//------------------------------// // Strange and Wonderful Creatures // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// In the unknown reaches of time, strange and wonderful creatures appeared on this planet. We call them Pokemon. A wealth of creatures that grace every nook and cranny of the beautiful world they live in. Some are masters of the heavens above. Caretakers and helpmates of the earth below. Watchful eyes and ears throughout recorded history and beyond. Living shoulder to shoulder with people and ponies while others live solitary lives in their natural environment. And then there are Pokemon who form vast communities, all expressing life in their own unique way. Over the years countless varieties of Pokemon have developed. Researches have identified hundreds of different types, thousands probably, perhaps even millions and beyond with many more that are yet to be discovered. With numbers too vast to even comprehend. To meet and bond with a Pokemon is an experience like none other. Each of these spectacular species possesses amazing powers and attributes that set them apart from one another in ways to numerous to list. But unique as they are individually, together they make up the incredible world of Pokemon. In all of its many shapes and forms. Many tales have been passed down of the extraordinary adventures the humans share with their Pokemon friends. There have been conflicts too, but over the ages, they have learned to live together in harmony. And so the story continues. Today, there are heroes who collect Pokemon and train hard in battle. Some of them even dream of becoming Pokemon Masters. It is an exciting journey. But full of challenges too. Being a trainer requires dedication and spirit. This road can certainly be long and difficult. But those who travel it will certainly find many friends along the way. Together, humans, ponies, dragons, griffons, yaks and other hidden species out there in the world will carry on the story. Facing new challenges and sharing new adventures that will become the tales of tomorrow. The world of Pokemon. It truly is a world of wonder. And there are Pokemon out there that have yet to be discovered. Capturing the fantasy of many, including a certain young man, who along with his partner Pikachu is battling his way to earn the title of Pokemon Master. His path to becoming the very best has been a long one but a journey that has been filled with excitement, intensity and blood boiling events that never slow down once. His journey, while long, is only just beginning as he shares it with his many friends. Whether they be human, Pokemon, pony or dragon, he's sure to create new tales and form new friendships in his timeless adventure. The Pokemon Festival. Still on its first day on the first week and brimming with energy. With a plethora of activities to do and explore, it's safe to say that everyone here will surely be occupied for these remaining 2 weeks. There are a plethora of ways to enjoy this festival and everyone here has their own unique way of doing things. Some take enjoyment in the festival by having a bite to fill their hunger up. Like Celestia. She was enjoying all the cake this festival had to offer whilst her Pokemon were just enjoying themselves all the way. "Mmm!" Celestia swallowed some cake as her face was full of icing. "I'm so glad I don't have my regalia on. It gets in the way sometimes when I'm eating some delicious cake!" "Arcanine." Acranine went up to the cake, getting a good sniff of it as he decided to take one single bite. "Gardevoir." Passion did the same as she swiped some icing. She tasted the icing, already melting with its wonderful taste that Celestia also enjoys so much. "And I cannot wait for mother and father to show up so that we can enjoy this festival together," Celestia said. And as soon as she said that, along came Sunlight and Eventide, formerly known as King Eventide and Queen Sunlight as two rays of light landed right next to Celestia. Once the light dispersed, they decided to show themselves as they had finally arrived to spend some quality time with their daughters. "We're here!" Sunlight whistled. "And we see it's still early! Wonderful!" Eventide grinned. "Mother! Father! You made it!" Celestia stood up as she still had cake in her mouth. "Celestia. What did I say about talking with your mouth full of cake." Her mother replied. "Oh." Celestia swallowed the remaining cake. "Sorry." "Bah, let us forget about that." Eventide pulled his wife and daughter in. "It is time for us to focus on enjoying ourselves at the festival. Such trivial things such as that cannot be focused on." "You're right dear. Besides. This will be our first Pokemon Festival. We spectated the first one and it was gratifying. But now we're here in physical form!" Sunlight squeed as she pranced on the spot. "Where is Luna? It shall be perfect if it was all 4 of us." Eventide looked around. "Luna is a bit lost on what she wants to do in this year's festival, actually," Celestia replied. "Haha! Then she needn't be lost