Equestria. Out in the mountains.
"What is taking her so long?" Luna spoke. For the past minutes, she's been down here with her Pokemon, waiting for her big sister's return from the skies above along with Passion.
Aurorus and the rest of Luna's Pokemon were having an afternoon meal after waiting for a while. Luna looked up at the sky, tapping her hoof about as she was unaware of what her sister had just discovered. Luna certainly had the patience. Being sealed in the moon for thousands of years will give anyone such a gift.
Aside from that, while she waited patiently for her big sister, she was thinking of other things aside from battling and reaching the top of the Equestria League.
"Hm. I wonder what I can do for Ash? That will win him over most certainly. Twilight Sparkle and Queen Chrysalis are threats that are far too vast." Luna rubbed her hooves together, thinking of her rivalry with Twilight and Chrysalis. Twilight has been around Ash the most. And Chrysalis, while she hasn't been around Ash as much as Twilight or even Luna, now truly understood what love was.
She thought about it for a while, sitting down whilst her Pokemon and her newly caught Manectric snack away. She also thought about what her sister could be doing at this very moment and if she had found Pegalysium.
High above the skies. The sky rainforest on the land.
Celestia and Passion had made yet another amazing discovery. Life existed up here. Not just the bizarre flowers and plants that were sentient and had the ability to sing, but pony life.
A pegasus by the name of Garnet had encountered the Princess and the Pokemon while going about her normal day. She had just introduced herself to Celestia and Passion while also not knowing what they were. She thought that Celestia was just an odd-looking pegasus.
"Garnet, eh? Well...My name is Princess Celestia. And this is my partner Passion. A Gardevoir." Celestia introduced herself and her Pokemon.
"Gardevoir."
"Oh, so you're a princess? That would explain the large wings. They're massive." Garnet went up to the alicorn and Embrace Pokemon, unaware of what they really were.
"Does that mean that you have alicorns up here if you recognize me as Princess?" Celestia leaned forward.
"Alicorn? What's that?" Garnet raised an eyebrow, further surprising Celestia and Passion. They expected a yes or a no but got something more than that.
"Y-You don't know what an alicorn is? I'm an alicorn." Celestia used her magic to create a magical golden aura hand, pointing it at herself. "Half unicorn, pegasus and earth pony."
"Really now?" Garnet was only further lost about this. She did understand the pegasus part but the others were lost on her as she scratched her mane. "I've never heard of any earth pony or unicorn."
"Oh my...Wait, so if you are from Pegalysium, then are pegasi the only race you've ever seen?"
"Right. Just pegasus. You're certainly new to me, Princess. But, I'm interested in this. Alicorn, unicorn and earth pony each."
"I see. That makes sense." Celestia turned around before talking to herself. "A whole nation in the sky exclusive to pegasi for centuries means that they haven't been exposed to other pony races and tribes out there. Only those in their nation. Especially those born in this century and decade. But they have to at least know about the other pony races through school, right?"
"By the way, what is this thing? You called it a Gardevoir. Some sort of pet?" Garnet examined Passion from her tall build, dress and visible heart.
"Voir?"
"Oh. No, no. She's not my pet." Celestia flew over to her partner. "You see, Passion here is a Pokemon. Strange and Wonderful creatures that crossed over with our world last year. She's of the Gardevoir species. Hence why she always says the name of her species."
"Gardevoir."
"Pokemon...? Hm-hm!" Garnet chuckled. "My, you're interesting, Princess Celestia! Coming out for a walk isn't so boring anymore now that I've met you. So, where exactly do you come from? Which kingdom?"
"Oh, I come from below there. Equestria." Celestia pointed her hoof at the bottom, way past the clouds. I'm the ruler of the whole country and nation. I came here to see if Pegalysium was real. After all, it was a story that my mother heard from foals tales and myths."
"Well, it's as real as it gets. In fact, you're standing on Pegalysium grounds!" The pegasus raised her hooves. "Everything here is Pegalysium! The whole country! From all of these platforms!"
"Ooh...!" Celestia navigated her head around along with Passion. "Here I thought it was also a kingdom or empire. But it seems that the stories of it being a nation were correct instead!"
