Back in the cathedral, Timothy climbed up to the top balcony with Serena. He ran to his bedroom in the south tower and kicked the door open before putting her down on his bed. The hunchback smiled and put his hand on her cheek.

"Don't worry. You're safe here," he said.

The honey blonde woman laid motionless, but Timothy didn't pay any mind. He ran out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and went down the stairs back to the lower level where he, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey were chained. The three Pokemon were waiting for him with worried looks.

"How's Serena?" Shockwave asked.

"She's fine. I got her before the fire reached her," Timothy answered. "What's happening down there?"

"Master Markenel is seizing the cathedral," Odyssey said. "He and his soldiers are attacking the front doors right now."

Timothy looked at the Riolu, shocked, and ran over to the edge. He looked down at the square, dumbfounded to see half of the soldiers' Pokemon attacking the cathedral. His gaze turned to his adopted father, who was ordering his soldiers with his sword. His anger for the judge grew until he saw Ash and Sonia leading the mob, and he smiled at his friends helping him protect Serena.

But, Timothy's smile soon disappeared when he realized that, despite their superior numbers, the civilians and Arceans were losing. While Sonia, Ash, Pikachu, Miette, and Slurpuff held their own, the rest of the mob proved to be little match for the well-trained soldiers and their Pokemon. Little by little, soldiers disarmed their opponents, and their partners beat the other Pokemon, causing members of the mob to run away.

Timothy turned to Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey, who realized what was happening and said, "We've got to help them."

"But how?" Electchu asked.

"I need you guys to attack them with everything you have," Timothy said. "Electchu, you use Thundershock, Shockwave, Disarming Voice, and Odyssey, you can use Screech. If we grab the soldiers' attention, they'll try to fight back with whatever ranged attacks they have, leaving them less focused on Ash, Sonia, and the others. That might give our friends the opportunity they need to push back and stop Master Markenel."

Shockwave grinned and said, "Sounds like a plan."

"I'm with you, Timothy," Odyssey said.

"I won't let you down," Electchu said with a salute.

Timothy gave his dear friends an appreciative smile before the three Pokemon prepared to attack. Electchu squeezed its cheeks with its paws, creating electricity, while Shockwave and Odyssey prepared their voices. With a loud cry, Electchu fired a yellow lightning bolt from its body. Shockwave and Odyssey screamed at the top of their lungs with a beam of purple hearts coming out of Shockwave's mouth and see-through soundwaves coming out of Odyssey's mouth. The Thundershock hit two soldiers with a Meowth, Arbok, and Weezing. The purple hearts and the soundwaves hit larger groups of soldiers and Pokemon, who screamed and howled in pain with the soldiers dropping their weapons and covering their ears. None of the attacks significantly damaged the Pokemon with Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey's lack of training, but they did distract them from the mob.

Giovanni looked up to see Timothy's companions attacking his troops, and he shouted, "Take them down!"

A dozen soldiers and their Pokemon looked up at Timothy, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey and began firing ranged attacks at them. The hunchback and the Pokemon got down on the floor before a volley of Flamethrowers, Rock Blasts, Dragon Pulse, Thunder, and Psybeam attacks could hit them. The enemy Pokemon continued to unleash their storm of attacks, forcing Timothy, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey to stay in cover.

"Well, we got their attention," Electchu said.

"What do we do now?" Odyssey asked.

Timothy furrowed his brow and looked down in thought until he noticed the rubble from the columns he destroyed from the corner of his eye.

"I'm going to drop these at the soldiers and their Pokemon," he said.

"But that'll kill them," Shockwave said.

"Not if I intentionally miss," Timothy said. "If I aim the stones right, the soldiers and their Pokemon will think they're heading toward them and move away, or the Pokemon use their moves to destroy them. That'll distract them long enough for you guys to attack as many of them as you can."

The Pikachu, Kirlia, and Riolu thought about it before they nodded in approval. Timothy nodded back before turning to the largest broken piece of one of the columns and lifted it up. He moved his head toward the ledge far enough to see his opponents without getting hit before he found a spot on the ground and threw the stone down.

"Watch out!" A soldier cried out.

