My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Universe 75. The Ultalysium Dynasty. Nightfall.

Alpha and the few members of the Arcane Institute made their appearance, standing before Twilight, Raleigh and the alicorns. Twilight was surrounded by two enemies. One that aimed to take her to the All-Seeing and another that aimed to take her back to the Arcane Institute's location.

"Sol...!" Absol snarled at each of them while still having an unconscious Applejack on her back, one still suffering from the alicorn's magic.

"I don't have time for this!" Twilight bellowed. "You're all in my way and getting in the way of my friends' safety!" She exclaimed, ready to use her magic to send every single guard in this area flying away with a massive telekinetic force.

"Intruders!" The alicorns said to the Arcane Institute. "Who even are you all?"

"You need not worry about that." Alpha said, stepping forward and looking at the unicorns with a cold, serious gaze. "All you need to know is that we're here for our own business." Alpha stated. "Step away from Twilight Sparkle this instance."

"Hmph! As if we are about to give her up. The All-Seeing has given us clear orders to take her away." One of the alicorns said. "Now, step aside."

"I will not." Alpha said. She took out one of the guns she had on her and aimed it right at the guard. "I have no interest in letting you capture Twilight Sparkle. This is an order from the Professor himself." Alpha explained.

"This isn't your concern!" The other guards shouted, taking out their own weapons and aiming them at Alpha. "Get out of our way or we'll be forced to use force!"

Tension rose as the Arcane Institute was not afraid to attack the Ultalysium Dynasty. Anything that involuntarily aids in the return of Prisma in some way must be eliminated. The two groups stared at each other, both prepared to fight if necessary.

But Twilight saw this as a chance of escaping. She had enough time to build up the Rift Magic within her, ready to use an array of spells to make her getaway. With both sides itching to make the right move once they see either opposition make a sudden movement, Twilight ended up making the first move.

With a flash of cosmic energy, she used the power of the Rift to help her, Applejack and Absol phase through the floor itself and appear on the other side. They were free to escape!

"What the-?! No! Stop them!" The guards said.

"After them." Alpha immediately took off as well as the two Betas and Zetas plus the students. All of them ran through the room, ready to follow the group through the floors below and even outside if needed.

Solar was quick to fly after them, but she was met with some trouble from the Ultalysium Dynasty's guards. "Out of my way!" She blasted some of them away with her magic, not hesitating to cause some destruction in her wake.

Twilight didn't bother looking back, she had to focus on getting away with Raleigh and Applejack. "Hold on, Applejack." She said, picking up the pace. "Absol! Keep looking out!" Twilight shouted.

"Absol!" Absol responded, running faster and faster, getting ahead of Twilight.

The group of alicorns were now left in the dust, unable to catch up with the two ponies and Absol. "How is she so much faster than us?! She is but one Alicorn!" One of them said. "Go inform the All-Seeing that she will have company arriving soon. We need to keep our eyes peeled for that Arcane Institute!" The lead guard said.

"Got it!" Another unicorn said, flying off to go report to the All-Seeing.

The group continued on their path. Twilight was determined to reach the palace, to meet the All-Seeing in person. Though she had Raleigh, she also knew he wouldn't be able to help her much considering how weak his body still was. Plus, he wasn't as accustomed to the magic of this universe like she was. So, Twilight was sure she could easily escape with her own strength.

However, the alicorns were a persistent bunch, refusing to let Twilight escape so easily. They too, were determined to complete their mission given to them by the All-Seeing. The chase was on!

The hallways of the castle were long, winding, and twisting, filled with countless doors and rooms. Every turn would lead to another hallway, each one nearly identical to the last. The constant use of rifts began taking its toll on Twilight, sapping her magic. The chase became more frantic, as both sides were desperate to escape their pursuers.

The group of alicorns continued on their path, trying to catch up with Twilight and Raleigh. But the two groups of ponies were equally matched, neither side able to gain an advantage over the other. The chase went on, as Twilight continued to use the power of the Rift to aid her escape, teleporting herself and Absol ahead of her pursuers.

The alicorns flew forward, trying to keep up with Twilight and Raleigh. But it was difficult, as Twilight's mastery of rift magic made her a formidable opponent.

Finally, Twilight saw the end of the hallway, a massive door leading to what appeared to be the outside. With one final burst of speed, she rammed into the door, pushing it open and bursting out into the open air.