"Garde!"
Oh, an empire? We have that here. But, it's a bit off-limits for a pony like me. But not everywhere else. Plus, even if somepony like me isn't allowed to be there, we can still get a good view of it. Allow me to show you." Garnet turned around with a smirk. "I can show you both the true scope of the beautiful land that we have up here."
"Eh? You'll take me there?"
"Of course. You want to see if it's really real, then why not witness it and approach the source. Besides, you seem interesting to be around."
"Uh well...I-I didn't really think I'd make it this far." Celestia chuckled whilst waving her hoof. "I wasn't expecting to be offered a chance to see it. I mean, am I even allowed to be there?"
"Pssh. Totally. Nothing's stopping you from seeing it. Come on." Having a friendly aura around her, Garnet insisted that Celestia and Passion should come and see the rest of Pegalysium for themselves as she walked off.
While walking off, Celestia and Passion looked at each other as they were a bit unsure about this. But, Passion did sense something positive about Garnet so it was safe to be around her. So, they chose to walk with her and see this nation for themselves. Along the way, they would talk.
But unbeknownst to them, one of the petals of the flowers had flown off. That petal started glowing a vibrant light purple as it began following the trio. It left small purple sparkles along the way whilst flying.
"So. These Pokemon. They crossed over with our world. What does that mean?"
"Oh, right. You see, last year, both our world and the Pokemon World were met by a powerful entity and force known as the Rift. From what Arceus, the creator of the Pokemon World had told me, the Rift is a force that has been practically everywhere, seeking to create scenarios for entertainment. And it usually does this by crossing two separate universes together. And when the Rift is satisfied, it shall leave to interact with other universes, returning everything to normal and erasing the memories we had of this crossover event."
"Hoh...that sounds like something alright. And you managed to grasp the whole situation perfectly, right, princess?"
"Oh, no not at first. It was absolute chaos when this first happened!" Celestia laughed. "Humans and ponies were being scattered across the area in different parts of the world without any control, everypony having no idea what a Pokemon was. To say we had it under control would be an overstatement.
"Garde."
"Thankfully. We had two individuals help sort everything out. A human by the name of Ash Ketchum and his partner Pikachu. Those two truly helped us get here today without a doubt. Ash and Pikachu are a great help and the ones who helped us see what wonders Pokemon hold."
"Really now?" Garnet nodded, enjoying what she was hearing. "And Passion. This Gardevoir of yours. You said she's your partner, right? How'd that come to be?"
"Oh, Passion and I? We met over at Lilycove City last year. I remember when she was just a tiny little and shy Ralts."
"Ralts?" Garnet turned around.
"You see, Pokemon have many unique things about them. One of which is evolution. Some Pokemon have the potential to evolve into further evolutions of themselves. Whether one or two times. Passion here used to be a Ralts, then she became a Kirlia and then finally, a Gardevoir. Almost like growing up."
"Voir!"
"Hold on!" Garnet stopped as she had processed a lot of information about Pokemon. "I've been missing out on something like this? Seriously?! What has happened down there? And how come there aren't any of those Pokemon up here?"
"Oh. I...assume it's because this place is so high up in the sky that nopony have managed to arrive here except us two. But, you have by chance seen the Rift due to how visible it becomes sometimes. Right?"
"The Rift? Is that what that was? Well...Last year, and during this year, we did see some blue and purple force energy just boom in the air unexpectedly. It startled everypony up here without loud and instant it was. Nopony knew what it was at all. The King and Queen dubbed it the Blue-Violet Hole. Nopony is allowed to interact with it at all. I mean, they can't if it's not even there most of the time."
"King and Queen? Who are your rulers here?"
"King Paramount and Queen Luminary. The current rulers of Pegalysium." There it was. Now Celestia had the name of the rulers of this sky nation. Fairly intimidating names too and regal sounding. Just like Celestia's. "Oh, hold on!" Garnet stopped walking suddenly.
"Hm? What is it?"
"This is a bad spot to be in right now..." Garnet clenched her teeth as they had just come across another sea of clouds. It wasn't bigger than the one back there but it was fairly large.