Some of the soldiers and their Pokemon attacking moved away just before the stone crashed in front of them, but it was just the opening their opponents needed. Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey got up from their hiding spots and used their respective moves again. The rest of the soldiers' Pokemon prepared to attack again, only for Timothy to throw more rubble at them, forcing the Pokemon to use their moves to defend themselves. The hunchback threw debris at his enemies, again and again, keeping them from fighting back while his Pokemon friends continued to use Thundershock, Disarming Voice, and Screech. The soldiers and their Pokemon cried out in pain, with some kneeling down on the ground, trying to protect their ears or weakened by the electricity and purple hearts.

But as Timothy threw another large, broken piece of stone, his companions suddenly stopped using their attacks. He turned to them to find Electchu lying on its belly in agony while Shockwave and Odyssey kneeled down, massaging their throats. The soldiers' Pokemon began unleashing a volley of attacks at them, forcing Timothy and his friends to retake cover.

"I'm sorry, Timothy," Shockwave wheezed. "I guess that's all we got."

"That's okay, Shockwave," Timothy said with a sad smile. "I couldn't ask for more than that."

Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey smiled back before all four of them frowned. Timothy dared to lean close enough to the edge to look at the battle without the soldiers seeing him, and as far as he could tell, their distractions did very little, for Giovanni's troops were still holding back the mob whose numbers continued to dwindle. Timothy shut his eyes and slammed his fist on the ledge, mentally beating himself up for being so little help for his friends in the square. It looked as though Markenel's troops were going to win, and they were going to get in the cathedral.

"Fletchling."

Timothy opened his eyes with a confused look and turned to his right. Standing on the ledge with a cheerful face was the Fletchling that he was taking care of. Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey looked at the robin Pokemon befuddled as though it had appeared out of nowhere with no idea of what was happening.

"Fletchling? What are you doing here?" Timothy asked.

Fetching responded with a dialogue of "Fletch" and "Fletchlings" that confused Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey.

"It says that its flock was flying by, and it sensed that we were in trouble, so it flew ahead to let us know that help is coming," Shockwave said.

"Help is coming?" Timothy asked.

Just as he asked the question, Timothy, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey heard the sound of multiple birds calling out. They looked out from the ledge to find the robin Pokemon's flock of Fletchling, Fletchinder, and Talonflame flying towards the city square. The flock became outlined in red flames before they all tackled unsuspecting soldiers and their Pokemon partners. Markenel's forces panicked in disarray as the Fletchling, Fletchinder, and Talonflame followed their attack with moves like Steel Wing, Ember, Aerial Ace, and Peck. Timothy, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey's eyes lit up, and the hunchback petted Fletchling.

"Fletchling, you're amazing!" He praised. "Your timing couldn't have been better!"

"Fletchling," Fletchling chirped.

The hunchback and his Pokemon friends watched as Fletchling's flock continued to attack the soldiers and their Pokemon. Their hopes returned when they saw the mob begin to gain footing with the bird-like Pokemon distracting the enemy. They cheered their friends on, confident that they were going to make their way to Markenel.

But suddenly, a soldier's Boldore fired a Rock Blast up in the air, and it hit a Talonflame, causing it to plummet to the ground. The Rock Blast was followed by an Electivire using Electro Ball on a Fletchling and a Grumpig, forcing two Fletchinder to collide with Psychic. Before anyone knew it, the soldiers and their Pokemon recovered from the confusion and began fighting back against the flock.

"Oh, come on!" Odyssey shouted. "What's it going to take to beat these guys?!"

Electchu turned to Fletching and asked, "I don't suppose you sent anyone else to help, did you?"

"Fletchling," Fletchling said, shaking its head sadly.

Shockwave looked behind it to see that there was still some rubble and said, "Maybe you can help out by throwing more rubble, Timothy. They can't fire back if they're distracted."

"No, I can't do that," Timothy said. "Fletchling's friends are too close. I might hit them."

"What can we do, then?" Odyssey asked. "At this rate, they will break into the cathedral."

"There's gotta be something we can do," Electchu said. "Like, maybe we can force all of the soldiers back in one move."

"How in the world are we going to do something like that?" Shockwave asked.

Electchu scratched its head, and Odyssey put its paw on its chin, trying to brainstorm ideas. Timothy's heart grew heavy, feeling certain again that he failed to protect Serena. He turned his head to Fletchling, who looked down in guilt, and sighed until something clicked in his mind, and his eyes turned to the Fletchinder and Talonflame fighting.

