//------------------------------//
// Through the underground 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Deep underground White Tail Wood.

The pursuit of Ash Ketchum continues.

Ash had just been dragged down through the earth by a Sandslash. He was now underground and further away from his friends. Much further actually. Sandslash dragged Ash so far at such insane speeds that they had left the vicinity of White Tail Wood.

"Ugh!" Ash groaned as he had hit the ground hard. Sandslash now had Ash by his lonesome in its own personal hole that it made. Sandslash had also chucked large rocks at the hole, blocking it and preventing Ash from even escaping from this place.

"Sandslash!" The Mouse Pokemon sharpened its claws as it was ready to cut Ash into pieces.

"Oh, man..." Ash held his head, looking at Sandslash. At this point, Ash just wanted to catch a break. A Pokemon threatening to destroy him wasn't new to him at all. He took out a Poke Ball, the last one he had. Dragonite's Poke Ball was still at the surface after being knocked out of his hand. Lucario and Gengar were up there helping Pikachu and the others. So there was only one Pokemon left for Ash to have help. "Here goes! Farfetch'd!"

"Farfetch'd!" His Galarian Farfetch'd had been sent out.

"Sandslash!" Sandslash then rushed at Ash with its claws being increased in strength via Hone Claws. The attack that Sandslash went for was Fury Swipes which was powered up by Hone Claws.

"Farfetch'd! Use Fury Cutter!"

"Far!" Farfetch'd readied his leek, looking Sandslash dead in the eye. "Fetch'd!" Once Sandslash got close, Farfetch'd swung his large leek, clashing it with the claws of the Mouse Pokemon.

"Sand?!"

"Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd yelled as he pushed the Ground-Type back with his leek, preventing Sandslash from getting further. To assert his dominance, Farfetch'd stomped his leek on the ground.

"Thanks, Farfetch'd!" Ash thanked his partner as he started to try and make his escape from the underground by rapidly digging the walls of the underground.

"Far!" Farfetch'd went on the offensive, continuing to use Fury Cutter to attack Sandslash.

"Slash!" Sandslash engaged in combat with Farfetch'd with its claws as both Pokemon were now clashing back and forth with Fury Swipes and Fury Cutter.

Their clashing was so great it was even starting to shake the underground itself while Ash was furiously getting his hands dirty. Farfetch'd seemed to have the advantage when it came to strength. Since Fury Cutter gets stronger with each hit, it would only make sense that he would start to push Sandslash back.

"S-Sandslash!" Sandslash was indeed being pushed back. It couldn't compete with Farfetch'ds brutal and aggressive battling style, even when underground, its own territory where it should have the upper hand. But not against Farfetch'd.

"Fetch'd!" Farfetch'd had backed Sandslash into a corner, furiously increasing the power of his swings. Farfetch'd then delivered one powerful swing that was mighty enough to launch Sandslash far back.

And that's what it did. When Farfetch'd found an opening, he struck his leek onto Sandslash's stomach, sending the Mouse Pokemon flying through the underground corridor.

"Slash!" The influenced Sandslash had crashed into the walls of the underground, shaking it even further.

"Far!" Farfetch'd wasn't done yet. He then used Focus Energy to further increase his strength. His body was briefly covered in an orange glow as he focused directly at Sandslash.

"S-Sandslash?!" Sandslash gasped as it knew it had to retaliate quickly or else Farfetch'd would knock it unconscious right underground. To counter this, Sandslash had decided to use the move Poison Jab by covering its claws in poison. The Mouse Pokemon had also used Hone Claws to further increase its attack.

"Fetch'd?"

"Sand!" Sandslash then rushed towards Farfetch'd with poison apart of its claws. This time, Sandslash would be playing aggressively, forcing Farfetch'd to stay on his guard.

Once more, they had clashed. But this time, Sandslash had a better chance. The impact between the claws and the leek was harder this time. At this rate, the underground will come crashing down from their battle.

"Hang in there, Farfetch'd!" Ash looked back at his partner, putting all his hope into Farfetch'd.

"Far!"



On the surface. Saddle Lake.

On the brighter side, Celestia's group had successfully dealt with all of the influenced ponies. They had all been gathered up by the 12 Leavanny String Shot and Pheromosa's speed. And with the assistance of the Pokemon living in Saddle Lake, it was made much easier with so much help.

