//------------------------------// // How the villains play // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Ghetsis. Equestria's biggest threat to ever exist. From almost ending Celestia's life, conquering Saddle-Arabia for a while, harming Twilight's friends and putting Manehattan into chaos, Equestria has never had to face an individual this menacing before. According to Celestia, threats such as Sombra, Tirek and Chrysalis pale in comparison. Thankfully, his attacks on Equestria have been pushed back by Ash, Hollow and the Swords of Justice. But his plan to conquer Equestria and both worlds won't stop due to a few defeats here and there. And with the alliance of Empress Twilight Sparkle from another world, Chrysalis and Adagio, the scale of his threat against Equestria only seems to be growing, along with the fact that he can now access other worlds to conquer. But what has Ghetsis been doing whilst inside of Queen Pyrestar's world, which he has now claimed and conquered? "Have a look at this." Colress, his best scientist, had shown Ghetsis a brand new possibility that he could take advantage of for himself. Thanks to Ghetsis opening up gateways through other worlds, Colress had managed to find out that there were alternate Pokemon Worlds with their own timelines involved by studying Ghetsis's newfound Planewalking ability. Timelines that please Ghetsis. One consistent pattern all of these timelines follow is that they all have a young upstart trainer who's set out on their own Pokemon journey. Similar to Ash. And just like Ash, they all manage to foil any evil teams that threaten the region in any way, shape or form. With a few exceptions here and there. Some familiar faces that Ghetsis himself didn't actually recognize where Red, Blue, Gold and Silver. Trainers that Ash had already met before Ghetsis found out about this. Seeing Red reminded Ghetsis of Ash as they were fairly similar with Red being on the more silent side. Although, Gold could be considered closer to Ash. And besides there being young upstart trainers, another consistent pattern was how most of them managed to come across Legendary Pokemon during the most intense moments in their world. Some even manage to catch the Legendary Pokemon as their own after their glorious victory. With this knowledge in mind, Ghetsis had found many new opportunities to further establish his reign. Currently, Colress was showing him a universe that involved an alternate version of him. "Have a look at this." Colress showed Ghetsis a timeline that involved not just the Unova Region, but an earlier version of him. That really grabbed Ghetsis's attention. "What the..." He stood up from his chair. "What you're seeing at the moment is a universe where you battled against a trainer who would end up foiling your plans to conquer Unova, similar to our plans but a different approach. And to be the bearer of bad news, you lost in this timeline as well." "Hmrrgh..." Ghetsis grumbled. "However, I theorize that if we interrupt each of these specific timelines during their climax..." "We can take advantage of the situation by storming in and claiming victory for ourselves." Ghetsis finished Colress's sentence. "And the best advantage is striking while the iron's hot," Colress said. "Good...We'll be making a quick visit to this Unova Region. Let me show this other version of me how to properly gain victory." Ghetsis held an Ultra Ball in his hand, already brewing up many possible plans that could benefit him to incredible levels. Unova. An Alternate region. "Reshiram! Blue Flare!" A trainer by the name of Hilbert was currently in command of the Legendary Pokemon of Truth, Reshiram. The Vast White Pokemon faced off against another Dragon-Type. That Dragon-Type being Hydreigon and belonging to, of course, Ghetsis. "Hydreigon! Dragon Pulse!" This version of Ghetsis commanded. Both Dragon-Types initiated their attacks at the same time. With Hydreigon unleashing a devastating dragon-shaped shockwave from all three of its mouths. Reshiram as well fired an attack from its mouth but in the form of a powerful stream of light blue flames with incredible heat behind them. Both attacks clashed, entering a small struggle for a bit. but one move proved to be superior to the other. And that was Blue Flare. The azure coloured flame burnt through Dragon Pulse, completely overpowering Hydreigon's attack. "Drei?!" The Brutal Pokemon gasped, realizing