Kalos Region. Geosenge Town.
A town lined with mysterious stones and encircled by strange ruins of old. It is a rural town located in the western part of the Kalos Region and is well known for its unusual rock structures which are rumoured to have mysterious powers.
Of course, those stones are the Mega Stones. Brimming with Infinity Energy and limitless power.
Here at Geosenge, a small lab with only 4 scientists could be found here. In this lab, these scientists studied the stones to see which other Pokemon could be capable of Mega Evolution. They believed that there was a way to make every single Pokemon Mega Evolve, but they were trying to figure out what causes it.
"See?" A scientist raised a fragment of the stone up. Right now, he had a Larvitar next to him since it evolves into Tyranitar which is also capable of Mega Evolution.
"Larvitar?"
"Even their pre-evolved forms have some sort of reaction to it." The stone started to flash when near Larvitar.
"But it won't react to this Lillipup?" The other scientist put a stone near a Lillipup.
"Lillipup."
"Any solutions?" The first scientist asked the second scientist but she shook her head.
"Maybe we just have to trigger it the same way the Mega Stones were triggered in the past." The third one suggested. "The Ultimate Weapon is what caused all of this to be possible after all."
"Are you saying we should try and match the power of the Ultimate Weapon? How?" The fourth one asked.
"Uh...I don't know how." The third scientists sighed. "Maybe pouring a ton of power into it could work. Let's catch as many Pokemon as we can and-"
Before the third scientist could finish his sentence and what they were going to do to make this entire Mega Evolution for every Pokemon plan work, suddenly, the walls had been blown open by a blast of golden magic that was so great it blew everyone in the lab back.
"Ough!" They all screamed after being launched.
A magic blast that powerful must've either come from a highly trained unicorn or a Fairy-Type. Or maybe even an alicorn. Thankfully, it wasn't an alicorn. But it was still a bad sign. Because through the smoke, a unicorn emerged. Not just any unicorn though.
Luster Dawn. The apprentice and best student of Empress Twilight Sparkle.
"Morning~" Luster Dawn whistled. "Sorry for the intrusion, but I'm here for a certain little rock you all have cooped up in here."
"Ow...W-Who...?" The first scientist held his head, looking over at Luster.
"Where is it? Aha." Luster Dawn noticed the many stones that had mega energy inside of them. "More than one, eh? That's good enough for me."
"Larvitar!"
"Lillipup!"
Obviously, with how Luster Dawn broke in, the Pokemon here didn't take too kindly to it. Larvitar and Lillipup recovered quicker than the scientists as they growled and snarled at the unicorn.
"Hm?" Luster raised an eyebrow, looking over at the two Pokemon. "Aww, aren't you two absolute cuties?" She teased them before using her magic to take the stones away from the table.
"Hey! Our stones!" One of the scientists managed to get back up.
"Lar...Vitar!" But, Larvtiar wasn't having any of that as it opened its mouth, firing out a Dark Pulse. Unfortunately, Luster quickly put up a magical barrier to block the attack from fully connecting.
"Lilli!" Lillipup tried helping out by rushing in with Tackle. "Pup!"
"Hm." Luster scoffed at the Puppy Pokemon as she expanded her barrier, blowing Lillipup and Larvitar back, knocking them out.
"Lil!"
"Lar!"
"Larvitar! Lillipup!" The scientist ran over to her Pokemon to see if they were alright.
"Thanks for the stones! Buh-bye!" She giggled as she left via teleportation. Along with the stones that she had stolen.
"...Huh?" A confused scientist was just processing what had just happened. A very menacing yet beautiful looking unicorn came inside, blasted a large hole through their lab wall, took their stones that Mega energy in them and left.
But they weren't the only ones who were about to experience a sudden break-in. At least, not in this world.
The Everfree Forest. Zecora's hut, day.
"Haha!" Jessie laughed as she held up a bottle. "A total success!"
"Nice, Jess!" James and Meowth rhymed with her, congratulating their friend.
"Wobbuffet!"
"How was your first taste of alchemy, Jessie?" Zecora asked as she looked around her hut and how dirty it was now. "Aside from how you made everything...messy."
"Great!" Jessie giggled. "Just imagine what I can do with...uh, what does this one do?"
