//------------------------------// // Pampered Prince // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Holon Region. Holon Pyramid. Afternoon. "Delta Riolu. The Embalming Pokemon. It practices sanitizing and preserving the bodies of the deceased, showing them one final form of respect. It can even sense the Auras of those who have passed." The Pokedex of Ash had readout. He and his friends had come across a Delta Riolu. His full appearance had been shown once he moved out of the shadows. He wore a white Anubis-style garment on his head and lower body while his entire fur was now black instead of blue. The usual golden collar that could be found on its neck had been replaced, instead, going on his arms and waist. There was truly something ancient about this Pokemon compared to the rest that they've seen so far. "Oh. I think we came at a bad time here..." Applejack soon noticed where Riolu was standing and what he was doing earlier. And the Pokedex practically confirmed this. Riolu was ding just that. Facing the tomb of a long-gone Lucario. Riolu had then felt the powerful Aura that was nearby. Mainly from Ash and Applejack. But there was a third. Ash's Lucario's Aur had also been sensed. Riolu ran back into the shadows, feeling intimidated by their powerful presence. He stayed close to the tomb even when backing away. "Sorry about that little fella." Applejack chose to approach the Embalming Pokemon. Riolu gripped the tomb before noticing he was doing so. Riolu didn't want to ruin the tomb as he quickly moved his paws away. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt ya." Not wanting to give the wrong impression, Applejack held her hoof out, showing that she was welcoming. Without her knowing, her Aura was showing. Then again, Applejack couldn't see her Aura even to this day. Her vast Aura showed itself for Delta Riolu to watch. Applejack's Aura was safe to be around as any Riolu or Lucario could know this due to their amazing Aura detection. Seeing how welcoming it was, Riolu stepped forward. "Rio..." Riolu grumbled before being startled by a passing Gengar. "Rio!" "Gengar!" Gengar cackled, phasing through the walls after getting a good scare from the Embalming Pokemon. Riolu then tried running off, only to crash facefirst into the tomb he was close to. Everyone felt Riolu's pain as the Embalming Pokemon had fallen over. "A-Are you okay?!" Applejack rushed over as Audino was already prepared to use Heal Pulse. That smack on the tomb was fairly hard as Delta Riolu passed out for a moment. "Riolu..." Only for him to wake up seconds later. He blinked for a moment, noticing how Applejack, Audino and now Fluttershy were staring him down. Riolu gasped, getting back up as soon as he could. He then crossed his arms together, trying to play it off as if he was completely cool and smooth despite being startled and knocking into a tomb. "R-Riolu...!" "Sure, little guy." But Applejack didn't buy it. She's seen familiar actions and behaviour from Riolu via past experiences. Mainly with her friends. "So, right there at that tomb...where ya praying?" "Ri. Riolu." Riolu then changed his tone before facing the tomb of the Lucario. Riolu then sat down, putting his paws together, praying to the tomb of the two Lucario. Paying his respects dearly while also mumbling and whimpering a bit, it was clear to see that these two Lucario were relatively special to the Embalming Pokemon. Riolu then stood up, wiping some tears that had formed. He had finished his prayers. The bodies within had already been preserved and sanitized so there was no need for him to take action. "Those two were close to you?" Applejack asked. "Rio." Riolu nodded in confirmation, ceasing his tears. "Riolu says those were his parents." And with Fluttershy there, a simple translation was made. Those two Lucario were no far more special than previously thought. And because of this knowledge, Applejack could sympathize with Riolu, having her parents gone as well. Riolu, who previously tried acting cool after being knocked out, showed those tears once more. Applejack then patted him on the head to prevent him from fully letting all those tears out. Riolu then looked up at the earth pony, getting a better and closer feel of the Aura. "Rio?" "It's alright there, little guy. I know how ya feel." She said to the Embalming Pokemon. Riolu scrunched his face, standing tall once those tears left him. After just a few minutes with Delta Lucario and Applejack could see that he was a sensitive Pokemon to the core. Riolu then bowed his head, doing what the rest of the Lucario have done when spotting Ash and Applejack. Showing respect to such high Aura wielders. But he was also grateful to Applejack. SHowing this gratitude, the young Riolu then rushed off, continuing