Equestria. Canterlot. Canterlot Castle. Afternoon.
Rainbow Dash had arrived at Canterlot, present with Mayor Mare's poster. As a way to make enough money for the next evolution of Fluttershy's Pokemon House, Mayor Mare's secret event was revealed. All that had to happen was for Celestia to approve it.
"Well...You wanted to see me?" Princess Celestia rose from her throne. "You come from quite a distance away. Is everything alright?"
"Yep, it is. Don't you worry. I just have something to show you," Rainbow Dash answered, taking the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a fellow Royal and the Sun Princess herself.
"Oh? Show me? Well...Let's see what it is then, shall we?" Celestia spread her wings out and stretched them in a matter of seconds before regaining her grace and proper posture, folding her wings back into place as she continued, "What is that you wish to show me today?"
With Celestia's interest already peaked, Rainbow Dash let her hand go free and held it forth, showing the white poster and allowing her to read it with ease, though Rainbow still began to explain things. "It's this flyer for this Pokelympic Competition...The first Equestria wide, interregional one!" Rainbow began, moving the flyer closer for Celestia's viewing.
She skimmed through the paper, eyes quickly darting through every page, examining every nook and cranny. At the end, she smiled, turning back toward the pegasus.
"Well? Whadd'ya think? Mayor Mare's been saving this one."
"Hm. It's interesting and it does look fun, no doubt..." Celestia paused for a moment while Rainbow Dash nodded her head rapidly, waiting for that magical answer. But once those words escaped her lips, it was a spell that couldn't be stopped.
"However, I cannot approve this."
"Eh? Why!?" Rainbow gasped in shock. She was genuinely confused, believing that it'd be fine and would definitely be accepted. But from Celestia's tone, it really wasn't looking good for the Pegasus or her town.
"I'd love to, but right now, something like this can't be set up. Not with recent events still leaving their scars on the hearts of the land. No. It will have to wait."
"Aw, really? Well, uh...I guess I get why, but..."
"Until all threats are dealt with, we can't hope to have an event like this. Not when the risk of another attack is very much possible." Celestia then turned her head to the window, gazing at her subjects. "After defeating Nightmare Rarity, Daybreaker and the rest will certainly feel the need to defeat us before we stop them as well."
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her mane, clenching her teeth.
"It's for that reason I can't let this happen with how things are right now. Events such as this will have to wait. The same goes for the Pokemon Festival. If this problem persists until next year that is..."
"Wait, what?! You're gonna delay even the Pokemon Festival?!"
"We still have many months to go until next year's Pokemon Festival. If we aren't done with them as soon as possible, next year's Pokemon Festival may never happen. I hope you understand."
"I do. But you really love these kind of things, Princess..." Rainbow Dash mentioned, still somewhat taken aback. "But that's besides the point. I'll take it to heart and return this to Mayor Mare. Bummer. She was really looking forward to this."
Rainbow Dash would depart from Celestia and take her time making her way back home. She understood why Celestia shut it down, but Mayor Mare was about to be gutted by the news and would have to wait.
Once Rainbow Dash left, a strong frown met with Celestia's face. Shutting that event down actually gutted her too. Seeing the plan was wonderful and the thought was incredibly thoughtful. But alas, Celestia had a very important decision as Equestria's ruler. Ever since that Nightmare Rarity event came to a close, the Sun Princess has been keeping her guard up more often than usual.
She raised her head high. There was an answer within her. "I wish I could let it happen...To see such an event would be wonderful. But I just can't slow down for anything right now."
That day, the plans were crushed, utterly and completely. And this would leave a real blow to the money pool for the Pokemon House's upgrades and expansion. And right at the time where they needed to use the money on the Pokemon House.
Ponyville.
Back at Ponyville, Rainbow Dash returned to give Mayor Mare the sad news. Upon learning that everything was shut down, it was inevitable that Mayor Mare and the rest were gonna have to delay or cancel the Pokelympic Plan altogether.
And naturally, once she gave the news, all of Mayor Mare's enthusiasm had since been reduced to mere droplets and would likely dry up further, like rain during a drought. An immediate shot to the heart. A critical hit even.
"O-Oh...Oh...Well. So much for that, I guess. Such a shame. It would have made it big...B-Bigger than any other event..."