"It converts items into bananas upon contact." Zecora giggled. "It'll take more learning for you all to really reach the abstract."
"Ugh...Bananas?" Jessie sighed. "That's not exciting."
"Well, I'm feeling rather peckish for some food so..." James slid over, holding a pebble.
"Alright, fine." Jessie opened the bottle, pouring a tiny drop of the yellow liquid from inside. The drop of alchemic liquid then hit the pebble, immediately, morphing and turning the small piece of rock into a banana. Ready to be eaten.
"Ooh!" James gawked as he peeled the banana off, biting onto it. "Mmm! Keeping something like this in a bottle is very convenient."
"Yeah." Meowth held a bottle that had blue and purple liquids in them. "Having some of that freaky Rift energy in this can do a lot of wonders for us. If Zecora lets us do anything with it..."
"Mhm." Zecora nodded.
"Alright, what's next?" Jessie questioned Zecora. "There's something above this banana stuff. I wanna reach that bizarre and abstract part of alchemy fast!"
"You can't rush alchemy, there is only patience." Zecora turned around. "The worst thing you can do with alchemy is being im-" And before Zecora could finish her sentence, she could hear someone coming here from nearby. "!"
"What? You didn't finish your rhyme." Jessie wondered.
"Someone of an ominous nature is coming this way..." Zecora shuddered as she used some of her vials to mask the cauldron of Fusion magic with some sort of invisibility effect. "Hide everything! Vials, bottles, cups, trays!"
"Huh? Why?" Meowth asked.
"They might be here for the Fusion Magic. All of it." Zecora backed away as everything that had Fusion magic inside of it had been placed and hidden away. "We can't let them find it. Not one bit!"
"O-OKay!" Team Rocket understood as they rapidly hid everything Fusion magic related in the best places they could find while the massive cauldron was the most masked out of everything due to the invisibility potion Zecora added.
And she had the right instinct to suspect that someone ominous was coming. Whether it was Zecora's instinct or her ability to speak with Pokemon via her mind like a Psychic-Type trainer, it helped greatly in this situation as she and Team Rocket stood firm.
And she was right to be cautious.
Because there was indeed someone dangerous coming this way. The same someone that broke through a lab in Geosenge Town and stole some stones that had Mega energy in them.
Luster Dawn, of course.
Instead of blasting the wall, like she did with the lab, this time, she blasted the door down. Switching things up. The door had been obliterated by her magic as she revealed herself to Zecora and Team Rocket.
"Why hello there." Luster greeted with a devious smirk. "Zecora."
"..." Zecora narrowed her eyes at the unicorn, not enjoying her welcome or how she blew her door down.
"What? No rhyme to greet me? Pssh." Luster scoffed. "Lame."
"You won't get any kind greetings out of me," Zecora replied. "Who are you exactly?"
"The name's Luster Dawn." The unicorn introduced herself. "Visitor from another universe, the best student and apprentice of Empress Twilight Sparkle and the next in line to become an alicorn. Nothing much really. But enough introductions. I can tell you're cautious because you know why I'm here."
"Oh, do I? There's nothing of value in my hut that would benefit you, right?"
"There is something here." Luster stomped her hoof. "Empress Twilight sent me here for reason. Among other places. There's Rift energy with Pokemon and Equestrian magic in this hut. Or, Fusion magic as you call it."
"Get lost, lady! We ain't got nothing like that!" Meowth bellowed.
"As you can see this place is entirely spotless with no Fusion magic around." James crossed his arms before looking at the mess from Jessie's alchemy practice. "Aside from the mess caused by Jessie."
"Hmph!" Jessie pouted.
"Oh, you have it." Luster stepped forward. "Don't try and hide it from me. Everywhere else, there's little of it roaming around and it's nigh-impossible for me to reach the Arcane Sea unless that wisps accept me. And this is the one place where heaps of it can be found. In that cauldron of yours."
"Well as you can see the cauldron isn't here today. So, nyeh!" Jessie pulled her eye down while sticking her tongue out.
"Empress Twilight means that you're a part of the invasion that's coming soon. I have a larger reason not to show or give the Fusion magic to an Empress's goon." Zecora scoffed.
