//------------------------------//
// Chapter 37- Attack on Umbra (Part II) 
// Story: Twilight Sparkle has a Pokemon Journey 
// by Darkmetroidz 
//------------------------------//

It had not been long after the groups had split up before things started to go wrong for Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Cadence. Escorting the bound professor through the facility aimlessly slowed their progress to a crawl, and quickly began to look suspicious. Without Trixie and Rarity there to provide a quick tongue, Fluttershy and Pinkie found themselves in an awkward position when a patrol of Team Umbra goons began asking them questions they could not answer. The exchange ended when Pinkie had Steve douse the stallions with a stun spore to give them a chance to run. With their cover compromised, Cadence removed the ropes binding her torso, giving her free access to her pokémon as well as her full range of movement. While she was no doubt a competent trainer, the number of Team Umbra made fighting a surefire recipe for disaster. Instead they tore across the floor, searching frantically for Applejack. That was when she appeared. 

The shattered horn. Fluttershy and Cadence froze in place, and even Pinkie was scared stiff by the frightening visage of the unicorn. "I am Tempest Shadow, the commander of this facility. I assume you've come to rescue the ponies that were brought here earlier today?"

"Darn right!" Pinkie Pie shot back, trying desperately to recover her confidence in the face of this new threat.  

Tempest cracked a sinister grin. "Perhaps we can reach a compromise. I can't let those prisoners go. You won't leave without them. How about I throw you in a cell with them? We have more than enough space to hold you all." She clutched a pokéball in her hoof. Cadence stood her ground, waving for Fluttershy and Pinkie to run off and find Applejack while she held Tempest's attention. But Tempest moved too quickly. "Banette, knock off." Her ghost pokémon appeared suddenly before Fluttershy, striking her and knocking the radio receiver off her jacket. The pill-sized device fell into a grate on the ground, leaving them cut off from the rest of their friends.  

Fluttershy trembled. She had just managed to get her plea for help out, but now Tempest's Banette was right in her face, laughing at her through its horrible zipper mouth. Cadence ripped one of the pokéballs from her belt. "Don't you dare do that again. If you think you're a real trainer, battle me instead. I think you'll find that I'm more than a match for you." Cadence tossed her pokéball out, sending her Wigglytuff onto the field. "Alright Wigglytuff, it's your time. Attack with play rough." Wigglytuff leapt at Banette and began to clobber it, gleefully jabbering as it pummeled Tempest's pokémon. 

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took off in a gallop away from the fight. Tempest pressed at the collar of her overcoat, barking orders into the receiver inside. "Attention all personnel, the base is under attack. Seize all intruders and seal all exits. Nopony walks out of here alive." Seconds later, an alarm began wailing throughout the facility. Red hazard lights began to pulse, coating the building in a deep red hue. The lights and blaring siren spurred the two mares to run faster, desperately searching for a friendly face to link up with.  

As they rounded a corner, they were stopped by a pair of Team Umbra grunts. "Well, well, well. What are the odds." Panic Attack growled as she pulled a pokéball off her belt.  

"You're the chumps who got us transferred out to this Podunk hole," Said Crimson Comet, "Yo Panic, you think if we grab these punks the boss might give us our old jobs back?" 

"It's worth a try Crimson Comet," She answered, "Bisharp, let's screw 'em up!" 

"Houndoom, you too!" 

Pinkie and Fluttershy took a step back nervously. They vaguely remembered these Umbra grunts from several months ago in Fillydelphia, but their pokémon were much weaker then. Pinkie and Fluttershy would have to defend themselves against their fully evolved duo of  pokémon. Each mare carefully selected a pokémon each, prepared for a double battle. 

Pinkie Pie went first, "Lombre, I choose you!" 

"Please Buneary," Fluttershy stammered. Their two pokémon squared against their opponents. Fluttershy tried her best to remember the matchups of the battle. Compared to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she wasn't especially good at remembering types, matchups, and moves. She also did not cope well with high-stress situations, and that was without considering how fried her nerves were after breaking into the Team Umbra base. Think Fluttershy, what do we know about these pokémon? The cinders Houndoom panted and the devilish appearance of its horns and tail made its typing apparent. The metal body and blades of Bisharp confirmed that it was a steel type, but Fluttershy could not remember if it had another type or not. 

