//------------------------------//
// To stop a crisis 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

The Dynamaxed Nidoking debacle continues. 

Back with the others, their battle against Nidoking was 50/50. Ash, Cobalion, Terrakion and Keldeo were able to hold their own whilst Rainbow Dash was just struggling. 

Pinkie Pie's Spinda had used Secret Power on the area, trying to get Nidoking to fall asleep due to this being a grassland area. But Nidoking was able to stay up without any issues.

"This could go on forever!" Keldeo said. "The other Dynamax Pokemon weren't this strong!"

"Whatever it is that is heightening him, it's made him into an entirely different Pokemon." Cobalion replied. 

"Hitting him hard doesn't work either." Terrakion shook his head. "What do we do?"

"Sol!" Absol ran forward, standing beside Gengar and Keldeo. This time, he wasn't rushing in.

"N-NIDO...!" Nidoking was actually getting fatigued from all of this. That's when Cobalion and Ash finally found a way to come back from this.

"Aha! Gengar! Circle around Nidoking!"

"Gar!" The Shadow Pokemon approached Nidoking who locked eyes with the Ghost-Poison-Type. Nidoking tried to grab Gengar but was quickly met with disappointment when Gengar used its intangibility to phase through his arms.

Nidoking tried it again but Gengar disappeared and reappeared behind him. The Shadow Pokemon was much faster than him, so this was no problem. This went on with Nidoking having no success catching the Ghost.

The others could see what Ash and Gengar were doing as they finally figured out a way to defeat this powered-up Nidoking. By simply tiring him out.

"Oh...I get it." Twilight nodded. "Eve! Distract him with Psybeam!"

"Espeon!" Eve grabbed Nidoking's attention by firing a super-effective Psybeam at the Drill Pokemon's legs.

"NIDO?!" Nidoking was easily distracted by that as predicted.

"Dragon Breath!" Applejack's Grovyle did the same but on Nidoking's tail. That also grabbed his attention. Now he tried to focus on three Pokemon at once.

And that quickly became four when Twilight had her Cinccino use Aqua Tail on its foot. Nidoking roared as he stomped his foot about whilst also trying to grab the elusive Gengar.

Rainbow Dash's Altaria had used Ice Beam to deal even more super-effective damage, which only irritated Nidoking even further.

"Absol!" Absol played his part by continuously firing Dark Pulses at Nidoking's tail alongside Grovyle. Nidoking had no idea what to do in this situation. 

They were all moving around and attacking in different directions. Their plan on fatiguing Nidoking was proving to be effective. When Nidoking tried to slam or swing his tail, Absol and Grovyle would just jump over. 

When Gengar got close, he would Ice the back of Nidoking's head or even go up in his face at times. Altaria had it easy since she can just keep her distance with Ice Beam. The same goes for Eve who had no problem firing Psybeam from afar.

Keldeo had used Hydro Pump to keep Nidoking's attention plastered on the ground at all times. The Drill Pokemon didn't know if it should look up or down.

From Ice Beam, Ice Punch to Psybeam, all three of those moves were super-effective enough to the point where Nidoking couldn't think straight at all.

As for Cobalion and Terrakion, whilst their moves weren't really super-effective, they had other ways of dealing massive damage to the Drill Pokemon.

At the same time, the two of them had dug their swords in the ground, flipping it over as they used Nidoking's own element against him as huge chunks of the ground crashed into the Drill Pokemon's knees. 

"K-KING! NIDOKING...!"

"Alright! Let's wrap this up! Gengar! Psychic!"

"Gengar!" Gengar finally stopped zipping around Nidoking since the plan to distract and fatigue the Drill Pokemon was already a smashing success. Invisible waves of psychokinetic waves had attacked Nidoking's mind, causing him to wince a bit.

But it didn't stop there. Gengar kept using Psychic whilst the others chimed in. Eve and Altaria used Psybeam and Ice Beam whilst Grovyle used Dragon Breath.

None of them stopped firing their attacks as they poured it all on the Drill Pokemon. Nidoking couldn't actually push this one back like he did with the others. Mostly due to fatigue.

Nidoking fell on its knees as it had finally taken enough damage to the point where it was on the verge of defeat. Even the Dynamax energy within him was weakening.

"Yes! It's working!" Pinkie jumped up. "Please let it be the end for real this time!"

"Wait..." Cobalion put his hoof out, making sure that no one got greedy with their attacks as they anticipated Nidoking's next action.

The cosmic energy was harming Nidoking more than Eternatus's Dynamax energy. Too much of it was dwelling inside of him. 

The Drill Pokemon looked over at his opponents, seeing that they have indeed gotten the better of him and his defeat was inevitable at this point. All they had to do was just breathe on him and he was done for.

But he wasn't about to go down without taking one of his prey out. By using its sharp claws, it dug into the ground, Earth Power from its claws. But Nidoking made sure that this attack was silent and swift.

Absol could sense the incoming Ground move thanks to his horn. The golden light of Earth Power was coming straight for Twilight who was completely unaware.