"Goon?!" Luster didn't take too kindly to that as her horn flared up with golden magic along with her eyes. Zecora definitely struck a nerve there. "I am the Empresses' protege and best student! How dare you?! You're going to tell me where that cauldron of yours is and the Fusion Magic in it...or else!"
"Eeep!" Team Rocket held each other, shuddering at Luster as her magic lit up the entire hut.
"Or else what? You're not exactly making this clear-cut." Zecora kept riling Luster Dawn up.
"Tch!" Luster growled at Zecora. "Since you're making this difficult for me, I guess I'll have to tear this place down to find that cauldron." The unicorn suddenly struck Zecora with a quick blast of magic from her horn, knocking the zebra down.
"Ugh!" Zecora cried out as she fell to the floor.
"Zecora!" Team Rocket gasped as they went over to their teacher.
"Tell me where it is." Luster approached the downed Zebra with her horn glowing continuously. "Even if I obliterate you, I can just let your little minions here tell me. Or tearing this pathetic hut down will do the trick as well. I have many options either way."
"Back off, lady!" Meowth held his claws out, trying to intimidate the unicorn.
"Hmph! Move over, cat!" She was ready to blast Meowth with some magic charging up.
"Wobbuffet! Mirror Coat!" Jessie ordered her Wobbuffet.
"Wobbu...!" Wobbufet got in front of the Patient Pokemon as Luster fired another blast of magic forward.
Once it was fired, Wobbuffet's body became surrounded in a white reflective colour as the blast of magic hit him. Once the blast struck the Patient Pokemon, Wobbuffet's body wobbled a bit before sending the magic blast right back at Luster.
"Buffet!"
"Huh?!" Luster Dawn was obviously surprised by this as she had been hit in the face by her own attack, sending her flying out of the hut screaming. "Aaaaaaah!"
"Hah!" Jessie wheezed, pointed at the launched unicorn.
"Buh-bye!" James waved at Luster Dawn.
"Good work, you four..." Zecora winced as she sat up, holding her head. "Take the cauldron and hide it. If she takes that kind of magic back to the Empress, there's a good chance everyone will be done for."
"Right on it!" Team Rocket understood the severity of the situation. There was no time to talk to Zecora more. However, they couldn't leave her behind. James picked Zecora up while Jessie grabbed the cauldron which was still masked in an invisible potion.
"Time to go!" Jessie whistled as she and Team Rocket took the back entrance of Zecora's hut instead of going straight for the front entrance since that's where Luster went through.
In Zecora's eyes, the cauldron was huge but to Jessie and James, it was tiny due to their human size so it was easy for Jessie to carry it. But, the weight was still there.
"Mrrrgh...!" Luster growled as her magic blew away the large pile of bushes she had landed in. She wasn't too cheery about that sudden counterattack from a Pokemon in the shape of a punching bag.
Furious and seeing how this was starting to delay the inevitable in her eyes, Luster decided to get aggressive. As if she wasn't aggressive enough from the start.
The protege of Empress Twilight teleported into Zecora's hut, ready to blast Zecora and Team Rocket with her magic. But, when she arrived, she quickly found out that they were no longer present in the hut.
"What?!" She screeched. "Why those...!" Knowing of their escape, she would now have to enter a bit of a pursue mission instead of a retrieval one. "They won't get away from me!"
With Team Rocket and Zecora, James was still carrying Zecora as that one blast of magic did a number on her while Jessie kept carrying the cauldron.
"Where to?!" Jessie asked.
"I don't know uh..." James pointed his arm around randomly, trying to find a place to hide. "That mist! No way she can find us in there!"
They had found their spot to hide in. A very thick mist that tends to cloak anything and anyone that enters it. It's fairly difficult to escape it and it tends to carry its victims somewhere random. Good or bad. It is the Everfree Forest after all. But there is a way to manipulate the mist and allow its victims to carry them under their own will.
However, in a short amount of time, to Team Rocket and Zecora's surprise, Luster had caught up fairly quickly via levitation with magic. She couldn't fly so this was a good substitute.
"Aha! Found you!" Luster cried out.
"How?!" The trio cried out.
"I see your hands..." Luster looked over at Jessie and how she was seemingly holding nothing but the air. However, from seeing how her hands were positioned, it was clear to Luster's vision that Jessie was indeed holding something that couldn't be seen right now. A cauldron. "Invisibility. Clever..."