"That's it!" He shouted. "We can drive them away with the copper!"

The Pokemon looked at him confused, and Electchu asked, "What copper?"

"There's a giant cauldron of copper just a couple of floors below us," Timothy explained. "It's on a balcony with gargoyle shaped water sprouts attached to the ledge. If we heat up the copper and pour it onto the street, it'll force the soldiers to run away."

The Pokemon thought about it, and Odyssey said, "That's an interesting idea, but won't that take a while?"

"No, because we have Fletchling's friends," Timothy said. "Fletchinder and Talonflame have scorching bodies because they have the ability, Flame Body. If they press their bodies against the cauldron, it'll melt faster."

"But aren't people and Pokemon going to get killed if we use this copper?" Shockwave asked.

"Not if we warn them," Timothy said. "When we're getting close to ready, Fletchling's friends will warn all of the Pokemon, and they, in turn, will warn the people, forcing everyone to run."

"Sounds like you're assuming all of the people have a close enough bond with their partners that they can understand them despite even though they don't understand Pokemon language," Shockwave said.

"It's a risk we have to take," Timothy said. "Ash, Pikachu, and Sonia are far enough back from the cathedral that they'll be able to run away when the copper lands, but we have to hope the soldiers' Pokemon can get them to safety. It's either that, or they get here and kill all of us, including Serena."

The Pokemon hesitated, finding the plan to be sketchy, but ultimately decided that there was no other option. The three of them nodded, and Timothy turned to Fletchling, saying, "Fletchling, gather some of your friends and meet us a couple floors down."

"Fletchling," Fletchling answered, using its left wing to salute Timothy before flying away.

Timothy, Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey went back inside the cathedral and took the staircase to the middle floor. When they went out to the balcony, they found the large cauldron still hanging above the fireplace with the copper inside cold and hard. Timothy grabbed logs of wood lying against the wall and placed them under the cauldron just as Fletchling arrived with a trio each of Fletchinder and Talonflame.

"Fletchling, use Ember on the wood," Timothy instructed. "Fletchinder and Talonflame, press your bodies against the cauldron.

The bird-like Pokemon nodded, and Fletchling fired sparks of fire on the wood, instantly setting them on fire. The Fletchinder and Talonflame pressed their bodies against the pot, and they glowed red. Timothy looked up at the top of the cauldron and smiled as it slowly began to melt.

"What do you want us to do, Timothy?" Electchu asked.

"You three watch the fighting and update me if anything happens," Timothy answered. "I'm going to tilt the cauldron over when the copper is close to ready, so I'm counting on you guys to help me time this right."

"Understood," Odyssey said.

"Got it," Shockwave said.

The Pikachu, Kirlia, and Riolu ran over to the ledge and looked down to watch the battle. The flock was flying around, dodging attacks, having learned from their fallen friends, but the mob still made little progress in reaching Markenel. Meanwhile, Timothy grabbed the large, metal spoon and began stirring the copper as it turned more into a liquid. After a couple of minutes, Timothy felt the lumps in the molten copper dissolving, and he turned to Fletchling.

"Okay, it's almost done," he said. "Get out there and warn as many Pokemon as possible."

"Fletchling," Fletchling replied with a nod before it flew away.

Timothy continued to stir the pot until he felt nothing but liquid inside. He put the spoon down, and the Fletchinder and Talonflame flew away from the cauldron. The hunchback then attached a hook to the beam's side and waited until Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey turned to him.

"It's working!" Electchu called out. "We're ready to go!"

"Alright, get behind me!" Timothy shouted.

Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey ran back to the other side of the balcony and stood behind their friend. Timothy grabbed the rope attached to the hook and took a deep breath before he pulled. The cauldron tipped over, and the copper poured out, making its way toward the water spouts.

********************************************************************************************

*Five minutes earlier*

While Timothy was setting up his plan, Ash, Pikachu, Sylveon, Sonia, Miette, Slurpuff, and the rest of the civilians and Arceans continued to fight. The raven-haired man clashed swords with two soldiers at once. Pikachu pushed several Pokemon back using Thunderbolt and Iron Tail, their opponents no match for Ash and Pikachu's years of experience from the wars. Sylveon stood beside Pikachu, keeping the mouse Pokemon from getting overrun with enemy Pokemon by blowing them away with Fairy Wind. Meanwhile, Sonia and Miette defended themselves with their swords as best as possible, and Slurpuff was sending soldiers and Pokemon flying using Psychic and Fairy Wind. But, for all their efforts, even with Fletchling's flock aiding them, the rest of the mob were being overpowered by Markenel's forces, leaving more of them to run for their lives by the minute.

