//------------------------------// // Twilight and Zorua // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// The Human World. Outskirts of the forest. Afternoon. Amidst the snowy layout of these outskirts, Twilight was currently searching for Hisuian Zorua. A Pokemon that Ash wasn't even aware of, let alone a region by the name of Hisui. Twilight went after Zorua, aiming to give her the box of Poke Puffs that she couldn't manage to grab due to the weight difference. Which meant going into the thick snow. All for one Pokemon. It was the cuteness that drew her in but the wonderful mystery surrounding this Spiteful Fox Pokemon that dragged her further in. "Zorua!" She cried out in this snowy landscape. Full of flat land with minor hills. She shuddered, feeling the chill. Twilight then put the lid on the box, protecting the food. Twilight soon realized that she had already strayed away from familiar territory, unable to spot Ash, Pikachu, Pinkie, Mew or Spinda anywhere. "Great. Had to go deeper in." She sighed, lowering her head. "But it's all flat land with some hills. So it shouldn't be too hard to navigate my way through this." Twilight was set on giving Zorua the food and finding her friends. She had a good hunch that with this flat land, she could find them. But the snow could be an issue. "Zorua." Just then, the cry of Zorua could be heard. Her voice echoed through the snow. Twilight immediately ran in the direction of that echoing cry. She picked it up from the west, journeying there. Twilight squinted her eyes from all the snow falling. Her boots made satisfying noises each time she ran as snowflakes descended. However, Twilight noticed that the snowflakes did not make contact with her. She didn't even feel them touch her hair or hands. As if they had phased through her. Afterwards, the further she went, the less snow there was. She also noticed that the chill had decreased too, making it easier for her to move without any struggles. Everything was getting clearer as if something was willing the weather to do so. Twilight found this odd but believed a Pokemon was behind it. Twilight came across some of the few trees within this flatland as the sky in this area was a bit darker, giving it a dark blue ambience. And up ahead, sitting near a rock was the Hisuian Zorua, not facing Twilight. "!" Twilight made a silent gasp before hiding behind the tree as to not show herself. It was clear that Hisuian Zorua was hard to approach. Much like most shy and timid Pokemon. "Zo," Zorua uttered before having her stomach growl. Twilight was made aware of this. Zorua stood up, looking at her own stomach and how it was growling. She needed food right now. However, the trees here had no fruits of any sort to consume. Not because of the snow and weather, but because of the area in general. This area that Zorua resided in was not fit for it at all. Even most Pokemon would not live here aside from a few Pokemon who eat other resources. Zorua looked in the distance, knowing that civilization existed with food of all kinds. She also knew that there were other areas where many Pokemon consume various foods. All of which she could devour at any time. But the Spiteful Fox Pokemon forced herself to be alone., straying away from that. It was clear that she was hesitating, staying secluded in this seemingly barren flatland. Twilight looked at the box as she knew that Zorua wouldn't get far here without any food. The Spiteful Fox Pokemon then decided to try and sleep the hunger away. But Twilight was smart enough to know that wouldn't work. So to fix this, she opened the box of Spicy Poke Puffs made by Pinkie Pie, allowing the scent to pass through. "Zoru?" Zorua's nose picked up on the familiar scene. Her nose was on high alert. All of her senses were. And after noticing this scent, her hunger grew. Twilight then placed the box on the ground with her head and arm poking out. "Hello." She sheepishly greeted the Spiteful Fox, slightly intimidated by her after that illusion trick she pulled. Twilight still had no idea how she broke free of it instantly. She wasn't the only one intimidated. So was Zorua. The Normal-Ghost-Type quivered after seeing Twilight, ready to use another illusion and make her getaway with the food beside her. But, there wasn't any strength in her to do so because of one issue. She was starving. Zorua's stomach growled as her eyes closed. She couldn't