Chapters Chapter 1-Mossdeep City Mayhem
Hoenn
The moon shone brightly in the sky. Mason watched through the window as the stars twinkled. He sighed and turned back to bed. Clad in his PJs, he ran his hands through his chestnut hair.
"I wonder what those Mossdeep scientists need?" he asked himself. He looked over at his friends, all sound asleep, untroubled. Mason sighed once more and walked over to his backpack. Taking out a Poké Ball, he tossed it into the air. A stream of blue energy came out, and it formed into a Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokemon. The moonlight glinted off the blue, red, and black stone on a scarf on it's neck. Looking like a quadruped blue mud fish, with three large fins, it yawned in sleepiness and noticed its trainer.
"Hey Swampert. You okay?"
Swampert nodded in response.
"Yeah. I'm just nervous. Those Devon and Mossdeep scientists ask us here for no reason, and I'm just worried about what it might be."
Swampert nodded and put his arm on Mason's shoulder in a reassuring way. Mason smiled at his partner.
"Thanks, buddy. You really know how to cheer me up. Return."
Mason held up the Poké Ball, and Swampert turned into red energy and it entered the ball. Mason minimized the ball, and he walked back into the room. He laid himself down on his bed and he set Swampert's Poké Ball on his nightstand. He sighed and put his head on the pillow.
"Good night, Swampert."
As he fell asleep, the moon flashed light into the room.
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THE NEXT MORNING
Mason woke up and saw the rest of the guys in the group talking. He got out of bed and stood next to Matthew, the group's unofficial leader and a native of the Kalos region. Across from him stood Nate, from Sinnoh, and Chase, from Unova.
"Hey, Matthew." Mason said.
"Hey, Mason. Sleep well?"
"Not really." Mason admitted.
Matthew sighed.
"Eh, we all have nights like that."
"Where's the girls?" Chase asked.
"Getting breakfast from the cafeteria." Matthew replied. At this, Abigail and Grace walked in, carrying bags full to bursting.
"Hey guys." Grace said. The Kanto native flashed Mason a longing look for a second, but she quickly recovered. Abigail took boxes out of the bags, and set them out on the table.
"What's for breakfast?" Nate asked.
"You'll see." Grace said, opening one of them. Inside was a complete box breakfast, to which Nate smiled. As they entered the cafeteria and brought out their Pokemon, so they could eat their own meals, Nate brought up Devon and Mossdeep.
"You're right. It's kind of weird why the Devon and Mossdeep scientists would work together. The only other time was during the Delta Episode." Mason said.
"Yeah. Any idea?" Grace added.
As the ideas flew around, Mason looked outside at the morning sun.
"Wonder what today's gonna bring..." he said quietly.
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ONE HOUR LATER
As the six trainers stood in the Mossdeep Space Center lab, they watched as the Scientists at the computers plugged in the last amounts of data needed to restore the Dimensional Shifter. The device lay inert on the central table, silent. Mason sighed and tapped his foot in impatience. Then, Steven Stone and Mason's father, Norman, walked in.
"Dad?" Mason asked.
"Mason. Good to see you. Mr. Stone here invited me to watch the tests."
"Hey, Steven." Mason said.
"Hello, Mason. Glad to see you." he said.
Then suddenly, the device began to glow purple and hum loudly.
"Sir? I'm picking up a fluctuation in the reactor." A scientist said.
"Can you shut it off?" Steven replied.
"I can't!" the scientist replied.
"IT'S MALFUNCTIONING!" another scientist yelled.
"What's going on?!" Grace said as the device began to shake and rock violently. Then, a large explosion rocked the room. A blinding light exploded from the device, enveloping the trainers. Then, Steven and Norman were thrown back by an unseen force. As Steven groaned and stood up, he growled.
"Get that device fixed! We need to find them!" he barked, and the scientists rushed back to their computers. As Norman rushed out, Steven growled.
"Find them…"
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Meanwhile, in another dimension, the Distortion world, Giratina, the Distortion Pokemon, watched through a hole in reality.
"Nate needs me..." he said gravely, and a black hole appeared before him. Entering the hole, he growled.
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As Twilight Sparkle woke up, she sighed at the smell of Hay bacon grilling. She walked downstairs to see Spike cooking breakfast on the stove.
"Morning!" Twilight said.
"Morning." Spike replied.
"Not too bad. I got a letter from Celestia at three AM, and that was hard enough."
"Where's this letter at?" Twilight asked. Spike pointed over to the Map, where a new scroll rested. Twilight picked it up and brought it over. As Spike set a plate of food in front of her, Twilight began to read.
Dearest Twilight,
I have detected a large magic flare near the fields in Ponyville, near the Everfree. I ask that you and your friends seek out the cause, and report back. As I have my hooves full, I cannot join you for the moment. And do be careful, as always.
Celestia.
Twilight sighed, wrote her reply, and began to eat.
"We going on another adventure?" Spike asked.
"Just to check out a magic flare." Twilight replied. "It's nothing to worry about."
"Okay…" Spike said. "Just wanted to make sure."
"Fine, but just so you know, you're being a bit paranoid." Twilight said.
"I just can't shake this feeling that we're going to get involved in something that we shouldn't have." Spike said.
Twilight smiled in a reassuring way.
"Come on. Let's eat now, and worry later."
As they ate, Twilight looked outside to the fields.
"What could be over there that's got the princesses so worried?'
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As Twilight and her friends, about ten minutes later, walked into the fields, Rainbow brought up the subject of what could've caused the flare.
"Rainbow, it's probably nothing." Twilight said. "Random magic flares happen every now and then. Probably a false alarm."
"Or it could mean…" Pinkie said.
"Aliens!" she said in a deep, drawn out voice.
"Oh, please." Twilight said. "There is no proof that…"
"Hey, what's that over there?" Rarity asked.
"Let's check it out!" Twilight said. As they rushed over, they saw the unthinkable. Six bipedal beings were strewn out beneath a hill, and they all seemed to be unconscious. As they approached, Pinkie spoke up.
"Hey! I was right!" she said. "Aliens!"
"We should get them to the hospital. They could be hurt." Twilight said.
"Come on!" Rainbow said, gesturing to one of them. "For all we know, they could be here to invade!'
"Rainbow, not every alien is genocidal!" Twilight said. "Might I remind you that these could possibly be the first extraterrestrial visitors to Equis in centuries?"
As the bickering continued, they failed to notice one of them, the one that Rainbow gestured to, slowly getting up. as he stood up, he drew the attention of the group. Then, he spoke.
"What the hell?" He said. "Why am I seeing technicolor Ponytas? Where the hell am I?"
"Hey, we're not Ponytas, whatever the hay that means!" "Rainbow said.
Matthew's eyebrows raised, and he passed out. Rainbow slowly turned to Twilight, whose face bore a curious expression.
"Let's get them to the castle" Twilight said.
"I second that." Fluttershy said.
As Twilight levitated the beings and teleported the group back to the castle, they reappeared in the main foyer. Twilight set the beings down on some beds, and covered them with a few spare blankets.
"Let's wait until they wake up to start asking questions." Twilight said. As they walked out, the trainers remained unconscious.
==============
Matthew groaned and sat up. He could tell that he wasn't in the field anymore, judging by the fact he was in a bed made of crystal. He slid out of the bed and found his bag sitting on the floor. Checking and counting his Poke Balls, he was relieved to see that all were present and undamaged. Matthew slung his bag over his shoulder and walked down a flight of stairs to find the multicolored Ponytas from before in the middle of an argument.
"Well, I still say we should get the guards." A rainbow-colored one barked. "They're dangerous!"
"They're not dangerous!" A lavender one retorted. "They've been asleep this whole time and haven't harmed anything! So, no, I'm not getting the guard."
As the conversation continued, Matthew grew less and less scared, and more and more amused. Eventually, when the lavender one's horn glowed and a zipper sealed the rainbow one's mouth, he couldn't take it anymore. He started laughing, and the eyes of each Ponyta slowly looked in his direction.
"Oh man, you have GOT to tell me how you did that!" Matthew chortled. "I have heard of slapping some sense into someone, but literally zipping their mouth shut? That takes the cake!"
"MMRPH!" Rainbow tried to yell rather aggressively, but she then remembered her mouth had been magically sealed.
"Um, hello?" Twilight said, to the still-laughing being.
"Hey. Sorry about that." The being said. "How'd you do that...zipper thing?"
"Magic." Twilight replied. The being laughed again.
"Magic. Yeah, right. What unbelievable thing will you tell me next?" Matthew said.
"Hey!" Twilight said. "Magic is real!"
"Okay, if you're right, which I severely doubt, then show me what Magic can do." The being challenged. Twilight then levitated him upside down, and moved him around the room. As she set him down, the being's eyes were wide.
"Okay, I believe you. So, uh...what are you?"
"I'm a pony." Twilight said. "You?"
"Human." Matthew said.
"Wait...human!? Humans are myth!" Twilight said.
"Well, that's not true." Matthew said. "If I'm not human, which is certainly not true, then how come I have five more human friends upstairs?"
"...good point." Twilight said. "Im Twilight Sparkle."
"Matthew." Matthew said. "So, uh, the others?"
"Oh, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow." Twilight said."How'd you get to Equestria?"
"Well, I'm not the one to ask." Matthew said. "Some scientists at the Mossdeep City Space Center were repairing some Dimensional Shifter device, apparently supposed to warp a meteor away from our world, and it sort of malfunctioned and sent us here."
"Well, since I don't think we have the magical or technological prowess to replicate something like that, you're welcome to stay here, you and your friends." Twilight said. "What's with the Orbs on your belt?"
"Oh, my Poke balls?" Matthew asked. "i'll show you."
Matthew tossed them into the air, revealing his Chesnaught, Blastoise, Avalugg, Tyrantrum, Lucario, and a shiny Talonflame. As the Pokemon looked at the Ponies, Twilight's eyes widened.
"These are my Pokemon." Matthew said. "Chesnaught, the one in the shell, Blastoise, the turtle, Avalugg, the icy one, Lucario, the biped, and Talonflame, the bird."
"Wow." Twilight said. "And they belong to you?"
"Well, they don't belong to me like property." Matthew said. "They're my partners and friends. They're intelligent, sentient beings Anyway, I can explain, but I would like to wait until my friends are up."
"No need, man."
Matthew and the ponies turned to see Mason and the rest of the group walk forward.
"You woke us up with your laughing." Nate said.
"Eh, sorry." Matthew said. "Twilight and co., this is Nate, Chase, Abigail, Mason, and Grace. They're ponies, and I was just going to explain the Pokemon to them, so...can I get a hand here?"
"As long as you do the explaining as to where the hell we are." Chase said.
"Fair enough." Matthew said, noticing Twilight had a notepad ready. "Let's get started."
Meanwhile, in the Human world…
As the helicopter set itself down in the courtyard of Professor Sycamore's lab, Steven Stone smiled and stepped out, followed by the Kalos Gym Leaders, Alain, and Ash's group. Entering the lab, Sycamore came out to greet them.
"Ah, congratulations on defeating Lysandre, everyone! But, as a few of us know, we still have a problem."
"What kind of problem?" Alain asked.
"I'll explain." Steven said. "Before I arrived here, I was in Hoenn, overseeing the reconstruction of the Dimensional Shifter. For those who do not know, it was created to teleport a large meteor away from our world. During a course of events known as the Delta Episode, it was smashed and destroyed. We were attempting to fix it, when it malfunctioned. Six Pokemon trainers were caught in the blast."
"Are they okay?" Bonnie asked.
"We do not know. The device created a rift that teleported them to an unknown location. We have no idea of their current state. The rift was safely contained and damage was minimal, but we have not had contact with any of the six trainers since." Steven replied. "One of the reasons I came to Kalos was to ask for help in my search. I have sent messages to many strong trainers that I can count on, and they all agreed to help. They should be arriving at Lumiose Airport soon, with the remains of the Shifter. I need to know something from all of you...."
Steven paused and sighed.
"....Will you help us find them?"
"Count on it." Ash said, and his group voiced their agreement. Alain crossed his arms and nodded as well.
"Good. Right now, I have tasks for all of you. Clemont, Bonnie, I need you to work on the Shifter when it arrives, to see what you can do to fix it. Everyone else can take this time to explore, or train out in the backyard. However, I need everyone here back by 3 o'clock, so we can head to the airport."
"Sounds good." was the general response from everyone present.
"Alright then. You are all free to do what you need." Steven said. "Professor, a moment?"
As the trainers and Gym Leaders spread out, Ash headed out back with his group. As they sat down, they could see in the distance the tall figure of Prism Tower.
"I wonder who's coming…" Ash said to himself as he walked inside with Alain.
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Later, at the airport
As the group stood on the runway, at a safe distance, they watched the large plane descend and land with a screeching halt. Ash smiled as the stairway dropped, and out came many familiar faces.
Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan, with their Pokemon alongside them.
Archie and Maxie, of Team Magma and Aqua.
Norman and Sophie.
Professors Oak, Birch, Elm, Rowan, and Juniper, along with Bianca, Tracey, and Cheren.
Mr. Stone.
Gary Oak.
Champions Cynthia, Alder, Lance, and Drake.
A trainer clad in a red cap, red jacket, jeans, and black shoes.
A girl clad in a black and red shirt, grey shorts, and a ragged cape, along with a Whismur.
A small boy of about Max's age, with green hair, along with a Gallade. He seemed rather confident for his small stature.
And Drayden, the Opelucid City Gym Leader.
As they all stepped out onto the runway, Ash waved to his friends, who waved back enthusiastically. The Champions greeted Steven and Diantha, a recent arrival. The small boy and the girl stood back, but they eventually stepped up to talk with Steven. Drayden then struck up a conversation with the girl. Ash overheard the word "Draconid", and he made a mental note to ask the Dragon Master about it later.
"Alright, if everyone will follow me?" Sycamore asked, and everyone nodded. As the group began their walk to Sycamore's lab, Gary Oak stepped up to walk alongside Ash.
"Hey, Ash!" Gary said.
"Hey, Gary? How've you been?"
"Cool! Check this out!"
Gary rolled up his sleeve, revealing a Key Stone.
"I got this from Gramps, along with a Mega stone. Guess what? My Aerodactyl can Mega Evolve!" He said.
"That's great! Wait till I show you what I can do my my Greninja!" Ash replied, and they both laughed.
"Also, Ash? You know the trainer in the red cap?"
"Yeah?"
"I was hiking Mount Silver, when I ran into that guy. He challenged me to a battle, and he beat me like I never stood a chance. Each of his Pokemon took six moves or less to beat mine!" Gary said, and Ash gasped.
"He's that strong?" Ash asked.
"Yeah! Apparently he's a Pokemon Champion, too! But he doesn't talk much. I don't even know his name"
"I do talk, you know."
The trainer walked up next to them, looking straight ahead. Ash looked at him with an odd expression.
"And if you want to know my name, just ask." he said.
"What's your name, then?" Gary said, slightly irritated.
"Red."
Red sighed and looked at Ash, who opened his mouth slightly in shock.
"When you have achieved your dream, find me on Mount Silver. Then, you will ascend to greater heights."
Red walked off, and Ash turned to look at Gary, who shrugged. As the large group approached the lab, a Fly Drone spied on them from the air. It buzzed, then it flew off to a nearby Cafe, to a man clad in a purple and grey suit. His face was obscured by a hat. He pulled out a radio and spoke.
"They've pulled out. Mission begins now."
"Confirmed. Shall we intervene now?"
"No. Wait until first contact. Then, we will strike."
"Confirmed. We await your word."
The man sighed and smiled.
"Team Nova's greatest mission has begun."
Chapter 3-Barrier Breaking
As Matthew and the trainers sat down in Twilight's living room, Matthew cleared his throat. Seeing everyone was ready, he began to speak.
"Right, so let's start from the beginning." Matthew said. "The Pokemon are the creatures that inhabit throughout the known world, alongside the humans. Many live alone or in groups in the wild, while others choose to live with humans as pets and companions."
"There's seven hundred and twenty three different kinds of Pokemon, possibly more, and all of them come in different shapes and sizes. Each Pokemon also has a type, or two, for that matter." Mason said.
"Type?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, types are how we categorize Pokemon depending on their biology, environment, and such. Some Pokemon have one type, others have two, but each Pokemon has a type regardless, and there's eighteen types in total. They consist of FIRE, WATER, GRASS, ELECTRIC, FLYING, NORMAL, PSYCHIC, BUG, GHOST, POISON, ROCK, GROUND, FIGHTING, STEEL, ICE, DARK, DRAGON, AND FAIRY." Mason said.
"Wait? Dragon? Ghost?" Twilight asked, slightly scared.
"Twilight, before you get scared, a type doesn't determine how they act. It's more of a distinction." Grace said.
"Okay..." Twilight said, still nervous. "What else?"
"Pokemon, as we said before, live alongside humans, but for Trainers like us, we train Pokemon for battle. Remember the Poke' Balls I showed you? We use them to capture wild Pokemon…" Matthew said.
"WHAT?" Fluttershy roared, slamming herself into Matthew's face. "MAKING THEM BATTLE AND CAPTURING THEM? HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?"
Matthew took a few steps back at composed himself. Fluttershy glared at him angrily. Matthew put this hands up and sighed,.
"Listen, Fluttershy. Pokemon battling isn't a bad thing. They battle in the wild, and when we humans battle with them, we give them a chance to grow stronger and more powerful than they could possibly grow on their own. The Poke Balls we use are safe, humane, and comfortable to them. A Pokemon only lets itself be caught if it trusts the trainer attempting to capture it. Besides, Pokemon battles aren't a free-for-all, where they get could get seriously hurt. Battles are monitored, and Pokemon are never killed as a result from them. To be honest, my first battle was a true experience I'm never going to forget."
Fluttershy backed away slightly, though she still had a nervous and slightly angry expression on her face as she sat down. Rainbow put an arm around her in a comforting way.
"Sorry...I take care of a lot of animals, and I don't like seeing them fight…" she admitted.
"Hey, I understand." Mason said, walking over. "Many humans don't battle with their Pokemon, but keep them at their side as pets or companions, like Matthew said earlier. There are things besides battling we do with our Pokemon. Contest Spectaculars, The Bug-Catching competition in Kanto and Johto, PokeRinger relays, the list goes on and on. Besides, after a battle, we take care of our Pokemon and heal their wounds as best we can. Even If we can't do it ourselves, a Pokemon Center is always nearby. They're basically hospitals and rest stops for Trainer and Pokemon."
"That's nice! What else?" Pinkie asked.
"That's pretty much it. I mean, there is Evolution, but that's a really long story. I think it's better that we stop here for now." Matthew said, slouching back in his chair.
"Sure." Twilight said. "I need to send a letter anyway, but can we pick this up later?'
"I guess." Abigail said. As Twilight walked out to write her letter to Celestia, she found Spike in his room reading a comic book.
"Spike, can you send a letter?" Twilight asked, and Spike gave her a thumbs-up. She sighed and sat down at her desk and began to write.
Dear Celestia,
We discovered the source of the magic surge. Six humans by the name of Mason, Matthew, Chase, Nate, Abigail, and Grace were at the site. They also brought with them the creatures they know as "Pokemon." I'm afraid that I can't give you much of an explanation, as it took us quite a while to cover just the basics. I would like to know if I can bring them to Canterlot to meet you and Luna. Otherwise, everything is fine here. The flares, by the way, have died down. I await your reply.
Twilight.
As Spike sent the letter, Twilight walked back downstairs, and she saw the rest of the ponies looking at Matthew's Pokedex.
"Wow, they all look so cool!' Pinkie said, taken away by the various Pokemon displayed on the device.
"Yeah, to be honest, it's taken all six of us quite a while to complete the PokeDex." Matthew said. 'It's been the better part of a year and a half to get it to where we are now, which is 709 of 723 known Pokemon."
"Is that why you teamed up?" Rarity asked.
"That's exactly why we teamed up." Grace said. "Matthew's our unofficial leader."
"And this little box keeps track of all those Pokemon?" Applejack asked, slightly unconvinced.
"Yeah. It registers the Pokemon we've seen or captured automatically, so we don't need to do it ourselves." Matthew said. "When I first received my Pokedex from Professor Sycamore, Kalos's resident Pokemon Professor, I started my journey along with my first Pokemon, a Chespin."
"What do the Professors do?" Twilight asked, butting in.
