My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Sinnoh. Celestic Town. Afternoon.

Cynthia and Volo have met once more, this time in Celestic Town, Cynthia's home and a place that was once just the Celestic Ruins, but has since grown and become this small town.

"Ah. I told you we'd meet again." Volo smirked when facing his descendant. "Although, I was honestly thinking I would come to you instead. Oh well." He would shrug right afterwards. "My dearest descendant. I assume you're aware of my order to many others, right? That's why you're here isn't it?"

"I was able to resist your attack on my mind. You should know that I'm not weak-minded." Cynthia would explain. "Among many others."

"Figures. I even tried taking over the minds of Ash and those friends that tag along with him but no dice. It doesn't matter though. I have more than enough to help me find the remaining shards. And right now, I have a ticket to Mt. Coronet."

"If so, then why did you stop here of all places?" Cynthia asked. "What is there for you here?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see what this place was like. It's been a while since I've seen a place like this. I mean, this place is practically a relic of the past. A relic that's been preserved. It's amazing that it's still here."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. In fact, I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you were the last of the Celestica People but it turns out I was wrong. There are some remnants of our people here. But they're just regular people. They have no importance to them. They're nothing more than regular people."

"They choose to live this life in the best way they could think of. They don't want to be involved in any kind of conflict or anything like that. They just want to live their lives peacefully. And I respect that."

"I see. Well, I can't blame them. The world has changed so much since my time. It's a lot different than what I remember. But that's why I'm here. To change it back to what it used to be."

"You're going too far, Volo. This is madness. You're trying to go against the will of Arceus himself. You're going to destroy everything if you keep this up."

"That's the idea. Before Creation comes Destruction. I'm simply speeding up the process. And once I do, I'll bring about a new era. One where I rule over everything. I'll be the one who decides everything. And I won't let anyone get in my way."

"And you think I'm going to let you do that?"

"I'd assume you'd let me. As your ancestor, I have that authority, technically. But I suppose it doesn't matter to you. Even if you are a Pokemon Champion, such a title, while impressive, isn't exactly something that worries me. Mainly because I can bring out a Pokemon's true potential. As your ancestor, I wouldn't mind giving you some tips."

"The way you treat Pokemon is wrong. Bringing out their potential in such a way is something I'd never do. You treat them as if they are objects. You even see Arceus as only a means to an end."

"Before, yes. Now? Things are different. The possibility of me surpassing Arceus is very much there. I've gotten a taste of that divine power for myself and it's truly wonderful. But it's also something that, while spectacular, is possible to control. If you felt it, you would agree with me. My Pokemon certainly feel the same." Vlolo would smirk. "They've felt that power themselves. Something that's always been in them."

"What?"

"All Pokemon are connected to Arceus, who was there at the start. Does it not make sense for all them to possess some level of divinity? It's how even the smallest Pokemon can stand up to the fiercest and largest ones after all. That inner potential they have is limitless. Drawing it out is splendid, no doubt. And in that new world, I can make it by the dozen. A regular occurrence even. Surely, you feel the same way since your Pokemon have brought out their maximum potential, haven't they?"

"I'd never agree with you. I'm ashamed that you are my ancestor more than I'm ashamed to be your descendant. I'll never agree with how you view Pokemon. And I'll never allow you to change the world."

"Fine then. But let's see who's correct. I've already defeated Lena, proving that I am right in all of this. And since you want to get in my way, show me that your way is correct." Volo held out a Poke Ball as Cynthia had already done so a second earlier.

"Go!" Both of them shouted as they sent out their Pokemon.

Cynthia went with her Garchomp while Volo went with what would be his Gabie, but not anymore. Emerging out of the Poke Ball, having an evolution sooner than expected was another Garchomp. Volo'sGabite had already evolved.

"Garchomp!"

"My Gabite was exposed to such a tremendous level of Dragon Energy that it was able to evolve into a Garchomp. All thanks to the power of the Dragon Shard. And now, I can use its full power against you. A power that is tied to the Dragon Shard, which brings out even greater power." Volo would explain. "You could say that it's become natural for it. So much of it is lingering within its body, even though I'm not using the Dragon Shard right now."

"Gar...!" Volo's Garchomp was radiating with Dragon Energy thanks to the Dragon Shard. it was almost as if hit was contaminated by it. Cynthia's Garchomp snarled back at Volo's Garchomp, ready to fight.

"Show me what you're capable of, Cynthia! Show me that you can bring out the true power of your Pokemon!" Volo declared.

"I will! Garchomp, use Stone Edge!" Cynthia would start it off as the people of this town would gasp once this battle had begun.

"Gaaaar!" Cynthia's Garchomp would slam its claws onto the ground, causing many rocks to emerge from below. The rocks were sharp and pointed, being aimed straight at Volo's Garchomp.

