//------------------------------// // Alola! // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Winter is in its early stages. Naturally, Winter takes some time to really emanate its chill, but due to the two worlds being crossed over, the process had accelerated. Mostly due to the presence of certain Ice-Type Pokemon. So if you see snow earlier than it's supposed to arrive, your answer is the Pokemon World. And Equestria was indeed feeling this chill. "My... it certainly is chilly today." Celestia was stuttering, feeling the cold race through her. Currently, she and Luna came by the Pokemon House to see the new improvements that were being added to it but they weren't expecting this. "More than usual. Equestria hasn't had a winter this early and harsh in centuries..." Luna stammered. The Cutie Mark Crusaders could feel their entire hooves starting to fall off as they were frozen solid. "T-This isn't nothing." Rainbow Dash was huddled up with her Braviary keeping her warm. "Pi-Pika-c-c-c-c-chu..." Pikachu sneezed as he was inside of Ash's hat, trying to keep himself warm. "G-Goh. Can Raboot turn up the heat?" Ash asked. "N-No. Even R-R-Raboot's freezing." Goh looked over to his freezing partner. "If we had known it was to be s-s-s-so cold today, we would've w-w-worn something warm!" Rarity exclaimed. "There has to be...some way to cool off." Twilight could her horn turning into an icicle. "There is...one way." Ash sparked an idea. "What?" They all said. "There's one place where we can feel warm to the very end." "WHAT?" Once more they said in unison. "Alola." So it was. The Alola Region. Blue seas, blue skies and the brightly shining sun. This is the Alola Region's Melemele Island. A tropical island filled with lush nature. Passing through the gateway to Alola, they were all greeted to the blissful warmth of Alola's golden sun. The way it shined down upon them was truly something of great beauty. "I'm back!" Ash shouted into the skies of Alola as they were all near the airport of Melemele. The gateway to Alola could be found if you pass through the gateway to Lumiose and head east. It's how Applejack and Rarity managed to end up in Alola for the first time in the earlier days of the two worlds crossing. "Pikachu!" "This is Alola? I feel so...warm..." Twilight noticed the ice around her melting away by Alola's blazing sun. "Isn't it awesome?" Ash spread his arms out. His energetic actions could be spotted by a familiar face who recognized his yell and appearance. The one who recognized and noticed Ash was none other than Professor Kukui. "OH! ASH!" Kukui called for him. "Pika!" "Professor Kukui!" Ash ran over to the professor, glad to see him again. "Wait up, Ash!" Twilight tried to stop him but he dashed off like the wind. "Alola, Professor Kukui!" "Alola, Ash!" The professor gave Ash a pat on the head, making the young trainer have a wide smile. "Welcome back." "I'm glad to be back!" "Pikachu!" "You look well, Pikachu!" "Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon hopped off Ash's shoulder and onto Kukui's shoulder instead. The ponies all took a moment to examine the scenario here. Seeing how Ash and Kukui were interacting...that could only mean one thing. "Hold on." Twilight and the others went over to Kukui. "Are you...Ash's father?" "Me? Oh, no-no-no. I'm not Ash's dad." Kukui chuckled, patting Ash on the back. "Really...? I thought he would be?" Rarity whispered to Applejack. "Professor Kukui's a teacher at the Pokemon School in Alola and...wait. Where's Professor Burnet?" "She's waiting right at home." "Great! Professor Kukui may not be my actual dad, but he and Professor Burnet are my Alolan Family as well as Pikachu's." Ash explained to them all. "Family?" They all said. "Oh yeah! Having a family is the greatest! Especially if you've got multiple like me!" "Pikachu!" "Alola, everypony. You must all be Ash's friends from Equestria, right?" "Uh, yes! That's right!" Twilight nodded along with her friends. "A-Alola? Is that how you say it?" "I think so." Pinkie poked her head from the side. "You all really are colourful looking as they say. And I see you have some Pokemon of your own already. An Espeon, Minccino, Audino and even a Kirlia. I even see a Raboot and Sobble! My first time