"They study Pokemon in various ways. They're also in charge of giving new trainers their first Pokemon, a Pokedex, a Trainer ID, and a special job, which is complete the Pokedex. We're pretty close to doing so, though I think It'll take a little while longer to complete it." Mason said.
"Cool." Pinkie said.
"So...what now?" Matthew asked Twilight, who shrugged.
"I'm expecting a letter back from my former teacher, Princess Celestia, about bringing you all to Canterlot to meet her. Normally, she should've replied by now."
Then, a scroll appeared in front of Twilight.
Dear Twilight,
I am glad you found the source, and I and my sister would like to meet the humans. Bring them to Canterlot at your convenience. We will expect you shortly. Though...something else just came to my attention. I will not be present immediately. I'll let this suffice.
GET HERE SOON.
Celestia.
Twilight frowned slightly at the "GET HERE SOON" message, in full capital letters. As she put the scroll away, Matthew walked over to her.
"What did she say?"
"Well, she told me to bring you all to Canterlot, so let's get going." She replied. "Though she did say something had come up, and she needed us immediately."
"Let's get going, then." Mason said. As they all filed out to walk to the train station, Twilight looked over at the mountain upon which Canterlot was built. She sighed and ran to catch up with the others.
As the Trainers and ponies boarded the train to Canterlot, all was well. As Matthew and his group sat down in the car, Mason started to look out the window, Grace and Rarity struck up a conversation, and the rest of the group simply relaxed.
"What exactly did this "Princess Celestia" even say?" Mason asked Twilight, who shrugged.
"Well, she said a few things, then she told me that she had something that came to her attention, and she wrote "Get here soon!" in full capitals. Meaning…"
"She really needs us there." Grace finished. "To be honest, If someone puts something in full caps, they probably mean it."
"Can't you just teleport us there like you did earlier?" Chase asked.
"I've tried. Something's interfering with my magic connection. Teleportation isn't as easy as you think." Twilight replied.
"Fair enough." Matthew replied. "Do you know how long it'll be?"
"A few more hours." Twilight said. At this, Grace gave a colossal yawn and started to stretch.
"Sorry about that. I'm just tired." She said, starting to lean on Matthew's shoulder. Matthew smiled and sighed.
"We should get some rest, guys." Mason said, noting the setting sun. "I'm rather tired myself."
As the trainers walked out to the sleeping car, Twilight smiled.
"Girls, I think we should get some sleep as well. We've been up for pretty much the whole day."
"I second that." Rarity said sleepily.
As the girls followed the trainers into the sleeping car, Twilight peeked into the trainer's compartment to see most of them on their beds, sound asleep. Except for Matthew and Grace. They were sitting at a table near the window, and looking outside at the darkening sky. Twilight started to listen to their conversation.
"What a sunset, huh?"
"Yeah. The sunset on Mt. Silver's got nothing on this one." Grace replied, smiling.
"Very true." Matthew said. "You gonna head to bed soon?"
"Probably." Grace said. "Matthew...would it be okay If I said I like you more than as a friend?"
Matthew leaned back and smiled.
"Fine by me. To be honest, I kinda...well…"
"Feel the same?" Grace said.
Matthew sheepishly nodded. Grace smiled, hugged him, and then slipped under her bed covers. Taking off her hat, she was soon snoring. Matthew smiled, and slipped under the covers of his own bed. As he draped his arm over the side of the bed, Twilight blushed from her position at the door. As she walked over to the compartment where the ponies were at, she smiled and shut the door before falling asleep.
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As the trainers room woke up, Matthew stretched and looked over at the large city currently coming into view.
"Some city, eh?" He said to himself. "Doesn't look much bigger than Lumiose."
"Or Castelia, for that matter." Chase said. "But I will admit, Lumiose was cool."
As the two of them laughed and grabbed their bags, they were joined by the rest of the trainers. Walking into the dining car, the trainers sat down across from the ponies at a large table.
"Morning." Matthew said.
"Morning." Came the reply.
"I take it the giant city on the mountainside is Canterlot?" Abigail asked.
"Yep." Twilight replied.
"I reckon it's not much bigger than Lumiose, the largest city in Kalos, my home region." Matthew said.
"What's Lumiose like?" Twilight asked.
"It's a pretty large city, with six sections divided by five avenues. There's lots of cafes, shops, the Lumiose Press, the PokeVision center, the Lumiose Gym atop Prism Tower, and lots of clothing stores. Plus, it plays host to the Kalos League." Matthew said.
"Kalos League?" Applejack asked.
"It's a really big tournament." Matthew said. "In order to enter, you need to challenge and beat the eight Gyms, and their Gym Leaders. Each gym leader is a master of a certain type, and If you beat the Gym Leader, you get a badge. For example, Viola, the Santalune City Gym Leader, awards the Bug Badge. Getting all eight badges allows you access to Victory Road. Get through Victory Road, you can enter the League. Trainers from all across Kalos, or whatever region you fancy seek to win the League and become Pokemon League Champion. There's actually the Champions' Challenge as well. That consists of battling the Elite Four, the four strongest Trainers in Kalos, who specialize in a specific Type, and the Current Reigning Champion. Thing is, you have to battle them and beat them without losing. The only healing items you can use are the ones you bring in, and you can't leave. The only way to win is beat the Champion, which is simply put...probably one of the toughest battles I've ever fought."
"Who are these champions?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the reigning ones are Red for Kanto, Lance for Johto, Steven Stone and Wallace for Hoenn, Cynthia for Sinnoh, Alder for Unova, and Diantha for Kalos. And there are others, but they have to go through the Champion's Challenge in order to be permanently recognized. The people who win the League without winning the Challenge only are recognized for a few years." Mason said. "And then, well, there's us."
"What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm a Kalos Champion, permanently recognized." Matthew said.
"WHAT?" Twilight said. "How old are you?"
"Sixteen." Matthew said. "And the title applies to everyone else. Grace is a Kanto Champion, Abigail for Johto, Mason for Hoenn, Nate for Sinnoh, and Chase for Unova. We all beat the League and won the Champion's Challenge."
"Wow." Twilight said, blown away.
"And all of us put a group of criminals in their place." Grace said. "Abigail and I both took down Team Rocket. Twice, actually."
"I took down Team Magma." Mason said.
"For me, it was Team Galactic." Nate said.
"Team Plasma was done from the start." Chase said.
"And finally, we come to my defeat of Team Flare." Matthew finished.
"Shouldn't you leave taking down criminal teams to law enforcement?" Rarity asked.
"Well, these guys all had megalomaniac-style plans for world domination, destruction...you get what I mean." Matthew said. "And to be honest, in all of these situations, we were the only ones who could stop them."
"Wow." Twilight said, blown away for the second time. "I dare ask that is there anything more related to "Near impossible feats accomplished?".
"Well, each of us did capture a Legendary Pokemon or two...or three...or four." Matthew said. "Legendary Pokemon are often described as gods, and control powers akin to that of gods, simply put. For example, Dialga and Palkia control time and space. Groudon and Kyogre are said to be the manifestations of the land and sea. Lugia could cause a forty-day storm if it wanted to do so. Celebi can time travel and only appears to people with kind spirits. Jirachi, when it awakens, is said to be able to grant any wish for one week."
Everpony's jaws dropped.
"And a lot of the Legendaries have stories behind them. Zekrom and Reshiram are said to represent Truth and Ideals. The Swords of Justice, consisting of Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion, along with Keldeo, are said to protect Pokemon. Terrakion is said to have destroyed a castle to protect Pokemon from humans." Chase said.
"That's powerful." Applejack said.
"That's nothing." Matthew said. "Yveltal, the Destruction Pokemon, is capable of destroying all life in the world. It's known as the "Cocoon of Destruction." I would know this because I caught Yveltal."
"You caught it?" Twilight said in disbelief.
"Well, not exactly. We sorta agreed to be there when the other has need of them. So, right now, Yveltal is in Santalune Forest right now, taking a break. But I can call him if I need him." Matthew said.
"I caught Groudon using the power of the Red Orb." Mason said. "Team Magma was going to use his powers over land to expand the world's landmass. I had to go into a volcanic cavern to catch him. He's still there, by the way. I kinda made a deal with him that if I would need him, we would come. But the catch is he doesn't want to be bothered by any more evil humans."
"I made friends with Zekrom to stop Team Plasma." Chase said. "At the top of the Dragon Tower in Unova, I battled him. He recognized me as the Hero of Ideals, and he agreed to serve me. I left him at my Hometown of Nuvema with my other Pokemon, because it was safer there. There are still fanatics from Team Plasma searching for him."
"Wow. What about you, Nate?" Applejack asked. "Do you have one of them?"
"I do. Well, when I caught the Legendaries from Sinnoh, Dialga and Palkia, along with Giratina, the Distortion Pokemon and the God of antimatter, I was currently in battle with Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic. Cyrus was the most sick, twisted, demented person I ever met. He brainwashed three Pokemon known as Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf and put them through horrible pain, in order to gain control over Dialga and Palkia, in an end to control time and space, trying to create his "perfect" world. I, along with Giratina, stopped him. Cyrus disappeared into a rift between worlds, and he hasn't been heard or seen from since." Nate said.
"Wow." Twilight said. "He treated his Pokemon like that?"
"He did." Nate said. "And I'm never going to forget or forgive his cruelty."
Then, a massive shockwave threw everyone to the floor. As everyone groaned from pain, Twilight and Nate rushed to the window.
"I think I know." Nate said, looking out the window at the rapidly approaching city. A large, black, dragon-like beast was battling a squadron of ponies in armor.
"What's that?" Fluttershy said nervously.
"That's Giratina." Nate said.
"The Pokemon that controls antimatter?" Twilight said in disbelief. "As in, the one you caught, Nate? What's he doing here?"
"Yes, and for why he's here, I dunno." Nate said. "But he looks angry. And trust me, Legendary Pokemon are the last things you want angry."
As the train docked at the station, Nate and the trainers rushed out.
"Giratina!" Nate called out.
Ten minutes earlier
Celestia and the guards watched in shock and horror as the purple vortex expelled a skeletal, dragon-like beast. It roared loudly, causing many of the normally stalwart guards to flinch.
"Where is my master?" It bellowed. "ANSWER ME!"
"What are you? Leave now, beast!" Celestia roared.
"I shall not honor you with my name until my question is answered!" Giratina responded, priming a blue and red ball of energy.
"HYPER BEAM!" He yelled, sending the blue and red blast of energy straight towards Celestia, who put up a Solar Shield to deflect the attack from herself and the guards. As the Guards took up defensive positions, she growled and fired a blast of Solar energy towards Giratina, who then smiled.
"PROTECT!"
A bright blue shield then appeared in from of the Distortion Pokemon, shielding him from the attack. Celestia gasped and growled, knowing few beings could withstand a blast like that. Giratina laughed loudly, mocking Celestia.
"SHADOW FORCE!"
Giratina summoned a black vortex, and disappeared into it. Celestia scanned the area, but as Giratina appeared behind her, he scowled before striking her. As Celestia recoiled, he readied a Dragon Pulse to finish the fight. Then, he heard a familiar voice cry out.
"Giratina!"
"Master Nate!" Giratina said, noticing the human standing with his friends and several other beings.
"Are you alright?" He bellowed. "Are you safe?"
"I'm fine, but look out!" Nate yelled.
Giratina barely had time to use Protect before Celestia shot a massive plume of fire towards him. Thanks to the Protect he managed to use in the nick of time, Giratina was unharmed.
"Celestia!" Twilight said, running up to her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Celestia replied. "But that beast is…"
"My friend!" Nate yelled, stepping up. "You attack Giratina, you attack me! And I'm not one to mess with!"
Celestia got her first look at the human, and could sense the honesty in his words.
"Guards, stand down!" She yelled, and they did so, though many still eyed the humans with suspicion. Nate took out Giratina's Master Ball and smiled.
"Return, Giratina. Get some rest."
"As you command, Master Nate." Giratina said. As Giratina turned into a stream of red energy and disappeared, Nate put the Master Ball away. Celestia walked up and eyed Nate and his friends with suspicion. Then, she sighed and bowed.
"I am sorry for attacking your servant." She said. "Forgive me."
"It's okay. GIratina's taken worse." Nate said. "He's not my servant, by the way. He's more of a close companion who owes a lot to me. That's why he calls me master."
"I see. Shall we discuss some things...inside?" Celestia said, and everyone nodded. As they walked inside, a guard looked over at another.
"Hey, man?"
"What?"
"You think it's strange that...kid...controls that beast?"
"I dunno. Let's get this mess cleaned up." The guard said, pointing to the piles of rubble that littered the area. As they started to clean, the humans and ponies sat down at a table. Celestia looked over at Matthew and his group, who were making themselves comfortable.
"Let's talk, shall we?"
"Lets." Matthew said as they sat down.
"Why exactly did that beast come here?" Celestia asked.
"Probably looking for me, and my friends." Nate said. "Since he's a bit...overprotective...I apologize for any damage done."
"It is alright." Celestia said. "I'm more worried about how the citizenry will react to this."
"We're good with people. Or ponies, for that matter." Nate said. "We'll be fine."
"I hope so." Celestia said. "How exactly did you come to Equestria?"
"Well, we were at Mossdeep City, in Hoenn. The scientists there were repairing a device known as the Dimensional Shifter, designed to teleport a large meteor away from hitting our world. During the Delta Episode...don't ask...It was smashed and broken. When they tried to repair it, it exploded, sending us here. Frankly, I'm no Mossdeep Scientist, no offense, Mason."
"None taken." Mason said.
"But I really have no idea how we're supposed to get back to our world." Nate said.
"Couldn't Giratina go back to your world and ask for help?" Twilight asked. "Isn't he a god?"
"Well, let's ask." Nate said. As Giratina came out of his Master Ball, Nate repeated Twilight's question, and Giratina sighed.
"My powers over the Distortion World have their limits. When the rift was opened between this world and the World of Pokemon, Dialga and Palkia were barely able to contain it with their combined strength alone. It took my additional power to stabilize it long enough to enter and begin my search for you. A second attempt could...no...would be disastrous, and would tear both reals apart at the seams, destroying them both and all in them."
Everyone present groaned.
"Isn't there a way to at least give them a signal or something?" Abigail said.
"I am afraid not." Giratina said. "The risks are too many. The humans searching for you must make their own path to this world, on their own. An attempt to bring them, any amount of them, would destabilize both worlds, and put them both at terrible risk."
"The shifter, then." Mason said. "Is there any way that could be used?"
Giratina looked at the Hoenn trainer with curiousity.
"There is one way. If the Shifter were to be rebuilt, and properly activated, a stabilized rift could be opened to this world. However, it would still be dangerous. The rift, if it were to be destabilized, would implode, causing a blast that would desolate a large area and potentially cascade out of control."
"Then what options do we have, Giratina?" Nate said.
"Master, I am afraid that we have none at the moment. Forgive my failure."
"It's no failure, Giratina." Nate said. "It's our fault for getting here in the first place. Thanks for your help. Return."
"As you wish."
As Giratina returned to his Master ball, Celestia sighed.
"Now what, Princess?" Chase said. "We can't stay here forever. We have families and a world to go back to."
"I know." Celestia said. "I do not know of any magic that could transport you across the worlds, and if there was, there would be no assurance that you would end up in the right one."
"Great." Nate said. "So, we're stuck. Just great."
"Well, we can't just give up, guys." Matthew said. "If we give up now, we'll lose everything."
"Matthew's right." Mason said. "For now, we'll stay here and see if anything comes up that will allow us to return home."
As the trainers agreed, Celestia cleared her throat.
"Do you have a place to stay, for the moment?" She asked, and the trainers shrugged.
"Don't think so." Mason said.
"We have a few rooms available. If you want to stay here for awhile, feel free to do so." Celestia said.
"Well, thanks." Matthew said. "Where are they?"
"I'll summon some guards to take you there." Celestia said. "I'll see you all later."
"Wait, I just though of something." Twilight said. "Where's Princess Luna?"
"On a diplomatic visit to the Crystal Empire. I must've forgotten to inform you she would be absent." Celestia said.
"Okay." Twilight said. As the trainers walked out and into the throne room, they were promptly greeted by a large group of ponies, all very angry.
"What is the problem?" Celestia said, doing her best to keep calm.
"Those monkeys are the problem!" said a haughty voice.
Prince Blueblood stepped out of the crowd.
"Monkeys?" Matthew said incredulously. "That the best you can come up with ?"
"That's what you are!" Blueblood said.
"Can a monkey do this?" Matthew said, walking up. He promptly gave Blueblood a Sucker Punch to the eye that any Dark-type would be proud of. As Blueblood recoiled, Matthew rubbed his knuckles.
"You brute!" Blueblood roared.
"Really? You kinda deserved it." Matthew said. "You really think I should be scared of you? I'm not. I battled the GOD OF DEATH and won. I stopped a maniac who would use said God of Death's power to annihilate all life in my home region. I won against him. So, why don't you do us a favor and shut up?"
"You...dare..." Blueblood stammered.
"I dare." Matthew said. "I'll show you why. TYRANTRUM!"
Matthew threw a Poke Ball into the air, revealing the Despot Pokemon. As everypony in the room backed up several paces, Matthew looked over at a madly trembling Blueblood.
"If you don't want to end up on the wrong side of my Tyrantrum's jaws, you and your little mob should back off." Matthew said. Blueblood stammered and as the ponies walked out, Matthew made sure they were out of sight before he returned Tyrantrum. Celestia smiled and began to applaud.
"Way to put my nephew in his place." Celestia said.
"I aim to please." Matthew said.
Chapter 5-Between the Worlds
As Ash sat on a grassy hill in Sycamore's garden, he sighed contentedly. It had barely been three hours since his friends from multiple journeys had arrived, and he was already exhausted. From lunch being served by Cilan, Brock, and Clemont, to a scorching battle between Drayden and Iris, Ash was feeling nothing but exhaustion. As he watched his friends talking, and the pair of Max and Bonnie playing with a few Fletchling, Ash leaned back and fell onto the grass with a sigh.
"Ash, right?"
Ash looked up to see Red sitting down next to him.
"Yeah, and you're Red?" Ash said.
"I am."
"Can I ask you something?" Ash said.
"Shoot." Red replied.
"I heard you're a Kanto Champion, but why do you hang out at Mount Silver in Johto?"
"I do more than hang out, Ash." Red said. "I train myself and my Pokemon to their maximum potential and beyond. When I battled...Gary, his Pokemon may have been strong, but they were nowhere near the strength they could achieve. Like I said earlier, once you have reached your dream, find me. You will ascend the stars and reach glory."
Ash looked over at Red in curiousity.
"Anyway…" Red said. "I noticed you have a Pikachu with you. If I may, I would like to test its strength against my own Pikachu."
"Sure." Ash said. "When?"
"Sometime later. We have many pressing things to deal with." Red said, standing up. Ash nodded and followed him back into the lab, his last sight of the Garden being Sycamore's Garchomp flirting with Cynthia's Garchomp, with everyone laughing at the sight. Ash looked into the workroom and saw Clemont working with Clem-Bot's assistance on the Dimensional Shifter, now looking half-repaired.
"How's it going?" Ash asked. Clemont sighed and wiped off his glasses before looking over at Ash.
"Fine, as of now. The Schematics I got from the Mossdeep Space Center are helping. But I don't know when I'll be able to fully fix it." Clemont replied.
"At current estimate, we are 45.64 percent done with repairs to the Dimensional Shifter." Clem-Bot said.
"Thank you, Clem-Bot." Clemont said. Ash nodded and walked back downstairs, walking over to where Dawn's Buneary and his Pikachu were taking a nap together. Ash couldn't help but feel slightly touched at the sight. He looked over to the Garden, and saw Alain's Charizard entertaining some of Sycamore's Pokemon. He sighed and leaned back on the sofa.
"Ash?"
Ash looked over to see Norman walk over.
"Hey, Norman. You okay?"
"Well, Ash, it's complicated." Norman said. "You know May is my daughter, correct?"
"Yeah?"
"One of the missing trainers is my other child. His name is Mason. He lived in Johto for a short while, before he moved to Hoenn to be with us. He started his journey a year before May did. When May heard the news about Mason's disappearance, she was distraught. It took quite a bit to convince her to come."
Norman looked over at May, who was laughing at Max and Bonnie's antics with a Fletchling and a Few Scatterbug.
"On the outside, she's very lively. On the inside...it's a different story." Norman said. "I'm terribly worried as well. I was there when the blast happened. I could've saved Mason at least, but I know that's wishful thinking. I just wnat to see my son again, safe and sound."