anymore! Being the entertaining father that I am, she will surely enjoy herself to the fullest for these 2 weeks!" Eventide chuckled. "If we were to start somewhere, I'd say the attractions would be a sure-fire option. Perhaps the ones here at Canterlot or even the Crystal Empire." "Oh. About that. You've never met Shining Armor, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza or Flurry Heart yet." Celestia realized. "Now that you can physically walk in our world once more, I'll have to take you there to meet them someday. In physical form instead of spectating that is." "We cannot wait. Now enough with the chatter. How about we..." Eventide looked around as he spotted Ash in the distance with Rainbow Dash and Soarin, eating some pies. "Aha! There's a fellow who knows how to have fun!" "Hm?" Sunlight and Celestia turned to where Eventide was facing. "Ash! My boy!" Eventide called out for Ash's name by using a small bit of his Royal Canterlot voice. "Huh?" Ash turned around whilst having some pie in his mouth. "Eventide?" "Pikachu?" "Come hither boy!" "Hold on!" Ash grabbed some pies as he and Pikachu went over to the royal family. "I know Luna has a fondness for him, so she'll generally be pleased to be around him especially if they bond here!" Eventide exclaimed. "Forcing love again, dear?" Sunlight nudged Eventide. "Oof! S-Sorry. Force of habit." Ash slid over to them, almost dropping the pies, but his Gengar thankfully caught them for him. "Gen!" "Thanks, Gengar." "Just the lad I wanted to see. Ash Ketchum." Eventide walked up to him. "Great to see you guys again. You're just in time to really enjoy the festival!" "Pikachu!" "Mhm!" Sunlight stepped forward. "There is so much to do. It's hard to decide. That rollercoaster over there seems like it would be an absolute thrill." On the rollercoaster, Twilight, Starlight and other ponies were screaming for their lives as the rollercoaster was speeding up and moving haphazardly. "Or we could participate in the many attractions here. I've already seen some that grab my fancy," said Eventide. "But you are the master of entertainment, Ash Ketchum. What say you?" "Me? Well..." Ash thought for a moment. "Just do whatever. Like Sunlight said. There's so much to do. You won't be bored for a second!" "Pikachu!" "Hm-hm." Eventide nodded. "I suppose that is a simple and straightforward action. Come!" Eventide put his hoof around Ash's neck. "Let us see what we can get ourselves into!" "Your father is more excited than he's ever been isn't he?" Sunlight chuckled. "Mhm." Celestia giggled as they all followed Eventide to do whatever they can. Twilight and Starlight had just finished their little Rollercoaster ride as they were out of it. Starlight was frozen in fear since this was her first experience. Her mane stood up as she was still processing what had just happened. "Urgh..." Twilight felt woozy as she fell off the train, landing flat on her face. "Still fun the second time. That was a blast, right Starlight?" "Mmrgh...Mmm..." Starlight grumbled as she could barely speak. "I guess you're gonna need to recover a bit." Twilight used her magic to take Starlight out of the rollercoaster as she noticed Ash passing by with Celestia, Sunlight and Eventide. "Oh! Ash!" She called out for him. "Hm? Twilight?" Ash turned to her. "Pika?" "Perfect timing!" She flew over to them. "I was just thinking about something that involves us two." "Really? Like what?" "Well..." Twilight scraped her hoof on the ground. "I know it's nothing new to you but...I was wondering, for the third time, you and I could you know...spend some time together?" "Oh just like what happened during New Year, huh? I gotcha!" Ash nodded in understanding. "But I promised to also hang out with Celestia, Sunlight and Eventide." "Pikachu." "Oh, that's fine. We can hang out at night. If you have the time that is." "Baha!" Eventide chuckled. "Why wait? We're all friends here! Twilight Sparkle. You can join us on our little fun hunt before the night strikes." "Hm? Oh, I wasn't really planning on doing that...I mean! I could do it, don't get me wrong I-" "It's fine, Twilight." Sunlight nodded. "We've already decided that we'll just have fun however we want with whatever we can involve ourselves in. Ash. You can go along with her. We'll be fine on our own." "Really?" "Trust in our ability to entertain ourselves, my boy." Eventide grinned. "We still have 2 weeks of all of this after all. So there's no pressure." Celestia shook her head. "Alright then. Let's do this Twilight!" "That's wonderful!" Twilight smiled as she turned around, pumping her hooves. "Yes!" She said quietly. "That rollercoaster ride you were on does take our interest. I've always wanted to know what it would feel like to be on one." Sunlight set her sights on the rollercoaster. "Come on you two. I'm all for getting my adrenaline going." Sunlight made her way towards the rollercoaster. "Won't it make our heads ache though...?" Eventide squinted his eyes as he and Celestia followed Sunlight. "If you ride on it a few times that is." Celestia