even!" "Sobble!" Sobble hid behind Goh. "Did you catch them in Galar, Goh?" Kukui asked. "Uh...y-yeah." "I bet you can pull off some strong kicks with those legs Raboot." "Ra..." "And I can tell that Sobble really trusts you, Goh. All of you have some great Pokemon choices. They suit you all." Now that the first greetings are out of the way, it's for more. Kukui and Ash had led them all to the home where Kukui and Burnet live together. "I'm home!" Ash exclaimed at the door. "Pika!" The voices of those two were indistinguishable. Ash and Pikachu had a unique sounding voice that you will never hear anywhere else. And due to this, Professor Burnet opened up the door to the familiar faces. "Welcome home, you two!" She greeted them. "Alola, Professor Burnet! And... your name was Lei, wasn't it?" Ash noticed a baby in Burnet's arms. A young baby boy wearing a Pikachu pajama. This little baby was attempting to touch Ash with his tiny little hands. "That's right. Big Brother Ash." Burnet nodded. "Big brother, huh?" Ash liked the sound of that. He went up to Lei as both their hands met. "Nice to meet you, Lei." Lei leaned forward, attempting to speak as he patted Ash's face. "Your hands are so tiny!" Lei then pulled on Ash's cheek, stretching it. "No, Lei." Burnet stopped him from tearing Ash's face apart. "Come on in, everypony. No need to be shy." "Right. How come we're so nervous all of a sudden...We weren't like this when we saw Ash's other friends...?" Twilight said to her friends. "I don't know...I've never felt this nervous before." Rainbow Dash scratched her mane. "I'm sure we'll get used to it. It is weird." Pinkie uttered. They all went up the steps with Lei trying to grab the ponies. He managed to grab a hold of Twilight's face, mushing it about. He did the same for Celestia, playing around with her horn. The CMC were victims of him as well. Since they were smaller, he poked their faces constantly as if they were toys. "That tickles." Apple Bloom rubbed her cheek. "He sure is playful isn't he?" Twilight held her face. "Mhm." Celestia nodded in agreement. Once they were all lead inside, they were greeted by the sudden hug assault from Ash's Incineroar, Rowlet, Melmetal and Lycanroc who were happy to see their trainer again, even though they saw each other back at the Canterlot Wedding when they saved everypony, but it has been a few months since then. "Rowlet! Lycanroc! Incineroar! Melmetal! It's great to see you all again! I missed you guys a bunch!" They all gave Ash and Pikachu a great embracing hug, making him feel at home. "Okay, guys! You're heavy!" Ash laughed. "Say hello to everypony and Goh. You remember my pony friends from the wedding, right?" Saying that made them all turn their attention towards the group. They now had a huge flaming cat, a huge dog, a huge being made out of metal and an owl staring right at them. Obviously one of them wasn't as intimidating as the rest. "Oh, dear. They're looking at us." Rarity gulped. "What do we do?" Scootaloo whispered. They all ran over to Twilight, Goh and the others, giving them an overwhelming hug as well. "Ow, ow! My tail!" Rainbow Dash winced. "D-Do they have to be so hug-addicted! It's almost as worse as Dragonite!" Twilight strained. "Y-You'll get used to it!" Pinkie Pie was struggling to breathe. "T-This s-sure is a welcoming experience, right Luna?" Celestia said to her little sister. But Luna was on the verge of passing out. Ash joined in on the hug, making it worse. "That's a real Blast Burn of a welcome." Kukui commented. "Speaking of welcome, there's gonna be a welcome party for you two, Ash, Pikachu and everyone, So come to the Pokemon School. Mallow wanted me to tell you that." Burnet explained. "Alright! I'll make sure to be there!" "Pika-Pika!" "For us as well?" Luna was catching her breath as the hug was finally being ceased. "It'll be a blast! Come on! You've gotta say Alola to everyone else!" Ash ran out instantly with his best buddy. "Ash! Ugh...can he please slow down for one second?" Twilight sighed. "He can't help it." Kukui laughed. "Ash just has too much boundless energy in him. I hope that hasn't caused any trouble for you in your world." "Trouble? Not really." Fluttershy shook her head as Lei was touching her mane. "Ash has definitely been