//------------------------------// // Phione Watching // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Canterlot. The Pokemon School. Day. Today at the Pokemon School, lessons were ongoing of different varieties for different Trainer occupations. Such as the class of a famous Ghost-Type Gym Leader. "Plusle! Minun! Discharge!" Currently, Sweetie Belle was practising with her Pokemon for future Pokemon Contests. She and her friends were at the Pokemon School. Tutoring her was a Pokemon Contest expert and one of the teachers here. Fantina. Gym Leader of Sinnoh. Plusle and Minun, always in sync, generated a mixture of yellow and blue electricity from their bodies in the form of flares. "Good stuff you two!" "Those Electric-Type moves have gotten better. And brighter..." Apple Bloom squinted her eyes from the extreme brightness that emitted from the two Cheering Pokemon. Last-minute preparations were being made before the eventual Pokemon Contest. "Okay! Snack time." Afterwards, Sweetie Belle held up a box of Pokemon Food for them to feast on. Afterwards, the rest of her Pokemon had been sent out to eat. Once they emerged, they immediately circled Sweetie Belle, overwhelming her a bit, eager to eat. The only one not doing so was Meowstic, who stayed away. "Great work today, Sweetie Belle." Fantina applauded. Fantina's class focuses on Pokemon Contests more than anything that just so happens to have a Ghost-Type theme. The only ponies not too interested in them were Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Scootaloo enjoyed watching them and cheering her friend on but would most likely never partake in one. Apple Bloom was just there for the show. "Thanks, Ms Fantina. I think I'm ready for the contest next week. I've got all of this to work on." She then revealed a notebook that was almost as big as her, placing it on the floor as it made a loud thud. "Right here." "Oh?" Fantina kneeled, noticing the array of words in this notebook. "What's this for?" "I've been watching a lot of my friends and their Pokemon Battles. And I've got some inspiration for Pokemon moves here and there. There were so many of them, I had to write them down." Sweetie Belle explained. "Can you remember all of them? Or even pull them off, peut-être?" "No need to worry. I stayed up all night remembering each trick that they pulled off. Even from our enemies. Like that one Gardevoir." She grinned while showing the bags underneath her eyes. "See? I do it a lot. Helps me get ahead of the curve sometimes. "Oh, précieuse Sweetie Belle." Fantina sighed. "Your colossal love for Pokemon Contests is one to adore but your limits are not. Take it easy on yourself, s'il te plaît?" "Okay. I'll try." She giggled. "But with all of this training, I want to do more. Is there something else you have for me, Ms Fantina?" "Hmm..." Fantina thought for a moment, pondering what could be next. "You are moving too fast, Sweetie Belle. No shame in slowing down. There might be a lot you can pass by without a proper pace." She wagged her finger. "I...guess so..." Sweetie Belle responded, nodding slowly. "We could always head over and see what Ash is doing for inspiration." Scootaloo slid in with her recommendation being thrown in Sweetie Belle's direction. "Yeah but...we've done that a lot." Sweetie Belle, while liking the idea, turned it down as it had been done before. Due to her friends and herself being huge fans of Ash, it would stand to reason that they have already seen a lot of Ash. Something fresh and exciting was on her mind. "Ah. There is one thing that most Pokemon Coordinators look to!" That was when Fantina sprouted something. An idea at last. "Do you know about the Mythical Pokemon Phione?" "Phione?" Her friends said in unison, leaning forward. To better demonstrate, Fantina pulled out her Rotomphone promptly. On the phone, she had searched for results that were focused on Phione and some image results came up. "This Pokemon right here." She showed the image to them. The CMC then took out their Pokedexes immediately, aiming them at the image on the phone. "Phione. The Sea Drifter Pokemon. A Pokémon that lives in warm seas. It inflates the flotation sac on its head to drift and search for food. It always returns to where it was born, no matter how far it may have drifted." "Hmm...Kinda looks like Manaphy a bit doesn't it?" Apple Bloom observed, noticing the striking similarities between Phione and Manaphy. Although, Phione seemed to have slight differences and a slightly higher height advantage than Manaphy. "The next thing to go for, my little ponies, is Phione Watching!" Now Fantina truly had their attention. "Right at Chocovine Town in the Sinnoh Region. A lot of Phione migrate to that town. "What's Phione Watching?" asked Scootaloo. "An old saying in Chocovine Town. 