Ash sighed.
"I know you will, Norman. You're a great person, and a great Gym Leader. I could say you're a great dad, but we're not related. I know Mason's alright. I just know it."
Norman looked over at Ash, and he sighed and smiled weakly.
"Thanks, Ash. That means a lot. Mind helping me, Brock, and Cilan with dinner?"
"Sure!" Ash said. As they walked into the kitchenette, Ash's nose was filled with the scent of Cilan and Brock's all-to-familiar good cooking.
"Hello, Ash!" Cilan said, sprinkling cheese on a bowl of Spaghetti. "How's life?"
"Great!" Ash said.
"Good to hear it!" Brock said, coming in with a plate of Brownies, fresh from the oven. As he set in on the cooling rack, Ash and Norman looked at each other, then the brownies, they suddenly got very mischievous smiles. As they neared the brownies, they thought nothing had noticed. Until….
"GAHH!" they both screamed, flying to the floor. Ash looked over and saw Brock's Croagunk standing with his hands glowing a dark violet.
"What was that?" Norman asked, clutching his side.
"That was Croagunk's Poison Jab." Ash said, rubbing his bruised side.
"Well, well, Ash." Cilan said. "You know you don't eat dessert first. It ruins the palette."
"Thanks for the tip." Norman said.
"Well, you now know how It feels." Brock said. "Believe me, whenever I see a pretty girl, that happens."
As the group laughed, they failed to see a blue-and-white Pokemon with a potbelly walk up and slowly take the brownies off of the shelf.
"Speaking of…" Ash said. "Where'd they go?"
Cilan, Brock, Ash and Norman scanned the room, and they immediately locked eyes on May's Munchlax snarfing the whole pan of Brownies down like a rabid Mightyena.
"GAHHHHHHH!" Brock yelled. "My best pan of Brownies!"
"NO!!!!!" Ash and Norman yelled.
"Munch!" Munchlax added, before letting out a Belch attack that sent the trainers flying. As the trainers recovered from having their ears assaulted, May and Dawn walked in.
"Hey, has anyone seen…" May said, before locking eyes on…
Munchlax, whose face was covered in fudge icing while holding an empty Brownie pan innocently…
Her father, Ash, Cilan, and Brock wincing from the pain coming from their now red ears…
And the Kitchen a near catastrophe. Both Dawn and May couldn't hold it in, and they promptly fell over, laughing.
"May!" Brock yelled.
"I was looking for Munchlax, you know!" May said. "And we heard that Belch from down the hall. Nearly gave everyone a heart attack."
"Figures." Ash said. "That was worse than my Noivern's Boomburst."
"Or a Hyper Voice." Cilan said.
As everyone laughed and started to clean up, May wiped Munchlax's face and chin clean of fudge icing, while the others helped tidy up. Pretty soon, dinner was served on schedule, though Munchlax was constantly being eyed by all five of them throughout the meal. Soon, as everyone retired for the night, Clemont was left awake, fixing the Shifter. His Chespin, Bunnelby, and Luxray were sound asleep. Clem-Bot had powered down due to low battery, and Clemont was nearly done. As he twisted the last bolt into place, the energy from the main reactor flowed into the center ring, forming a dormant rift. Clemont sighed and switched off the device before heading to bed. But as soon as he left, a Fly Drone flew in and began scanning the schematics and the device. As it left as quickly as it came, The leader of Team Nova retrieved the drone from his station in the street. Placing the drone into his pocket, he smiled and walked off.
ALOLA REGION, MELEMELE ISLAND, ROUTE 1
It was night. Late at night at a house on Route 1. Chris and Hau watched the sunset from the balcony of Chris's house, their Pokemon beside them, a Primarina and a Decidueye.
"Some night, huh?" Hau said.
"Yeah." Chris replied. "Lillie would've liked to see this."
"Totally. You hear from her lately?" Hau asked, and Chris sighed.
"A few times. She sounds like she's doing well. She also said Lusamine is starting to recover."
"Good to hear!" Hau replied. "You know, being positive always helps."
"It does." Chris said, and they both laughed. Then, Chris's mom came out with lemonade and a pair of Malasadas.
"Here you are, boys!" she said. "I'm going to put Meowth to bed now."
"'kay, mom." Chris said. As they ate and drank, Chris's RotomDex popped out of his pocket and hovered in front of them.
"You've got a call, partner!" Rotom said, showing an incoming message.
"Hello, Chris!" came the voice of Samson Oak.
"Hey, Samson!" Chris and Hau replied.
"Can I ask a favor?" Samson asked.
"'Shoot." Chris said.
"My cousin, Professor Oak, has asked me to gather strong trainers for an important assignment in the Kalos region. I have already recruited Mr. Blue and Professor Kukui for it, but I need more help. Can I count on you? It's top secret." Samuel asked.
"You can." Chris said. "What's the assignment?"
"That, I do not know much about." Samson replied. "But if my cousin, a Pokemon Professor, needs help, I can't say no."
"Count me in!" Hau said eagerly, and Chris nodded. "So we're going to Kalos?"
"Yes. And you'll have plenty of time to see sights when you arrive. Can you meet me at the Hau'oli City Marina at ten o'clock sharp tomorrow?"
"Count on it." Chris said.
"Great. Stock up on whatever supplies you need and catch whatever Pokemon you need as well, then meet me at the Marina. A boat will take us to a seaport, where we will catch a flight to Kalos. There will be other trainers and fellow Champions and more Professors when we arrive, so be prepared."
"We're always prepared!" Hau said.
"Agreed." Chris replied.
"Well, then, I'll see you soon!" Samson Oak said, and the call ended.
"What's this I hear about going to Kalos?"
Chris and Hau turned to see Chris's mom come in and place her hands on her hips.
"We were invited by Samson Oak to help out with something secret." Chris said. "Think I can go?"
"I don't see why not." Chris's mom said. "Though, make sure to take some photos!"
Chris laughed.
"I will, mom."
"What time to do need to be at the Marina?" she asked.
"Ten." Hau said.
"Well, Hau, you're more than welcome to stay here for the night." Chris's mom said.
"Thanks!" Hau replied, stretching. "Let's get some shut-eye, Chris."
"Yeah." Chris replied. As the three of them headed upstairs, they were greeted by some sleeping bags. Chris looked over at his mom's Meowth, who was doing his best to unfurl them. After a brief chuckle, Chris smiled and helped Meowth roll out the bags. Soon, both trainers were fast asleep. Downstairs, Chris's mom was talking with Kahuna Hala.
"So, my grandson's been invited to Kalos?" he asked.
"Yes. Chris has been invited as well." Chris's mom replied.
"Well, I certainly think it'll be a good experience for them." Hala said, chuckling.
"I agree. Though, Kalos is pretty far from here." Chris's Mom said.
"It is. They'll be fine. I hear that Samson Oak is taking Professor Kukui and Mr. Blue from the Battle Tree with him, along with our boys." Hala said.
"Well, that'll be exciting." Chris's Mom replied.
"I'm sure of it. I had best head back to the Village. Tapu Koko might get mad." Hala joked. As he walked out, Chris's mom sighed.
"Now where did Meowth get off to?" She thought, heading upstairs. She looked into Chris's bedroom, and found Meowth curled up in Decidueye's warm feathers. She picked Meowth up, brought him downstairs to his bed. She sighed and headed to her own bedroom, ready to go to bed. Soon, the only noise in the house was the light snoring of the three of them.
Chris's Mom woke the two trainers up with some Malasadas and Sitrus Berry juice. As they ate, the doorbell rang. Chris's mom opened the door revealing Blue.
"Hey, Blue!" Chris said.
"Hey hey, Chris! Hey, Hau!" Blue replied, taking a seat. "Uncle Samson sent me to make sure you guys didn't oversleep."
"Well, that's considerate." Chris's mom said, placing a warm Malasada in front of Blue, who thanked her and began to eat.
"Yup." Blue replied. "Chris, do you remember Red?"
"Yeah." Chris replied.
"He's on the same assignment as us. Though, he left a week ago."
"That explains why I haven't seen him in that same amount of time." Chris said, and Hau nodded, as his mouth was full of Malasada bread.
"Yeah. He's also made some new friends, including my cousin Gary. They ran into each other on Mount Silver, in Johto. Gary got floored, from what I heard from Red." Blue said.
"Strange. Why doesn't Red talk much?" Hau asked.
"Well, he never told me. He just ignores what he wants to ignore." Blue said. "Though, he did say one time "There's only so much I need to say", but he he never said that again."
"Cool advice, I guess." Hau said, gulping down a sip of Juice.
"Yeah. Hey, it's nine-o-clock. We should get going. You boys packed with everything you need?' Blue said, looking at his wristwatch.
"Yeah." the two trainers replied.
"Let's get going." Blue said. "Thanks for the Malasada, ma'am."
"Not a problem. Have a nice trip!" Chris's mom said as Meowth waved goodbye. as they walked outside, they were greeted by Tapus Lele, Koko, Bulu, and Fini.
"Guess they came to say goodbye." Hau said as the four Land Spirit Pokemon bowed to Chris before flying off. Chris shrugged and waved to the four Guardian Pokemon. Blue sighed and led the two trainers to Hau'oli City Marina with fifteen minutes to spare. They were greeted by Professor Kukui, Samson Oak, and Chris's Solgaleo.
"Hey, Sol." Chris said, stroking the Sun Pokemon's nose, making the white-gold Lion-like Pokemon purr.
"We all good to go?" Samson asked.
"Ready when you are, Samson." Kukui replied, handing Chris Solgaleo's Master Ball. Chris returned the Legendary Pokemon, and placed it in his belt, along with the Poke Balls containing His Decidueye, Lycanroc, Silvally, Golisopod, Alolan Ninetales, and Kommo-O. Hau suddenly decided to make sure his Alolan Raichu, Primarina, Flareon, and Komala were safe as well. As the trainers boarded the boat that would take them to the airport, Chris smiled.
"You feeling okay, Chris?" Hau asked.
"Yeah. Just nervous." Chris said.
"There's really no need to be nervous." Hau replied. "Think of all the Pokemon we'll get to meet, and all the sights we'll see, too!"
"Yeah." Chris replied. As the boat lurched and began to sail, Chris smiled and sighed.
"Let's wait to break out the snacks, Hau." Chris said, noting a Malasada wrapper on the floor that had not been there a few seconds earlier. Hau laughed and put the Malasada away.
"Sure. Sometimes I let my stomach take over, you know?" Hau said.
"Very true." Chris replied, and they both laughed.
After an hour, the boat reached the airport. As the trainers boarded the seaplane taking them to Kalos, Chris looked out the window as the plane ascended into the sky.
"Kalos...get ready...because here we come!" Chris thought with a smile, as he and Hau watched the clouds fly by.
ABOVE THE OCEAN, EAST OF ALOLA
It was late at night, and as the seaplane soared through the inky-black sky, Chris woke up from his sleep. He looked around the cabin to see Hau, Kukui, and Blue all asleep. He slipped out of bed and walked into the main cabin. He looked around and sat down on a couch, looking out the window.
"Wonder what Kalos will be like…" he said quiety, taking out Solgaleo's Master Ball. "And how they'll react to you, Nebby."
The Master Ball shook slightly, as if Solgaleo had heard his name from inside. Chris smiled slightly, minimized the ball, and looked out the window once more at the rapidly approaching land.
"Better get ready." Chris said, standing up. Walking back into the compartment, he slipped back under the covers.
===============================
As the Seaplane set down at Lumiose Airport, Chris and Hau were the first off the plane. Taking in the air, Chris and Hau couldn't stop smiling.
"The air's so crisp!" Hau said.
"Yeah. Almost like Alola." Chris replied. Blue, Kukui, and Samson laughed as they came off the boarding staircase.
"Well, we'd best start getting to Professor Sycamore's lab. The other Professors will be meeting us there." Samson said, and Kukui nodded. As they set off, they failed to notice a Meowth-shaped balloon in the distance, following them.
"Well, that's interesting." James said.
"Totally." Meowth replied. "If those travelers really did come from another region…"
"They'll have Pokemon as rare as gold!" Jessie said, gesturing dramatically.
"WOBBUFFET!" Wobbuffet cried.
"But first...that Pikachu!" Jessie said as Team Rocket's balloon followed the trainers, but Team Rocket didn't know that THEY were being watched. The leader of Team Nova watched them from a street cafe through a high-tech eyepiece.
"We have interlopers." he said into a radio.
"Should we deploy?" came a voice.
"No. Let the Alola trainers deal with them. It's the imbeciles calling themselves Team Rocket, by the way."
"Shall I alert our contact in Team Rocket?"
"Don't. It would compromise the mission. Keep the course. Has the Dimensional Shifter data been analyzed yet?"
"It has. Our copy is nearing completion."
"Good. Leader out."
=================================
As Professor Oak looked around Sycamore's lab for Ash, he sighed.
"Samson should've called by now." He said out loud.
'Professor?"
Oak smiled at hearing Ash's voice from behind him. As he turned around, Ash smiled.
"Who's Samson?"
"Ah, that will require some explaining, Ash. You see, I asked my cousin to come and assist. He studies in a region far from Kalos, on the unique Pokemon that can be found there. I asked him to bring the region's professor, Gary's cousin Blue, and two very strong trainers to come and assist us in the search. They arrived not too long ago, and I was looking for you to ask if you would come meet them with me. I haven't seen my cousin in quite a long time."
"Sure!" Ash replied.
"Great! Let's go!" Oak said as he and Ash walked out of the lab, followed by a fly drone.
==============================
As Team Rocket followed Ash and Oak, Meowth grabbed the controls for a grapple arm. Aiming at Pikachu, who was perched on Ash's shoulder, he started to pull the trigger. But before they could grab Pikachu, Wobbuffet cried out very loudly in pent-up excitement, throwing Meowth's aim off. As the grapple arm slammed into the ground, Meowth's eye started to twitch angrily.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Meowth roared. "YOU THREW MY AIM OFF!"
"WOBBUF!" Wobbuffet replied indignantly.
"Don't give me that!" Meowth replied.
"TEAM ROCKET!" Ash yelled as he turned around, seeing their balloon.
"D'OH!" Meowth cried. As Team Rocket looked at a very angry Oak and Ash, Jessie growled.
"NO TIME FOR THE MOTTO! GRAB PIKACHU!" she yelled at James, who hastily grabbed the grapple arm. Firing it, it almost reached Pikachu, who was frozen in shock.
"DECIDUEYE! LEAF BLADE!"
Then, a large Pokemon severed the arm. Ash and Oak recoiled as the Owl Pokemon set itself down in front of them, its wings glowing green.
"What Pokemon is that?" Ash said under his breath.
"You okay, Cousin!?" Samson cried as himself, Kukui, Chris, Hau and Blue ran up.
"You're Samson's cousin right?" Kukui asked.
"I am. You're Professor Kukui, am I correct?"
Kukui laughed and bowed.
"Correct!"
"Not to interrupt, but…" Ash said, pointing to a very furious Team Rocket, now screaming at Kukui and the Alolan trainers.
"Let's go!" Chris said. Ash looked over at the trainer with rust-colored hair tied back. Hau followed, taking out his Flareon's Poke Ball.
"Go, Flareon!" Hau yelled, throwing the Poke Ball. As Flareon came out, it cried. Decidueye nodded to Flareon, and they charged Team Rocket.
"Teach them a lesson, Gourgeist!" Jessie yelled, sending out her partner.
"Make it double, Inkay!" James added, sending out his own partner. As Inkay and Gourgeist readied Psybeam and Shadow Ball, Chris looked over at Hau.
"I'll take Gourgeist. You take Inkay."
"Got it. Flareon, use FLARE BLITZ!"
"Decidueye, use SPIRIT SHACKLE!"
As Flareon smashed into Inkay with a flame-powered smash, Decidueye soared into the air and sliced the air, sending a purplish-black bolt of energy shaped like an arrow towards Gourgeist. Gourgeist attempted to dodge the attack, but it landed successfully. As Gourgeist recoiled from the super-effective attack, Jessie noticed purple electricity running over Gourgeist.
"What's going on, Gourgeist? USE SHADOW BALL!"
Gourgeist did not respond, still groaning from taking the Ghost-type attack.
"Want more?" Chris yelled. "LEAF BLADE!"
Decidueye rushed forward and cloaked his wings in a green aura. Slicing three times across Gourgeist, the third strike caused and explosion that sent the Grass-type Gourgeist flying next to James's Inkay, which was defeated by Flareon's attack.
"Let's show em' what we can do!" Chris yelled, triggering his Z-power and posing.
"What's he doing?" Ash asked Professor Oak.
"That, my friend...is a…"
"Z-MOVE!" Chris finished as Decidueye surrounded itself with Z-Power. "SINISTER ARROW RAID, GO!"
Decidueye spun upwards into the sky, trailing a ghostly afterimage. Then, it dove down, multiple arrow-shaped black projectiles trailing it. Then, Decidueye was cloaked in a purple aura, and it slammed into Team Rocket's balloon. Then, the arrow projectiles hit, causing a tremendous explosion. As Decidueye settled itself next to its trainer, Team Rocket was sent blasting off into the horizon.
Jessie was beside herself.
"WE ALMOST HAD PIKACHU!" she raged. "By the way...did we get our insurance bypass mailed in on the balloon?"
"I don't think so." Meowth replied. "They stopped serving us due to our
"Shoot." James said. "We'll need a new balloon."
"Can we even get one?" Jessie fumed.
"I'll have to check with Insurance." James said.
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"
"WOBBUFFET!"
As Team Rocket vanished from sight, Chris and Hau returned their Pokemon.
"Wow!" Ash said. "What was that?"
"That was Decidueye's exclusive Z-Move, Sinister Arrow Raid." Kukui said. "It's a super strong attack unique to Decidueye."
"Don't brag about it, Professor." Chris said.
"You're a Professor?" Ash asked.
"Yep. My name's Kukui. I'm the resident Professor of the Alola region. This' here's Blue, leader of the Battle Tree.."
Blue nodded.
"My Colleague, Samson Oak, who it Professor Oak's cousin. He studies the Alolan Forms of various Pokemon.."
Samson smiled.
"And finally, two of the strongest Trainers in Alola, Chris and Hau."
As the trio of Ash, Hau, and Chris got introduced, Professor Oak smiled.
"Shall we be off to Professor Sycamore's lab?"
"Let's go!" Chris said. As they walked off, Team Nova's Fly drone watched them.
"The Team Rocket gang has been defeated." a voice told the Leader.
"Good. We're still on schedule. I'm heading to HQ. I've seen enough."
As Team Nova's leader finished his coffee, paid his tab, and walked into a nearby Taxi, he smiled underneath his hat.
"Our greatest mission...has begun and is on course."
Chapter 9-Chris versus Cynthia, part two
As Kommo-O and Garchomp slammed into each other at high speed, Garchomp's claws and Kommo-O's fists locked in place, neither Pokemon giving an inch.
"Alright, Kommo-O, use Sky Uppercut!" Chris ordered. Kommo-O's fist glowed a bright orange and blue, and he punched Garchomp straight upwards, sending the Dragon-type flying.
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Cynthia barked. Garchomp's horns glowed blue, and he surged downward at high speed, ready to crash into the opposing Dragon-type. As Garchomp soared parallel to the ground, ready to land the attack, Chris smiled.
"NOW!" Chris yelled. "Rock Slide!"
Kommo-O roared and smashed the ground, sending a hail of boulders straight into Garchomp's path. Garchomp smashed through them and landed the attack. Kommo-O was sent straight into the wall of the arena, but Chris knew his partner was down, but not out.
"C'mon, Kommo-O, let's finish this!" Chris said. Kommo-O raised itself from the rubble and roared in approval to his trainer's words.
"Alright, Iron Defense!" Chris yelled. Kommo placed his hands in an X pattern, and clenched his fists. His scales then flashed and polished themselves. Cynthia smiled in approval.
"Garchomp, Fire Blast." She said. Garchomp roared and a ball of flame appeared in his mouth. As he unleashed the Fire-Type move, Chris smiled.
"Now, Clanging Scales!"
Kommo-O smiled as he smashed his arms together, causing a massive purplish-black shockwave to blast toward Garchomp's attack. The two collided, causing a plume of dust and an explosion.
"Impressive.' Cynthia said, unfazed.
"Thanks." Chris said. "You're pretty strong too. Let's end this."
"Agreed." Cynthia replied. "Draco Meteor!"