Before Fluttershy could think of a plan, Pinkie Pie took to the offensive. "Alright Lombre, use fake out on Houndoom!" Lombre dashed up to Houndoom and slapped it in the face, stunning it before it could get a move off. "That gives us a little time. Fluttershy, you're up!" 

"Oh, um, right..." Fluttershy peeped. She hadn't had enough time to figure out what to do. She hadn't even had enough time to decide if Bisharp was a steel-type or a steel and dark-type. There was one move she knew Buneary had at its disposal that she thought might be able to take down Bisharp in one hit, but only if she was right about it being a dark-type. Well, now or never I guess. She would need to get moving or else their opponents would attack before she could act. "Alright Buneary, use jump kick!" Buneary leapt into the air, hurdling towards Bisharp with its powerful legs primed to kick. Fluttershy bit her lip nervously. If this attack missed, it would do a lot of damage to her poor pokémon.   

Buneary connected, knocking Bisharp flying. It seemed that her hunch had been right, and the damage sustained by Bisharp had been massive. The pokémon went flying and collided right with its trainer, sending both of them flying into a heap. "You're gonna pay for that!" Crimson Comet roared, "Houndoom, flamethrower! NOW!" Houndoom's maw brimmed with flames as it began to spit them towards Buneary. 

"Buneary look out!" Fluttershy cried. Without thinking she galloped into the line of fire and grabbed her pokémon by the ear to pull her out of harm's way. 

Pinkie Pie gagged as the flames closed in around Fluttershy. "Lombre! Use hydro pump on the double!" On command, Lombre began spewing water at a monstrous pressure into the column of fire. It pushed back against Houndoom's attack, extinguishing the fire and knocking both Houndoom and Crimson Comet back into the wall. Pinkie rushed over to Fluttershy's side, frantically checking to make sure she was unhurt. "Are you okay?" Pinkie asked tearfully.

"Yes, I'm fine," Fluttershy said at last, "My mane is a little bit singed but it's nothing to worry about. I just hope the same can be said about poor Buneary." Fluttershy opened her hooves to inspect how her pokémon had fared after the attack. Buneary was huddled into a ball, but it seemed to be unhurt. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief and embraced her pokémon. Buneary twitched for a moment before a harsh light enveloped it. With a bright flash, Buneary's form grew substantially larger. Its legs, arms, and ears lengthened, revealing a more elegant pokémon than the one that had been there before. Fluttershy was shocked to see her partner having evolved. "Oh my goodness, Buneary! Oh, I mean, Lopunny! I can’t believe you’ve evolved. You look wonderful!" 

Pinkie Pie smiled. "You saving her from that attack must have proved how strong your bond with her was. I'm so happy for you!" 

"Thank you Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said, "But we don't have time to celebrate. We still need to find everypony else. Cadence needs somepony to help her against that Umbra Officer. We need to find Trixie or Professor Chrysalis." 

"Right, let's go!" Pinkie Pie said. The two of them galloped off, away from the scene of the fight between Cadence and Tempest, searching desperately for somepony who could turn the tide of the battle. 





Cadence breathed a sigh of relief as the two mares fled the corridor. Hopefully she could defeat this Umbra executive and render her harmless. At worst, her pokémon could buy plenty of time. I wasn't accepted into the Elite Four for nothing. She thought. Wigglytuff, Whimsicott, Togekiss, Sylveon, Mawile and Azumarill had never failed her when it counted before. 

Wigglytuff's play rough had done a number on Banette, but the cursed puppet was still in the fight. Cadence tried to get a read on Tempest, hoping to draw some insight on her. But Tempest Shadow's cold, relentless eyes gave off nothing but hostility. 

"Banette, use will-o-wisp," Tempest commanded. 

"Heal bell!" Cadence countered. The instant the flames hit, Wigglytuff extinguished them. The two trainers stared each other down, sizing up their opponent. 

"If I wanted to, I could keep this going," Tempest said with a bored sigh, "I can use my will-o-wisp many more times than you can use your heal bell. But that's what you want isn't it? For this battle to remain a clueless stalemate to stall for time while those fillies of yours go to get the gang back together? Well, I'm sorry to say, that won't be happening. Banette, return." Tempest pulled her ghost pokémon back into its pokéball, and tossed out another to replace it. 

