However, an unexpected event occurred. Hoopa's golden ring and arm suddenly vanished into thin air!
Hoopa was stunned, then burst into tears. Its hand was gone!
Meanwhile, in Havenport, Carl had just completed his morning routine and returned to his villa with his shiny Ralts. After sharing breakfast with Sabrina and the others, he began teaching them a true martial art.
This wasn't just any fitness routine; it was a secret technique from the World Tree. Through specific movements, it could channel energy and transform food nutrients into physical power. Carl had already reached the level where he could train using just his mind.
Lillie and the others thought they were doing warm-up exercises at first. Only after half an hour, when they felt heated and were drenched in sweat, did they realize the training had already begun.
Carl used a wooden stick to correct their movements one by one. Although the basic actions were the same, each person's subtle adjustments were different, which was why the technique couldn't be easily passed on.
They continued practicing like this for nearly two hours.
Carl advised them that exercising two hours each morning and evening would yield the best results. Despite the hard work, the thought of being able to eat without gaining weight and potentially gaining special abilities was quite motivating.
After training, they went to relax in the hot springs together. Carl lay back on a chair, sunbathing, while his shiny Ralts and two Cosmog lounged on his belly. The Pokémon were all undergoing special training according to his plan.
He thought he could relax until lunchtime, but no sooner had he laid down than he received an alert from the World Tree. Was a legendary Pokémon trying to invade? Carl first thought of Mew, given their ongoing wager. But then he reconsidered—Mew couldn't find him within the World Tree's domain.
He realized Mew might have enlisted help. The most likely candidate was Hoopa, due to its unique abilities that weren't restricted by his barriers. It was an oversight.
"Let it through!" Carl decided immediately. No sooner had he spoken than a golden ring appeared in front of him, extending a small hand. It was indeed Hoopa. Carl couldn't help but grin, "Hold still!"
The ring suddenly lost its glow, falling to the ground like a powerless drone. The small hand tried to struggle, but as the ring failed, it fell weakly to the floor.
Carl toyed with the newly acquired Hoopa ring, a playful smile on his lips. This thing seemed quite interesting—why not test it out?
He focused, channeling his thoughts into the ring. But then a problem arose—what to summon? His gaze swept over the training field, landing on a Fennekin practicing fire moves, and Serena's image suddenly flashed in his mind.
Uh-oh! Carl felt a jolt of alarm. Before he could react, the ring lit up brilliantly.
By the hot spring, Serena had just stood up to look for Sabrina, when suddenly the ground vanished beneath her. With a startled scream, she disappeared.
"What happened?" Sabrina and Caitlin both stood up. Lillie looked around in a panic, "Where did Serena go?"
The two psychics exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting from puzzled to amused. "Don't worry," Sabrina said, sinking back into the hot spring. "It's a good thing." Caitlin also returned to her seat.
Lillie was bewildered, but then a glowing ring appeared above the water. With a splash, Serena fell from the sky and landed safely in the hot spring.
"Are you okay?" Lillie quickly swam over. Serena's face was crimson, stammering, "I'm... I'm fine..."
"Nothing happened," Serena's face turned as red as a ripe apple.
Lillie wanted to ask more, but Sabrina interrupted, "Focus on the hot springs, it's almost lunchtime."
"Alright~"
Lillie, perceptive as ever, noticed Serena's reluctance to elaborate and decided not to press further. But she suspected this had something to do with Carl; otherwise, why would Serena be so embarrassed yet not angry?
Elsewhere, Carl was stuffing tissues up his nose, trying to clear his mind, "Focus, focus!"
But the more he tried, the clearer those images became in his mind.
"I need something to distract myself."
He fiddled with the ring, recalling all the plans he had fantasized about having such a power. Using it to collect rare Pokémon would definitely be exciting.
"If I could use it to snag a few rare starters, that would be a real score!"
Carl eagerly manipulated the ring to search for the likes of Charmander and Bulbasaur. Yet, after much effort, the ring showed no response.
Only then did he realize that the ring's search range was limited by his mental strength, allowing only a slight expansion. And he knew all too well what Pokémon were near the World Tree—there were no loopholes to exploit.
"So this thing is basically a decoration now? Unless my mental power can cover a wider area than the World Tree."
"This is just pushing me to train harder, isn't it?"
The thought of having to work hard left Carl uninterested. To him, diligence was almost a form of torture.
"I'll deal with it later."
He was about to put the ring away—not because he didn't want to return it to Hoopa, okay, maybe he was a bit reluctant. But he did want to return Hoopa's ring arm, though he'd failed multiple times. He'd tried using the ring to locate Hoopa, but to no avail. As far as he knew, Hoopa was currently in the desert city of Kalos, thousands of miles from Havenport, clearly beyond his ability range.
"Could Hoopa be fighting with Mew?" Carl thought mischievously.
At that moment, in the desert city's high-rise, Hoopa anxiously tried to summon its companion weapon:
"Hoopa, help!"
"Hoopa, return!"
But no matter how hard it tried, the ring remained unresponsive.
Hoopa's expression gradually fell, its eyes beginning to redden. Mew, having never seen it like this, was at a loss.
"Mew~" Mew called softly, trying to calm it.
This only agitated Hoopa further. It grabbed another golden ring and shouted, "I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
"Don't do it!" Mew was alarmed. It wasn't afraid of a fight, but it was concerned about drawing some troublesome company.
"I don't care!" Hoopa was too angry to listen.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Mew had no choice but to compromise, "Alright, I'll help you contact that human and make sure you get your things back."
"Do you think I'm a child?" Hoopa glared defiantly.
"If I break my promise, you can use the ring on me anytime, how about that?" Mew continued, "Or we could find a few witnesses?"
Hoopa's expression softened slightly at this. Hoopa thought it was a good idea and immediately summoned Meloetta, Victini, and Shaymin. It called out again, "Hoopa, help!" preparing to continue the summoning.
"Again?" Carl felt the World Tree's reaction and frowned. He thought for a moment and decided to allow the passage, but only partially. With a bang, Mew, trying to sneak through, bumped right into the barrier.