//------------------------------// // A Tale told in Tabletop // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// The 28'10 height Rock Snake Pokemon looked down on the party. Compared to most Onix's this one seemed to wield a ferocity unlike any other. It was under the influence of Dusknoir as well. Rainbow Dash got up from the rocks, shaking her head after getting hit by a pretty strong Gyro Ball. "Cheap shot, pal!" "ONIX!" The Rock Snake Pokemon wasted no time attacking. It had smacked its tails on the walls, causing a Rock Slide to form from above. "Look out!" Twilight exclaimed as the entire party split up to avoid the falling heavy rocks. Onix didn't let them breathe for a second as it then slithered towards it. "Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Ash called out as his buddy turns his tail iron. The Electric Mouse ran towards Onix, slamming its hard metal tail on the Rock Snake's face. Onix shook its head as it retaliated by firing Dragon Breath out of its mouth. It grazed Pikachu, missing him by a mark. Fluttershy hid away from Onix, not really being up to face a Pokemon of that stature, especially in an enclosed space like this with rocks flying all over the place in a frenzy. A boulder was about to land on her but she was luckily saved by Applejack who broke the boulder into pieces with a single arrow. She was getting the hang of this. "Now ain't the time to hide, Fluttershy. Why don't you do the same thing you did back in Power Ponies?" said Applejack. "I don't think that exists here. And I don't know what a Gardevoir is capable of!" "It's the evolved form of Celestia's Kirlia. So that obviously means its got Psychic and Fairy moves. Use em!" Rainbow Dash commented as she ran past them. "Psychic and Fairy...okay... I can do this." Fluttershy poked her head out from the rock she was hiding from as she was ready to unleash whatever mystical power a Gardevoir can. "Come on Psychic..." The shy pony put her hooves on her head, attempting to draw out the hidden psychic prowess. She had never released used a lot of magic before. The only bit of magic she has actually wielded was the Elements of Harmony. Thankfully for her, it was fairly easy to pull off moves. So her first move she performed was a simple yet effective Magical Leaf. The mystical leaves had pelted Onix, but even with the type advantage, the Rock Snake Pokemon bypassed it like it was nothing. Onix used Screech to stop everyone in their tracks, but Pikachu and Eve were taking this much worse than the others. "This sound is horrible!" Rarity covered her ears. She returned the favour by using Disarming Voice to negate it. "Ah. Much better." But Onix was still on the attack. It had wrapped its tail around Pikachu, grabbing a hold of him. "Pi..Pika!" The Electric Mouse was straining, trying to get out. "Pikachu! Use Iron Tail to break free!" Ash went for an escape attempt. Pikachu's tail turned into hard iron as he was able to break out of the grip by swinging his tail to the side. Onix let out a cry, but it quickly recovered, using Gyro Ball once more. The Rock Snake Pokemon was enveloped in pure steel, spinning at high speeds as it was headed towards Pikachu, but Cadence got in the way, using her magic to halt it in place. "ONIX!" The Rock Snake Pokemon cried out. "This thing's relentless!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "If only I had my Pokemon with me, this would be a cinch!" "You can still do this without your Pokemon!" Ash replied as he used his shield to block Onix's tail. "Just use Greninja's mobility and agility well with Water-Type attacks and you're in the clear!" "Right! Mobility...I am a pro at mobility. I got this!" Rainbow Dash was ready to utilize the capabilities of what a Greninja can do. She did it effortlessly against the Zubats and Golbats, so this Onix shouldn't be any different. The rainbow pony moved past her friends, landing on top of Onix's head. The Rock Snake Pokemon moved its head up to see Rainbow right on top of it. "Whichever water move I have...please be good!" Dash raised her hooves up as she unleashed Water Pulse, forcing Onix to be knocked down to the ground for a bit. "Yes!" Onix however, smashed its body against the walls in order to shake her off. Rainbow Dash held on, continuously loading the Rock-Ground Type with pulses of cold water. "Keep it steady, Rainbow!" Applejack exclaimed as she was aiming Decidueye's arrows directly at Onix's head. It was moving around like crazy, trying to get her off so it wouldn't be easy to land an arrow. AJ didn't have the same perfect accuracy and precision as a Decidueye, but it was good enough. Her arrow was shot right towards Onix, striking it square in the face. Not only that but Onix was hit with another Water Pulse at the same time. The Rock-Ground Type was finally showing signs of being