CHAPTER 8
[Somewhere in the middle of the ocean]
The lone Lapras surged forward across the waves tirelessly as his sole passenger clung to a spine for support, sitting with a large bag of apples.
"So Connor, tell me a bit about yourself," Marco spoke up to break the ice, "For someone who's only been in the guild for just a few weeks, you're already being entrusted to make such a big expedition".
"You say that as if you think I didn't have a life before I entered the guild," said Connor, "Before then, I would often go out exploring caves with my father. He was a bit of an avid traveller himself, and he often told me stories of how he would go out on a week-long trip and return home with shit-loads of treasure. He said that they were the twenty happiest years of his life". Connor smirked, "And then he met my mother. I don't remember much, but my mother says that I was 'too restless for my own good', and that I 'took after my old man way too much'. Even as a young child, my father often took me out on his wild adventures, and it was with him where I learnt all the basic skills involved in exploration and survival in the wild".
"I see. You already have a solid foundation for your skill set in your upbringing, which means that now you only need a place to develop and improve those skills," Marco surmised, "And Wigglytuff's Guild is the best place for someone like you to flourish".
"My parents often disagreed on many points as I grew up, but one thing they did agree on was that I was to use my Illusion ability as much as possible, and master it as early as possible. Illusion is a very potent trait that is unique only to Zoruas and Zoroarks, but it is not an easy talent to master to its full potential. Travelling to Equestria will truly test me in regards to that. I have set myself the challenge to infiltrate their society and act like as if I were one of them. I want to expand my Illusion repertoire so that they wouldn't be able to notice me even if they were looking right at me. But the only way to perfect it is just through constant practice".
"You have your work cut out for you then," Marco remarked.
"My father is very capable with casting Illusions, as is expected of all Zoroarks, and he often took down much larger and stronger foes than him simply by fooling with their minds," said Connor, "That is the kind of explorer I strive to be. 'Professionals have standards', he always said. 'Be polite, be efficient, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet'. I can't quite work out where he got that from, but I think it's a good motto to live by".
"That's... a very interesting one indeed," Marco was slightly unsettled, "Why would someone plan to kill everyone?"
"It doesn't mean that you have to actually follow through with it," Connor defended, "It just means that if things get icky, you'll want to have a game-plan set beforehand, so that way you already know what you're going to do if it ever comes to that".
"I'll admit, that kind of makes sense," Marco shrugged, "But wouldn't it be a bit disturbing if you're already prepared to end one of your own friends or compatriots? How do you sleep at night?"
"I manage," Connor replied.
"Erm, let's change topics," Marco said eagerly, "What do you plan to do once you're in Equestria?"
"My game plan so far is to blend in with the locals, track down Team Valkyrie, and join with them. They'll already be familiarised with their surroundings, and if I follow them around, I'll be able to play catch-up relatively quickly. After that, I don't know. I haven't thought that far yet. I'm hoping to go on treasure hunts and discover heaps of cool and exciting things!"
Connor's ear suddenly twitched at the sound of splashing water behind them, and he turned about to see several Sharpedo bearing down on them at a rapid speed.
"That's not good," His face went white behind his mask.
Marco turned his head around, "What- oh come on! Not this again!"
Marco increased his speed to outrun their new foes, to no avail. The predators circled around menacingly with their fangs bared.
Marco turned and fired an Ice Beam at the closest one, kicking up a large spout of water into the air.
Connor ducked as another jumped straight towards him in a Bite attack and sailed inches above his head. He frowned as his eyes took a red glow.
"A bit of help here would be great," Marco exclaimed as he zigzagged about, firing off Ice Beams in all directions to keep their tenacious foes at bay.
Connor ignored him, as he shifted his gaze to the water beneath them. A deep rumbling sound swelled up from the depths of the ocean, causing the Sharpedo to pause their attacks and look around.
Suddenly, a large serpentine creature erupted from the depths with a loud roar that kicked up the waves in a violent surge.
Marco's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, "Oh dear. Now is a bad time for a Gyarados of all things to appear. Connor, what are you doing back there?!"
The Gyarados glared venomously at the Sharpedo, "Back away! They're mine!"
The Sharpedo panicked and withdrew, not wishing to meet an early demise themselves.
The Gyarados reared up in front of them with its gaping mouth. Marco quivered, "Connor, DO SOMETHING!"
The Gyarados launched forward towards Marco's throat for the kill. Marco flinched and screamed at the top of his lungs, expecting the end.
After several tense seconds of nothing, he opened his eyes again. They were still alive, and the Gyarados was gone.
He looked about nervously, breathing heavily, "W-Where'd it go?! Connor, what happened? Speak to me!"