A golden sphere formed in Garchomp's chest, and he fired it into the air, releasing countless blasts of energy.
"Alright, let's go!" Chris yelled, triggering a pose.
"Another Z-move?" Ash asked Kukui, who nodded.
"In particular, the Fighting type one." Kukui said.
"ALL-OUT PUMMELLING!" Chris yelled as Kommo-O surrounded itself with Z-power. "GO!"
As the blasts from Garchomp's attack impacted, Kommo-O rushed forward, swatting the blasts away like flies. Then, he smashed into Garchomp with his fists, proceeding to unleash the fastest flurry of blows that any trainer had seen. Then, Kommo-O drew back his fist for a final punch, as orange energy surrounded it.
"Night, night." Chris said as Kommo-O threw the punch, which shattered the field and set Garchomp straight into the wall of the arena. As Cynthia looked over at Garchomp, who had been knocked out, she smiled.
"Garchomp is unable to battle!" Sycamore yelled. "Chris wins!"
As the trainers applauded, Kommo-O and Chris walked over to Cynthia, who smiled in approval.
"A battle well-fought, Chris."
"Truly." Chris replied. "Let's do this again sometime."
"Let's." Cynthia said as she shook hands with him. Kommo-O helped Garchomp to his feet, and Garchomp placed his claw in Kommo-O's fist, and they shook.
"Glad to see it, Garchomp. Get some rest." Cynthia said, returning her partner to his Poke Ball.
"You too, Kommo-O. You've earned it." Chris replied, doing the same. As the trainers applauded again, Chris and Cynthia stepped off the field.
"Guys! Everyone!"
The trainers and professors turned to see Clemont rushing over, out of breath. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, he smiled.
"I got it! The Shifter is functional again!'
"Great work." Steven Stone said. "When can we use it?"
"Right now, if you want." Clemont replied.
"Good." Steven replied. "Who's going through?"
"I will." Ash said.
"Me too." Serena added.
"Same here." Brock said.
"And I as well." Norman replied.
"I'm coming too." May added.
"Right. Get ready to go." Steven said. "We'll monitor your progress on this side."
"Sounds good." Norman said. As the five of them accompanied Clemont and Steven to the room where the shifter was set up, Sycamore smiled.
"Good Luck." he said quietly.
======================
As Ash, Serena, Norman, May, and Brock stood in the Shifter Room, Clemont hit a switch on the shifter from outside. The device started to power up, and a white vortex appeared on top of the device. Then, the gravitational pull began to form, signifying the device had reached full power.
"Okay, go now!" Clemont yelled. As the five trainers jumped through, Clemont powered the device off once he saw through the readings that the five had made it through.
"Now, we wait." Steven said.
"Yeah." Clemont replied.
==================
As the morning dew painted the windows, Matthew and the other trainers woke up from a good night's sleep.
"Morning everyone." Matthew said.
"Morning." Came the sleepy reply.
"Celestia said she'd pick us up for breakfast at eight, so let's get a move on!" Matthew said. Mason gave him a weary nod and he got out of bed. Placing his hat on his head, Mason sighed.
"I wonder what's to eat?"
"Who knows?" Chase replied. "I hope we can eat it though."
"What makes you think we won't?" Abigail said.
"Eh, touche'." Chase admitted, causing the group to laugh. As they got dressed, Matthew looked out the window at the city sleeping beneath him.
"I still think Lumiose is more beautiful. At least at night." He said quietly before there was a knock on the door. Grace opened it to reveal Celestia, who seemed to have just woken up.
"Morning." she said.
"Morning." Grace replied. "We're all ready to go, so...shall we eat?"
"Let's." Celestia replied. "We'll have additional guests though. My sister and my niece and her husband, who is Twilight's brother."
"Fine." Matthew said as the seven of them walked down the hall to the dining room. "As long as they're not like the idiot you call your nephew, we'll be fine."
Celestia laughed.
"Well, I will say my nephew can be an idiot at times, though he is nobility. That alone makes him a pain."
"Indeed." Nate replied.
As they entered the dining room, the trainers sat down, along with Celestia and Luna. Shortly after, Cadance, Shining, and the Elements arrived. As they got introduced to the trainers, the others took their own seats. Before anything else could happen, there was a sound like the rushing of air.
"What's that?" Cadance asked, looking at a small white orb forming beside the table. Then, it expanded rapidly, then it shrunk with a blinding flash. As the trainers and the ponies uncovered their eyes, they gasped. Five more humans, all unconscious, were strewn about. Then, one got up and looked straight at Mason. He was tall, with black hair.
"Mason? Is that you?" he asked. Mason immediately ran forward to him and hugged him tightly.
"Mason? Who is this?" Twilight asked. Mason sighed.
"Twilight, this is Norman, Petalburg City Gym leader, and my father. Dad, welcome to Equestria."
"I'm May, Mason's Sister." May said, embracing her brother, who hugged back tightly.
"I'm Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town." Ash said.
"I'm Serena, of Vaniville Town." Serena said.
Then, the doors opened revealing Matthew.
"Sorry I left guys....Wait, Serena?"
Serena visibly blushed at seeing Matthew.
"Matthew?" she asked timidly. Matthew blushed and walked over.
"Hey." he said quietly.
"Hello." she replied. "They didn't tell me you had gone missing."
"Well, if it's any consolation, I had no idea you were coming." Matthew replied.
"Serena?" Ash asked. "Do you know him?"
"Yes." Serena replied. "We live next door to each other. We were also…"
"Childhood friends." Matthew finished, scratching the back of his head.
"Cool." Ash said. "I'm Ash. Nice to meet you."
"Matthew Hansen." Matthew replied. "Just call me Matthew."
"I didn't know you had a last name, Matthew." Twilight said.
"There's a reason why." Matthew replied. "You guys wanna get something to eat?"
"Sure." Norman replied. As the other trainers sat down to eat, Serena looked over at Matthew, who was chatting with Ash.
"It's been such a long time....Matthew." she said quietly.
As daylight streamed through the windows, the various Pokemon trainers seemed to be enjoying themselves with various conversations. Matthew leaned back and placed his hands behind his head, enjoying the sounds of conversation.
"So, Mr. Matthew?" Celestia asked. "If you don't mind, why is it that you don't like using your last name?"
Matthew sighed and stood up, walking over to the window.
"It's my dad's name. He left my mom when I was two. I haven't seen him since. He was a strong trainer in his own right, but he....He's not worth caring about anymore." Matthew said.
"I see." Celestia said, deciding not to push the subject further. Ash and Serena set their empty plates down and sighed.
"That was good." Ash said.
"Really good." Serena added. At this, Matthew excused himself and walked outside to a balcony. Ash followed him, and both leaned on the railing.
"You okay, Matthew?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. Just thinking about dad." Matthew replied. "He just...vanished that day. Mom doesn't talk about him, and frankly, neither do I."
Ash smiled slightly.
"Wanna battle?"
Matthew chuckled slightly.
"That's the only thing you can think about right now? A battle?"
"Yeah, why?" Ash asked.
Matthew laughed again.
"Sure. I'll battle you. Not sure if there's a place we can, though."
"We could ask Celestia." Ash said.
"Sure." Matthew said as they walked in. Celestia looked up from her tea with an inquisitive look.
"Do you have a sparring grounds or something like that around here?" Matthew asked.
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Celestia replied.
"Well, Ash challenged me to a Pokemon battle, and I accepted." Matthew said. "We'll need a place like that to do the actual battle."
Celestia sipped her tea.
"I see no problem." Celestia said. "I'll take you there."
"Thanks." Ash said.
"We'll all come." Twilight said. "I'm eager to learn what these "battles" are like."
As they all stood up and followed Celestia out of the room, a fly drone buzzed and followed them, streaming a video feed to Team Nova's leader.
==============================
As they arrived at the field, ten minutes later, Ash and Matthew took opposing sides on the field. The few guards who were sparring there stopped their drills to watch.
"I'll referee." Brock said. "This battle between Ash and Matthew will be one on one, with no substitutions. The battle will end when either side is unable to continue."
Ash and Matthew grabbed a Poke Ball each.
"BEGIN!" Brock yelled.
"Blastoise!" Matthew cried.
"Hawlucha!" Ash yelled.
As Hawlucha, the Wrestling Pokemon, and Blastoise, the Shellfish Pokemon, formed and eyed the other, the Guards began to whisper.
"Start strong! Iron Defense!" Matthew yelled. Blastoise growled as his skin became polished and shiny.
"Flying Press!" Ash ordered. Hawlucha jumped and spun, trailing a red afterimage. As he dived, ready to slam into his opponent, Matthew grinned.
"Skull Bash!" he cried. Blastoise tucked his skull into his shell. Then, as Hawlucha neared him, Blastoise shot forwards like a rocket, slamming into the opposing Pokemon and sending Hawlucha flying into the wall. Ash stood in astonishment as Hawlucha stood up shakily.
"High Jump Kick!" Ash yelled. Hawlucha grinned and his leg began to glow a crimson red. Readying the move, he jumped into the air again, and ready to attack.
"Hydro Pump!" Matthew ordered. Blastoise primed and fired two huge vortexes of water at his opponent. Hawlucha was hit by the Water-type move and sent flying again. Though he recovered on his trainer's order, Hawlucha slumped over and began to breathe raggedly.
"That's Hawlucha's weakness, Ash." Matthew said. "As a Fighting-type, its moves rely on getting in close to deal massive damage. By keeping you at a distance, Blastoise has the advantage."
Ash growled slightly, and grinned.
"Hawlucha, Soar up high!"
Hawlucha then spread its wings and took to the skies, soaring above Blastoise, who eyed his opponent warily.
"Now, Dive!" Ash yelled. Hawlucha did so, diving down and getting closer and closer to his opponent. Blastoise growled in anticipation.
"Now, use High Jump Kick!" Ash called. Hawlucha slammed his leg into Blastoise's face, sending the Shellfish Pokemon back several feet.
"Blastoise looks unfazed." Twilight said, noting Blastoise didn't seem to have taken much damage from Hawlucha's attack.
"That's because of Iron Defense." Mason said. "By raising his defense early in, Blastoise took less damage than normal from that attack. Fighting types excel in physical, up close battling. By using Iron Defense and keeping him at a distance, Ash is in real trouble here."
Ash growled as Hawlucha growled angrily at Blastoise, who huffed in determination.
"C'mon, Hawlucha! Let's get moving!" Ash said. Hawlucha then called out as four ethereal swords formed around him. Then, they vanished at Hawlucha glowed a bright red.
"Swords Dance, huh?" Matthew said. "Blastoise, keep your guard up!"
"Now, High Jump Kick!" Ash yelled. Hawlucha slammed into Blastoise again, sending the massive Shellfish Pokemon back a few feet.
Blastoise sent a massive torrent of water towards Hawlucha, who, on its trainer's order, dodged it. Hawlucha was about to use Swords Dance when the wind suddenly picked up speed.
"What's going on?" Serena yelled. Then, the figure of a military-grade helicopter came out from behind the castle. It was painted a dull black, and emblazoned on the door was a purple N, with three streaks behind it. Then, the door opened revealing a man in a dark suit. He wore a fedora, and on his suit pocket was the same logo on the helicopter. The man chuckled slightly.
"An impressive battle, I must say!" he said in a smooth, deep voice. "But where are my manners? I am Corvo, leader of Team Nova."
"Team Nova?" Twilight whispered to Matthew. "Who are they?"
"Can't say. I've never heard of them." Matthew whispered back.
"Allow me to show you a token of my appreciation for this world!" he yelled, tossing out an Ultra Ball. It opened, revealing a massive Tyranitar, which slammed into the ground, and summoned a Sandstorm, due to its ability, Sand Stream. It bellowed gutturally, sending a shockwave through the raging winds. Celestia summoned a pulse of magic and dispelled the Sandstorm. Corvo laughed again.
"Your abilities are impressive. Allow me once more to show you mine. Respond to my heart, Key Stone! Beyond evolution, MEGA EVOLVE!"
He tapped his wristwatch, and tendrils of white energy reached out from the stone. Tyranitar roared in response, and tendrils formed from a bracer on its right wrist. The tendrils collided, and Tyranitar began to change, growing bigger and even more intimidating. Then, it roared, now Mega Evolved. A second sandstorm began to rage, more powerful than the last one.
"What was that?" Twilight yelled, staring at the Mega Tyranitar in fear.
"That was a Mega Evolution!" Matthew yelled. "Long story, but Tyranitar's even more powerful now!"
"How powerful was it before!?" Rarity yelled.
"Tyranitar, when it gets angry, can flatten mountains, bury rivers, tear up forests and generally desolate everything around it. They're some of the most powerful and dangerous Pokemon out there!" Brock yelled.
"Enough talk! Mega Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Corvo bellowed. Tyranitar slammed the ground with his fist. Several sharp and blue pillars of rock began to fly towards the ponies, who were frozen in fear.
"Absol, use Megahorn!"
Then, the final pillar was smashed with a powerful charge. Matthew's vision saw an Absol, the Disaster Pokemon, using the powerful Bug-type move, Megahorn. Only this Absol, instead of a deep purplish black, its body was bright red.
"A shiny?" Matthew yelled. Then, footsteps came from behind him. A trainer of about thirty, wearing a dark grey jacket, with blue pants, along with a small braid in his black hair, walked forward. As he passed into Matthew's vision, he gasped.
"...Dad?" Matthew said, shocked beyond words.
Matthew's father said nothing as he stood before Corvo's Tyranitar. Drawing out a Key Stone, he repeated Corvo's words. As Absol Mega Evolved, it grew a pair of wings, and its horn grew sharper and more pronounced. As Mega Absol stood before Corvo, Matthew's father smiled.
"Use Night Slash!"
Corvo growled.
"Chip Away!"
As both Pokemon rushed towards each other, Matthew's father growled.
Chapter 11-David's Mission
As the two attacks collided, an explosion sent the trainers and ponies reeling. As Mega Tyranitar threw several more Chip Away attacks at Mega Absol, the shiny Pokemon gracefully dodged each one, almost as if dancing a deadly duel.
"Now, Absol! Use Hex!" Matthew's father yelled. Absol summoned orbs burning with ghostly fire, and threw them at Tyranitar.
"Use Dark Pulse!" Corvo yelled. Tyranitar sent a pitch-black shockwave towards the Ghost-Type move. The two attacks connected, causing a plume of dust.
"Use Razor Wind!" Matthew's dad ordered. Absol roared, and a cyclone of wind formed behind him. Absol then slashed with his claws, and the cyclone slammed into Tyranitar. Corvo raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Time to end this little game! Use OUTRAGE!" Corvo yelled. A plume of purple, blue, and red energy formed around Tyranitar, and its eyes turned red with anger. It raised a fist, ready to throw a colossal punch. Absol sat down, as if waiting. Tyranitar's fist was about to make contact when Matthew's father yelled.
"NOW!" he yelled. Absol suddenly reared back and jumped, dodging the attack at the last possible moment before Tyranitar's punch made contact with the ground. A massive plume of dust followed by an explosion blinded the trainer's view. Then, they saw the unbelievable. Absol stood upon a pillar, completely untouched. Tyranitar reared back, the powerful Dragon-type move fading. Corvo laughed before taking out Tyranitar's Ultra Ball.
"A most impressive match. But heed this, ponies of this realm...Your days are numbered!" he bellowed, cackling with laughter as the helicopter doors closed and the helicopter flew away. Rainbow tried to go after it, but Absol leaper in front of her, glaring at her. Rainbow backed down in fright at Absol's Mean Look.
"That's enough, Absol." Matthew's father said. The Absol nodded and returned to his trainer's side, sitting proudly as it returned to normal from its Mega Evolution. The trainers and the ponies stood there in shock, until Matthew stepped forward to face his father.
"Dad." he said simply.
"Son." His father replied. "How've...you been?"
"Fine." Matthew said, looking up at his father.
"Guess we should catch up on old times, huh?" his dad said before Matthew hugged him, full-force. Matthew's dad smiled as they stepped away from each other.
"Dad, how'd you get here?" Matthew said.
"Kind of a long story." Matthew said. "Let's talk about it later. I think some introductions are in order. For those who don't know me.." he said, speaking to the crowd of ponies and trainers. "I'm David Hansen. I'm Matthew's father."
==================================
Later, after guards arrived to clean up the damage from the battle, the ponies walked into Celestia's spacious library, to a separate area where they could speak in private. Matthew and Grace sat together, while David leaned on a column.
"Well, here goes." he said. "Any questions?"
"Why'd you leave?" Matthew said. David sighed and looked at his son.
"It's something I'd rather not say. Just know I didn't have a choice." David said. "It was a hard thing, leaving you and your mother behind. But I knew I had to. If I didn't leave...Things wouldn't have worked out the way they did. Besides, once Lysandre rebuilt Team Flare and unleashed his plans on the world...I knew I had work to do."
"Work to do?...Are you some sort of law enforcement agent?" Twilight asked.
"In a sense." David said. "I work for the International Police. A group that works around the globe to catch threats greater than usually handled by Officer Jenny. Such as the plans evil groups that are attempting for world domination. Matthew, the reason I left was because of Corvo."
"That Team Nova guy?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes. Corvo's more than the leader of a crime syndicate. He's an expert scientist and a former colleague of the Mossdeep Space Center and Lysandre labs. He cut off communications with them, after we discovered he was attempting to bridge the gap separating our world from this one. I tracked him down to the Orange Islands and attempted to arrest him. He escaped, and I've been pursuing him since. He's a sneaky devil, I'll give him that. I was attempting to capture him in Lumiose when I was caught. Corvo used a prototype copy of the Dimensional Shifter to send me here. That was yesterday, by my reckoning. My IP training allowed me to avoid detection by your Guard, Celestia."
Celestia nodded.
"When I saw Corvo threatening you, Matthew, I couldn't stand by. I intentionally broke my mission parameters to save you. I might get a pretty bad lecture from Anabel, but I'll be fine." David said.
"What's Corvo even after?" Grace said.
"Like I said, he wants to combine our world with this one, believing ours to be superior. In his mind, this world is a way to channel our world's waste and cast-off. Simply put, he's trying to make a new world order here."
"That simply will not happen!" Celestia said angrily.
"He has his ways." David said. "He's an expert strategist. He knows how to do what he wants to do. That being said, after the battle I gave him, he's not likely to show up anywhere in this world for a while."
"We'll need more trainers to stop him if it comes to that." Matthew said.
"Then let's get those trainers here, son." David said.
"Yay, more friends!" Pinkie yelled.
As the trainers headed back into the castle, Matthew looked over at David, who was shifting nervously.
"You okay, dad?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm just wondering how we'll manage to get into contact with our world." David replied. "As far as I know, we don't have any means of cross dimensional communication."
"We'll find a way." Matthew replied. While the trainers who had originally arrived headed to their rooms to pack, the rest were brought to the throne room.
"So, Princess…" David asked. "Know any way to contact people across dimensions?"
"I do not.." Celestia replied. "If there was one, we would use it."
"I know Nate has a Giratina with him." Twilight said. "While Giratina said he couldn't take them home, maybe he can send a message?"
"That might work." David said. "When they come back, we'll ask."
Soon after, the rest of the trainers arrived. Nate opened Giratina's Master Ball, and the Distortion Pokemon formed.
"What is it you require, Master Nate?" he asked.
"Giratina, you said you couldn't move us across dimensions. But can you send a message to our world in any way?" Nate asked.
"I can attempt to do so." Giratina said. "It will take time, however."
"Alright. Do what you need to do." Nate said.
"If that is the case, I believe staying in Ponyville rather than Canterlot would be better." Celestia said. "Many ponies see you as suspicious. I believe in...ahem...fresh starts."
"Sounds good." David said. "We taking a train there?"
"I could teleport you, if you want." Celestia said. "It would certainly be faster."
"Do it." Matthew said. As they teleported out of the throne room, Celestia looked over at the door opening, revealing a sleepy Princess Luna.
"I overslept, sorry. Did I...yawn...miss anything?" she asked.
"You have no idea." She said.
======================================
As the trainers and ponies appeared in Twilight's castle, Matthew stretched and sighed.
"Well, Nate, let's wait a while, see if Giratina's ready."
"Sure." Nate said. "Let's have some fun."
As Nate sent out Giratina, who immediately set to work with Twilight on sending the message, Nate and the other trainers decided to take a walk around town. A few ponies stared at them, though many just waved or nodded. Matthew did his best to stay pleasant, as he knew he was in unfamiliar territory. Then, Nate overheard a conversation.