that his entire attack had been wiped out. And just like that Blue Flare engulfed the Dark-Dragon, dealing some immense damage to the opposing Dragon-Type. The aftermath of Blue Flare was an explosion of blue fire that caused a shockwave so immense that Hilbert held onto his hat whilst Ghetsis could barely stay where he stood. Alongside Hilbert was his rival Cheren from the same town he came from, the champion of Unova, Alder and the adopted son of Ghetsis, N. Once the smoke cleared, it was clear as day that Hydreigon had fainted and Ghetsis officially lost. "Hydrei..." "Yes! We did it!" Hilbert thrust his fist in the air with victory on his side. Reshiram let out a victorious roar to celebrate alongside the young trainer. But Ghetsis wasn't feeling the same way at all. "My calculations...No! My careful schemes! The world should be mine!" "Return, Reshiram." Hilbert returned the Vast White Pokemon into the Ultra Ball. "It's over, Ghetsis." "No...I created Team Plasma with my own hands! I am absolutely perfect! I AM PERFECTION!" Ghetsis snapped at Hilbert. "I am the perfect ruler of a perfect new world! "Now, N..." The Champion Alder went up to N. "Do you still think Pokemon and people should be separated?" Asking that made N rethink his view on everything. After learning about his foster father's plans, everything he knew was essentially a lie. But, Ghetsis being Ghetsis planned with a backup in case something did end up going wrong. He raised N for this exact scenario. Just in case. "Haha! Since I couldn't become the hero and obtain the Legendary Pokemon myself...I prepared someone for that purpose. N! He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart! Do you think you're going to get through to a warped person like that?!" "Oh, you don't have to use that failure of a son anymore." An echoing yet familiar voice responded to Ghetsis. With a booming sound, a gateway emerged out of thin air. This could only mean one thing. The Ghetsis and Team Plasma from the other world had finally arrived at the scene. When Ghetsis showed himself alongside his Hydregion and Team Plasma, the obvious reaction from Hilbert and everyone else was pure confusion. "G-Ghetsis...?" Hilbert stuttered. He looked back to his world's Ghetsis and the other world's Ghetsis simultaneously. "What's going on?!" "Hyper Beam." Ghetsis suddenly commanded his Hydreigon to attack everyone here without hesitation. "Hy...Drei!" With a burst of power, the Brutal Pokemon unleashed a terrifying beam of energy that tore through the ground itself. Before Hilbert could react, he had been engulfed by the Hyper Beam in mere seconds. It wasn't just them, N, Alder, Cheren and even this world's Ghetsis had been obliterated before they knew it. Ghetsis's plan was simple. Eliminate all potential threats. And eliminate he did. Once Hyper Beam faded away, Hilbert and everyone's body was no more. The only thing left was a small piece of his hat along with the Ultra Ball since it was much more durable than a normal Poke Ball. Ghetsis picked up the Ultra Ball, seeing how Reshiram was in his possession now. Returning to their world, Ghetsis had claimed a great victory today in the form of obtaining Reshiram. And with such ease as well. "Hmph. I can't believe that alternate version of me was actually planning to rely on that freak without a human heart. How pathetic." "With Reshiram on our side, shall we go to the universe where that same trainer uses Zekrom instead?" Colress suggested. "A clever suggestion Colress. Unfortunately, you fail to realise the imbalance between the two." "Imbalance?" "We will of course obtain Zekrom. However, I won't be the one to hold it in my possession. Both Pokemon are representations of Truths and Ideals. Having Reshiram correlates with my truth. I have no ideals." "Lord Ghetsis. I don't understand how that prevents you from wielding both at the same time." A grunt said. "Haven't you heard about the Twin Heroes? The Hero of Truth and the Hero of Ideals. Before they were the masters of Reshiram and Zekrom, the Pokemon they each shared was none other than Kyurem. But since they couldn't decide on which one to pursue, Kyurem split into two, creating Reshiram and Zekrom. Thus, the Dragon Force energy that blessed their land became corrupt and chaotic." "I see..." Colress nodded. "So because you pursue the truth and have zero ideals, having Zekrom beside Reshiram creates that imbalance you mentioned. The