'Good luck smiles down on those who spot the Phione.' Not just for Pokemon Coordinators, but Trainers, Gym Leaders such as myself and more. Phione's blessings are plentiful." "So we can get some of those blessings too!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other. "Right on time too. There should be some Phione at Chocovine this time of year. Every year they swarm there. If there was ever a chance, now is the time to seize it and catch a glimpse of Phione." "Will this help me a lot with my Pokemon Contests then?!" "It's just a nice way of gaining some blessings that will stick with you, little Sweetie Belle. The rest is up to you. But, having Phione's blessings is never a bad idea, vous voyez." "Then we have to go and see it!" Ecstatic, Sweetie Belle jumped, holding onto Fantina's dress and staring her in the face. Fantina was slightly overpowered and overwhelmed by this. "It's mostly Pokemon Coordinators, right?!" "S-Si...But it was just a recommendation." Fantina chuckled, surprised at how ferociously determined Sweetie Belle was about this. But that just showed her absolute love for Pokemon Contests as a whole. "A trip to Chocovine is due then." "Yes! Phione, here we come!" Pumping her hoof into the air, Sweetie Belle along with her friends were raring to go. It was off to Chocovine Town in the Sinnoh Region. Sinnoh Region. Chocovine Town. Afternoon. Chocovine Town. A bustling port town located southeast of Snowpoint City. Known as 'The town of great people coming and going'. Fittingly, this place also had a Contest Hall, only adding to the Phione migrating. And just as Fantina said, the Phione Watching event was today. Mainly due to the Phione objects that were littered everywhere. As a result, Phione-themed merchandise, such as dolls T-shirts, and candies, were spotted around this town in seemingly every spot. There was a Phione Cellphone strap, a Phione book cover, mask, jacket and so much more. "Wow...You said the Phione just migrate to this town...I didn't think you meant that everyone loves Phione." Scootaloo watched in awe. "Did I not say that? Oh well. Much like that recent Arceus Museum that was made, the people here adore Phione." Fantina explained as she quickly stopped walking the moment some of her fans showed up. She stopped to be shot by the cameras, posing with the CMC nervously grinning. "You won't find a single Pokemon here that is more popular than Phione. I suppose there are places in our world where there is a fan favourite Pokemon, droite?" "If I had a town or city of my own, my go-to popular Pokemon would be..." Sweetie Belle was about to announce a Pokemon, only for her to flatline, unable to choose one since she has so many fan favourites. "Um...Not sure, really. What's a Pokemon everypony goes crazy for?" "It's a tie between Pikachu, Gardevoir and sometimes Darkrai." Apple Bloom chimed on. All three of them are popular enough in Equestria, right?" "I would've chosen Lucario but you guys have gotta great picks too." Scootaloo had her personal favourite. Ash's Lucario to be exact. "Isn't there a place like that already?" said Sweetie Belle, referring to the Lucario Kingdom that could also be found in the Sinnoh Region as discovered by the 18 Realms and their doors. "Now, my little ponies." Fantina turned to the three fillies. "Phione Watching only happens at night. Unless you're ready for that, your family and friends may be worried about you and-" "Done! We'll tell them!" They already had their Xtransceivers out in the open. They were willing to stay here for the rest of the day until nightfall, just to see a certain species of Pokemon. Such is the determination of a Pokemon Trainer. Fantina couldn't help but chuckle, admiring the young confidence and will exuberating from this equine youth. "Well, then! In the meantime, here are 80,000 Poke Dollars!" Revealing that she was carrying an overwhelming stack of currency, she held out some Poke Dollars for the ponies. "If you feel like buying something Phione related, go on ahead. Don't forget to buy food and drinks too." "We won't forget! Thank you, Ms Fantina!" They each took the currency as Fantina had her own plans. She wanted to see Phione much like everyone else, but with how some of her fans were here, she wouldn't mind showing off as always. As for the CMC, until nightfall