"Dragon Claw!" Volo ordered.

"Garrrrr!" Volo's Garchomp would charge forward, its claws glowing a bright shade of blue. It would then slash through the incoming stones, breaking them apart.

"Advance! Use Dragon Rush!"

"Gaaaaaar!" Volo's Garchomp would then dash towards Cynthia's Garchomp, its body surrounded by a powerful aura.

"Use Scale Shot!

"Chomp!" To stop Volo's Garchomp, Cynthia's Garchomp released a barrage of scales from its own body, aiming to stop the Dragon Rush.

"Garchomp!" Volo's Garchomp would break through the scales, continuing its attack. All the scales were blown away as it would crash right into Cynthia's Garchomp, dealing a heavy blow that sent a shockwave across the area.

The people of Celestic Town cowered as the shockwave nearly reached their homes. Cynthia gasped upon seeing this, knowing that a battle like this could easily cause high levels of destruction. Battling here wasn't the wisest decision, so her mind raced to forcing it elsewhere.

"Getting distracted, Cynthia? Dragon Rush again!"

"Gar! Garchomp...!" For a second time, Volo's Garchomp would use Dragon Rush, but Cynthia was ready to capitalize.

"Garchomp! Grab on!"

"Chomp!" With her eyes flashing, Cynthia's Group raised her fins, letting the opposing Garchomp approach. Once it got close enough, she would grab onto it, stopping it in its tracks.

"Ascend, Garchomp!" Cynthia would point upwards, prompting her Garchomp to take flight.

"Gar!" Cynthia's Garchomp, while holding onto Volo's Gachomp, leapt into the air, flying higher and higher. Volo's Garchomp writhed, struggling to break free from her grasp as the two kept going higher and higher.

"That's it, Garchomp...A bit more!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Gaaar..." Cynthia's Garchomp would fly even higher, reaching the clouds. They broke through the clouds until Garchomp spotted an area distant from Celestic Town, aiming to land there. However, Volo's Garchomp wouldn't allow it.

"Ch...Chomp!" From its body, it would start emanating a fierce pulse of Dragon Energy that would pulsate through Cynthia's Garchomp. "Gaaaar!"

"Gar!" Cynthia's Garchomp would let go of Volo's Garchomp, feeling the immense power of the Dragon Shard course through her body. She would then be hurled back to the ground, landing near the outskirts of Celestic Town.

Cynthia put her arms up, feeling the impact of the two Garchomps hitting the ground. The trees would rustle as a result, with some of them falling over. Cynthia would look up, seeing that Volo's Garchomp was still in the air, surrounded by Dragon Energy.

Cynthia's Garchomp got back up, shaking her head as she was a little bewildered by that action. "My, oh my. Holding back are we?" Volo held onto his chin. "Ah, because we're around them. You can't even battle at your best when you have to worry about the safety of others. That's why you moved us away from the town. A bit of a weakness if you ask me."

"Weakness?"

"Not that I don't understand it. But in my case, my goal doesn't require me to hold back at all, my dear descendant. My attachment to this town isn't as strong as I hoped it would be either. In all honesty, it's all so lacklustre, don't you think? we're descendants of people closest to Arceus. Our ancestors did such amazing things and this is the future? Don't you find that absolutely disappointing?"

"I could care less about such a thing. As long as people are happy, living the lives they want, that is all that matters to me. It's what our ancestors would've wanted."

"What they would've wanted? I highly doubt that. I know for a fact that our ancestors were ambitious. Do you honestly think people like them would've wanted to live peaceful lives? No, no. You see...I believe a major reason for their sudden massive decline was because of their ambitions. It's a shame, but it's clear that they were huge dreamers. And so am I. But my dream far surpasses theirs. Garchomp!"

"Gar!" Volo's Garchomp would descend, causing a bit of a tremor upon landing.

"Let's pick up where we left off, shall we? Use Dragon Claw!"

Rrrr...Gar!" In a flash, Volo's Garchomp reached Cynthia's Garchomp with a powerful lunge, only for Cynthia's Garchomp to just barely block it, the Dragon Energy rippling right afterwards.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Garchomp!" Returning the favour was Cynthia's Garchomp with her own Dragon Claw. She pushed Volo's Garchomp back, attempting to slash at it, only for the opposing Garchop to block that one as well. Then, the two Garchomps initiated a fierce clash of pure power as their claws would strike against each other

The two would push against each other, trying to overpower the other. They were evenly matched, neither side giving in. Volo would smirk as he knew how to take advantage of this situation. He would then hold out the Dragon Shard, aiming to use it.

"Garchomp!" Cynthia's Garchomp noticed this, knowing that Volo was about to use the Dragon Shard. She wouldn't let him do so, pushing Volo's Garchomp back before lunging at him. "Chomp!"