With that, Passion could begin the process of freeing them from the Desire.

"Finally." Rarity sighed as she sat down. "It felt like that would never end."

"At least we have them all in one spot now." Celestia turned to face the influenced ponies and Pokemon as Passion was approaching them, getting ready to free every last one of them. She could only do one at a time, but if multiple are within range, then her Fairy magic will be able to affect them all with her vicinity.

"Gardevoir." Passion stood before the restrained ponies and Pokemon as she looked a bit exhausted herself. This entire situation did require Passion to work a lot. Especially when it came to holding down the influenced victims with Psychic. But she could manage.

The Embrace Pokemon put her arms on the head of a single pony, tapping into her mind as her Fairy Aura was already exuding. With everyone huddled together, it was starting to affect them all simultaneously. This was such a well-needed benefit for Passion and everyone.

The thought of doing it one by one would not only take so long that it would be nigh-impossible to free everyone in Equestria from the Desire's influence but Passion would be so burnt out that she would eventually give up. Well, she never gives up but she'll feel like giving up.

The Fairy aura made everyone's eyes widen as Passion was showing them all their memories from start to finish, breaking down the Desire of J. Passion would need to put in more focus than she usually does since she was connecting with more than one individual.

"Voir..." Passion's aura was growing more vibrant in colour. But as she was removing the influence from everyone, through her head, she received a sudden message from the one causing this. A warning if anything.

That of course, came for J's Desire.

"You haven't won yet...!"

"Garde?!" Passion gasped as she was now having a telepathic talk with the Desire. Hearing this made Passion freeze on the spot.

"You can hear me can you? I know what you and your friends are up to. You're already causing me enough trouble as it is. You may be able to beat me here...you probably will actually. But know this. I'll still be extant and alive. After all, there is a part of me that you failed to destroy months ago."

"V-Voir?"

"What's wrong with Passion? Is she alright?" Twilight noticed how Passion was just frozen in place, not moving at all.

"I'm not sure..." Celestia narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps interacting with more than one influenced pony or Pokemon must be taxing on her."

They weren't aware of what Passion was actually experiencing. It was something that she couldn't take her focus off since it sounded important.

"This revenge plan isn't over yet. And I can see that you'll tire yourself out eventually. Let's see how long you truly last when millions find you and your friends. Especially Ash Ketchum." The Desire of J then chuckled before silently fading away, leaving Passion's mind.

"G-Garde!" Passion blinked as she shook her head. She wasn't expecting to receive a message such as that. A Desire had just spoken to her. In full sentences too instead of just one word.

The moment Passion snapped back to her senses, so did everyone else she had connected with. Those that had been influenced were now free and no longer being controlled by J's Desire.

The Embrace Pokemon held her head after that surprise as she breathed in and out. Celestia immediately ran over to Passion side to see if she was alright.

"Passion! What happened?!" Celestia asked.

"G-Gardevoir..." Passion explained what she had just heard a few seconds ago.

"The Desire spoke to you?" Celestia translated.

"Spoke to her?" Twilight teleported over as Absol used his horn to cut up the strings that restrained everypony and Pokemon who had just been freed from the Desire's control.

"Voir..."

"It was J's Desire." Celestia further translated. "It seems that it's capable of speaking full sentences, unlike most Desires. "What did it say to you, Passion?"

"Voir. Gardevoir." Passion explained that it didn't say too much. The Desire didn't give away where J was. All it really did was threaten Passion and mention how she'll tire out before she can even free all of the influenced victims.

"I see..." Celestia nodded. "It seems that we're not dealing with an ordinary Desire anymore."

"What do you mean, princess?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm afraid we'll be at odds with J's Desire for a while now." Celestia faced Twilight and the others. "From what it told Passion, we might have a chance to end this influence today but..."

"Great. We already have Ghetsis and Empress Twilight to deal with." Rainbow Dash groaned. "Not to mention the invasion that's coming soon. Can't we get a break already?"

"Don't worry, Passion." Princess Celestia patted her partner on the back. "I won't let you suffer and tire yourself out from all of this."

