebellion were executed.

After years of not dealing with kingdom affairs, the king was shocked to discover that many of his own nobles had sided with Hans, which he found difficult to accept.

After resolving the matter with Hans, the king fell seriously ill. Princess Cela was compelled to take over the kingdom's responsibilities, and it seemed like she matured in an instant, despite her inexperience in worldly matters.

While the kingdom were busy quelling the rebellion, Yuga rode Togekiss into the Pokémon Paradise.

However, the Pokémon Paradise appeared drastically different from what he had envisioned. Yuga expected lush landscapes, abundant flora, and a thriving environment due to Celebi's creation. But the reality was far from that.

As he entered the Pokémon Paradise, Yuga was greeted with more than just a lush entrance. The rest of the area was filled with withered trees, dried leaves, and prematurely wilted berry hanging from lifeless branches.

Yuga dismounted Togekiss and ventured further into the Pokémon Paradise, only to find that the entire place seemed to be devoid of life. It appeared as though the Pokémon Paradise had lost all vitality.

"Togepi, Togepi."

At that moment, Yuga heard a faint cry. Upon closer examination, he spotted a dirty, timid-looking Togepi hiding behind a withered tree, watching him warily.

Yuga was about to approach the timid Togepi when it cowered further behind the withered tree, trembling and pressing its head against the tree trunk in fear.

Yuga spoke softly, "Don't be afraid, we mean no harm."

Yuga's innate ability to connect with Pokémon once again came into play. The Togepi, hearing Yuga's gentle words, gradually raised its head and became less frightened.

From his backpack, Yuga took out a can of Pokeblock that Florgess usually ate and poured one out, saying, "Here, have some."

To establish a rapport with Pokémon, using food as an incentive was the most direct and effective method, and Yuga was well aware of this fact.

Originally, the Togepi had some reservations about Yuga, but as soon as it saw the Pokeblock in his hand, it couldn't resist the temptation any longer.

It looks so delicious! The aroma is irresistible!

Togepi patted its round belly and took a couple of bites, licking its lips. It had gone without food for a day.

In the end, Togepi couldn't resist the allure of food and accepted Yuga's "enticement."

Watching the contented Togepi clutching the Pokeblock, which seemed even larger than its entire face, and savoring it with small, joyful bites, Yuga couldn't help but wonder.

What had happened here? The situation here was completely different from what the king and the Dusknoir had told him.