After a few moments, Connor started giggling to himself, before erupting into full-blown laughter, "Gotcha!"
Marco blinked incredulously, "You mean... that was an illusion?"
"Hahahahaha!" Connor wiped a tear from his eye, "Oh man, you should'a seen your face! It was hilarious! I don't think I ever got someone that good!"
Marco pouted in silent fury, "Don't do that again. I nearly had a heart-attack".
"Hey, it drove off the Sharpedo, didn't it?" Connor composed himself, "Oh that was gold..."
"How did you manage to do that, anyway? That was quite a complex illusion back there," asked Marco.
"Not really," Connor shrugged, "There are heaps of predators I can use for that sort of trick, whether it be Gyarados, Ursaring, Luxray, you name it. It's actually quite a simple defence mechanism that my dad used a lot, and he made sure I had mastered that before I ever went off on my own".
"That's pretty smart, actually," Marco admitted.
"I can also apply that trick to other situations as well," said Connor, "Such as if ever some ugly chick starts hitting on me, I can just conjure a fake girlfriend to make them piss off".
Marco frowned, "What... You're a bit young to go looking for girlfriends, don't you think?"
"... That was a hypothetical scenario," Connor said flatly, looking away.
"What other tricks can you perform?" Marco asked quickly.
"Well, ones like this," Connor jumped and disappeared in a flash of bright red light. Marco blinked when he saw a second Lapras swimming beside him.
"To ones like this," Connor disappeared again, reappearing as a shiny Red Gyarados. After several seconds, he morphed back into his original form and clambered up back on top of Marco's shell, dripping wet and suddenly short of breath.
"Is it a stressful task on your body?" Marco asked in concern.
"No," Connor shook his head with short, ragged breaths, "I just can't swim all that well".
"Oh".
"What you see and what's actually going on are two different things," Connor explained, "If you ever get into dangerous situations while I'm around, above all, never trust your senses. My Illusion's probably pumping them full of bullshit to deceive you". Connor grinned, "And the best part is, you never know you've entered one until I've decided to reveal it as such".
"I'll keep that in mind," Marco said warily, "Can it affect certain people only, or is it indiscriminate?"
"It affects anyone and everyone within eyesight, earshot, whatever," Connor answered, "The best, and only way to know for sure is if I've told you beforehand what I'm about to do. Oh, and by the way, think fast".
"What?" Marco twirled to his right. A Sharpedo jumped at his neck... and disappeared in midair.
Marco cast another angry glare in Connor's direction, "That's not funny. Do it again, and I'll tip you over and leave you there to drown".
"Aw, you're no fun," Connor grinned.
"Is there a weakness to your Illusion?" Marco asked.
"The biggest drawback is that it's not actually real. It's not like Psychic power where you can simply pick someone up with it and rip them in half with it," Connor explained, "It's main purpose is to deceive the target and screw with their mind. For that task, it is absolutely perfect. However, Lucario have a rude habit of seeing right through Illusions with their damned Aura Sight. Bloody spoil-sports..."
"Has that happened to you before?" asked Marco.
"Personally, I've only ever encountered a single Lucario in my entire life, when I happened to pass one by in a forest, but I've heard stories about how we have a bit of a rivalry of sorts with them. They're an incredibly hard species to come by these days, and to be honest I have no idea why. I think it might have something to do with the fact that they can only breed once every couple of years or something," replied Connor, "Kind of like Zoroarks".
"Either that, they're all hiding away on some Arceusforsaken mountain 'training'," said Marco, "I heard that they're pretty strict on themselves like that, as the 'Guardians of Aura' or something like that".
"You know, I think the term 'Guardians of Aura' is a bit generic, don't you?" Connor tilted his head, "They seriously couldn't come up with a better term for it?"
"Well, 'The Super Saiyans', 'The Dream Team', and 'The All-Stars' were already taken, you see," Marco grinned, "and 'The Dudes That Wield the Mystical Blue Shit' is a bit too long to say in a normal conversation".
"True, true," Connor nodded, "So uh, how much longer until we get to Equestria?"
"It's not even lunchtime yet," replied Marco, "We won't get there until tomorrow morning".
"Well... shit," Connor sighed, curling up amongst the rigid spines of Marco's shell.
[Meanwhile, somewhere above the Canterlot Highway]
Team Valkyrie had woken up particularly early that morning. Shortly after they ate breakfast at a cafe, a royal carriage pulled up in the town square to take them to Canterlot, courtesy of the Princesses.
CJ and Zappo gratefully accepted the ride and climbed on board. Archie instead opted to fly alongside them, to save weight. No sooner were they on board, the Pegasi guards pulling the carriage bolted off, taking to the sky with ease, like there was no several hundred pound carriage weighing them down.