a hoof-full. But there never has been a dull moment with him involved." Celestia answered. "If anything, every day is much more exciting in Ponyville and Canterlot if he's there." "That's good to hear. Hope you continue to have fun with Ash and the antics he gets himself into!" said Burnet. On the other side of the spectrum, two others had come to Alola for a small vacation. Hollow and Jewel. Hollow was here due to all the work he's been exhibiting over at Canterlot's school for Pokemon. Speaking of which, eventually a building made for learning Pokemon will be built for Canterlot, giving Hollow a new place to teach. And with Pokemon involved, the progress will be swift. "Alola is the place to be." Hollow yawned, sitting on a beach chair. "I needed this...teaching ponies about Pokemon is a lot harder than it sounds." "Don't get too comfortable. The school for Pokemon is almost closed to being completed over at Canterlot. So savour these last moments of relaxation, dear." Jewel said. "Now you remind me...I need a better schedule." Hollow put his hand on his jaw, gazing out at the beautiful seas of Alola. "How about you come out and feel the air of your home, Raichu?" Jewel sent out her Raichu which was an Alolan Raichu instead of a normal. "Rai-Rai!" "Go on. This is your home so I think it's best that you remember what it was like here." "Raichu!" The Mouse Pokemon surfed away, off to remember the times he spent here before he became a Raichu. "Hm...That's odd." Hollow noticed something in the ocean. "What is it?" "That Pokemon's got a funny looking hairstyle." Hollow noticed a hairstyle that looked similar to that of something you'd see a pony from Equestria having, sticking out of the sea. The only thing other than the hair that he could spot was some fins at the back along with scales. He wasn't sure what he was looking at as the mysterious figure went back into the sea. He didn't think too much about it since he just wanted to relax and obliterate all his worries. Jewel's Alolan Raichu was surfing among the seas, passing by the Wishiwashi that swam in these same waters. The Mouse Pokemon ended up coming across Ash and the others, seeing them head over to the beautiful sandy beaches of Alola as well. "Check it out. Ain't it beautiful?" Ash stopped to look at the beach as Goh, Twilight and her friends took a moment to gaze at it as well. "Pika..." "It truly is." Rarity nodded. "Alola does have some stunning water, that's for sure." "I'll say." Twilight agreed. "Hm? Raichu?" Pinkie Pie noticed the Alolan Raichu surfing about. Everypony could tell that it looked like a Raichu just different. "Oh! An Alolan Raichu!" Ash exclaimed. "Pika-Pikachu!" "Alolan Raichu?" Rainbow Dash took out her Pokedex for this. "Raichu. The Mouse Pokemon. And the Alolan Variant. It focuses psychic energy into its tail and rides it like it’s surfing. Another name for this Pokémon is 'hodad.' When you rub its cheeks, a sweet fragrance comes wafting out. However, you’ll also get a slight shock! It’s believed that the weather, climate, and food of the Alola region all play a part in causing Pikachu to evolve into this form of Raichu. It attacks with star-shaped thunderbolts." "An Alolan form, huh? That'll look great next to my normal Raichu! Pokeball, go!" Goh tossed a Pokeball towards Raichu. "Rai?" The Mouse Pokemon turned around to see a Pokeball headed his way. But he wasn't bothered because he knew it wouldn't work. The Pokeball made contact and just...fell over. The red light it normally exhibits just vanished. "Huh? What just happened?" Goh was confused. "Oh, that means that it's already someone's Raichu, Goh," Ash explained. "Ah...r-right." Goh lowered his head. "And who's Raichu would be that energetic?" Jewel spoke as she and Hollow were on a small walk. "Hollow! Jewel!" Ash exclaimed. "How is it that you're always within our presence, Ash?" Jewel asked. "No idea!" "Are you two by chance here to escape from the cold as well?" Rarity spoke to them. "Not really. Hollow's here because he needs some downtime from all the teaching he's been doing. Right?" Jewel patted her husband's back. "Hm? Yeah, yeah." Hollow nodded, yawning. "My sleep schedule's changed over the past few months ever since I became a teacher." "It's only gonna get