Author's Note

This and the last Chapter were suppossed to be way longer but MultiVersus and Xenoverse 2 have me in a chokehold right now.

Dreams of Deceit

The Dream Realm. The Hyperdream.

In the Dream Realm, the usual was going on. Luna and Darkrai were here to keep watch of it all and to ensure everyone's sweet dreams. And if there are any nightmares, as long as they don't threaten the world, they would be allowed to continue, save for a few exceptions due to how close Luna has gotten to the world ever since she was free from the Moon after so long.

But this time, the two were joined by Cresselia, who was the definition of Sweet Dreams. It was already easy for them to care for the Dream Realm and the Hyper Dream to begin with, but now with Cresselia, it became 10x easier.

"We're doing an excellent job tonight, I must say." Luna said, emerging from a dream, as did Darkrai and Cresselia. "Wonderful work, the three of you. With how well this is going for us, we might have to give ourselves our own team name."

"Team name?" Darkrai repeated.

"Cress?"

"Mm! Others do it a lot and you two already have your own names for being connected to each other. And Reshiram and Zekrom, plus Kyurem are the Tao Trio. Dialga, Palkia and Giratina are the Creation Trio. Xerneas Yveltal and Zygarde are the Aura Trio and there are more trios out there without a doubt. Darkrai and I...We were known as the Dream Duo."

"I don't recall us being called that." Darkrai bluntly said since no one has ever spoken about the two of them in such a way. But it certainly fits.

"But with Cresselia, we can change that! Now, we can be just like all those Trios in the World! Is that not amazing sounding?!" She then looked at Darkrai with starry eyes, her inner child taking over.

"Cresssel!" Cresselia felt the same, having starry eyes as well. All the while, Darkrai stayed silent, simply shrugging afterwards.

"Dream Trio does not have the same ring as Dream Duo, I'm afraid..." Luna started pondering. "What would be an amazing Team Name for the three of us? Maybe Dream Trio can be used later...?"

Luna was simply having fun while she had the chance, indulging in the simpler things. The team name didn't matter all that much but it was too fun not to do. Before Luna could come up with something, her senses went off. A certain set of dreams were acting up.

"Hm?" She looked at these dreams as they were all letting off what appeared to be alerts. Squinting her eyes at these dreams, she immediately used her magic to grab a hold of them, pulling them forward. There, she noticed that all these dreams were from Pokemon Professors.

"The Pokemon Professors?"

Sinnoh. Out in a Forest. Nightfall.

Meanwhile, Sunset and Rainbow began battling against Team Galactic. The two of them were facing off against Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, who had their Pokemon out.

"Bronzong! Use Extrasensory!" Jupiter commanded.

"Purugly! Night Slash!" Mars ordered.

"Toxicroak! Poison Jab!" Saturn called out.

The three of them would unleash their attacks at once, sending them flying towards Sunset and Rainbow Dash. A Psychic Field would appear above them while Purugly and Toxicroak started approaching.

"Volcarona! Use Fiery Dance!" Sunset shouted.

"Pangoro! Use Hammer Arm!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

Sunset's Volcarona would flap its wings, creating a fiery tornado around it. This would cause the flames to grow bigger and stronger. It would then fly forward, spinning around in circles as it would strike at Bronzong, dealing massive damage.

Rainbow's Pangoro would hold up his arms, charging them up with power before slamming them down onto the ground. The impact would create a powerful shockwave that would send Purugly and Toxicroak back.

After pushing them back, Pangoro would run in, getting up close and personal, forcing Purguly and Toxicroak to confront him at close range. However, despite her size, Purugly was surprisingly swift, managing to get behind Pangoro.

"Now! Use Night Slash!" Jupiter commanded while Pangoro gasped, stunned that Purguly would be that fast.

"Goro?!"

"Pur!" With a swift slash, Purugly would strike at Pangoro's back, causing it to cry out in pain as he was then launched forward, falling on his back. Volcarona turned around to see Purugly nearby, attempting to send his flames towards her.

"Volca!" But Purugly would jump over the attack, landing right next to Volcarona. She would then swing her claws at the Bug-Type, striking her with Night Slash. Volcarona would cry out in pain as she was sent flying into the air.

"Volcarona!" Sunset cried out.

"Now, Bronzong! Use Gravity!" Jupiter commanded.

Bronzong would float in the air, focusing its energy as it would fire a beam of light from its eyes. The beam would form into a field that would soon hover over everyone, including those who weren't battling. Sunset and the others gasped as their bodies felt heavier than before, unable to move as much as they used to.