destructive Dragon Force." "Exactly. Which is why instead, someone else with ideals must wield Zekrom. And I already know who." "You don't mean..." A grunt leaned forward, hoping that Ghetsis wasn't referring to who they were all worried about. "Empress Twilight. She follows her ideals. A perfect trade-off." "But Lord Ghetsis. Would it be wise to give her a Pokemon that rivals Reshiram in power as well?" A grunt wasn't so sure about this. "You think I don't know that?" Ghetsis glanced over at the grunt, intimidating him. He was already anticipating a scenario like that. "Colress. Look into further universes. The possibilities are just staring at us in the face." "I'm already on it," Colress responded. Like Ghetsis, he too was always planning one step ahead of things. Both Team Plasma and Empress Twilight have a plethora of plans that they have in store. Ghetsis learning from his past defeats has moulded him into a clever person who now takes his plans a step further. This time it was on a larger scale. Empress Twilight's story is a bit different from Ghetsis's. In her world, it was once a perfect mirror of the original timeline. But ever since that one fateful day during the Battle of the Bell, the outcome of both worlds changed drastically. And speaking of Empress Twilight, while Ghetsis resides in Queen Pyrestar's world, Empress Twilight resides in her own universe. Currently, she was already thinking about how to work around Pokemon. After hearing about how powerful and dangerous they can be, Empress Twilight knew not to underestimate them for a second. Colress had given her a PokeDex, allowing the fully grown alicorn to examine what she can learn from Pokemon and which ones she should look out for. "Gardevoir. Gardevoir has the psychokinetic power to distort the dimensions and create a small black hole. This Pokémon will try to protect its Trainer even at the risk of its own life. Its power peaks when it is protecting its Trainer. It has the ability to see the future." "Hmph. Black holes, eh? That might prove to be a nuisance." She scoffed. She closed the Pokedex, already thinking of a way to deal with Gardevoir. Especially since Princess Celestia owns a Kirlia which is capable of doing everything a Gardevoir can but hasn't yet evolved. "That Kirlia of hers is a problem. However, it is also a Glass Cannon. Unable to control all of its overwhelming power. All I have to do is make sure that little creature overexerts itself. Before it can evolve." The alicorn empress was made aware of the Pokemon World and how it has affected Equestria. Thanks to Colress's spycams, she had all the knowledge about this current timeline that she needed. Seeing how most of it was a repeat of the original timeline and her own this made Empress Twilight more than prepared for her eventual invasion. However, the inclusion of Pokemon is what's keeping her from just invading that world already. And of course, she was aware of possibly her greatest challenge yet. Ash Ketchum. After learning how he's made a name for himself all across Equestria along with his partner Pikachu who seems to be extra power in its purest form, the young trainer was definitely one individual that Empress Twilight shouldn't ignore. "He certainly seems more formidable than Tirek, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis combined. This will require something extra. Luster Dawn. Get in here." Empress Twilight, despite all of her magic and how powerful she is on her own, had an apprentice and student. A pony by the name of Luster Dawn. Much like how Twilight was once Celestia's student, Luster was the student of Empress Twilight. Although, the conditions were very different compared to the past. "Yes, Empress Twilight?" Luster Dawn spoke. "I have a special requirement for you. This is your chance to prove just how much you've grown." "I'm ready for anything, Empress!" Luster stood firm. "I hope so. Here's your task-" Empress Twilight was cut off all of a sudden by a knock on her door. "Come in." The pony who knocked on Twilight's door was none other than her niece and current ruler of the Crystal Empire. Although, due to Twilight's reign of the entire planet, it was now just referred to as the Crystal Kingdom. Flurry Heart. Instead of walking in with enthusiasm and joy, this Flurry Heart looked a bit distraught. "Um...Auntie. Sorry to interrupt you but. It's about-" Flurry Heart stuttered. "The Crystal Kingdom, I