"Sol!" Absol instinctively knocked Twilight out of the way with Quick Attack whilst also using Dark Pulse to attack Nidoking.

As Twilight yelped, Absol's Dark Pulse was just the right amount of power needed to finally defeat Nidoking as a dark explosion emerged in front of the Drill Pokemon's face.

But at a cost, Earth Power ended up hitting Absol instead of Twilight as the Disaster Pokemon felt a hard rock hit his chest. "A-Absol!"

"K-KING...!" With Nidoking taking that final Dark Pulse, the cosmic energy and Dynamax energy from within was finally fading away. And what was also fading away was his size.

By shrinking back down, Nidoking had finally returned to normal, reverting to his 4′07 height. And of course, like the other Pokemon, he was just confused and lost on what had happened.

In truth, the battle against Nidoking should've been over long ago since their first battle with it went smoothly. But of course, Lucien intervened and their second battle was a bit stressful.

And speaking of Lucien, he was sitting above the clouds with Sienna, feeling satisfied with this conclusion.

"Alright. Are you happy now?" Sienna asked him.

"Yep. That's much better." Lucien had a cheesy grin as he nodded in response. He just wanted a better outcome to this crisis. And he got one. Until the next time Dynamax pops up again.

"King? Nidoking?" Nidoking stood up, holding his head as he walked off as if nothing had happened.

"Phew. Finally." Ash sat down, as he and the others were glad that it was over.

"Pika..."

"Absol..." Absol hung in there as his stomach was injured from Earth Power. His resilience was fairly impressive compared to others.

"Absol! Are you okay?" Twilight flew over to him.

"Sol." Absol shook it off, trying to regain his composure. He was surprisingly good at staying sharp and serious even after taking a heavy hit. He did struggle to stand firmly on his feet due to the hit, but Twilight used her magic to keep him steady.

"Thanks for saving me back there. That horn of yours really is a great asset, isn't it?" Twilight thanked him.

"Absol..."

"We can safely call this crisis over for now. There will still be other Pokemon who will interact with the power spots plastered across your world." Cobalion said. "But we'll be there to make sure that they're promptly stopped."

"That's right. Thanks for helping us out, all of you." Terrakion turned to them. "That could've ended ugly if we didn't have any extra support."

"Right...That Nidoking got strong out of nowhere." Keldeo sighed as he was also feeling fatigued. Most of them were actually.

The power spots had finally died down. Even though eventually, they'll rise back up, for now, there was a time of peace and rest. Something that Equestria needed after that sudden Dynamax attack.

Virizion's group returned, seeing the others and how they've sorted out the Nidoking situation. Although, their battle did end up damaging the grasslands, which Virizion wasn't too fond of at all. 

"Seems like you've won. Albeit with casualties..." Virizion observed the area.

"It was totally Nidoking's fault. Not ours." Keldeo was partially telling the truth. "What about your battle with Lopunny?"

"A smashing success and a new partner to boot." Rarity smiled with confidence as she held up the Rarityball which she caught Lopunny in.

Goh was clearly unamused since he wanted Lopunny for himself, but that capture ended up being snatched by Rarity. "My Lopunny capture..."

"Sobble..." Sobble patted Goh on the back.

"You're all a bit tired out. Return home and rest. We'll deal with any future Dynamax issues that come up." Cobalion ordered. "Just like the Ultra Beast situation.

"Right. Thanks, Cobalion." Twilight nodded. She then noticed that Absol was walking away, leaving everyone here behind without even saying goodbye. "A-Absol! Where are you going?"

"Sol." Absol replied to Twilight by giving her a small Thank You in the process. The nicest thing he's said so far.

"He says Thank you." Fluttershy translated. "But I'm not sure where he's going."

"Wherever he wants," Virizion replied. "Absol will only show up again if another disaster comes up. After all, they are fairly lone Pokemon at the end of the day."

"It's not surprising that he would leave after this was all over." Cobalion walked forward. "The path he walks on is all dependent on him."

"I suppose so." Twilight nodded. "I'm still a bit curious about why my head kept on aching when I met him the first, second and third time."

"Aching? How so?" Cobalion asked.

"When Twilight first met Absol, her head hurt like crazy." Pinkie Pie popped up behind Cobalion. "Happened yesterday and today."

"And Absol was suffering the same thing as well," Fluttershy said. "They were both also having visions of the Mega Evolution symbol too. We're not sure what that means."

"...Hm." Cobalion looked over at his fellow swords. Terrakion shrugged whilst Virizion shook her head. Keldeo was just confused. But Cobalion did have a possible answer that could relate to their sudden pain. "I'm not sure myself but...it could be that you and Absol might share an unusual connection?"

"Unusual connection?" Twilight looked up at him.

"Mhm. That's all I can say. If you ever come across Absol again, you might get the answer. For now, we'll be off." Cobalion turned around along with the other swords.