"What is this?!" Rainbow questioned, trying to move but failing to do so.

"So heavy...!" Fluttershy grunted, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. All of them struggled to get back up as it felt like a train was on top of them all. The girls grunted at this force, feeling the pain of it all.

"Don't get in our way. Not when it comes to Master Cyrus." Mars said before pointing at them all. "You're getting involved in something you should stay out of! Use your heads and leave now!"

"No way!" Sunset shook her head. "We're not leaving without Twilight!"

"That's exactly why you need to get lost. Purugly!" Jupiter pointed at them. "Use Night Slash!"

"Bronzong! Extrasensory!" Saturn ordered.

The two Pokemon would unleash their attacks at once, sending them flying towards the group. They were still stuck under the effects of Gravity, meaning they couldn't dodge or block the attack.

"Ngh...! Pangoro! Dig your hands into the ground! Use Vital Throw" Rainbow Dash would go for something greatly risky but it was the only thing that could work while everyone was being pushed down by the Gravity.

"Pan...Pangoro!" With all of his might, Pangoro dug his fingers through the ground, grabbing onto it tightly. He would then pull the ground itself, causing a powerful tremor that would rock the area while also wobbling it. Team Galactic gasped as the terrain was being greatly disrupted, causing them to lose their balance as the girls would start rolling to the side in different directions thanks to this chaotic action.

"What the-?!" Mars gasped before running towards the truck with the rest of Team Galactic, trying to hold on to something. The Gravity field was shattered right away by the sheer force of such an action.

However, now the area was disorganized with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity falling inside of a lake, getting wet. Rainbow Dash and Applejack would fall into a bush, getting covered in leaves. And Sunset and Sunset would roll over some dirt.

"Ugh..." Sunset groaned as she got up, spitting out some mud. "Geez...Was that really the only option, Rainbow Dash?"

"My bad..." Rainbow Dash giggled a bit as she spat out some leaves.

"Oh, my goodness! I'm soaking wet!" Rarity cried out as she and Fluttershy were in the water. "My clothes! Ugh, we've already been away from home for more than one day and now this?!"

"Slur..."Slurpuff stood up, shaking his head after the strong tremors came through. Just then, he would focus on the scents around him, trying to regain his senses. At that moment, he picked up on Sci-Twi's scent once again. "Slurpuff!"

"Slurpuff!" Slurpuff pointed in the direction where Sci-Twi was.

"You found her?!" Sunset gasped.

"Slurpuff!" Slurpuff nodded.

"Hold it!" Jupiter yelled from the higher point of this area, looking down at them all. "You're not going anywhere! That attack you did only gave you so much time!"

Mars and Saturn would also appear next to Jupiter, ready to continue their battle. They weren't letting them head anywhere and potentially ruin their plans. Sunset grit her teeth when looking up at them, wishing to reach Twilight now that her scent had been tracked once more, but she knew Team Galactic wouldn't make it easy on them all.

"The rest of you should go to her! Me and Rainbow Dash can handle things from here!" Sunset said.

"Are you sure? " Fluttershy asked, worried about the two of them since Team Galactic were no pushovers and didn't seem that easy to defeat.

"Yeah! We'll be fine! You guys get to Twilight!" Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Alright. Let's go!" Sunset nodded as well.

"Right!" The others agreed as they would run off, following Slurpuff who was leading the way. Sunset and Rainbow Dash would face off against Team Galactic, hoping to buy them enough time to reach Sci-Twi.

"Oh, no you don't!" However, Mars would run off to try and stop them, leaving just Jupiter and Saturn to handle Sunset and Rainbow Dash. Sunset would try and intercept Mars with Volcarona's Bug Buzz, only for Broznong to put a stop to that.

"Bronzong! Use Earthquake!"

"Zong!" Bronzong slammed its body into the ground, causing a powerful tremor to erupt from below. The tremors would travel across the area, splitting the ground and damaging it once more. This would cause the girls to fall back down, losing their balance.

"Ngh...!" Sunset grunted as she fell onto her knees. The golden shockwaves from Earthquake erupted, engulfing Volcarona and Pangoro in an instant.

"Volca!"

"Goro!" Both Pokemon cried out as they were sent flying back.

"Now, use Poison Jab, Toxicroak!" Saturn commanded.