with its day. "That got pretty emotional there...!" Heike was then seen doing what Riolu was about to do. Spill some tears. Although, he had more time to let it all happen. Delta Treecko grabbed a handkerchief from his backpack, allowing him to wipe his tears away. "T-Thanks Treecko..." "That was nice, AJ. So if there's a Delta Riolu...Delta Lucario's somewhere here, right?" said Ash. "Those statues were pretty solid hints." "You know it. Maybe some of these Lucario were Delta." Applejack replied, navigating her head and eyes through the tomb. However, all the Lucario here seemed to be normal Sinnohan Lucario. "Only one way to find out. Let's head for the top of the pyramid." The very top of the pyramid was their next destination. The final floor and hopefully, they would have the chance to see a Delta Lucario in all its glory. Top floor of the prymaid. Speaking of which, finding the top floor first were Twilight, Espeon and Starlight before Ash and his group did. And to reach the top, they stood before a massive flight of stairs. Upon witnessing these stairs, Twilight was having a horrific flashback to King Sombra's stairs during his return to the Crystal Empire. A sense of dread met her heart as she gulped. But, now that she had wings, it wasn't a problem anymore. Although, just seeing a gargantuan flight of them was still imposing. As she, Starlight and Espeon made their upstairs, they came across what could be the final room. A throne room. Slim braziers encompassing each of the six marmoreal columns light up most of the throne hall and paint the hall a range of yellows and oranges. The paintings of vast landscapes on the embowed ceiling dance in the flickering light while sculptures of those mysterious Lucario that were suggestively Delta Lucario look down upon the stone floor of this impressive hall. Along with the statues of what looked to be a Delta Blaziken. A golden rug ran from the throne down the centre and looped back from both left and right while matching banners with embellished tufts dangle gently from the walls. Between each banner stand several tapers of various sizes, all but a few have been lit and in turn illuminate the paintings of these ancient Pokemon. And at the main throne of gold sits below a grand chandelier with a Pokemon right there. A Pokemon that resembled Torchic. Delta Torchic appeared with a red colouring instead of its usual orange colouring as a Delta Pokemon. It had a circular yellow tuft of feathers around its neck while also donning a blue and white Nemes that rested on its head. But most notably were the two green orbs on its forehead and underneath the tuft. "Torchic! Tor!" Delta Torchic suddenly cackled as surrounding this small Pokemon were bigger Pokemon. Mainly the Lucario and Espeon which weren't as big but far bigger than Torchic. The Lucario kneeled beside Torchic, holding out golden bowls of Pokemon food. "What's going on here...?" Starlight uttered as Twilight pulled out her Pokedex. "Delta Torchic. The Prince Pokemon. From birth, it has the ability to give orders to other wild Pokémon and have them obey without question. Although, compared to its Hoennian Counterpart, its fear of darkness is elevated." "A Prince, huh?" Twilight looked over, taking one step forward. And upon doing so, two Lucari had stood before her and Starlight, blocking entry to the throne room. "Oh!" "Rrr!" They didn't have any weapons that guards would usually have. Mostly because they were weapons in their own right. Steel and everything. The other Lucario have been kind and gentle but guards will always be cautious especially when someone approaches a room as important as this. "S-Sorry to cause trouble." Twilight chuckled. "But we're here with two pretty high Aura users. Eh?" She nudged one of the Lucario, trying to convince them. The two Lucario looked at each other with Twilight wiggling her eyebrow to try and persuade them. "Tor?" Torchic, who was being fed grapes via an Espeon using Psychic, noticed the arrival of Twilight, Starlight and Twilight's own Espeon. Twilight continued trying to persuade the Lucario, flipping her mane in the process. And that was enough to captivate Delta Torchic. "Torchic!" Delta Torchic was infatuated as he hopped off his golden throne just to approach Twilight. He had then ordered the Lucario and Espeon to make sure that he properly presented himself. The Lucario and Espeon did just that. The Espeon used Psychic to bring over a podium fit for Torchic while the Lucario would carry it along, supporting it so that Torchic can appear above others. Torchic then stood with pride as the Lucario carried him over to Twilight. Meanwhile, Twilight was doing a horrible job at convincing the two Lucario. They weren't buying it for a second. "Oh come on..." Twilight