Pikachu unleashed a mighty Thunderbolt that severely damaged a Serviper, Croconaw, Dodrio, Machoke, Beedrill, and Liepard. Sylveon followed its beloved's attack by summoning a gust of silver wind that sent all six Pokemon flying and crashing into their human partners. Pikachu and Sylveon took a moment to smile at each other for how well they work together as a couple until Ash disarmed his two opponents and turned to the mouse Pokemon.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" He commanded.

Pikachu snapped out his gaze and jumped toward the two soldiers with its tail turned to iron. It hit the soldiers on the gut with two powerful swings, and they fell on the ground, hugging their stomachs. The raven-haired man and his partner smirked at each other with more than half a dozen fewer enemies to worry about.

Suddenly, a pink beam with a white outline hit Sylveon hard on the chest, and it squealed as it was set back a few feet.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu screamed as it rushed to Sylveon's side.

"Sylveon!" Ash shouted.

"You and your rat should be more worried about yourselves, traitor," a voice said.

Ash's face went dark, and he turned his head to see Giovanni and Persian walking over to him. Pikachu clenched its teeth and stood in front of Sylveon defensively with sparks coming out its red cheeks, glaring at the classy cat Pokemon that hurt its beloved with Power Gem. Slurpuff sent Sonia and Miette's opponents flying, and the three of them turned to find Sylveon lying on the ground and Giovanni and Persian walking over to Ash and Pikachu.

"Giovanni!" Sonia screamed, about to charge with her sword ready.

"No, Sonia!" Ash shouted, holding his hand out at the peach-haired woman. "This is my and Pikachu's fight."

"For once, we are in agreement," Giovanni said as he drew his sword.

The two men raised their swords while their partners prepared to attack. Miette picked Sylveon up and held it close as she watched with Sonia and Slurpuff. Ash and Giovanni kept their battle-hungry glares at each other, showing no hint of care that they are father and son. Finally, Ash let out a cry, and he charged at Giovanni while Pikachu ran toward Persian. Giovanni blocked Ash's attack with ease, and Persian moved away from Pikachu before attempting to cut the mouse Pokemon with Shadow Claw. The two men clashed with their swords furiously while their partners clashed with Iron Tail and Shadow Claw as though they were having their own sword duel. Eventually, Ash and Giovanni were caught in a blade lock, and they tried to push the other back with their swords.

"You are such a disappointment to me!" Giovanni snarled.

"Funny, I feel the same way about you!" Ash shouted.

Ash gave a hard shove, forcing his father to step back a few feet. He followed his move with several downward swings, forcing the captain to hold his sword up for defense. Giovanni stepped back until he saw an opening and thrust at Ash, who barely moved away. Giovanni took his moment of pause to go for the offense, forcing Ash to be the one stepping back.

Pikachu and Persian, meanwhile, were at an impasse with their fight. Their inhuman speed kept the other from finding an opening. Sylveon watched them in Miette's arms fearfully, wishing the attack from the classy cat Pokemon didn't keep it from aiding Pikachu. Persian went for a pounce with its jaw wide open and its claws still surrounded in black aura with a purple outline, but Pikachu jumped over it and slammed its tail on Persian's head and hit it with Thunderbolt. Sylveon smiled with hope in its heart before Persian countered by smacking Pikachu on the face with Shadow Claw, ignoring the pain it was in.

Ash looked away from his fight to see what happened to his partner, foolishly giving Giovanni a chance for another thrust. Ash realized what was happening and moved away, but the blade cut his side, and he stepped back, holding it with his arm.

"Come now, is that all you can do?" Giovanni mocked. "I expected more from your time in the wars."

Ash glowered at his opponent and charged with a battle cry. Markenel's loyal minion grinned, thinking the younger man would attack recklessly, but when he held his sword up to parry, Ash threw a mighty swing that would have knocked the sword off Giovanni's hand were it not for his firm grip. His confidence turned into fear as Ash continued to strike hard. His moves showed no flaw in its form. The ex-soldier knew what he was doing, and Giovanni was struggling to hold his own. Finally, with a sweep, Ash forced Giovanni's sword to his side, and he swung upward, gnashing Giovanni's cheek and forehead. The captain screamed and stepped back with his hand covering his wounds. He gave Ash a darkly look, and the raven-haired man took another stance with the top of his blade dripping with blood.