As they passed over the construction site for their new base, CJ noticed that the workers were still in the process of digging a massive hole for the underground level. The workers hadn't arrived for the day yet, so the worksite was completely vacant.
"It will be really nice once our base is all completed," Archie pulled up alongside, "I can't wait to see what it'll look like!"
"With a bit of luck, it will turn out just as good, if not better than Wigglytuff's place," said Zappo proudly.
"If we spiff it up enough, it will be quite a grand sight to behold," CJ grinned, "And I'm sure Applejack will be more than glad to have her barn back".
"They won't need to feed us anymore either, which is a relief as well," Zappo remarked, "I think they were starting to become a bit worried about how much we eat. That loot from the dragon's cave is certainly coming in handy to pay for our meals".
"Speaking of which, were they able to count how much the entire amount was worth?" asked Archie.
"They're still not done yet," Zappo grinned, "But so far, they reckon the total amount will be somewhere upwards of ten million bits!"
CJ couldn't help but break into a wide smile, "Imagine that. We came here with only a couple hundred bucks to our name, and suddenly we're millionaires, just like that!"
"Now remember team, that money has to last a long time," Zappo warned, "We may have more money than we know what to do with, but I don't ever want to have a money crisis just because one of you idiots filled the base with heaps of outrageously expensive shit that we don't even touch or use. No flaunting or bragging about the wealth either, understood?"
CJ and Archie both nodded in response.
"If anyone comes forward asking for money, we will help them out, but we will only give them as much as they need to get on their feet. After that, they can support themselves," said Zappo, "I don't want any bloody mongrels sponging off us this time".
"How much did the construction crews say our base would cost to build?" asked CJ.
"Well, I talked with the guy in charge," Zappo replied, "And he said that the land just on its own was about ten thousand bits and building the base will cost upwards of four hundred thousand".
"That's a bit dear, isn't it?" Archie remarked, "I hope they do a top-level job of it".
"Well, we are using the best materials money can buy, as well as what we hope to be is the best construction firm in Equestria," said CJ, "If something turns up amiss, we know exactly who to talk to".
"I don't think the company would go out of their way to fuck up our building," Zappo pointed out, "I mean, if they did, its coming not only out of their pockets and reputation, but out of their wellbeing. I'll make sure of it".
Suddenly, there was a soft fizzing noise that drew their attention towards Archie.
The Charizard frowned as the magic seal on his Explorer Badge ran out of energy and promptly died. His magic anti-water shield collapsed and dispersed into particles. Several seconds later, CJ's and Zappo's seals fizzled out and died also.
"Huh," Zappo removed the now-useless seal, "It seems these things come with a use-by date of about forty hours after activation". He casually discarded it over his shoulder.
The majority of the flight was spent in relative silence. By the time the city of Canterlot was in sight, Zappo had curled up and fallen asleep on the seat and CJ was staring vacantly at the clouds as they passed underneath. Archie meanwhile was still as fresh as he was when they first left, even after the long-haul flight of about three hours.
CJ blankly shifted his gaze towards the city before them, in all its glory and grandeur. It took his several seconds to become alert as to where they were.
"Wakey, wakey," he nudged Zappo's shoulder with a vine, "We're here". Zappo made a soft grunt as he came around and sat up.
"Well, well, well, would you get a load of that?" he murmured in surprise, "A pretty fitting place for a monarchy, if I say so myself".
The carriage came to a halt in the courtyard in front of the royal castle. Standing in front of the door were several guards standing at attention.
"Thanks for the lift, fellas," Zappo gave the Pegasi an appreciative nod as he hopped out. The Pegasi simply nodded in return, waiting for CJ to dismount, before walking off.
The guards at the door way briskly approached them, "Are you the 'Pokémon' of 'Team Valkyrie'?"
"That sounds about right," Zappo said casually, in sharp contrast to the guard's all-business demeanour.
"Please follow us inside. The Princesses are expecting you," the guard gestured, turning about.
"Well, considering they were the ones who sent the invitation in the first place..." Zappo remarked. The guard frowned and stared at the smart-alec Raichu for several seconds, before walking towards the door.
Team Valkyrie followed the guards through the complex maze of hallways for what seemed like forever, before finally arriving at the throne room.
At the end of these hallowed chambers, sat the Royal Princesses themselves, waiting patiently for their guests' arrival. Royal Guards lined the red carpet leading up towards them, stiff as statues.
The Pokémon slowly approached the thrones, before stopping several feet short.
"So these are the Pokémon that we hear so much about," Princess Celestia spoke up first, "I must say that it is a pleasure to meet you all. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna".