chuckled as the three of them had left, leaving only Ash and Twilight now. "Okay! What's first?" Ash asked. "Come with me." Twilight used her magic to grab Ash. "There's a lot we can do together!" Twilight trotted along whilst carrying Ash along. "W-Woah! D-Do you have to drag me though?" "Pikachu..." Meanwhile, Some prefer to just kick back, relax and take a load off with the calming air of the festival. Like Applejack for example. She and Sceptile were doing this by themselves instead of forming a large group like the others. Applejack and her Sceptile had taken interest in these very large yet soft and absorbing pillows that seem to ease all the pain in the world. They had both laid down on the Snorlax-shaped pillows as they were pulling them both in. It felt like they were sinking into the pillows themselves. "Ah...I can get used to this." Applejack sighed as her hat fell on her face, blocking her vision of everything else. "Sceptile..." Sceptile felt pure bliss with these pillows. If he could buy one, he would take it home with him. He normally enjoys sleeping on a nearby tree, but this might be even better. The two of them were so caught up in these pillows that they may get distracted and forget about the entire festival as a whole. Applejack was at complete and total peace until she heard something familiar coming her way. Something that is somewhat recent but by a few weeks. They were small little footsteps from most likely a very small Pokemon. She removed her hat to see that someone was standing right in front of her. That, someone, was the Automaton Pokemon. Golett. More specifically, the Golett from the Pokemon School that grew attached to Applejack the moment they first met. All because Applejack reminds Golett of its old master from long ago. "Gol!" "Huh? You?!" Applejack gasped. "Did you follow me or something?!" "Golett!" Golett stood up tall, basically confirming that he did indeed follow her. "Scep?" "Uh, I appreciate the love, Golett." Applejack picked him up. "But sneaking out of your Poke Ball like that just to see is a bit uh..." "Golett!" Golett raised its arms, immediately pledging allegiance to Applejack on the spot, without her even asking for it. And Applejack could actually understand him. She didn't need Fluttershy for this as Golett's movements made it pretty clear for her to understand. "Oh, you're a clingy one, aren't ya?" Applejack lowered her head as she sighed. "Sceptile was like that when he was still a Treecko but..." "Tile. Sceptile." Sceptile nudged Applejack, telling her to let Golett tag along for a bit. It wouldn't hurt anyone, even if Golett is very clingy. "Hm? You want me to let him tag along?" "Sceptile." He nodded. "I don't know...Ain't he Fantina's Pokemon? Does she even know you're missing?" "Gol." Golett shook his head. Fantina wasn't even here today. She'll probably be in by tomorrow. "Uh-huh...Fine. You can tag-along." Applejack reluctantly agreed to let Golett join the group. "But just don't cause any trouble for anyone, okay?" "Golett!" The Ground-Ghost-Type could declare this a stunning victory. He had a sort of medieval personality to him. Mostly because he was a Pokemon from the past. The very far past. Whoever Golett's previous trainer was, they most likely shared a similar presence to Applejack, which is the only reason why Golett is so drawn to her. Whoever it was, is a mystery for now. Some of the trainers here prefer to just explore the festival and see what they can find. More specifically Fluttershy, who was still on the search for Victini by heading into the resort zone which had new areas ranging from jungles to a surprise pool where some Pokemon like to go for a dip. And yet, no Victini. "Hm. I guess Victini isn't here today. Maybe tomorrow." Fluttershy sighed as she sat down. "Audino." Audino patted her on the back, letting Fluttershy know that she would have better luck next time. "Chiko!" Chikorita on the other hand, liked the sound of a pool as she hopped right in it. The pool here was generated by the move Scald. So not only does it act like a pool, but it even functions as a hot spring. The perfect combo. At least for most Pokemon, some Pokemon could do without this hot and cold combination. Fluttershy pouted, feeling a bit down that she didn't get to see Victini today. But her disappointment quickly faded away once she spotted a brand new Pokemon she had never seen before. The head of this Pokemon popped out of the pool as it gave Chikorita a slight scare. This Pokemon wasn't Victini but could be considered just as special. This Pokemon was none other than the Melody Pokemon. Meloetta. In it's Aria Forme too. "Etta?" The Normal-Psychic-Type looked around, spotting Fluttershy looking right at her. "Meloett?" "Oh! Who's that!?" Fluttershy gawked as she dashed over to the Melody Pokemon. "Meloetta?" Meloetta would normally run away from anyone who sees her in a heartbeat since they're normally shy Pokemon. But this Meloetta didn't because she felt comfortable around Fluttershy. Or rather, Fluttershy's presence