take it anymore. Consumption of food was needed for her. And the only food in front of her was the Spicy Poke Puffs. Beloved by the Unovan Zorua and possibly by the Hisuian one. Zorua wanted it but was too focused on staring at Twilight. She started "It's okay. You can have some." Twilight took a piece of the Poke Puffs, holding it up with Zorua's eyes tracking it. Twilight was less timid around Zorua. Mainly because Ash has allowed her to grow around certain Pokemon. In honesty, Pokemon like Charizard, Dragonite, Lucario, Noivern and Sceptile that Ash had were far more intimidating than Zorua. And Twilight has been around them all. Although, they didn't have the power to cast illusions. Twilight then tossed the Poke Puff into the air, trying to see if Zorua would catch it. "Zo!" And indeed, with hungry instincts, the Spiteful Fox Pokemon leapt into the air with her mouth open. With impressive precision, she had chomped on the Poke Puff, swallowing and landing afterwards. "Z-Zoru!" Zorua finally received something to eat. And after taking a moment to savour this taste, her eyes opened. It felt like she hadn't eaten in years. She pranced on the spot happily before looking at the box. It was clear that she enjoyed the taste and the spiciness of it. "You like it?" Twilight asked the Normal-Ghost-Type. Zorua nodded in response. Honesty can be summoned via the taste of food. It's mysterious but the essence of food is just that wonderful. "How about some more then?" Twilight saw this as a great chance. If there was any chance or time to spend with Zorua and hopefully catch her, it was now. Zorua's stomach was still growling as Twilight moved the box closer to the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. Once the box was close enough, Zorua walked up to it, wanting every bite possible. With no more hesitation, Zorua started devouring all of the Spicy Poke Puffs, already making a mess as bits were flying everywhere in various colours. "Whew..." Twilight sighed before sitting next to the tree. "That went better than I thought. It's a good thing those Poke Puffs are irresistible." "They sure are. Thank you." "No prob-" Then, with a flux of universal realization, Twilight's sense of hearing went off. Her eyes expanded as her glasses shattered. A poker face became her new emotion as she then turned to face the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. Zorua looked back at her as Twilight was agape. "YOU CAN TALK?!" "Mmm!" Zorua squeaked before rushing off. Twilight's shout startled her. "Oh wait!" Twilight stood up, calling for the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. "Zorua!" Zorua then hid behind the rock that she was originally spotted by. Her head poked out as she already had some illusions brewing. Eating from the box had re-energized her, giving Zorua the strength to cause illusions. "Uh, n-no need for illusions!" Twilight nervously said, waving her hands to try and plead with the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. "I'm sorry for shouting. I was just startled by you speaking that's all. I didn't expect you to talk like me." But Zorua didn't respond. Her timidness was getting the better of her. And just when she was close to Twilight without any harm being done. To try and draw her in, Twilight tried swaying her by holding out the box of remaining Poke Puffs. "I promise I won't yell again." "Promise?" She repeated after Twilight. "Yeah. Promise." Twilight aimed to stick true to her word. Anyone would be shocked by a speaking Pokemon. Although, this was the cause of Telepathy. Twilight had yet to meet Team Rocket's Meowth who can speak full sentences. Zorua made her way back to Twilight with gentle steps. She wasn't sure if she could fully trust Twilight. To be cautious, she emanated purple wisps from her body, ready to set off an illusion at any time. The Normal-Ghost-Type then continued to eat from the box as Twilight moved her arm away. Zorua continued eating peacefully without any surprise interruptions. Twilight stuck true to her word, not shouting. But she would choose to speak to Zorua, having several questions. "So. Zorua. How come you're able to speak?" Twilight asked. "Telepathy." With just one response, Twilight understood why this was the case with a nod following afterwards. "But...I don't like talking like this. Not at all the time." "Oh. Well, I think it's neat. I would've never