My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Universe 50. Mirados. The Temple of Galela. Afternoon.

The Arcane Institute had broken into the Temple of Galela. After defeating Sombra, they broke through two layers of defences. From Sombra's Shadows to Galela's spell. And now, they stood before the racers of the Mirados Circuit, locked onto Ash Ketchum. But this time, the racers were intending to protect Ash's friends.

"Gardevoir. Psychic." Alpha coldly said.

"Garde!" With one arm out, Gardevoir would grab many of the racers with a telekinetic hold, preventing them from moving any further as they fought to keep their vehicles under control. Ash and Twilight managed to escape it, but Ash turned back and saw many racers stuck. They were trapped as Gardevoir's psychic energy surrounded them, rendering them immobile.

With incredible force, she would launch these racers against the walls, sending some of them crashing into their own vehicles, breaking parts of the temple, and hurting many civilians who had remained inside. This resulted in the temple becoming more destroyed, with pieces falling off and chunks of rock crumbling down upon them.

Alpha then proceeded to launch another blast aimed directly at Ash, only to be blocked by a racer's Claydol. As Alpha fired multiple beams at the clay-like figure, Claydol simply bounced around, dodging each shot while firing its own beams in return. The exchange went back and forth, and it became apparent that neither side was going to give in. Finally, Alpha struck a blow that broke through Claydol's defenses, knocking it out.

But the clear path did not last. Not with so many Pokemon standing or hovering in her way now, with all kinds of Pokemon out. Arcanine, Pidgeot, Nidoqueen, Slaking, Samurott, Tyranitar, Roserade, Quagsire, Donphan, Delcatty, Pyroar, Magmortar, Rapidash, Blastoise, Raichu and even Sylveon were in front of her along with many others as well.

"You all dare stand in our way..." Alpha closed her eyes, finding this obstacle to be a nuisance. But there was also something she saw to be foolish. She opened her eyes and said something that sent chills down the spines of every racer. "Tell me. Do you have the strength to do whatever it takes to protect someone you barely know?"

At this point, everyone stopped. The words "do whatever it takes" were ringing in their heads. How far would they really go for Ash Ketchum? Was he worth going this far to protect? They didn't know him at all. All they knew was that he was a target of the Institute. Suddenly, the idea of facing the might of a powerful institution became a lot less appealing. Even as they thought of running, their bodies stayed rooted to the spot. It was like a switch flipped in their minds, and the prospect of escaping grew more attractive than trying to take down a much bigger opponent. All thanks to the words of Princess Galela.

"So be it." Alpha saw that they would try to do so. Thus, she would indulge and use everything in her power to crush them all. She'd take down any opponent in her way until she completed her mission.

As Ash and Twilight continued to move, the sight unfolding in front of them was shocking. From afar, they could see massive creatures rising up and towering over the city. These beings had enormous, multi-eyed faces and slender limbs that stretched into long, tentacle-like appendages. They resided in the next section of this race. An area known as the W87 City. Each of them floated in mid-air, held aloft by unseen energies, and moved with slow, deliberate motions.

Gigas.

The creatures exuded an aura of immense age, ancient wisdom, and unfathomable power. Some of them emitted glowing lights from their eyes that pulsed in sync with a silent heartbeat, casting strange shadows across the cityscape. Naturally, these magical creatures were the next obstacle in this race.

One particular Gigas, whose eyes glowed an eerie, deep green, suddenly roared with such force that it rattled buildings. Then, with a sweep of its massive hands, it began swatting at something near a nearby Movie Stadium, causing explosions. Ash realized that it must've been some sort of drone or aircraft.

Upon closer inspection, Ash noticed that each Gigas possessed unique characteristics. One wore a large face resembling that of an ape or mandrill. Another had a single enormous eyeball, while yet another featured nine large eyes and four smaller ones arranged in a pattern reminiscent of a spider's face. And finally, one lacked a visible face entirely. Instead, it boasted five floating spheres arranged in a vertical row, their positions shifting subtly.

Despite their diverse appearances, all shared a common size—gargantuan—and exhibited remarkable agility for their stature. Moreover, their entire bodies radiated a pale cyan luminescence, which intensified whenever they unleashed devastating magic attacks.