reminds her of someone. "What's your name?" Fluttershy asked. "Meloetta." She gave her name. "Meleotta? That's a truly wonderful name. My name's Fluttershy. "I've never heard of you before. I love meeting new Pokemon!" "Etta..." Meloetta circled Fluttershy, seeing if she could recall why Fluttershy's presence was so familiar. After sensing her aura, Meloetta then realised why it was so familiar. "Etta! Meloetta!" "Hm? I remind you of someone?" "Melo!" She nodded. "Oh. Who?" "Etta! Meloetta!" "My presence reminds you of Ash? Oh, do you know Ash as well?" "Meloetta!" "That's great! I guess it's exactly like Victini. Well, I have amazing news Meloetta. Ash is here today. If that makes you happy." Indeed it did. Once she heard that, Meloetta's excitement began to rise to an insurmountable level as her pupils expanded with her eyes being filled with stars. "Meloetta...?" She had come to the Pokemon Festival's resort zone since she could feel how calming it was. But she didn't expect Ash to be here. "I suppose you want to see him?" "Melo!" Indeed she does. In an instant, the Melody Pokemon dashed off, setting off to find Ash somewhere in the festival. "Oh! Wait!" Fluttershy chased after her. "Meloetta!" "Chiko?" Chikorita realized that Audino and Fluttershy had left. She would go after them, but the pool was too calming. She decided to catch up with them later as she was going to enjoy the warm and comfortable aura of the pool. "Chikorita..." Adagio was still at the Resort Zone as she saw Fluttershy, Audino and Meloetta dash by her whilst she kept on eating her Lava Cookies. "Hm." She grumbled as she didn't think too much about it. Meloetta was surprisingly fast. Although, her light and small body allows her to move at swift and nimble speeds. Especially when she enters her Pirouette Form. However, Meloetta soon remembered that she was going out in public to see Ash and she was still a bit shy with her being able to approach very few trainers that she has met. Fluttershy being the newest. So, to see Ash whilst also concealing herself, Meloetta turned invisible, just like Victini. It seems that all Psychic-Type Pokemon can just do that from the looks of it. At least the Mythical Pokemon can. Now, Fluttershy had lost track of Meloetta as she couldn't see her anymore. "She can turn invisible too?" "Dino..." Audino had Fluttershy covered. All she had to do was follow Meloetta by using her sensitive ears. Or even better. All they had to do was find Ash and they'll find Meloetta. Easy. Although, due to the large number of ponies, humans, Pokemon and eventually other species that will show up here, that might prove to be an issue. Speaking of Ash, he and Twilight ended up reaching the spot where the Pokemon Camp Curry Cook-off was happening. Right now, Pinkie Pie had devoured a plethora of curries after many other participants decided to make their own special curries. More specifically, the CMC, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Babs Seed. They seemed to be into curry now which some being more natural than others. Some referring to Babs of course who seemed to possess hidden curry cooking skills. Ash was attracted to the beautiful scent of curry as he was enchanted by it. "Mm...Smells good..." "Pika..." "I know right?" A full Pinkie Pie said as she laid on her back with her hoof on her belly. "Whew, I'm stuffed." "Did you eat all of these?" Twilight looked at the many plates around Pinkie Pie and how they were all clear with only stew on them. "Mhm." Pinkie nodded. "I'm gonna be out for a while. But it was totally worth it." "Well, I'm gonna chow down on some myself!" Ash went over to Scootaloo, seeing how she was making some new curry along with her friends. "What are you making?" "Oh, hey Ash. Just making some new curry. Apparently, there's like 151 of these! And I'm kinda curious!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Me too!" said Apple Bloom. "Me three!" As well as Sweetie Belle. "This curry stuff is easy!" "Pikachu." Pikachu looked over at a plate that still had some of Scootaloo's curry. He decided to take a bite out of it and was immediately met by the spicy effects of the Cheri Berries that Scootaloo added onto them. "Pi...PIKA!" He breathed fire out of his mouth from the heat but it tasted so good in the end. "Pikachu..." "I'm running out of berries here!