"What's here?" Celestia further asked some more questions.
"Uh...Just trot or float slowly and we won't alert it...." whispered Garnet as she started making light hoofsteps, attempting to pass by this sea cloud. Celestia spread her wings out, gently flying into the air whilst Passion just hovered. The Trainer and her Pokemon were on high alert.
They weren't sure what other kinds of phenomenons these skies had to offer. Those sentient plants were a good indication of what to somewhat expect. Or not. The flowers were starting to sing again, gifting a song that fit the mood. They sang in a tone and tempo that mimicked tension that was building up. Celestia and Passion were a bit nervous about what could be nearby. They haven't seen any wildlife as of yet.
But, they were going to see some marine life.
Bursting out of the sea cloud was a gigantic octopus-based creature as the clouds scattered, splashing on the grass from the emerge. This octopus creature looked like an ordinary octopus except for the fact that not only was it bigger than one but it had fifty tentacles instead of the traditional eight.
"Oh! We alerted it!" Garnet gasped as she screeched at the top of her lungs. The appendages rose into the air, ready to either smash or grab their victims.
"Passion, use Dazzling Gleam!" Celestia shouted as she lit her horn up.
"Gardevoir!" Passion summoned a sphere of rainbows in her hands as she and Celestia fired a golden beam of magic and multiple rainbow rays at the creature.
The multiple rainbow rays of Dazzling Gleam had blown off the tentacles in just one hit whilst Celestia's beam struck the octopus in the face. Even though Celestia no longer had the alicorn essences that were given to her via the jar, she still had some leftovers of it. The Boundless Cutie Mark was the reason for that.
And after having some of its tentacles blown off and receiving a fairly bad burn mark to the face by Celestia's magic, the octopus wailed and cried out in pain as it had retreated out of fear. It didn't even last that long.
Celestia and Passion lowered their attacks after that. As for Garnet, before, she was terrified, now, she was amazed. She had just witnessed various lights fly out of Celestia and Passion as they easily took care of the octopus dwelling in the sea.
"By the skies...That was incredible!" A starstruck Garnet exclaimed whilst flapping her wings in excitement. "What was that?! How did...How did you do that?!"
"Oh, this? That was just magic from my horn." Celestia tapped on her horn. And that was a Pokemon move. A Fairy-Type Attack known as Dazzling Gleam. Every Pokemon can attack in various ways."
"Garde."
"That was magic?! That's no magic I've ever seen! And what are types?!"
"There's a lot we need to explain. And, you have your own magic up here?"
"Oh, most certainly. Our magic isn't anything like that. We certainly don't use it from those horns, that's for sure. Then again...we don't have horns."
"You don't? Then how do you use magic exactly?"
"Oh. Like this!" Garnet grinned as she showcased what magic was like in Pegalysium. At least, how it's used. She closed her eyes as her wings were starting to glow a vibrant red. In a sense, the wings acted as a horn for magic. She then flapped her wings, summoning a red magic circle in front of her.
"A magic circle?" Celestia tilted her head.
"And...go!" Garnet tapped her hoof on the magic circle as it suddenly let out magical essences that acted like an aurora. It even flowed like once. The magical essences passed through the air as they suddenly lit up the flowers and sea clouds with red and blue sparkles, giving them some glitter. "See, like that?"
"Oh, so that's how you use your magic? That's certainly a unique way of going through it." Celestia nodded after observing that usage of magic.
"Yeah, but yours is way better than ours. I mean, I have to choose the spell, flap my wings, send out the circle and then tap on it to make it work. You can just do it instantly with that horn."
"It is quicker. Usually, higher magic spells require longer processes but...not like that."
"Ah. The King and Queen can do it in no time flat without any issues. But that's to be expected." Garnet shrugged as they continued on their way with their little journey. At the same time, that glowing petal was still following them without the trio noticing.
It had witnessed what Celestia and Passion had then as followed their every move, not letting up at all. It stayed silent and thanks to its minuscule size, it was perfect for sneaking about.
"So more on Pokemon. What's this about types?" A curious Garnet wanted to know more about these wonderful creatures known as Pocket Monsters. Pokemon for short.