She bit her hoof, dragging her desk while she whined. She could imagine the disappointment. That face of hers. The realization that it would no longer become a possibility.
"Mayor, are you gonna be alright?" Applejack asked, feeling the pity coming forth.
"Mmm...It's fine. It's completely understandable." She grinned, her hoof twitching. "Princess Celestia has much more on her hoofs right now. The citizens and Pokemon have far too many responsibilities at this moment, especially with recent events."
"Well...we sure had high hopes." Pinkie Pie sighed, shaking her head. "It's not like Princes Celestia to turn down something this fun."
"A-Anyway! I'm sure you'll all figure something out for the Pokemon House." Mayor Mare stuttered, trying to play it off. But in reality, she wasn't fooling anyone. While she was old enough to withstand this, it still struck like a train. Rainbow Dash and the others left, but while their spirit had gone down the drain, Mayor Mare's had also gone from despair and shattered hope.
"I really wanted to have my own Pokemon Event. Something I made up..." She said to herself as Stoutland would walk up to her, comforting her with a nuzzle. "But, I suppose the world has enough of them. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."
"Stoutland."
While the disappointment was there, she was determined to keep positive and let her friends and the rest of Ponyville do the same during these dangerous times.
Back with Ash and Twilight, all the water from their Water-Types had finally poured into the large lake, filling it up completely. It had been quite a while for this, but the lake, filled to the brim, now had more than enough room for a humungous Pokemon like a Wailord.
All the Water-Types did an excellent job in making it possible. The water was now properly connected to the lake, leading into the greater world out there. "Alright! This is perfect!" Ash exclaimed as all the Pokemon cheered now that it was complete. "This could be the place where Wailord comes and goes anytime he wants. It connects to the ocean and everything!"
"It's big enough for Wailord and all those Wailmer. Fluttershy was smart when she requested a big lake just for him." Twilight smiled, happy to have done it. She would take a deep breath, a bit exhausted from all that work. "Phew, it's done. It's finished! But what else do you need, Fluttershy?"
"Oh. Thank you so much, everyone!" Fluttershy hugged Twilight, being grateful for the job she and everyone did. "You're all the best! Wailord will love this! This should make a perfect lake for him to relax and stretch out."
"Is there anything you'd like help with in particular? Or would you like us to check up on the other rooms?"
"I haven't finished drawing them out completely, but you'll need to ask the actual Pokemon themselves. But right now, I think we should just have a break first." Fluttershy advised.
"Thank goodness! We earned one. Especially since some of my legs are aching." Twilight flopped onto the ground, limbs sprawled out as she lay prone. "But yes...we should most definitely take a breather after that one."
Ash's Pokemon agreed with her, completely satisfied with the results. Not just for her, but for her Pokemon friends. They could relax now that this one was finished and Fluttershy had already brought a plethora of food for all of them, even the hungry Pokemon with large stomachs.
After eating a huge amount, they would start to feel sluggish and fall into a deep nap, getting some good shut-eye. The last of them, of course, being Goodra, who had an elated face, lounging about like it were a couch. "Goodra..."
Snorlax wouldn't stop, having more to eat, almost chugging the food and eating whatever his paw or tail could grab. Ash was no different, having a huge appetite as well. But being one with a stomach of steel, he was a match for Snorlax's speed.
While both Fluttershy and her Pokemon relaxed as well, Rainbow Dash would eventually make her return to tell the others the news, especially Fluttershy.
"Hey, Fluttershy..Uhh...there's a tiny little issue going on here. Heh, heh..." Rainbow Dash sweated bullets and proceeded to confess the entire situation. All was well and all was nice, until Rainbow Dash broke the bad news, leaving a sombre, sorrowful look on their faces.
Fluttershy's pupils shrank as her ears dropped along with her head, gutted by the news, much like Mayor Mare. "Oh. Oh nooo..."
"Y-yeah! I'm sorry." Rainbow's ear would lower. It wasn't something she'd expected would occur today. The girls, meanwhile, tried to remain silent and not look down. However, Fluttershy was devastated by the news, and knew exactly what would come from it.
"Princess Celestia turned it down? I don't believe it..." Twilight uttered, putting her hoof to her cheek. She bit her hooves, suddenly saddened by this. All the Pokemon here realized that the upgrade to the Pokemon House hit a massive pitfall. That massive expansion Fluttershy wanted was met with a stop.