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed as Purrloin got some new berries for her. "Purr." "Thanks, Purrloin!" She placed the berries inside as she continued to stir the pot. "This is gonna be my best one yet!" "For them to be cooking at such a young age..." Twilight gawked. "Espeon." With Ash and everypony else looking forward to some curry, mostly Ash since this will be his first time eating some, the scent of the curries kept on drawing others in. But one other individual was also being drawn in. But not by the food. But instead, the presence of another. Of course, Meloetta is the one who was drawn to this spot as she was searching for Ash. She didn't have to search any longer as she had found him standing right there. Needless to say, Meloetta was thrilled to see Ash again as she no longer remained invisible. "Meloetta!" With glee, the Melody Pokemon flew over to Ash, going straight for a hug. "Hm?" Ash recognized a familiar voice coming his way. He turned around, curious as to what he was feeling. Once he did, he spotted an old friend in the form of Meloetta. "Meloetta?!" "Pikachu?!" "Etta!" The Melody Pokemon hugged Ash's arm as she was already glued towards him, much like their first encounter. "Eh?" Scootaloo and the others turned around to spot this brand new Pokemon that they've all never seen before. "Oh! Who's that Pokemon?!" "Oooh!" Pinkie sat up, spotting Meloetta. "Looks pretty!" She and the others took out their Pokedexes to read about this new Pokemon. "Meloetta. The Melody Pokemon. Aria Forme. Its melodies are sung with a special vocalization method that can control the feelings of those who hear it. Many famous songs have been inspired by the melodies that Meloetta plays." "A music Pokemon? Those are pretty rare!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "And it looks so beautiful!" "Meloetta. It's good to see you again!" "Pika-Pikachu!" "Melo." The Melody Pokemon clung onto Ash's arm as she looked like she wasn't about to let go. Ash knew that Meloetta acted like this, similar to how Bayleef acts. Although Bayleef can't physically grab Ash. "How's Ridely doing?" Ash asked her. "Etta! Meloetta!" "Chu! Pikachu!" The three of them were happy to see each other again as they were all feeling nostalgic. Some good energy was being radiated between them as the others could feel it. But not everyone. All except for Twilight were feeling the positive energy waves. "Mrrgh..." Twilight grumbled as she could see how Meloetta attached herself onto Ash the moment she showed up. She was feeling vibes that were opposite to that of what everypony else was feeling. "I don't know what I'm feeling, but I don't like it one bit." "Esp?" Eve could tell what Twilight was feeling thanks to her being able to sense Twilight's emotions. "Twilight. Everyone. This is Meloetta. A pretty good friend of mine." Ash introduced her to them all. "What Pokemon isn't a good friend of yours, Ash?" Apple Bloom ate some berries. "You guys should meet her too." Ash sent out the rest of his Pokemon as he almost forgot to let them enjoy the festival as well. "Etta." Meloetta flew over to all of Ash's Pokemon, greeting them as well. Anyone who was a friend of Ash was a friend of Meloetta as well. "Melo!" "Lucario." "Gen-Gen!" "Dra!" "Far..." "Meloetta's a Mythical Pokemon. Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it, Twilight?" Ash grinned. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Interesting. So, Ash." Twilight decided to mimic Meloetta by going over to Ash and using her hooves to cling onto his arms. "Tomorrow. How about we head over to the Crystal Empire?" "Etta?" Meloetta noticed this and just like Twilight, she wasn't too fond of someone being close to Ash. Even though Pikachu is always next to Ash at all times, there was something about how Twilight clinging on to him that didn't bode well with Meloetta. "Melo..." She puffed her cheeks. "Hm." Twilight blew her tongue out at Meloetta, knowing exactly what she was doing. Which infuriated the Melody Pokemon. So she decided to cling onto Ash's arms as well. "H-Hey! You two!" Ash could feel two different entities hold onto him as he was getting all wobbly. "How am I gonna eat like this?!" "We'll eat alright..." Twilight narrowed her eyes at Meloetta. "Melo..." So did Meloetta to Twilight. "Pikachu..." Pikachu chuckled as he could see that the curry was ready. At least, Babs's curry was done ready to be eaten. She had made some Spicy Smoked-Tail Curry, made entirely from a Slowpoke Tail. The sharp bite of the spicy curry roux helps with the overpowering heaviness of the tail, making it easier to eat. "Done here!" Babs exclaimed. "Chespin!" "Ooh! That looks so good!" Ash gawked as he rushed over to the curry whilst Twilight and Meloetta were still on his arms, eyeing each other down. "Uh, Twilight. Meloetta. I kinda need to eat with my arms so..." "Hmph." Twilight got off Ash as so did Meloetta, allowing him to be free. "Meloetta..." The two of them weren't so fond of each other already their gaze sparked lightning that clashed between them. Meanwhile, Ash didn't notice as he was just focused on the curry. "Oh...it looks just as good as mom's Slowpoke Tail cooking..." Ash drooled. "Pikachu...!" "Hehe...Yeah." Pinkie Pie nodded as she had the same facial expression as Ash. "Eat up. Tastes good when spicy." Babs ordered. "Don't mind if we do!" Ash grabbed a spoon as he and Pinkie Pie took a single piece. "Thanks for the food!" "Pika!" At the same time, Ash, Pinkie Pie and Pikachu took a bite out of the Smoked-Tail-Curry. One bite and their mouths were being met with the force of 10 volcanoes going off at once. Their eyes widened as they each breathed blazing flames out of their mouth. For once it wasn't Scootaloo's cooking that