My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Unilight. The Star Trials. The Velestra Ascent. Day.

The group would eventually reach the summit, coming to a massive open area where the spire stood. Dealing with Tyrantrum and getting past the obstacles, they successfully made it to the end.

"We're finally here!" Nate sighed with relief.

"Phew! It feels like we've been moving up this mountain forever." Sci-Twi sighed, feeling sweaty and tired.

"All that heat...I could use this in my Gym one day..." Sunset chuckled, patting her friend on the back. Now that they were here, they had all cleared the fist trial and because of this, the cluster of stars returned once more, ready to teleport them to the second trial. Soon, they would all vanish, being transported by the light and entering the second trial in the next area.

The Overclock Space.

Another area from Unilight, specifically higher plane. The Overclock Space. A dazzling, high-energy realm where time and thought accelerate to an almost unbearable pace. The entire area was a surreal construct of connected glowing platforms suspended in an endless void of swirling lights.

Here, it was said that even the thoughts of those who resided here could come alive, manifesting into their own entities, but they were very small and weak.

Ash and his friends soon found themselves here, standing within this strange space. And when they arrived, they gazed upon the platform they were on. It was made of crystalized rainbow energy, glowing brightly as it radiated with power.

"Huh...where are we now?" Ethan questioned, looking around.

"You're in the Overclock Space." Twilight Luminaria called out to them. "This place is a realm of speedy thoughts. When you're here, time goes by so fast. So fast that time and thought become almost intertwined. But it also slows down time outside of here, preventing any interference. And no one can come here without my permission. It's one of Unilight's most powerful defenses."

"It's not like you were gonna let us out in the first place..." Elio scratched his hair, pointing that that.

"This is where your mind will be tested and where I know for a fact you won't be able to overcome this one. A majority of you at least. Here in the Overclock Space, time accelerates to an unfathomable rate. Thoughts manifest and become real. So the faster you think, the faster time goes. And if you aren't able to keep up, you'll be frozen in time. But that's not what I'm looking forward to. It's what this place will put in your mind."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" Lucas questioned.

"Here's a demonstration. Feel the thoughts of all those who lost everything to Prisma." A flash of magic happened around them as they felt something enter their minds. An overwhelming sense of fear and hopelessness was flooding through them. And it was coming from the others in this space, manifested from the thoughts of many.

"W-What is this?!" Ethan cried out.

"Oh no...this is...!" Sunset Shimmer gasped in horror.

"The despair, the pain, the regret...the misery. You feel it too, don't you?" Twilight Luminaria asked, getting no response from any of them. "And there's more of it coming." She pointed out, making them turn around. They saw three paths leading to the spire, but they could see several shadows heading their way.

"I'm sure you can tell just by looking at them what those are. They're all the thoughts of those who have had their lives ruined by Prisma and have been driven to despair. And because this is the Overclock Space, their thoughts manifest."

"GGHHH!" Ash held his head along with his counterparts. They all got on their knees, hearing these thoughts rapidly bombard their mind. Even those not involved would feel it as well. Sci-Twi, Celestia and Sunset cried out, unable to take it.

"These voices...!" Sci-Twi gripped her hair.

As for these voices, they were all rage-induced, using that same Magic of Hatred. The force of their outbursts would cause Ash and the others to collapse onto their stomachs, feeling the overwhelming power. But it wouldn't just stop there, more of these shadowy figures would continue to appear, rushing towards them and attacking their minds with their hatred and pain.

"It hurts!" Ash groaned out.

It wasn't just them being furious. It was the weight of their rage that was overbearing. These were all the thoughts of those who suffered because of Prisma, those who were unable to stop him before he destroyed everything. They were all being fed to the group.

The weight of it was tremendous on so many levels, consisting of a billion outcries. Sci-Twi had a tear slide down her face, knowing how many people there were. She could sense their pain and agony, wishing that she could do something for them.

"Ah...it's so painful!" Sci-Twi gritted her teeth, trying to resist it. "They're all suffering...because of Prisma..."