"Tox!" Toxicroak would run down the hill, covering its Knuckle Claws in an aura of Poison while approaching them. Pangoro and Volcarona were still trying to get back up after the staggering Earthquake and were too late to stop this incoming attack. Volcarona's eyes widened as he witnessed Toxicroak lunging at him and the others.

Meanwhile, the others were running through the forest, following Slurpuff who was leading the way. They were getting closer and closer to Sci-Twi, knowing she was nearby.

"We're almost there! I can feel it!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"I hope she's okay..." Fluttershy said with worry.

"She will be. We'll make sure of that." Rarity nodded.

"Yeah. We'll get her back." Applejack added.

"Slurpuff!" Slurpuff continued to lead the way, making sure they all didn't lose track of Sci-Twi's scent. They were getting closer and closer to her, knowing she was close by.

However, getting in their way was Mars, who had her Purugly zoom in at high speeds, getting in their way. The girls gasped as Purugly showed up from the size, breaking down some trees with Night Slash while making her appearance. Purugly had then frozen once she showed up, hissing at them as Mars would walk forward.

"All 5 of you, stay where you are. You're not going anywhere." Mars pointed at them, forcing them to stay still. "Move and I'll make sure Purugly attacks. I swear it."

Mars was definitely not joking. Unlike their Equestrian Counterparts, these girls are way less likely to get into some genuine action like this except for Rainbow Dash, of course. Those in Equestria was already new to the Pokemon World for 4 years and but their Human Counterparts from that parallel world were less experienced as neither of them had Pokemon of their own.

"Oh, no! What do we do?!" Fluttershy panicked, hiding behind Applejack.

"I don't know! But we gotta think of something!" Applejack responded.

"Maybe if we try talking to her?" Rarity suggested.

"Talking is out of the question." Mars shut that down immediately. "Obviously, the 5 of you aren't fit for all of this. You're making a big mistake being here and now look where you are. I'd suggest you go home and never get in our way again."

"Puff! Slurpuff!" But Slurpuff said otherwise, turning her head to Pinkie Pie.

"Huh? You want me to battle with you?!" Pinkie gasped. It did make sense since Slurpuff was the only other Pokemon here. On top of that, Equestria's Pinkie Pie was his Trainer, so he already had some experience and was quite formidable. He would try and put his trust in the Human Pinkie Pie. "B-But I don't know how to battle!"

"Slurpuff!" Slurpuff shook his head, telling her that she didn't need to worry about that. All she needed to do was follow his lead. Even if she wasn't experienced, all she had to do was trust in Slurpuff's strength.

"...Okay." Pinkie Pie shrugged, grinning and accepting it right away. "You're the boss, Slurpuff! My otherself entrusted you to me so I won't let you down!"

"Wait! Are you serious?! You don't even know any moves that he-"

"Use Dazzling Gleam!" But Pinkie Pie quickly cut Rarity off by shouting off a move that Slurpuff actually knew.

"Slur...!" From his body, he would light up before suddenly unleashing a barrage of rainbows that flew towards Purugly. Purugly would quickly zip to the side, managing to dodge some of the rainbows, only to get hit by two of them, sliding back.

"Nevermind." Rarity blinked.

"Pure instinct." Pinkie Pie tapped her head but her friends had to wonder if that was just coincidence or pure luck.

"So that's your decision." Mars narrowed her eyes. "Then I'll have to take care of you all myself!"

"Purrrrr...!" Purugly hissed at the Meringue Pokemon who would dare fight back.

"Slur!" Slurpuff nodded as he stood next to Pinkie Pie, ready to fight alongside her.

The Dream Realm. Professor Oak's Dream.

In the Dream Realm, Luna would appear before Professor Oak, landing in his Drea which took place in the Pokemon Center. She would float down, looking around at the area. It was empty, save for the Professors who were standing there.

"Ah! Princess Luna." Oak smiled, seeing the princess of Equestria. "Thank goodness you're here. We've been trying to reach out to you for some time now."

"You were all alerting me? I'm surprised you all know how to affect your Dreams in such a way to grab my attention. What is the meaning of this?" Luna questioned.

"Well, it's about a man named Volo. I'll explain everything to you as soon as possible. Since many are asleep, no doubt he's on the move, searching for the nearest shards he can track."

"Hm? The shards?" Luna thought for a moment as she wasn't up to speed about the whole Shard Search. She was focused on other things after all. But the name Volo was somewhat familiar, even if she's only heard it once. "I don't follow, but I can process it immediately."

