"What? Team Rocket attacking our house?"
Over the phone, Beidou told Yuga about Team Rocket's midnight attack on the YoYo Day Care. Yuga couldn't help but shout out loud.
"It's fine as long as everyone's safe, it's fine as long as everyone's safe."
After learning that the house was unharmed, Yuga let out a sigh of relief.
"I understand. I'll leave the matters at home in your hands."
Once he hung up the phone, Yuga let out a long breath and felt that Giovanni clearly held a serious grudge against him—he had even arranged an ambush at his home in advance.
However... Yuga felt a bit puzzled. His trip from Verdanturf Town to Alola had been a secret mission. How did Giovanni know he wasn't home and even had people ready in advance?
And Giovanni's sudden appearance in Ultra Space was also rather abrupt...
In any case, Giovanni was much more difficult to deal with than Yuga had imagined.
He had many questions, but no one could give Yuga any answers. Unable to figure it out, he could only wash up and go to sleep.
Early the next morning, Phoebe and the others came to inform Yuga that they were returning to Hoenn and asked if he wanted to go with them.
This mission had delayed Phoebe for such a long time, and in the end, the League even had to send people to rescue them. Now she was in a hurry to return and report everything that had happened in Ultra Space—she couldn't afford to waste any more time in Alola.
Yuga thought it over and realized that there wasn't much left for him to do in the Alola region. With Team Rocket's attack on his home, it would be good to return early, so he decided to leave with Phoebe and the others.
So that very day, Yuga and the group said goodbye to Acerola, Nanu, and the others, and boarded the aircraft heading to the Hoenn region.
Because Litten didn't have a Poké Ball and refused to enter the one Yuga provided, Yuga had no choice but to let it board the aircraft alongside Ninetales.
There were regulations regarding size and weight when it came to Pokémon riding on aircraft.
Small Pokémon like Litten didn't need a ticket to board, but mid-sized ones like Ninetales did. As for large or heavy Pokémon like Aggron, Nidoking, or Golem, they were only allowed to remain inside Poké Balls.
During the flight, Yuga was chatting with Phoebe and the others.
"Is this Litten one you just caught?"
Phoebe found the Litten hiding in Ninetales' tail to be quite amusing and asked out of curiosity.
"Uh... Actually, I wouldn't say I really caught it," Yuga replied.
"Wouldn't say you caught it? What do you mean by that?" Phoebe was confused.
So Yuga told her about Litten's background and how it had latched onto Ninetales.
That morning, when Yuga told Nurse Joy he planned to take Litten with him, he had also talked with her about Litten's situation and learned that one of Litten's parents was Ninetales.
He speculated that Litten relied so heavily on Ninetales most likely because it regarded Ninetales as a parent.
Of course, it was also possible that Ninetales' kindness toward it when they first met played a role.
Ninetales' kindness to Litten was pure and simple—unlike the intentions of those who wanted to capture it because of its potential. Perhaps Litten could sense that difference.
But all of this was just Yuga's speculation. What the truth really was, only Litten itself knew. And since it wasn't willing to communicate with Yuga, there was no way for him to understand its thoughts.
"That's just so pitiful..."
After hearing Litten's story, Phoebe was heartbroken. She even wanted to give Litten a hug, but Litten wouldn't even let her touch it.
Just as Yuga and the others were chatting comfortably, the aircraft suddenly began shaking violently. Litten, who had been poking its head out to eavesdrop on their conversation, was so startled that it immediately shrank back.
Yuga instinctively gripped the armrest of his seat tightly. "What's happening?"
Phoebe shook her head. "I don't know."
The turbulence continued, and the passengers grew increasingly panicked. Before long, a male voice began to broadcast an announcement.
"Dear passengers, please fasten your seat belts. The aircraft is currently under attack by an unknown Pokémon... Please remain calm. We will handle the situation as soon as possible."
Upon hearing that the aircraft was under attack by a Pokémon, the passengers became even more terrified, each one curling up in their seats, trembling.
However, as time passed, the turbulence only worsened. It didn't seem like the situation was being handled as swiftly as the broadcast claimed. Yuga even began to feel that the aircraft was descending.
"This won't do. I have to go take a look!"
At this moment, Phoebe stood up from her seat, her expression serious as she spoke.
