My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Galar. Spikemuth. Afternoon.

From the West of Circhester and beyond, there was the town of Spikemuth. And right now, Sci-Twi was currently heading there, trying to find Volo. She couldn't exactly pinpoint his location, only believing that her went somewhere out of Circhester. Spikemuth wasn't too far from Circhester either, so she believed she was close to him, but not at all.

"No sign of him yet...I hope I'm not too late..." Sci-Twi uttered to herself, walking past a few people.

But as she continued to walk, she saw a large group of people huddled together in front of some sort of stage. The moment she saw it, she decided to check it out, hoping it would take her mind off things for a bit.

As soon as she arrived, she realized what was happening. Onstage, none other than Piers was performing at the moment as always. However, ever since Ash previously showed up here and had an amazing battle with Marnie at Wyndom Stadium, Spikemuth had gained some popularity and traction, becoming more than just a dark and grungy place to hang out.

Now, it was a hotspot for those who are interested in rock music and battling. As such, Piers had been gaining more fans after seeing how much he's improved lately. Not only that, but many aspiring trainers also wanted to face him, so he's been making money left and right as well as improving his skills further.

The crowd in front of him were screaming and cheering as he was on stage, playing his guitar while singing his song. Sci-Twi looked around while standing here, amazed by how big of a crowd this was. It wasn't as big as the crowds in Wyndon, but it was still a lot, especially compared to what it was before.

"No good...I don't see him anywhere here." Sci-Twi sighed before looking at the crowd once more. Just then, a voice called out to her from behind.

"Twilight? Is that you?" The voice reached her, prompting her to swivel. Standing there was Piers's little sister Marnie who took notice of Sci-Twi. "Is it...?"

"Umm...Do I know you?" Sci-Twi asked.

"Oh. I'm guessing you're her counterpart based on that look. You even sound like her too. Marnie's the name." Marnie introduced herself.

"Ah! I see. Nice to meet you, Marnie." Sci-Twi smiled, shaking her hand. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. But everyone calls me Sci-Twi."

"Sci-Twi huh? That's a pretty cool name. I've never heard of anyone with a nickname like that before." Marnie said. "So what brings you here? Are you here to see my brother perform?"

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. He's a blonde man wearing a white and blue outfit. Have you seen him?"

"Hm...Can't say I have. Sorry about that." Marnie shook her head. "You're going at this solo?"

"W-Well, not really. He's actually the one I'm with at the moment. I lost him when we were travelling together." Sci-Twi explained.

"Hm. Figured you'd be travelling with Ash or something. Usually, you're with him a lot from what I know. At least, your counterpart is. Guessing you're not the same." Marnie looked to the side, a part of her wishing to meet with Ash again.

"We used to." Sci-Twi looked down, a smile forming on her face. "A lot, really. I'm somewhat of a new trainer still, even if it's been a year by now. Ash is the one who taught me a lot and helped me out. We travelled together here and there whenever he came to visit and I would always learn a lot from him. But...things happened."

"Things?"

"Yeah. Things..." Sci-Twi sighed. "Even though I haven't seen or talked to him in a while, I still think about him. And I hope he's doing well. I miss him a lot."

"What even happened? For you to not meet him again, it had to be something pretty big. Right?" Marnie asked.

"..." Sci-Twi would stay silent for a moment before deciding to tell Marnie everything. She would remember Melony's words which gave her the strength to do so. Melony stated how Ash probably has faith in her right now and Sci-Twi was hoping that Marnie, another one of Ash's friends, would see it that way as well.

Hammerlocke.

Sonia had arrived at Hammerlocke, immediately using a local PC to speak with her grandma. After managing to escape from Volo, she knew she had to inform her Grandma right away. "He was as dangerous as I feared he was! He nearly killed Yamper!" Sonia exclaimed.

"I see...That is troubling indeed." Her grandmother replied. "It seems we were right to be worried about him. I just didn't expect things to escalate this quickly. I thought I could handle it myself but I suppose I was wrong."

"Grandma...What should I do? I don't want to give him the shard, but I can't let him hurt anyone else either. He's already destroyed the land near Circhester. I'm afraid of what he might do next."

"Don't worry, dear. We'll take care of it. Now that you've seen it for yourself, I believe the other Professors and I can do what we can to bring this to light. If Volo's actions are more known on a widespread level, then he won't be able to hide anymore. He will be forced to come out into the open."