"Well, so far, from what everyone knows at the moment, there are 18 Pokemon Types. All unique in their own way to every Pokemon. Even the attacks are unique and varied."
"Hah...So what are those 18 types?"
"Let's see..." Celestia began naming all of the existing Pokemon Types by using her magic to showcase words made out of a golden aura. "We have Dragon, Ghost, Flying, Poison, Bug, Water, Rock Grass and Dark, Electric, Ice and Normal too. Fire, Fighting and Steel, Ground, Psychic and Fairy. All 18 of them."
"Uh..." Garnet's jaw dropped after hearing that. "My that sure is a lot to remember. And...h-how many Pokemon are there?"
"Hard to say honestly." Celestia chuckled. "Perhaps someone more experienced than me can tell you about that. I-If they ever come up here. Though, this is just a quick visit and confirmation of Pegalysium."
"Oh, they should come here for certain. We...don't get many visitors up here anyway. Or any really. It's just us pegasi." Garnet sighed before looking straight. "Oh, we're coming across a Flow-up Cloud now."
"Flow-up Cloud?" Celestia repeated before they came across what Garnet had mentioned. Right in front of their eyes, they had come across a powerful pressurize cloud stream that shot upwards. It could be considered a reverse waterfall in a sense. Or in the case of this place, a reverse cloud waterfall. "It flows upwards...?" Celestia was obviously stunned along with Passion.
"Mhm. The Flow-up Clouds happen here when the gas pressure is too big and creates a crack in the ceiling, then a giant hurricane is created from the crack.
"A hurricane?!"
"Gardevoir?!"
"Yep. Once most of the gas gets free, the Airzone explodes, sending a giant stream upwards. Better do it quickly or else it'll collapse later. Just follow my lead and you'll be safe. And make sure to navigate yourself when you're in it, princess."
"Can't we just fly over it?"
"Nope. Not with all of those powerful wind currents. The only way to get further is by using this Flow-up Cloud. And then we can fly. Just watch!" Garnet was about to give a quick and easy demonstration of how to utilize this stream.
Without hesitation, she jumped towards the stream of clouds with excitement. And once she did so, by entering the cloud, she was immediately carried upwards by the potent stream of clouds. The Flow-up Cloud reacted to Garnet's, generating a loud booming sound whilst wind pressure flew in Celestia and Passion's direction.
They both took deep breaths as they were going in after Garnet. But just to be safe, Celestia placed a magic coating around her body whilst Passion used the rainbow-sphere of Dazzling Gleam as a shield. Afterwards, the duo jumped into the cloud, entering it.
And just like Garnet, they had been rocketed upwards by the upwards friction and force of this cloud in just one second. There wasn't even any buildup from it.
"Waaaaah!" Celestia and Passion screeched as they were experiencing hyperactive speeds that they had never come across, not even as Celestial-Gardevoir. With them heading up vertically, they could see Garnet from this angle as she was already nearing the very top.
And right below, the hurricane had arrived. The Flow-up Cloud unleashed a burst of energy and wind pressure that increased the boost, making the vertical force greater than ever. The heat from the steam had helped to increase the force too. They actually had to navigate themselves through this potent wind. Just doing nothing could force them out.
Celestia and Passion strained as they were on the verge of being forced out of the stream. They kept their composure and focus as they only concentrated on heading upwards. To better make it through, Passion purposely used her Psychic powers to add some force. With her amazing Psychic abilities, Passion was able to force Celestia and herself higher than ever as they could see the golden sun beaming through the cloud.
And just like that, with one final spurt of energy, they had broken through the very top of the Flow-up Cloud, exiting and passing it successfully. They were now way above practically almost every cloud out there. They had closed their eyes for a while before opening them slowly.
"Ta-dah! Get a good look at the view far in the distance!" Garnet spoke as she was currently flapping her wings to stay airborne. She gave a grin as Celestia and Passion looked ahead, witnessing yet another incredible sight in this high-sky area.
They had seen the structures of Pegalysium.