made them do that. And just like Scootaloo's cooking, it's delicious as it is hot as the trio felt pure blazing bliss inside of their mouths, prompting them to fall over. "Ah...Just as good when it's spicy..." Ash uttered. "I hear ya." Pinkie nodded in agreement. "Pikachu." Whilst those three are in curry heaven, Twilight and Meloetta were still eyeing each other down as Eve realized that this might get intense if these two continue to be at odds with each other. Eventually, they turned away from each other, seeing that since they share a similar interest to Ash, it was nigh-impossible for them to get along. Keyword being Nigh. Fluttershy and Audino finally arrived to see that Meloetta had her arms crossed along with Twilight having her hooves crossed with them sharing a similar expression. "Oh, dear. Did something happen between you two?" Fluttershy went up to them. "You could say that..." Twilight scoffed. "Etta." "I don't have time to be standing here and arguing with some random Pokemon. Ash." Twilight picked Ash up with her magic. "Let's do something else." "Eh? But I wanted to try out some more curries. That first one was super delicious!" "Pikachu!" "Melo!" Meloetta flew over to Ash, offering a song to him. "Etta. Meloetta." "It looks like Meloetta wants to sing for you, Ash." Fluttershy translated. "Oh, I didn't know it could sing! I suppose that would explain her name and appearance." "Sing? That's great Meloetta. Your singing's always awesome to hear." "Hm!" Twilight dashed over, standing in front of Meloetta. "I can sing for you too, Ash! If you don't mind that is." "Melo..." Meloetta growled as she flew in front of Twilight. But then, Twilight ended up doing the same as well. Soon it became a back and forth of two individuals trying to 1UP each other by continuously standing in front of each other. "Oh my." Fluttershy realized what was going on now. "I see..." "Audino." Ash watched the two of them go at it as if they were competing over one thing. He laughed awkwardly, seeing how they were both getting fairly competitive. Ash remembered a similar situation to this back in the past. Although, he didn't expect to see it happen between Twilight and Meloetta. A truly odd combo. But his focus on that was quickly shifted to something. Not by the curry, but by a very familiar face who was running up to him. Who else but his old rival, Barry. "Huh? Barry!" Ash gasped. "Pika?!" "Hey, Ash!" Barry came charging in like a rocket as he kicked up dust behind him. "I looked everywhere for you! Guess I should've known that you were gonna be at the place with a ton of food." "You bet! Great to see you again, Barry!" "Great to see you too! It's nice meeting old rivals again. And speaking of rivals, you know exactly why I'm here Ketchum!" Barry pointed at Ash, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Oh, I know from the get-go." Ash grinned. "I was itching for a battle anyway." "Pikachu...!" "Hold on. You're gonna battle here? Where all the curry is?" Silver Spoon turned around. "Nah. We'll battle at the Canterlot Gardens." Ash pointed over at the direction of the garden. "I wanna see just how strong you've become Barry." "Same here! I'm gonna- Woah what is that?!" Barry's attention quickly changed to the sight of Meloetta. "Is that the Mythical Pokemon Meloetta from Unova?!" "Sure is." Ash nodded. "Say hi, Meloetta." "Melo." Meloetta flew over, landing on Ash's shoulder as she gave a cocky smirk to Twilight. "Hmmrgh!" Twilight's eyes lit up along with her mane rising like fire. "So cool...An actual Mythical right in front of me!" Barry zipped around, observing Meloetta. "Done!" While Barry was observing Meloetta, the rest of the curries had been finished as they were ready to be eaten. "Phew." Apple Bloom placed the curry on the table. "I think that's the last curry I'm making today." "Same here. I'm already pretty tuckered out." Scootaloo yawned. "But I'm definitely getting a Charizard Class medal for this Sweet Toast Curry." "Barry. Before we battle, how about a quick bite?" Ash suggested. "Sure thing! A full stomach makes a trainer stronger after all. I can't wait to snack on em!" Barry had googly eyes on the curry as everypony else went up to the plates of curry waiting for them. "Sounds delicious." Fluttershy hummed as she and Audino went over to grab a bite as well. Twilight and Meloetta watched as everyone gathered around to eat some curry while they just stood there, still thinking of how they'll be close to Ash at all times. The curry had an enchanting effect. Anyone who picked up on its scent would immediately feel a strong sense of hunger invade their bodies. Which is exactly what Twilight and Meloetta felt. Both of their stomachs were rumbling as the curries were calling for them with their addicting and soothing scent and aura. The two of them were starting to melt from it. "It does look tasty..." Twilight muttered. "Meloetta..." The two of them decided to stop fighting for the time being as they went over to the table, going for a bite of curry themselves. Everyone had