"Gaaaar!" Volo's Garchomp would be tackled by Cynthia's Garchomp, being pushed back.

"Stone Edge!" Cynthia commanded.

"Gaaaaar!" Cynthia's Garchomp would slam its fins onto the ground, causing many rocks to emerge from below. The rocks were sharp and pointed, being aimed straight at Volo's Garchomp. The stones would rapidly pummel Volo's Garchomp, dealing damage to it. However, the Dragon Energy began crumbling the stones the more they rose up, rapidly fighting back against them.

Cynthia gasped as Volo's Garchomp would then use the Dragon Energy around it, sending it forward as a pulse. It would smash through the stones, engulfing Cynthia's Garchomp. The Dragon Energy would start carrying her across the area, burning the grass with its movements as Garchomp would growl while being dragged.

The residents of Celestic Town were already back inside their homes, seeing Garchomp pass by as the force of her being carried was enough to shake their homes. They were all terrified, not wanting to come outside.

"Rrrr....! Garchomp!" With all of her might, she managed to break free from the Dragon Energy, dispersing the energy and landing on her feet. She would then look up, seeing Volo's Garchomp in the air once more.

"You're persistent that's for sure. I suppose that's what I should expect from the Champion of Sinnoh!" Volo would grin. "Fire Blast!"

"Gar...!" In its mouth, fierce flames would start building up, growing bigger and bigger until it formed a massive sphere of fire. The sphere would then shoot out, forming a large blast of fire that was aimed at Cynthia's Garchomp.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Gar!" Cynthia's Garchomp would leap into the air, approaching the Fire Blast head-on. Her claws sharpened as she unleashed a full-force attack The second the attack landed, it would explode upon impact, creating a powerful shockwave that would spread across the area.

Volo was in shock as he witnessed his attack being nullified. Not only that, but a good chunk of the shockwave reached his Garchomp, knocking it out of the sky. "She's matching me so easily...!" Volo grizzled his teeth.

Cynthia was the Champion for a reason, however, even Cynthia had to admit that Volo was quite the force to be reckoned with. Even she couldn't take him down so easily. "I know a good portion of that strength is because of the Dragon Shard...but even so."

"I'm wasting time with you. I should be at Mt. Coronet. Time and time again, you and others continue to get in my way. But honestly, a part of that is my fault. I keep bothering with you all. I could've just left you all behind and gone straight to Mt. Coronet, but I didn't. I wanted to see how far you'd go. And now, I can say that I'm done with this." Volo would hold out his hand, revealing the Life Plates and the shards.

"You wouldn't..." Cynthia's eyes would shrink, fearing that Volo was about to use the power of the shards and Life Plates to destroy this area.

"Not at all. I'll admit that I don't wish to destroy this area. It's our history after all. But I can do more than just destroy with them. Now that I have all these shards with me, the power to do many things is very much possible. After all, this whole time we've been battling, those I've ordered to find the shads for me should've completed their goal, heading for Mt. Coronet as we speak. And if they aren't going there then..."

"Hm?" Cynthia wasn't following. What was Volo going on about? That was when she noticed him gripping onto the Mind Plat, using its power. She expected a Psychic attack of some sorts, but it was something else. Right below her and Garchomp, Psychic portals opened up and from it were some residents from Equestria, still under the plate's influence.

Once they emerged from the portal in a creepy way, they started latching their hooves and bodies onto Cynthia and Garchomp. "What?!" Cynthia gasped as the ponies kept coming, grabbing onto her and Garchomp.

"Gaaar!" Garchomp would try to shake them off, but the ponies held on tight, not letting go. So many of them kept swarming all over the two of them like zombies, mindlessly acting on Volo's will.

"V-Volo!" Cynthia cried out as she then saw a portal open below her.

"Opening portals is a possibility as well. Wonderful isn't it? The ability to do whatever I can is very much a reality and I don't even have every single one of them." Volo boasted while seeing Cynthia and Garchomp slowly sink into the portal. "Don't worry. As of now, I can only send you to places I've already been to. I'll be seeing you in a new universe, my dear descendant."

"...Hm." But just then, that moment of silence was followed up by a smirk from Cynthia, catching Volo off guard. It seemed that Cynthia wasn't worried at all. She knew something. "What are you smiling about...? Don't tell me!" He would gaze into the far distance, viewing Mt. Coronet. "Were you just a distraction?!"

"I figured that if I couldn't stop you here...I'd at least keep you busy. And the latter is what I got."

"You little..." Volo gritted his teeth before looking back at Cynthia. Garchomp could just easily shove these ponies off but she didn't wish to harm them. So instead, Cynthia, with all of her strength managed to return Garchomp to her Poke Ball, freeing her from their grasp. Cynthia was still descending but she wasn't worried at all. Not anymore.

