Pegalysium. Feathercoast. Day.
Over at Feathercoast, everything had returned to normal after the whole Indigo Alliance debacle. The members have been charged and put in prison, but Second Wind was still out there. As for the Pegalysium Gallery, it was now being run by the pony who also runs the Pegalysium National Museum.
Kaleidoscope and everypony there still had a job, thankfully. Speaking of Kaleidoscope, she was currently hanging out with her friend Garnet for some lunch. However, Garnet appeared in a less-than-stellar state. Her mane was rugged, her eyes were a bit baggy and she looked like she had been mauled by a bear and just barely escape. But Kaleidoscope knew why this was the case.
"The foals giving you trouble again, Garnet?" Kaleidoscope asked.
"Always," Garnet muttered with one of her eyes twitching. "They're cute but they can be absolute demons at times. Especially that Updraft...oh he is soo frustrating to deal with!" Garnet growled before almost breaking the table.
"Okay. Let's chill out for a bit." Kaleidoscope chucked, hoping that Garnet doesn't end up unleashing her wrath right here. Garnet can be terrifying when frustrated. And Kaleidoscope should know. She's seen it. "But hey, I know something that'll get work out of your mind."
"What?"
"You know about the Alta Grotto? Just near the Iron Manse. Well, turns out, some Pokemon have shown up there." After Kaleidoscope said that, interest had sparked within Garnet. "Recently Pokemon have been making their way here to Pegalysium. The young prince even said he saw some through heavy snow."
"Really?" Garnet gasped. "There are Pokemon living here now?"
"Guess they found some nice habitats. Not sure how they got up here, to begin with. Plus, they're making a scene over at the Grotto. So, what do you say, Garnet?" Kaleidoscope nudged her. "We check it out?"
"Of course!" She slammed the table, standing up. "Why wouldn't we?!"
"Great! I also invited Clear View along to join us!" As soon as Kaleidoscope mentioned that name, Garnet froze with her face scrunching. She then blinked for a bit before gazing at Kaleidoscope.
"You what?" She went back to twitching her eye again. "W-Why?"
"Now, I know that sounds bad, but don't worry." Kaleidoscope squeed. "Besides, she wants to know a lot about Pokemon much like us. Why not bring her along?"
"Did you have to?" Garnet mumbled before looking to the side. "Clear View can't speak properly. You know, after what happened back at Wispy Plains? Adventuring's not really her favourable kind of scenario after that."
"I know. But Clear View couldn't resist joining in after she learned about the existence of Pokemon. Sorry. Should've asked you first." Kaleidoscope shrugged as Garnet pouted with disappointment.
"Okay, okay..." Garnet sighed. "Clear is pretty capable still. Let's just make sure we keep her out of trouble. Her big brother won't like it one bit if something were to happen."
"Anyway! Let's head on an adventure! We'll have a blast!"
Drifting Peaks.
Before they could reach their estimated grotto, the pegasi needed to get past a location known as Drifting Peaks. As the name suggests, these were peaks that drifted in cooperation with the clouds. They scaled beyond even the islands themselves as multiple of them could be witnessed from far distances.
Cloud waterfalls poured from these peaks along with glowing butterflies that left trails of white stardust. The stardust landed on petals, causing them to gain the same white aura as well. Just a beautiful sight in general. Only possible here in Pegalysium.
And joining Garnet and Kaleidoscope was Clear VIew.
"Over here, Clear," Garnet said, helping Clear View. The pink-maned pegasus could not speak, just like how Garnet said. Indeed, something happened at Wispy Plains that led to this. And what also made Garnet weary of bringing Clear View on other adventures.
Clear View flew towards Garnet and Kaleidoscope, reaching the lower levels of the peaks. Clear also had a Crystal Ball in her possession. One that flew beside her instead of her holding it. Clear was using her magic from her feathers to make this ball float.
"If we see any Fire-Type Pokemon near here, you know what to do, right?" Garnet asked. Clear View gave a nod. "Wait...hold on. Kalei. What types of Pokemon are there?"
"Mm." Kaleidoscope shrugged. "Just some Pokemon. Can't tell which types were found. I'm hoping that most of them are Grass-Types. I hear they have delicious things about them. N-Nectar and stuff like that, not their bodies of course."