A female flight attendant saw Phoebe stand up and quickly stepped forward to advise her: "Ma'am, the situation is special right now, please remain seated…"
Phoebe, without saying another word, revealed her identity and said to the flight attendant, "Take me to your captain."
"Yes, I'll take you right away."
Upon learning Phoebe's identity, the flight attendant was extremely relieved. Having someone influential appear at a time like this easily brings a sense of security.
Several minutes later, Phoebe returned with a grave expression and said to Yuga, "The situation is really bad. We need your help."
"Alright," Yuga agreed without hesitation and turned to the Ninetales beside him, saying, "Stay here with the Litten."
Ninetales understood the critical situation and nodded. "Don't worry."
Yuga followed Phoebe to the cockpit where the captain was. Inside, two pilots were sweating profusely from anxiety.
"Have you identified what kind of Pokémon is nearby?" the captain asked anxiously and repeatedly.
"No, we can't see it clearly…"
A young girl was operating a machine that Yuga didn't recognize, her fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard, but it did nothing to stop the situation from worsening.
"Ah, this is bad! The right wing of the aircraft is severely damaged. We've lost control!!!" the girl suddenly shouted.
Immediately after, Yuga and the others couldn't even stand steady. The two pilots were doing their best to control the aircraft, but the situation was entirely out of their hands.
After introducing Yuga to the captain, Phoebe said to him, "Gym Leader Shimizu, we'll go out together in a bit. I'll try to control the aircraft while you search for the Pokémon that attacked it."
"Understood," Yuga nodded.
The captain who is drenched in sweat, said to Yuga and Phoebe, "Ms. Phoebe, Gym Leader Shimizu, I'm counting on you both."
At this moment, the young captain felt incredibly fortunate that two top-tier Trainers happened to be aboard his aircraft.
He was a relatively young captain, and this was the first time he had encountered such a situation since assuming the role.
Flight routes opened by the League were generally well-maintained and routinely cleared. Wild Pokémon interfering with flights was a rare occurrence, let alone a direct attack like today.
Next to Yuga and Phoebe appeared a Gengar and a Banette, respectively. The two Pokémon carried them into the air and phased straight through the top of the aircraft.
When they reappeared, Yuga and Phoebe were already standing on top of the aircraft, outside in the open sky.
Braving the violent air currents, they surveyed their surroundings and indeed saw that the aircraft was damaged in several places, with the right wing completely gone.
Phoebe then released a Froslass and a Drifblim. She said to her three Pokémon, "Banette, Froslass, Drifblim, I'm counting on you!"
The three Pokémon responded in unison, their eyes flashing rapidly with purple light. All three used Psychic, their psychic energies merging and attaching to the plummeting aircraft. The aircraft momentarily halted, and the rate of descent noticeably decreased.
However, the aircraft was far too massive for the three Pokémon to completely halt its fall. They simply didn't have that kind of power.
"Gym Leader Shimizu, it's up to you now."
With the situation temporarily under control, Phoebe turned to Yuga and said.
"Alright!"
Yuga nodded and looked toward a cloud not far from the aircraft that resembled a tornado. Flashes of multicolored light flickered inside, and screeches and roars could be heard—clearly, the Pokémon that had attacked the aircraft was inside that cloud.
Gengar used its psychic power to create a barrier around Yuga, shielding him from the turbulent air currents.
"Lunala!"
At Yuga's call, Lunala appeared beside him.
"Use Moongeist Beam on that cloud!" Yuga pointed toward the storm-like cloud and said.
"Lunala~"
Lunala responded with a cry, then the edges of its golden wings gathered a large amount of dark energy and fired a beam of black energy.
Boom—
The tornado-like cloud was instantly pierced through, then violently scattered, revealing the two Pokémon that were fiercely battling inside.
An Altaria.
A Darkrai.
It turned out that the aircraft Yuga and the others were on had been affected by the battle between Altaria and Darkrai.
The dispersal of the cloud did not affect the fight between Altaria and Darkrai. The two Pokémon were completely enraged and didn't notice anything around them.
"Altaria~!"
Altaria let out a long cry and used the Fairy-type move Disarming Voice. A pink energy ring surged toward Darkrai, but Darkrai's figure eerily vanished from its original spot, causing Disarming Voice to miss.