worse with the Pokemon School being opened up at Canterlot soon, huh?" Twilight nudged him. "Yeah, I know...it's not gonna be easy." Hollow scratched his head. "Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted Jewel's Raichu by connecting their tails together, creating a spark. "You could ask Princess Celestia to let have- Wait...Where did Princess Celestia and Princess Luna go?" Sweetie Belle wondered, looking around. "They decided to take a small break and relax here at Alola. I don't blame them. This place is the perfect vacation spot!" Pinkie pulled out a cupcake, ready to eat it until a Grubbin came out of nowhere, snatching it from her hoof and running off. "Huh? HEY! CUPCAKE BANDIT!" "Oh! A new Pokemon! Wait up!" Goh chased after it as Ash followed. "There they go. What do we do then?" Applejack asked. "I guess now we just head for the welcome party." Twilight answered. "What do you think Ash's Alolan family is like?" "If he considers them family, then they must be the best! Right?" Pinkie bounced. "Should be pretty obvious. Family's family. Even if they ain't related by blood." Applejack knew a thing or two about that, especially with Cold Colt. As the rest made their way to the Pokemon School, Goh was in pursuit of Grubbin. "Wait up, Grubbin!" Goh called out. "Don't lose it, Goh! It's gonna use Dig!" Grubbin used Dig, moving deep underground to get away from them quicker. They made a quick detour, following the dirt that Grubbin was kicking up along the way. "Goh! Pikachu and I will corner it, so you catch it when it comes out!" But Goh was long gone, he took his own detour to catch up to Grubbin by following its dirt tracks. "Pika?" "Goh? "Grubb!" Grubbin had actually been behind Ash and Pikachu as it hopped inside of a bush. So what was Goh following? "Wait up, Grubbin!" He kept up the pursuit until it was revealed that he wasn't chasing Grubbin any more, but an Alolan Dugtrio. "Dug!" "An Alolan Dugtrio?! Where did you come f-" Goh's sentence has put to a halt when he came close to a short cliff with a river next to it. He and his Pokemon lost their balance, falling off the cliff and into the river. Whoops. But he was actually saved in a few seconds. A fishing rod had snagged onto his bag, twisting and turning and sending him upwards with a stream of water flowing about. The one to fish him out was revealed to be Lana who was using the back of a Lapras as a fishing seat. "Hooked a real big shot!" She said with a smile. Her Eevee had brought Goh's raboot towards Lapras, saving it. "Ra..." "Eevee!" "Alola, Mr Soaked!" She greeted. "A-Alola..." Goh groaned. "Uh, I appreciate the greeting but I'd be happier if you let me down." "Sorry." The blue-haired girl moved the rod, placing Goh right on Lapras's back "Phew. You saved me..." Goh sighed. "I'm Lana. You?" "Goh." "Goh...? Wait, are you one of Ash's friends!" Speaking of Ash, he had no idea that Goh was elsewhere as he searching for him, calling out his name "Goh!" "Pika-Pika!" "Where'd he go!" "Ash! There you are!" Apple Bloom caught up to Ash. "Apple Bloom? You aren't with the others?" "I came over to see what you and Goh were doing but...he's not here. "Ah, we'll meet him back at the school. Speaking of which. You ready to see most of my Alolan Family?" Ash gave Apple Bloom a nice little head pat. "Mhm!" "Ash! Pikachu!" A familiar robotic voice bellowed at their direction. "Ash!" "Oh! Rotom!" Ash grabbed a hold of Rotom who came his way. "Pika-Pika!" "Eep! Talking robot!" Apple Bloom hid behind Ash, grabbing onto his legs. "I really missed you!" The living dex said. "Same here! Apple Bloom. No need to worry. This is just another one of my Alolan Family, Rotom." "R-Really?" "Mhm." "Have you been well, Ash?" "Of course!" "Pikachu!" "But I'm surprised you knew we were here, Rotom." Just then, Ash's Pokedex decided to scan Rotom since it was very close to him. "Rotom. Pokedex Form. A Rotom Index, optimized for Pokemon Index functionality. It has no other functions." The Pokedex was almost saying that the other Rotom Dex was inferior to it. "Hm?! How rude! I have recording and voice changing features, too!" Rotom snapped at Ash's dex. "Oh, I forgot! The reason I came here is that everyone's waiting for you at the Pokemon School." "But I kinda lost