At last, she managed to reach the outside, but it wasn't exactly safe either. The raging hurricanes and thunderstorms continued to rage across the skies, making flight difficult. The winds whipped around Twilight and Raleigh, nearly blowing them off course. It was even harder for the guards who tried to pursue them, their wings not strong enough to carry them through such turbulent weather.

"What's with this weather?!" Twilight groaned, struggling to fly through the windy air. The crash of lightning and the roar of thunder made it even harder to hear anything else. "This is just great!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Raleigh! Absol!" Twilight called out to them, making sure they were okay. "We're fine!" Raleigh responded, clinging onto her tightly. "I think we lost them!" Applejack said.

But they hadn't lost them, as Alpha would suddenly appear above them. "Twilight Sparkle." She addressed her calmly. Alpha was see riding on top of a winged Ark, courtesy of the Acane Institute. A mini, golden platform, shaped like an angel with long wings. The front of it resembled the head of a serpent, with two long horns sprouting from the sides.

"Use Dark Pulse!"

"Absol!" Absol raised his head, firing a spiral of darkness right at Alpha. She was quick to dodge, easily flying out of the way. "You won't get away that easily." Alpha said, her voice stern and commanding. "I suggest you give up now."

"Not a chance!" Twilight said. "Especially not with how things are right now!"

"By following you, I will be led to Ash Ketchum as well." Alpha said, accelerating her Winged Ark towards Twilight. "If you wish to continue this pointless chase, then so be it."

"Dark Pulse!"

"Sol!" Absol fired another spiral of darkness at Alpha. But once again, she dodged out of the way, getting closer and closer to Twilight.

The Winged Ark crashed into Twilight, knocking her out of the sky. "Ngh!" Twilight yelled, struggling to stay airborne. The turbulent winds only made it more difficult for her, as she struggled against them.

"You're coming with us!" Alpha said, grabbing hold of Twilight's hindleg. "You will come back to the Arcane Institute!"

"Stop! Please!" Raleigh bellowed at the clone of his sister while Absol rushed towards her. Twilight's eyes lit up with magc, attempting to blast Alpha away while Absol lunged into the air with a Night Slash.

However, someone else had forced Alpha off Twilight. That being the alicorns. Concentrated rays of magic forced her off Twilight, causing the Soul Clone to slide back, her body being rather resilient to even magic.

But this was still a disadvantage for Twilight as the alicorns would hold onto her via their magic.

The alicorns held on tightly to her, keeping her suspended in the air. "Let go! Let go!" She screamed, trying to struggle away from them. This prompted Absol to switch targets, slashing at the air with his Night Slash as he sent crescent-shaped waves of dark energy towards them. The waves cut through the air, but they weren't strong enough to pierce through the alicorns' magical shields.

"Get off me!" Twilight yelled as she struggled to break free of their grasp. Her eyes glowed brightly with magic, unleashing an explosion of energy from within her body. The alicorns were blasted back by the force of the blast, leaving them disoriented and dazed.

Absol took the opportunity to swoop in, striking the alicorns with his claws and fangs. But even he wasn't enough, as their shields proved too strong for him to break through. Twilight landed on the ground, taking deep breaths after breaking free.

The alicorns quickly recovered and began to attack again. They fired beams of magic from their horns, aiming to capture her once again. Twilight was forced to dodge, avoiding each blast of energy. By using her Rift Magic, she would herself temporarily intangible to avoid the beams, allowing them to fly through her without doing any harm.

By doing so, she would have enough time to cast a powerful spell, the kind of spell only a being like Twilight would have the magical power to cast. It required immense magical power to perform, and Twilight was the perfect target to do it.

As a result of using that spell, the weather would start to die down, as if it was being pulled in a certain direction. A powerful vortex was forming in the air above Twilight and the others. It was sucking in all of the energy and magic around them, drawing everything towards it. The alicorns were also affected, their wings unable to resist the pull of the vortex. Even Alpha was having a hard time, struggling to maintain her balance.

The vortex continued to grow larger, growing more powerful as it sucked in all of the energy. Twilight was the only one unaffected by its power, being the center of its influence. The vortex continued to draw everything towards it, including Alpha, Absol, and the alicorns.