"Yes. And you can hear their voices too at the same level as his counterparts, can't you?" Twilight Luminaria asked, making her gasp. "Those with strong hearts can hear the voices of those who are in pain and suffering. And those voices can cause them to feel the same pain. And that's what I want to test. Your hearts. Your bond. I'm curious about how much you can take before you break."

The group would soon find themselves surrounded by these shadowy figures, the group trying to resist the weight of their emotions. "I...don't think so!" But Celestia would manage to dispel the weight of these thoughts, using her magic to do so.

Everyone would breathe heavily, their minds being freed of all that rage for now. They panted, feeling their heads shake for a while. But they would eventually calm down and look at Celestia.

"Thanks Celestia..." Ash breathed out.

"That was rough..." Elio sighed. "Those voices were so strong...I felt like they were gonna crush my skull!" He rubbed his head a bit, trying to calm down.

"I didn't think it'd be that powerful..." Lucas shook his head.

"Of course it was going to be that powerful. All that destruction is all because of you." Twilight Luminaria addressed. "You fended it off now, but I guarantee you that you will feel it once more. This whole place is usually used to test the mental fortitude of others, but I know you won't be able to handle it all."

"Not if we reach the goal." Celestia shifted her eyes, seeing how there was another spire in the distance. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen." She narrowed her eyes, pointing out the other spire.

"I already know where you're going with this." Twilight Luminaria said. "But this is different. I'd like to see you all get past that. The Temporal Zones."

She drew their attention to one of the areas in this space. The Temporal Zones. Regions where time flowed inconsistently. "There, some areas speed up thought processes, allowing rapid problem-solving but causing mental fatigue. Others slow perception, creating a sense of urgency as tasks require more effort to complete. But for all of you, the circumstance will be much harder on you. I promise that."

"As if! We'll just blow past through it!" Nate would take out a Poke Ball, throwing it. "Go! Haxorus!"

"Haxorus!"

"Giga Impact!"

"Xorus...!" Haxorus would have its body enveloped in a white light and would dash towards the direction of the spire, flying across the sky. It moved at blinding speeds, the light of its attack leaving a trail. It would hit the first barrier of thought and it would dissipate upon impact.

Twilight Luminaria scoffed at this, shaking her head at their foolish attempt.

"Huh, looks like the problem was solved! What a breeze, am I right?" Hilbert smirked. However, he was completely and utterly wrong, for a large shockwave of time would strike Haxorus as he roared out in pain.

"AXORUS!"

"H-Haxorus! What was that?" Nate questioned, looking worried. Soon, something would flow out of the Temporal Zone, approaching them all. It ended up being a powerful time wave of sorts, seeping into their heads. Once more, it was something tht would target their minds.

"It's happening again..." Celestia said in a serious tone. They couldn't react in time as the time wave flowed over them and the Pokemon that were currently out.

"GAAH!" The entire group felt this as if being struck across the face, nearly falling to their feet as their minds would throb. "This one is a bit more intense!" Sunset growled, holding her head.

"G-Gah...! W-what happened to Haxorus?" Nate wondered.

"Hax...Haxo!" Haxorus clenched its teeth, one of its eyes aggressivley twitching as it was putting its all to resist.

"No matter what you would have done, the Temporal Zone would seep these thoughts into your regardless." Twilight Luminaria spoke, "Even if you get past it, the thoughts will linger."

"Then...let's keep moving!" Ash held onto his head as he and the others would try and power through the Temporal Zone. They all moved forward, having to grit their teeth. As they all flew past it on their Pokemon, the voices were getting more and more loud and louder.

Having all of these voices in their head go off while working was absolute pain. But eventually, the voices would stop, once they had gotten through the zone. But it didn't end there. Now, each of these thoughts were being segmented to a person, making them individual. But these individual thoughts held just as much rage even on their lonesome.

Celestia would temper it all for them, using a spell to quell their thoughts and mind for now. Everyone else was thankful for that. "That is just the start of your suffering here. You can never outrun or outsmart the thoughts. It will only catch up with you. If you can endure this, you might make it. And even if you don't, you can rest in this realm forever." Twilight Luminaria spoke.