These Gigas wreaked havoc wherever they passed. They crushed cars and trucks beneath their colossal feet and hurled boulders at buildings, shattering windows and caving in roofs. Their destructive power seemed limitless.

They continued down the street, narrowly avoiding debris thrown by the rampaging beasts. Ash could feel their immense energy emanating from each Gigas. Since there were few racers right now, the collateral damage was limited.

Thankfully, no one was in these buildings. During the Mirados Circuit, the city was evacuated just for the race, meaning it was safer to throw attacks in the cities without much fear. However, for the racers, it would still be risky with less space to run or move through.

"Looks like we're in the clear. No sign of Alpha catching up yet." Rainbow Dash commented. "I feel bad though...everypony else has to deal with the Institute because of us..."

"We can worry about them when the race is over," Twilight stated. "Right now, let's just get past these creatures and make sure they don't catch up to us. The race isn't over yet, and I don't think Alpha would have gotten past everyone so soon. We should have enough of an opening for now."

"Princess Galela also said she would handle the Institute, so we-" Spike's words were cut off by a tremor that shook the city, causing their vehicle to bounce and shake as they drove along.

The sound was unlike anything Ash had ever heard. A loud roar filled the air and reverberated throughout the city. Buildings shook violently as debris rained down from above. The roar continued to echo across the streets as they all felt an immense pressure bearing down on them.

Suddenly, the ground cracked open and something emerged.

Something massive. Something terrifying.

It rose slowly, towering high into the sky like an ancient beast awakened after centuries of slumber. It seemed almost alive as its head turned from side to side, its eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.

The monster was easily the biggest one they've ever seen.

"The size of that thing!" Rainbow Dash shouted as the massive Gigas appeared before them, dwarfing everything in its vicinity.

"It's bigger than anything I've ever seen!" Applejack agreed, her voice quivering slightly as she took in the enormity of the creature before her.

The giant monster let out an ear-piercing scream and charged toward them. It moved surprisingly quickly despite its large size, making the ground rumble beneath its feet with each step.

Applejack gasped as the monster's clawed hands reached out towards her, its jagged teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "Well, it's an obstacle, so all we gotta do is get through it!" Ash grinned while looking at it. "Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder and launched itself toward the monster, electricity sparking off his fur as he charged forward. 100,000 crashed right into the Gigas, causing it to flinch momentarily.

"Eve! Use Dazzling Gleam!" Twilight would get involved, having Espeon take action.

"Castform, Energy Ball!" And so did Rainbow Dash's Castform.

"Esp!" Espeon's jewel began to glow brightly, releasing a powerful rainbow-colored light. As it collided against the attack, there was an explosion of colors that momentarily blinded the Gigas.

"Cast!" The Castform that floated alongside her released a powerful blast of energy that slammed into the Gigas.

"Sceptile, Frenzy Plant!" Applejack wasn't far behind, having Sceptile launch the attack.

"Tile!" Sceptile stomped down on the floor of the vehicle and released several roots that would hit against the massive Gigas. Combined with the three other attacks, it created a massive shockwave. The Gigas roared in pain as it stumbled backward, but it recovered quickly and resumed its charge. From its mouth came an immense blast of fire that would destroy the floor beneath their feet, causing the entire ground to collapse. They'd land safely but were still in a state of shock, amazed at the power of the attack that just missed.

"Woo! That was a close one!" Ash exclaimed.

The Gigas didn't let up, launching more powerful attacks against the group.

"Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Pikachu darted forward, its body becoming a blur of motion. It struck at the Gigas with lightning-fast speed, landing blow after blow before leaping away again.

"Sceptile, Frenzy Plant once more!" Applejack commanded. The Pokémon complied and released another barrage of roots that slammed against the creature. This time, some of them would wrap around its legs, slowing down its movement. But it didn't stop there; it would unleash another attack, creating an intense blast of energy from its mouth.

But all it took was Twilight putting a shield up to defend the vehicle and everyone else, which made the blast dissipate and leave nothing. And, by returning the attack to sender, Twilight released a bright purple beam out of the vehicle to send it right at the Gigas.