"Uh..." Jessie looked at the invisible cauldron. "I'm just practising like a Mr Mime!"
"Shut it!" Luster fired a blast of magic that almost hit Jessie, landing near her feet.
"Eek!" Jessie yelped.
"You don't mind if I use one of your Pokemon, Zecora?" James asked the injured Zecora as she was alright with James using her Pokemon. This was a serious situation so help was needed. "Great!" James dug into Zecora's bag, pulling out two of her Poke Balls before throwing them into the air. "Go, whoever it is!"
"Weavile!"
"Zebstrika!" Out came Zecora's Zebstrika and Weavile, who already knew that their trainer was under attack.
"Use Thunderbolt and Ice Shard!"
"Zeb...Strika!" Zebstrika stomped on the ground, shooting out a blast of lightning from her body.
"Weavile!" Weavile flash-froze chunks of ice, hurling them at Luster.
"Oh!" Luster Dawn gasped as she quickly put a protective magic barrier around herself to block the attacks. The attacks were definitely strong enough to slow her down for a bit with her barrier holding them back.
That gave Team Rocket and Zecora enough time to pass through the mist along with Zebstrika and Weavile who were naturally faster than everyone else here. With them entering the mist, their presence had been hidden.
But, Luster wouldn't let them escape. Even if it was through some random mist in the forest. Determined to retrieve the large amount of Fusion magic in the cauldron and return it to Empress Twilight, the unicorn pursued as she passed through the mist as well.
When passing through the mist, Luster came across an acre of crooked trees and not Team Rocket or Zecora. She also noticed that things were a bit darker in this part of the forest, even in the day. It was most likely the mist causing this.
Knowing how tricky the forest can be since it exists in every Equestria in every universe, Luster used her magic to shine a golden light to give her better sight over everything else.
"Where are you~?" She whistled, calling out for Team Rocket and Zecora while moving through the misty forest. Obviously, they wouldn't respond but Luster had a response for that. "Show yourself...Or else I'll blow the entire forest away. I was taught by the Empress so my magic isn't something to be trifled with. But then again, I can't risk damaging the cauldron, can I?" She cackled.
Her laugh echoed through the forest as she certainly wasn't bluffing. One magic blast could ruin all of Everfree in mere seconds.
And of course, she wasn't the only one within this part of the forest. When her laugh echoed, Team Rocket and Zecora heard it. They were far from Luster dawn by this point as they hid behind the many thick trees here. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the mist, they might get closer to her or further.
"It's always the ones with smooth hair that are the scariest," Meowth said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jessie stroked her own hair.
"Taking on a lackey form that Empress isn't something I was looking forward to today." James had Zecora on his back. "Maybe we should get her healed first before we do anything else."
"Uh-huh. But where?" Meowth asked.
"Ponyville's the closest place, isn't it?" James replied.
"Hah? We're not gonna seriously ask the twerps and twerpettes for help are we?" Jessie crossed her arms.
"Wouldn't be the first time we've done it." James shrugged.
"Good point." Jessie nodded.
"Let the mist carry you there..." Zecora groaned. "It has the power to send anyone who enters anywhere."
"Anywhere?" Team Rocket said.
"How do we do that?" Jessie asked.
"The mist responds to the will of your heart and mind. But be cautious and gentle and do not panic, or it'll send you to a place most unkind."
"Will of our heart and mind? Pah! Easy!" Jessie exclaimed. as she and Team Rocket attempted to let the mist transport them to Ponyville.
However, it wasn't as easy as it seemed or sounded. There was a reason why Zecora said that they shouldn't panic. There was always a catch with this forest.
When closing their eyes and focusing on Ponyville, the mist began to thicken, slowly closing on them. But, when the mist got closer and their eyes closed, that's when they could hear something forming. Or rather a someone. A few of them. It wasn't Luster Dawn, but some individuals that Team Rocket were familiar with.
"James, darling!" The voice of Jessebelle could be heard through the mist along with her figure forming.
"Mmm!" James shuddered after hearing that voice. But he was going to make sure it wouldn't get to him. This was just the mist trying to trick and test them. "You're not here right now!"
"Persian."