"Oh my..." Celestia and Passion were agape with wonder and fascination. Before their eyes, an entire city laid before her. It was a city probably bigger than Canterlot and maybe the same size as Empress Twilight's Canterlot Empire.
If anything, this could be an empire. Several buildings sat on islands. Either individual or grouped. And they all seemed regal and majestic. Especially the one in the middle.
That stood out the most from any other building. Mainly because of two things. The symbol in the middle was identical to the one that Celestia saw on the ship that was docked here, but the second one was far more important.
Right there, the clock-shaped door had been. Just as the pegasus described. It was officially. Pegalysium, a place that was nothing but a story and a fable was now real within Celestia and Passion's eyes. The nearby flowers sang once more, singing a melody with a gallant and majestic tone. They did it in the style of an orchestra to make it fit.
"There. That's the Sacred Land of Pegalyisum. Where the royalty and nobility live. And that big castle is where the Sky Monarchy is." Garnet nudged the alicorn.
Celestia and Passion only gave a nod as a response to Garnet's words. They were speechless as they were taking in this view for themselves.
Whilst they stared, the petal from before had passed the Flow-up Cloud without harming itself. It had also reached the top of the area where Celestia, Passion and Garnet were. The petal then flew over both of them, finally getting closer to them instead of keeping its distance.
When getting closer, the petal had appeared in front of both Celestia and Passion's eyes, revealing its beautiful glow to them. It was so beautiful that it managed to pull the Ruler of Equestria and Psychic-Fairy-Type away from the gaze of the Sacred Land.
"Hm? What's this now?" Celestia's attention had been drawn to something else. It seems that everything here was impossible to ignore.
"Eh? Oh! That's a Memoir Petal!" Garnet gasped whilst pulling her mane. Her yell seemed to be one of panic. "Don't look at its light! It'll mess with your memories!"
"Oh!" Celestia understood as she and Passion immediately backed away and turned around, evading the petal and its glow. However, that didn't stop the petal from chasing them down as it zipped through the air. The Princess and the Embrace Pokemon winced as the petal exuded a bright light that was enough to be mistaken as a star.
Any time Celestia and Passion tried to evade it, it would just chase them down. With their eyes closed, moving around whilst trying to avoid the petal would be a bit tricky since they weren't allowed to look at the light it was exuding.
"W-Why is it after us?!" Celestia closed her eyes.
"It must not want you to be here..." Garnet read the petal's flashing lights as if it was morse code. "But, I do! Hold on, hold on!" Garnet tried speaking to the petal since it was sentient. "Stop-stop! You don't have to erase their memories of this place! I allowed them-"
"No, wait!" Celestia suddenly interrupted whilst closing her eyes. "We'll take our leave now, Garnet. Passion and I only came here to see if Pegalysium was truly real. This is all the evidence and confirmation that we need."
"But...You're going to leave now? There's still so much I want to show you all! You can come and see my hometown, my friends and how we-"
"It's fine." Celestia and Passion backed away whilst the petal continued to glow, following after them. "But Passion and I won't forget any of this. That much is true."
"Gardevoir."
"Well then..." Garnet looked down, shifting her eyes across before looking at Celestia and Passion. "W-Will you come by next time? I really want to know more about Pokemon and your nation too! There's more I want to see and explore out there!"
"I promise I'll allow that to happen." Celestia officially gave a vow and promise to Garnet whilst still having her eyes closed, not opening them for a second. She would allow Garnet to experience more in the future. Possibly soon. Afterwards, she and Passion used their own forms of teleport to vanish from the spot, successfully escaping from the petal.
And for now, that was the last time Garnet saw them. Until they would possibly come back. The Memoir Petal then fluttered away, lowering its light and returning to the flower it originally came from to restore all of its petals. Garnet was left there, floating in the air with silence. Only the sounds of the wind could be heard and her wing beat. She then let out one word from her mouth.
"Bummer."
Out in the mountains.
After teleporting away, Celestia and Passion had successfully left Pegalysium. They did so by returning to the sea cloud they had come across. They figured that if they passed through the sea cloud, they would go through the very bottom and enter the other part of the sky.
And they certainly did. They had returned, touching the ground once more.
