A Little Adventure in Alola

by CommanderX5

Ch.5 - Research Party - Pt.2

Twilight hovered in mid-air, clapping her hooves together. “Thank Celestia! Nica is safe after all!” She gave a quick flap, flying higher in the air, before exclaiming, “It’s as if a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” Her wings created a small gust of wind as a nearby worker dressed in a white coat scrambled over to snatch a stack of papers ready to blow away in the breeze. 

“P-please be more careful, Miss Twilight.”

“S-sorry,” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. She descended onto the checkered violet and white floor, her hooves making a dull clack as they settled against the tile. On her sides, she noticed bookshelves piled with rows upon rows of precious literature, while behind her, an entire wall of screens closely monitored the beasts activity. What once was a little laboratory studying Ultra Space had now become a center of resistance for the four islands.

As much as she wished to learn more about the numerous PCs and the ongoing research that surrounded her from all sides, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

“You really care for that Raichu, don’t you little princess?” Kukui said after tapping Twilight’s shoulder.

The alicorn stood on her rear hooves, the top of her head now reaching up to the professor’s nose. “Hey, I’m not little. I just seem smaller when I stand on four hooves.” She lowered herself and nodded. “And to answer your question, of course I care about her. We ended up taking care of her for more than a month and she quickly became a major part of our lives, not to mention how much effort she put into helping us escape a future of war and enslavement, even with all the pain and agony she endured to do it.” She lowered her head and started rubbing the floor. “She’s so willing to push herself for others, yet never considers herself. Someone needs to worry about her wellbeing for her.”

“Heh, sounds like someone amazing. I can’t wait to meet her.” Kukui looked at the ceiling, holding hands on his sides. His face displayed in a cheerful smile. His attention shifted to his approaching wife who held a notepad in her hand. Her skin more brown than his with long white hair piled atop her head, while a grey undershirt and long black shorts covered her body. Whatever she wore atop was now wrapped around her middle, revealing most of her hands and neck. Next to his wife was none other than Starlight, whose face was twitching with impatience.

“So Nica is save, thank Celestia!” the unicorn said as she started trotting in place. “And yes, I eavesdropped on your conversation. I just hope that that Ash guy can keep the town safe long enough for her to recover.”

“Oh, you can trust him. He may seem clumsy and foolish at times, but when it matters the most, he goes above and beyond,” Professor Burnet said before addressing the princess. “I must say, I still find it a bit weird to cooperate with a visitor from another dimension in the middle of an invasion from Ultra Space, but I can’t deny your contribution.” She glanced at the princess’ horn. “To match the aura of that giant, your magic is really something.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, hiding her blush. “I’m just glad we could be of assistance, considering that the spell that was meant to send Nica home instead of pulling more pokemon into our world.”

“To be fair, we were very close to having an all out pokemon invasion on our hooves,” Starlight commented, causing a few workers and both professors to look at her in confusion. “Sure, Chrysalis summoned Darkrai to do her bidding, but he used her instead and wanted pokemon to enslave us. So yeah…”

“Bygones are bygones,” Twilight said as she shook her forehoof dismissively. “Besides, even if one summoned pokemon tried to enslave us, another one came to our aid. We shouldn’t hold any grudges.”

“Fair enough,” Starlight said.

Professor Burnet scratched the back of her neck. “Seems we’re not the only ones with poor experiences here. I hope we can just engage in peaceful diplomacy once this crisis is over.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Twilight said with a nod before looking at the notes in the human’s hands. “Still, I can’t help but be amazed at how quickly you all were to cooperate with us, especially during an invasion.” She pointed at herself and then at Starlight. “I would assume as visitors from a different universe, it would be a bit harder to trust us, especially with how we seem to look closer to pokemon than humans.”

Kukui shrugged. “You kiddin’? With the massive variety of pokemon living all over the world, and the countless others being discovered everyday, there’s very little that we can find as odd anymore.” He patted the alicorn on the back. “To be honest, you fit in perfectly. If your fur were yellow and your mane and tail were made of flames, you could be mistaken by a flying Rapidash for sure. I’m sure some would go crazy over a rare catch like that.”