"Hm? How so?"

"In another's Dream, someone can process all the information they have to me, saving up plenty of time. Sometimes, it's how I handle certain nightmares that are difficult to deal with. If you Dream or Think about what you wish to say, my mind will gather it all swiftly."

"Fascinating!" As a Professor, Oak was enamoured by this. He found another thing he wishes to research."Would you mind if I learned more about this?"

"W-Well...You can do that by testing it out yourself, Professor. Oak would do just that, thinking about all the information he's gathered fro the Volo situation, starting from the beginning. Those thoughts were beginning to manifest, flowing straight towards

Luna, who would gasp as she was processing all of this information. She would learn everything about Volo, the shards, and what he was doing. And of course, how it all comes back to Arceus. Quite the mountain of a reveal for the Moon Priness.

"Oh, my..." Luna gasped. "This is quite the predicament. I see. So that's why you all were alerting me. You need my help to conceal these shards from him."

"Mm. That's right. We're hoping you can use your magic to hide them from his sight. That way, we can keep them safe and sound." Oak nodded. "There aren't any other ways we can think of at the moment.

"I understand clearly. This relates to Arceus and could be disastrous for the entire world. I'll let my sister know of this and we'll get started on hiding the shards." Luna said. "What about Ash? Is he still pursuing Twilight Sparkle?"

"At this moment, probably." ak nodded. "It's a shame. She's my apprentice and she's already so lost and confused at the moment. But she is following her heart even if it can lead to dangerous situations. I haven't been able to reach her at all anymore so I'm counting on Ash."

"I can handle that." Luna stated, believing she could solve this. "Most likely, she's probably dreaming as well at this very moment. I can use the power of the Hyperdream to either visit her current dream or her dreams in the past to inform her. Let me speak to her."

"Of course." Oak nodded as Luna would materialize out of this Dream, heading into another one.

The Real World.

While all of this was transpiring, Sci-Twi was currently sleeping near the lake, resting peacefully. Her Rapidash was keeping watch over her, making sure she was safe while also giving her something warm to be next to. But while she slept, she was having a dream. A dream of when she first met Sunset Shimmer and the others.

"Ash...Sunset...Rainbow Dash...Fluttershy...Rarity...Pinkie Pie...Applejack...Everyone..." She mumbled in her sleep. Clearly, she still cared for her friends for one major reason. They were the first major friends she's ever had who have been this close to her.

She didn't want to lose them but she was also afraid of getting hurt again. It was a conflicting feeling that she couldn't get rid of. She wanted to go back to them but she was scared of what would happen next.

Rapidash would hear this mumbling as she was already greatly worried for Sci-Twi. So were all of her Pokemon. Even though Hisuian Zorua and Alpha Pikachu were on the ground resting peacefully, they felt the same. All of her Pokemon wanted the best for her. So did Spike, who has been with her from the start,

Just then, she would grumble a bit in her sleep, twitching ever slightly. That was a sign. A sign that Princess Luna had entered her Dream.

Sci-Twi's Dream.

Sci-Twi would find herself in a familiar place. She was in Canterlot High School's Library, looking around. She was alone, wondering what was going on. "Huh? What am I doing here? I thought I was just sleeping."

"You are." Luna appeared before her, startling the girl. "I've come to speak with you, Twilight Sparkle."

"Princess Luna?!" Sci-Twi gasped upon seeing the Moon Princess. "Oh...You must've entered my Dream."

"I'm aware of everything, Twilight Sparkle. I know about your situation and I know about Volo. I'm here to help you." Luna said.

"Help me? How?" Sci-Twi questioned.

"By informing you of the truth. The truth about Arceus and the shards. I'll tell you everything. At least, what I know." Luna said. "But first, let me ask you something. Do you wish to continue pursuing the shards with Volo?"

"I..." Sci-Twi hesitated for a moment, thinking it over. "Yes. I want to keep going. I want to see this through to the end."

"Very well. Then I shall inform you of the truth and see what you make of it later on. But even after I tell you everything, I will speak with Volo as well in his own Dream to hear what he has to say. Understood?"

"Understood." Sci-Twi nodded.

"Then let us begin."

Luna would tell her everything she received from Professor Oak, holding nothing back. Luna wanted to make sure Sci-Twi was safe for many reasons. She was also her friend after all and that was all that mattered. Sci-Twi's Friends kept trying to reach her, one by one, showing that in many scenarios, they will confront her one way or another.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 519 End.