"So we're going in blind. That's still fun. What Pokemon Type interests you, Clear?" Garnet turned to the mute pegasus. Clear used her Crystal Ball to create magical words. The words had a nice pink glow to them to match Clear's mane colour. Her choice of type was Dragon. "Dragon? Why?"
In response, Clear View made the Crystal Ball say other words. "Dragons are cool."
"Fair enough." Garnet and Kaleidoscope both shrugged.
"Oho! Girls! Look over there!" Garnet immediately exclaimed, pointing her hoof forward. They all looked in her direction as their eyes expanded with awe. "An abandoned pirate ship!"
Laying in the sea clouds was a pirate ship. Pegalysium did, or rather more accurately, used to have pirates. Now they were seemingly long gone from history. But the pirate ships in Pegalysium were stellar to behold. Not only were they capable of flying, but even when they were abandoned, the ships were still functional. Thanks to a special material that keeps them functioning.
"Lucky us! Finding one of these out here." Garnet flew over to the ship. "To think they can still hold together even when the crew's long gone and no one uses it anymore. That Terranium is effective, isn't it?"
"Too effective. Wonder if I could use those to make myself a robot out Terranium." Kaleidoscope said before feeling the ship's texture. "Using my own skills."
"Your skills? Just head over to Mr Mustang shop for that." Garnet looked over. "That's easier."
"Can't. I'm uh...banned from there for a few months." Kaleidoscope scrunched her face.
"What do you do this time?" Garnet sighed with lowered eyes.
"I couldn't help it!" Kaleidoscope cried out. "Besides, It's not my fault Mr Mustang makes everything so easily interactable. I mean seriously. Who puts interactive controls around the walls? That's just asking for some wall leaning."
"You and Mr Mustang have a pretty comical relationship sometimes," Garnet chuckled. "How long until we reach the grotto?"
"Hold on." Kaleidoscope then used her magic to bring out a map from her saddlebag. She then opened it as the map had a glowing dot on it. This glowing dot acted as an indicator for where they currently were. It was fairly useful and essentially the equivalent of a GPS. "Just past the crevices and gaps of these peaks. Not too far. But, we'll have to get past the monument of Morning Style."
"Her monument isn't that big." Garnet looked over, ascending to the skies as she witnessed a gigantic monument of a famous pegasus. Her monument was built in between a cloud fountain while also standing in the perfect spot for the sun to shine bright. Works well with her name after all.
It was so huge that it took up almost an entire mountain. Anyone could mistake this monument for a giant if they were to look beyond. But could soon realize it was just a monument after seeing the stone it was built out of.
"Nevermind," Garnet said. "Guess experiencing new locations really brings out a bigger world view, doesn't it?" After saying that, Clear agreed with a nod. She then used her Crystal Ball to make another word come out.
"It's a big universe too."
The group then continued exploring until they could find themselves some Pocket Monsters of any kind. Whether it be Grass, Dragon, or even more fittingly, Flying.
Getting past this massive pirate ship that was still functioning was an obstacle in itself. Plus, an arrangement of stream clouds in the distance would make it difficult to get to the grotto.
The windows to the pirate ship were free to pass through as the trio of pegasi had entered. While it was still functioning, being left out here for centuries has made everything about it a mess. An abundance of moss and cobwebs to behold. Clear View used her Crystal Ball, not just to visualize words, but to capture the scenery
Her Crystal Ball also acted like a camera. This relic was certainly special, being able to translate for the mute pegasus and even act as a camera. Truly a handy object to have as the images entered the ball.
They passed the captain's room as Garnet had noticed some leftover treasure there. The captain of this ship must've forgotten to bring their treasure along, leaving it here along with everyone else on the ship. Upon seeing the treasure, Garnet's eyes turned into gold doubloons with a grin gracing her face.
"Easy cash." Garnet chuckled before zipping over towards the treasure. "The pirates won't mind if I borrow this. I mean, they're long gone by now, aren't they?" Clearly, she was enamoured by the treasure within.
Being a foalsitter meant that she got paid for her hard work. However, Garnet wouldn't mind some extra pay for a different occupation. AKA an adventure.
"Won't all that treasure weigh you down?" Kaleidoscope asked.