Burnet chuckled. “So true. Not to mention that Alola is already filled with many legends and out of the ordinary readings that we study. Ultra Space and alternative dimensions are basically the same.”

“Fair point,” Starlight said with a nod. “So, the faster we get the portal to Equestria working, the faster we can get reinforcements and clean this mess…” The unicorn began to trail off, noticing Twilight’s expression. “Hey, why the frowny face?”

The princess gave a soft sigh before glancing over to the PC screen beside her. “Well… I am worried about Ace. If he really found Nica, why did he throw her into the healing center instead of escorting her there, or even better, accompanying her inside? I fear he may be in trouble.”

Both professors looked at each other in worry. As much as they wanted to give the princess encouraging news, the risk of being ambushed on the way to any city had been very high since the invasion.

“Well, I would teleport to that other island and search for Ace…” Starlight narrowed her eyes, “but somepony told me to conserve my magic and avoid the risk until we get reinforcements.” She approached Kukui, standing on her rear hooves before pressing her forehooves against his chest. “And some professor refused my plea to let me get a pokemon of my own that would help me in battle.”

Kukui took a step back, holding his ground against the pony’s weight. “Sorry, we can’t entrust you with our pokemon when you don’t have much experience as a trainer.”

Starlight withdrew her hooves, now looking up at the professor in annoyance. “What about those so called ‘starter’ pokemon that new trainers can pick from?”

“First, only Kahunas can organize ceremonies where new trainers pick their pokemon, not to mention that said pokemon must agree to work together with their new trainer,” Kukui explained, his hands once again on his hips. “Not only we can’t afford to organize such a ceremony anytime soon, but there’s nothing an untrained pokemon can do against deadly Ultra Beasts like those.”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly. Even Nica and Pikachu working together barely bested that muscular beast and scared away the one that tried to choke us.” She frowned. “Nica told me that the more a pokemon gets hurt, the more durable it becomes, same with their strength, speed and power.” She shook her head. “Many wild pokemon have already died. We can’t risk more lives.”

“Fineee…” Starlight rolled her eyes, pouting. 

Kukui laughed. “Cheer up. If you want you can still help me search for Rainbow Dash and Pikachu on Akala, just make sure to conserve that magic of yours.” He crossed his arms and lowered his head. “To be honest, I hoped I would be able to see how much stronger your enhancing magic makes my Incineroar.”

“And I hoped to cast some spells and command my own pokemon like a trainer. Seems no one gets what they want today,” Starlight complained. 

Twilight looked at Kukui and her student walk towards the exit. “Good luck on your search. Please come back quickly. I’ll need your help with the final touches on the portal.”

“Got it,” Starlight said before stepping outside as the doors opened on their own. 

Twilight looked at the other professor before saying, “The faster I open the portal, the faster we can get help.” She gestured over the room as other scientists seemed to be focused on their work. “As much as I hoped you could tell me more about all these amazing devices, I’ll need to fully focus on creating the portal.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Burnet asked, receiving a firm shake of refusal.

“Sorry, but your science and my magic are too different. I fear there’s nothing you can do to help,” the princess said before walking towards a room further in the building, one set up for her to work half an hour ago. “But thank you for offering.”

As the pony entered her room, Burnet crossed her arms, closed her eyes and chuckled. “Don’t underestimate me, big princess,” she murmured to herself. “I learned a thing or two about Ultra Space, I’ll find a way to your world, just you wait.”

In a flash of teleportation, Starlight appeared in the room reserved for the princess’ research. As she expected, most equipment was relocated, leaving the alicorn pony with enough space to summon a rune on the floor. Opened books lay scattered about with half empty bags lying in the corner. Several used gems ended up inside the trash-can while a high number of them lay on top of the table, next to an empty cup of coffee that desperately needed refilling. 

“Seems someone has been working hard,” Starlight said before approaching her mentor, who seemed too distracted to acknowledge her presence. “Sadly, no good news on our end. I think Pikachu and Dash went to the third island after all.” She looked at the wall, which was also tiled, similar to the floor. “We did encounter two Ultra Beasts though. I tried using the muscular one that we captured…” She rubbed the black mark on her eye. “It turned out to be a bad idea.” 