"Gardevoir."

"Alright, everypony." Celestia then started to talk to her subjects, grabbing their attention. "You're all free now from the Desire's influence. But that doesn't mean this is over yet. Many of your friends, family and familiars out there are most likely influenced as well. If you can, I want you to try your best and keep them away from Ash. Do whatever you must."

"Us?" A pony pointed at himself. "We get to join in?"

"Weren't we already with the whole brainwashing part?" said another pony who replied.

"I get to feel like a hero? Neat." Another pony grinned.

"If we work together, we could remove the Desire from everypony in Equestria before the day ends. Or even tomorrow. Hopefully today. If you know anypony that has been influenced, let us know. We'll be right there." Celestia ordered.

Even after being freed, it wasn't over yet. Celestia and the others would need all the help they could get at this point. They had already received help from the Pokemon of Saddle Lake and now that help is about to skyrocket. The residents of Ponyville and other ponies from different cities and towns in Equestria were now going to help out in their own way.

"What about Ash? Is he alright?" Twilight wondered as she turned around, facing the south.

"Audino..." Audino was trying to find Ash's voice or anything with her feelers. Unfortunately, since Ash was deep underground and far from here that would be impossible. But, Audino did hear Pikachu and the others currently battling against other influenced Pokemon. "Audino!"

"Audi can't hear him!" Fluttershy translated. "It's just Pikachu and everyone else!"

"That's not a good sign." Rarity shifted her eyes around. "We should probably go now."

"Right behind you. There's little time to rest at this point." Celestia replied as she spread her wings out. "Do your best everypony."

With no time to spare since this whole situation could be summed up easily as Go-Go-Go, everyone set out to play their parts. One group will try and stop other influenced ponies and Pokemon they know across Equestria while the other group heads towards Ash's location.

Everything was now changing thanks to the increased size in help. Very soon, ponies of Equestria would be at odds with each other with one side protecting Ash and the other pursuing him.



White Tail Wood.

"PIka!" Pikachu had used Iron Tail on Claydol, knocking the Clay Doll Pokemon back. He and the others had been battling these Pokemon for quite some time now.

"D-Doll!" Claydol fell on its back after that hard Iron Tail.

"Ccino!" Minccy then jumped over Pikachu, covering her tail with water, using Aqua Tail from above. The Scarf Pokemon then smashed her liquified tail onto Claydol while it was still on the ground, hitting the Ground-Psychic-Types' head.

"Clay!" Claydol cried out as it had been knocked out by Aqua Tail with Minccy standing on top of Claydol in victory.

"Cinccino!"

"Seviper!" Seviper, one of the Pokemon amongst the influenced individuals lunged towards Lucario, using Swords Dance on its own teeth of all things.

"Lu!" Lucario was prepared for this as he used Double Team to trick Seviper, creating multiple afterimage clones of himself that surrounded the Fang Snake Pokemon.

"Vi?" Seviper looked around, seeing Lucario's everywhere. In unison, each of the Lucario's put their palms together, going for an Aura Sphere as multiple blue spheres of aura had been formed.

Seviper wasn't sure who to hit since there were so many of them. And it looked like multiple Aura Sphere's would be thrust towards its direction, intimidating the Fang Snake Pokemon even further.

"Lucario!" At once, the Lucario's all fired Aura Sphere which rapidly spun around the Poison-Type and inevitably rained down on it with a vicious onslaught from every direction.

"Viper!" Seviper had been struck with blue blinding lights forming from the impact along with a dome explosion of Aura. After something as fierce as that, Seviper had fainted. "Seviper..."

Now there was only one Pokemon remaining aside from Sandslash. That same Marowak that had knocked Dragonite's Poke Ball out of Ash's hand.

"Ninetales!" Ninetales decided to deal with that by generating an Energy Ball from his mouth. The Fox Pokemon then sent a blast of green energy forward, hitting the Bone Keeper Pokemon directly.

"Wak!" Marowak cried as it had been blown back by Energy Ball, falling on its back after that super-effective hit. It was safe to say that thanks to Ninetales and the others having such skilled trainers, they were definitely prepared to take on whoever would come their way.