groaned. "How does Rarity do it?" "Espeon..." Eve sighed, slightly embarrassed with her trainer's attempt to persuade Lucario. She hid her face in embarrassment as to not look at Twilight. However, Twilight wouldn't have to continue failing at trying to persuade the Aura Pokemon to pass through. This was where Torchic came in. Once showing up at the entrance, the two Lucario Guards had stepped aside, allowing the prince to pass. Torchic stood before Twilight, ordering the Espeon to give him a glow. The many Espeon had used Psychic-Type moves to make his body shine gracefully to further exaggerate his importance. "Torchic" "Oh! Right!" Twilight, knowing that this Torchic was of royalty, quickly bowed her head to show respect. Espeon did so immediately, knowing not to be disrespectful. "Starlight...!" Twilight whispered at Starlight as she was the only one not bowing. "O-Oh! Right!" Starlight quickly got the memo, paying her respects as well. "Torchic! Torchic!" Torchic spoke as Twilight and Starlight wished they had Fluttershy with them right about now. They looked at each other as Torchic started making constant movements while speaking. Despite them not being able to understand the Prince Pokemon, they could certainly see he was speaking something of high value. "Uh...S-Sorry, your highness or, majesty. Whichever one it is." Twilight scratched her mane. "But we can't understand you. But we came here to explore the pyramid and it's been satisfying so far. It-" "Torchic!" Just then, Torchic was sent closer to Twilight with his face clashing onto the Princess of Friendship's head. Twilight was taken off guard by this before awkwardly shifting her eyes around. She wasn't sure about being this up close with Torchic. "Tor~!" However, despite her and Starlight not knowing what Torchic was saying, Espeon could. And once it all sank in, the Sun Pokemon's usually small and hard-to-tell pupils shrunk. "Esp-" But she was quickly cut off once she saw Twilight being held by the Lucario. "H-Hey!" Twilight yelped before being carried off into the throne room by the Lucario. Soon, Twilight found herself seated next to the prince's throne. Starlight and Espeon were prevented from entering via the two Lucario still being there. They weren't permitted to interrupt the process. "Twilight! Come on, let us through!" Starlight exclaimed. But the Lucario shook their heads. Twilight was then being given something new to wear. Mainly a Nemes headpiece to Torchic, but on a larger scale. They happened to have something that perfectly fit Twilight's head. Twilight blinked as she was then given golden wrist braces that were placed on her front hooves. It was all happening so fast for her to do anything. Twilight opened her mouth, trying to say something, only to have some grasp thrown in there thanks to the Espeon. Twilight became cross-eyed a moment after her new outfit was given the finishing touches with a silver dress. The Lucario then brought over a special seat exclusively for royalty that they slid under Twilight. Now Twilight Sparkle looked like another kind of princess. She exuberated a more royal appearance than her usual appearance. Twilight quickly looked at herself, facing the gold which gave off a perfect reflection to see herself. "Esp! Espeon!" Twilight's Espeon, who knew what this was about, bellowed ferociously, trying to hop over. Only for one of the Lucario to grab her tail, holding her upside down. Espeon flailed her legs, hissing at the Lucario and saying some unpleasant things that only a Pokemon would understand. However, Twilight quickly caught on without needing Espeon to give her a hint. Torchic sat proudly on his tone before gazing at Twilight with widened eyes. Twilight took everything in as she was brought over some deluxe food for her to feast on. "Oh. I get it now." Twilight nodded in understanding. "Uh, Torchic. This is nice and all..." "Tor! Torchic-Tor!" Torchic liked what he was hearing, believing that he had satisfied Twilight, making things set in stone. At least, that's what he thought. "But I'm not up for that. Not yet at least." Twilight removed the Nemes. Torchic's heart then dropped with utter shock being shot through him. "Besides, you're not my type. You're cute but...eh." She squeed. "I've already got eyes for someone anyway." "Torchic...?" Torchic's voice became weak as not even an hour, day or weeks and he had been turned down. Then again, he did rush things, but that didn't matter much to someone as young as him. Hearing that Twilight had sights on someone else, Torchic puffed his cheeks as he demanded to know. "Tor...!" Delta Torchic then used his Psychic abilities, focusing them on Twilight. Delta Torchic had this benefit as a Psychic-Type now, after all, and it was certainly effective