comes, they could have a blast here as much as they want. A worthy field trip indeed. Immediately upon their venture through this town, they had pressed their faces on a glass container that held some ravishingly appealing food. Their faces then slid on the glass before finding something that looked better. They ended up buying the food to fill their stomachs with joy along with their Pokemon. After that, they feasted, devouring the food without any signs of slowing down. But due to this rapid eating, they each felt sick with their Pokemon being there to comfort them. Afterwards, they went off to spend their Pokedollars on something else. A Phione Rollercoaster. They greatly enjoyed themselves on this rollercoaster, only to feel sick once more as Apple Bloom had passed out from the overwhelming speed, only to wake up minutes later. Then, they decided to take things easy for a bit, stopping by a spot where some people were watching a Pokemon Baccer match on TV. This caught the interest of the three fillies as this was their first time witnessing a new sport. "What's that?" Scootaloo asked. "Yeah. What's with all the kicking and spinning? "Apple Bloom squinted. Is this a Pokemon Battle?" "This is Pokemon Baccer." A lady wearing a comically large Phione hat replied, pointing at the TV. It's a common sport here in our world. Only the 3rd most popular with the Pokemon Leagues being the most popular of them all, Pokemon Contests being the 2nd most popular." "And right now, it's the Cianwood Greens against the Coronet Fighters!" A man who was clearly a massive fan of the sport shouted with excitement, wearing clothing of his personal favourite team, the Coronet Fighters. "Come on, Luxio, get it in there!" The CMC had something else to look forward to eventually, showing how limitless the Pokemon World is with its constant activities with no end in sight. Nightfall. Eventually, nightfall had come. And at this time, everyone in the town stopped what they were doing to focus on one spot. The docks where most of the sea could be seen. That was where they would spot the Phione. They all gathered there or even went into their homes to look outside from the windows. But the best way to see the Phione was via a submarine. The CMC and Fantina chose to take the submarine, along with a few others. Once inside, the submarine had submerged, entering under the sea. "Let's get a gander at these Phione. How many do you think will be there?" Scootaloo asked. "It's a Mythical Pokemon so...maybe just 4 or 5?" Sweetie Belle answered, focusing on how rare Mythical Pokemon are considered to be. "Or maybe there's way more than we think." "Enjoy the ride, girls," said Fantina. "You're in for a surprise. I'd like some blessings of myself, honestly." As the submarine moved, many Water-Type Pokemon could be seen. Starting with Lumineon and soon Finneon. The two species parted ways, allowing for the submarine to continue without any obstacles. Then, moving at a quicker pace was Mantine. It zoomed forward before jumping over the submarine, entering the surface for a bit and dragging rain droplets with it before re-entering the sea. A Dewgong had brushed the submarine, making faces at the people and ponies inside. Scootaloo did the same to try and play along as the Dewgong then later left. An ancient view was given in the form of a singular Relicanth. One of the oldest Pokemon. And the girls found out about this when using their Pokedexes. "Relicanth. The Longevity Pokemon. Relicanth is a Pokémon species that existed for a hundred million years without ever changing its form. This Pokémon’s body withstands the enormous water pressure of the ocean depths. Its body is covered in tough scales that are like craggy rocks. This ancient Pokémon feeds on microscopic organisms with its toothless mouth. Thought to have gone extinct, Relicanth was given a name that is a variation of the name of the person who discovered it." "Relicanth." And they found this out when Relicanth had also brushed on the submarine. By brushing on it, a horrible scraping sound much worse than nails on a chalkboard had been made, causing everyone to grimace as Apple Bloom dropped to the floor. The submarine also received a dent as Relicanth swam away. Luvdisc swam by to ease this distress. Couples that were already in love had witnessed Luvdisc, overjoyed that their relationship would last forever after seeing this love-bringing Pokemon. There was even the sight of a Pokemon Battle to bring further entertainment. A battle between Starmine and Floatzel to be exact as they were both using Swift with a massive array of stars being thrown, lighting up the sea. Yes, it was a worthwhile submarine ride to see all of this. But the main attraction was about to show itself at last. A blue sparkle in the distance could be seen, grabbing everyone's attention. They gasped as two more sparkles had been seen moving out from the first one. Then more showed up. "Oh! Is this it?!