"That won't happen." Celestia spoke back at her, using her magic once more to keep the others sane. This spell wouldn't work forever. This was meant to just ease them and protect their minds.

"We'll see. Especially when you have to deal with a Pokemon. Speaking of which..." One of these Monstrified Pokemon would be dropped upon the area, appearing in this dimension thanks to Grogar. This time, one of the Monstrified Pokemon ended up being a Metagross. The creature had been transformed with its eyes and body filled with hatred. A dangerous creature with high defenses.

Metagross transcended its mechanical look, becoming a cosmic monstrosity that fused hyper-intelligence with terrifying brute force. Its metallic body expands, taking on a star-like appearance with patterns of starlight and a central core radiating a pulsating blue and purple aura.

The four legs were now massive, clawed appendages that emit an eerie hum, capable of crushing both the physical and the mental. A halo of psychic energy orbits its body, distorting the space around it.

"Oh, come on...!" Lucas groaned.

"Do it, Metagross." Twilight Luminaria ordered.

"Ta. META!" Metagross was perfect for this area for one reason. It too could interact with their minds. So it took their own thoughts and sent them out at a high velocity, causing them to crash into their minds at breakneck speeds. The resulting collision of their own thoughts against their minds unleashed a torrential downpour of psychic waves, amplifying the intensity of their suffering to unprecedented levels.

"Agh! The force is so much stronger!" Ethan groaned, rubbing his forehead and trying not to pass out.

Metagross' core pulsates and hums ominously, emanating a constant flow of energy and power that resonates with the psychic force it generates. And to show it's strength, Metagross' body emits a pulsating light, a signal that the psychic barrage it unleashes upon everyone in the vicinity.

Space itself was distorting because of this as Metagross made the voices louder in the heads of Ash, Elio, Ethan and the other reincarnations. Sci-Twi would feel it too as a tear rolled down her cheek, her hair flowing back and her mind aching.

"Garde...!" Passion would fight back against this, clenching her teeth and using her own mental prowess to attack Metagross in retaliation. "Gardevoiirr...!"

"META?!" The Psychic Pincer move struck the Pokemon dead on, hurting it for a short moment. However, Metagross would quickly strike Passion in retaliation. Metagross had greater Psychic capabilities and therefore a higher ability to manipulate their mental states.

"GARD!" Gardevoir would groan out.

Passion wouldn't stop though. Not as her friends were in danger. So she took on Metagross and the both of their psychically collided, having a sort of psychic warfare against each other. Both Pokemon had glowing eyes, seeming on equal level.

But, Metagross had an advantage in this form. That being being able to seperate parts of its body, becoming like a constellation and firing beams of psychic energy right at her.

"?!" Passion gasped, quickly turning her head to see these beams approaching. But they wouldn't just hit her. Upon contact, they would release psionic waves that would open what appeared to be a spatial hole.

And once it was done, everyone would be dragged into it, feeling the tremendous gravitational pull from it, as well as a strange feeling. Soon, they would all be pulled inside with Gardevoir and then they would vanish from the Overclock Space. They would all feel themselves falling but their surroundings were nothing but a black void.

They all screamed as the sight outside would soon fade out of view, including Metagross. "Fall into Void of Endless Thoughts. This is as far as I expected all of you to get." Twilight Luminaria spoke. The connection would vanish and the battle would end.

Ash held his hand out as any semblance of light was stripped from his sight, his body falling into this Void of Endless Thoughts. Thoughts that would surely attack him and his friends.

The crowd were in absolute elation after seeing this. Seeing each of them fall into this void made them over the moon, because to them, it signified one thing. Prisma's end. His counterparts being in that void was a symbolic gesture, signifying his fall from grace, that he was unable to escape this situation that they set for him.

"Yes...! Metagross did it!" Someone called out. They were all in an uproar.