thought a Pokemon could use telepathy of all things." Twilight put her knees together. "Nice to meet you. My name's Twilight Sparkle. I saw you a few days ago when I came by here. But I couldn't get a closer look at you with all the snow here." "It's not real," said Zorua. "The snow. It's all my illusion." "All-" Twilight paused before looking at the area around her. She then put the pieces together, realizing that the snow didn't actually affect her clothes. Neither did she feel it with her hands out when they dropped. "This is all your doing? That's some spectacular illusion capabilities Zorua." She praised the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. Zorua then finished most of the Poke Puffs in the box before turning around. "It's not that special." She dismissed her talent for illusions on the spot even after that praise. She hadn't faced Twilight at all when talking to her, still showing some signs of hesitation. "Oh, but it is. You should be proud, I mean...I was fooled." Twilight chuckled. "But I mean, all Zorua are naturally good at that, aren't they?" Zorua then sat down, wiping the food off her mouth. Or even licking it to only swallow the bits later. "I don't wanna be proud of it." "You don't?" Twilight blinked after that shocking response. "W-Why not?" But Zorua didn't answer to that either. She just turned her head before letting out a small whimper. Twilight then noticed this shift in tonal emotion as she noticed tears coming from the side of Zorua's face. "Zorua, you're crying." She pointed out before getting closer to her. "What's wrong?" Zorua then tried making an illusion to block her tears. But Twilight could easily see through it. The Spiteful Fox Pokemon then got up, walking away. "Thank you for the food." "Wait." Twilight then walked beside her, wanting to speak and hopefully solve something with the Normal-Ghost-Type Pokemon. "If you want to take the box with you, then here." She then held the box out to Zorua. "I know it's heavy but if you keep it with you in one place and take only the Poke Puffs instead of the box as a whole. You have a place to stay in this flatland, right?" Just then, Zorua froze before forming more tears, much to the dismay of Twilight. She didn't expect more tears to appear on the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. Once again, the illusions could not block the tears. "You're pretending." "Pretending? Uh...Pretending what?" Twilight asked, unsure of what Zorua was about. But just then, being the quick thinker she was, Twilight thought back to the dex entry that she managed to get from Zorua. "Wait a second..." But before she could say something else, Zorua bolted off, running past between Twilight's leg with tears trailing out. The Spiteful Fox Pokemon caused her illusion to form a thick mist of ice. "Wait! Zorua!" But, knowing why Zorua was like this, Twilight persisted, going after Zorua. And she brought the box along, of course. Meanwhile, Ash and Pinkie Pie were still searching for Twilight after she went for Zorua. They followed her footprints through the snow to track her. But, it seems Zorua's illusions were far more widespread. Usually, Zoroark is the one with widespread illusions. Twilight's footsteps had disappeared with no more being imprinted into the snow. "No luck. How's Mew coming along?" said Ash to Pinkie Pie. Mew was currently Audino, trying her best to track the voice of Twilight. "Just to the west. But it's taking a while. Maybe the ear's jammed." Pinkie held Mew's ears as they caused a tickle onto the New Species Pokemon. She then laughed afterwards. "A-Audino!" "Ticklish there, huh? How's this?!" Pinkie then started playing with Mew for a bit, tickling his body as an Audino. Mew found joy in it as he couldn't stop laughing. Ash laughed too along with Pikachu. It was a small moment of joy in a scenario that appeared serious. But as he laughed, Mew's ears then picked up on something new. Like a record player, he instantly stopped cackling before gasping. "Audi!" Mew heard something nearby that he couldn't ignore. He pointed in the sky that was up north. "Di. Audino." "Oooh! Did you her, Mew?!" Pinkie asked, biting her lip for the incoming answer. But Mew shook his head before transforming a Butterfree. "Butterfree!" After doing so, he had flapped his wings, creating a strong wind pressure from it. The pressure was sent directly towards the sky only. Clearly, there