"Right on that. Can't let anypony else grab it too." Garnet's eyes squinted as she scouted the area. To keep the treasure safe and steady so that she can bring it back later, Garnet used a spell to form a cloaking aura around the chest. She also ripped out her hairband, letting her mane down. She used the hairband, covering it in a red aura of magic, tossing it onto the floor near the hidden chest. "There."
"You really want that chest, huh?" A sweatdrop appeared on Kaleidoscope as Clear View had a silent laugh.
"I overwork myself when taking care of the foals. The pay's good but this is better." Garnet cleared her throat before flying out of the captain's room. The group were ready to leave the captains room. But as they moved along, Clear View stopped for a moment, feeling an ominous presence nearby.
The mute pegasus froze on the spot before using her Crystal Ball to perform a ringing sound. The equivalent to a wolf howl as her friends were alerted instantly.
"What's up, Clear?" Garnet turned to her. "You see something?"
In response, she used her Crystal Ball's magical aura to make arrows. The arrows pointed through the windows that led to the outside of the ship. And on the outside, a crevice could be seen. The trio then looked to the crevice as Clear View felt that ominous presence moving through the air. Garnet and Kaleidoscope collectively squinted their eyes, wondering what fantastical yet dangerous force was within there.
And they wouldn't wonder long enough as a serpentine figure with a long body covered in slightly overlapping scales flew by the crevices with impressively length. The group gasped as they saw more of this body. It was mostly blue with a yellow underbelly, and it has a row of yellow spots down each side. This appearance only belonged to one Pokemon.
The Atrocious Pokemon Gyarados.
"W-W-What is that...?!" Kaleidoscope whispered while hiding behind the captain's chair. Reasonably, the group was intimidated by Gyarados' appearance, even if they have yet to see the rest of it Fittingly, Gyarados' first ability is Intimidate so it was working its charm at all times.
"I don't know...!" Garnet replied while holding Clear close to her. Clear was the most intimidated and afraid of Gyarados' appearance. "But it's safe to say that could be a Pokemon. Looks like nothing we've ever seen in Pegalysium."
As they whispered amongst each other, trying not to alert Gyarados, they witnessed the Atrocious Pokemon's face appear through the gap of the crevice. There, they got to witness Gyarados' fearsome fangs and vicious red-eyes with slits.
And unfortunately for them, Gyarados is a very cautious Pokemon, always checking its surroundings. Even in the smallest places. And this was one of those instances as the Water-Flying-Type had noticed three colourful little ponies within the ship. Not their bodies but their tails of all things.
There was no use in hiding. Gyarados could also sniff them out, noticing an intoxicating perfume and the scent of overworking stress from both Kaleidoscope and Garnet. The two ponies then let out innocent grins, trying to look as peaceful as they can be while silently giggling.
But that wasn't sliding with Gyarados.
"GYARA!" Gyarados found some new prey to potentially snack on as it roared, shaking the ship. After spotting them, the Atrocious Pokemon then opened its mouth, preparing a Hyper Beam with an orange orb appearing. Even with this crevice from the mountain in the way, Hyper Beam could just blast through it with ease.
"Time to go!" Garnet cried out as the three ponies immediately made a run for it. And with good timing too as Gyarados had unleashed the Hyper Beam at full force. They flew out of the pirate ship through the nearest window as Hyper Beam tore through the crevice with ease. The Normal-Type attack then struck the pirate ship, blowing a huge chunk of it into oblivion.
Including the treasure chest and hairband that Garnet had. A ferocious explosion occurred within the ship, but thankfully, the trio managed to fly out of the ship in time. But not before being slightly blown back due to the magnitude and force of the explosion. It had knocked them off balance, causing the trio to fall to the ground. Flat on their faces too.
After falling, Garnet looked back to see the spot where the treasure and her hairband once laid. It was now all gone thanks to Gyarados. "My treasure!" She cried out with her hoof sticking out.
As soon as she cried out for her obliterated treasure, flying out of the smoke was the Atrocious Pokemon as it wasn't done yet. It may have destroyed parts of the ship and knocked the trio off their hooves, but it had yet to get a bite.
Immediately after showing up, Gyarados had used Aqua Tail, swinging its tail that was covered in a veil of water. The trio gasped as they immediately turned around, getting off the ground and flying as fast as they could. Not a fast enough recovery as Gyarados' Aqua Tail had caused a massive wind pressure. While the Aqua Tail didn't hit them, the pressure certainly did, once again, ruin their air balance.