"D-Does that mean we won...?!!" Another looked on in disbelief while smiling. She couldn't believe her eyes. The greatest nightmare had fallen into what they all considered to be the absolute worst thing to end up in.

"It has to be! We won!" Someone called out, punching a fist up high. This made everyone become loud as the arena shook, the noise reaching a volume to a point where it seemed almost unbearable. All the residents of the city had a great sense of hope. A new day would begin. A day where they all could finally rest.

Twilight Luminaria smiled at this as the cheers of her subjects only invigorated her. Tears could be seen streaming down the faces of Unilight's residents, tears of absolute joy, of relief. Their suffering could finally end.

Professor Grogar let out a proud smirk, knowing that the Metagross he transformed was responsible for such an accomplishment.

The Arcane Institute's mission would finally be achieved, as long as they could ensure that those in that realm could not leave and for the last one, Victor, to be found. The counterparts would have no choice but to eventually fall, just as Prisma did. Their hearts, bodies and minds would break. Especially their souls.

"That should do it. They're not escaping this situation." Twilight Moonlight spoke, looking to be satisfied that she completed her part in this. "No one can escape the Void of Endless Thoughts."

"And it will end with them. There won't be a single soul who would have the power to help them out." Professor Grogar would say.

"Indeed. The Void of Endless Thoughts lives up to its name. Endless Thoughts so infinite that the targets enter a vegetative state. It is an inter-dimensional space where countless thoughts exist, all aiming to influence a person's decisions and emotions. And succeeding."

The Void of Endless Thoughts.

The dimension itself seems to have some sort of connection with thoughts.

It was Dimension of its own calibre. Or rather, dimensions. It had many layers, each containing the anger and rage of Unilight's residents but multiplied repeatedly, reaching numbers so absurd that it was impossible to keep up or even dictate how many there. Thus, being infinite. It was also a place of absolute mental chaos, overwhelming and influencing its targets with its vast network of thoughts that endlessly emerged from every direction.

These thoughts are like tendrils of influence that can take over a person's mind and force them to lose control. These thoughts would cause them to have an overload of memories, regrets, despair, all sorts of negative things that would slowly chip away at their mental and spiritual health. They could do so since these thoughts came from the Lost Universe. And the memories of those who fell victim to Prisma.

And in this dimension, Ash and company would continue to fall. Eventually, the area around them would shift. No longer were they surrounded by a void but were now plummeting down a long, endless spiral of thought tendrils.

Once more, they heard these thoughts, but their own voices were drowned out and impossible to hear, for they had begun screaming at first, until their throats dried out and were unable to utter any sound.

Their faces conveyed utter anguish. Tears were running down the face of Ethan. He could hear the suffering and anguish, knowing how many lives had been ruined.

Lucas had a much worse look. His eyes were almost wide, almost devoid of emotion. His mouth ajar as his entire being felt like it was shaking, trembling at all of this negativity.

Elio was looking as well, but in another direction. His eyes had the look of someone who could have a panic attack, which is not something Ash would ever have. His whole form was shaking, and he was biting down on his tongue.

As for Hilbert and Nate, they were the same in a way, both clutching at their head with a hand, gritting their teeth. Ash had his mouth wide open, trying to scream but nothing came out.

In reality, they all truly empathized with this pain. Despite being so different from Prisma, it didn't stop each of these counterparts from feeling what was done to the Lost Universe.

Constant yells of how much they hated Prisma would keep coming and there was nothing they could do about it. It was true as possible after all. Not a single lie in those words. So all they could do was accept them all as they descended further and further.

Each of them would cry out in anguish as the feelings of those who lost everything to Prisma would overpower them, the sadness becoming so overbearing that it made it impossible for them to fight back against the dimension. At this rate, it felt like they would pass out from all of this. And after passing out, eventually, they'll be so overwhelmed that they will be unresponsive and completely in the darkness, unable to escape.

Then, everything silent for them all. The voices kept coming, but neither one of them said anything, simply letting the voices consume them entirely. And not just the voices, but the darkness as well.