"I only cut your face on purpose," Ash said. 'If this was the wars, you'd be missing half of your head."

"Then why not kill me and be done with it?!" Giovanni barked.

"Because I intend to bring you and Markenel to justice," Ash answered.

"Justice?!" Giovanni growled. "We are justice!"

He rushed toward Ash, going for the offensive, but Ash was prepared for him. He held his ground as he blocked Giovanni's attacks, knowing that he had used the captain's plan to make him reckless against him. Persian also kept at the offensive after Pikachu smacked it in the face with Iron Tail, trying to hit the smaller Pokemon with Power Gem. Eventually, the captain and the classy cat Pokemon slowed down, and Ash and Pikachu went back to the offensive. Pikachu hit Persian several times with Iron Tail before hitting it with a powerful Thunderbolt, making it fall on its side, and within three mighty strokes, Ash knocked Giovanni's sword off his hand and held his blade close to his father's neck.

Sonia, Miette, Sylveon, and Slurpuff cheered for Ash and Pikachu. Giovanni clenched his teeth at Ash, eyes filled with bitter loathing. Ash smirked as he held his sword closer to Giovanni's neck and said, "Yield."

But at that moment, they heard the sound of metal and wood breaking. They turned their head to see a soldier's Rhyperior beginning to break through one of the cathedral's middle doors. The drill Pokemon's partner grinned and turned to Markenel, who was standing beside him.

"Don't stop!" Markenel commanded. "Break it down now!"

"You heard him, Rhyperior! Use Megahorn and do not stop until the door is in pieces!" the soldier ordered.

Rhyperior let out a low chuckle before its horn glowed white and extended. It then stabbed at the center of the doors repeatedly, slowly but surely creating a hole. Ash, Pikachu, Sonia, Sylveon, Miette, and Slurpuff's confidence disappeared as it hit them that they were too far away to stop them with so many soldiers and Pokemon protecting Markenel, making Giovanni grin.

Then suddenly, the Fletchling, Fletchinder, and Talonflame stopped fighting the soldiers and began flying all over the square, cawing loudly. Pokemon from both sides of the fight stopped what they were doing and looked up at the flock. Even the Rhyperior stopped attacking the cathedral doors and turned its head to the bird-like Pokemon.

"What are you doing? Get back to destroying the door!" Markenel commanded.

But the drill Pokemon didn't listen to the judge. The soldiers also rebuked their Pokemon for stopping the fight, but their partners ignored them. Ash, Sonia, Miette, and the rest of the mob looked at the flock in confusion before the raven-haired man turned to his partner with his sword still pointing at Giovanni.

"Pikachu, what's going on?" He asked.

Pikachu didn't say anything for a moment, its eyes focused on the flock, but then its eyes widened, and its ears perked up. It began shouting at the civilians and Arceans' Pokemon, causing them, including Sylveon and Slurpuff, to panic. Even some of the soldiers' Pokemon, including Persian, overheard Pikachu and become filled with terror.

"Pikachu, for heaven sakes, what is it?!" Ash demanded.

"Pika! Pika, Pika, Pi, Pi, Pikachu, Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu screamed to its partner.

"They're going to WHAT?!" Ash yelled.

"Ash, what's happening?" Sonia asked.

"We need to get out of here!" Ash shouted.

"What? Why?" Miette asked.

"There's no time to explain!" Ash shouted before turning to the mob. "Everyone, get out of the square! Run for your lives! Run!"

The civilians and Arceans looked at Ash, confused, but eventually complied with their Pokemon dragging or carrying them away from Lumiose Cathedral. The Talonflame in Fletchling's flock picked up their injured and flew away. Slurpuff's eyes glowed blue, and it lifted Sonia and Miette up in the air with Miette still holding Sylveon and ran away with them. Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder, and Ash sheathed his sword before running to catch up with Slurpuff. Giovanni picked up his sword, seeing it as his chance to chase after them.