overwhelmed. But that didn't mean it was down and out. Onix had used Screech once more, halting everyone's movements once more. Rainbow Dash took the worst of it along with the Pokemon she was the closest to Onix. She was finally forced off Onix, giving the Pokemon a chance to continue attacking the others without any distractions. And just like that, it unleashed a blazing Dragon Breath once more. This time, it left behind a fiery explosion of blue fire. This caused a large part of the dungeon walls to be destroyed, leaving behind a smoking trail. It looked like they had been hit with it, but Twilight had guarded them by using Light Screen. "Phew! That was a close one!" Twilight sighed. "But, we're wasting to much time on one Pokemon. We need to finish this as soon as possible. The sooner we rescue all the people and Pokemon trapped in here and defeat Dusknoir, the sooner we can get back to the festival." "I hear ya, Twilight." Rainbow Dash replied. Everyone stepped forward with Fluttershy hanging in the back, in order to finally get past this Onix. The Rock Snake Pokemon had taken some considerable damage, so now was a perfect opportunity to attack it while it was weakened. "Just leave the heavy hits to yours truly." "I'll just stay back here, giving my 100% support..." Fluttershy uttered. "ONIX!" The Pokemon was ready to make another move, this time going all out. It slithered towards the group like any snake would, ready to smash its body into them all. This time it was moving much faster, making sure that the party don't get a chance to properly react in time. However, Ash had gotten in the way by putting his shield forward as Onix smashed onto it. Ash felt the shockwave, but Onix felt it even more. The shield was ridiculously durable and hard. Pure steel. Not a good sign for Rock-Types. This staggered Onix for a bit, giving the others plenty of time to make their moves. "Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Pikachu and the others made their move with the Electric Mouse being ahead. A swift Iron Tail was met with Onix's head, pushing it back. Applejack had finally shot more than just one arrow out this as multiple of them stuck onto Onix. The arrows had a ghostly aura around them thanks to Decidueye's typing. Cadence had used Dazzling Gleam by creating a powerful flash that struck Onix's whole body. Rainbow Dash had stood from afar, throwing Water Pulse's towards Onix, making sure not to get hit at all. The pulses of liquid were being bombarded on Onix's face. The Pokemon was on the verge of fainting. But it didn't want to go out yet, so it went for another Screech to stop everyone from making any actions. But it didn't take into account Rarity's Disarming Voice which had pushed back the Screech. "Let's finish this. Eve! Swift!" Twilight commanded her Eevee to deal the finishing blow by having the Evolution Pokemon fire rapid moving stars towards Onix. Each of them hit Onix square in the face. Due to all the damage it had taken, the small and simple Swift was enough to make it finally faint. "O...nix..." "Whew. Finally." Rainbow Dash sat down on the ground along with the rest of the party. The persistent Onix was finally knocked out. "What was up with that Onix? It was so freakishly strong." "I can only imagine what it must've been like to encounter it back in the past. But we can't focus on that now and take a break. We have to keep moving." Twilight stood up. No time to waste. They have a Dusknoir to reach. At Dusknoir's castle, the Gripper Pokemon and Kathleen had overseen the party and how they dealt with Onix. This pleased Kathleen a small bit, but to Dusknoir it wasn't enough. It needed to make sure that she was happy. "That was really fun. The way they handled that Onix was so cool!" Kathleen raised her arms up at Dusknoir. "Can we give them another challenge that's just as fun?" "I will. I'll make sure it is of the utmost peak of fun." Dusknoir was ready to change the world once more in order to up the anty. "What do you wish for them go up against?" "Um...I want..well anything you can think of! You've got a lot of great ideas, right Dusknoir?" "Very well. I shall give them a plethora of challenges." Dusknoir put his hands together, affecting the board game world a second time. As the party were on their way, they felt the earth trembling once more. What could possibly be next? What did end up following next was an entire Maze, created by Dusknoir in a few seconds flat, seen in the distance near the grand mountains. The Pokemon around the area ran away from the shifting earth. "Is it me, or did that maze just appear?" Rarity squinted her eyes. "It definitely wasn't there before. Just like the dungeon. That means that someone's changing the earth itself." Twilight theorized. "You think it might be Dusknoir?" Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "It has to be. Dusknoir's the one behind it all anyways." She responded. "That means Dusknoir's trying to slow us down by bringing up more and more obstacles," said Cadence. "And it's doing a pretty good job at it." "Do we have to go through the maze? Can't we just walk around it?" Rainbow asked. "Not really. It's right on those mountains. And they are some pretty steep and tall mountains as well. Not only that, but the castle is also right beyond there, and who knows what else Dusknoir will bring up the moment we get past the maze. So this is our only bet." Twilight explained. "It's times like this where I wish I had my wings." "You're not the only one." Rainbow Dash, Cadence and Fluttershy sighed. The party advanced forward with their only pathway being the maze. And like any maze, it was frantic all over the place. They set foot and hoof into this erratic area, hoping that they don't get lost immediately. "Okay. This time, let's not split up. Last time we did back at Canterlot's Maze it was a disaster. Let's just stick together in groups." Twilight commented. "I'll stick by Ash and Pikachu if that's okay." Fluttershy flew to the two. "Me and Rainbow Dash then." Applejack went to Dash. "Twilight, Eve and I will stick together. Two fairies can be pretty effective." Cadence chose Twilight and her Eevee. "Then that leaves me with Spike and Pinkie Pie. I'm sure we'll all get through this with ease." Rarity went to the two of them. "Alright. We've all got our partners. Then let's choose a pathway. If any of us ends up finding the exit, we'll make sure to come over as soon as we can if you make a call." Twilight finished her speech as the party went towards different pathways. Ash, Pikachu and Fluttershy ended up in a more closed space. Each maze had different spaces, whether they were tight or open. The spot that these three were in had ancient paintings on the walls of the maze. From the appearance, it seemed to be the infamous paintings of Mew. Perhaps this is one of the earlier paintings of the Mythical Pokemon found usually in the caves. "This place feels oddly familiar," Ash said, feeling like he's been here before. "In fact, this entire area...from the dungeon to this maze feels so familiar." "Do you remember being here, Ash?" Fluttershy asked. "I think so. Feels like I've journeyed here before." "Pika..." "Well, Twilight did say that this was all based in the past. So maybe it's from one of the regions you've been to. Just really long ago." "Yeah, probably." Just then, Ash had stopped Fluttershy but outstretching hands. Something was inside the grass of the maze. "Something's there." "W-What is it?" Fluttershy hid behind Ash as Pikachu jumped forward. The grass rustled forward as some estranged sounds echoed from them. Ash and Pikachu tried to pick up what Pokemon that sounded like. It was a bit of a faint cry. Out of those bushes emerged the Little Bear Pokemon Teddiursa. "Teddi?" It looked up to them with its paws on its mouth. "Aww. It's just a little Teddiursa. Hello, little one." Fluttershy fluttered over to it as Ash and Pikachu had nothing to fear. Fluttershy placed her hoof on the Little Bear Pokemon, petting it. But what she didn't expect was Dusknoir's control over it. This cute and cuddly Pokemon suddenly attacked Fluttershy by using Slash, cutting a piece of her dress off. Fluttershy squealed as she backed away. Now, this singular Pokemon was their enemy. And its eyes were emanating a ghostly aura. "Teddi...ursa!" It raised its paws up, attempting to look intimidating. This didn't look like a Pokemon that was here to make friends and cuddle. The Little Bear Pokemon ran towards them, ready to get aggressive on them. "It's hostile too? Alright then. Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash and Pikachu got past this Pokemon easily as Pikachu rushed in at blinding speeds, taking out the Little Bear Pokemon in one hit to the face. The Little Bear Pokemon held its face, upset at its immediate loss. But the ghostly aura around its eyes had faded away. And like any child, it called for its parent. And emerging from the maze, breaking straight through the grass of the maze was the Hibernator Pokemon Ursaring, running towards its child call, furious at Ash, Pikachu and Fluttershy. "Pika?!" "Oh, dear! we probably shouldn't have done that!" Fluttershy squeaked. "It's fine! Pikachu! Dodge Ursaring!" Pikachu had avoided Ursaring's Fury Swipes as the grass and walls around the maze were torn apart by the swipes. Then, Ash took a good look at Ursaring's eyes, seeing a ghostly aura around them. Just like Teddiursa when it suddenly attacked Fluttershy. "They're under mind control...I didn't even know Ghost-Types were capable of that. I thought it was just Psychic-Types." "The poor things. Ash, you have to snap them out of it!" "Will do, can do! Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" "Pika...chuuu!" Pikachu sent a fast bolt of lightning towards Ursaring, shocking it with 10,000 volts of electricity. The Hibernator Pokemon powered through all of a sudden as it ran towards Pikachu, using Hammer Arm and whacking it away. "Pika!" The Electric Mouse had luckily recovered fast enough. "Don't tell me it's freakishly strong too... So Dusknoir's influencing their minds and strength?" Ash said. "URSA!" Ursaring used Fury Swipes once more, continuing its rampage. Pikachu had avoided the swipes by jumping onto the Normal-Types arms, staying there. Ursaring looked up at Pikachu, growing it at it as it raised its other arm to try and hit Pikachu. But the agile Pokemon jumped off at the right second, causing Ursaring to hit its own arm. Pikachu then placed its foot on Ursaring's face, stomping on it and using it as a launcher to bounce off. "Ur...saring." This staggered Ursaring for a bit. "Great job Pikachu! Let's snap Ursaring out of it with a good hard Iron Tail!" Ash gave the final command. His buddy moved up towards Ursaring's head, smacking it with Iron Tail. This was enough to snap Ursaring out of its control, eliminating the ghostly aura in its eyes. The Hibernator Pokemon sat down, holding its head as its cub went towards it to see if it was okay. "Oh, dear. Are you feeling better now?" Fluttershy went over to the dazed Pokemon. "Ursa..." It shook its head. "Sorry about that. But we had to free you from that mind control. Hope we weren't too aggressive." Ash said. Fluttershy helped Ursaring get back up on its feet as the parent and the cub waved goodbye to them, thanking them for breaking the mind control. The first obstacle in the maze had easily been dealt with. "We're making pretty good progress, huh?" Ash looked at Fluttershy. "Mhm. All we have to do now is find the exit. Maybe the Ursaring and Teddiursa know where it might be." Fluttershy said. "Yeah. Wait a second..." Ash turned his head towards the walls were Ursaring tore through, seeing it as a chance to gradually get out of the maze. "I got it! Pikachu. Can you use Iron Tail on the grass and walls?" "Pika-Pikachu." Over at the other side of the maze, Twilight, Eve and Cadence ended up in a more open area with much more space. "Do you see anything yet, Twilight?" Cadence asked. "No. Even with all this space, it's hard to tell where the exit leads to. Matter of fact... doesn't it feel like this one path just leads to nothing?" "What do you mean?" Cadence stopped as she turned to Twilight. "Call me crazy, but I think we've already passed here before. It's not like a maze to just suddenly have an endless path." "Are you saying that this part of it is infinite? That's not possible. Mazes always have an endpoint. No matter how frustrating they are." Cadence laughed. "Yeah. But this one doesn't feel like it does. Maybe it's just another one of Dusknoir's tricks. Yeah...that's what it probably is." But Twilight wasn't wrong. This part of the maze was confusing to the eye. From a birds-eye view, the maze looked like any other regular maze. It has a start and finish and a ton of twists and turns. But inside the maze, this one particular part of it was infinite. It never stopped and it seemed to go on forever. Which would greatly confuse anyone since its physically impossible for that to happen. For it to be possible, the maze would have to be larger than the entire world. But their seemingly endless trot was cut short as Cadence's hoof activated a secret trap door that was cleverly coated in the grass. The people who made this maze seemed to be experts in traps and secrets. The 2 alicorns and the Pokemon fell down the trap door as it had closed. They both screamed as they fell flat on the hard ground. "Ugh...what...when was that there?" Twilight groaned. "Trap doors...every ancient civilization has one." Cadence put her hoof on her head, a bit dazed. Once they got up, the first thing they were met with was an underground city, just right up ahead. "Uh, Twilight...look." Underneath this trap door, this city seemed to be built by those who preferred to live underground. There, some Ground-Type Pokemon could be seen with some humans who were wearing drags. Twilight assumed that they were also trapped in this board game, but from the way they all looked, they way they dressed and especially the way they were talking, they seemed to actually belong in there, as if they were made in the board game itself. "This day is so weird...even for Pokemon standards." Twilight held her head. How could this day get any more bizarre?" Dusknoir and Kathleen watched over, seeing the entire party end up in different areas with various situations. This wasn't the biggest obstacle they were to face. Dusknoir had other plans. All in order to keep Kathleen happy. No matter what. Chapter 105 End!