It would have been impossible for Twilight to maintain her concentration, let alone cast another spell. She had no choice but to wait for the vortex to finish sucking in all of the energy. This allowed Absol to use Giga Impact, launching himself and the unconscious Applejack forward. Doing this, Absol would zoom across the air, grabbing onto Raleigh with his mouth, biting his shirt and dragging him along. He'd quickly grab onto Alpha, and fly forward with all three of them.

The vortex continued to suck in the alicorns, the Winged Ark that Alpha was standing on being torn apart in the process. Twilight watched helplessly, waiting for the spell to finish.

In that instance, Twilight took flight, ending the spell, but the vortex remained. She built it up enough for it to linger for a few minutes, so it should buy them time. She took flight and followed after Absol, hoping that she'd find him. After a while of searching, she managed to find him. Absol was holding tightly to Applejack, who had regained consciousness, as well as holding tightly onto Raleigh and a barely conscious Alpha. "Good work Absol." Twilight said, relieved that her friend was safe. She flew up beside him, looking at the group. "We should hurry and leave this place." She said. With the vortex still lingering for a while, they were able to fly out of there.

And yet, for Alpha it didn't seem to be a threat. She remained calm, along with the two Betas and Zetas. All the while, the students were fearing for their life. The alicorns as well, their balance of flight being absolutely ruined by this vortex.

The reason for Alpha's reasoning was simple. She had an answer to this. By holding two hands into the air, the Soul Clone began harnessing the magic embedded within all those many souls that made up her very being. Or in this case, the new magic she's inherited.

"It's time to test its true effectiveness. The magic of Princess Galela."

Alpha had the magic of Galela within her soul now. In fact, a new soul was a part of her body. That being Princess Galela herself. And because of this, she had access to her spells.

In this instance, what she did was cast a shield of some kind, a golden, crystalline barrier that was around the entire Winged Ark, including her allies. She then raised her hands in the air, as the vortex would start to be absorbed by this barrier. "All is one. One is all. Become the all-encompassing vortex itself." Alpha spoke. "And turn it against your enemy. Become the Vortex."

And with those words, Alpha raised her hand up and aimed at the direction that the others went to. She unleashed the Vortex, a much stronger one than before. One that was able to tear apart the ground, or at least that was what was going to happen.

Symbols manifested due to this powerful spell as Egyptian-like hieroglyphics appeared around Alpha, spinning around as she absorbed the power of the vortex and unleashed it towards the direction Twilight Sparkle, Raleigh, Applejack and Absol.

And so, a massive wave of force flew forward, tearing up the very ground below it. The grass, dirt and rocks were torn out of the ground and sucked up into the powerful whirlwind that was now tearing towards Twilight Sparkle and the others. "Twilight! Look out!" Applejack shouted in alarm.

But Twilight Sparkle was able to see the attack. She had a determined expression on her face, not even afraid at the sight of such an attack. "You won't hurt my friends." Twilight said.

The whirlwind of energy continued to fly towards Twilight Sparkle and the others, growing larger as it drew closer. However, Twilight Sparkle was not worried, her expression unwavering. She raised her hand up in the air. "You won't hurt my friends. I won't let you." She said. With that, she unleashed a burst of Rift Magic, creating a rift that opened in front of the group, blocking the attack from reaching them.

The whirlwind continued to move, but it was blocked by the rift. As the rift closed, the whirlwind dissipated. Twilight sighed with relief as she and the others continued on their way, heading for the city in the distance.

Raleigh, Applejack and Absol looked at each other, relieved that they were safe, but worried about the next attack that could come. "We should get out of here," Applejack suggested.

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "Yes. We need to find somewhere safe to rest."

As the four continued on their journey, they couldn't help but worry about what might come next. They knew they needed to find a way to defeat Alpha and her companions, but they didn't know how they were going to do it. For now, all they could do was keep moving and try to stay ahead of the enemy. But with the Arcane Institute behind them, they had no doubt that they would be safe.

The vortex continued to grow larger, drawing in everything in its path. Twilight Sparkle, however, had a counter. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the tip of her horn, and it pierced through the center of the vortex.

As the light beam penetrated the vortex, the energy within the vortex was suddenly released in a violent burst. The force of the explosion sent everyone flying in all directions.

The force of the blast threw the Winged Ark violently to the side, nearly tipping it over. The alicorns nearby screamed in fear and shock as they clung to anything they could hold on to. The impact of the blast shattered the crystal shield that protected them, and they could see the damage to the land around them, and the sky above them. Smoke rose from the blast, obscuring their view of the sky and the sun. But the blast had been contained, and no further harm had been done. Twilight was exhausted, her body drained of a ton of her power. But the blast was gone.