"Perhaps some food will work! That's how father-" Luna spoke to herself before hearing something behind her. She and her Pokemon turned around to see Celestia and Passion here. "Oh, you've returned. How was it? Did you find any proof of Pegalysium?"
"More than that." The returning alicorn held her head whilst opening her eyes, free from the flashing light. "Luna. Pegalysium is as real as the eye can see. It was no hoax at all."
"Are you serious?! It's real?!" Luna bellowed in a shocked tone, hoping her sister had really seen it and was telling the truth.
"Yes. There truly is a nation in the sky."
"Tell me! Tell me everything you've seen immediately!" Luna put her hooves on her big sister, shaking her about as her curiosity had just risen. After all, she had the adventurous spirit within her after Ash's influence rubbed off on her.
"Alright, alright." Celestia nodded and stuttered whilst being shaken by her little sister. And at the same time, she was thinking about the pegasus she had met up there. The first Pegalysium citizen she came across.
Garnet.
Kalos Region. Ninja Village.
Some training was occurring. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were each taking part in the obstacle course for Ninja Training. All the while, Sanpei watched as their instructor.
They were currently wearing special boots made for them. They were built quickly to fit pony hooves, especially younger ponies like the five fillies. These boots were necessary as they were made to make any form of movement silent with little sound. They did this while standing on a giant wooden log.
Any hoofsteps made by the little ponies would be silent and unheard. Only the sharpest of ears could pick them up, like an Audino. However, that wasn't the case right now. They hadn't fully grasped these boots as they were already making a lot of sound with them whilst moving.
"Am I doing it right?" Apple Bloom said as she was tapping her hooves on the log, trying to see if she could create that silent sound that ninjas can create. But that wasn't happening at the moment.
"Come on..." Scootaloo took the boots off, blowing on them to see if there was something wrong with it. But nothing was wrong with them. After blowing all of the dust away from it, she placed the boots back on, walking once more. But she still made noise. "Argh!"
"Do pitter patter's count?" Diamond Tiara spoke, trying to stay silent with pitter-patters, similar to when a raindrop starts falling.
Their Pokemon weren't performing well either. None of them could really get those silent footsteps down. Actually, the Pokemon had their own unique sounding footsteps but none of them were silent. But they were squeaky and playful.
For a human, this would be simple since they only have two legs to worry about. But for a pony, having four legs was a different story and a different challenge. The same went for Scootaloo's Ponyta who was built like his fellow equine creatures.
"Not quite. Always step at the front of your hoof first. Lift it no more than two to four centimetres off the ground or any surface." Sanpei instructed. "Keep a low centre of gravity. Trying to immediately mimic the sound by lightly tapping doesn't work, unfortunately."
"The front of the hoof..." Silver Spoon seemed to be the one pony getting the most used to it. This instruction had already been given out by Sanpei, but no one was following it properly yet. But, they had just started 4 minutes ago after having some lunch so it wasn't so bad.
After hearing Sanpei's instruction once more, Silver Spoon did just that. By placing her hoof two centimetres off the ground and stepping with the front one first, the sound she made was practically non-existent. Even if the sounds of her friends hoofsteps were making an ambience, hers was impossible to hear. And Sanpei, Clemont and Bonnie noticed this.
Once she made her first silent hoofstep, a smile graced her face. Silver Spoon is a fast learner after all so it was somewhat natural for her.
"I'm doing it...Hey girls!" She then alerted the others. "Just look at me and you'll get it down easy. No problem." Silver Spoon then used her other hooves, making yet another silent hoofstep. Her friends then mimicked what she was doing instead of trying to figure it out on their own.
And with that, they were able to do it as well. By matching Silver Spoon's hoofsteps, the four ponies got the hang of it as Sanpei nodded in approval. Sometimes copying is a good option to go with. Before they knew it, they were making silent hoofsteps on the logs. The Pokemon then followed what their Trainers were doing, mimicking the silent steps themselves.
It was safe to say that they got a good grasp of the first part of this training.
Next was one of pure focus.
The obstacle course had a box that anyone could sit inside. This box was capable of moving across the obstacle course like a cable car as the five ponies and their Pokemon sat inside. It was a big box so they all could fit without taking up too much space. This box also had three large holes that passed air through it.