They went hurling through the air before crashing into a wall together. After crashing into the wall and crying out, the trio then fell into an open hole that was part of the wall. And Gyarados followed after them. Thankfully, the impact on the wall wasn't too hard but the impact on the ground below would be.
"Aaah!" Garnet and Kaleidoscope held each other, crying out fear until they saw Clear do the most obvious thing here. She easily saved herself from falling via her wings. "Oh." They both remembered they had wings as they started flapping them, preventing the potential squishing of colourful palette ponies.
"O-Ow..." Even though the impact on the wall wasn't too hard, it was still there and difficult to ignore as Kaleidoscope groaned. Her wing had also been harmed as pebbles fell out of her mane. "All that exercise at the gym hasn't paid off yet, huh?"
"GYARA!" Gyarados appeared above them, roaring into the hole before floating in. No time to pause and slow down. Constant movement was needed against a Pokemon as ferocious as Gyarados. They scurried in the air before zooming off. Thankfully, this hole had a pathway that led to another part of these peaks.
The trio flew through an entrance within this open hole while moving above the grass, causing the blades to flow. Gyarados followed them inside as its body was almost too big to fit. But even if that was the case, Gyarados could just break through it because why wouldn't it?
After going through the entrance that led to a mini-cave system, the trio looked behind them to see that the Atrocious Pokemon obliterated the walls of the hole with ease. Just by moving. There was light at the end of this cave, hopefully, to somewhere safe.
But Gyarados was incredibly fast. While faster in water, it could still move at impressive speeds in the air. If Garnet, Kaleidoscope and Clear View weren't pegasi, they would've been caught long ago. While flying off, Gyarados started unleashing Ice Beam, shooting out a chilling beam of ice.
The ice struck the walls, causing an instant flash-freeze, but not hitting its mark. The trio gasped after seeing how this Pokemon could not only control the destructive power of a beam and even Water but ice as well. Gyarados kept firing Ice Beam in hopes of hitting them.
"Yikes!" Garnet squealed as her wing was almost struck by Ice Beam. She managed to zoom underneath it in time. The cave was being frozen by this attack, sending a horrible chill through it. This chill was potent enough to make the group shiver immediately.
But Clear View would not allow that. She used her Crystal Ball, casting a spell around it. She had cast a heat spell that gave the ball a radiant and warm aura. This aura was enough to keep her friends and herself warm, countering the chill of Ice Beam.
Clear then turned around to face Gyarados. Despite her being intimidated, she wasn't fully afraid of the Atrocious Pokemon. Her hair ended up covering her eyes once she turned around, only for Clear to move them aside.
"Clear! What are you doing?!" Kaleidoscope cried out after noticing Clear's sudden stop. The mute pony had then used her Crystal Ball to first create words of warning to her friends.
"Close your eyes!"
Seeing their friend create those words Garnet and Kaleidoscope closed their eyes in response. After their eyes were closed Clear View then used her Crystal Ball to create a massive flash of light. She closed her eyes as this flash of light had appeared right as Gyarados was about to bite on her.
"G-Gyara!" Gyarados cried out as its eyes were attacked by this blinding light. It missed its mark with its bite as it was the only one blinded. After missing, Gyarados crashed into the side of the walls and later on the ground. Clear View then flew towards her friends after befuddling the Atrocious Pokemon.
"Look at you! Not so scared as always, huh?" Garnet nudged Clear VIew as the mute pony let out a proud yet embarrassed blush. However, as they approached the exit, it wasn't over.
Even while blinded, Gyarados could still cause some destruction. And cause some destruction it did. By using Hyper Beam, the Atrocious Pokemon unleashed the blast of Infinity Energy. But since it was blinded, its aim was off. Hyper Beam was fired haphazardly with no consistency.
The beam almost hit Kaleidoscope, giving her body a tingle of fear. The beam had then hit the walls, causing a gigantic explosion to form. The trio gasped as Garnet quickly used her magic from her wings to create a protective shield around her friends. And with good timing. The destructive explosion not only obliterated massive chunks of the area, but it had also created a powerful force that could push anything back.
Within the shield bubbe, the explosion had pushed it back causing the trio to close their eyes and brace for impact. They had been successfully saved from the explosion, however, it wasn't over yet.