was something there that Mew had detected. His wing beat had blown away the mist in the sky. This mist was real instead of being caused by Zorua's illusion. And after blowing it away, something within the skies had been perceived by Mew and the others' eyes. Something unexpectedly high up. A crack in the sky. More specifically a crack that had a blue hole emanating out. Similar to the gateways and the Ultra Wormholes but sort of a hybrid of them both. "A gateway?!" Pinkie cried out. "No. That's not a gateway." Ash replied before looking closer with squinched eyes. He tried to make out what he was looking at until he figured it out. This looked familiar to him. "It's a crack in time!" "A crack in time?" Pinkie rotated her head to Ash and then later at the crack. "I kinda know how time portals look." Ash scratched his hair with an innocent grin. "They look different from gateways and Ultra Wormholes." "Oh, neat stuff. But how did that happen? And how long do you think it's been here?" The Party Planner wondered as Mew transformed into a Pikachu, landing on Pinkie's shoulder, imitating Ash's Pikachu. "Pika." Both Pikachu's said. "Judging from how it looks...maybe it's from Dialga," Ash observed the colour of the portal. It definitely had the same spiralling effect and particles that Dialga has. There are only two known Pokemon that can interact with time. Dialga and the Celebi species. "Not sure why it's here, but it can't be too safe." "What do we do then? Can we close it? Is that even possible?" "We can't close it. Not much we can do with time portals. Let's come back to it another time and find Twilight quick." Ash prioritized his friend over a crack in time. While this seemed serious, they could come back to it. Mew transformed into Audino to track Twilight down as they all carried on. As for Twilight, she caught up with Zorua easily. And that was because there wasn't much out here in the outskirts of the forest. In fact, Twilight hadn't seen any other Pokemon the entire time she's been here. Only Zorua lives here, making her easy to find. Zorua had made herself a pile of snow to rest by. There wasn't much she could rest on in this area. The rocks were too hard, the hills were too steep and while the snow was a good substitute that she used, it was chilly for her. She laid her head on the pile of snow to try and sleep through the afternoon. "Zorua!" Twilight cried after finally finding her. "Go away." She buried her face in the snow, trying to steer her gaze away from Twilight. "Leave me alone." "I just want to talk for a bit. I didn't get to finish what I was saying earlier. About your illusions." "I don't wanna talk about it." Zorua then added more snow to hide the rest of her body. But, she soon realized how dangerous that was. She may be a Ghost-Type, but she wasn't immune to life-threatening scenarios like some Ghost Pokemon. Zorua then burst her head out of the snow, gasping for air. "Gah!" "Zorua. Your illusions." Twilight placed the box down before walking up to the Spiteful Fox Pokemon, kneeling to get to her level. "You're not proud of them because of how talented you are with them, are you?" "Mmmrrgh..." She grumbled in response. "Something happened to you somewhere, didn't it? Could it be that used to live in the Unova Region before?" And with that question, Zorua couldn't help but say something to give an answer. Something to put her at ease. "I used to. But I wanted to see more. I left my home because the world was big, so I went to other places to see how much I could use my illusions. I wanted to show everyone how amazing my illusions were. It would've been amazing to wow them all." "But they weren't impressed, were they? They were terrified." Twilight already knew what came next. And judging by Zorua's gentle head nod, she hit the mark correctly. "They didn't like my illusions. It scared them all. But I didn't mean to scare them. Honest. I just wanted to show them all what I could do. They chased me away because of that. Really far away someplace else. I ended up in that Hisui place to live there. But...But..." "It was too cold for you." Twilight finished her sentence. "You weren't used to that temperature, were you?" "No. None of my friends couldn't get used to it. We wanted to go back but we were afraid that we'd be chased by those Pokemon and humans again. It was too scary." The Spiteful Fox Pokemon shook her head, trying