assume?" Empress Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Y-Yes...The cold of the frozen north is getting too strong. Even for me. I can't keep it up much longer." Flurry Heart shook her head. "If it's increasing in strength, why are you here instead of defending it?" "I-I thought you would come over and help me, auntie. Your magic is stronger than mine." She looked down. Flurry Heart was intimidated by Twilight for good reason. "Besides...I'm not really good at running the kingdom on my own." "Oh, Flury Heart, my darling little niece. You used to be the most powerful pony in all of Equestria even at such a young age. Now, look at you." Twilight chuckled. "Coming in at second place." "S-So...will you help me?" "I will. I need the Crystal Kingdom to stay active anyways." "Thank you so much, auntie!" Flurry went in for a hug, but judging on how Twilight was looking at her, that wasn't happening at all. "Oh...sorry..." "Head back to the kingdom. I'll be there in a short while. I'll also have to pay a visit to Adagio Dazzle soon." "Okay, auntie." And with that, a heartbroken Flurry Heart left Twilight's throne room. Despite all her auntie has done, she still loved her since she is family. Whether Twilight felt the same was a mystery to the young princess. "Now, Luster. What I wanted to talk to you about involves the Pokemon World." "I've already learned about it," Luster said with a proud look on her face. "I've been keeping a close eye on all the Pokemon knowledge you've been learning about. So I'm on the same page as you." "Mhm. Well if you're already aware, then you know about Ash Ketchum, correct?" "The kid with the pet rat? He's not that big of a problem." Luster shrugged it off as something minor. "Oh, but it is Luster. I've learned to not underestimate anything that may seem unimpressive. Cozy Glow was the one who made me aware of that. If you underestimate Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu, then your defeat is closer than you imagine." "Pssh...Alright, fine. I won't underestimate them." "Good. Now...this is what you'll do." Both Ghetsis and Empress Twilight stand at the top of the alliance. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Queen Chrysalis and Adagio. Chrysalis and her changelings, while massive in numbers, sadly do not compare to the overwhelming and destructive force that Ghetsis and Twilight hold. Team Plasma, while relatively small in numbers compared to Empress Twilight's global empire, are still among the strongest thanks to their Pokemon and of course, the Shadow Triad. But even Queen Chrysalis had an advantage over one particular pony, who was also a siren hybrid. Adagio. Both Chrysalis and Adagio have had their current breakthroughs at the moment. One luckier than the other. After Ghetsis gave Chrysalis the knowledge about how Fairy-Type Pokemon hold the most amount of love out of any Pokemon, the changelings went on a field day, hunting for Fairy Pokemon. And so far, they've been greatly successful. By heading towards areas in Equestria that are filled with mostly Fairy Type Pokemon, the changelings had managed to steal a ludicrous amount of love faster than they ever had in their entire life. But what made it better was the fact that they could rely on one or two Fairy Pokemon instead of hundreds. Ghetsis wasn't lying about the amount of love Fairy-Types hold. And thanks to the Fairy magic they've stolen, Chrysalis was sitting happy and healthy at her hive. Perhaps the happiest she's been in years. Adagio, however, was a different story. Unlike the other three who are in the midst of breakthroughs and achievements, Adagio was in a state of defeat. The kind of defeat she was suffering from wasn't exactly a Pokemon battle but rather from her own flesh and blood, Aria Blaze. Currently, she was trying her very best to negate everything Aria said to her, but after a scolding like that, it was no use whatsoever. "She's wrong, she's wrong!" Adagio growled. But try as she might, despite how hard she yells into the sky, Adagio knows when there's something she just can't recover from. Adagio wanted to find at least one way to prove that Aria was wrong. So there was only one individual she could go to. Empress Twilight Sparkle. Since she is a Twilight from another world who has already experienced the siren situation, Adagio was hoping that the Empress could prove Aria wrong by giving Adagio the necessary information. Little