their own fill of their preferred curry. They grabbed a bite to eat and tasted the sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and dry curries that were all so different from each other. "Mmmm!" Twilight became ecstatic. "Meloooo!" So did Meloetta. Ash, Pikachu, Barry and Pinkie Pie started to devour the curry like maniacs by eating it at high speeds while everyone else ate it at a normal pace. "You know!" Barry was talking fast while eating fast. "I've heard about you being a hero in this world, Ash!" "Oh yeah?" Ash devoured a large portion of the curry. "Mhm! Lucky! I wanna be a hero too!" "You're gonna have to work for it!" Pinkie exclaimed as she slammed her face on the curry plate. "Pikachu!" "You four eat like maniacs..." Silver Spoon shuddered. "Okay!" Ash finished his curry as he stood up, slamming his hand on the table. "Barry! Let's battle!" "Pika!" "Mm!" Barry swallowed the last of his curry as he and Ash had finished at a similar pace. "Oh yeah! I've been waiting for this! Just you watch, Ash! My skills have gone through the roof when we last met! Get ready to lose, Ketchum!" With their stomach's being full, Ash and Barry were ready to battle for old-times sake. And to see how each one of them has improved. The ponies who had some of the curries had decided to come and watch this battle, especially Twilight and Meloetta, who were still having a petty feud against each other. "I'll do the referee stuff!" Apple Bloom slid over. "Do your best you two!" "Twilight. Meloetta. You two don't seem too friendly with each other right now." Fluttershy said. "We aren't? I didn't notice." Twilight closed her eyes. "Melo." Meloetta scoffed, crossing her arms. "Oh, dear." Fluttershy laughed awkwardly. "I'm sure they'll work it out." Pinkie giggled. "Oh! The battle's starting!" "Empoleon! Go, go!" Barry sent out his first Pokemon in the form of Empoleon. "Empoleon!" "Empoleon?" Sweetie Belle noticed how it looked like her Piplup as she took out her dex. "Empoleon. The Emperor Pokemon. The three horns that extend from its beak attest to its power. The leader has the biggest horns. It swims as fast as a jet boat. The edges of its wings are sharp and can slice apart drifting ice. It avoids unnecessary disputes, but it will decimate anything that threatens its pride." "It's good to see you again, Empoleon." Ash held out a Poke Ball. "Alright! Lucario! I choose you!" Ash sent out his Lucario. "Ca! Lucario!" "Battle Start!" Apple Bloom yelled. "Alright! Empoleon! Head in there with Drill Peck!" "Pol!" Empoleon's beak and crown glowed gold as it spun around like a drill, jumping at its opponent. "Lucario! Force Palm!" "Lu!" Lucario stood in place instead of rushing in as an orange aura outlined his body. He put his palm out forward as he let Empoleon's crown collide with his paw. "Luca...!" "Empol!" Empoleon began spinning rapidly on Lucario's paw, trying to push through. "Use Aura Sphere with the other arm!" "Cario!" By using his other free arm, Lucario blasted the Emperor Pokemon with a swift ball of concentrated aura that blew up upon contact. "Empoleon!" Empoleon was sent flying after being hit by a move like that. But, the Emperor Pokemon was able to recover by sliding on the ground. "Pol!" "Aura Sphere one more time!" "Lu...Ca!" This time Lucario used both his hands, sending yet another Aura Sphere forward. "Send it back using Steel Wing" "Em! Empol!" Empoleon's wings shined white as they were now as hard as steel. Empoleon used its hardened wings to hit Aura Sphere back, which took Lucario by surprise. "Cario?!" Lucario gasped as he was hit by his own attack, which dealt super-effective damage back at him instead of Empoleon. "Lucario!" "Awesome! Now use Hyper Beam!" "Em..." Empoleon began charging the always effective and always devastating Hyper Beam as an orange ball of energy formed in the middle of its mouth. "Lucario! Double Team!" "Lu!" Lucario recovered as he made multiple copies of himself that spread across the gardens, surrounding Empoleon from every side. "Luca!" "Pol?" "Hah! Like that's gonna throw us off our game! Empoleon! Spread it! Spread it! Spread it!" "Empol!" Instead of firing at one spot, Empoleon fired Hyper Beam and moved its body around, spreading it like a whip. Each Hyper Beam destroyed the Lucario clones one by one as the real Lucario had yet to be revealed. "Here goes! Flip over and use Aura Sphere!" "Luca!" The remaining Lucario clones flipped over the Hyper Beam as they each had Aura Sphere charged up. "Up! Shoot up, Empoleon!" "Poleon!" With Hyper Beam still being active, Empoleon raised its head, directing the Normal-Type move upwards. "Lucario!" Each of the Lucario's fired their Aura Sphere's as the Fighting Move clashed with the Normal move. They entered a small struggle but they both cancelled each other out, forming a large smoke cloud afterwards. The force of the explosion blew away all of Lucario's clones, releasing the real one as he landed back down on the ground. With Hyper Beam being finished, Empoleon needed to take a break due to using so much