"Nido!" Her Nidoking roared. Cadence grit her teeth. Her pokémon all matched up poorly against poison pokémon. Even with Mawile, she would have to be wary of the earthquake that Nidoking would certainly be using. She went over her options in her head in an effort to figure out how best to handle the situation before her. 

The sound of a door slamming open drew Cadence and Tempest's attention. Two more mares had appeared in the hallway. Chrysalis wordlessly pointed a hoof down a hallway, and Rainbow Dash took off in that direction. With Dash gone, Chrysalis directed her attention toward Tempest, who found herself caught in between the two researchers. "Cadence, I trust you have everything under control here?" 

Cadence grimaced. While swallowing her pride would be a bitter pill for sure, she needed to make sure that the others had enough time to find everypony and retrieve their pokémon. "I could use your help, Chrysalis. The two of us can hold her off together." Cadence turned her attention to Tempest. "If you want to hurt those mares, you'll have to defeat both of us." 

Tempest scoffed at the proposal. "Very well, I will defeat you both in a double battle. But each of you will only be allowed three pokémon. Fair?" 

"Very well." Chrysalis said. She pulled a pokéball from her belt, and Cadence did the same. They readjusted themselves so that both professors were positioned between Tempest and the direction that Rarity and Fluttershy had fled. 

Tempest drew Nidoking back into her pokéball. "Very well, we will restart this battle. Salamence, Metagross, Come out." 

Cadence paused to take stock of the battlefield. While it was tempting to go straight for Salamence with fairy-type attacks, the threat of Metagross gave her pause. Steel-type attacks would crush her fairies, but Azumarill might be able to hold up for just long enough to remove it from the battle. 

Chrysalis looked similarly perturbed. Her bug pokémon had similarly awkward matchups against the pairing of Metagross and Salamence. Salamence surely would have flying and fire-type moves at its disposal, and both of Tempest's pokemon had typings that did not do bug-types any favors. 

We're both professors of pokémon, Cadence reminded herself. Even at a disadvantage, between the two of them Cadence and Chrysalis should have more than enough know-how to be able to outsmart her. 

Chrysalis motioned to get Cadence's attention. "I need you to deal with that Salamence as quickly as possible," She whispered, "I can keep Metagross off your fairies, but my team will be under constant threat so long as Salamence is on the field."

"Can do," Cadence said back. She wondered what Chrysalis was thinking. Bug types were not the best candidate for defensive tactics, but somepony as crafty as Chrysalis would certainly have a plan. "Azumarill, I choose you!" 

"Pheromosa, come forth!" Something that could only be described as a monstrosity emerged from Chrysalis’ pokéball. Cadence, as well as Tempest, reacted with shock. This did not look like another one of Chrysalis' deranged experiments. It looked alien, like it was something from another world. 

"I will ask where you got this… thing from later," Cadence said with an agitated growl, "But for now let's deal with the problem in front of us." 

Tempest did not give them a moment before she took to the offensive. "Metagross, attack with bullet punch!" Cadence cringed. She had feared a steel attack coming towards her right away. Even with Azumarill's colossal attacking power, a good steel hit from something as powerful as Metagross could seriously dampen her prospects. 

Without skipping a beat, Chrysalis retaliated. "Pheromosa, use quick guard!" Pheromosa darted in front of Azumarill and deflected Metagross' attack with a stunning riposte. Azumarill was unharmed, leaving it clear to attack Salamence. 

But Tempest was not finished. Salamence was still faster than Azumarill, and Tempest meant to make the most of that advantage. "Salamence, use aerial ace on that insect." Salamence dove at Pheromosa with surgical precision from the sky, striking it from the air. Cadence feared that Pheromosa would be knocked out in that one hit; a pokémon so frail looking certainly would not stand up to such a powerful flying move. But miraculously, it stayed standing. 

"Never go without a focus sash," Chrysalis teased. She turned to Cadence with a grin on her muzzle. "Well dear, I think it's your turn. Clean up that naughty dragon, would you?"