my friend, Goh." Ash scratched his face. "Goh's at the Pokemon School already with the others. Along with the rest of your pony friends. It seems he ran into Lana at the sea." "I see. Lana, huh?" Celestia and Luna had managed to find themselves near the Pokemon School since they thought it would be a good spot to relax for a while. "Isn't the sun here wonderful, Luna? I wouldn't mind raising it if I lived in this world." "It is a rather...golden sun." Luna raised her hoof up as the sun was getting in her eyes. "Perhaps we should see the rest of Ash's Alolan Family inside, right? "Right. Anything to get out of this Sun..." Inside the school, the Pokemon had already made themselves welcoming with the ponies' and Goh's Pokemon. And by "Welcoming" that also means they backed them all into a corner, making them nervous as a Tsareena, Primarina, Togedemaru, Vikavolt and Eevee were staring at them. The same could be said for Goh and the ponies as well. Already, Mallow and everyone else were bombarding them with questions on questions, getting straight to the point without wasting any time. "So, what kind of foods do you like over at your world?!" Mallow asked. "Uh...well..." Twilight stammered. "You all have your own unique Pokedexes?" Sophocles leaned forward. "Well...this is just a Smartphone Ro-" Goh raised up his Pokedex, trying to finish his sentence. "Smartphone Rotom?! So you can make calls with it too?!" Sophocles' eyes lit up. "So those are Cutie Marks?! They live up to their name as cute!" Mallow was looking at Rarity's Cutie Mark. "But those Pokemon are also cute too." Lana looked over at their Pokemon. "Say! You know how Ash tends to run off on his own right?" Mallow asked. "Has he caused you all any trouble?" She was speaking like some sort of sister. "Well...not really...most of the time. A bit?" Twilight squeed. "You think I could dissect your Smartphone?!" Sophocles requested. "D-Dissect?!" Goh pulled back. "Do you think I could get a Cutie Mark of my own?!" Lana leaned forward. "I don't know about that." Pinkie grinned. "Having fun all of you?" Celestia, Hollow, Jewel and Luna had entered, seeing the Alolan Family getting up close and personal with everyone else. "Oh! Those ponies are super tall!" Mallow perked up. "And they have jewellery on them! So cute!" "I beg your pardon? Who are you calling cute?" Luna raised an eyebrow. "I am a fierce al-" "So are you some form of royalty?!" Mallow interrupted. "That crown looks really good on you!" "Well, our mother hoof-crafted it hers-" "Look at their marks! A sun and a moon!" Sophocles noticed as Luna was interrupted once more. "Ah! A Kirlia! I always thought it was a Psychic-Grass when I first saw one!" Mallow squeed as Passion hid behind Celestia's hoof. "Oh! I remember you! Hollow! You took part in the trials a few years ago, right?" "It was more like many years ago. I was way younger back then." "Ash...hurry up and get here..." Goh said to himself. Just then, another had arrived but it wasn't Ash. "Alola." said the newcomer, Kiawe with his Alolan Marowak and Turtonator. "Maro!" "Turtona!" "Alola!" The Alolan family said back. "Oh? So you're Ash's friends?" Kiawe went up to the ponies. "And you must be Goh." "Y-Yes," Goh replied. "I'm Kiawe. Ash's rival." "Rival?" Goh asked. "Right. I was his rival while he was in Alola, still am and always will be." Kiawe looked over at a picture of Ash and his entire Alolan Family. "So, who's the stronger battle out of all of you?" "Huh?" Goh was confused. "You're with Ash a lot, aren't you? So you all battle too, right?" "I mean...I don't necessarily battle that much." Fluttershy twiddled with her hooves. "The two us battle the most actually." Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo answered. "Well...I battle every now and then." Goh gave his own answer which shocked Kiawe. "E-Every now and then?! I cannot let that one slide!" He pinched his face. "Who are your Pokemon?" "R-Raboot and Sobble." Goh pointed at his two Pokemon. "Those two, huh? I look forward to seeing how well you have trained them." "Huh...?" Goh took a moment to realize what he meant by that. He was challenging him to a Pokemon Battle with his choice of words. "HUH?!" The atmosphere was starting to get intense in here. But that quickly changed when Ash had finally made his return. "ALOLA!" Ash burst in, waving at everyone. "Pika!" "Long time no see, you guys!" "ASH!" They cried out his name as they went up towards their fellow Alolan Family member. "Welcome Back Ash!" "It's good to be back!" "Ash, what took you long?!" Twilight popped her head up from the crowd. "Sorry about that! Got a bit sidetracked." "Pikachu-Pi!" "Now that everyone's here, we can start the welcome party!" Mallow clapped her hands together. "Agreed!" The entire family said. So it was. The party could begin. They were all treated to some good old Alola delicacy and drinks. "This juice is pretty good! What is it?" Pinkie asked. "It's Aina Cafeteria's special Pile Juice!" Sophocles answered. "You have to use fresh Pile berries and honey from Alola to get this taste." Mallow held a Pile berry and jar of honey in her hands. Everyone's Pokemon had come out to enjoy the Pokemon food given to them. It was an odd sight to see. You had small and cute Pokemon eating away whilst also having big and intimidating Pokemon doing the same. They all looked happy eating together, thankfully. "Mallow's dream is to make people and Pokemon smile with her food," Ash explained. "She does a pretty great job at it too, ya know." "That dream's already a reality!" Pinkie dug her face in the food. "Thank you so much, my little pony! Oh, Sophocles! You're gonna visit Mossdeep City again, right?" "Yeah! I'm going to a workshop to research the connection between Pokemon and Space!" "Space?!" Scootaloo almost choked on her food. Thankfully, she drank the juice to stop the choking. "You're working really hard too, Sophocles!" Ash gave a thumbs up. "Sophocles's dream is to become an astronaut. To see if there are Pokemon beyond Earth." Rotom explained. "Pokemon beyond Earth? Like... aliens?!" Twilight squeed, loving the idea of that. "Oh, yeah! We've already got aliens in our world. Do you?" Ash asked Twilight. "Well...none that we know of yet. Maybe we do." "Alola Surprise!" Lana suddenly stood up, grabbing everyone's attention. "I just got this today! It's a letter from Lillie!" "From Lillie?!" Ash grinned. "Who's Lillie?" Applejack asked. "One of my friends from school and another Alolan family member!" "She's on a journey to find her father." Sophocles explained what she was up to. "Ahem." Lana unwrapped the letter, ready to read it to all of them. "Are you all doing well?" Yesterday, when Lillie wrote the letter. With Lillie, somewhere far across the Pokemon World, she was currently on a train as a continuation to find her father. The letter she wrote to her friends went something like this. "I, my brother and my mother are all doing well." She wrote. Lillie saw her brother Gladion enter with his Zoroark, turning to him. "Where's mother?" "She's sending the data we got last night to Aether Paradise." He sat down, petting his Umbreon. "The data for Magearna?" "Yeah. She was really excited, saying the more we gather, the more accurately we can pinpoint his location." "I also feel like we're getting ever closer to father as well. I just know it." "I see." "Magear?" The Artificial Pokemon let out a purple light from its heart that acted as a sort of radar, pointing to where their father could be. With Magearna by their side, they're sure to find their father in no time. Lillie continued to write the letter as Lana finished reading it off. "I wish to return to Alola together with my father. And then I would very much like to see you all. Lana. Sophocles. Kiawe. Mallow. Ash." Ash's heart skipped a beat when his name was mentioned. "I'll write to you again. Signed, Lillie." "...Alright!" Ash slammed his fist on the table, making everyone's heart jump. "Lillie's giving it everything she's got! We'd better do the same! Hey, Kiawe! It's been a while, so let's battle!" "A battle, huh? Sounds great!" "Then it's on!" "But...I've already decided a battle with Goh!" "M-Me?!" Goh jumped up. "I'll see if Goh is worthy of being Ash's rival." "Ash's...rival?" Goh uttered. "The person closest to Ash needs to be strong enough to help him out with his dream!" KIawe stood up. "K-Kiawe. You're getting a bit too fired up there." Mallow tried to calm him down. "I agree with Mallow." Sophocles nodded. "You gotta cool down," said