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, prancing on the spot. And it certainly was it. Phione had shown up. Ten of them in total. They spiralled in the direction of the submarine for everyone to catch a glimpse. Not only did they get to see Water-Type Pokemon and the interactions that came with them, but the Mythical Pokemon Phione had been found. Quite a few as well. "Phione!" The CMC gasped as one Phione went up to the window, staring them in the eyes. "Phi! Phione!" Phione giggled before swimming away. More of them passed by the windows as everyone's blessings and what they wished for were bound to come their way. "Oh! There are so many things I wanna wish for!" Sweetie Belle then pulled out a surprisingly overwhelming that threw her friends back. It went above and beyond just the notebook and it was a shocker that it fits in her saddlebag. "Okay uh...I want an extra-large Pokemon Ribbon for the next contest I win. Just so that I can have the only one in existence. A special Poke Ball that no one else knows about or even has and a jacuzzi! Way better luck at the Pokemon Contests and..." "Oh, let me try!" Scootaloo raised her hoof while Sweetie Belle started listing everything off. "I want a massive collection of Pokemon and Rainbow Dash collectables from across both worlds! It's already super easy to find ones about Ash and I've got a bunch of them! And I want a gazillion Master Balls too! And better luck at the Pokemon League!" "All I want is that rare apple that suddenly vanished so many years ago." Apple Bloom made a silly facing, her own wish. "Just to have that juicy feeling." "Oh but most of all..." The CMC then focused on one unified wish. Something that they wanted more than anything as they said it at the same time. "Can you keep both worlds together forever?!" The wish that they all desired. A way to keep both their world and the Pokemon World connected so that they never leave. They then leaned forward, hoping Phione would give it to them. But all Phione did was giggle before swimming away, circling the rest of the submarine. "I-Is that a yes...?" Scootaloo wondered. "You never know." Fantina chuckled. There wasn't a clear answer. Phione never makes things easy for anyone to know if it had given them their blessings. It just acts playful and moves on. But, as they continued watching, something else of great interest had captured their eyes. All of the Phione looked like their standard selves, yes. But one Phione stood out as seen by Sweetie Belle first. This one Phione had something glowing around and inside its body. It even looked transparent a bit. Soon, the ones managing the submarine noticed it as did everyone else. "Hey. What's up with that Phione?" Sweetie Belle asked as the submarine decided to move in close to that one glowing Phione. Once close, they could get a better look, the CMC and even Fantina noticed what this glow was as they had witnessed a glowing orb within Phione that was giving this light. "Rift Energy?!" Apple Bloom shouted. Indeed, this one Phione had Rift Energy apart of its body. Once closer, they saw that this Phione appeared to be slightly bigger than its fellow Phione. Not by much. The singular Phione then turned around, meeting with the submarine and everyone on it. Afterwards, the inside of its stomach had opened up, freaking everyone out at this eldritch sight. Speaking of eldritch, indescribable tendrils flew out of Phione's stomach, grabbing onto the submarine with a powerful grip. "Phione..." "W-What's happening?! What's going on?!" Scootaloo screeched as the submarine was shaking. Fantina quickly grabbed the three fillies, preventing them from falling over. Everyone on the submarine was starting to freak out, unsure of why this was happening. And immediately after, the tendrils had pulled the submarine in, allowing them to enter Phione. Once it had gone inside, Phione's stomach had closed as if nothing had happened. The Rift-powered Phione then turned around, facing its kin. The other Phione were appalled. The Rift Phione then swam away, moving to deeper waters. Inside of Phione. "Gah!" Scootaloo gasped, opening her eyes after that unexpected rush. Everyone