to forget about what she had gone through. "So I didn't go back. I stayed there. And the next thing I know I looked like this. All of my friends did." "That's why you're spiteful. Towards us and other Pokemon, right?" She asked. "Your illusions. You rarely used them for self-defence, did you?" "Only for fun. But they didn't find it fun. I just wanted them to see my illusions and have fun with it." Zorua then wrapped her tail around herself as tears were falling onto it. "But now everything feels so scary. I don't know where I am. And I wanna go home." Soon, those tears multiplied as Zorua's whimpers transformed into cries. She didn't want to linger about the past anymore. Thinking about it brought distraught to the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. After all, it was filled with nothing but hatred, fear and the loss of life. Not just her life but the life of her friends who were also Zorua. But then, to comfort her, Twilight placed her hand on the Normal-Ghost-Type's head, caressing it. Zorua then looked up to see Twilight giving her a comforting pat. It's what she does to Spike normally. "I know how you feel, Zorua," Twilight uttered. "I was afraid too. In fact, I still am a bit. I'm pretty awkward around my classmates at Crystal Prep a lot. They see me as standoffish more than anything. But I want to connect with them if I could have the chance. I didn't think I would be able to connect with anyone." "Really?" "Really. But then I met Ash and Pikachu. I've had friends before but they were the first ones I've had in a while. And I'll tell you, it's a great feeling. At first, they were weird to me. They had a lot of energy going through them at all times. But that's their charm after all. That's when I realized I could make more friends and not be alone. And I did. A pretty good number of them so far." "How many?" "Well, there's Ash's Pokemon. The ones that I've met. The Wishwashi in the forest, the Joltik and Carbink in the cave and I guess maybe Pinkie Pie and Delia if I spend some more time with them. And maybe you too with someone else out there you can find." "But what if they don't like me? What if I scare them away like before. A-A-And they chase me and-" Her fears were coming back to her. Her memories of that unpleasant past were unable to stray away for even an hour. "It won't happen. I mean, I wasn't scared by your illusions, was I? Ash has seen his fair share of illusions too. And while I can't say much for every Pokemon or human out there, I know there's someone for you that'll accept you." "You mean it?" Zorua asked as Twilight wiped her tears away via the usage of her scarf. Twilight didn't say anything. All she did was nod. And with that, some hope had been rekindled in this Spiteful Fox Pokemon. Not a lot, but enough to make her smile. "Okay. I can trust you. Tw-Twi- Um..." "Twilight." She reminded Zorua of her name. "Twilight." Finally, Zorua said her name. And to show her gratitude, the Spiteful Fox Pokemon nuzzled Twilight by climbing onto her shoulder and doing so. "Twilight!" And speaking of calling out her name, finally finding Twilight were Ash and Pinkie Pie. Thanks to the great hearing of Mew in the form of an Audino. Mew is truly a jack of all trades, minus some limitations. "Hey, guys!" She waved at them. Zorua quickly hid behind Twilight, feeling intimidated still "Sorry for worrying you." "Looks like you're A-OK. Did you get Zorua?" Pinkie asked. "I think I'll pass. After hearing and learning about Zorua." Twilight stood up as Zorua peeked her head from the side. "But, I've talked with her. I was also hit with some surprise telepathy. "Pikachu." Pikachu then went up to the Normal-Ghost-Type with his hand out as a greeting. Zorua was shy in front of Pikachu, but she took Twilight's advice. Zorua held her paw out as Pikachu gently grabbed it. A friendly aura was always radiating from Pikachu after all. Zorua felt safer around the people and Pokemon here. Far different from what she had been through. "Hello." She said to Ash and the others. "Sorry for the illusions. I understand if you don't like me and-" "Ah, no need to worry." Ash then interrupted, kneeling to her level. "Besides, you remind me of one Zorua I met. With the whole talking thing." "I do?" Zorua tilted her head. "Yeah. A good friend of mine. Plus, super good at illusions. Even if they're about me and my friends." "Pika-Pika." "You know