For this training, they all had to stare at a candle for a while without being distracted. Being a ninja also requires being strong of mind. By staring at this candle they would receive higher concentration. But of course, the moving box was there to challenge their focus.
Right from above, passing through the upper hole of the box was a splash of water that was dropped on the ponies and their Pokemon but not the candle. This water was extra cold as it came from the Wooper that live in this village.
"Wooper.
"Mmmm!" Diamond Tiara scrunched her face as she and her friends shivered from this cold water. But they wouldn't allow the cold to get to them. And thankfully for Ponyta, his flaming mane and tail aren't that simple to put out.
Seeing as they were able to take the cold water, some more actions would be sent their way. The box suddenly sped up, moving across the obstacle course whilst the flame of the candle moved, not blowing out of a second. They kept their eyes on the candle as the box began spinning around whilst zigzagging across the course, performing multiple movements to try and throw the files and Pokemon off.
"Hrrgh...!" Apple Bloom felt like hurling from all of this movement as she was about to close her eyes. But she couldn't cause then she would lose focus.
The one excelling at this was without a doubt, Sweetie Belle. Even with a wet dripping mane and rapid movements within the box, she kept her eyes locked on the candle.
And it made sense. After all, when she was preparing for one of her contests, she stayed up all night practising with her Pokemon. If anything, her eyesight is a bit advanced thanks to those midnight moments. Eventually, the box started to slow down as this part of the training was coming to an end.
Sweetie Belle's eyes stayed glued open whilst the others had their eyes twitch. The cold water from before was still lingering in their eyes as their wet manes also dropped more water. They also felt dizzy after the box started moving so vigorously. They wanted to blink but they couldn't.
Luckily, once it ended, they could.
"Oh finally!" Scootaloo gasped as she closed her eyes, shaking the water off of her. Ponyta used his flames to cool everyone off whilst Diamond Tiara fell flat on her face.
"Hah! Easy!" Sweetie Belle chuckled with victory within her tone of voice. But her eyes hadn't moved away from the candle strangely. "Uh...can someone help me...I'm kinda stuck."
Next was a masking practice.
Aside from the silent movements that they did first, there were other ways for ninjas to be quiet. And that way was being masked in the environment. They wouldn't need the course for this one.
To mask themselves in the environment, they had to do two things. Mimic the ambient sound of the wildlife or use camouflage equipment that was perfect for the scenario. They used the nearby forest as a means of mimicking the Pokemon wildlife.
"Pony...Ponyta! Ah, that's easy enough." Scootaloo tried mimicking her partner. She did this by performing a neigh. That was easier said than done. After all, they're both equines. But, other things like leaves and wind were a bit tricky to come across.
"Hoo..." Diamond Tiara started blowing on the air, trying to mimic the sound of the wind. She kept doing this until she was able to get a good decent howl.
The one who was doing the best in this was Apple Bloom without a doubt. Her time on the farm and learning from big sister and big brother have taught her a few things, especially when it came to ordinary animals instead of Pokemon. This was way before the worlds crossed over.
Her blowing matched both the sound of a wind howl and a light breeze too.
"How are you doing that?" Silver Spoon asked as she was trying to make water puddles.
"Granny taught me. She's something a ninja herself, ya know." Apple Bloom grinned as she was even able to mimic the wind sounds through her teeth by whistling. She barely even had to try and put that much effort into it. The Pokemon didn't really need to mimic the wildlife.
They were the wildlife.
However, they had their own masking techniques. They had used their Pokemon moves to try and conceal themselves. Glameow had used Sand Attack on the ground multiple times, forming up her own sand as she used that as a way of blending in with the environment. While she wasn't in a place with any sand like a beach or a desert, it was still a good method.
They were even given a special paper that matched certain environments. Diamond Tiara held up a large piece of special paper that had a forest painting. It was so well done it could be considered real. And best of all, it matched her height so standing up in a bipedal position and holding it was perfect.
So far, this training exercise was good.
One more before the closes off and they have to have some rest.