as he started looking into Twilight's mind. Twilight saw Torchic's eyes glow as she was mainly unphased, but her memories could still be accessed. There, Delta Torchic saw the one that Twilight Sparkle had eyes for. It was revealed to be Ash Ketchum, no less. Upon seeing the Pokemon Trainer, Torchic had declared himself a new rival. The fire within him burned, still having remnants from Hoennian Torchic. "Torchic!" Torchic bellowed, declaring Ash to be a love rival, even if he and Twilight didn't see it that way. Then again, Ash was elsewhere in the pyramid "Espeon." One of the Espeon walked up to Torchic, informing the Prince Pokemon that Ash Ketchum was currently inside the pyramid. Torchic saw this as some sort of divine chance when in reality, it wasn't. "Tor! Torchic!" Torchic then shouted, ordering some of his subjects to pursue Ash Ketchum. The Lucario nodded in understanding along with the Espeon. This message was passed on to their fellow Lucario and Espeon as they all collectively went after Ash. Twilight watched them rush off as only her Espeon knew what they were saying and off to do. Having enough of this, Espen had used Dazzling Gleam around her body, blinding the two Lucario at the entrance. "Esp! "L-Lu!" The Lucario closed their eyes with their grip on Espeon. This allowed Espeon to finally pass through as Starlight also saw this chance. "Sorry!" She apologized to the Lucario once entering the throne room. The Lucario growled, promptly chasing after them both. It didn't take them that long to regain their sight. "Esp!" Espeon jumped into Twilight's hooves as Starlight quickly ran behind Twilight. The two Lucario came to a screeching halt in front of Twilight. Twilight was currently important so anything physical done to her would result in a highly upset Torchic, which may not end well for them both. "Wait! These are my friends!" Twilight held one hoof out while holding Espeon. The Lucario would still try and remove them from the throne room after their intrusion. "Tor!" But after hearing that they were associated with Twilight, the Prince Pokemon promptly ordered the two Lucario to leave it be. The two Lucario understood as they bowed their heads. They then left the room, returning to their positions as Espeon and Starlight were in the clear. "Thanks, Twilight..." Starlight sighed. "Esp! Espeon!" Espeon then looked up at Twilight, ready to let her know the news. She had exchanged a Psychic message to Twilight also using her paws and face to describe it. "What?!" Twilight gasped after being given this information on Ash's pursuit. "Torchic!" "Tor?" Torchic flashed his eyes innocently, ready to hear anything from Twilight. "You can't send them for Ash!" Except, the words Twilight gave weren't pleasant for Torchic. "I already told you, I'm not interested." "Tor?!" "Wait, what's up with Ash?" Starlight asked, currently out of the loop. "Torchic...!" Torchic was aggravated about this. But, he quickly stood with pride, believing that once Ash was out of the way, it would just be him and Twilight. Twilight wasn't having any of it. She removed the rest of the new outfit, tearing the dress off and removing her golden vanbraces. More Lucario were stationed in front of the entrance as per Torchic's order. He wouldn't allow Twilight to leave as a few Espeon had also stood there for extra protection. Twilight saw this but wasn't intimidated for a moment. She jumped out of the special seat that she was given, standing in front of Torchic. "We're leaving. Aside from the hieroglyphics, I think we've seen enough from this pyramid right now." She stated. "Tor! Torchic!" Torchic refused to have that happen. Not when he had just met Twilight, even though it was all rushed to a high degree. Already being agitated, Torchic already thought of another way through this, just to keep Twilight. Meanwhile, the Delta Riolu from before had witnessed a plethora of Lucario and Espeon rushing together. He moved to the side, allowing them to pass without hitting anything or anyone along the way. Unaware that they were after Ash, at least for the moment before asking one of the Espeon. "Ri! Riolu?" "Espeon!" "Rio?!" Riolu gasped. Ash was one of the great friends of Applejack who he had just gotten to know. And just now, one of them was already being pursued. Delta Riolu promptly started running as well, mainly to reach Applejack and the others and share this crucial information with them. But what of Applejack and her friends? They also had the same idea as Twilight's group earlier. Mainly to reach the top of the pyramid to see what it was like. But due to their direction, this allowed the Lucario and Espeon to find them much faster in this gigantic monument. Audino was the first to hear a plethora of two different footsteps. Lucario