"But what if he's too dangerous to approach? I saw what he could do with just one shard. That kind of power was at least on par with a Legendary Pokemon or even close to it. What if the ones he currently has?"

"Then we'll have to stop him before he does. You're not alone in this, Sonia. The other professors and I will do our best to help you out. So please, don't worry about it. Just focus on keeping the shard safe. We'll handle the rest. Because very soon, the device we're working on to find the shard is nearing its completion."

"Really?!" Sonia gasped. "You mean it?! It's almost done?!"

"Yes. We're just missing a few parts. But once we get them, we'll be able to locate all the shards in no time. Then we can finally put an end to this madness."

"That's great! I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you so much, Grandma!" Sonia smiled. "I'll keep the shard safe until then. I promise."

"Good. Now go on and head back home. I'll contact you when we need you again." Her grandmother said before hanging up.

Sonia sighed in relief as she stepped away from the PC. She felt a lot better knowing that her grandma and the other professors were going to help her out. She wasn't alone in this. And now that they were aware of Volo's true nature, they would be able to stop him before he could cause any more damage.

For now, Sonia would just have to keep moving so that Volo doesn't get his hands on this one shard. Luckily, he didn't know where she was right now, so she had some time to spare. At least, that's what she believed.

Sci-Twi finished explaining everything to Marnie, telling her how she was feeling about Ash and their situation. She told her about what happened between them and how she was still conflicted about it.

"So...that's what happened..." Marnie uttered. "That's a bummer. At least you've got some faith in him. But how soon do you think you're gonna meet up with him anyway?"

"Not sure. But when I do meet him, I wanna talk to him for as long as I can. I want to tell him what I feel about him and what I want to do." Sci-Twi answered. "I just hope he feels the same way about me."

"Well, if you're anything like your counterpart, then I'm sure he does." Marnie said. "But what's stopping you from going to him right now? You must really have a lot of faith in that Volo guy."

"I do. He's not like everyone thinks he is. I want to see this with him to the end after all..."

"I'm not doubting you, Twilight. But you'd better be careful, ya know...If something goes really wrong, you might end up regretting it." Marnie warned her.

"I know. But I'm willing to take that risk. I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt because of me. I've already made up my mind." Sci-Twi declared. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"Hm." Marnie then nodded her head for a bit before taking out her Rotomphone. "Then...talk to him now when you have the chance. Call him."

"Huh? What?" Sci-Twi blinked.

"Call him. You said you wanted to talk to him, right? Then call him. It's simple." Marnie stated.

"B-But...I don't know if he's even available right now. I mean, he's probably busy with his own stuff. I don't want to bother him." Sci-Twi shook her head.

"You won't know unless you try. Just give it a shot. If he doesn't pick up, then you'll have to wait until later." Marnie said. "And if he does, then you can talk to him. Simple as that."

"I guess so..." Sci-Twi took out her phone, looking at it for a moment. She was hesitant about calling him since she didn't know if he was free or not. But she also didn't want to miss this opportunity either. So she decided to go ahead and do it. She would dial his number, putting the phone to her ear as she waited for him to pick up.

After a few seconds, she heard someone answer on the other end. "Hello? Marnie?" The voice spoke. It was Ash.

Sci-Twi gasped, surprised that he picked up so quickly. "A-Ash?!"

"Twilight? Is that you?" Ash spoke.

"Y-Yeah! It's me!" Sci-Twi smiled. She finally got to speak with him again.

"Great to see you again. How's your quest going along?" Ash asked. To Sci-Twi's surprise, Ash was actually encouraging her to continue her journey with Volo if that is what she believed in.

"It's going well. I'm currently in Spikemuth right now. Volo and I are trying to find the rest of the shards." Sci-Twi answered. "Umm...Ash...about what happened back at Lilycove...I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for all that to happen."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're safe." Ash reassured her. "I'm sure you had your reasons for doing it. And I trust you enough to know that you wouldn't do something like that without a good reason."

"Thanks...I'm really happy to hear that." Sci-Twi smiled. "I was worried you'd be mad at me."

"Nah. I'm not mad at you. I understood why you did it. I'm just glad you're okay. Did you run into Sunset and the others yet?"

"Huh? Sunset? They're here?!" Sci-Twi gasped, soon learning that Sunset Shimmer and the others were present here. "Could it be...that they came here for me? But how...?"

"They used Slurpuff to track you down. Sunset said she wanted to make things right with you. She wants to apologize for everything that happened." Ash explained. "She said she regrets what she did and wants to fix it."