Elsewhere in Unilight, Twilight Moonlight managed to sneak past many guards, her disguise helping her hide the fact that she was one of Twilight Luminaria's incarnations. It allowed her to move around the nation more easily as she had one target in mind. Twilight Luminaria herself.

She looked over at the massive stadium, using her magic to enhance her sight. There, she saw the Queen inhabiting Twilight Sparkle's body, having a proud smile on her face. Twilight Moonlight didn't like the look of that smile, knowing that something crucial has happened. But her eyes soon saw someone else that made her gasp.

Professor Grogar.

Twilight Moonlight knew that if she were to show up while he was there, her betrayal would be exposed, causing the others in the Institute to act accordingly. "The Professor..." She said with a low voice. Her heart started beating faster, as she didn't want him to know that she helped out the One Light team or even betray the Institute in general. "How am I going to approach this...?"

She thought for a while, trying to find the best way to approach. The magical items she managed to buy might help. She looked into her saddlebag, trying to think of ways she would be able to use it.

There was a magic mirror that allowed her to create copies of herself.

She had a magic orb that would allow her to make a magical orb that would allow her to fire an invisible ray to track a person down, as long as their picture was in the center of the orb. Twilight Moonlight looked through the mirror, trying to find an opening and a window for herself.

But after some time, Twilight Moonlight didn't want to wait for it. So, she used a spell that would cause the guards to lose focus on what's around her. And after this, she was now able to move. Her disguise had a long cloak which could conceal most of her features, so it wasn't too odd to the guards that they might be seeing a fellow member.

She moved inside, taking a peek every once and while. Guards would pass by but wouldn't even give a glance at her, which made Twilight Moonlight a bit unnerved at first, but then realized it was her spell that helped with it. But, while it did help in some cases, it wasn't exactly an invisibility spell, so that was the bad part.

***

Back in the Void of Endless Thoughts, it truly looked like they had been defeated. As their eyes and bodies twitched, they continued to fall into this spiralling abyss of hate.

It all seemed to have reached a point where no matter how much will they had, they were powerless. Or so that's how the others felt.

But for Ash, things were different.

"..." Ash would clench his hands when hearing this, tears continuing to fall from his face. He sympathized with them. Truly, he did. There was no doubt about it and there never will be. However, one thing was absolute about Ash. And it waas that there was something else at stake here. Something that was also important to him.

His friends.

"I..." Ash said to himself as he started opening his hands slowly. He had an intense look in his eye. "I won't...I won't..." Ash growled. He knew that these people had suffered a terrible loss, that they would do anything to prevent this tragedy from ever occurring. They had to. But so did he. And as they all kept falling, eventually, a light shone on his chest, shining brightly.

Passion's eyes would open slightly, looking over at her friend. She had a surprised expression on her face, and in that moment, she smiled. "Gar...de..." She muttered as she continued to look at this bright light. Her entire form was also enveloped in light.

"I won't let you hurt my friends in exchange...!" Ash's friends were on the line. His family was on the line. Far too much was at risk. If he loses here, his friends and all those in One Light were in jeapordy. Refusing to let that happen, with a heavy heart, Ash decided to put his friends first over the rage of the Unilight Residents.

It was a huge risk on his part, but to protect what he loves, and the memories he gained, the experiences he made, the fun that he had with all his friends, those he loved so much and those that brought meaning to his life. A world of suffering was not an option. Ash would go back, save them, and make a world where they all would be safe.

"Please, Sir Aaron!" From his hands, he summoned the Staff of Sir Aaron, using his Aura to do so. "I need your help!" With the staff summoned, Ash would tightly grip it. Soon enough, the Staff would begin to resonate and glow.

And from his body, his Aura starting rising higher than before, flowing in unison with the staff and reaching new heights. He let out a cry that would be so powerful that it overpowered the negative voices, drowning the dimension itself, reaching far across its many, many layers.

"Hm?" Twilight Luminaria's smile would drop once she saw the small glint of light in the darkness. A glimmer of hope that would reach across the entirety of Unilight. The thought tendirls themselves seemed to slowly vanish from that. The glimmer would continue to rise, getting brighter.