Lana. "Come on, Goh!" "Aren't you rushing things?" Fluttershy commented. "I got it." Goh suddenly agreed to it. "How can I refuse after hearing all of that? I've got my own pride to protect." So it was settled. The two will have their battle outside the school. It was to be Raboot vs Turtonator. They wasted no time with idle chit-chat and got straight to it. "Turtonator! Dragon Tail!" "Tur!" The Blast Turtle Pokemon got on all fours with its tail emanating a green draconic energy. It propelled itself towards Raboot, ready to slam it as an overhead. "Dodge it, Raboot!" Goh commanded. The Raboot Pokemon hopped up, avoiding the tail that was made to hit. "Then use Double Kick!" "Ra!" Raboot front flipped forward, kicking Turtantor twice. Once in the face and once in the neck before jumping back to keep its distance. "Good job, Raboot!" "Not a bad show of skill." Kiawe complimented. "Of course!" "In that case...to really see what you're made of. I'll use my Z-Move." "D-Did he just say Z-Move?" Fluttershy was having flashbacks to when she and her friends saw Ash use a Z-Move against Sombra way back then. They still remember how intense it was when they first saw it. "Z-Moves are the strongest moves in Alola, born by unleashing the full power of trainer and Pokemon!" Kiawe's Z-Ring started to glow a fiery aura. "If you want to run...do it now." "There's no way I'd run!" "I would! We saw a Z-Move and it was crazy!" Pinkie yelled from the crowd. "What does a Z-Move look like?" Apple Bloom asked. "You're about to find out." Applejack replied. "It's best to close your ears for this one." Hollow covered Jewel's ears, knowing how loud Z-Moves can get. "Just as I'd expect from Ash's rival." Kiawe smiled. "You keep calling me his rival...You're wrong!" Goh pointed at Kiawe. "Hm?" "I'm not Ash's rival! And I have no intention of helping Ash reach his dream. Dreams are something you reach with your own power, yeah? So Ash has to do it on his own. My dream is my own future that lies in my own hands. Ash feels the same way! So use your Z-Move. I'm no rival. But I'm Ash's research fellow partner! His friend! And as his friend, I want to show him a battle I can be proud of!" "Hm. I like your courage." Kiawe looked over to his Marowak, nodding at it as he nodded back. "Here we go, Turtonator!" "Nator!" Kiawe put his hands together with the Z-Ring activating. Radiating lights shined from the ring as Turtonator could feel that overwhelming Z-Energy swell up from within. "My full body..." Kiawe flipped over, stomping his foot on the ground as his Turtonator mimicked his movements. "soul..." He put his fist to his chest. "and Power! The Zenith of all that I am!" He placed his fingers on the ground, rising up as moved his arms up as if he was kicking up fire itself with a blazing aura surrounding him. "Becoming a blazing flame that burns like the mountain of Akala!" He put his hand forward, sending all the energy he built up towards Turtonator, charging up the Blast Turtle Pokemon. "Tur!" "Raboot! Let's put all the power we can muster into this attack!" "Ra!" "INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" A breathtaking ball of fire was summoned from Turtonator, bursting with sweltering flames. The fireball was released, annihilating the ground beneath as the rocks erupted from the ground itself. "Go! Ember!" Raboot kicked up a pebble, sending it upwards and jumping towards it. The Rabbit Pokemon sent enough force to ignite the pebble, rocketing it towards the much larger fire attack. Unsurprisingly, the Z-Move destroyed the Ember in less than a few seconds the moment it made contact. Now there was a huge ball of fire headed their way and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Until a shadowy figure managed to save them by dragging the duo out of the way. The fireball's aftermath was a burst of pure fire, blowing in the wind as most of the Pokemon School was given a red tint from it. Kiawe watched the flames die out as the smoke began to clear. Goh and Raboot were saved, unharmed as they were placed near a palm tree. It was revealed that Marowak had swooped in to save them. "Oh...Oh! That was just as aggressive as the first one we saw." Rarity held her chest, breathing in and out. "I'll say!" Applejack was trying