Before Giovanni charged, however, a Carnivine ran past him, carrying the soldier that was its human partner using Vine Whip. Another soldier was being taken away by her Throh with her kicking and screaming. Another soldier's Mr. Mime ran away, carrying its partner and several other soldiers and Pokemon, who were beaten during the battle using Psychic. Giovanni turned around to find all of the soldiers' running away with their partners, having heard the flock's warning. Even the Rhyperior grew terrified and picked its partner up before running as fast as its legs could carry it.

"Soldiers, get your Pokemon under control and get back here!" He ordered. He then felt Persian tugging him by his pants with its mouth and looked down at it, livid. " Let go of me!"

"Mrrreeeooooooooowwww!!!" Persian meowed. "Rrrraaaaaaooooooowwww!!!"

"I said, let go of me!" Giovanni shouted, kicking his foot away from Persian.

Persian opened its mouth to warn its master but then stopped itself, realizing that Giovanni was not going to listen, and he did not have a deep enough bond with the classy cat Pokemon to understand it even if he did. Left with no other choice, Persian chose its life over staying with Giovanni and ran away as fast as possible with its injured body. Only Markenel and Giovanni remained, with the judge standing in front of the damaged door and his minion standing at the cathedral's stairs.

"Captain Giovanni, get your troops back here at once!" Markenel commanded.

Giovanni growled and raised his sword, screaming, "Come back here, you cowards! I command you to fall in line and -"

His commanding was suddenly interrupted by a hot, yellow-orange liquid falling right on top of him. Markenel's eyes widened, and he stepped back until his back was against the cathedral door as copper poured all over in front of the cathedral, trapping him. The civilians, Arceans, and soldiers began running for their lives with their Pokemon, realizing the danger. Ash led Slurpuff to the other side of the square with the meringue Pokémon still carrying Sonia, Miette, and Sylveon with Psychic. They eventually stopped with Slurpuff putting its friends down, and they turned to the cathedral where its water spouts were still pouring copper all over the street.

"What in the world is going on?!" Sonia asked. "Where did all of this copper come from?"

"From Timothy and his Pokemon friends," Ash answered. "Pikachu said the Fletchling, Fletchinder, and Talonflame were warning everyone that they were going to dump that copper to force the soldiers back."

"They poured copper from up there?! I can't believe it!" Miette yelled.

"Slurpuff!" Slurpuff shouted in agreement.

"Me neither, but it appears to have worked," Sonia said.

"Yes, but what happens when they run out of copper?" Miette asked. "Won't the soldiers come back?"

"The way they were running, I don't think they'll try to get into the cathedral anytime soon," Ash said with a triumphant smirk. "Besides, the important thing is Timothy, and his buddies protected Serena from -"

"Sylveon!"

Everyone turned to Sylveon, who jumped out of Miette's arms, screaming and pointing in the direction of the cathedral with one of its feelers. Ash, Pikachu, Sonia, and Miette looked at each other before they looked where the intertwining Pokemon was pointing, and their eyes widened, for between the waterfalls of molten copper, they saw Markenel still in front of the cathedral. He was glaring at the liquid metal, having figured out who was responsible. He turned to the hole that Rhyperior created and sheathed his sword before climbing through the hole inside the cathedral.

"No!" Miette shouted.

"He...he got in! All our efforts, and he still got inside!" Sonia shouted in disbelief.

Ash clenched his teeth, and his hands turned into balls of fists.

"We gotta get in there and stop him from killing Serena and Timothy!" He declared.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

'Sylveon!" Sylveon yelled.

"But how? There's practically a lake of hot copper separating us from the entrance," Sonia said.

Ash looked down in thought and said, "There's a side entrance that Serena and Miette used to bring me to the bell tower after I got hit with an arrow. We'll use that."

"But we'll have to go around to get there. Markenel might have killed them before we make it to the entrance," Miette said.

"Not if we hurry," Ash said. "Besides, Timothy won't let anything happen to Serena, and he has Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey. Lord willing, they'll hold off Markenel until we get up there."

"Arceus willing," Sonia muttered under her breath before saying out loud, "Let's not waste any time, then! We need to get up there and stop that madman once and for all!"

Without another word, Ash, Pikachu, Sonia, Sylveon, Miette, and Slurpuff ran to the nearest street on the west side of the square and took a turn to the side entrance. As Ash raced down the road, he looked up at the cathedral towers and silently prayed that Timothy would continue to protect Serena.