"The pleasure is ours, ma'am," CJ nodded, "Twilight Sparkle speaks very highly of you".
"As she does of you, likewise," said Celestia, "Her letters she has sent me have indicated that you three individuals are something else, and that is just what we require".
"May I ask as to what for?" CJ asked politely.
Princess Luna stepped forward, "The letters that Twilight Sparkle hath sent us contain the information regarding thine occupations, specifically the fact that thou art brave explorers of the highest calibre, art thou not?"
"That is correct," Zappo replied, "In fact, I think it would be fair to say that we are the best around by a long shot".
"Very good. That means that the request we have for thou will be accomplishable," said Luna, "Several days ago, whilst I was taking watch for the night, I felt a great disturbance in the air, as if the very fabric of space itself had been wrenched open".
Team Valkyrie listened closely as Luna continued, "Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, a creature hath fallen through that opening, and we have come to the conclusion that whatever it is, it is now lying incapacitated, and in the open. Thine task, if thou choose to accept it, is to locate that creature which hath entered our space and bring it back to us. Alive, is preferable. Dead... is just as good".
"What is it about this creature that has you so unsettled?" asked Archie.
Luna spoke with a grave tone, "The creature is giving off such a terrible and negative vibe, and it is disrupting the magical properties of the atmosphere around it. Please make haste, for we do not wish for this monstrosity to continue its slumber where nopony can apprehend it if it awakens".
"I have a slightly bad feeling that I know who that 'creature' is..." Zappo murmured with a frown.
"If thou has any information regarding this creature, do tell," Luna urged.
"I can't really confirm anything, but what you have described to us sounds like an old 'friend' of ours," a wide grin slowly worked itself across Zappo's face. He turned to CJ, "You know who I'm talking about, right?"
CJ furrowed his brow, "Hmm, I have a feeling I should know this, but I can't really remember..."
"Is this creature an associate of yours?" asked Celestia, tilting her head slightly.
"No," Zappo shook his head, "If it is who I think it is, then no, not at all".
"Well then, it is settled," Luna gave each Pokémon a quick glance, "Thou will bring this creature back to us, and thou will be reimbursed handsomely".
"Have you been able to narrow down exactly where the creature appeared?" asked Archie.
"We hath narrowed down its location to somewhere in the north-west quadrant of the forest," replied Luna, "But beware, that area is reputed to be the territory of several dangerous creatures, most notably the Manticore and a pack of Timberwolves".
Luna noted with wariness the enormous grin Zappo was trying immensely hard to hide. "What is it about lethal animals that amuses thou, Team Leader Zappo?" she inquired.
"He's a bit of a lunatic like that," CJ shook his head, "If there's one thing he has an unrivalled talent for, it's fighting with anything that breathes".
"Twilight told us that you have a thing for violence," Celestia remarked, "Please tell us, what enjoyment do you find in purposefully injuring others?"
"It's not so much that we find enjoyment in it," Zappo replied, "Rather, we just happen to be very good at it, and it has proven to be a useful talent to have if one wants to live without much trouble where we come from. We try to be patient and considerate, but too often we simply don't get the chance to exercise those habits when there's a guy trying to mug you for your most valuable possessions".
Celestia digested the Raichu's words for several moments with a serious expression, before murmuring, "I see. Your past experience dictates that everything can be solved if you simply hit someone hard enough. Here in Equestria, we live in a peaceful society, a Utopia if you will, and we have learned to find peaceful resolutions to our problems. Violence on a large scale has not embroiled us for more than a thousand years, a peace that I intend to make last as long as I live. The problem is that I fear we have forgotten how to defend ourselves".
She paused briefly, before continuing, "The Griffons, bordering Equestria's northeast, have been caught up in a civil war for power, and if they were to bring their conflict into Equestria, they will simply overrun the country as they see fit".
"What about the Royal Guards?" asked Archie, "They seem like a pretty competent bunch".
"They have not seen true violence, as you might be experienced with," Celestia replied, "They are highly trained, but they are in no condition to fight a war".
CJ considered everything that the Princess was saying, before speaking up, "I have an idea".
Celestia turned her attention to CJ, "Yes?"
"The very best of our Teams and Rescue Teams are very capable forces to be reckoned with," CJ explained, "If we were to bring several more crack teams over here to Equestria, they would be able to bolster your forces in the event of anyone invading. If Pokémon and Ponies were to unite in an alliance, both parties would benefit greatly from the deal. Pokémon are all driven and restless for adventure, and exploring Equestria would be exactly what they need to satisfy them. In return, your citizens would have the extra protection they need in the event of anything going wrong across the border".