The Winged Ark landed in the forest with a crash, throwing the occupants violently around. They all fell to the ground, dazed and confused.

Alpha, the Soul Clone of Kimia, emerged from the rubble of the Ark, shaking her head and quickly refreshing her state of mind, showing how strong-willed she truly was. She had been held back for now by Twilight's quick thinking, but she was still a formidable foe. As she stepped out from the rubble, she was already focused on continuing on from here, not slowing down for a moment.

"She's managed to hold us back once more. but not for long. That spell of hers has most likely burnt a majority of her magic away."

"So, she's more vulnerable now." One of the Betas said.

"Exactly." Alpha replied. "She won't be able to outpace us for long. But those alicorns could be trouble if they continue getting in our way. We need to ensure that doesn't happen."

"Agreed." One of the Betas spoke up.

The Betas were powerful trainers in their own right, all possessing great magical and technological prowess, but it was still nothing compared to Alpha.

"We need a way to distract the alicorns." Alpha stated.

"Leave that to us." The two Betas and Zetas stepped forward, deciding to handle the alicorns themselves while Alpha and the unicorn students focus on Ash and Twilight Sparkle.

"Ugh..." Twilight indeed felt winded after using all that magic, and she could tell her magic was still recharging from such a big move. But it was a necessity, one she had to use to keep herself, and her friends, safe. But it seemed they had managed to shake off Alpha for the time being.

"Twilight!" Raleigh rushed over to her. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah... Just a bit drained, but that's about it." Twilight nodded, taking deep breaths to try and calm down from the action.

"Well, we're certainly out of danger... For now, at least." Raleigh looked up at the sky to make sure they weren't followed.

"For now isn't enough. All those Alicorns are after me...plus the Institute." Twilight groaned, placing her hoof on her head. I still need to find Ash and everyone else...Harmony's gateway won't matter if everyone isn't able to go through...especially me..."

"Ash will find us. I know he will. But as for everyone else..." Raliegh paused, trying to think of something in such a difficult moment. He would dig into Twilight's saddlebag, taking out her Harmony Badge to find that answer. "Maybe I can open a gateway and get you home. So that you can rest for the time being." he suggested.

Twilight took the badge, looking at the beautiful badge that would lead her to safety, where her loved ones would be waiting. "I can't. They'll track me there instantly. Princess Galela's spell to hide our souls didn't seem to do the trick...No matter what, they know how to find us..."

"There must be something else. This badge has so many forms of energy in it..." Raleigh looked at the badge, wondering what it was truly capable of. Each and everyone of the different forms of magic and energy within are capable of great things. All he had to do was find out how it worked and how to harness it.

And he would attempt that.

After all, much like how the Soul Clones of Kimia are adept in tech because of Kimia herself, Raleigh had a knack for machines as well. Even though the Harmony Badge was mostly mystical and cosmic-like, it still had technology involved. With his mind and knowledge, Raleigh began to think about a solution to all of this.

"Let me see if I can get this thing to work some wonders." Raleigh sat down, ready to experiment and create. But he needed time. So, with a Poke Ball out, he sent out his Magearna as a form of protection and to watch his back while he did this. "Keep us safe for a bit. I'm going to figure out this little accessory of ours. And hopefully get us back to the others." he said to her, before getting to work.

Magearna nodded and looked around to protect them both.

Elsewhere, Ash and Brock mostly managed to keep out of danger, Ash still carrying the unconscious Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. But eventually, they left the civilization areas of the Ultalysium Dynasty, heading more into the wildlife itself. In this case, a place known as the Eternal Glowfields. A dangerous expanse where the ground constantly shifts and burns with magic eruptions.

It was here they would encounter a pack of Wolf Pokémon, one of many species to be altered and evolved from this Dynasty's overwhelming amount of magic.

Lycanroc. Many of them. They all seemed to be hunting as they prowled through the Eternal Glowfields, moving silently in pursuit of prey.

Their eyes gleamed in the shifting light as they kept low to the ground, sniffing out the scent of other creatures that were passing through this place. One by one they emerged from their hiding places among the glowing grasses and trees.