With the chunks of the wall caved in, their exit was halted for the meanwhile. And at the same, Gyarados' blindness had ended with clear vision appearing on it once more.
"Gyarados...!" Aggravated by that blinding light, the Atrocious Pokemon slithered towards the trio while the exit was caved off. The trio of pegasi were backed into a corner, looking up at Gyarados.
"Okay...What now...?" Kaleidoscope gulped.
"You big jerk...You destroyed all of my potential money! How am I gonna-" Garnet exclaimed at Gyarados, still upset at the treasure being destroyed.
"GYARADOS!" But Gyarados quickly interrupted via a vicious rare that blew their manes and tails. Garnet then scrunched her face after her interrupted. With how things looked, there was seemingly little chance of them escaping.
But Clear View saw a chance. She stepped in front of her friends, using her Crystal Ball. Her friends watched as their usually shy and timid friend was being brave. But in reality, Clear was still scared. Her hooves were weak and shaking out of fear from Gyarados.
Clear had courage. While she was afraid of what was in front of her, she had the courage to stand up to it and overcome that fear at all costs. And with that sense of courage, she used her Crystal Ball to create a distraction.
And the best distraction she could come up with was an illusionary view of cute Gyarados. The Pokemon that was chasing them down for food was being used as a distraction. Clear grinned as she made the cute Gyarados act like a sock puppet. She even placed it on her hoof, standing in a bipedal position.
The real Gyarados titled its head, unsure of what it was looking at as Clear View had then made cute variations of her friends on her other hoof. She was reenacting the scenario of them being chased down by Gyarados but in a cutesy and funny way.
"Those sock puppet classes she took might pay off finally," Garnet said to Kaleidoscope after watching Clear's performance.
"GYARADOS!" But it was clear Gyarados did not care for it at all as it roared at her, blowing the illusions away as Clear closed her eyes. Gyarados then went in for the bite as Clear's friends gasped, taking off from the ground to save their friend.
But they wouldn't have to.
From the side, a burst of fire came flying in. While not super-effective against a Pokemon like Gyarados, it hit like a truck regardless as this Fire-Type attack had struck the Atrocious Pokemon from the side, causing it to stagger. An attack this powerful would have to be from one of the strongest Fire-Type moves out there. Blast Burn.
The pegasi looked in awe as the orange light from the attack illuminated the cave. They also saw how Gyarados had fallen with whited out eyes. Not only did it just fall, but it also fell outside of the cave. The rocks that once blocked it had been obliterated by the same thing that struck Gyarados as the Atrocious Pokemon was long gone from here now.
"W-What just happened?" Kaleidoscope blinked while stuttering. She and her friends looked to the side to see how parts of the walls had been melted from Blast Burn. The attack certainly packed a punch. They then looked outside to see the Pokemon responsible for this.
A Wild Charizard.
Clear's eyes widened after seeing Charizard. Unfortunately for her, Charizard was not a Dragon-Type Pokemon. But it was close enough as a Dragon-Type and within the Dragon Egg Group so it was good enough.
"Is that...a Dragon?" Garnet gawked as Charizard flew off afterwards. Pebbles fell out of their manes as they saw the Flame Pokemon disappear into the clouds. But the direction Charizard went to was also the direction they needed to be to see all those discovered Pokemon.
"After it!" Kaleidoscope took the skies, showing her map to her friends. "If we follow that Dragon, we could find all those Pokemon! Quick!"
Following their friend, they flew towards the path where Charizard had gone through. And they would have to be fast before Gyarados wakes up.
After following Charizar'd flight pattern, the group had come across the grotto at last. But more than just a grotto. There was a gateway right next to it, leading to a random part in the Pokemon World. They gawked as many Carbink resided her, causing lights to shine from their bodies.
A few Nidoran could be seen running around along with some Bonsly. Covering the skies were Pidgeot's that nested on top of the grottos. The Pokemon here lived in harmony with a Mantyke popping out of the small lake to suck on Bulbasaur's bulb. Like many already do. Mainly Heracross.
"Finally..." Garnet sighed. "Worth it..."
"Yeah, but what's that?" Kaleidoscope pointed her hoof at the gateway nearby. It was hard to miss it considering it was just standing there out in the open. "Is that one of those Rift things?"