"Eugh!" Meowth shook at the sound of Giovanni's Persian. They had their own collective fears. Mostly towards individuals that rub them the wrong way.
But, compared to James and Meowth, Jessie had a different result. The mist conjured up someone different for her. Someone that Jessie misses very dearly.
"Jessie?" Her mother.
"Hm!" Jessie twitched.
"Jessie, look over here." Her mother pointed at herself, approaching her daughter. "I'm okay. You can look at me, it's fine."
"I won't." Jessie turned her head, resisting the mist. "I know what happened years ago on Andes Mountains. The avalanche and everything. You're gone forever now the moment you left me."
"Jessie." The fake mother placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You know I didn't leave you because I wanted to. I was just so devoted to my work at Team Rocket and searching for Mew, that's why."
"Hmph!"
"Putting you up for adoption was all I could do. I knew that I couldn't take care of you because of my work. Devoting all my hard work to make money for you was the only option I had at the time."
"Tch!" Jessie still wasn't having it as she kept resisting the mist's temptations.
"I could still be alive, Jessie. Still searching for Mew. Somewhere out there you can find me and we can be together again. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Mother and daughter working alongside each other."
Those words did sound tempting to Jessie. Being with her mother again who had presumably passed away due to the vicious avalanche sounded like the best thing for Jessie. It even made her tear up a bit thinking about it. But, she knew not to all the mist to get to her.
"I believe you're still alive out there. But until then...get lost, okay?" With that, Jessie was able to fend off the mist as the figure of her mother had faded away. Jessebelle and Persian had also faded away due to James and Meowth conquering their fears.
With their fears gone and the mist fully reading their hearts and minds, it had thickened to a point where it masked Team Rocket and Zecora, carrying them to where they wish to be.
But, as for Luster Dawn, she was just getting annoyed at this point. Even her golden glow of her magic wasn't enough to find her targets. Especially the cauldron. Seeing that she couldn't find them through this mist, she decided to go for the next best option.
"Hmph. Fine." Luster scoffed. "Guess I'll just blow this entire forest away then."
The magic aura on her horn started expanding as the entirety of Everfree Forest was about to be threatened. Perhaps even wiped off the map completely.
Ponyville, afternoon.
The mist had its destination as it had placed Team Rocket and Zecora over at Ponyville. They were lucky to get out of there in time because of what Luster was about to do.
The part of Ponyville they went to was near the Pokemon House since they were betting on Fluttershy's Audino to heal Zecora up.
"Made it!" Jessie cheered. "Now hurry and find that shy pony and her Audino before that unicorn finds us!"
"On it!" James, who had a lighter load than Jessie, took off while Meowth, Wobbuffet Zebstrika and Weavile helped Jessie carry the cauldron, making it easier for her.
At the same time, while they running towards the Pokemon House, the spell that Luster Dawn cast had been initiated. From far in the distance, Team Rocket, and practically all of Ponyville, could see a giant blast of golden magic occurring in the location of the Everfree Forest as it could be heard everywhere.
Every nearby Pokemon was startled by this explosion, running off while Team Rocket winced. They were lucky to have made it out of the forest in time by conquering their fears.
Right now, Everfree Forest had been obliterated by Luster Dawn and everything in it. Including Zecora's hut. However, as long as the cauldron of Fusion magic and every other object that held it was away from the forest, it was a worthy sacrifice.
They had arrived at the Pokemon House where Krookodile stood guard, stomping his feet once he saw Team Rocket approaching.
"Krookodile!" The Intimidation Pokemon roared.
"Eeek!" James yelped as he came to a screeching halt.
"Ugh! Move over, pal!" Jessie roared back at the Ground-Dark-Type. "We're in a bit of a hurry!"
"Dile?"
"What's going on?!" Fluttershy came from her cottage and towards the Pokemon House. "What was that explosion?!"
"Audino!?"
"Chiko?!"
"Krook! Krookodile!" Krookodile alerted Fluttershy, pointing at the arrival of Team Rocket.
"Team Rocket?!" Fluttershy asked. "Why are you here?!"
"Because of this." James carried Zecora off his back, placing her down on the ground as she kept twitching with golden sparks around her. "Please. Can you heal her?"
As the journey continues.
Chapter 413 End.