to put out the fire from her hat. "I think that woke me up." Pinkie Pie's face was charred. "I'm sure this was Kiawe's plan from the beginning." Ash nodded. "Well done, Marowak." Kiawe went to his Pokemon, giving a high-five. "Maro." "Goh." Kiawe spoke to a defeated, Goh. "What?" "Look after Ash for me, alright?" Kiawe outstretched his hand to help Goh up. "Kiawe...Alright!" Goh grabbed his arm instead, getting back up. "I may not be his rival, but I can certainly look after him for you." "You really are stubborn. But, that's what I like to hear!" "Maro!" Marowak picked up Raboot, taking him to Turtonator. "Raboot?!" "Turtonator!" "By the way, Goh. What is your dream?" Kiawe asked. "My dream...is to catch every Pokemon to work my way up to Mew!" "Not a bad goal!" Lana said. "...You think we should tell him that there are certain Pokemon he shouldn't be allowed to catch?" Jewel whispered to Hollow. "Nah...He'll figure it out when he reaches Groudon." Hollow whispered back. "I don't know about you, but I want to have some more fun in Alola!" Sweetie Belle jumped up. "No rush. There's a lot to do under the Alolan sun." Ash nodded. "Pikachu!" So, they spent some extra time in Alola before heading back to Equestria. They had their chats as time passed. Hollow spoke to Celestia about the Pokemon School and his time. She was kind enough to shorten his work hours due to him helping save Saddle-Arabia and all the work he pours into teaching. Kukui and Burnet had brought Lei to play along with Ash since he took a great big liking to him. Lei continued to get his tiny little baby hands on every face that got near him. Twilight got accustomed to Lei's grabbing actions, no longer minding him pulling on her face. Although it did hurt a lot despite how tiny his hands were. Luna was given some more of that juice since she grew fond of it. Favourite drink so far as well. The sun was actually setting now. With winter arriving, the moon comes out much quicker than normal. Now they were greeted with Alola's silver moon. It was as beautiful as its sun. The way it shined its moonlight upon Alola was star-dazzling. "You're already proud of this world's sun, sister. Well, I'm proud of this moon. I as well wouldn't mind raising this world's moon." "Mhm. Now you can see why it's so beautiful." Celestia put her hoof around her little sister. "I bet you wish that mother assigned you to a different moon now, hm?" "Oh please. It's not like we have two moons in our world." Luna laughed along with her older sister. "Do we?" The time to leave had come. It was back to Equestria but this time, they had the equipment to help them through the cold thankfully. And once they get home, everypony will be able to prepare for tomorrow's chilly day. They gave their goodbyes to Alola as Ash was leaving his second home once more. "You truly have an amazing batch of friends, Ash. Even some that you can call family." Celestia commented. "Of course. The one thing that's just as wonderful as friends...is family. I'll never forget my family just as much as I'll never forget my friends. Oh! I should tell dad and grandpa that when they return!" "Grandpa?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah. Dad and grandpa are travelling together. He helped him reach Viridian City...even if it took four days." Ash scratched his head. "Did it take longer for you?" Twilight questioned. "Not really. Pretty fast actually." Ash laughed. "Wait, you're supposed to go to Viridian next?!" Hollow perked up. "Didn't you, dear?" Jewel turned to him. "No...I went to Pewter first. Guess I took a shortcut, huh?" Hollow laughed as they all passed through the gateway. Eventually, they managed to return to Ponyville as they could see that Pyrestar had already raised the moon. "I already miss Alola." Apple Bloom sighed. "We can go to Alola again sometime. Right, Ash?" Goh asked. "Right! That's a promise!" "Pikachu!" A swell day had come to an end. A resounding revisit to Alola ended up giving fun and joy to everypony else with Ash being able to revisit his Alolan Family and Goh advancing forward on what he wants to do continuing further on. Whatever region they decide to visit next time, it's bound to have some enjoyment behind it as well as the journey continues! Chapter 167 End!