The massive monster stumbled back as it felt the full force of Twilight's return, causing it to stumble backwards.

Thanks to their teamwork, they got past this massive Gigas. The only problem? It was still following behind them. But the others were also dealing with them, which meant it would slow down their pace.

Back at the Temple of Galela, the Racers didn't stand a chance. Despite the best efforts of many of the trainers and their Pokémon, they were overwhelmed by the Arcane Institute's students. Especially Alpha, who was overpowering most of them with her Gardevoir, without breaking a sweat.

One by one, the racers and their Pokemon would be defeated by her. Whether through brute force, strategy, or pure skill, she was proving to be too strong.

Alpha narrowed her eyes as she saw her Gardevoir finish off the last opponent in the temple area.

"Pathetic," she sneered at her fallen foes as she stepped over their bodies on her way out of the area, "Advance. Before Ash Ketchum gets too far from us."

But they wouldn't leave yet. They may have taken out all the racers in the temple, but they weren't out of the clear. Not with one final pony getting involved. Right before they could take another step, a magic circle manifested before the students of the Institute. Out of the circle would emerge Princess Galela herself, floating above the circle and staring at the intruders with a sharp gaze. She was flanked by several of her guards as well as some Pokemon who were also glaring at them with equal ferocity.

"Your presence here has not been welcomed by anyone within Mirados. Let alone my temple." the princess said icily as her wings spread out wide behind her like an angel's. "You are not welcome here. I have come here for a single reason. To make sure you do not interfere with Ash Ketchum and his companions." Galela continued as her horn began to glow brightly once more as she looked at Alpha and her allies with contempt.

"L-Let us go!" Flawless yelled out, but she was ignored by the Princess who was now focusing on her. "All these interruptions are so annoying!"

Galela's eyes narrowed even further. "I'm afraid that won't happen." With a wave of her hoof, a bright blue light enveloped the entire area. "With this, I'll invoke a curse that shall bind all of you here. You won't be able to leave this area. Nor shall you use your powers to harm any of my people. It is a spell that will last centuries, and only I will be able to undo it."

The students groaned and grunted. Some of them were struggling to stand up while others were barely able to stay awake. The energy within their bodies was being sapped away, and the power of Princess Galela's magic had rendered them immobile and powerless. The spell would hold for many centuries, maybe more, but it was enough to ensure that Ash Ketchum and the others wouldn't have to worry about the students interfering again. The Princess of the city had protected him and his allies. "And thus, the curse will be cast." she said as the light dissipated, and all of the students were now lying motionless on the ground, unconscious.

"You have done enough damage, so now it's time to go home and stay there. You've done nothing but disrupt my people, and now you will face the consequences." she declared, her voice echoing throughout the temple. The students were unable to move, and the Princess would look towards her guards, nodding. With that, they knew that the Princess would handle the rest. They left the temple with their heads held high. They knew that Princess Galela had done her job. They knew that the students wouldn't bother Ash Ketchum anymore.

Galela let out a heavy sigh, looking at the unconscious bodies. She then went over to the racers, making sure to get them healed. "Alright. I'll get you all back to full health. Don't worry about a thing. I'll handle this. Just let me know if there is anything I can do for you all."

"Thank you." a racer mumbled as he was healed. Galela also had excellent healing magic, and so she would make sure that the racers were in perfect shape. It would take some time, but the princess had no doubt in her abilities. After all, she had been training for years.

But as she was healing them all, something shocking happened. Galela would suddenly be grabbed by a hand. The racers gasped at this sight as they couldn't believe their eyes.

It was Alpha.

"H-How?! How are you standing?! You shouldn't be able to stand!" Galela screamed, trying to break out of her grip. But Alpha wouldn't budge. In fact, she seemed to tighten her hold on her.

"I am the culmination of a thousand souls. From Human, Pony to even Pokemon. My body is the epitome of the Soul Clone." She began as she gripped her harder. "My Soul was designed to have an incredible amount of resistance. No matter how much damage I would take, or whatever magic is cast upon me, my body can take the strain." Alpha stated, looking Galela in the eye. "Even with your powerful spell. It still wouldn't stop me from getting up."