Both Princesses looked at each other. "What does thou think, Tia?" asked Luna, "Can we trust these creatures with the safety of our subjects?"
Celestia was deep in thought, regarding CJ's offer. After a few moments, she smiled, "I think I can agree with those terms. When you get the opportunity, tell your people that we welcome them with open arms. Now, if I remember correctly, you three have a new mission".
"Right," Zappo nodded, beckoning his team towards the door, "Let's get cracking! It looks like we'll be making an Everfree Run after all".
Celestia called out, "Erm, hang on just a minute!" causing them to stop and turn about.
"I'm going to arrange transport to drop you back off in Ponyville. When you have recovered the offending creature, we will be there with a team of guards. From there, we will bring it back to Canterlot for evaluation".
"Righto," said Zappo.
"As you were," Celestia waved them out.
[Three Hours Later, Back In Ponyville]
The ponies in the town square watched for several moments as Team Valkyrie dismounted the carriage, before going back to whatever they were doing.
"So, what do you think it is we're looking for here?" asked Archie.
"CJ," Zappo addressed his friend, "You remember our old buddy Darkrai don't you?"
"Darkrai? I'm still trying to forget about him," CJ muttered, "Why?"
"Do you remember what happened the last time we saw him?" Zappo pressed.
"I think he tried to escape through a time portal, when Palkia showed up and destroyed the time portal just as Darkrai was entering it," CJ replied with a frown, "Are you saying that this is where Darkrai ended up?"
"Well, he had to turn up somewhere," Zappo shrugged, "With a bit of luck, he'll be like me when I first woke up as a Pokémon".
Archie blinked and turned to his orange companion, "What do you mean, 'the first time you woke up as a Pokémon'?"
Zappo and CJ stared at each other before finally regarding the Charizard. "Oh... right. You haven't been told, have you?" CJ said awkwardly.
"Told what?" Archie crossed his arms.
Zappo looked about anxiously, before beckoning them to follow him, "Here probably isn't the best place to tell it..." He directed his team onto the pathway that led out towards their destination.
[Everfree Forest]
"Alright, it's probably a little late to be telling you this now, but..." Zappo murmured as they walked, glancing at Archie, "I haven't exactly been a Pokémon my entire life, nor am I actually in the right time period".
Archie blinked, "... I'm sorry, what?"
"Long story short, I actually used to be a human from the future," Zappo explained, "And neither is my name actually 'Zappo'".
Both of his companions perked up at this. "So... how did you turn into a Pokémon?" asked Archie, "And what is your name then?"
"Basically, Darkrai happened," replied Zappo, "Several years ago, he attacked and destroyed Temporal Tower, the place Dialga resides and watches over the flow of time. The repercussions in the future was that time came to a standstill. The sun never rose again and the world was trapped in darkness. At the time, my buddy Grovyle and I went time-travelling with the help of a pink, and eccentric, Celebi, with the intention of preventing Temporal Tower's collapse and saving the future from darkness, knowing full well that if the future was altered, we'd be erased from the time stream".
"So... what went wrong?" asked Archie.
"As we travelled through the time portal, we were attacked by Darkrai, which caused a bit of a conundrum. I was somehow transformed into a Pikachu and I suffered a serious case of short-term memory loss".
"You said you remembered your name though, right?" CJ asked with concern.
"Actually, I lied," Zappo shook his head, "Zappo was a nickname Grovyle gave me as a human because of my fascination with Electric Types, remarking that I should've been born as one, and it was the only thing I could vaguely remember. Whether it was a fluke that he foreshadowed correctly about my shift in species or not, I don't know. Otherwise, no, I still can't even remember my own actual name".
"Are you talking Grovyle as in, the Grovyle who tried to steal the Time Gears?" asked Archie.
"Yes, there was a purpose behind that," Zappo grumbled, "We were supposed to take them to Temporal Tower, where they would fix up the tower and reboot the flow of time".
"Fortunately, we were successful," CJ chimed in, "The time flow was fixed, and the future was saved from darkness".
"But then, why is Zappo still here if the time flow was altered?" Archie raised an eyebrow.
"The only reason I'm still here is because Dialga owed me one for saving him from insanity and getting his shit in gear," said Zappo, "Restoring me to the time line was his way of saying 'thanks'".
Archie crossed his arms, "Huh... I heard that you had saved the future, but I never really knew any of the intricate details. Is there anything else you 'forgot' to tell me?"
"No, I think that's it..." Zappo furrowed his brow in thought, "And then a few months later, we went out with Cressalia to finish off Darkrai once and for all. He thought it would be funny to try and set an ambush for us, but that still didn't save him. He tried to escape through a time portal of his own, but Palkia stepped in at the last possible minute and attacked the portal just as Darkrai entered it, shattering the portal and leaving Darkrai's fate ambiguous. With a bit of luck, he died, but now I'm not so sure".