"R-Right. I guess that would be the reason she came here. I'm still a bit shaken up from our fight from last time. But...I think I'm ready to talk to her again. I want to hear what she has to say." Sci-Twi said.

"Awesome! Thanks for calling her for me, Marnie!" Ash grinned while Marnie turned her head away, putting on a light smile.

"Yeah, yeah. No problem." Marnie replied.

"I'll let them know where you are. They should be there soon. Just hang tight, alright?" Ash told her.

"Okay. I'll wait for them here." Sci-Twi nodded. "Thank you, Ash."

"No problem. Talk to you later." Ash hung up, leaving Sci-Twi to sigh in relief. She was glad that she was able to talk to him again. Now she could focus on talking to Sunset Shimmer and the others.

"Hah..That felt so satisfying and relieving." Sci-Twi got all giddy as it felt like there were butterflies in her stomach. "I can't believe I actually got to talk to him again! This is amazing!"

"Well, glad to hear it. You got that off your chest now." Marnie smiled. "See ya." She waved goodbye before heading back to her home.

Sci-Twi watched her leave, feeling much better than ever before. She couldn't wait to see Sunset and the others again. She was ready to face them once more. And this time, she would be prepared for anything.

Hammerlocke.

As for Volo, he was currently walking through Hammerlocke, looking around for any signs of Sonia. His bracelet allowed him to track her down, but it seemed that she wasn't anywhere nearby. He was beginning to wonder if she had left already.

"Hm...Perhaps she's gone somewhere else..." Volo muttered to himself. "But where? Where would she go? Don't tell me I've already lost a shard because of her?"

He continued to walk around, hoping to find some sort of clue as to where she might have gone. The bracelet wasn't getting any brighter from here. He then turned his head, seeing the nearby train station. That's when it clicked for him. Most likely, Sonia had gone on the train and left Hammerlocke.

"Ah, I see. So that's how it is." Volo smiled while closing his eyes. Yet again, more things were getting in his way from reaching all the shards. First Lena and now all of this. It was getting under his skin, no doubt, but he still remained calm. Mainly because he believed he could sort this out eventually, despite the obstacles in his way.

He wasn't about to let Sonia get away though. Not when he knew who had the Bug Shard. Since he was still in Galar, he believed he should get it over with right away. He checked his bracelet once more, noticing that Sci-Twi wasn't coming towards him anymore.

He wondered why that was the case, unless something important came up. Volo now had to decide on which path to take. Sci-Twi or Sonia. Closing his eyes, he made his decision. He counted on Sci-Twi to meet up with him again, deciding to go for Sonia. But he would try a different way of reaching her.

Instead of walking or even taking the train, Volo would hold out the Ghost Shard, harnessing its power. He made sure to do it while very few were around as his body would suddenly turn into a spectral mist, vanishing from sight. His body started travelling across the wind as he moved across the land as a Ghost.

Spikemuth. Late Afternoon.

As the Sun kept setting, the late afternoon glow began to fade away, giving way to the night sky. Twilight Sparkle was currently sitting on a bench, waiting for Sunset and the others to arrive. She was feeling nervous about this whole thing, but she knew that she had to face them sooner or later.

She didn't know what they would say to her, but she hoped it wouldn't be too bad. After all, she was still a bit shaken up from their last encounter. However, she was willing to listen to them and hear what they had to say.

To pass the time, she would pet Hisuian Zorua who was currently asleep while her Alpha Pkachu rested by her legs. She was glad that she had these two with her at the moment. They were able to keep her company while she waited. As she was waiting patiently, Marnie came running over all of a sudden, alerting Sci-Twi. "Twilight!"

"Hm? Is something wrong?!"

"You need to see this. Right now." Marnie would suddenly hold out her Rotomphone, showing Sci-Twi the news report that was currently playing. It was about Volo. The Pokemon Professors did what they aimed to do. Making Volo known to the rest of the world.

"You need to see this! Right now!" Marnie would suddenly hold out her Rotomphone, showing Sci-Twi the news report that was currently playing. It was about Volo. The professors did what they aimed to do. Making Volo known to the rest of the world.

Sci-Twi gasped in shock upon seeing this. Volo was now known as the one responsible for Circhester's sudden predicament and apparently, also playing a major part in the massive hole that appeared in Lilycove's waters. Despite being shown, Volo wasn't labelled a criminal just yet since very few have actually seen him in action, but the authorities were now aware of his existence.