else felt everything calm down as if nothing crazy had occurred. "W-W-W-What just happened? What was that all about?! And where are we?" "We seem to be inside of Phione," Fantina observed. They all found themselves within Phione. Something no one would ever expect. What's more than this, the appearance of it was bizarre. It was a labyrinth of all things. Or rather a sanctuary. Or a quadrant? It was hard to say considering how disconnected it all was. Either way, a Phione would never harbour this, only something influenced by Rift Energy could. But it all didn't seem dangerous so far. They observed the area as they could also see floating orbs. And within these floating orbs, words were all of them. Specifically, blessings that others had given. Apple Bloom noticed her blessings along with Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and soon everyone else. They also saw other blessings pass by that they had never heard about. "What does this all mean, Ms Fantina?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Hm-hm. All of that écrasante Rift Energy has used one of Phione's purposes and turned it into this. Every blessing that we give Phione is found here. Maybe old blessings from the earlier days of our worlds crossing over. Or even before that." Fantina explained in the best way possible. "Phione must have pulled us in here for a reason. Mais quoi?" Just then, the submarine came to a halt as the people managing it noticed how there was n water here. They decided to open the hatch, discovering that the air here was breathable. Clouds of dust fill the air, it tickled their eyes and lungs with every breath and obstructs their vision from the brightness. Only for a bit. A sense of relief takes over as they realize this world might be safe to venture into further. "It's safe to come out!" The captain commandeering the submarine said to everyone through the speaker. Once gaining this knowledge, they all followed. Their curiosity had already been grabbed anyway. Uncharted territory as far as the eye can see once they left the submarine, but safety still came first, it is a strange new world after all inside of a Phione. A pristine landscape awaits them and was theirs to explore and mainly looked at these orbs. They couldn't help but marvel at this sight. It was as if getting swallowed up by that Rift Phione was a blessing in its own way to come and witness this wonder. But then, one of the orbs got closer. And the curiosity of one person expanded to the point where they wanted to touch it. "Hm. I wonder..." He raised his hand, poking at one of the orbs. Specifically, an orb that had the wish of making a scientific breakthrough. After touching it, the orb had wobbled before shooting a bright wisp at the man. The wisp passe through his forehead, making him freeze all of a sudden. Afterwards, he regained his composure before spinning without his control. With a spin, he then appeared in a different outfit. A scientific one. It was as if touching the orb rearranged a few things. "Woah! When did this happen?!" He gasped as everyone had noticed this sudden transformation. " "What just happened?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I think it was from those orbs. That one said a scientific breakthrough and he touched. Then that happened." Scootaloo explained. "Does this mean...?" "Oooh..." Others were curious as they started touching the orbs. Mainly the younger ones. Upon touching them, the blessings that many had made been transferred to them all. All of these wishes varied while some had slight similarities. They were surrounded by objects or being given new appearances as these collisions morphed the area too. It was a certified spectacle as the CMC couldn't help but do the same, running to the nearest orbs they could find. But Fantina quickly grabbed them, holding them close. "Oh! Slow down, my little ponies!" "Aw, but we wanna touch them!" They groaned. "I know, I know. But let's be cautious here. The first thing on my mind is...how are we going to leave here?" Fantina was the only one truly focused on leaving. And she was right to focus on it as no clear exit could be seen in this massive collection of structures. A venture to see the Phione ended in success but also transformed into this. The result of a Rift Phione swallowing them up and showing what lies within. Blessings of those that have just now come and those that have gone. Whether it was safe or dangerous was unknown. But that was for them to find out and for Phione to know as the journey continues. Chapter 688 End.