Several minutes of silence passed as they walked about aimlessly, following their own feet. The trees around them seemed to have an ominous sense of foreboding, and they could see why ponies almost never ventured here. As they continued on, they wandered into a small clearing.
"Am I the only one who has the feeling we're being watched?" asked Archie tentatively, "I don't like the look of those trees".
Zappo looked about, regarding their surroundings with disinterest, while CJ also had a concerned look on his face.
In his absentmindedness, Zappo accidentally tripped on a rock jutting out of the ground. Reacting quickly, he held his arm out against a tree to prevent himself from falling over.
"Watch your step there," CJ cautioned.
Zappo blinked as a strange sensation seemed to overcome his senses. He felt dizzy as his vision briefly blacked out on him.
...
Everything explodes into a blur of motion as several large Mightyena-shaped figures lunge out from the dense undergrowth, poised to sink their teeth into three other figures which look suspiciously like his team...
...
Zappo blinked and frowned in concern, It's been a while since I've experienced one of those...
CJ almost immediately noticed his friend's sudden discomfort, "Zappo, are you alright?"
Zappo held a paw up as he glanced about warily, "Stay alert, we're not alone here".
"What?" Archie looked about, "I don't see-"
The bushes and shrubs suddenly seemed alive with movement.
"Oh".
"Zappo, what happened?" CJ asked tensely.
"I think my Dimensional Scream is back," Zappo said simply, continuing to glance around.
"Your what?" Archie looked confused.
CJ stared incredulously, "You mean, you had a vision?! What did you see?"
"I think it was a warning that we're about to be attacked by wild animals," Zappo's collected demeanour returned, "and to that, I say 'bring it on'!"
Sure enough, at least a dozen hunched figures sprang out from the bushes on all sides, startling the explorers.
Everything happened blindingly fast, as a figure launched itself straight for Zappo's throat. Instinctively, he brought his fist into a Focus Punch uppercut, connecting the blow with a solid crunch. The creature's head was ripped clean off as the body followed through on inertia, collecting Zappo in a hard tackle to the ground.
On close inspection, the creature seemed to be entirely made of wood and bark.
CJ ducked down as a several Timberwolves jumped for his neck with their fangs bared. CJ lashed out with Vine Whip, which did little more than keep them at bay for a few brief, and vital seconds. He then became enshrouded in a blue glow as he danced about erratically, the unpredictable Swords Dance routine initially confusing the wolves. After several moments, CJ gave each wolf a glance as his tail took a bright green glow, "Alright, who's first?"
Archie instantly took flight, launching upwards as the remaining wolves all jumped at once. They all collided in the air beneath their intended target and fell to the ground. Archie made good his chance and launched a powerful Flamethrower directly on top of them. The entirely wooden creatures yelped and howled in agony as the intense flames made quick their horrible and violent demise.
Zappo kicked the corpse off of himself and jumped back to his feet. A second Timberwolf, slightly larger than its other pack members, snarled at the orange mouse caught in the sight of its amber-glowing eyes. The two briefly circled each other, before the alpha wolf jumped towards the mouse, ready to tear its head clean off.
Zappo jumped to the left, clearing the wolf as it sailed to the side. He tensed himself up and attacked it with Thunderbolt. The electrical attack didn't seem to affect the wolf too much, but he had certainly agitated it. The wolf rapidly turned about and snapped at the mouse's heels as he jumped backwards several paces, charging up energy in his arm for another Focus Punch. The wolf made another attack, before feigning back to avoid Zappo's swing, and quickly latched its jaws around Zappo's outstretched arm in a vicious bite. Zappo flinched, and the bite certainly hurt, but it otherwise did little else.
That confirms that there is quite a large gap Level-wise between us in my favour, He realised, my Defence is simply too strong for it to have much of an impact on me.
The wolf meanwhile released its grip and frowned in confusion. Such an attack should've dismembered a rodent of that size, however not only did its arm stubbornly refuse to break, but its razor-sharp teeth barely even broke the rodent's skin, leaving only a few clustered grazes to show for its effort. That was not normal at all. Suddenly unsure about its opponent, the alpha wolf hesitated.
Zappo launched another Thunderbolt at point-blank, which stunned the wolf and knocked it backwards. A jolt of electricity ran up the wolf's spine, indicating that it had been Paralysed. Zappo made full use of the moment and rammed a Focus Punch into the left side of the wolf's face, jerking its head so violently that its neck made an audible crack. The corpse toppled over onto its side in defeat.