"I think so." Garnet nodded as Clear View used her Crystal Ball to take pictures of the scene. Especially the gateway. The trio then spotted the Pokemon that had saved their lives.
Charizard. The Wild Charizard was sitting near a rock after noticing the trio. The three of them then flew over towards the grotto to thank the Flame Pokemon. It would mean entering an area full of Pokemon which was exciting to them. The Pokemon noticed their arrival but were not afraid of the ponies showing up.
Charizard stood up before the pegasi as Clear View used her Crystal Ball to capture everything. She also got excited with a big grin on her face after seeing Charizard.
"Um, hello, Mr Dragon," Garnet said nervously with a hoof wave. Charizard, while not as intimidating as Gyarados, still had an intimidation factor. "Thank you for saving us back there."
"Charizard."
"Chari...what?" Kaleidoscope squinted. "W-What did it say?"
"I think its name is Charizard," Garnet replied. "Ya, see, most Pokemon say their names as cries. Makes it easier to tell what they're called."
"Oh, I get it."
Clear View then stood beside Charizard, using her Crystal Ball to take a picture. She was proud at this moment as she could safely say that she stood side by side with a Dragon.
Even though Charizard isn't one.
Charizard then gave something for Clear to remember. The Flame Pokemon opened its mouth, shooting a Flamethrower into the air. Clear's eyes widened as she captured this view too. Garnet and Kaleidoscope looked up to the sight of the flames shooting into the sky. A great sight to behold. It was worth coming here.
Once they were here, the Pokemon gathered around them. Mantyke could see that they were slightly dirty after being chased by Gyarados. So to clean them, the Kite Pokemon used Water Gun, spraying them. The trio had their eyes open after that spray. Their manes were now dripping and wet.
But to cool them off, Charizard used its tail to do so. The Fire-Flying-Type wrapped its tail around the trio, pulling them in. The size comparison between them allowed Charizard to do so effortlessly.
"You know, we should show the young prince this too," Garnet said. "After all, he did promise me that we'd experience a lot of Pokemon after discovering them."
"Sounds to me like you just wanna spend some time with him." Kaleidoscope teased with a chuckle as Garnet's face twitched.
"Kalei!" She growled, trying to grab her friend but Charizard held her back. "Anyway...What's through that Rift thing? That gateway?" Her attention was then turned to the gateway.
Charizard knew where it led to as it had been through there. The Flame Pokemon decided to show the group where that gateway was connected. Charizard allowed the trio to ride on its back, even though they could fly. Afterwards, the Flame Pokemon went towards the gateway with the rest of the Pokemon wishing it luck.
Garnet found it a good opportunity to call Shooting Star about this. But as soon as she was about to do so with the shell, Charizard had flown through the gateway. And this gateway connected to a place in Hoenn.
The Battle Frontier.
More specifically, the Battle Pyramid.
A massive 7-layer pyramid owned by the Pyramid King himself. Brandon. The trio gawked at the view of the Battle Pyramid and the scale of it. Little did they know what lies beyond that pyramid. A trainer of great power who has equally powerful Pokemon with him.
"Amazing!" Kaleidoscope bellowed. "I haven't seen a pyramid in real life before! Only storybooks! This trip was worth it!"
Clear View was just amazed as she replied to Kaleidoscope's words with her Crystal Ball. "Go Team Tri-Pegasus"
"Tri-Pegasus?" Kaleidoscope looked at the words. "Not bad. I like that."
"As great as this trip was...we should head back soon," Garnet said. "Already far from home. Plus I don't wanna be scolded by Mayor Umbra Streak again. Clear, you should get back to Quill Bay. Your brother should be getting worried by now."
"We're leaving already?" Kaleidoscope groaned as Clear pouted.
"Well...We can stay for a bit longer." Garnet was guilty of wanting to experience more of Pokemon. Missing out on all of this would be a waste. "Plus...we could find some more treasure, maybe!" And of course, that was another reason.
Charizard would gladly help them see what the Pokemon World had to offer. At least for the time being in a limited range. Plus, there were other locations in Pegalysium with more Pokemon that the trio had yet to see. That went for everypony in Pegalysium.
They may be late to the party, but it's never too late to learn about the Strange and Wonderful World of Pokemon as the journey continues.
Chapter 580 End.