power. "Pol...Pol...!" "Wide open! Lucario! Force Palm repeatedly!" Ash took advantage of this. "Lucario!" By bolting forward, Lucario went up to a recovering Empoleon. "Uh-oh!" Barry screeched. "Pol?!" "Ca!" Lucario began to pummel the Emperor Pokemon by rapidly swinging and striking his energized palm on to the Water-Steel-Type's slightly rotund and large body. Each hit Lucario landed was a super-effective as his strikes became afterimages due to how fast they were moving. And they seemed to pick up in speed. "Empol!" Empoleon had finally recovered after using Hyper Beam and it could use a second attack now. "Hydro Cannon, Quick!" "Pol!" Empoleon quickly formed a blue flash of light from its mouth. "Lu?" Lucario looked up to see that Hydro Cannon was right in front of him. This instant flash of light fired a large ball of water that interrupted Lucario's frantic strikes. The Aura Pokemon had been engulfed by Hydro Cannon as it carried him away from Empoleon. "Ca!" "Use Reversal, Lucario!" "Luca!" Lucario veered on the ground as he lunged right back at Empoleon with his arm being pulled back. "Quick! Drill Peck!" "Empol...!" Empoleon got into position as it bolted forward, spinning around like a drill once more. Both Lucario and Empoleon were caught in yet another clash as they were both now fighting for dominance over each other. "Come on, Ash!" Scootaloo cheered. "Meloetta!" "How'd'ya like that Ash?! I'm a million times better than I was before!" Barry laughed. "Haha!" "You've gotten super strong too, Barry! That's the kind of stuff I like to see! But I ain't no slouch either! Lucario! Uppercut Empoleon!" "Luca!" Yet again, Lucario used his other arm that wasn't occupied as he gave the Emperor Pokemon an uppercut, breaking Empolemon out of Drill Peck. "Pol?!" Empoleon's eyes widened as it was being held up by Lucario now. "Aura Sphere!" "Lucario!" Lucario's body was being outlined in blue energy as he used the arm that held Empoleon up to unleash Aura Sphere. "Uh oh! Break free-Break free!" Barry screeched. "Empol!" Empoleon flailed its wings around, beating on Lucario's arm, but it wasn't making the Aura Pokemon budge. "Lu!" Lucario then engulfed Empoleon in a blue ball of aura that perfectly matched Empoleon's size as the final blow had been delivered. The Aura Sphere blew up once it had engulfed Empoleon as the explosion was so strong that it even knocked Lucario back himself. "Cario!" Ash held his hat, Barry tried to keep his balance whilst everypony else almost flew off from the force of the aura explosion. The smoke cleared as the Emperor Pokemon fell out of the smoke, unfortunately fainting. "Empoleon..." "Empoleon can't battle anymore! Lucario wins! Which means Ash wins too! "Alright! Awesome work, Lucario!" Ash pumped his fist up. "Pikachu!" "Lu." Lucario turned around, nodding at his trainer. "Bummer." Barry sighed as he went over to Empoleon. "We'll get him another time, Empoleon." "Poleon." "Etta!" Meloetta clapped, cheering for Ash's success. "That was wonderful, Ash!" Twilight clapped her hooves. "Espeon!" "Gee, Ash!" Barry stood up. "You sure do know how to catch someone off guard!" "Sure do! One of my favourite ways to battle!" "Pikachu!" "Lu!" "Anyway!" Barry shouted, startling everyone. "I came here to have more fun at this festival and I'm gonna have some more! What's next?" He navigated his head around the area. "Anything really. I was just thinking of trying out some of those attractions! That Decidueye Shooting Attraction looks like a bunch of fun!" Ash pointed south. "Hah! That'll be a cinch! Watch me ace it!" Barry walked off with stride as Ash and the others followed, laughing at Barry's eccentric personality. "Listen here, you beautiful creature." Twilight and Meloetta got back to their usual squabbling. "Hooves or arms off! He's mine!" "Etta!" They smashed heads against each other, growling like cats. "Now, now." Fluttershy got in-between them. "Let's not fight you two. We're here to enjoy the festival. So let's enjoy it while it lasts." "Right?" Pinke appeared behind Twilight. "We're all friends here! Even faces we don't recognize!" She shoved a cupcake in Twilight's mouth. "Mm!" "Esp." Eve nudged Twilight's hoof, telling her to just enjoy the festival and forget about her petty squabbles with Meloetta since it'll just get in the way of her fun. "You're right Eve. I guess I was getting a bit too distracted...But I'm watching you, Meloetta!" She pointed her hoof at the Melody Pokemon. "Melo!" Meloetta scoffed at her. "These 2 weeks might be longer than we thought..." Fluttershy chuckled, knowing that the festival had only just begun at this point. And it truly was just beginning with more to experience and more to discover. But they are yet to be aware of the approaching threat that is the now revived Pokemon Hunter J. Whether they're prepared to one day encounter such a foe is a mystery for now. But nevertheless, the only thing on their mind is the joy of excitement and being with friends and potentially even family as the journey continues. Chapter 300 End.