"I tell you, Scoots, that was not an animal from the Everfree!"
"Well, what else could it be? I mean, it was a giant turtle, with a tree on its back!"
"And It protected us from that Hydra!"
"Excuse me." Nate said, walking over to three fillies. "Giant turtle with a tree on its shell?"
"Yeah...." the fillies said.
"Did it look like this?" Nate asked, pulling out his Pokedex and displaying the image of Torterra, the Continent Pokemon. The fillies took one look and nodded.
"Thanks." Nate said. "I'll be leaving now. Where'd you find it?"
"Over in the Everfree, near the Castle of the Sisters." one of the fillies replied.
"Thanks again." Nate said, walking off. Rejoining the group, he told them of the mysterious Torterra, and they gasped.
"A Torterra, here?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah." Nate replied. "Those kids gave me a location, too. I think I need to catch it."
"You can't resist, can you?" Abigail asked.
"Yeah. I'll see if the ponies know anyone who can guide me there." Nate said. After consulting with Fluttershy, Nate headed into the forest to find Zecora. After a ten-minute walk, he arrived at her hut.
"Welcome, human, to my home." She said. "Are you searching for the guardian of the Everfree biome?"
"Yeah, that Torterra. How do you know about it?" Nate asked.
"Many times for health, it has come. Then again for food and some." Zecora replied.
"Where is it? Do you know?" Nate asked.
"Yes, indeed. Follow the river till you find the great tree seed." she said.
"Thank you." Nate said. Following Zecora's instructions, he soon found himself at the base of a colossal tree with a hollowed out trunk. Nate walked over, and touched the trunk of the tree.
Rumble...Rumble…
Nate turned to face a cave near the tree. Slowly, a Torterra emerged. It huffed slightly at the sight of Nate.
"Tor…" it rumbled. "Tor...Terra."
Nate smiled as he sent out his Infernape. The Flame Pokemon roared as it faced its opponent. Torterra's eyes widened, then, they furrowed. Torterra growled and charged forward.
"Use Blaze Kick!" Nate yelled. Infernape's leg burned with fire, and it slammed into Torterra's face. Due to Torterra's Ground typing, he resisted the attack. Torterra slammed one of its legs into the ground, and sharp stone pillars began to cascade towards Infernape.
"Stone Edge! Dodge it!" Nate yelled. Infernape managed to leap out of the way of the Rock-type attack. Torterra then growled and lunged, biting Infernape several times. Infernape groaned as he flew backward, as Torterra's Crunch had done quite a bit of damage.
"Use Bulk Up!" Nate yelled. Infernape flexed its muscles, raising its Attack and Defense stats.
"Now, Acrobatics!"
Infernape launched towards Torterra at blinding speed, striking several times. But before Infernape could land the knockout blow, Torterra grabbed his leg using Crunch and threw him to the ground. Torterra then unleashed Earthquake, dealing massive damage to Infernape. As Infernape stood up shakily, Torterra summoned four ethereal swords, which clashed together.
"Swords Dance, eh?" Nate said. "Infernape, use Close Combat!"
Infernape lunged forward, unleashing a powerful series of lightning fast punches and kicks. Torterra endured the attack for a few seconds before using Stone Edge at a very close range. Infernape was hit by the attack and was carried by the stone pillars straight into a cliff face. As Infernape stood up, then dropped to one knee, Nate gasped slightly.
"C'mon, Infernape, we CAN WIN THIS!" he yelled. Infernape suddenly glowed a brilliant red, and he stood up, his fiery mane and tail burning with greatly increased passion. Torterra braced itself, planting its legs firmly in the ground.
"Infernape, BLAZE KICK!" Nate yelled. Infernape's leg burned white-hot and it lunged at lightning speed. Torterra was caught off-guard, and Infernape's attack sent it back several feet. Then, Torterra roared and slammed the ground. Thick, twisted vines began to churn out of the ground and lunge towards Infernape.
"Use Acrobatics!" Nate yelled. Infernape used the Flying-type move to dodge Torterra's Frenzy Plant for a few seconds, but three vines managed to lash the Fire-type enough to send it flying to the ground in a plume of dust.
"Infernape!" Nate yelled as the dust settled. Infernape lay knocked out, under a few rocks. Torterra roared in victory, while Nate walked forward and revived his partner.
"Good job, buddy." Nate said.
"Nape'." Infernape replied as Nate sprayed a Full Restore on several of his wounds. Then, Nate heard footsteps. Torterra approached and motioned with his head to the base of the tree. Nate and Infernape stood up and followed it inside. Nate gasped upon seeing a pile of stones in the middle of the base of the tree, and atop the pile was an old, cracked, and rusted Poke Ball.
"So, you had a trainer once?" Nate asked Torterra, who nodded.
"And..,your trainer died and is buried here?" Nate added. Torterra nodded again. Nate brushed the dust off the Poke Ball, and smiled slightly. Then, he saw letters in the trunk of the tree, carved by an unknown means.
To whoever finds my remains…
I have lived a life seeking power. To be the absolute strongest. My time is over now. I ask whoever finds me this one favor.
Take care of my beloved Torterra. Treat him the way I could not. Love him, bond with him, train him.
Goodbye…
The rest of the carving was faded and worn. Torterra looked at Nate, who had started to cry. Torterra looked at Infernape, who gave a small nod. Soon, Nate smiled again and touched Torterra's nose, cupping in with his hand.
"Torterra, will you come with me?" he asked quietly. "I might not be the trainer your previous one was...but I'll do my best to make do."
Torterra gave an approving huff.
"Alright. Go, Ultra Ball." Nate said. Torterra nodded as it entered the Ultra Ball. It wobbled three times, then clicked. Nate picked it up and smiled.
"Welcome to the team, Torterra." he said. As he walked out, followed by Infernape, Nate beamed. Then, a ghostly voice spoke, but no one heard him.
Thank you...young trainer...thank you….
===========
"Where'd Nate scamper off to?" Twilight asked, noticing he was missing.
"He said something about heading into the Everfree, and something else about a Torterra." Matthew said. Then, Nate walked in.
"Caught it." he said proudly.
"Congratulations, Master Nate." Giratina said. "Let us send our message."
Chapter 13-Friends and Rivals
Back at Sycamore's lab, Steven Stone and Clemont stood in uncertainty at the Dimensional Shifter.
"Are you sure they made it through, Clemont?" Steven asked.
"Yes. The readings from the initial blast and the current ones are identical. Logically, I can say that they made it." Clemont replied.
"Well, we'll have to wait, then." Steven replied. "Let's go."
As they walked out, one of Sycamore's assistants rushed over.
"Mr. Stone! Professor Sycamore needs you in the lab right now!"
"Thank you. I'll be there shortly." Steven said. "Clemont, excuse me."
As Steven walked into the lab, he was surprised to see Cedric Juniper and Professor Sycamore watching a computer monitor display a pattern on the screen.
"What is the matter?" Steven asked.
"We've got a strange frequency coming from the shifter. We're trying to make sense of it." Cedric said. "The frequency is harmonizing with Nate's Griseous Orb, so we know it's Giratina. Other than that…"
"We don't know." Sycamore finished.
"Maybe...it's a message from the Legendary Pokemon?" Steven suggested.
"It could be possible." Cedric said. "We're trying to tune the frequency to levels capable of being heard by humans."
"Let me know how that works out." Steven said. "I think I might know who can help. Metagross, come out!"
Steven released his partner, who growled.
"What is it, Steven?" Metagross spoke through his telepathic powers, directly into Steven's mind.
"Can you analyze this frequency?" Steven asked his partner.
"Yes, I can try." Metagross replied. As Metagross's eyes glowed, Steven smiled at his partner.
"I have finished." Metagross said. "The frequency is a message from Giratina, relaying his success in finding the missing trainers. All are safe and sound, and the trainers sent to find them are safe as well. They are requesting help, as a new threat has risen. A man by the name of Corvo has revealed himself as a new evil to their world's inhabitants."
"Then we need to move." Steven said. "I'll get some trainers and head out."
"Get to it." Sycamore said as Steven walked out.
============
After a while, Steven, Alain, Sawyer, Wally, Cynthia, and Diantha stood in front of a swirling white vortex, courtesy of the dimensional Shifter. Clemont gave them a thumbs-up, and the six of them entered the portal.
============
"Think they got the message, Giratina?" Twilight asked.
"Most likely." Giratina replied. "My powers over the Distortion World are expansive. As long as they retain possession of the Griseous Orb, they should receive it."
"Alright." Twilight said.
"Uh, Twilight?" Came the voice of Spike.
"What?" she yelled.
"We've got more guests!"
"COMING!" Twilight yelled as she sprinted out towards the main hall. As she stopped, she raised her eyebrows at six more humans being helped up by Matthew and his group. One wore a grey suit with silvery blue hair. The next one wore black and blue clothing, with a flame-like scarf. The next was clad in green and brown, with leaf-green hair. He was currently writing in a notebook. The next one was small and pale, but he carried himself proudly. The next one wore robes of black and gold, and her blonde hair went down to her waist. The final woman had white clothing with light brown hair.
"Oh, there's Twilight now." Matthew said to the white one, who smiled.
"You're a friend of Matthew's, right?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. I'm Diantha, Kalos Champion." She said. "That's Steven Stone, Hoenn Champion, Alain, another Kalos Champion, Wally, Sawyer, and Cynthia, Sinnoh Champion."
"Nice to meet you all." Twilight said. "We're running out of sleeping bags, though."
"It'll be fine." Mason said. "Maybe your friends can lodge some of us at their homes? Not to impose or anything."
"I'll ask." Twilight said. "So, you came to help with our Team Nova situation?"
"Yes." Steven said. "We've done our research on him."
As Mason and Wally walked over to speak in private, Mason smiled at the small boy.
"You okay, Wally?" he asked.
"Yeah, I was just worried you wouldn't be okay." Wally said.
"I'm alright." Mason said. "So, who's the trainer in green?"
"Oh, Sawyer?" Wally asked. "He's from Hoenn. He's studying Pokemon, always writing in that Notebook of his. He has a Sceptile with him that can Mega Evolve."
"Seems like a strong trainer." Mason said, walking over.
"Hey." he said to Sawyer, who upon recognizing Mason as the Hoenn Champion, immediately started asking questions and writing Mason's responses in his notebook at breakneck speed.
"And you've got a Swampert with you, right?" Sawyer asked.
"Yep." Mason said. "And I believe you have a Sceptile, right?"
"Yes." Sawyer said.
"Well, Sawyer, If I may, I'd like a battle. My Swampert versus your Sceptile." Mason said.
Sawyer's eyes flashed with excitement.
"I'll take that as a yes." Mason said. "Shall we begin?"
"OF COURSE!" Sawyer said, his voice shaking with excitement. As the group proceeded to Ponyville fields, Sawyer and Mason took opposite sides. Brock volunteered to referee, and both trainers sent out their partners, ready to clash.
Chapter 14-Sawyer versus Mason
As Swampert and Sceptile stood on opposite ends of the field, Steven and Ash looked with interest at the two Trainers.
"I know Sawyer." Ash said. "He won't go down without a fight."
"And I know Mason." Steven replied. Neither will he."
As Brock called for the battle to begin, both Trainers smiled at their opponent.
"Alright, Swampert, Barrier!" Mason yelled. Swampert nodded and raised its fists horizontally. A light blue screen appeared, and Swampert glowed red, his Defense stat raised.
"Sceptile, Dragon Claw!" Sawyer cried. Sceptile's claws grew large, and he slashed at Swampert. Swampert flinched, but as a result of his defense being raised, he took less damage from the attack.
"Swampert, Earthquake!" Mason called. Swampert slammed his fists into the ground, and the earth began to shake and move. Sceptile took damage from the Ground-type attack, but he soon steadied himself.
"Leaf Storm!" Sawyer ordered. Sceptile summoned a cyclone of leaves and shot them at his opponent. Swampert furrowed his eyes, knowing the Grass-type attack could easily knock him out.
"Sludge Wave!" Mason responded. Swampert summoned a ball of purplish-black acid, and sprayed it against the Grass-type move. The resulting collision locked the two Pokemon in place.
"I see." Sawyer said. "As a Water and Ground type, Swampert's only weakness is Grass. By using Poison moves, he counters that weakness by using a move that Grass-types are weak to. And by raising his defense, he managed to give himself a leg up."
"Not bad." Mason replied. "You analyze your opponent's Pokemon effectively, Sawyer. However…"
Swampert then leaped into the air, and roared.
"This battle has only just begun. Swampert, Earthquake and Sludge Wave combo!"
Swampert slammed into the ground once more, and then unleashed the Poison-move. As the ground-type move damaged Sceptile, making him flinch, the poisonous liquid hit Sceptile, full-force. As Sceptile leaped out of the way, Sawyer growled.
"A combination attack, huh?" He said quietly. "Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"
Sceptile rushed forward, the leaves on his wrists merging and glowing bright. As he prepared to slam them into Swampert, Mason smiled.
"Swampert, Muddy Water!" Mason cried. Swampert formed a sphere of muddy liquid and blasted Sceptile, full in the face. As Sceptile leaped away, Sawyer saw a thick coat of mud obscuring Sceptile's eyes.
"He lowered Sceptile's accuracy by using that move!" Sawyer cried. "Alright, Sceptile, let's go!"
As Sawyer drew his Key Stone from his journal, Mason tapped his own Key Stone on his Mega Bracelet. The yellow beams of energy cascaded from each Key Stone and bonded with the beams coming from the Pokemon's Mega Stones. As they linked, the two Pokemon grew larger and changed into their Mega Forms. Sceptile and Sawyer watched as Swampert's arms and fists grew larger, and Swampert hunched over, a result of Mega Evolution increasing his size.
"Rain Dance!" Mason yelled. Swampert formed a ball of water vapor in his right fist, and threw it into the sky, which clouded over and began to rain.
"Why did he make it rain?" Rarity asked.
"You see, Rain Dance not only makes it rain, it boosts the power of Water-type moves." Steven said. "I see why Mason did it. Water moves aren't effective against Grass-types like Sceptile, so giving his Water moves a boost in power is a welcome advantage."
"Hmm…" Sawyer said. "Stay on your guard, Mega Sceptile!"
"Tile!" Sceptile responded.
"Now, Ice Punch!" Mason yelled.
"ICE PUNCH?" Sawyer said, shocked as Mega Swampert cloaked his fist in frost and lunged, punching Swampert in the chest at blinding speed. As Sceptile was sent flying, Twilight gasped.
"How'd Swampert move so fast?" Twilight asked.
"Swift Swim." May replied.
"Swift Swim?" Twilight asked.
"That's Mega Swampert's Ability." May replied. "A Pokemon with Swift Swim gets a speed boost when it rains. Now, Sawyer is in real trouble. Apart from Swampert knowing an Ice move, which is double as effective against a Grass and Dragon type like Sceptile, Swampert is now a great deal faster."
"Indeed." Steven said. "This battle isn't over, not by a long shot."
"Use Dragon Claw!" Sawyer yelled. Sceptile recovered from taking the Ice-type move and lunged again.
"Ice Punch!" Mason responded. Swampert used its greater speed to dodge Sceptile's attack, before landing a second Ice Punch. As the two Pokemon dodged and weaved, landing their attacks in an almost beautiful dance, Mason smiled.
"Let's end this! Swampert! Ice Punch and Hammer Arm combo!" Mason cried. Swampert cloaked his fist in orange energy, before the ice covered it, and he leaped into the air. Sceptile unleashed Frenzy Plant, as Sawyer ordered, and Mega Swampert dodged the thrashing vines with ease before slamming his fist into Sceptile's chest, kicking up a large explosion of dust. As the Rain Dance stopped and the dust settled, Sawyer gasped. Sceptile lay unconscious under Swampert's fist.
"Sceptile is unable to battle!" Brock called. "Mason wins!"
As everyone watching clapped and cheered, Swampert helped Sceptile to his feet, as their Mega Forms faded, returning them to normal.
"That was a great battle, Sawyer." Mason said, extending his hand. "I would be honored to battle again sometime."
"And I earned lots of Experience from this." Sawyer said, taking Mason's hand and shaking it. "I hope we can battle again."
As Swampert and Sceptile shook hands, Mason stretched and then, his stomach rumbled, along with Ash and Sawyer's.
"Looks like someone's hungry." Twilight said.
"Cookout, anyone?" Brock asked.
"Sure." Ash said. As everyone split up to gather supplies, a Fly Drone watched from a tree. It sent the feed of the battle to Corvo, before flying away.
As Brock and Pinkie set to work setting up a Charcoal Grill that Pinkie had pulled out of her hair, the trainers and ponies split up into teams to gather food and needed supplies for themselves and their Pokemon partners. As the clearing depopulated, Brock grew ever more confused and amused by Pinkie pulling various foods and seasonings out of her hair.
"How is it that you're able to do that?" Brock asked, as he roasted a few hot dogs, for the humans.
"Silly! It's because I'm me!" Pinkie replied. "Well, there is my Pinkie Sense, but that's a whole other story!"
"Pinkie sense?" Brock asked.
"Yeah! I can sort of get these weird feelings that tell me what's happening! Like you need to stop those hot dogs from burning!"
"Oh, thanks!" Brock said, taking the meat off the grill and setting several patties onto the grill.
"Not a problem, Brockster! Or Brocko! Or Brock the Rock!" Pinkie said.
"Strangely, I think I've been called two of those." Brock said.
"Really? Eh, minor detail." Pinkie said, dumping a load of sprinkles onto a fresh batch of prepared cupcakes, using a bag of sprinkles she pulled out of nowhere. Brock sighed and returned to cooking the hamburger patties.
===========
Steven and Twilight paired up to find the folding chairs they'd need to seat everyone. Several ponies gave Steven curious or odd looks, but Twilight shrugged them away.
"So, Steven?"
"Hmm?" Steven replied.
"You're the Hoenn Champion, right?"
"Yes?"
"What's it like, being a Region Champion?"
"It's quite a challenge, indeed." Steven said. "Constantly training so that no one can surpass you in battle. But, in a way, it's a nice reason to have fun."
"I see." Twilight said. "Anyway, Barnyard Bargains should have the chairs we need."
As they stepped into the store, they were surprised to see Filthy Rich buried underneath a pile of crates. Steven sent out Metagross, who used Psychic to levitate the crates off the pony.
"Thanks for that." Filthy said.
"You okay?" Twilight asked.
"Well, having ordered about thirty excess folding chairs with no hope of selling, well...not so much, Princess."
"We could use them." Steven said. "We need them for a cookout."
"Take 'em, then." Filthy said. "Keep 'em, too. Don't need them, anyway. Wasn't like there was anypony who would buy them."
"Thank you. Metagross?" Steven said. Metagross nodded and levitated the crates to the top of his body, using Psychic to keep them in place. Steven and Twilight walked back to the cookout site to see an amusing scene. Brock was watching an attempt by Pinkie to beat his Croagunk in a staring contest. Neither side was giving in, as Croagunk's unwavering stare knew no limits. Until…
"GAH! YOU WIN!" Pinkie yelled, wiping her eyes with a wet cloth. Croagunk gave a weak smile in response.
"Alright, that's enough." Twilight said, helping Steven unload the chairs. "Where are the tables?"
"Right here." Applejack said, coming back with Nate, along with five tables stacked on the back of Nate's Torterra. "Took us a while. Folks didn't seem to feel safe around Nate's Torterra."
"With good reason." Nate said. "It beat my Infernape. Anyway, what's next?"
"Alain and Spike should be back with the silverware, and I left the tablecloths to Abigail and Rarity." Twilight said. "So, we wait after that."
=========
Alain and Spike walked out of Twilight's castle, two bags of silverware being carried by Alain's Charizard. Spike seemed a bit uneasy around the orange fire lizard, but he sighed, knowing he was safe.
"Spike?" Alain asked.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"I'm fine." Spike said. "Just..a bit nervous around that Charizard."
"You do know that he won't hurt you, right?" Alain said.
"Yeah, I do. Thing is, I once hit a growth spurt due to greed and I nearly destroyed Ponyville. He's big, just big enough to scare me." Spike said.
"There's nothing to be scared about." Alain said. "You know why?"
"Why?"
"Just because you're big doesn't mean you're bad, if you know what I mean." Alain said. Spike smiled and sighed.
"Maybe you're right, Alain." Spike said. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Alain said as they arrived at the cookout site. As they handed over the silverware, Rarity and Abigail arrived with several bolts of cloth. As the table was set, the remaining trainers and ponies sat down to dish after dish of Brock and Pinkie's cooking.