"Y-You... you..." Galela couldn't find the words. Her mind raced with questions and doubts as she struggled against Alpha's grasp, trying desperately to comprehend how her powerful spell could be rendered useless. But the truth remained, her efforts were in vain as she found herself trapped within the powerful grip of the woman who had a soul with such high resistance to damage.

"Your magic is unique though. The Professor would definitely be interested in it." Alpha stated, gripping her harder, "For now, sleep." Alpha said, pinching Princess Galela's neck, causing her to pass out.

All the racers were aghast. The Princess of Temple was down. And with her magic, they were unable to help. They were paralyzed. The magic that had been cast upon them made them unable to do anything but watch in horror.

"Your Highness!" The guards called out as they ran to her side. But their attempts to assist were futile as Alpha's Gardevoir simply pushed them aside with ease. "Your Highness!" They shouted once more, their voices filled with desperation. They couldn't reach their leader who had been the first to be defeated by the intruder's hands.

They watched as she slumped over and was taken by the mysterious woman who had appeared from out of nowhere. "Your Highness..." they muttered in despair. It was all too sudden. The Princess had been taken from them and there was no one who could save them.

"Now...Ash Ketchum is already far from here. Enough time has been wasted. However..." Something was brewing in Alpha's head. A way to catch up to Ash and the others. "If I were to tinker and combine these other vehicles..."

It hit her.

She was about to craft a vehicle of massive proportions, by taking all the vehicles of the racers and merging them into one. By doing so, she would receive speeds so absurd that she could easily catch up to him and the others in mere minutes. And even create something even more powerful than the Quantum Cannon. She had no time to lose.

Alpha then began her plan, ordering her Gardevoir to grab hold of all the vehicles and to merge them together using her Psychic power. Once they had been gathered, the powerful Pokemon used her abilities to meld them into one massive, powerful vehicle. As she worked, a light smile appeared upon her face, which was rather rare. But this plan of hers had a very high chance of working.

Back on the Train, Darkrai, Gliscor, Aurorus and Florges were fighting for their lives against the remaining Betas and Zetas. The Soul Clones and their Pokemon kept coming and they had no choice but to keep going, fighting to keep themselves alive. They had no choice but to keep going. Darkrai, Gliscor and Aurorus were putting everything they had into the fight. Each attack, each move was meant to bring the clones down.

Darkrai would ascend with a Dark Pulse, shooting down several Soul Clones as the Zetas would try to shoot down Dark Pulse, but it was too late. Gliscor and Aurorus would both use Stone Edge, aiming at the Zetas as they were hit by the powerful attacks.

Gliscor would use X-Scissor on a group of Betas as Aurorus would freeze them with Ice Beam. The Soul Clones would use Psychic on Gliscor as he tried to evade their attack. The Soul Clones would use Energy Ball and Aura Sphere on the group as Gliscor was able to evade it. Aurorus would then be attacked as well with an Energy Ball and Aura Sphere.

Defending her was Florges, who would use Energy Ball on a Soul Clone, knocking her back. She then used a combination of Giga Drain and Petal Dance on the group, draining the energy of all of the Soul Clones.

Aurorus then fired an Ice Beam, freezing the entire group of Soul Clone and their Pokemon in one-go. Darkrai and Gliscor flew back to back, using Poison Jab together on a pair of Pokemon that came their way.

All the while, Luna continued to search for the Soul Crystal in this long train of theirs. But the train was huge, and it would be a long while before she would find the crystal. But as she kept on searching, she had no choice but to keep at it, searching for the Soul Crystal until she found it.

"Where?! Where is it?! How can something so large, be this hard to find?!" she said to herself as she continued her search, hoping that it would soon be over and that she could finally end this whole mess.

Luna came to a halt, realizing that all this running around wasn't helping. "I need to calm down and think...Where would it be...? Is it cloaked? Is that why I haven't seen it? Or is it somewhere else?" she asked, thinking to herself. "It has to be hidden." She closed her eyes and focused, trying to see if there was something that would show her where it is. She knew she had to think fast, because every second that went by, she was losing more and more time.