She sat down with a pout. “Looks like Operation: Trainer Starlight was a bust.”

Twilight looked away from the rune, giving her student an annoyed glare. “You know that those beasts are beyond our control.”

“Yes, yes, but I wanted to at least test it out to be sure.” Starlight glanced at the clock on the wall. “An hour has passed already? Wow… we were out there longer than I thought.” She tapped her chin. “This makes two hours since our victory over the giant. I wonder if Nica is feeling better already.”

The aura around Twilight’s horn flared to life as she started sending magic into the rune on the floor. “You’re seriously assuming two hours is enough for Nica to get from the brink of death to fully healed? I don’t think even the Pokemon Center can work that fast.”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “Trust me. When it comes to recovery, that Raichu is something else.” She glanced at the rune. “So, anything I can help with?”

“Just send your magic into this rune to aid me. I added some slight changes so that we could return to the same spot from where we opened the first portal. There were still some tiny leftovers of magic in that spot in Equestria that helped me track the way home.”

“Wow, that was fast,” Starlight said before sending her magic into the rune. “You really came prepared.”

“Told you the materials I took with me would be helpful,” Twilight said with a proud smile. Her eyes sparkled as a portal started to form above the floor, slightly bigger than the one she created before. 

“Is it really safe summoning it inside a building?” Starlight asked.

“Of course it is,” Twilight said before walking forward, approaching the portal one step at a time. “And... done!”

“Great, now let’s get some reinfor…” Starlight failed to finish and flinched, caught off guard when two creatures jumped from the portal, tackling the princess to the ground. One creature that was gifted with nine long tails had its fluffy belly now pressed against alicorn’s body. Ninetales? 

“My deepest apologies, Princess Twilight,” Ninetales said as he leaped to the side before helping the alicorn to stand, supporting her with his own body. His translating collar was wrapped around his neck. “We came to the meeting spot in the hopes to reunite with our trainers, but when we arrived, we didn’t find you, or the portal.”

Starlight’s attention focused on the other creature who was now examining its surroundings. Its lower part was red while the upper part was black, though it had some sort of red mark on its darker back and what looked like two bands on its tail. Four legs seemed to have black bands instead while some sort of yellow ball decorated this creature’s neck. “L-Litten? Is that you? You look bigger...”

“I am no longer Litten. I evolved into Torracat.” He raised his head proudly as his ears now seemed longer, aside something red standing up from his face. “Our training was so intense that I evolved, and I also learned the move ‘Fire Blast!’ I can’t wait to show Ash my progress. He’s gonna be so excited!” 

Torracat’s ears drooped for a moment, his bell chiming sadly. “I wish Ash could’ve been there. But oh well, I can still show him my new move!”

Ninetales frowned. “I tried to teach him ‘Fire Blitz’ as it would fit his style better, but instead of teaching him how to upgrade his ‘Flame Charge’ to this more powerful attack, I taught him how to spit flames in a shape similar to his own body. I shall redeem this failure during our next training session.” He increased his distance from the alicorn and sat.

Torracat jumped to the side and nuzzled the side of the taller pokemon. Even with his evolution, he didn’t reach Ninetales full height. “I wouldn’t call it a failure but a success. You may be strict, but you’re a really good teacher.”

“Good, but not good enough,” Ninetales complained, stomping a paw against the floor. “I know! Emily’s Arcanine knows ‘Flare Blitz.’ I’ll ask him to give you a proper demonstration.” He stood up and looked between the confused ponies. “Did you find Ash, Astra or Emily while taking so long with the portal? I need to consult Emily about Torracat’s training.”

“What about reuniting with your trainer first? You’re taking your role as my mentor way too seriously,” Torracat commented, only for Ninetales to press his muzzle against his nose.

“I promised to turn you from a rookie into an elite. You’re my pupil and I think about your future very seriously.” Ninetales pulled back with a huff. “Besides, how would it reflect on me if I couldn’t train you properly.”

Torracat simply grinned, leaning back into Ninetales and burying his face into the foxes rich fur.