The leader, a large black and white Lycanroc with red eyes stepped out into view first followed by its packmates. This Lycanroc had an unusual pattern of markings across its face that resembled scars left behind from battles long forgotten. Its fur bristled with energy as it looked around at the new arrivals before letting out a loud growl to alert the others of its presence.

The others joined him soon after, forming a tight circle around their quarry.

As always, these weren't ordinary Lycanroc; they were altered and changed by exposure to the magical energy that surrounded this world, their appearance altered dramatically due to their overflowing Infinity Energy.

One thing was clear though - they didn't look friendly! Ash looked at them and could see how powerful these Lycanroc were compared to the ones that he had fought against back home in his universe. These creatures had grown strong thanks to their harsh lives here, where only those who could survive against overwhelming odds could make it through each day unscathed.

The Alpha Lycanroc, a tall beastly wolf, was the first to notice that something strange was going on in their territory today. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of two intruders - one human and two equines, all three clearly not belonging to this world - standing just outside of their pack's territory. With a low growl he signaled for his pack to surround them while he watched carefully from afar.

As the pack formed up around Ash, he knew that this would be no easy fight if he couldn't reason with these creatures first. They seemed hostile already so he decided to try to reason with them anyway before engaging in combat.

"Lycan...!"

"Listen," Ash began, "we don't want any trouble. We're just passing through. We won't stay long. Just let us pass and there won't be any problems between us."

The lead Lycanroc growled menacingly as if warning off any potential attackers or challengers for its territory, while another Lycanroc stepped closer to inspect Ash more thoroughly. Its nose twitched as it sniffed curiously at him; evidently, these creatures were cautious about newcomers who ventured too close without invitation, even if those visitors weren't necessarily looking for a fight. Ash kept talking, trying to keep the pack from attacking, hoping to reason with them, especially if he had to protect Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy from these Pokémon.

"I'm telling you the truth, I really mean it, we don't want any trouble," He said firmly. "All I want to do is get my friends to safety and find my way home. Can you understand that?" He looked around at the pack of Lycanroc surrounding him and noticed that the Alpha was eyeing him carefully.

"I don't think they care too much about that, Ash." Brock said quietly beside him.

"I..." Ash was more than ready to charge his way through them if that was the case. At least, he would've been. But he hesitated greatly. Ash's pupils dilated as all he could think about was how he was the one who harmed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy by letting Prisma take the reins.

For the first time, Ash was afraid to battle in his defence, let alone in the defense of others. "I..." Ash looked at them, his fists clenching. He wanted to, but...

"Ash?" Brock looked at his friend in concern. He could see something was off.

"Pika-Pi?" So would Pikachu. He was looking up at his trainer with a worried look. He could tell that something was troubling Ash. Ash didn't want to take action, fearful that he might let Prisma take over again. Now that Prisma went through his greatest awakening yet, Ash could feel it. Prisma's soul has grown stronger because of that, meaning the chances of him awakening have increased.

He was hesitant. He couldn't bring himself to attack them, even in the defence of himself or the others. But he knew that there was no choice, unless he ran, which wasn't much of a better alternative.

"Lycan!" The Lycanroc would not wait around, taking action themselves. They all lunged forward, ready to strike at Ash and his friends.

Brock and Pikachu looked up, being a bit too slow on the mark to properly react. But thankfully, these attacks were intercepted by someone, saving them from the incoming strike.

"Water Pledge!"

Pillars of water were summoned in a flash, forming between Ash and Brock and Pikachu, stopping the attacks. These pillars then formed a wall that blocked them from the Lycanroc. That Water Pledge came from only one Pokemon, meaning one thing.

It was Nate.

Ash and Brock turned to see Nate alongside his Samurott, the counterpart of Ash finally being awake and present in this universe. "This way!" He called for them to rush towards him and they did just that while they still had time.

Ash, Brock and Pikachu bolted instantly and began running to where Nate was. With the wall still in place, it gave them time to make it. As soon as they made it past the barrier, Samurott would dispell the water wall. The Lycanrocs would not pursue, giving up on their attack and leaving them be. But it was likely they were going to stay here, still guarding this area.

Right now, all that mattered was that Nate was safe and sound, having not been badly harmed even after all of this. He seemed to have landed elsewhere in this world instead of within the towns and cities. This meant that he was exempt from the stadium and Ash only had to guess that Hilda was safe as well. Hilber definitely hoped so as the journey continues.

Chapter 706 End