They waved the Swords of Justice Goodbye as they saw the four swords walk off into the sunset fittingly. As for Twilight and her friends, they could finally put a close to this Dynamax crisis until it sprouts back up.

It was certainly hard to ignore now ever since the first one came up in Lapras Lake. 



Ponyvile, late afternoon.

Returning to Ponyville was just what they all needed. For Ash and Goh, it was Kanto that they required to have some rest and relaxation. All the while, Rarity got herself a brand new partner in the form of Lopunny. 

Twilight returned to her castle, but she didn't carry on with her day at all. Instead, Twilight was now thinking about Absol and nothing else. 

Ever since they first met and how they both had a similar vision and pain, questions started to swirl around Twilight's mind constantly.

What Cobalion said only heightened it further. He might be right when he said that Twilight and Absol have an unusual connection. But then again, Cobalion himself wasn't so sure about it.

Twilight was wondering if she would see Absol ever again. It was a probability since the Dynamax power spots were still around. They're not just going to go away permanently when the Pokemon is defeated. They'll be back for sure. And Absol will be there.

And speaking of the power spots, after that experience, Twilight now wanted to look into the Dynamax Phenomenon herself.

"If I can learn more about Dynamax, it could benefit us a lot in the future." Twilight stood up. She used her magic to teleport out of her castle and into her Pokemon lab, where all the necessary information could be found.

Over at the stack of Pokemon books, there were many categories for specific things. Moves, Legends and Mythicals, types, etc. One of them being stories and information about certain regions ranging from Kanto, Johto and onwards.

She was able to find a book concerning the Galar Region and its many mysteries and lore that it has to offer. She was still stuck on the Sinnoh book since it had a lot of lore to unpack. But just this once, she would skip a book and go for a new one she has yet to discover.

By scrolling through the pages, she was searching for any information concerning Dynamax.

"Let's see here. Glimwood Tangle, Macro Cosmos..." She went through the book until she finally found what she was looking for. "Aha! The Dynamax Phenomenon."

By reading the page that held Dynamax information, the young alicorn read it alongside her Pokemon. And what she found caught her interest. She already knew about how Dynamax distorts the space and world around the Pokemon themselves. But this new information was something to pay attention to.

"The Dynamax Phenomenon can also be traced back to...Wishing Stars?" Twilight scratched her mane. "A source of Dynamax energy which can be fit into a Dynamax band, allowing a trainer to Dynamax their Pokemon. Oh, just like what Ash, Leon and others own."

"Espeon..."

"Did these Wishing Stars come from above?" She turned the page, looking for further information. "The Wishing Stars did not come from above. But instead, they came from the unknown Pokemon that is the main cause for Dynamaxing. This Pokemon was defeated long ago by a hero of legend and as a result, the energy from the Pokemon leaked out during its slumber, in the form of Galar Particles."

Turning the page, she was given the sight of two humans as the art style resembled that of a Mural. "Eternatus's energy would've destroyed a part of the Galar region with a large meteor falling from above, however, a mysterious Pokemon riding a steed saved the early people of Galar."

Learning about two new mysterious Pokemon piqued her interest. What also piqued her interest was how there were two heroes in this book yet the Wyndom Stadium has a statue of one single hero.

After reading more into how Gigantamax is different from Dynamax, Twilight came across the name of the Pokemon who is the cause for the Dynamax Phenomenon in the first place.

"This Pokemon has only ever appeared once and disappeared during its defeat. It has been identified as Eternatus." Finally, she had the name and the source of Dynamax as a whole. "So this is the pokemon that causes Dynamax. Did it also power Nidoking up?"

"Tales?" Ninetales looked over at the page that had Eternatus on it. The artwork was a bit messy. It looked like someone tried to get a picture of Eternatus but only got the face and nothing else. 

Opening this book right after the crisis was the best decision she had made so far. Now she has a decent grasp on Dynamax, what triggers it and where it originally comes from. 

Unfortunately, there was no further information about Eternatus or Dynamax. All it did was just tell her about Max Moves, G-Max Moves and some strange soup that works on certain Pokemon. After that, Twilight closed the Galar Book, placing it back with the others.

Twilight called it a day. She was still a bit beat up after Nidoking hit her so she needed the rest. Twilight returned to her lab where her Pokemon were waiting for her.

The impact of the tree could still be felt on her back too. The sun was setting as it had an orange glow that flashed over the entirety of Ponyville.

The young alicorn looked outside the window, wondering where Absol could be right now. If the Pokedex says that they normally hide in the mountains, then surely he might be in any mountain located here in Equestria, biding his time and waiting for the next disaster to come up.

That one single thought about Absol actually made Twilight's head sting a bit. But not as much as the other times. In fact, this headache was tamer compared to the rest. Almost as a sign that it was calming down. Why that was the case was a mystery that Twilight couldn't solve.

Perhaps the mystery of Pokemon stretches far beyond than just appearances and capabilities. But it is that very mystery that gives the world of Pokemon it's distinct feeling as the journey continues.


Chapter 275 End.