"Aw. Now what? Without enough money, I can't grow it." Fluttershy nearly teared up. "All the Pokemon were looking forward to the upgrade too. They all would've had their own new rooms just for them. What am I going to do?"
Her Pokemon all felt the same way, all down in the dumps and lacking their typical happy nature. Even Bayleef looked unhappy, her eyes bearing the same disappointment. Fluttershy's Gogoat lowered his head too, giving Fluttershy her chance to gently scratch behind her horn, providing some comfort.
"M-Maybe I was thinking too big." Fluttershy assumed. "I just can't expect these many new rooms all at once. W-Was it too much for me? It probably is." Fluttershy told herself, looking around to find a possible answer. "Maybe...just maybe, one room per month is the goal and will help solve it."
But of course, seeing Fluttershy depressed only led the others to join in on the sadness. Twilight understood why Celestia turned it down due to recent events, but it was still surprising. Now, it seemed like the only progress here was the massive lake that had been made.
All those ideas were being thrown out of the window now. Without the right amount of resources, it was all pointless. Fluttershy felt like she wasted everyone's day, only managing to get a lake out of all of this. And for it to be done by Princess Celestia was an even bigger blow.
"Gee. Sorry I even brought it up." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "Wish I had a little bit of good news. Sorry about it..."
"It isn't over yet." Ash lifted himself off the grassy floor. "We can still make this work. I can get you the money you need, Fluttershy."
"Eh? But, Ash..How?" She blinked twice, unsure as to how Ash could possibly muster up enough money to give the Pokemon House its upgrade.
"Hehe! I've actually got a ton of money!" Ash pointed at himself while having a wide grin.
The rest would blink and gaze at him. "You what? You're loaded? Yeah, right." Even Rainbow Dash didn't believe that. Ash didn't strike himself as someone with a huge amount of money.
"Actually, he is. He may not look like it, but Ash actually has a lot." Twilight confirmed her thoughts. "He just doesn't look like someone with a lot of money."
"I made a lot thanks to all my travels and the tournaments I've been in. Plus, I'm making some more every time I'm in a Pokemon World Championships Battle." Ash clarified. "I'll get you covered, Fluttershy. No need to worry."
Fluttershy and her Pokemon were relieved when hearing this. The chance of upgrading the Pokemon House had been given a chance. They now would get their money back, getting the expansion they were promised, but would have to wait. "Y-You would? Really?!" Fluttershy gasped excitedly.
Ash would nod his head, beaming as well as showing how he meant this. "Leave it to me!"
Fluttershy threw her hooves around Ash, a gesture which the boy happily received, allowing Fluttershy to embrace him. Fluttershy was moved to tears as she wouldn't be able to help but hold back a few waterworks from the whole ordeal.
"Oh, thank you so, so much, Ash. Thank you so much, I cannot express this any further...! " Fluttershy then pulled Twilight in, bringing her into the hug. "And you too, Twilight! Thanks to you, I know I can rely on both of you two." Fluttershy followed through with a tight hug, showing her love and care to all her friends."
"Okay. I've eaten enough, so I'm gonna get to work again." Ash would step forward while lifting Fluttershy. "I'll head to Pallet Town, tell my mom everything and take it from there. Just hold out for a bit longer, okay?"
"Mm! I can do that!" No doubt, Fluttershy can make it happen. Her gratefulness to Ash was astronomical. After all, Ash was there from the start when helping her make the Pokemon House and here he was again, lending a helping hand in its evolution.
Canterlot. Canterlot Castle.
Over at Canterlot, Celestia was still shaken up by her previous interaction. Turning it down really had her thinking as she sat there on her throne. An extremely strong part of her regretted rejecting Mayor Mare's plan, but there was another part of her that felt the powerful need to focus on other things.
"Was that the wrong move?" She said to herself, her hoof on her jaw as she gazed at her pristine floor. "Why did I say no? No. It was the only thing I could do. With how things currently, an event wouldn't help. Oh, but the Pokelympics sounds like so much fun..."
Celestia continued to contemplate, feeling both emotions mixed at once. Taking off from her throne, she'd make a sudden walk, striding toward a wall where one of her windows showed the rest of her great city. As she gazed at the large wall, her eyes would dart away momentarily.