Pikachu and his friends had successfully defeated the Pokemon who tried to eliminate them but failed. However, they did succeed in taking Ash away, dragging him into the earth. Lucario quickly grabbed Dragonite's Poke Ball, releasing the Dragon Pokemon by throwing it.

"Dragon?"

"Pika..." Pikachu breathed in and out as he was a bit exhausted from all the battling. "Pikapi!" He then turned around, facing the burrowed hole that Ash had been dragged through, quickly running forward to see if he could find Ash down there.

"Lu!" Lucario and the other Pokemon ran to Pikachu's side, looking down at the hole with him. They had all seen that Sandslash had dug so deep through the ground that it was hard to see what was at the end. Almost like an abyss of some sorts.

"Ccino?" Minccy squinted her eyes, trying to see if she could gaze beyond the deep hole Sandslash made. But, her vision wasn't exactly that great.

"Cario." Lucario would give it a try. He closed his eyes, trying to sense Ash's Aura nearby. Since Ash's Aura was so powerful and he and Lucario had a strong bond, it wouldn't be too difficult. But then again, Sandslash dug very far to the point where it dragged Ash away from White Tail Wood.

Lucario intensified his focus. He was sensing the auras of every nearby living thing. Everything was blue with his eyes closed when using Aura Detection. Lucario made his vision go even further, seeing if he could go past White Tail Wood.

While Lucario was focusing, trying to find Ash's Aura, Celestia and her group had arrived, spotting Pikachu and the others here.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu looked back to see his friends, waving at them.

"Pikachu! You're okay!" Fluttershy smiled as Pikachu hopped into her hooves. "Where's Ash? Is he alright?"

"Pikapi. Pikachu." Pikachu pointed over at Lucario who was currently looking for Ash still.

"Hm? Lucario's using Aura to search for Ash?" Fluttershy translated.

"That's right!" Twilight nodded. "Lucario can use Aura to sense the presence of other Auras in one's vicinity and their surroundings. Right now, he's trying to find Ash's Aura. It has a similar pattern to the Legendary Hero Sir Aaron so it can't be too hard."

"Cario...!" But it indeed was hard. Lucario was still locked in focus. Because of how thick the walls of the underground were, it was difficult to really find Ash, unfortunately.

"Maybe not..." Twilight gulped.

"Don't worry." Rainbow Dash flew forward. "We can help with this. Luxray. Now's your time to really shine."

"Ray?"

"Use your nifty and cool X-ray vision." Rainbow pointed her hoof at her eyes.

"Luxray!" Luxray nodded in understanding as he went towards the hole that the others were standing on. Luxray could exactly sense things on the same level as Lucario's Aura. However, he did have an advantage in the form of being able to see through walls. Especially thick ones.

Luxray turned all of his focus underground and downwards. He could see that Sandslash had burrowed through the earth in a diagonal direction. He followed the direction of the hole, even seeing past the darkness that it had. Sandslash had certainly gone far. Even for Luxray's amazing see-through vision, he would have to really keep on searching.

"This might take a while," Fluttershy said. "Audi. See if you can help."

"Audino." Some more help was being added to the mix. Audino went up to the hole, kneeling and putting her feelers next to it to see if she could hear Ash. Audino hasn't exactly used her great hearing on the underground before so this was a first. With her exceptional hearing, she was able to pick up on faint noises from very far away. It sounded like clashing of some sorts.

Now three Pokemon were doing their best to find Ash. 

Lucario was searching for his Aura. 

Luxray was looking through the walls of the underground. 

And Audino was searching for his footsteps or voice.



Underground.

At the same time, Farfetch'd and Sandslash continued their struggle as they seemed to be even now in terms of strength. Both their claws and leek were being pushed against each other.

Meanwhile, Ash had burrowed through the ground so much he was close to reaching the surface. He was a bit of a mess with all the dirt on him but he didn't care really.

"Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd roared as he was starting to push Sandslash back with his leek.

"S-Slash!" Sandslash dug its feet deep on the ground, staying firm and preventing Farfetch'd from succeeding. "Sandslash!"

Both Pokemon butted heads, growling at each other. Thanks to J's Desire, Sandslash's aggressiveness kept growing. But Farfetch'd's fury was strong enough to match the Desire.