"Volo...What happened...?" Sci-Twi uttered, shocked by what she was seeing. The report went into further detail about how Volo was searching for 18 shards and some of them were in possession of Volo while some were being kept by Kukui, Sonia and Lena's group.

The public was now aware of the shards and the fact that they were dangerous. As such, they were advised to stay away from them and not touch them. It was revealed that the shards were the cause of the destruction in Circhester and Lilycove, making people fear them.

Delivering information about the shards was none other than Professor Rowan, who would start speaking once interviewed. He was seen in his lab, having a video image of the Ground and Steel shards, courtesy of Professor Kukui.

"As you can see here, these shards are actually broken-off fragments of Arceus' Life Plates. They were shattered during clash between the one known as Volo and a woman known as Lena Ketchum. Both are from the past, even though Lena comes even further from the past. And now, they've been scattered across the world."

Lena was also revealed to the rest of the world. The ancestor of Ash Ketchum was another pivotal figure in all of this, opposing Volo and planning to right everything as soon as possible.

"These shards contain the power of Arceus. Or for a broader example, the power of the Types we all know. Each one of them represents a different element. If they are all reunited, then they should return to their original states as the Life Plates. That is if all of them are found. Currently, Volo is in possession of what we know at the moment to be 3 Shards. The Dragon, Ghost and Rock Shards. Professor Kukui is keeping the Ground, Steel and Fire Shards safe, the latter being hidden somewhere in Alola."

Rowan would show images of each of the shards, showing them to the world. Some were artist renditions based on the shards that were already visible and known to everyone else.

"There's a chance that Volo has more than 3 shards, but we know for a fact that he won't be giving them up at all. We're currently trying to locate them using our own technology. But it's going to take some time. Volo's intentions are still unclear as well, but if you see him, you will recognize how he strongly resembles Champion Cynthia. That is because he is her ancestor from 200 years in the past, when Sinnoh was still known as Hisui. I'm only reporting on this to share the information on the shards as a Pokemon Professor. Not an authority. I and other Professors will let you know if something new comes up."

The news report ended there, leaving Sci-Twi and Marnie to look at each other with worry. This was bad. Now that Volo was known to the world, he wouldn't be able to hide anymore. Everyone would be looking for him and try to stop him.

"This is bad..." Sci-Twi uttered. "I need to find Volo right away! I have to talk to him!" She got up from her seat, ready to head out.

"Hold on. Where do you think you're going?" Marnie asked.

"To find Volo. I need to speak with him right now." Sci-Twi answered.

"So stubborn...even after hearing all of that." Marnie sighed. She had a feeling that since this was all available to the public, Sci-Twi herself could face some trouble for being assosciated with Volo. Thus, she pursued her.

Across the world, many would catch the news report on Volo to those on their phones, on their computers or on TVs. It was everywhere. And it was causing quite a stir among people. Many were shocked by what they saw, especially when it came to the shards.

Some were skeptical about the whole thing, believing it to be some sort of hoax. Others were worried about the shards, fearing that they might end up destroying the world. There were also those who were excited about it, hoping to get their hands on one of the shards.

However, there were also those who were concerned about Volo and his actions. They were worried about what he might do next and whether or not he could be stopped. Some even wondered if he was really related to Cynthia, considering how dangerous he seemed to be.

Overall, the news report caused a lot of commotion across the world. People were talking about it nonstop, trying to make sense of everything. However, no matter how much they talked about it, they couldn't deny that the shards were real and that Volo was indeed a threat, especially since he was related to Cynthia.

While skill level doesn't relate to genetics, usually, it's easy to see how someone can be similar to their ancestor. Over at Equestria, they didn't really have TVs that much. Very, very few had TVs since they were rather recent for them. But the few who were watching them caught a glimpse of the news report.

Rainbow Dash managed to see it while in her room, watching from her TV. Her eyes were fully glued to this, making sure to not look away at all.

But away from all the people chatting about this, somewhere in the Sinnoh Region, in a secluded area, a certain group had seen this news report and it got their attention immediately.

"...They're related to Arceus's Life Plates. Which means..." A mysterious man said, his voice filled with shock at what he was hearing.

"Which means we can bring him back." Another voice said, coming from a mysterious woman. "With his help...We can bring back Master Cyrus...!"

As the journey continues.

Chapter 512 End.