Ninetales raised his head and blushed. “P-personal s-space, please,” he said, looking to the side, though made no move to shift away.

Starlight approached the friendly pair and spoke, “Sorry to disappoint you, but what we ran into is an invasion.” 

“An invasion?” Both pokemon yelped together, jumping to their paws. 

The unicorn nodded. “Powerful creatures called Ultra Beasts are standing in between us and finding your trainers.”

Twilight spoke up. “Actually, we know where Ash is. We had a talk with him with the help of… what was it called? A PC or something. He’s in the Pokemon Center in Tapu Town on another island. Nica is there as well, though she’s probably still recovering from her recent battle.” She shrugged. “As for Emily and Astra, I have no idea. There are no clues to go on.”

“Invasion! Ultra Beasts?!” Torracat shouted, hissing. “What next? Is an asteroid gonna come hurtling for us?”

Ninetales spread his tails threateningly. “Astra and Emily were at a vacation resort on Akala before we were pulled to Equestria. There is no way they aren’t currently on the frontline, fighting whoever invaded Alola.”

Starlight raised her hoof. “Actually, together with Kukui, we scouted this island. We’re on Akala. I also doubt she’s on Melemele, or else they would have come out from hiding during the big fight against the giant Ultra Beast. That leaves only two other islands.”

Twilight stood on her rear hooves and spread her wings for balance, holding her hooves on her sides. “The portal to Equestria wasn’t stable enough, so I had to make a new one. We hoped to get some backup.”

“All backup you need is here,” Ninetales said firmly. “Just tell me who to burn and I’ll get it done.”

Torracat nodded. “I’ll help the best I can.” He stomped both forepaws while showing off his claws. “I can’t wait to test what I learned against powerful foes. I won’t allow Ash to fight those creatures on his own.” He looked around. “By the way, where’s Pikachu and Rainbow Dash? They came with you, right?”

Twilight nodded as she lowered herself to four hooves. Her ears drooped. “Well… after Nica ended up greatly injured and was sent flying during our fight against Big Buzz… a gigantic beast, Ace followed her to save her. Pikachu and Rainbow Dash started searching for Nica not long after.”

Starlight joined in, “We suspect Dash and Pikachu are on Ula’ula, still searching for Nica. We have no means of informing them that she’s at the Pokemon Center in Tapu Town. Hopefully they have reached the city by now.”

Twilight lowered her head and whimpered. “Sadly, we still have no news of Ace’s whereabouts. All we know was that Nica was thrown into the Pokemon Center, so I suspect that Ace saved her but something bad happened to him on the way.”

Ninetales raised his head. “Well, with Nica recovering and Pikachu still out searching for her, finding and saving Ace takes top priority.”

Beside him, Torracat nodded. 
 
Starlight gave a cheeky grin, looking over at Twilight.

“Y-yes?”

The unicorn pressed her hoof against Twilight’s chest and said, “While you go through the portal and get help, I’ll take Ninetales and Torracat to Ula’ula and search for Ace.” She solemnly dipped her head. “It might be a perilous task, but I’m up for the challenge, if it means saving my friends.”

“You really want to play the role of a pokemon trainer, don’t you?” Twilight sighed.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t.” She glanced at the fire duo. “Furthermore, I already saw those two in battle. I have a basic idea how to best use their combat moves.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Permission granted.”

Starlight jumped up, clapping her rear hooves in happiness.

“But…”

She landed, staring at the alicorn suspiciously.

“First I need you to make sure this portal is stable.” Twilight instructed, pointing at the circling mass of white and black before her, as well as the rune on the floor which powered it. “I need you to guard this portal for the next fifteen minutes. If it proves stable, you can go to Ula’ula and search for Ace, but if it starts shrinking, I’ll need you to send your magic into the rune on the floor.”

“Got it!”

“Perfect,” Twilight said before spreading her wings and flying into the portal.

Starlight took a fighting stance, looking between the portal and the clock on the wall, paying close attention to the time. Please be stable, please be stable, please be stable. She couldn’t help but fidget, jumping from hoof to hoof as she glanced at the time every five seconds or so. 

Hanging her head, she muttered, “This is going to be the longest fifteen minutes of my life.”