"I can see something!" Ash exclaimed as all his digging led him to see some light upwards. He was certainly close as he increased his digging speed. "Come on!"

"Fetch'd...!" Farfetch'd glared Sandslash in the eye, putting in more than 100% with his struggle. He refused to lose here. Not until he's beaten stronger opponents and mastered the way of the leek. And he certainly didn't want to lose to a Pokemon that wasn't even in control of their own will.

"Sandslash...!"

"Farfetch'd!" With a mighty roar, Farfetch'd broke through his limits with his eyes glowing red. The Wild Duck Pokemon pushed his leek so hard that it actually managed to make Sandslash's hard claws tremble with parts of it being chipped off.

"S-Sand?!" Even Sandslash was surprised that its claws could be chipped by a leek of all things.

"Far!" With superior strength and spirit, Farfetch'd pushed Sandslash back with his leek, hitting the Mouse Pokemon in the face with Fury Cutter once more. 

"Slash!"

"Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd then launched Sandslash, causing the Ground-Type to hit the wall hard, further rumbling the underground.

"S-Sand...slash..." With an impact that hard, Sandslash couldn't go on any further. It fell on the ground, fainting. Farfetch'd had won this duel.

"F-Far..." Farfetch'd himself was a bit tired after putting in so much work. That was possibly his hardest battle yet.

"Oh!" Ash looked back to see that Farfetch'd had won. And he had also seen that Sandslash was knocked out. Ash couldn't leave Sandslash here, especially since it's still under the Desire's influence. "Hold on!"

Ash slid his way down through the burrowed path he made from all his digging, rushing over to the Mouse Pokemon with haste.

"Thanks, Farfetch'd. Return." Ash returned his Farfetch'd after a job well done, allowing him to rest. The trainer then picked up the fainted Sandslash, putting the Ground-Type on his back.

"S-Sandslash...?"

"I gotcha." Even when Sandslash was still being influenced by J's Desire, Ash was willing to help it either way. He quickly ran back to where he burrowed, keeping Sandslash on his back.

Sandslash felt like it could attack Ash here and now since it was right on his back. The closest it can be to him. However, seeing how Ash didn't leave it behind but instead came back for it when it fainted really hit Sandslash. Perhaps harder than Farfetch'd did.

"Slash?" Because of this act of kindness radiating from Ash, Sandslash's mind could see that Ash wasn't the enemy at all. Thus, it was fighting back at J's Desire, which was already weakened after how much Ash's Aura and Passion had freed many influenced victims.

With it seeing Ash in this way, Sandslash broke free of J's Desire for revenge. How can one take revenge on someone who had come for them out of care even when they had been knocked out?

Ash kept digging his way through the path he made as he squinted his eyes, looking at the light that was at the very surface. However, Sandslash actually decided to give its assistance.

"Sandslash." The Mouse Pokemon hopped off Ash's back as it was going to use the move Dig to make this whole process faster.

"Huh?" Ash looked down at Sandslash.

"Slash," Sandslash told Ash to let it handle this. The Ground-Type then started doing what it knew best by rapidly digging through the underground texture. Even in a weakened state, Sandslash's digging skills were exceptional. "Sandslash! Sandslash! Sandslash!"

"Oh! Awesome job, Sandslash!" Ash grinned. Even with Sandslash digging, Ash still felt like he needed to help. He then joined in by also digging through with Sandslash. While not at the same speed as the Mouse Pokemon, Ash could certainly dig pretty quickly.

With both of them giving it more than 100% of their effort, they were able to successfully break through the underground and finally reach the surface together.

One final dig and they erupted their heads through the ground, reaching their destination. And where did they end up exactly?

When emerging from the underground, it was soon revealed that they had ended up in one of the many Pokemon landmarks that had been made. A fairly familiar one that Ash certainly knew.

Deerling Forest.

"Oh! We're in Deerling Forest? Guess we really went far, huh?" Ash said as he climbed out of the ground.

"Sandslash."

Entering Deerling Forest, they could also see the nearby Pikachu Highlands. And if they were here, then that meant Canterlot wasn't too far from here.

Here at Deerling Forest, Ash could see that none of the Pokemon here were actually hostile and influenced by J, thankfully. It was a relief for Ash. He could finally catch a break. But it was far from over yet.