However, Yuga's aircraft happened to be directly behind Darkrai, and Disarming Voice was now heading straight toward them.
"Lunala, Shadow Ball!"
"Lunala~"
Lunala fired a Shadow Ball, scattering Altaria's Disarming Voice.
Altaria's first strike had failed, and it wanted to press the attack, but Darkrai had already unleashed a wave of Dark Pulse that struck Altaria with precision.
"Altaria!!!"
Altaria cried out in pain, rolling several times in the air before finally regaining its balance—but Darkrai's second Dark Pulse was already incoming.
Altaria's body suddenly radiated with light, and it used Dazzling Gleam to repel the Dark Pulse. The deflected wave curved around and flew once again toward Yuga and his team.
At this point, Yuga finally understood how their aircraft had gotten caught up in this mess.
"Lunala, Air Slash!"
Upon hearing this, Lunala flapped its wings, and several blades of wind shot out, shredding Darkrai's Dark Pulse to pieces.
Yuga didn't interfere in the battle between Altaria and Darkrai. He only intervened when their attacks affected the aircraft, ensuring its safety.
At the same time, in the cockpit of the aircraft, one of the pilots said to the captain, "Captain, the falling speed of the aircraft has stabilized. We now need to make an emergency landing and wait for rescue."
"Hurry up, prepare for landing!"
The captain quickly ordered, while breathing a sigh of relief. Thank goodness—the crisis was finally over. As long as the passengers on this aircraft were safe, nothing else mattered.
"Yes, sir!"
The pilot responded and began preparing to land the aircraft on the spot.
Outside, the battle between Altaria and Darkrai was still raging and growing even more intense. Yuga and Phoebe just watched coldly, unable to understand what deep grudge these two had with each other.
Yuga had met a Darkrai before—one who once helped AZ guard his grave together with Xerneas—but this clearly wasn't the same one, and this one didn't seem as strong either.
"Altaria!!!"
At last, Altaria, unable to match Darkrai, was struck once again by a Shadow Ball and let out a miserable cry as it fell toward the ground.
"Darkrai~"
Darkrai didn't seem intent on letting Altaria go and swiftly pursued it downward. In no time, the two of them disappeared into the clouds below.
"What do we do now?" Phoebe asked.
"Let's make sure the aircraft lands safely first, then we'll talk. Lunala, you come help too!"
With the help of Yuga and Phoebe, the aircraft finally landed without further incident. Because the wings were severely damaged, there was no time to choose a proper landing site, so Yuga and the others had to make an emergency landing in a desert area.
"Captain, do you know where we are right now?" Back inside the aircraft, Yuga asked.
"We should be in Sinnoh right now," the captain replied with a frown.
"Sinnoh, huh… That's still really far from Hoenn!" Champion Phoebe couldn't help but say.
"Yes, I've already sent a distress signal to headquarters, hoping they can dispatch someone in time to rescue us," the captain said.
Yuga and the others were on a large aircraft, and there were several hundred passengers on board. If the rescue team couldn't arrive in time, just calming all these people down would already be a big problem.
Sure enough, not long after, a flight attendant came to report that someone was causing a disturbance. The captain had no choice but to take people over to deal with it, and also needed to inform the passengers of the current situation.
Seeing that they couldn't be of any help for the time being, Yuga and Phoebe returned to their seats.
Yuga and Phoebe were seated in first class. The passengers causing a disturbance weren't from their section, and the passengers in first class were still relatively calm.
Sitting next to Ninetales, Yuga asked in a low voice, "How is it? Nothing happened, right?"
Ninetales shook its head. "No, everything's fine."
There was definitely some panic, since it was everyone's first time encountering such an incident, but fortunately, the flight attendants did a good job of reassuring people, so nothing happened in first class.
Yuga nodded and noticed that most passengers were engaged in hushed conversations. Most of them sounded quite uneasy, but there was nothing that could be done. For now, all they could do was quietly wait for rescue.
The place where Yuga and the others had landed was a remote wilderness far away from any human settlement. Rescue couldn't possibly arrive so quickly, and in the blink of an eye, night had already fallen.
"Looks like we'll have to spend the night here," said Phoebe with a sigh after eating the dinner brought by the flight attendants.