He looked about as the pack of Timberwolves were suddenly reduced from twelve members to four in the space of a minute.
CJ put his weight into a downward slash at the closest wolf with Leaf Blade, slicing clean through the wolf's head and splitting it in half. The wolf opposite to it was suddenly blown off its feet by a Flamethrower from Archie, and the large embers drifted across to the remaining assailants, who stepped back in fear of the fire.
Seeing the tables turned in such a short time, the two remaining wolves backed themselves against a tree defensively, growling in fury. Zappo returned lowly with a fierce, undaunted glare, "If there's one thing you puppies need to learn now, it's that we're a lot scarier than you are".
After a tense stand-off, the wolves made one last bark in defiance before turning and disappearing amongst the undergrowth.
CJ sighed in relief, "Phew, hopefully we won't be seeing them again".
[Deep Everfree Forest]
As the Pokémon continued on, Archie spoke up, "So what was this 'Dimensional Scream' you mentioned?"
"It's some weird ability that I have," Zappo shrugged, "Every now and then, when I touch things, I sometimes experience visions about that object's past or future. It's almost impossible to tell if I'll get a vision or not, but it I generally won't experience anything if that object doesn't have any relevance to either myself or the Time Gears".
"Then why did the tree trigger the Scream?" CJ murmured.
"Because it happened to be nearby, I suppose," Zappo shrugged again, "Who knows".
A pitch-black aura of energy suddenly rippled through the area, almost shaking them off their feet and instantly giving them a maddening sense of dread.
"Whatever it is, we must be close," Zappo murmured, "Just a bit further on".
Breaking into a run, Team Valkyrie entered another clearing. Right in the middle of the clearing was the collapsed an unconscious form of the Legendary Pokémon of Nightmares, Darkrai.
They cautiously approached the Dark-Type, bristling in anticipation for anything wrong.
Ever so slightly, the body shuffled as its breathing slightly increased, and the pulsating aura slowly started to settle down as it became more controlled.
Zappo held his arm out, gesturing for his team to stop.
"He's coming around," CJ said nervously.
Darkrai made a soft groan as he held a hand to his head and gingerly sat up.
"That's the last time I make a deal with that bitch..." he grumbled, "If I see her smug face again, she'll be sorry..."
He realised that several pairs of eyes were watching him, and slowly turned about, his lone visible blue eye emotionless and vacant.
"... Can I help you?" Darkrai frowned.
"Oh, nothing," Zappo shook his head, "You were just out cold, and we thought something bad had happened to you, that's all". He doesn't appear to recognise either me or CJ, he thought.
"Something bad?" Darkrai chuckled dryly, "Buddy, something worse than bad must've happened. My head feels like Groudon went and sat on it. Would you gents mind telling me as to where I am?"
"You're in the middle of the Everfree Forest," Zappo replied,
"Everfree... that doesn't ring any bells," Darkrai murmured in thought, "Are you sure that's what this place is called?"
"You're not exactly on the same island you think you are," Archie spoke up, "You're in a place called 'Equestria'".
"Eques-" Darkrai's eye went wide, "Oh shit, now that's a name I haven't heard in a while..."
Team Valkyrie perked up. "You know where you are now?" asked CJ.
"Sweet Mother of Arceus, what the Hell are we doing here?" Darkrai stared at them worriedly.
"Well, we're here exploring. What about you?" asked Zappo.
"I... I don't know. My memory is rather blank regarding the past few months," Darkrai scratched the back of his head, "I haven't exactly... been myself as of recently, and I think I know why".
"Hmm?" CJ tilted his head.
"Erm... it's not exactly something you would understand," Darkrai shook his head.
"If you tell us what happened to you, we can tell you what you've been up to for the past two years," Zappo folded his arms.
Darkrai looked at him incredulously, "Uh, right. Well, if you think you have the answers, then fill me in".
"If I remember correctly, you tried to take over the world by plunging it into darkness. To do that, you sabotaged Temporal Tower and made Dialga go insane. You almost succeeded, in fact," Zappo explained.
Darkrai's eye widened, but he otherwise said nothing.
"Two guys went back in time to stop you, but you interfered with their time travel, and one of them became an amnesiac," Zappo continued, "While one dude struggled to recollect who he even was, with the help of a third guy, the other dude continued the mission regardless. Dialga sent a minion back in time to stop them, and dragged them back to the future to kill them. They escaped, and fled back to the past. They were able to collect the Time Gears, reach Temporal Tower, bashed Dialga just before he could go insane, and restored the Time Gears to their rightful place, saving the future. This valiant effort was not without sacrifice however, as one of the dudes dragged Dialga's minion back to the future, neutralising him as a threat. After the time stream was altered, the other dude simply vanished, leaving the third guy all alone.