Cadence nodded. "Alright, Azumarill, use play rough on Salamence!" Azumarill leapt at Salamence, clobbering it with adoration. Salamence cried out against the super-effective hit. It fell to the ground, knocked out in a single hit. 

I can't believe that worked! Cadence thought, satisfied with the turn of events. If she and Chrysalis were able to keep battling this well, there was no way that they could lose. And once Tempest was out of commission, there wouldn't be anypony left in the Team Umbra ranks that could stop them from rescuing Twilight and friends. 

Tempest's displeasure was apparent in her look of barely restrained violence. Wordlessly, she tossed out her next pokémon. Nidoking emerged and let out a roar as it hit the concrete floor. Chrysalis leaned over to whisper in Cadence's ear. "Not a lot I can do with this field. I'll try to put out as much damage as possible with Pheromosa, but I don't think we will be lasting the round."

"Why not switch out?" Cadence whispered back.

"If she puts down any stealth rocks or spikes, it's finished. Better to save another pokémon a hit." 

"That seems pretty callous." Cadence remarked, making her disapproval known. 

Chrysalis gave a condescending look. "I value and love my pokémon just as much as you do, Cadence. But right now I cannot afford to let that get in the way of winning here.  Remember that Twilight's safety is at stake here."

Cadence relented. Chrysalis was right. Twilight had to be put above all else. But now it was Cadence who found herself in an awkward situation. Both of Tempest's pokémon had type advantage over her fairies. Pheromosa would get the first attack off, but Azumarill's lackluster speed would mean it would be subject to Metagross' powerful attacks, but more importantly, Nodoking's repertoire of poison moves. Aqua jet would give her a chance to attack first, but even with Azumarill's huge power ability, she doubted the attack would be able to knock out Nidoking. 

"Use this well, Cadence." Chrysalis whispered. The Changeling professor turned to command her Ultra Beast. "Pheromosa! Use speed swap on Azumarill!" Pheromosa turned toward Cadence's pokémon and linked the two with a beam of purple energy. When the beam faded, Pheromosa was notably diminished, but Azumarill was energized and moving at breakneck speed on its feet. 

Wordlessly, Cadence acknowledged Chrysalis. That Chrysalis was willing to sacrifice her own chance to attack in order to power up her pokémon was not lost on Cadence. It was a token of trust; trust that Cadence did not mean to violate. "Azumarill, go ahead and attack Nidoking with your aqua tail, double time!" Azumarill lunged at Nidoking faster than Cadence could keep track of, and delivered a punishing strike with its tail. Nidoking fell to its knee, almost knocked out. 

Tempest glowered at the pair of professors. "Cute." She growled, locking her furious gaze on the duo. "But unfortunately now both of your pokémon are subject to my wrath. First, Nidoking. Attack Azumarill with poison jab. Next, Metagross will use rock slide." Nidoking's fist connected a toxic blow to Azumarill's stomach, and was immediately followed by a pile of boulders raining down on both pokémon. In one action, both Pheromosa and Azumarill were knocked out, forcing both trainers to reconsider their strategy. 

"Whatever they're doing, they had better hurry…" Chrysalis murmured, "I don't know if we will be able to hold on…"





"Dangnabbit!" Applejack cussed as she delivered yet another kick to the bars holding her in the cell. Despite her best efforts, the metal was no closer to giving way than when she had started. "When I get ahold of my pokémon again I'm gonna clobber Team Umbra so hard their grandfillies will be seein’ stars. But first I gotta get myself out of this darn cage." 

The sound of a door being forcefully thrust open got Applejack's attention. From down the hallway, she could hear the happy-go-lucky tones of Pinkie Pie, and the irregular hopping sound of her hooves on the concrete. "Down here!" Pinkie called out, presumably to some unseen companion.  

Pinkie and Fluttershy came into view moments later, with Skiploom and Fluttershy's newly evolved Lopunny in tow. Applejack ran up to the bars to greet her friends. "Boy am I glad to see y'all." She said, relieved. "Those varmits threw a sack over my head and put me in here. I'm 'bout ready to clock somepony." 

"Don't worry Applejack," Fluttershy said reassuringly, "Once we find your pokémon, we'll be ready to get out of here. Cadence and Chrysalis are holding off the commander, and Twilight, Trixie and Rarity are looking for everypony's pokeballs."