In less than a few seconds, she turned around, slowly walking back to the centre, just in front of her throne. Entering the room was her sister Luna, just entering at this exact moment.
"Um, sister?" Luna entered the room, carefully placing her hooves in her steps. "Are you alright? I heard that you denied Mayor Mare's submission. One of the guards gossipped about it.
"I am, Luna." Celestia shook her head, a small sigh escaping her.
"Well, don't beat yourself up too much about it. Any other ruler would've done the same thing in your position. Besides, what's done is done. You can always just approve it later on. Once you've dealt with all those obstacles, we'll be as free as we can be, partaking in any event. Surely that would ease your concerns." Luna walked a bit closer, but Celestia's hoof would raise forward.
"No." Celestia rejected her explanation. "There's more to it than that."
Luna's hoof lowered from its previous lifted position, where it joined her other hoof, standing straight with arms behind her back. Her royal face, the one they both had been known to wear, remained fixed upon her face, "What do you mean? Please tell me exactly.
Celestia paused. "Maybe it's because we've been around for so long, but both you and I have an innate understanding that what the people need will have to take priority. We can't just ignore the plight our people, and that includes our Pokemon. You can't just sit there and...pass it off with a laugh. Not anymore."
"...I understand," Luna quietly replied, yet, the more Celestia continued to speak, the clearer the problems continued to manifest. The alicorn continued.
"These are the greatest threats we've ever faced after all. If we can't stop them as soon as possible, then many more events might have to be postponed. Such as the Pokemon Festival, the Grand Festival for Pokemon Contests...and even the Equestria League.
"What?!" That one hit Luna like a truck. "The Equestria League as well?!" She couldn't even begin to imagine doing that. She's been training hard to become Equestria's first ever Champion since Equestria had established its own Pokemon League for the first time. Even more so now that she had returned.
"Well, it is a possibility." Celestia's head fell, her eyes shut and then sighed once more. "Not to say that I'm planning on making an executive decision until all matters are settled and in our control. I know how much that league means to you, Luna. You've trained and fought with your Pokemon many times before all these threats began to rear their heads. I won't let it come to that."
"Hah..." Luna sighed. "Don't scare me like that..."
"Sorry, sorry." Celestia chuckled a bit. "But it's something to look out for. I have to be careful. Something massive could happen at any moment and break our guards. If so, then the Equestria League and even the Grand Festival will be delayed. The Grand Festival is far closer than the full Equestria League proceeding, so I would hate for it to be interrupted in some way."
"Mm." Luna nodded. "That would be terrible. "You don't think that they're anticipating us too, are they?"
"Perhaps. A part of me is actually cautious about that. There's a chance that they could attack during large gatherings or certain events. Or maybe they know we'll anticipate that? Aah, it's so confusing when your enemy is yourself." Celestia rubbed her head.
"Hmm..." Luna thought about it for a moment and quickly gained an idea. "Ah! I know! I will have Xatu figure it out for us! With the future gazing capabilities of my Xatu, perhaps we could figure out when the next attack would come. I can just have my Xatu guide us to a better time." She dug into her saddlebag, unleashing her Poke Ball into the air. Out of it emerged Xatu.
"Xatu."
"Xatu. I'm counting on you. Show us the future. Please." Princess Luna requested.
All at once, Xatu's eyes began to glow with a purple aura while simultaneously, his began to fidget as what appeared to be psionic energy or an energy field surrounded his eyes and the tips of his wings. Before long, they became white, blinding Luna and Celestia.
The two of them squinted their eyes, reacting in a fit of surprise as their hoofs covered the two of them, holding themselves back. "...!" The energy was a lot stronger than it looked, blinding the princesses with all that light. "H-Has he ever done this before?!" Celestia questioned, holding her ground.
"No! Never!" Luna shook her head. "I've never seen this before! Just what is Xatu seeing?!" Luna growled as the light got even brighter, becoming a shining white source, flashing like a lightning strike. Now, it was so intense that both of them had to spin around and shut their eyes tightly.
In Xatu's vision, all he saw was Fire and Light meshed together. Xatu saw figures within the Fire and Light, but it was so disgustingly bright that he couldn't make them out. He assumed that they had to be Daybreaker and Necrozma since this represented both of them. But from what his vision could show him, there was a third figure in the middle that he couldn't make out. Xatu certainly saw something. Something unexpected.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 494 End.