And as for Ash, he used that aura, with the help of the staff to create an Aura shield, surrounding all of his friends and sending a shockwave through this space, the aura waves spreading far, and pushing all the voices back, making sure to surround the area in aura energy while he himself was protected.

"I'm not...giving...up!" With a roar and a yell, he pushed back the forces around him. He felt something pulling him back at first, the force in this dimension was trying to push back against it, trying to drag him and all of his friends back down into the abyss.

But Ash pushed and resisted it, resisting with every inch of his soul. At the same time, he was being pelted with more of those negative voices.

"Impossible...!" Twilight Luminaria couldn't believe what she was seeing. Ash's Aura was burning away at the darkness, pushing back and elevating.

Celestia and Red smiled at Ash, a part of them expecting this. They knew he wouldn't let it end here when he had so much at stake. But so did they. They had the same mindset as Ash. Celestia being as old as she is and being a ruler already knew how hard it was for the Unilight Citizens. But she also had to prioritize her own citizens of Equestria and the Earth, those in other regions, and most importantly those in this One Light group.

She could only imagine how many lives could be in danger. She was a protector too, just as he was, but there were others to prioritize, as cold as that sounds. And Celestia didn't like it one bit, to act as if she had to decide whose life is more important than another.

Red felt the same. Despite how reserved he may appear, he had those he loved truly in his heart, those he wanted to be safe and live in harmony. No one deserved to live in misery and pain, and the lost souls of Unilight had gone through too many tragic incidents that took the lives of so many and the destruction of many civilizations.

But as the current world had been going, Red had hope. So, so much hope for its future. And if these people kept persisting, they'd doom more lives in the process, and that was something that neither he nor the others could accept.

So, Celestia and Red joined in with him. They were both enveloped in a golden aura, just as he was. And soon enough, more aura was sent out. It was bright, it was beautiful. Something that brought warmth and safety. And their auras also combined with Ash's own, making their strength even stronger.

Passion would glow too, her spirit resonating with Celestia. And together, the four of them started burning through the darkness, much to the shock and horror of everyone watching. A mix of Blue, Red, Gold and Pink colours would shine bright throughout the city of Unilight, blinding many of them. This aura also began to expand outwards in a spherical shape, cutting its way through the Void of Endless Thoughts.

Everyone would soon see this from all across the city. It was hard not to. They felt that light and they knew what that meant. The four of them roared as their combined light would soar at incredible speeds, surpassing light it self.

And from it, it would strike at Metagross, hitting it from below. "M-META!" Metagross was caught off guard by this sudden light that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, taking a gigantic hit. The Void of Endless thoughts would shatter into a trillion pieces and more, the dimension collapsing upon itself. Eventually, everything would return to normal.

The light would dim, but still stay around them as Ash was now back on his two feet, his hands gripping tightly on the Staff of Aaron, his body trembling with the power that was within his body, and in his heart and soul. Passion would look around. So would Celestia, and Red, and finally Ash himself.

"But that's impossible...! The Void of Endless Thoughts is an Infinite Space!" Luminaria spoke in a surprised voice. The Professor would seem surprised as well but had a smile on his face. Everyone in the crowd were terrified.

"Hah..." Ash smirked, looking up afterwards. "We've got too much to lose here. So, we won't let all those words keep us down."

"..." Red adjusted his hat as his eyes started glowing. Celestia composed herself, taking deep breaths before removing her crown. Metagross was even bewildered and stunned by it. "Twilight. Are you good to calm Metagross down?" Ash asked.

"N-no...Not right now..." Sci-Twi said with a goofy smile on her face, holding her head from being so dazed. "I'll leave it up to you."

"Okay then. Leave it to us." Ash and the others would take it from here. "Now it's our turn." Ash grinned as he and the others were ready to take initiative. They weren't about to let Twilight Luminaria and her trials mess with them to such a degree anymore. Not by a long shot.

And it starts with defeating Metagross and this Trial.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 735 End.