"That was good." Ash said.
"Really good." Serena said.
"I only wish there was someone who could match your food, Brock." Steven said.
"Cilan, maybe. Clemont, well, maybe as well." Ash replied.
"Cilan? As in the Striaton City Gym leader?" Chase asked. "Last I checked, they retired a while ago. Probably the reopened the Gym at some point after I left Unova for Kalos."
"Really?" Ash said. "Interesting."
As they all began to clean up, Gravee noticed a bush moving and shaking. She walked over to it, and moved it aside to reveal something she did not expect.
"A Swablu?" She said to herself, recognizing the Cotton Bird Pokemon. She picked it up, then she saw several burns and wounds covering the weak Pokemon. She carried it over to the cookout site and called for help. Brock rushed over and helped set the injured Swablu onto a blanket.
"Seems this Swablu took a beating." Brock said, taking his backpack and withdrawing several Potions. "I've have her fixed up in no time."
"You're a Pokemon healer?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the correct term is Breeder." Brock said as he sprayed the Swablu's injuries with Potions. "I've had to take care of Pokemon on multiple occasions. Alright, should be good. Let's give it some rest. and it should be fine when it wakes up."
"Thanks, Brock." Grace said. As she and Brock took the Swablu to Twilight's castle, the heard the familiar sound of rushing air. The trainers turned to see Chris and Hau walk up.
"Hey, guys." Chris said. "How're you all doing?"
"Hey, Chris!" Ash said. "Hey, Hau?"
"Who are you?" Matthew asked.
"Name's Chris, that's Hau. We're from the Alola region." Chris said.
"Alola Region?" Matthew said. "I don't think I've been there."
"Well, I could tell you about it." Chris said. "Let's get this place cleaned up first, though."
"Sure." Matthew said. As the two Alolan trainers helped clean up, and Grace and Brock returned from dropping off Swablu at the castle, Twilight was surprised to see her Cutie Mark glowing. She teleported to the castle to see the map focusing on the small port town of Bristail, to the south of Ponyville.
As Twilight walked back to the cookout grounds, she was surprised to see two new humans with the group. They both looked to be around the same age, while one wore a blue-and-white striped shirt, while the other was mostly clad in orange and green.
"Excuse me, Ash?" Twilight asked Ash. "Who are they?"
"That's Chris and Hau." Ash replied. "You know that there are six regions? They come from the seventh, the Alola region. They're really strong trainers. Chris, the one on the right, is the Alola Region Champion."
"Wow." Twilight said as she watched Matthew talk with Chris's RotomDex. Then, she remembered why she had come back.
"Um, everypony and human? Can I have your attention?" She spoke. Soon, everyone quieted down to listen.
"I need to make a trip to a port town south of here, Bristail. I don't have details, but I think It might involve Pokemon, so, can some of you come with me?"
"Sure. We'll go." Matthew said.
"Great. Let's go!" Twilight said as she, Matthew, Chris, and Mason headed off towards the train station, along with Fluttershy, who had asked to go along with them for the trip.
================
As the train pulled into Bristail Station, they were surprised to see a large fishing vessel being inspected. The shocking thing was the massive beating it had taken, evident by the large holes in the hull, reminiscent of something ripping and tearing through it.
"What happened?" Twilight asked a fisherpony.
"Those damned monsters keep attacking our boats." The fisherpony replied. "If you want to learn more, Princess, find Captain Stern Shot. He's at the tavern."
The group walked off and eventually found the Briney Old Inn and Tavern. Entering, they saw a middle-aged pony with a gray coat at the bar.
"Those damn monsters!" He roared. "Ah, Princess! Just who I wanted to see!"
"What's going on?" Twilight asked.
"Well, we started fishing in the southern area, near this island." Stern said, pointing to a map."Then, all of sudden, these strange creatures come out of the water and attack us! They're thrashing us so hard we had to leave the area! Now, me and my crew want them gone, so we can fish!"
"Well, I'd like to see what we're dealing with." Chris said. "I think we're dealing with Pokemon, probably some Water Types."
"What's it to ya?"
"Water Type Pokemon tend to be passive, so you must've done something to rile them up." Chris replied, thinking of Wishiwashi. "Those tears in the boat hull were made by a Sharpedo's Crunch. Something got them angry, really angry."
"Well, as best as I can remember, we've been fishing there for years." Stern said. "The only thing that comes to mind is that island we explored a few days ago."
"What happened?" Matthew asked.
"Well, we found this." Stern said, drawing out a brilliant blue crystal. It was expertly cut and hewn, and Mason recognized it immediately.
"The Sea Crown." He said under his breath. Then, he remembered what was so important about it.
"You need to put that back, like, NOW." Mason said. "That's a piece of the Sea Crown from my home region of Hoenn. That thing brings grave misfortune to whoever has it and isn't worthy. That's why you're being attacked! You stole from them, and they want it back!"
"Hah!" Stern said. "Grave misfortune? As if! This here gem's gonna make me a fortune when I sell it! And after those things are gone, the whole fishing business here's gonna answer to me! Boys! We're treasure hunting! Get ready to cast off! And if you follow me, you're DEAD!"
"You're insane!' Mason said as several bulky ponies followed Stern out of the tavern.
"I'm getting my hands on the whole thing, that's what I am doing!" Stern replied. "No beast is going to stop me!"
Twilight and the group stood aghast as the ponies stormed out.
"We have to stop them!" Fluttershy said.
"She's right." Mason said. "The Sea Crown is protected by Kyogre, the Sea Basin Pokemon. Kyogre's known to be able to drown entire continents for a reason."
"How will we follow them?" Twilight asked.
"Leave that to us, Princess."
The group turned to see several fisherponies nod.
"We've had enough of Stern around here. Bitch put all the little folk out of business. We'll take you to wherever you need to go."
"Great, let's go!" Chris said as they rushed for the harbor.
===========
Aboard the large cargo fishing vessel Trawler, Stern watched as the Island came into view off the port side.
"Captain, you sure we'll be okay?" The First Mate asked.
"Keep her steady!" Stern replied. Then, the ship lurched to a stop with a mighty crash. The crew saw the images of nearly every Water-Type imaginable, from Luvdisc to Lanturn to Kingdra, staring at them angrily. And at the very front, flanked by five Wishiwashi, already in School Forme, was a red Gyarados.
"GYARRRRRADOS!" Gyarados roared, and every Pokemon present unleashed their moves, from Water Gun to Hydro Pump. The ship was pummeled from every angle by the unrelenting barrage of Water-type moves.
"You foul monsters!" Stern yelled. "All cannons, fire!"
The ship sent several cannon shots into the water, hitting several Pokemon. Then, they fell silent as the sea began to churn angrily.
"What's going on?" Stern stammered as the Greek Alpha Symbol was displayed from the deep water below. Then, it began to rain heavily, and Primal Kyogre blasted up from the deep, and roared loudly.
"KYOOOOOOOOOGRE!" It bellowed, angry at its domain being threatened. Stern shook in true fright as Kyogre unleashed Origin Pulse. The ship was blasted out of the water, and Kyogre swatted it down with Aqua Tail. As Twilight and the group saw this unfold from their own ship, Mason knew there was only one option left. Taking out the Red Orb, he thrust it into the air, and it began to glow brightly.
"Kyogre, STOP!" Mason cried. Kyogre turned away from the smashed Trawler and eyed Mason.
"So...the Keeper of the Land comes for me." Kyogre spoke, using the power of the Red Orb to communicate. "I am impressed at how you captured my brother, Groudon."
"Thanks, I guess." Mason replied. "Kyogre, why are you angry?"
"This filth dared steal a piece of the Sea Crown. We have been enraged by his transgression. We demand it be returned." Kyogre said.
"Stern, hand it over." Twilight called. Stern shook as he offered up the crystal. An Octillery grabbed it and presented it to Kyogre.
"We are satisfied. These seas are forbidden to your kind from now on." Kyogre said.
"You have my word." Twilight said. "No one will bother you any more, Kyogre."
"My thanks, Princess of Friendship." Kyogre said. "Let us return, brethren."
As the water types returned to the ocean, Twilight's ship hauled the Trawler back to the harbor, where guards were waiting. Stern was hauled away, and Twilight made a public statement saying the waters around the island were off-limits to everypony and everyone.
"Quite an adventure." Mason said. "I'm soaked."
"Well, that's your problem." Matthew said. "I'm dry."
"Not for long." Chris said.
"Huh?" Matthew said as a wave leaped over the dock and smacked him in the face, leaving him drenched. As he sighed and shrugged, Mason and Chris laughed their pants off as they headed towards the train station, as the sun set.
Chapter 17-A Day About Town
As Twilight, Matthew, Fluttershy, Mason, and Chris arrived back at Ponyville Station, it was late at night. Walking back to Twilight's castle, they were surprised to see Grace and Serena awake, watching Serena's Braixen play with the Swablu Grace had found earlier.
"Hey." Twilight said. "What are you two doing up?"
"We wanted to wait for you. Everyone else is already asleep." Grace said. "Plus, Swablu woke us up with it's crying, so we decided to care for it while we waited."
"Good move." Matthew said. Grace visibly blushed at this.
"Ash?" Serena asked. "Can we talk in private?"
"Sure." Ash replied. As they headed upstairs, followed by Pikachu and Braixen, Grace stretched and yawned.
"You tired?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah, I am." Grace said. "Really tired. But there's some things I need to get off my chest."
Matthew nodded and escorted her to the couch. They sat down next to each other, and Grace sighed.
"Matthew, back on the train, I really meant it when I said I think of you as more than a friend."
Matthew blushed, and looked her in the eye.
"You...like me?" he said, slightly nervous.
"Yeah. I mean, since I first met you, I really liked being with you." she said. Matthew sighed and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.
"I like you too." he said in reply.
Grace smiled warmly and leaned on his chest in content. Matthew smiled, knowing she was comfortable.
"You wanna head to bed?" he asked.
"Yes." she replied. As the two of them headed upstairs, they saw the guest room was packed with sleeping bags, each holding a trainer. Matthew and Serena slipped in, and carefully made their way to theirs, which were right next to each other's. Sliding into their respective bags, they were soon asleep. Ash and Serena, whose faces were crimson, came in not long after that.
As the morning sun pierced through the window, Ash and Serena woke up to a beautiful sunny day. They slipped downstairs to find Twilight helping Brock and Clemont move tables to the backyard patio.
"There's not enough room for all of us, so we're eating outside." Twilight said.
"Maybe some of us could stay at your friend's houses? You know, as not to overload you?" Grace asked.
"I'll see." Twilight said. "Mind getting the chairs?"
"Sure." Matthew said as they took the chairs outside, where a large patio greeted them. Three tables had been set up, and as Matthew and Grace set up the chairs, Ash and Serena walked downstairs, carrying Swablu, who was humming contentedly.
"Hey, Swablu." Grace said, giving the Cotton Bird Pokemon a quick pat on the head.
"He roosted inside my hat." Ash said, scratching his head. "Took us a while to get him out."
Grace laughed and took the avian Pokemon and set her down onto a bench, to which Swablu sang a note of happiness.
"Seems Swablu likes you." Brock said. "I would see if you could catch it."
"Maybe later." Grace said.
"Morning!"
Everyone turned to see David walk over, his Absol by his side.
"Hey, dad." Matthew said. "How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty good." David replied. "Anyway, I think the best thing to do now is locate Corvo. It won't be long before he strikes again."
"True." Twilight said.
"But how can we stop him if we don't know where he is?" Ash asked.
"Well, I can make an estimate." David said. "I noticed the helicopter was heading east at around sixty miles per hour away from the castle. Seeing as a helicopter of that size probably has plenty of fuel, I'd wager it's far, but not too far away, seeing as Corvo likes to keep an eye on things. Speaking of…"
David snatched a object out of the air, and showed it to Twilight.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"Fly drone." David said, inspecting the small robot. "He's been watching us this whole time. This fly drone can't have a long range due to size, so I'd wager his main receiver is close. As for this little bug..."
David stomped on the drone, smashing it.
"...It's not a problem anymore."
As the other trainers filed into the patio and took their seats, Brock and Clemont began to serve the food. The trainers ate their fill, and soon, the plates were clean.
"That was good." Ash said.
"Really good." Diantha added. "I admire your cooking, Brock."
Brock blushed slightly.
"Thanks."
"Anyway…" Twilight said. "I think it's time you all get some time out in town. Form some groups and head out. David, would you help me with something?"
"Sure." David said as the trainers formed their groups and headed out.
===========================
Ash, Matthew, Serena, and Grace headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, only to hear a commotion.
"I tell ya, I don't know where the pie went!" Applebloom cried to Big Mac.
"Well, then you HAVE to know where the fritters went, too!" Mac replied. "They can't just...vanish!"
"I don't know about that either!"
"What's going on?" Matthew asked Applejack.
"Something's been stealing all of our apples." Applejack said. "It even stole honey from the beehives."
"Probably a wild Pokemon, most likely a Bug-Type." Matthew guessed. "I know a trick to catch Bug-types. Can I borrow some honey and a paintbrush?"
Applejack widened her eyes at the paintbrush remark, but she fetched what was needed. Matthew went over to a tree populated with apples and lathered a large spot of honey onto the trunk.
"What's all this about?" Big Mac asked.
"Bug types like honey." Matthew said. "So, when our culprit comes to get a snack, he'll get a sticky surprise instead. Then, I can catch it."
"Sounds good." Nate said. "Let's take cover and see what happens."
As the group hid behind some bushes, they were surprised to see a faint blur dashing from tree to tree, swiping up apples. Then, it buzzed over to the honey, and promptly got stuck, revealing the culprit.
"A Ninjask?" Matthew said.
"Ninjask?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, take a look." Matthew said, pulling out his Pokedex.
"Ninjask, the Ninja Pokemon. Ninjask are extremely fast, so fast they are virtually unnoticeable to the naked eye. They congregate near tree sap and honey." the Pokedex spoke.
"So, it's been stealing our apples?" Big Mac asked.
"Most likely." Grace said. "Ninjask can move so fast, they're almost invisible. But I think there's something more to this."
Matthew nodded to Grace walked over and pulled Ninjask free from the honey. Ninjask took one look at Matthew, and then buzzed his wings ferociously, freeing himself from the sticky honey. He buzzed in thanks, and motioned over to a grove of trees near the edge of the farm.
"I think he wants us to go there." Matthew said. As the group followed Ninjask, they were surprised to see the grass had been ripped up and most of the vegetation was gone. Soon, they found a large pile of stones surrounded by apples and fruit, and atop the pile was…
"A Slaking." Matthew said. "I should've known. Slaking are real gluttons, and I bet this one's making Ninjask gather food for it."
"That's why Ninjask's been stealing from the farm!" Applejack said. The Slaking noticed them and barked angrily at Ninjask, who buzzed in retaliation.
"I don't think Slaking's happy to see us." Matthew said, reaching for his Chesnaught's Poke' Ball. Then, Slaking reached upwards, and a large pile of rocks formed around his fist. At this, Ninjask grew visibly frightened.
"I see now. Slaking knows Rock Slide, a move that's doubly effective against a Bug/Flying type like Ninjask." Matthew said. "That's enough, Slaking. You're being evicted."
Slaking gave what was obviously a laugh.
"Really?" Matthew said. "Go, Chesnaught!"
The Spiny Armor Pokemon leaped out of his Pokeball and stood before Slaking. Slaking stood up and pumped his fists, signalling a battle.
"Chesnaught, Drain Punch!" Matthew yelled. Chesnaught threw a punch straight into Slaking's belly. The Super-effective attack damaged Slaking, but Slaking held on and used Chip Away, striking Chesnaught. Ash and Serena flinched slightly at the powerful attack.
"Alright, Dragon Claw!" Matthew cried. Chesnaught slashed with his claws, but Slaking did not respond, barely flinching. Chesnaught attacked several more times, but the only think Slaking did was smile. Then, he drew back, and sent several beams of black energy towards Chesnaught.
"That's Payback! Dodge it!" Matthew yelled. Chesnaught leaped out of the way, and growled.
"So, it knows Payback." Matthew said. "Alright, use Wood Hammer!"
Chesnaught formed a green aura around his fist, and slammed it into Slaking. This time, Slaking flinched visibly, and he tried to use Payback once more. Chesnaught dodged and used Spiky Shield, damaging Slaking slightly.
"Now Stone Edge!" Matthew cried. Chesnaught slammed the ground, and a volley of sharpened stones barreled towards Slaking. Slaking was unable to dodge in time, and took some damage. Slaking then unleashed Giga Impact, and he barrelled towards Chesnaught at a rapid pace. Chesnaught leaped into the air per Matthew's order, and unleashed a Wood Hammer from above. Slaking was knocked for a loop, and when the smoke cleared, Slaking was knocked out, giving off a faint moan.
"Yes! Great job buddy!" Matthew said as Ash, Serena, and Grace cheered. Ninjask buzzed excitedly, and then it buzzed off, back to its nest.
"See you around, Ninjask!" Applejack said as the group headed back to the farm. They walked back into the farmhouse to find Applebloom being berated by Granny Smith.
"Ah TOLD YOU APPLEBLOOM that if I heard you caused any more mischief, they're be tartarus to pay!"
"Granny, it wasn't me!" Applebloom said.
"Uh, Granny, she's right." Applejack said. "Big old fiend of a Pokemon named Slaking was making another Pokemon called Ninjask gather food for it. It's all taken care of now."
"Well, good to hear. Sorry, Applebloom." Granny said to a shaking Applebloom.
"Well, I wonder what the others are up to?" Serena asked.
============
Chase and Mason, along with Rarity and Pinkie, were helping take orders at Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes were being swamped with the brunch rush, and the two Trainers had volunteered to help with it.
"Lemon Cupcakes for table two!" Mrs. Cake yelled.
"Got it!" Mason said, filling the order and placing the two pastries on the counter for pickup.
"Hey Chase, this reminds me of the Malie City Food Court." Mason said.
"The hustle and bustle?" Chase replied.
"The food." Mason said, and the two trainers laughed. Chase went back to taking orders, while Mason handled the register. Then, Mason noticed two burly stallions shoving people out of the way. Then, they walked over to where a couple was sitting.
"Move." one of the thugs said.
"This is our table!" the mare replied. "What for?"
"I certainly do." said a stallion, walking in. He was clad in noble wear, and he carried himself highly.
"Here comes trouble…" Chase whispered to Mason, who nodded.
"Well?" the noble stallion said to the couple, as if expecting them to heed his every word. "Go."
"We were here first." the stallion said. "You'll have to wait for one to open."
"Big Wig doesn't wait for anything, commoner!" the stallion spat. The thugs moved to force the couple out. Then, Big Wig received a tap on the shoulder.
"Sir?" Mason asked. "I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave. You're causing a scene and making good ponies who have waited in line give up their table that they occupied first."
"Hah!" Big Wig said. "What do you plan to do about it? Get 'em, boys!"
The thugs moved forward, and Mason tossed a Poke Ball into the air, revealing his Grumpig.
"Grum!" Grumpig said.
"Grumpig, show these idiots the door with Psychic, will you?" Mason said. Grumpig nodded and his black pearls glowed purple, and the two thugs and Big Wig were thrown out the door by a blast of Psychic energy. As Grumpig gave a bow, the three ponies stood up shakily.
"Now, either be sensible and get lost, or continue, and keep getting your butts kicked." Mason said. "Either way, Grumpig is more than happy to keep going."
The thug ponies stared at the Psychic Pokemon, who gave them a hard stare in return.
"Well, get them!" Big Wig cried. The thugs tried to rush the Pokemon, but Grumpig promptly sent them flying again. Then, the guards showed up.
"What seems to be the problem?" a guard asked Mason.
"Those three stormed in and demanded a table from a couple already there and were going to get physical when I intervened." Mason said.
"Thanks, sir. We'll take it from here." the Guard Sergeant replied. As the three ponies were escorted away, Mason walked back in and stood at the counter.
"Alright, who's next in line?" he asked. Then, the whole of Sugarcube Corner started to applaud. Mason waved sheepishly and got back to work.
"Show-off." Chase said, slapping Mason on the back. "Nice work, though."
"Thanks." Mason replied. "Let's keep at it, shall we?"
==================
At the same time, Corvo watched Twilight and David work on a Portal device through a second fly drone. He turned back to his subterrene camp, newly established in the Everfree. His copy of the Dimensional Shifter had brought his team and their tech into a large cavern complex, and Corvo had turned it into Team Nova's base of Operations.