"Pardon? Who'dya say was here?" Applejack asked. 

"Cadence, Chrysalis, and Trixe!" Pinkie repeated, as if there was nothing strange about that statement, "Rarity made a few phone calls and they came right away." Before Applejack could ask any more questions, Lopunny knocked the door off its hinges with two powerful blows from its muscular hind legs. 

Applejack tipped her hat to her friends. “Appreciate it, sugar cube. Let’s go get my pokémon back. I’m rarin’ to tear these no-good clowns a new one.”





Trixie, Twilight and Rarity snuck through the corridors on the upper levels, trying their best to keep themselves out of Team Umbra’s sight. For the most part they had been able to keep themselves hidden in abandoned side corridors that were barely used. But now they found themselves forced down a major hallway as they proceeded towards the storage room that Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack’s stuff was supposedly being kept. 

Rarity found it hard to hide her uneasiness about the situation. While Twilight seemed to trust Sunset Shimmer, Rarity found it hard to do so. While she could not think of a good reason why Sunset would leave one of her pokémon and a key to the cell behind, Rarity still could not shake the feeling that there was a trap inside that room, or at the least the missing pokémon would not be there. 

According to Sunset’s description, the halls on this floor made a large box, and the room they were looking for would be around the next corner. Trixie inched her way to the edge of the wall and snuck a glance around. “Two guards,” she whispered, “And a pretty heavy door. Trixie bets that’s where all their stolen goods are.”

“Any way past them?” Rarity whispered back. 

Trixie shook her head. “Not a chance. We’ll have to fight our way past. Rarity, you and I will take them on. Once we have their attention, Twilight could loop around and go in from behind.” 

“What if there’s more Team Umbra miscreants elsewhere on the floor?” Rarity interjected, “If Twilight ran into anypony from Team Umbra alone, she would be in serious trouble. I should go instead, and leave her with you.” 

“Trixie is not going to be able to take these goons on two versus one. If Twilight stays with Trixie, she needs to battle.” Trixie turned to face Twilight. “Can you battle with just your Gible?” 

Twilight nervously eyed her pokéball. She had not dared to try using Gible again since the incident outside of Ponyville. But if it meant getting the rest of her beloved companions back, and those of her friends, she would take the risk. “I’ll do it. We just need to buy enough time to get Rarity in, right?” 

Trixie nodded. “Once Rarity can get your bags, we can get them in a pincer and win with numbers. We just can’t let them seal that door. Trixie saw it has a security shield on it. If they hit that button not even Trixie’s Charizard will be able to melt through.” 

“Alright then, let’s do it.” Twilight steeled herself while Rarity took off in the opposite direction. If all went well, she would only need to buy a minute. Hopefully Gible couldn’t cause too much problems in that time. Right? 

Without hesitation, Trixie and Twilight leapt out from around the corner. Trixie dug through her bag and pulled out an empty bottle of lemonade. She threw it at one of the door guards, hitting him squarely in the head. 

“Hey! What are you brats doing up here?” He demanded. “Surrender yourselves now, or you’ll be sorry.”

“Oooooh, the Great and Powerful Trixie is shaking in her horseshoes,” Trixie teased. “You’re the ones who will be sorry. Trixie promises.” 

The two stallions deserted their post and turned to face the two mares. As they had hoped, the two had turned their backs to the door and had forgotten to lock it down. If Rarity was quiet, she would get in without them noticing. 

Trixie threw out her pokéball and released her Gengar. The Team Umbra operatives responded with Probopass and Stoutland. Hesitantly, Twilight threw her own pokéball, putting Gible onto the field. 

“Grrrrr!” The tiny dragon growled. It snarled as it took in its surroundings, snapping at anything that moved. Finally, its eyes settled on Twilight. Rage flared in its small eyes. 

Twilight knelt down to face Gible. “Hey little guy. I’m sorry I’ve kept you cooped up in that pokéball for so long. After what happened last time I was too scared to even try again. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you though.” Gible turned its head as it listened to Twilight. Its anger seemed to subside as it settled in to hear her out. Twilight continued, “It was wrong of me to send you into a big battle without taking any time to get to know you first. But I need your help now. You’re all that I have. All of my other pokémon are trapped by these awful ponies, and I need your help to get them back. So please Gible, will you lend me your strength?”