Dodging. They stood on one of the platforms of the course as the many hazards that this course had been about to be thrown at them. Thankfully, they didn't hurt but they will send them flying. Large leeks that were even bigger than a Farfetch'd's but less thick than them, making these leeks rather soft and fragile.
The fillies and Pokemon stood on a thin platform whilst the leeks were swung right at them. They had to jump and dodge at the right time. And so they did. With great unification as friends, they were able to jump over the leeks the first time and the second time when they came back.
However, the leeks would speed up each time. Which they did. The sped-up leeks then rushed over towards the fillies and Pokemon once more as this time their jumping time had to be altered. They were able to dodge them a second time by jumping twice. Once for the front and twice for the back. And they increased in speed again, forcing the ponies and Pokemon to jump again.
And again. And again.
And this process would repeat itself until the leek reached a speed so great that it would be nigh-impossible to avoid them. Scootaloo was using her wings to stay afloat for 1 second each time she jumped. She couldn't fully fly after all.
"Woah!" Silver Spoon gasped as her hoof was almost hit by the leek after she jumped. She then tried jumping again from the leek coming back as she barely avoided it. The earth pony almost lost her footing on the platform but she kept the balance.
Everyone else was getting battered, however. Diamond Tiara had taken multiple soft leeks to the face as they ricochet, hitting her continuously. "Ow! Ow!"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle weren't taking kindly to this either. They tried biting on the leek to stop their swinging but that only allowed the leek to carry them along as they were now swinging with the leeks. And with them swinging with the leeks, they flailed their hooves around, releasing this wasn't the brightest idea.
After figuring that out, they had ended up crashing into their own friends, acting as the hazards themselves now. Silver Spoon had been knocked off the platform by the incoming Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle finally let go as they landed on top of Silver Spoon. Each of them groaned afterwards. "Ough..."
But Scootaloo, Ponyta Meowstic, Purrloin and Glameow were fine. One had wings, the other could glide while the others were already experts at jumping. Whether for having strong hooves or just being a cat-like creature.
Sanpei chuckled as he figured this was a good spot to stop for early training.
"Okay, I think we've made good progress. Let's call it a day, okay?"
"Grenin."
Nightfall.
The five fillies chose to sleep here at the Ninja Village by using their large tents. Unfortunately, Clemont and Bonnie couldn't do the same since they had places to be.
"You sure you don't wanna stay a bit longer?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Sorry. But we're needed back at Lumiose City with our dad." Clemont responded. "But, it was a ton of fun getting to meet you all. Especially friends of Ash!"
"Mhm!" Bonnie nodded. "Tell Ash we said Hi okay? And good luck with your training!"
"Dedenne!"
"We will. And we're gonna do amazing things once we learn all those ninja tricks with ease!" Scootaloo crossed her hooves with confidence. "When midnight strikes, we've only got two days before your contest Sweetie Belle."
"Yeah...How long will it take for me to head back to Ponyville from here?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"We went from Couramine, the Lumiose Badlands, the Kalos Power Plant and Ninja Village in one day in a few hours. So, I'd say we can get back there in one day and a few hours, no problem." Silver Spoon answered.
"Nice!" Sweetie Belle grinned.
"By the way, Diamond Tiara. How come we never see you during contests? You wanna be a Top Coordinator too, right?" Scootaloo questioned.
"Well yeah. But I'm taking my time." Diamond Tiara rubbed the back of her mane whilst adjusting her tiara. "I want to get things just right. My mom's even helping me choose the best performing Pokemon. That's...going good I guess."
"Purrloin."
"Well, goodbye." Clemont and Bonnie turned around, waving and giving their farewells to the fillies and Sanpei. "See you again soon!"
"Bye-Bye!" The ponies waved goodbye by flailing their hooves around. And after all that training, Silver Spoon suddenly dropped flat on the ground, dozing off. She was exhausted as everyone looked down on her afterwards with widened eyes.
Training had been completed for the day. A good night sleep was needed. Aside from that, Celestia herself had made a discovery like no other and came back from that discovery. She had a story to tell and more to wonder about. What else was there in Pegalysium that she has yet to see as the journey continues.
Chapter 477 End.