"Boss, we've got news." A Nova Grunt said.
"What kind of news?" Corvo said.
"Apparently Giovanni's onto us. He's sent some Team Rocket people to Lumiose, to come over to this dimension."
"Never mind them." Corvo said. "Our adversaries can take care of them. Stick to the plan."
"Yessir."
As the sun set, the various trainers headed back to Twilight's castle. Mason and Chase were burnt out from having helped staff Sugarcube Corner. Matthew, Grace, Ash, and Serena were in a very tired state, as they had assisted with the harvest at Sweet Apple Acres. They walked inside to find Sawyer, Wally, Cynthia, Diantha, and Alain missing.
"Oh, they headed back to your world." Twilight said. "They said they had things to attend to.:
"Alright." Matthew said, stretching and yawning. The trainers headed upstairs, and Twilight took one last look at the Equestrian Shifter before she headed upstairs.
===========
Back in the Pokemon world, Team Rocket watched Professor Sycamore's laboratory, now dark and still.
"What's the plan?" Meowth asked.
"We sneak in and find the shifter. Then, we go through to that other world!" James said.
"And when we do, we steal whatever we can!" Jessie said. "Let's go!"
Sneaking in through an open window, they stalked through the corridors on their tiptoes, careful not to make a sound. Arriving at the Shifter's room, they shut the door and Meowth set to work powering up the device. Soon, the white vortex appeared, and Jessie, James, and Meowth slipped in. As the device shut off automatically, in an alley not too far away, The Looker Bureau was silent. The three Punk Trainers were asleep with their Pokemon. Emma and Mimi watched out the window at the moon.
"I hope Mr. Looker's okay…" Emma said.
"Mi?" Mimi said.
"Yeah, you're right, Mimi. He'll be alright." Emma said. Then, they heard the door open and the lights go on. Emma sneaked over and peered over to see a woman with silver hair wearing a dark suit rummaging through the Bureau's files.
"Hey!" Emma cried. "What are you doing with Mr. Looker's files?"
"Am I not allowed to see what my colleague has been up to?" Anabel said, turning around.
"Colleague?" Emma asked.
"Yes. I'm Anabel, head of the International Police." Anabel said. "You're Emma, right? The girl that Looker hired to manage this bureau?"
"Yes. Where is Mr. Looker?" she asked. Then, they heard noises coming from the refrigerator. They walked around the corner to see Looker shoving toaster pastries into his mouth.
"Mr. Looker?" Emma asked.
"Hey, Emma!" he said. "Sorry, been too long since I've had a good meal!"
"By good meal, you mean my snacks?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, that too." Looker said. "How've you been?"
"I'm fine. But they said you were in Hoenn!" Emma replied.
"Well, true. I may have given myself amnesia, but I recovered with Anabel's help, went to the Alola region, helped catch some Ultra Beasts, and now I'm here!" Looker said.
"Amnesia?" Emma asked. "Ultra Beasts?
"Not important." Looker said. "Emma, we need your help."
"What's up?"
Looker explained the situation with the Dimensional Shifter and Team Nova, and Emma nodded.
"So, you need my help to catch a madman scientist who's in another world?" she asked.
"Yes." Anabel said. "We've already established first contact with that world's inhabitants. Several trainers are already there, along with IP agent David Hansen. We need additional units to help track down Corvo."
"Count us in." Emma said. "Mimi?"
"MI!" Mimi said, eager to go on another adventure.
"Grab the Essentia suit." Looker said. "We're heading out now."
"Right." Emma said. Taking the jumpsuit and throwing it into a backpack, she scribbled a note to the other trainers to watch the bureau, and she followed Looker and Anabel to the Laboratory.
================
As the trainers awoke, Dawn walked downstairs with Piplup in tow, to see a familiar face. Looker and two other people were waiting in the lobby. One was about her age, with an Espurr by her side. The other had silver hair and a black suit on.
"Mr. Looker?" she asked.
"Dawn!' Looker said warmly, striding up. "How've you been? These people are Anabel, my supervisor, and Emma, head of the Lumiose Bureau I established here."
As introductions went around, Emma and Dawn walked into the Shifter room to find Sycamore and Cedric Juniper speaking with Steven Stone.
"So, someone went through last night?" Cedric asked.
"Yes. The surge indicates around One AM." Steven replied. "We know it wasn't one of us, since everyone's accounted for."
"So who was it?" Sycamore asked. "Maybe one of Corvo's men?"
"David did say that Corvo had his own shifter, so why would he use ours?" Steven said.
"Steven, I have found something." Steven's Metagross spoke.
"What is it, Metagross?" Steven replied.
"The energy flux expelled by the Shifter was large enough to accommodate two humans and three Pokemon." Metagross spoke. "One of those Pokemon was able to manipulate the controls of the shifter. I have also interfaced with our security system, and identified possible culprits."
"Show it." Steven said as they glanced over at a screen. The faint image of two humans and a small Pokemon going through the Shifter flashed across the screen.
"What's that near the main panel?" Steven asked, noting a faint gold color.
"Enhancing image." Metagross said. The image zoomed in and cleaned itself up, revealing a very familiar Pokemon.
"A Meowth!" Dawn said. "Team Rocket!"
"That would explain things." Steven said. "Those fools called Jessie and James did have a Meowth with them."
"I'll go in after them." Emma said."Mimi, you ready?"
"Mimi!" Mimi cried as the two of them headed through.
=================
Back in Equestria, in the Team Nova HQ, Corvo stood in front of the Nova Shifter.
"Do you know why you are here?' he asked. A figure, clad in a purple and red cloak, wearing a high-tech wrist gauntlet, stepped forward.
"I believe I do." Pokemon Hunter J spoke. "I never got to thank you for pulling me out of Lake Valor."
"You were lucky you had that safe room installed." Corvo replied. "And luckier still that Officer Jenny didn't get to you first."
"Luck's part of the job." J replied. "What now?"
"Engage the trainers here." She said. "Do as much damage as you can, then retreat."
"Roger that." J spoke. "Where's Salamence?"
"Right here." Corvo spoke, handing her a Poke Ball. "Get going."
J walked out, and Corvo sighed.
"Luck...doesn't always work for you." he said quietly.
As Pokemon Hunter J rode her Salamence over the Everfree, she smiled. Her Ariados and Drapion had gone missing during the crash, but they didn't matter, J thought.
"Salamence is all I need." She whispered with a wicked smile. "You know the drill."
"SAL!" Salamence replied, sweeping into a layer of clouds. J's eyepiece immediately switched to Infrared, scanning the village below for humans and Pokemon.
"Found you." she said evilly. "Salamence, HYPER BEAM!"
========
Matthew barely had time to push Grace out of the way as the Hyper Beam slammed into the ground, kicking up an explosion of dust.
"What was that?" Bonnie cried.
"I think I know…" Nate replied. Turning to the skies, he growled as J descended, Salamence in tow.
"POKEMON HUNTER J!" Nate growled.
"In the flesh!" J replied. "Well, well, it's the little trainer who took down Cyrus! I'm rather flattered."
"Shove it." Nate replied. "How the hell are you alive!?"
"I had a safe-room installed. Blast and Water-proof storage." J replied.
"Who's she?" Twilight asked Ash.
"That's J." Ash replied. "She's a thief who steals Pokemon from their trainers and sells them. She's even gone after Pikachu, and even Regirock, Regice, and Registeel!"
"And I would've had them, and Regigigas too, If I wasn't for you, Ash Ketchum!" J snarled. "I still think that Pikachu of yours is a worthy target."
"Like hell that'll happen!" Nate shot back.
"Enough talk! Salamence, use Dragon Pulse!" J cried. Salamence roared and sent a purple beam of energy towards the trainers…
"MIMI, USE LIGHT SCREEN!"
Then, a Espurr leaped in front of the blast and sent up a yellow grid, deflecting the attack.
"No way…" Matthew said as Emma, wearing the Essentia Suit, minus the helmet, leaped into view.
"EMMA!" Matthew cried.
"Hey, Matthew!" Emma replied. "Let me take care of this jerk, alright?"
"Fine by me!" Matthew said as Anabel and Looker walked up.
"Toxicroak, help out!" Looker said as the Poison/Fighting Type emerged from his Poke Ball.
"You too, Weavile!" Anabel cried as the Dark/Ice type came out.
"Insolent pests!" J cried. "Earthquake!"
"Toxicroak, use Sludge Bomb!" Looker cried. Toxicroak sucked in a breath and spat several balls of brown acid towards Salamence, who weaved and dodged around, just barely avoiding the Poison-type attack.
"Mimi, Psychic!" Emma cried. Mimi's eyes glowed, and a blast of energy sent Salamence reeling.
"Use Fly!" J cried.
"Use Ice Shard!" Anabel yelled. Weavile began to hurl flash-frozen chunks of ice at lightning speed, striking Salamence and stopping it from using the Flying-type attack.
"Use Hyper Beam!" J roared. Salamence sent another beam of high energy towards Mimi, who used Light Screen to shield itself. However, this time the move connected, and Mimi was sent backwards.
"MIMI!" Emma cried. "Please, keep going! I know you can!"
Then, Mimi slowly staggered to its feet, and growled. Then, it began to glow blue.
"What?" Emma cried.
"Mimi's evolving!" Matthew yelled. Mimi grew larger and its ears extended, then the blue energy vanished, revealing what was once an Espurr had evolved into Meowstic, a female.
"Mimi!" Emma cried. "Great job on evolving!"
"Mimi!" Mimi responded, priming a Psychic attack. This one was exponentially stronger, sending Salamence tumbling to the ground.
"ERHHH!" J growled. "Salamence, use Fly!"
"Not this time!" Anabel cried. "Weavile, Icy Wind!"
Weavile spat a gust of freezing air towards Salamence, who took the super-effective Ice attack full force. Salamence crashed to the ground again, out for the count.
"GRR!" J gnashed her teeth. "Let's go!"
"NOPE!" Nate cried, rushing forward. Before J could react, Nate sucker-punched her right in the face. As she fell to the ground, Salamence's Poke Ball fell away from her. Nate threw it to Emma, who used the Poke Ball Hijack function to take control of it and return Salamence to its Poke Ball. As Salamence vanished, Emma and Natae gave each other a fist bump.
"I'll get the Guard." Twilight said.
"I'll accompany you." Anabel replied. As the two of them walked off, Mason walked up to Looker.
"Hey, you're the guy I found at the Battle Resort!" He said. "Didn't you have amnesia?"
"Yep." Looker replied. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm IP agent Looker."
"Mason Holloway." Mason replied, shaking his hand.
"Well, that's all well and good…" Emma said. "What about Salamence?"
"I'm not sure." Nate said. "Seeing as we just arrested it's trainer, he's got nowhere to go."
"I'm not so sure about that." Emma said. Sending out Salamence, the Dragon Pokemon groaned and collapsed its head into Emma's hands, tired from battle fatigue and lack of rest.
"I'll take care of you, Salamence." Emma said. "I'll show you everything J didn't."
Salamence groaned in approval.
"Alright, time for a good rest. Return." Emma said, returning Salamence to its Poke Ball.
"Anyway, now that's taken care of…" Looker said, noticing Twilight, Anabel, and a few guards leading J away. "What now?"
Then, a robotic arm flashed out of nowhere and latched onto Pikachu. Then, an all-too familiar voice was heard.
"Seems we've arrived just in time!" Jessie cried, as Team Rocket's Balloon rose into the sky.
"Team Rocket!" Ash cried.
"Prepare for trouble!' Jessie sang.
"And make it double!" James added.
"To save the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation…"
"To blab on and on about how great you are!" Abigail yelled suddenly. "Yeah, stow it, you morons. I think we've heard enough."
"HEY!" Jessie cried. "Watch your mouth, kid!"
"Technically, I'm sixteen, so I'm not a kid." Abigail said. "But, seeing as I was expecting Butch and Cassidy, and seeing as they're not here…I'll take you on."
"Hah, like you can!" James cried.
"Just an FYI, I beat your boss, Giovanni. TWICE." Abigail said.
"WHAT!?" James and Jessie screamed.
"Believe it." Abigail replied. "Next time to you see him, tell him "Greetings from the trainer who kicked his rear end twice over. I can't wait to see him go pale like he did the last time we batttled!"
"That's IT!" Jessie cried. "Go, Gourgeist!"
"Make 'em hurt, Inkay!" James added. As Team Rocket's Pokemon appeared, Grace sent out her Venusaur.
"Sunny Day!" Abigail cried, as Venusaur intensified the sunlight.
"Shadow Ball!" Jessie cried.
"Psybeam!" James added.
"Now Solar Beam!" Abigail yelled. Venusaur absorbed light from the sun, and as Inkay and Gourgeist used their attacks, Venusaur shot a bundled beam towards them. Inkay and Gourgeist were sent flying towards their trainers, and the impact sent Team Rocket right into their Balloon's power generator, which freed Pikachu…
And also caused a very large explosion.
"Come on!" Jessie cried. "We even had the drop on them!"
"I'm going to need drops for my eyes because of that Sunny Day!" James added.
"We'll need more insurance for that!" Meowth cried.
"WOBBUFFET!"
"We're blasting off again!...HUH?"
Team Rocket's blast-off was interrupted by Twilight snaring them with her magic. Setting them back down on the ground, she smiled.
"We're not blasting off!" Meowth said. "What a rip-off!"
"The author really needs to give us better treatment!" Jessie cried. "First insurance, now this!"
"That's how the story goes! At least, that's how the author wants it to go!" Pinkie said, giving the writer a toothy smile by ripping open the background of the story, and breaking the fourth wall in the process.
=========
Back in his reality, the author bangs his head several times against the wall of his family room.
"Okay…" Twilight said. "You're totally going to jail now."
As Twilight encapsulated Team Rocket in a bubble and hauled them off to the jail, David and Looker, followed by Anabel and Emma, walked up.
"What'd we miss?" Looker asked.
"Nothing much." Chris said.
"Seeing as we still have Corvo to deal with…" Anabel said. "We need a plan."
"Right." Ash said. "Let's go."
Chapter 20-Wells Gone Dry-Part 1
As the trainers and the elements headed back to the castle, after Team Rocket and Pokemon Hunter J were successfully locked up, Twilight noticed the cutie marks of all of the ponies glowing. Rushing over to the map, Applejack and TTwilightgasped at the image of Appaloosa clearly shown.
"What's the problem?" Chase asked.
"Seems Appaloosa's got a friendship problem." Twilight said.
"An I think I know what." Applejack said gravely. "Braeburn wrote a while ago. Said the last of their wells just dried up. Without that water, they can't keep the trees alive. Worse, some rich pony's trying to bulldoze the town, build a resort. Day after day, he keeps coming, taunting them, and many ponies believe he sabotaged the well, but they can't prove it."
"I read about that." Rarity said. "Oasis resort, supposed to be the gem of the southern desert."
"And the pony who's building it, Rivera, claims that he'll bring in more money than any apple farmer yokels can, and I can quote him on that." Applejack swore angrily. "If he thinks he can drive mah family out of their homes, he's wrong!"
"Let's pay him a visit, then." Nate said.
"Right. Let's go." Twilight said. As they all headed to the Train Station, a Fly drone watched from afar before buzzing away.
"Wow, this place seems to have fallen apart." Fluttershy said.
"No kidding." Matthew said. The town was in shambles. Empty crates and refuse was scattered about. They were greeted by a sour-looking Braeburn, who greeted them warmly, but there was an air of sadness.
"A third of the workers left to get jobs at the resort." He sighed. "There's not enough supplies or water to go around."
"We'll help however we can." Twilight said.
"Thanks, Twilight." Braeburn said. "There's that Celestia-damned resort pony."
Twilight saw a stallion with a brown coat and blue hair swagger up.
"Oh, Princess!" He said, with a rather arrogant voice. "I wasn't expecting you."
"I heard you're trying to bulldoze this town to make way for your resort, along with rumors that you sabotaged the well here. I'm here to investigate." Twilight said.
"I'll help however I can." Rivera said. "But there's no way you'll find anything. I got this land fair and square, and I can do what I want with it. Besides, farming as a living is done. My resort's going to bring in more bits that you can imagine! I'll bet you yokels can't earn even a one!"
"You take that back!" Applejack and Braeburn roared. Rivera scoffed.
"Why should I? It's the damned truth." Rivera said. "Ta-ta. I've got a resort to build, and no time to waste with you."
And in a flash, he was gone. Applejack and Braeburn seethed with anger. Then, Braeburn looked at the ground.
"What's this?" He mumbled, pulling a sandstone geode out of the ground.It was covered in bright blue crystal.
"That's Blue Azurite." Twilight said. "It's a gem of many purposes. Magical reagents, power supply, the works. And it's prized by jewelers everywhere."
"What's it doing here?" Grace asked.
"Seems there's a deposit here." Abigail said. "I think I know why that resort's going up."
"You think he's mining this stuff secretly?" Twilight asked.
"Possible." Abigail said. "I mean, what better place to find minerals than a construction site? And if they find more, it's theirs to keep, right?"
"Yes. That's right." Twilight said. "If any precious mineral is found one way or another, it's the finder's property and they can mine it at their leisure."
"So, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Chase asked.
"We get shovels and then start digging?" Ash suggested.
"No, We need help." Twilight said. "We're not going anywhere without proof."
"I have an idea. Twilight, can you make my C-Gear connect to my world?" Chase said. "I know a guy who can help."
"I can try…" Twilight said. She shot the C-Gear with a blast of magic, and Chase connected to a curious place.
"The Driftveil City Gym?" Ash said.
"Yep." Chase said. "Clay, you there?"
"Chase!" Said the rather accented, rough voice of Clay, the Driftveil City Gym Leader. "What's up, my friend?"
"I need a favor. Can you head to Sycamore's lab in Kalos as soon as you can? I need your help. My friends and I need some mining expertise. It's your kind of problem."
"Mining?" Clay replied.
"Yeah, we suspect some guy building a resort is right on top of some kind of precious gem, and he's also blamed for cutting off a nearby town's water supply. We need proof that's true, and I was thinking…"
"I could help." Clay replied. "I'm on my way. I'll bring my Digging team, and we'll go from there. In the meantime, we'll need a way to find out what's going on below ground in secret."
"Right. We'll get to it." Chase said. "Thanks, Clay."
"No problem, partner." Clay replied. "See you soon!"
Chase ended the call, and smiled.
"Let's do some digging of our own on what's going on at that resort." Chase said. "We need to sneak in."
"Right." Twilight said. "We'll wait until nightfall. Then, we'll see what's going on."
As they headed to the in, a buzzing was heard. A lone pair of black-rimmed eyes watched them from a pile of sand. The Sandile watched as the trainers and ponies headed out. He nodded, and disappeared below.
===========
Rivera watched Appaloosa from his office at the Resort build site. He smiled as he turned a crate full of Blue Azurite, freshly mined.
"The deposit beneath that town's going to make me richer that Celestia." He cackled. "Those yokels don't even know. Once I have the resort and the town, it'll all be mine."
He smiled as he approached the fountain in the middle of the spa. Twisting a hidden latch, he disappeared below into a mineshaft, where rocks and geodes lined with shards of blue Azurite lined the walls. He walked through a tunnel into a cavern, where pony after pony was swinging a pickaxe into the earth. Unknown to all of them, a second Sandile watched from a perch. This Sandile moved away, and noticing a support beam, then used Crunch. As the Sandile disappeared, the beam wavered and began to groan.
Chatpter 21-Wells Gone Dry, Part 2
Night had fallen over Appaloosa, and as the Elements and Pokemon trainers snuck towards the resort, Twilight's eyes furrowed upon seeing the resort entrance through her telescope.
"What's up?" Ash asked.
"Take a look." Twilight replied. Ash peered through the lens, and to his surprise, ponies were loading box after box of Blue Azurite into containers.
"I was right!" Abigail said. "They are mining that stuff!"
"And considering they didn't apply for a mining permit, illegally." Twilight said.
"We can't just waltz in there." Matthew pointed out. "Even with our Pokemon, we're outnumbered."
"So, what now?" Pinkie asked.
"We need find their mineshaft and put it out of business, that's what!" Rainbow said.
"No, that'll cause too much of a disturbance!" Twilight said. "We need to get in there WITHOUT causing a scene."
"Um, guys?" Abigail asked. "Why's the ground sinking?"