Gible growled again, but this time there was no anger in it. The look in Gible’s eyes shifted to one of acknowledgement. He gave Twilight a nod and turned to face Team Umbra with a mighty roar. 

I can’t believe it worked! Twilight’s elation was plain on her face. 

“It can tell that you’re a stronger trainer than you were before,” Trixie said, giving Twilight a nod of approval. “Trixie can see it too. You’ve won two badges since you last used that pokémon, and it’s responding to you better. Now, let’s put these losers in the trash so that Trixie can finish repaying Team Umbra for the grief they have caused her! Gengar, focus blast on Stoutland, posthaste!” Trixie’s Gengar stuck its tongue out at its unfortunate opponent before firing off a blast of energy that sent Stoutland flying. Pokémon collided with trainer, and both were sent flying into a wall. Both were unconscious. 

“Alright Gible, follow up with dig!” Twilight commanded. At once, Gible burrowed into the floor, and a moment later erupted from the ground beneath Probopass. With such a super-effective hit, Probopass did not stand a chance. It too fell unconscious on the bare concrete floor. 

“I gotta find the boss!” The remaining grunt exclaimed. He turned to run away, but bumped headfirst into Rarity’s Gardevoir. 

Rarity was busy opening the door. “Gardevoir, please take care of this ruffian. Use your hypnosis and get him out of our way.” She said without taking her attention away from her work. Gardevoir used a tiny amount of her psychic energy to put the Grunt to sleep, leaving the three mares alone with the vault. 

Rarity gave up on trying to get the lock open and simply had Gardevoir force it open with her psychic power. With a mere wave of her arms, Gardevoir forced the heavy metal doors off their hinges, falling to the floor with an audible boom. 

“So much for being sneaky,” Twilight remarked. 

Trixie shrugged nonchalantly. “At this point every Team Umbra goon in this building is either aware of us, or has their hooves filled with somepony else. Let’s just grab your stuff and go. By this point everypony else should be rescued.”

Twilight and company searched the supply room. Sure to Sunset’s word, their bags were in a cardboard box, and a quick inspection confirmed that everything was still there: pokémon, badges, items and money. Twilight took a moment to sling her bag over her back and get her pokéballs clipped onto her belt. “Alright girls,” Twilight grinned. “Let’s get out of here.” As the group walked out of the room, Rarity noticed a box-shaped patch on the floor that was clean of dust. She dismissed it as something having been moved, and hurriedly cantered to catch up with the others. Whatever it was, it wasn’t her problem. 



 

As the van Sunset held in a grin as the driver’s radio was blaring with updates about the situation at the Sendoff Spring Base. The situation had rapidly grown out of hoof, and according to the reports, Professor Cadence and Chrysalis were among the ponies attacking the facility. As long as they kept away from Tempest and her monster, they would be fine. Sunset nervously looked in the box that sat next to her as the frantic announcements continued to pour in. The Master balls were still there, cradled in shredded paper and each in a locked case. Sombra had requested they be moved to HQ as soon as possible, and luckily for them, Sunset had been tasked with that responsibility. They would stop off in Fillydelphia late that night, and move out to the Crystal Empire in the morning to start making preparations for the Boss’ master plan.

Good luck Twilight Sparkle. Sunset thought to herself. Though we will meet again as enemies, let us at least do so with honor. She still questioned herself for leaving the note, the key, and her Arcanine in the base. Should anything have gone wrong, Sunset would have been caught as a traitor or her beloved pokémon might have been lost forever. For some reason, Sunset felt that she could believe in Twilight Sparkle. She’s strong in her own way. Her pokémon may not be as powerful as mine, but she has spirit. There’s a fire inside that one that burns bright and will never die. I suppose that’s her strength. Sunset shook her head in frustration. She could not afford to let herself think that way. She had joined Team Umbra because she believed that the only thing that should matter is power. She was too far gone to be wrong. 

I only helped her because I want to see Tempest fail. She told herself. I need to prove myself as Sombra’s best Admin and do whatever I can to convince Sombra that Tempest should not get that Master Ball. I don’t know if Equestria will survive if she does…