"Phew. We're in the clear here." Ash sighed. "Thanks for all the help Sandslash."

"Sand." Sandslash nodded as it thanked Ash for helping break it free from the Desire's influence. The Mouse Pokemon would now be heading off on its own.

Now it was just Ash and the Pokemon of Deerling Forest. However, Ash had put in so much work while using his Aura much earlier to a large degree to a point where that Aura Ataxia problem was kicking in.

Ash breathed in and out as he sat down, feeling his body acting up from the Ataxia. Even after recovering from it last week, Aura Ataxia seems to really catch up quickly if the body is pushed constantly. Ash was hoping that one day he could get past this problem.

"Man..." Ash exhaled. "Can't stop here. Gotta find Pikachu and the others. But..." Ash then fell on his back. "My body feels a bit off right now. Won't listen to me."

Ash looked up in the sky, seeing that the afternoon was somehow still young even after all that had just happened. It'll be a while before nightfall can arrive.

Exhausted and with his body feeling numb, Ash still felt like he couldn't give up here. He had to keep on moving. He remembered that Deerling Forest and Pikachu Highlands both had a single gateway that connected to a region in the Pokemon World.

The Johto Region, of course.

Ash figured that perhaps if he went to his own world, it would be harder for everypony to find him. The Pokemon World is gigantic after all. Luckily, he didn't go through the gateway to Pallet Town since everyone knows where Ash lives.

"Deer?" The Deerling saw Ash on the ground, dirty and exhausted as they approached.

"Hey." Ash sat up.

"Ling, Deerling." The Deerling couldn't accept Ash being so dirty with all the underground dirt on him. They decided something had to be done before Ash could be on his merry way. Even if they had no idea that he was being hunted down.

The Deerling all looked at each other, nodding in agreement as they knew what they needed to do. Next to Fairy-Types, Grass-Type Pokemon are some of the kindest Pokemon-Types out there.

Together, the Deerling each stood in a line as they looked up in the sky. Ash tilted his head, wondering what the Deerling were up to.

Suddenly, each of the Season Pokemon started dancing around in perfect unison, taking Ash by surprise as they made harmonic cries.

But, it was soon revealed what these Normal-Grass-Types were up to. They were performing Rain Dance to try and dry Ash off. Their dancing was changing the weather itself, prompting Ash to look up.

Rain clouds started forming above, coming together and responding to the dancing Deerling. And from those clouds, the rain started to pour down.

"Deerling!"

The rain mostly beat down on Ash the most as he was being pelted and bombarded with rapid and wide drops of rainwater all over his body.

"Woah!" Ash gasped as he didn't expect this sudden shower. But it was something he needed after being through the underground and digging so much.

All the dirt was being cleaned off by the pouring rain as he sat there letting it happen. The rain was a bit cold for Ash but there was nothing he could do about it.

In seconds, Ash had been rid of all the underground dirt thanks to Deerling. Although, as a trade, he was now wet with rainwater. Fair trade in all honesty.

"Thanks, Deerling." Ash thanked them.

"Deerling."

"Alright." Ash stood up as he adjusted his now wet hat. His eyes then shifted from a happy expression to a serious one. He knew that Pikachu and his friends were still out there working hard to protect him. "Hang in there, Pikachu. Everyone. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Ash knew that going through the land of Equestria would mean being caught from every angle since he'll be out in the open. But, if he were to use the gateways as shortcuts by hopping from gateway to gateway in different parts of the world, he could still reach his destination.

Plus, he had his Xtransceiver to call his friends. So that was a great bonus.

Ash quickly turned in the direction of where the gateway to Johto was. He immediately dashed off, running past the Deerling and waving goodbye to them. It was Johto for his next destination in this trainer manhunt.

But, of course, with how many were influenced, there were bound to be some hidden individuals watching from afar. And there certainly was.

From within the clouds, a pegasus had spotted Ash running towards the direction of the gateway. This chase was for from over.

But, thanks to the efforts of Celestia, Ash had more help than he could ever imagine right now. There were now two sides with opposing goals. Destroying Ash and freeing everyone from the Desire's influence as the journey continues.


Chapter 397 End.