footsteps and Espeon footsteps. She stood there, wondering which direction the Lucario and Espeon were coming from. And it came from the massive flight of stairs that they all stood at. Pikachu's eyes squinted once the golden rays of the sun shined through the pyramid. He then saw blue and purple figures coming this way. "Pika?" "Audino?" "Rr!" The Lucario and Espeon had spotted their main target. Ash stood in front of his friends with Pikachu currently resting on his shoulder as always. The goal was to capture Ash Ketchumas they certainly had the numbers do so. However, the moment they got close, that's when things changed. Much like the Lucario on the lower levels, the one that had approached could feel it. The powerful Aura coming from Ash even if he wasn't actively using it at the moment. The Lucario came to a screeching halt as the sheer scale of Ash's Aura was unlike anything they had never seen or felt before. Their pursuit essentially came to an end from this. But it wasn't much of a pursuit as Ash just stood there. "Uh...What's going on?" Ash wondered. "Pika?" While the Lucario came to a halt, the Espeon, who were all behind them, bumped into their allies once they stopped. Some were confused as to why they had just suddenly stopped out in the blue. Since they were on those massive flights of stairs, some of them ended up falling over with this immediate crash. The Lucario were fine due to their sturdiness but not so much the Espeon. "E-Esp...!" The Espeon cried out before forming a massive pile of their bodies. They soon got back up, bellowing at the Lucario after crashing. They needed to know why there was a sudden halt. Unfortunately, Espeon couldn't sense Auras like Lucario could, so the immense pressure that Ash was giving off was lost to them. "Lu..." Once face to face with Ash's Aura and feeling how both powerful and pure it was, the Lucario chose not to capture him. Delta Riolu had shown up, easily catching up since the group had slowed down and come to a halt. "Rio?" "Oh, it's you, little guy!" Applejack noticed Delta Riolu's arrival. Delta Riolu gained a smile on his face, happy that Applejack was alright along with her friends. He then did a high front flip from the stairs, going over the many Lucario and the Espeon. He then landed in front of Applejack, pulling off that stylish front flip successfully. Ash and the others applauded his stunt due to its flawless nature. Riolu then took a bow. But the tone shifted once Riolu started spouting out the reason for him being here. "Ri! Rio!" "What's he saying?" Ash asked. "He's saying...they're here to capture you?" Fluttershy translated, aiming her hoof at all of the Lucario and Espeon here. However, the Lucario quickly shook their heads afterwards. "Oh wait. They're not here to capture now." "Eon!" But the Espeon soon counteracted it by chiming in. "Espeon." "But they are now. At least the Espeon." Fluttershy shifted her eyes, looking at the two species. "Oh my. I hope I don't get confused." "Rrr!" The Lucario refused to capture Ash solely from his powerful Aura. Disrepsting Aura that immense was not tolerable, even under the orders of royalty. However, the Espeon didn't share that powerful Aura link as they were determined to fulfil Prince Torchic's wish. Due to this cash of decisions, the Aura Pokemon and Sun Pokemon ended up being at odds. They even split away from each other. One side chose to be beside Ash while the others on the side of Torchic. Before Ash and his friends knew it, they were caught in a great discourse within the pyramid. "Now what?!" Applejack exclaimed. "How come ya'll are acting like this!" "I think we might be in the midst of a Civil War!" Heike figured out that a civil war between the Lucario and the Espeon had been born and might escalate. "What's a civil war...?" Ash was thrown out of the loop, unaware of the civil war concept as he scratched his hair. "That's not important now, Ash. What's more important is what's happening now!" Fluttershy focused solely on the first thing that came to mind once this civil war emerged. Solving this issue. It wouldn't be brand new to her. She had once helped the Pikachu Highlands sort their civil war out so this wasn't too out there thankfully. However, the circumstances may be different and the driving force behind it, Prince Torchic was far past simple bickering. This civil war between Lucario and Espeon would soon commence as Prince Torchic and Twilight Sparkle were also having some discourse that had yet to be resolved. Whilst all of this occurred, the same Pokemon that stood atop the pyramid in mystery, showing off its glowing green eyes from above and below, was most definitely watching this. Time would tell how this would go as the journey continues. Chapter 702 End.