"Dialga however, was grateful for the two dudes' efforts to save the world, and restored the amnesiac back to the time stream. You became uber-pissed off that your plan was foiled, so you planned to destroy the two remaining guys who stopped you. You ultimately set an ambush for them, however the two dudes, who now had the help of one Cressalia, were able to overcome the ambush and defeat you. You tried to bug out and escape through a time portal just as Palkia arrived to solve the problem once and for all. As you entered the portal, Palkia attacked and destroyed the portal, and this is where you ended up," Zappo finished his lengthy tale.
"That fucking cunt!" Darkrai fumed, shouting towards the sky in general, "Oh that explains everything!"
After several moments, Darkrai turned about, "How do you know all this? Who told you?"
"Told us?" Zappo smirked, "We are those two dudes! I'm the amnesiac from the future, and this is the guy who helped me restore my memory".
Darkrai stared at him, "... Huh. Then who's the Charizard?"
"I'm new," Archie replied, "I didn't join the team until after all this had occurred".
"What do you mean?"
"Our battle took place more than twenty four months ago," Zappo answered, "Your time portal has dumped you two years into the future, in the land of Equestria".
"... Alright, your story checks out," Darkrai nodded, "and I must first say, that I apologise for any harm I might have brought to you. I was not in control of my own body at that time. Rather, I had developed a crude symbiotic friendship of sorts with a vile creature which only identified itself as Nightmare Moon. Being a Pokémon of nightmares myself, I thought that this thing must be pretty cool. However, we differ in two very important ways: I get my kicks from scaring people because, well let's be honest, I'm not exactly the nicest Pokémon to ever grace this planet and I never will be. But that... monster is something else! She gets her kicks from complete destruction of pretty much anything that breathes. The only problem for her is that she has no physical form, and she must first take over someone else to make her magic happen, literally".
"So, do you already know about Equestria, ponies and all that jazz?" Zappo asked inquisitively.
"... Yes," Darkrai gave a nod, "But that's a story for another time. I'm under the assumption that the Ponies have detected my time portal and have sent you to come fetch me?"
"That was the idea," CJ answered.
Darkrai sighed, "Well, let's get out of here then. This is going to be a long night..."
"By the way," Archie spoke up as they walked off, "What's your relation to Cressalia?"
"Ugh, the ol' 'ball and chain'," Darkrai muttered and shook his head, "She'd be pretty pissed about the mess I must've caused. She's my counterpart and polar opposite. She represents nice dreams and happiness, while I represent nightmares, death, and a varying myriad of other odd things. She's polite and sophisticated, and I'm crude and straightforward. Again, it's a story for another time".
[Ponyville]
The journey back to Ponyville was rather uneventful, to say the least. Once they got back however, was when things started to get interesting.
The Royal Princesses were already awaiting Team Valkyrie's arrival, with all the Elements of Harmony, a sizable contingent of guards, and a containment cell, magically sealed and ready to subdue whatever monstrosity Team Valkyrie brought back with them.
The entire greeting party visibly shifted as Zappo walked up to them with Darkrai trailing behind him.
"He followed us home. Can we keep him?"
Princess Celestia regarded Darkrai for several seconds, "... I honestly had not expected to see you of all creatures again". This comment drew several confused and shocked reactions from those nearby.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Celestia?" Darkrai chuckled, scratching the back of his neck, "What's it been, about nine thousand years now?"
Celestia remained stern and serious, "What are you doing here? I told you to never come back for a reason".
Team Valkyrie looked uneasily at each other.
"Uh, it's a long story," Darkrai shrugged sheepishly, "and it involves a certain Nightmare Moon that we all know you just love and adore".
Princess Luna shifted uncomfortably as Celestia grit her teeth, "What has it done now?"
"She thought it would be funny to seize control of me and create havoc amongst my own people," Darkrai frowned, "And in her last moments of control over me, she entered a time portal. The portal was destroyed, and the Everfree Forest is where we ended up. She must've abandoned me after that".
"Pardon me if I'm interrupting," Twilight spoke up in concern, "but who is that?"
Celestia sighed heavily, "Twilight, I'm afraid that there is much that has been withheld from you about these creatures, and for that, I apologise. The truth is that this is not the first time Ponies have encountered Pokémon".
Twilight looked shocked at this revelation, "But then, why do we know next to nothing about them? There's nothing about them anywhere in our history!"
"Nothing that was recorded in our history," Celestia clarified, "You may want to get comfortable. This will take a while..."
END CHAPTER 8