"Come on Luna..." She opened her eyes, feeling like she needed to do something drastic. She ran back to where she had started. She needed a way to scan through the train without running around aimlessly. She had a plan, and it was a bit out of the box, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

With her horn glowing, pulsating with intense magical energy, Luna could sense the entire train, every part of it, from its metal framework to the intricate inner workings of its machinery. She could even feel the subtle shifts of the train cars as they rumbled along the tracks. But the most important thing that Luna could feel was the presence of something, or someone.

"W-What is this presence!" Luna gasped, feeling the presence of the Professor. She could feel his energy. It was cold and dark, yet incredibly powerful. Luna's eyes widened as she felt this dark power. She had no idea what kind of being the Professor was, but it was clear he wasn't an ordinary being. He had an incredible amount of magic and energy.

"Wait...if I can sense something like this, then whatever this presence is, it could be a key to the Soul Crystal. It would be that powerful, right?" She asked herself. She had to follow this feeling. It could lead her to the Crystal.

Luna followed the presence as she walked. The further along the train she went, the more powerful the presence became, and the more ominous and foreboding. It was like it was getting stronger and stronger as she moved forward. She knew that the closer she got to this presence, the closer she would be to finding the Soul Crystal.

But it was so powerful that it made Luna uneasy. The power seemed to be growing and becoming more intense with each step. It was a strange feeling, and she was starting to feel overwhelmed. "This presence..." she thought. "Is this the Professor?" she asked herself.

The power and the presence she felt grew more and more, and she couldn't ignore the feeling. "This has to be the Soul Crystal, and if so...it's nearby. But now that I'm feeling it out...it doesn't seem to be cloaked or hidden...at least not within the train..."

The Princess of the Moon paused for a moment, trying to deduce this. And then, it hit her. There was a reason why she couldn't see the Soul Crystal whatsoever, even with the aid of her powers. "Could it be...that it's in another dimension within the train itself?!" She gasped.

At the Mirados Circuit, Ash's group and the few racers remaining managed to leave the W87 section, leaving the city section of the track. Up ahead was the next section which seemed far more lax compared to W87, which had been an incredibly destructive challenge. This one seemed much easier as Ash could see the path up ahead.

They were unaware of Alpha having defeated everyone at the temple or that she had the idea to make a vehicle of incredible speeds.

"We made it..." Ash said, breathing heavily. He was happy to leave W87 behind.

As he and his friends continued along the path, they could see that there was an open road in front of them, lined with lush trees and grass. A small stream flowed through the area and birds sang in the trees. The air was filled with the scent of wildflowers, and the sound of a gentle breeze rustled the leaves.

The path ahead of them was made of smooth stone and wound through the beautiful forest. The path itself was wide enough for them to travel side by side, and the trees on either side provided some shade and protection from the sun.

This was the more lax version of the Mirados Circuit. A way to cool off after going from W87. This place was known as Serenity Forest. It was a place to relax before the more intense parts of the race began. It was a beautiful place, a welcome relief from the chaos of W87. They were glad to be here. It gave them time to think, to breathe, to relax.

"Finally..." Ash said, as they drove along the road, with Ash and his friends being the first ones on the scene. No other racer in sight.

They all took a moment to enjoy the scenery and the peace of the place. They knew that they still had a lot of track to go, but they were glad to have this peaceful spot for now. It was not a pitstop area, but it did allow the group to rest and move slower.

"Do you think Princess Galela has it covered?" Spike asked.

"We can only hope so. We've been running from the Institute for hours now." Twilight replied. "We're still cut off from our Universe, but I told Harmony to do that. Just to make sure no one else from the Institute would come here. We just have to wait and see."

"Well, looks like she missed someone." A voice replied to Twilight. All eyes turned to face an individual who appeared in this universe. It was the same individual who stepped through that one gateway, the shoe belonging to that of a human.

But it was not an enemy who had shown up.

It was a friend.

Brock.

"BROCK!" They all said with absolute glee on their faces, especially Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey there. Need extra help?" Brock saluted as a greeting. To see him here was a shock. It seemed that the lockdown on this universe wasn't exactly perfect. But it also brought a benefit. A powerful and reliable ally in the form of Brock.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 690 End.