what's not an illusion? This." Pinkie held the box of POke Puffs that hadn't been finished. Good thing the snow's not real or else that spiciness would've been all gack." She made a gag by pointing in her open mouth, giggling afterwards with Mew. Zorua was surprised to see that despite being around more humans and Pokemon and giving them illusions to terrify them earlier, they didn't hate her. They have already seen their fair share of illusions and much more horrifying forces out there. Zorua was still cautious but could stick around with them with little worry. "Maybe I could try the Pokemon at that cave? They were nice." Twilight thought for a moment until Zorua nudged her leg for attention. "Hm? Yes, Zorua? What is it?" "You said that there's someone for me. So...Am I your friend?" "You are now." Twilight picked up the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. Zorua closed her eyes, but soon realized she was not in any danger. Due to Twilight's experiences of picking up Spike, picking Zorua up was lightwork. Figuratively and literally. "And you'll find more. Somewhere in the world." "I know. But I'm not ready to go out there yet. Still scared." She whimpered as she had the tendencies of a child. But that made sense. Zorua is a child-like Pokemon. Tricky or timid. "Can I come with you instead?" "You want to come with me? Really?" Twilight's eyes widened as Pinkie Pie was ready to capture this moment with her Xtransceiver's camera function. "I like you. You remind me of Ma. Plus it's scary being alone here." "You don't have to be alone anymore, Zorua." Twilight nuzzled her before taking out a Poke Ball. She then held the catching device in front of the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. "Here. Touch this. It'll keep us together forever. Pokemon and TRainer." "Okay!" She nodded before poking her nose on it. One poke and the red light pulled her in. Twilight then held the Poke Ball in her hand, seeing it shake. Now for the result. 1...2...3...Gotcha! Hisuian Zorua was caught. After catching her, Twilight realised Zorua from her Poke Ball, deciding to let her roam free as much as she want. Zorua emerged with a constant smile instead of a frown as always. It was a sign that she was around someone with who she felt comfortable. "So. How would you like a warm place with all the food you can eat?" Twilight asked. "I'd like that. That place sounds nice." Zorua gave a chipper nod before hopping onto Twilight's shoulder, much like how Ash's Pikachu does. "Awesome stuff, Twilight." Ash gave a thumbs up before hearing his stomach growl. "Speaking of food, how about we eat some now?" "Pikachu?" "Same here." Pinkie patted her stomach. "My pony tummy's wanting a first-time experience with a human stomach." "Mew-Mew." Twilight's home. Afternoon. They had a bite to eat. Right at Twilight's home as they devoured the food that both Pinkie Pie and Delia made. This time, Zorua joined them. And this was bliss for her. Zorua had never eaten food like this before. In years really. This was all worth it as she laid on her belly. Spike went up to the Spiteful Fox Pokemon, curious about his potential new friend. "Hello there~" As for Delia, she had returned, entering the room with Mr Mime. Delia had bags of items at her disposal with Mr Mime holding even more. "We're back!" "M-Mime-Mime..." He was drained, clearly. "Welcome back, mom. Gee, that's a lot of stuff." Ash observed the abundance of bags. "Just how much money did you make?" "And what did you do to get so much?" Pinkie Pie asked. "All the credit here goes to Mimey. No one performs better on the street than a mime. Isn't that right, Mimey?" She chuckled. "Mr Mime..." Mr Mime chuckled nervously before dropping the bags. He laid on his back, wanting some rest. Everyone else laughed afterwards as Zorua looked at them. She then joined in on the laughing, finding some amusement from it. Ash and the others stayed behind at Twilight's home for a moment as Zorua got to know everyone here. She ended up forming new relationships with the beings that she feared the most. She was still afraid of humans and Pokemon, but these ones were different in her eyes. She had found a new home and a new bond with the Twilight Sparkle of this world. As for Ash, he had more to discover. The existence of Hisui and that time portal in the sky. But for now, fun was to be made as the journey continues. Chapter 589 End.