"What was it you said to me last time? That we'd meet again? Well, I promise you that we'll meet at Mt. Coronet sooner than you think." A confident Cynthia would say before having her body pass through the portal.

"Cynthia!" Volo growled as the portal closed, leaving him alone. He would then look over at Celestic Town, seeing the people hiding inside their homes. "She was just a distraction! Don't tell me that they've gotten there before I have?!"

With that, Volo would leave the town, heading straight for Mt. Coronet.

Mt. Coronet.

And speaking of Mt. Coronet, Ash and the others were there, waiting for Volo to arrive. They got here before Volo ever did and they most definitely knew that Cynthia was distracting him. All thanks to the Rotomphone. In his hand, Ash held the Rotomphone, seeing that the signal for Cynthia had been disrupted, indicating that the plan worked.

"Looks like Cynthia's done with her part." said Ash, putting his Rotomphone away. "Volo's probably heading here now. It's gonna be our turn."

The goal was to retrieve each of the shards and Life Plates that Volo was in possession of. Once they have them, Volo will be powerless if he's lacking even a single Life Plate or Shard.

Using her magic, Twilight would enhance her vision to see at great distances, trying to spot Volo. "I don't see him yet. He must be on his way."

"We're ready for him when he gets here." Sunset said.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to get those shards and plates from him?" Sci-Twi asked. "He has them all in one place and he's way too dangerous to approach with all of them around him."

"With this." Ash would point at Sci-Twi's Arceus Pendant as it was the key to thi. "We're gonna nullify 'em. Twilight. If you can use that pendant's power, you can mess with the shards and Life Plates, throwing Volo off his game. Then we'll take them from him."

"Nullify them? That's a tall task, Ash...I still don't know how to properly use this thing." Sci-Twi would look down, unsure of herself. "I've never done something like that before."

"But you can try. I know you can do it." Ash would smile, giving her some reassurance. "You've always been good at doing things you didn't think you could do. And you've done it plenty of times before. I believe in you."

"Ash..." Sci-Twi would look into his eyes, seeing the confidence in them. She would then nod, knowing that she had to try. "Okay. I'll give it a shot."

"That's what I like to hear." Ash would then look at the others. "Plus, we've got three shards left that Volo doesn't have. The Normal, Fighting and Fire Shard. Right now, I bet Professor Kukui and everyone in Alola are doing their best to keep that shard safe."

"But what about the Fighting and Normal Shard? We don't have a clue as to where they could be." Rarity questioned as those were the last two elusive ones.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Twilight answered as she could spot Volo. "Right now, I see Volo nearing. We'd better get ready, but let's slow him down too. We'll wear him out and make him fatigued so that he's low on steam when he gets up here."

"Leave that to us!" Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie could take it from here. They knew of a way to slow Volo down and it involved athora of obstacles. So many obstacles. Mt. Coronet was absolutely massive and difficult to climb, but with the Flying Shard, Volo could easily get here much quicker.

That's exactly what they were anticipating though. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie would set off, planning to mess with Volo the second he starts getting higher and higher around this mountain. Sci-Twi would take the time to hold onto the pendant, seeing what she could do with it.

Alola. Akala Island.

Over at Alola, thousands of ponies were swarming the area, searching for the Fire Shard. And thanks to Volo's influence, they knew exactly where the Fire Shard was located. It was in the most dangerous place it could possibly be and the one place a Fire Shard could perfectly withstand being in.

Akala Island's Volcano.

The Fire Shard was located in the depths of the volcano, right in the center of it. The Fire Shard was able to withstand such extreme temperatures due to its nature. However, even if it could survive in such an environment, the same couldn't be said for the people who were tasked with protecting it.

"It's really in there...? How are we going to get it out?" Mallow wondered. Finding a shard was one thing. Finding a shard inside of a volcano was ludicrous.

"M-Maybe we should rethink this." Sophocles trembled.

"I don't think any of my Pokemon can withstand lava. Not for a long time..." Lana said with a worried tone. Even Water-Types would have trouble with this.

"But my Pokemon can." The exception was Kiawe, who stepped forward. "If no one else can do it, then the Fire-Types certainly can. They have to, otherwise all those ponies will get hurt."

"Are you sure? Can they really get the shard?" Mallow questioned as she was a bit unsure about this.

"I am. If I don't, who will? The chance of Volo getting it is very possible and we can't let that happen. I'm sending my Charizard right in." With his Poke Ball out, Kiawe was putting all of his trust into Charizard, a Pokemon that could live around magma and lava. "I'm counting on you, my friend!"

"Charizard!" Out emerged the Flame Pokemon.

Charizard was tasked with getting the Fire Shard while Mallow, Lillie and everyone else were tasked with stopping the ponies from getting close. Not because of the shard, but because of their own wellbeing. They had one shot at this and one massive risk to boot.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 531 End.