does she know that Empress Twilight knows something that Adagio doesn't. One crucial piece of information that could change everything for her. And speaking of Empress Twilight, she did want to speak to Adagio for a bit. Despite Empress Twilight not being able to travel between worlds before, ever since Ghetsis aided her in invading countless worlds, in one alternate version of Equestria, she managed to find a spell which allows her to access planewalking. This version of Equestria was also one that belonged to Nyx, which did, in fact, have a spell that allows that universal travel. And right in front of Adagio, Empress Twilight arrived with her usual imposing force surrounding her. This was Adagio's chance to prove Aria wrong, possibly. "Adagio Da-" "There you are!" Adagio suddenly interrupted her. "I need you to tell me something that I can shove in Aria's face!" "Hmph. I only-" "It'll give me the strength and confidence I need to also crush that Rarity pony once the Canterlot Tournament continues!" "Why would-" "So that I can show Aria that she knows nothing about what our true fate is!" "...Oh. This again." Empress Twilight shook her head. "Oh, Adagio. Poor, poor, Adagio." "What do you mean Poor Adagio? I'm right aren't I?!" "Hm. Maybe here. But not everywhere else." "Everywhere else? What are you on about?" "Oh, that's right! I never told you." Twilight giggled. "What didn't you tell me?" Adagio growled. "Tell me what you know!" "Alright. Someone's a bit commanding." Twilight cleared her throat. "Adagio. This fate that you speak of...only exists here." And there it was. The words that Adagio didn't expect to hear at all. Words that never crossed her mind once. "W-What do you mean by that?" "I mean that the cruel fate that exists in this universe doesn't exist in the others. To put into even better context..." Twilight went up to her, getting all up in Adagio's face. "The siren's unfortunate fate is only present here. If you were to look everywhere else, other versions of yourself do not share that fate." Hearing that made Adagio back away from Empress Twilight in absolute shock. She shook her head, refusing to believe that everything she was saying was true. "You're lying! You have to be!" "Am I? How so? I've been through every other version of Equestria. Even the human variation of it. And in every single one of them, you and your sisters, although in some cases you're not related, survived even without any magic." "W-What...?" "The Battle of Bands will always play out the same way in multiple universes. But the one most consistent pattern is that the Dazzlings will end up living inside of a bus of all things. How low can three individuals fall honestly?" Twilight couldn't help but continue laughing at that. "No way..." Adagio looked down in distraught. As if she wasn't defeated already. After learning that this cruel fate only exists for this version of her changed everything. Which essentially means that there's a universe out there where the dazzling continue to live on without any magic whatsoever. "If I'm being honest. I would say you got lucky in this universe. Then you wouldn't have to try and adjust to human life. But oh well." "H-How...? How is this possible- I thought..." "Adagio, dear." Twilight held Adagio's chin up. "Of course it's possible. That's why they're called Alternate Universes." At this point, Adagio couldn't give out any clever remarks or retorts. Both Aria and Empress Twilight have absolutely destroyed her on the inside. "Hm. I almost forgot why I came here in the first place. Oh, right. I wanted you to partner with Luster Dawn for something important later on. Can you do that?" "...Yes." Adagio agreed. She didn't even deny it. At this point, what is there to deny? "Excellent. I'll let you finish your little Canterlot Tournament first. You seem to have a bit of unfinished business. Toodle-loo~!" Empress Twilight left by passing through the gateway. But she left a great impact on the pony-siren hybrid. An impact that hit harder than Aria's scolding and there might never be anything that will ever come close to this. The villains have their own stories as opposed to the rest of the world. Although, their stories are less pleasant and full of excitement as Ash and his friends. But either way, all their actions, their plans and motives will come into full effect with the inevitable invasion of Equestria as the journey continues. Chapter 251 End.