Then, the group of sixteen vanished below ground. As they slid down a sand-slicked tunnel, they stopped abruptly as they landed.
"What was that?" Nate asked.
"I think it was an air shaft for whoever's down here." Matthew said, dusting himself off. "And speak of the devil!"
He picked up a chunk of Blue Azurite. Then, something pulled it from his hand. Ash then saw two Geodude and a Golem appear, the Golem clutching the Azurite.
"Gole!" The Golem cried, then he motioned to a tunnel.
"Wait!" Matthew said upon seeing Rainbow ready to fight the Rock/Ground type. "I think he wants us to follow them. Alright, Twilight, get to the surface and see if you can contact or find Clay. We'll head out with the Golem and Geodude and see what's going on here."
"Right." Twilight said, as she and her group teleported out. The group of ten followed the three Pokemon for a while, until they stopped at an enormous cavern, lined not only with Blue Azurite, but other precious gems and ores. Matthew was surprised to see various Rock, Steel, and Ground-Type Pokemon, along with countless Sableye, harvesting the ore and gems and separating them into piles.
"Wow." Was all they could say. Then, they heard footsteps. They turned to find a Krookodile approaching them, and it was wearing an old miner's jacket.
"Krook!" The Intimidate Pokemon cried.
"Hi." Matthew said. Krookodile nodded, and motioned them over to a wall of granite, which was lined with cracks.
"Dile!" Krookodile called, handing Matthew what he recognized as a broken Pickaxe head.
"I see!" Matthew said. "You need that Blue Azurite too, and Rivera's stealing it!"
Krookodile nodded.
"And that would mean the miners have tried getting through here before?" Ash added, and Krookodile gave an affirmative huff. Then, the ground rumbled. Matthew placed his ear to the granite, and he heard faint voices.
"Set the charges!"
"...Charges set!"
"I think they're trying to get in!" Matthew cried. "GET BACK!"
As the humans and Pokemon scrambled for cover, the granite wall blasted open. Miners swarmed in, followed by Rivera.
"I thought I told you this was private property?" He told Matthew.
"You didn't." Matthew replied. "We know what you're up to."
"What am I up to?" Rivera asked.
"You're mining this Azurite illegally, stealing the food these Pokemon need to survive in the process, and I can presume you blocked up the wells in Appaloosa in order to force them out?" Matthew said. "You're not getting away with this!"
"I already have!" He laughed. "Once you're buried with the truth, nopony will stop me!"
"You didn't count on us, thought, pardner."
Rivera turned to see Twilight and the Elements, along with Clay, stride up. Clay's Excadrill, newly-evolved Seismitoad, and newly-caught Dugtrio growled, ready for battle. Clay laughed, and swung his shovel down into the earth.
"We're bringing you to justice!" Clay cried.
"As if!" Rivera cried, his thugs readying their pickaxes and charging.
"Excadrill, Drill Run! Seismitoad, Surf! Dugtrio, Earth Power!" Clay cried. As Excadrill linked his claws and spun at breakneck speed, Seismitoad spat a plume of water, while Dugtrio's heads slammed the earth, sending a pillar of energy towards the miners. As the miners scattered, Rivera tried to flee, only a very angry Twilight to block his path.
"You're under arrest!" She cried.
"You won't get me!" Rivera spat, throwing a knife at Twilight. Twilight screamed, but before the knife could kill her, something blocked its path. Twilight opened her eyes to see Excadrill clutching the knife in his steel claws.
"Thanks, Excadrill!" Twilight said.
"Dri!" Excadrill replied.
"No!" Rivera cried. He tried to run again, but a smack on the head from Clay's shovel stopped him cold.
"Let's deal with this varmint, shall we?" Clay said, binding the criminal with rope.
"Yes, let's." Twilight sighed. As Twilight and the others headed for the surface, the Pokemon waved goodbye before sealing the tunnel to prevent anyone else from disturbing them.
=======
"Glad that's over." Twilight said as they boarded the train back to Ponyville. Clay had left earlier, promising to tell Chase's family that he was okay. Rivera had been arrested and his resort closed, much to the relief of the Appaloosan citizens. As they soon slept peacefully, back in the human world and late at night, a girl approached Sycamore's lab. She was about Chase's age, with long and curly oaken hair. She smiled as Professor Juniper greeted her.
"Did you enjoy your trip, Hilda?" She asked.
"'Yep." Hilda replied. "Who else is coming here?"
"I think you're it for now." Juniper replied. "Let's get you to a bed. You must be tired!"
"Thanks." Hilda said. As they headed inside, all was quiet.
Chapter 22-Ready for the Night
As the trainers and ponies stepped off the train from Appaloosa, they all stretched and yawned.
"It's nearly midnight." Chase said, noticing the station clock.
"And I reckon we should get some shut-eye." Applejack said. "And probably a good shower."
"I second that." Matthew said, dusting off his hands. "I've got dirt in places I never thought imaginable."
"Okay, we'll go see if we can shower at the Spa." Twilight said. "If you need to sleep, head home."
The trainers went to shower and most of the ponies went home. As they approached the spa, Twilight was surprised to see some lights on. She entered to find Lotus and Aloe going over their records.
"Ah, Princess!" Lotus said. "Need a touch-up?"
"Actually, can some friends of mine borrow your locker room showers?" Twilight said.
"Go ahead." Aloe said. "Down the hall, to the left."
Twilight thanked the two of them and soon, the trainers were in the showers, soaking themselves.
"Geez, this feels so good." Chase said, and nearly every Trainer present agreed.
"Yeah." Matthew said. "Speaking of, when's the last time you've showered?"
"Can't say." Chase replied. "I mean, personal hygiene is nice and all, but when you're on a journey, who's got time to shower?
"Figures." Nate said. "The smell was starting to drive me nuts."
Chase sniffed under his arms, and grimaced.
"Pass me the soap." He said, and everyone started laughing.
=========
As the trainers departed from the Spa and back to Twilight's, they headed upstairs to find all the girls asleep. The boys, quiet as could be, slipped into bed. All was quiet, all was peaceful.
=========
The next morning, the boys woke up to the girls cooking breakfast. Walking downstairs, Ash's eyes lit up at Serena frying some eggs.
"Morning." Serena said brightly.
"Morning." Ash replied as they sat down. After a few moments, Twilight walked in, and she looked rather disapproving of something.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked.
"It's this letter I just got from Celestia." She said. "Apparently, she wants to formally introduce you all during the Grand Galloping Gala."
"I take it you're not happy about that?" Nate asked.
"Well, every time we've gone to one, something crazy ends up happening." Twilight said. "Plus, a lot of the nobles will be there, and they're not to fond of outsiders."
"We'll be fine." Ash said.
"That's not all." Twilight said. "You'll be expected to dance with someone who goes with you."
Nearly every human blushed brightly.
"Like...a date?" Chase asked.
"Sort of." Twilight said in an exasperated tone. "And it's in two days."
This made the trainers even more nervous.
"I'll leave you to it." Twilight said. As the boys looked at the girls, eventually a few couples were formed.
Ash and Serena…
Matthew and Grace…
Nate and Abigail…
And Chris said he would call someone to see if they could make it in time.
Chase stepped outside to breathe, and then, he noticed a Dimensional Shift appearing in front of him. He walked forward, and then a human fell out and into his arms. He opened his eyes to see someone he didn't expect to see.
"Hilda?" He asked.
"Chase?" She replied, dusting herself off. "How are youu?"
"I'm fine, but what are you doing here?" He asked.
"I came to see you." She said. "Professor Juniper asked me if I could, and I said yes."
"Okay...good to know." Chase said. "Hey, this might be a bit sudden, but I need someone to go with me to a dance in two days, and…"
"Yes." Hilda said.
"...What?" Chase said. "Oh, thanks!"
"Consider it a thank-you for all those times we hung out on the Battle Subway." Hilda replied. "Anyway, got anything to eat?"
"In here." Chase said as he brought her into the dining room. Hilda was introduced, and then Chris came back in, his RotomDex bouncing with glee.
"She's coming from Kanto! She's coming from Kanto!" Rotom sang, almost jauntily.
"Shut up." Chris said.
"Who's the she Rotom's referring to?" Ash asked.
"A friend of mine." Chris said.
"I reckon she's more of a friend that you think, Chris!" Rotom jabbed again. Chris made an angry lunge for the Pokedex, but missed by a hair and landed in a jumble on the floor, while Rotom laughed hysterically. Chris pouted, grabbed Rotom, and shoved him into his backpack.
"Well, what now?" He asked Twilight, who shrugged.
"We do need some dresses and suits." She said. "I''m certain Rarity can make you all something."
"Thanks." Everyone replied.
"If the girls will come with me…" Twilight said.
"Wait, there's someone else coming." Chris said. "Can you wait until she arrives?"
"Sure." Twilight said. "Feel free to head out whenever, guys."
"Sure." Ash said as he led the men out of the castle and over to a park area. Soon, Twilight heard a dimensional shift, and she met a girl of about sixteen, with braided pale blonde hair and a kind face.
"You're Twilight, right?" She asked.
"Yep." Twilight said.
"I'm Lillie." Lillie said. "Nice to meet you all."
"You too." Serena said. "Let's go get some dresses, shall we?"
"Let's." Abigail said as they walked over to Carousel Boutique, where Rarity swept them inside.
===============
"Let's go check on the girls." Ash said. "They have to be done by now."
"True." Matthew said. "Well, shall we?"
The boys walked over to the Boutique, where Twilight was waiting for them.
"They're all set." She said. "Rarity said you'll be astounded."
"I sure hope so." Ash muttered. As they entered the showroom, every boy present dropped their jaws. Grace wore a shimmering blue ball gown, with a small shawl on her shoulders, that was so light it was almost transparent. Abigail wore a green dress, with a braided skirt and a petticoat. Hilda wore yellow, with a swept shoulder sleeve and a tight, yet still flowing skirt. Lillie wore a white dress in a rococo style, plain yet elegant. Serena wore a red dress similar to the one she danced with Ash in, but it was more ruffled, and embroidered with gold. Each wore matching gloves and a necklace of a simila-colored gemstone. The boys, suffice to say, were speechless, and so were the girls. The room was silent, until Rarity smirked.
"I'll leave you to it." She smiled, as she whisked Twilight out, leaving the trainers alone. Ash was the first to speak.
"You look...great, Serena." He said. "I just can't say more than that."
"It's alright." Serena said. "It fits perfectly, and Rarity did this so quickly!"
"I know." Grace said. "She took our measurements and boom, she was done."
"She knows her stuff, then." Matthew said. "You'll knock everyone flat, Grace."
"Oh, stop it." Grace said. "Speaking of, I think it's time you got your suits."
"What?" Ash said as Rarity swept them into another room. The girls laughed and started to walk around, getting a feel for their clothing.
"Have you ever danced, Serena?" Abigail asked.
"Once." She said. "It was with Ash at a Showcase event."
"Sounds romantic." Grace said. "Trust me, I can tell that you like him."
"Well…" Serena murmured.
"Remember that night when it wa really late, and you came in last? I woke up and I saw your faces." Grace replied. "And Serena...I'm happy for you."
"Thanks." Serena replied.
"Hey, if anything, I guess we're all pretty much set, right?" Hilda said. "I mean, from the way Matthew looked at you, Grace, I think…"
"He already told me." Grace said.
"Good to hear." Abigail said. "Nate was a little flustered when he asked me, but he got it out. He's funny, nice…"
"Packs a good punch?" Grace suggested. "I wouldn't want to get on his bad side."
"Yeah, I saw that." Serena replied. "Quite a punch."
"If anything, there's something I should tell you girls." Lillie said. "Chris and I...when we were having a celebration and we were alone...I tried to kiss him."
"What?" The others chorused in surprise.
"Yeah, but we were interrupted by the fireworks." Lillie said. "I didn't get to tell him that I like him, but I think he knows."
"That's so sweet." Hilda said. "Anyway, Chase is the one for me."
"Chase?" Grace asked. "Why's that?"
"We've had a lot of time spent together before he joined you guys." Hilda said. "He'd get me coffee, sometimes a Casteliacone if we met. Not much of a date, but it felt that way to me."
As the girls continued to converse, they had no idea the boys, who had finished getting their suits done, had heard everything through the wall. They were now all red in the face in embarrassment.
Chapter 8-Chris Versus Cynthia, part one.
As the trainers walked back to Sycamore's lab, Hau, Ash, and Chris were deep in conversation about the various Pokemon from Alola, while Samson, Samuel, Blue, and Kukui were farther back, talking about Samson's studies. Chris looked over at Ash, who was talking with Hau about Primarina.
"Hey, Ash?"
"What?" Ash replied.
"You've got a PokeDex, right?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"There's something special about mine. Lemme show you." Chris said, taking out his RotomDex and powering it up.
"What's that?" Ash said.
"This is my RotomDex. You there, partner?" Chris said.
"Of course, partner! ZZT!" Rotom replied, his face showing on the screen. "I see we're in Kalos, ZZT! Mind giving old Rotom here a run-down on who this fancy fellow is?"
"I'm Ash. And I've never met a Rotom who could talk before!" Ash said, looking over at Rotom.
"Well, most Rotom can't, but since I live in this old PokeDex, I can! By the way, I got a new update for Kalos Pokemon. Wanna update?"
"Sure." Chris replied. Rotom's face was replaced with a progress bar, and when it reached 100 percent, Rotom reappeared.
"Got the data! Seems we're at our destination!" Rotom said. As the trainers entered Sycamore's lab, Professors Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper, and Sycamore came out to greet Kukui, while Gary and Blue greeted each other warmly. Ash got settled down, while Chris and Hau got introduced to the various trainers, Gym Leaders, and Champions that were present. A few minutes later, Brock and Cilan announced that lunch was ready.
"Been waiting for this!" Hau said, taking out a basket of Malasadas, to which everyone eyed with curiousity.
"Malasadas." Chris said. "Alola region specialty. Fried bread with spices and sugar. Pokemon love 'em too."
As everyone sat down to eat, The Malasadas were dispensed, and as Hau and Chris let out their Pokemon to eat before sitting down, everyone was shocked by the various Alolan Pokemon, consisting of Chris and Hau's teams, consisting of Decidueye, Golisopod, Kommo-O, Lycanroc, Alolan Ninetales, and Silvally, along with Primarina, Flareon, Komala, and Alolan Raichu. Silvally stood out from most of the others. Most eyes went to him, many with interest at the sight of the Synthetic Pokemon. As they ate, Iris asked Chris about Kommo-O.
"Oh, Kommo-O? He's a Dragon/Fighting type. He and his other forms, Jangmo-O and Hakamo-O are said to be the guardians of Alola's mountains. He's been with me for quite some time now. Since I caught his as a Jangmo-O at Vast Poni Canyon, on Poni Island in Alola, he's been my team's powerhouse." Chris replied to Iris, who squealed with glee.
"I wanna catch one!" she said with excitement.
"Well, I will wish you good luck, because they are rather…reclusive." Chris said. "Normally, they only battle Pokemon whose strength they consider worth battling against. But don't think they're weak as they can take punches as well as throw them. Their scales are nearly impenetrable. It took a lot to get my Kommo-O to come with me. He gave my Pokemon a real battle."
"Wow. I'd like to battle it with my Dragonite." Iris said.
"Before you do, Iris…"
Everyone looked over to Cynthia, who had spoken.
"I'd like to battle him first. Champion to champion. My Garchomp versus your Kommo-O. Onve versus one." she said.
"Sure, Cynthia." Chris replied. "The Champion of Alola versus the Champion of Sinnoh. Sounds good to me."
The jaws of everyone except Blue, Kukui, Samson, and Hau dropped straight down.
"You're the Alola region Champion!?" Ash said in disbelief.
"Yeah. I've defended my title from challengers seven times now." Chris said. "I'm not really one for all of the glory, so most of the time I have to myself I spend in the wilds, catching Pokemon." Chris replied. "I do occasionally have to return to the League to face Challengers, but most of the time, the Elite Four have it covered."
"Impressive." Alain said.
"Yeah. Hau was the second challenger I faced. He gave me a good battle." Chris said.
"I seem to remember you had the advantage in number of Pokemon in your team." Hau said.
"I had six. You had four." Chris said. "That's fair and okay with the rules, isn't it?"
As everyone laughed, Cynthia and Chris got up and walked over to the practice field. As everyone followed, Cynthia and Chris took out a Poke Ball each.
"Go, Kommo-O!" Chris said, throwing his Poke Ball, and sending out his Pokemon of choice..
"Garchomp, shine on!" Cynthia replied, sending out her partner. As both Pokemon formed, they roared loudly and looked each other in the eye. Then, they lunged towards each other, their trainers ready for battle.
Chapter 23-The Big Night, Part One
Canterlot, 9 PM.
Castle Ballroom runway.
The carriage containing the Trainers and their guests rolled up to the red carpet to a mob of reporters and nobles waiting for them.
"Geez, what a crowd." Matthew said, pulling at the collar of his suit. Mason sighed, running a hand through his hair. Most trainer's hats had been left at Twilight's castle, and Mason, with all the time he spent with it on, kept repeating the action.
"Calm down, Mason." May said, in her lilac dress that Rarity had made for her. May had arrived just in time to accompany Mason to the Gala.
"Easy for you to say, Sis." Mason replied. "It's so weird without my cap on."
May pouted slightly, and the other trainers laughed. As the carriage came to a stop, the trainers disembarked to a flashing of cameras and shouts. They waved or smiled, but as they entered the ballroom and the doors closed, Matthew sighed.
"What's up?" Grace asked.
"Never seen a crowd this big before." He admitted. "Closest was when I was awarded the Honor of Kalos after I defeated Lysandre."
"That was a parade." Nate said. "This is a dance. Calm down, man. We're men, at a dance, with girls by our side. Have some fun!"
"Easy for you to say." Matthew murmured as the trainers headed to a private table reserved for them. Chris and Lillie sighed upon sitting down.
"Hau would've liked this." Chris said.
"He said he was fine with heading back." Lillie replied. "Besides, It's nice that it's just the two of us."
"Thanks, I guess." Chris replied. "So, what about our Pokemon?"
"I've taken care of that." Celestia said, walking up. "The atrium near here should suit their needs if they need exercise."
"Thanks." Ash said, and Pikachu, who was perched on his shoulder, gave a cry of approval. Celestia nodded, bade them a "Have fun", and left. Ash relaxed, and Serena moved to lean on his shoulder. Matthew stretched and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Grace asked.
"Just to get a drink." Matthew said. "You want to come?"
"Sure." Grace said as they walked over to the refreshment table, and they took two glasses of water.
"Not a drinker?" The barista asked. "The wine's good."
"Can't." Matthew said. "Not old enough."
The barista nodded and went back to work. Grace sipped her water, and waited. Then, she noticed the other trainers walking over.
"I think that's the conductor." Matthew said. "Care to dance?"
"Sure." Grace said, as they took hands and walked to the floor. A waltz began, and soon, they were on the floor, moving elegantly and accurately.
"I didn't know you could dance." Grace giggled.
"Well, family reunions back in Kalos often had a small amount of dancing." Matthew said. "Pays to know."
"It does." She said as Matthew spun her gently. "And you're quite good."
"I guess I am." Matthew said, noticing the other trainer couples dancing alongside them. "Shall we finish?"
"Let's." Grace nodded. They spun to a stop as the orchestra finished. Before anyone could applaud, somepony or someone started to clap in a slow, ominous manner.
"I commend the orchestra on a fine piece. Personally I prefer the more baroque kind, but it'll suffice. Though I never could imagine how your ponies could accomplish this yourself…"
The trainers and ponies turned to see none other than Corvo walk forward, followed by a Drapion, Crobat, and a Salazzle.
"...It seems you did. Maybe once this world is rebuilt, I might just keep some of it." He said. "Though, my feud isn't with you ponies, but the trainers."
"What are you here for, Corvo?" Ash spat.
"Simple, my boy." Corvo replied. "I need to test your strength, see if you really can stand up to me, without interlopers ruining the moment."
Corvo motioned to Drapion, and the Ogre Scorp Pokemon strode forward. Ash drew out a Poke Ball from his pocket and threw it. His Greninja came out, and assumed a battle stance.
"A Greninja?" Corvo smiled. "A fine choice. Let's see who has the superior Dark-type, shall we?"
"By all means." Ash growled. Corvo nodded, and the two trainers roared their commands to their chosen Pokemon.
"CROSS POISON!"
"WATER SHURIKEN!"
