//------------------------------// // Path past the Semifinals // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Canterlot. Canterlot Stadium. Afternoon. After a stunning battle between Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, with Scootaloo emerging victorious, the last match of the quarterfinals would begin soon. It would be Sweetie Belle vs Lucky and afterwards as the final match of this bracket, depending on which one of them wins, they would have the chance to battle BigTime Ben and either will also be able to enter the semi-finals. But before that battle could happen, rushing to Celestia's side was a Canterlot Guard, having urgent news about the vampire filly Night Sprout. "Your majesty! Your majesty!" "Hm? What is it?" Celestia stood up, sensing the urgency in his voice. "Hah...hah...It's the vampire pony. Blue Moon. She combusted!" He exclaimed, breathing in and out after catching his breath. "Combusted?!" Celestia gasped along with Ash, Tobias, Pikachu and both of Celestia's Pokemon. "No way!" Ash bellowed. "Pika!" "D-Did I hear you right? You said...combusted. As in, she blew up?!" Celestia wanted to make sure that the guard was speaking the right words and sentences. "She did. Right within your magical bubble, her body suddenly blew up with a flare of magic." The guard went into further detail. "She said that she was leaving here and then suddenly, that's when the explosion happened. It was a shocking sight to see. But...there was nothing left behind." "Nothing left behind, you say..." Celestia gawked. "And she said she was leaving. In that case...she might've stayed true to what she said about her departure." "What do you mean by that, Celestia?" Ash questioned. "It must've been something that came from the Dread League in Magehold, no doubt." Celestia turned to him. "Night Sprout would've done that earlier if that wasn't the case. Show me the room." "Yes, your majesty!" "I'll be right back, Ash. Pikachu. Tobias. I just need to observe the scene." "Hold on." But before she could leave, Ash had something to add. "I've got the best way to know how it happened. I've still got a Time Flower with me." "Time Flower? Oh, right. Those special flowers. Great thinking, Ash." Celestia nodded, seeing where Ash was going. Using the Time Flower meant that they could see exactly how the scene had played out without having to guess. All it needed was Ash's Aura activation. Soon, Ash and Celestia immediately left the balcony, following the guards to one of the guest rooms that was located around this high point of Canterlot Castle. At the same time, Sweetie Belle and Lucky had entered the arena, at last, ready to battle as only one of them would have a chance to battle Ben and make it to the Semifinals. Guest room. When arriving at the guest room, Ash had placed the Time Flower on the ground. As for the magic bubble that Celestia had made, she could finally send it away as it had served its purpose. It was also surprisingly still intact despite a sudden combustion happening within it. Once the flower was placed, Ash used his Aura to activate it. A beautiful azure pulse went off, engulfing this entire room as Ash focused on Night Sprout specifically, which allowed the Time Flower to know exactly what to do. It worked perfectly since this was Night Sprout's first time here. A projection of the event that occurred minutes ago had played out, showing Night Sprout within a bubble. And to Celestia's surprise, Premium Polish was there too at that moment. She wasn't here now though. "Well, Premium. It's been pretty fun, but I've gotta go." Minutes ago, Night Sprout spoke to Premium Polish, who she had formed a small bond with after they chatted for a while, eating together as well. "Huh? But aren't you trapped here?" Premium Polish replied to her as Celestia watched closely, taking in Night Sprout's words. So far, it was all perfectly aligned with what the guard had shared. "She's right. You can't just leave, understood?" A guard spoke. "I totally can. I'm going to explode now, so see you around!" "Explode?" Premium Polish repeated as that was when the explosion happened. Just like how everypony earlier ended up being shocked by what they had seen, Ash, Celestia and their Pokemon were equally blown back by Night Sprout's body suddenly lighting up and combusting on the spot with Curse Magic blowing out. It was true to the eyes. A pony had just blown up, but not a single trace was left of her. The explosion didn't damage the bubble either as Night Sprout's body was gone. Once that happened and they each had their collective gasps, witnessing Premium Polish faint, the Time Flower ended the projection. "I see...Now I understand." Celestia commented after assessing everything the Time Flower had shown her. "Most likely...she has been taken away." "Taken away? Are you sure, your majesty?" "I'm sure. And I'm also sure that we'll be seeing Night Sprout again. She's probably returned to Magehold, but no doubt, the vampires are still out there searching for any information about Yveltal. Twilight's Castle is a prime target too." "Yeah. They'll keep coming there unless we deal with that book." Ash added. "Pikachu." "Call Twilight here immediately. We'll have a quick chat about this." Celestia ordered as the guards immediately rushed off to fetch Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of the few individuals who presumably had information about Yveltal. "And what of Premium Polish? I saw her faint in the memory." "She's back in her room, your majesty." "Good. Magehold might soon know that we're standing in their way." Celestia looked outside the window, thinking about the new threats coming her way. Not just her way but to this entire world and even the Pokemon World. Magehold. Within the dark chamber. After combusting on the spot and ending up here in one of the pods where Opal Vivacity watched over them, Night Sprout was taking a small nap, unconscious as the purple and green liquid inside of these pods started healing her. "Oh, you poor little thing. Failed and ended up back here." Opal Vivacity placed her hoof on the pod. "Finding information about Yveltal has been far harder than expected. Not even my charms have been able to make the progress any faster than it already is. But, that will be sorted out soon enough." "Opal Vivacity." Just then, calling out Opal's name and grabbing her attention was none other than Rosa Maledicta, the Lich Queen herself. Upon seeing the biggest figure in Magehold appear, Opal gasped right afters. "Q-Queen Rosa!" "Hm. Perhaps I should've given her the box since she requested it." Rosa commented, stopping in front of Night Sprout's pod. "But, I doubt it would've helped that much. Especially over at Canterlot." "It would be a big place for that box to be unleashed at. Especially with so many ponies and Pokemon." Opal replied. "Not just that." Rosa then used her magic to summon a throne of thorns, which she then sat on, raising the throne to a higher level. "Over the past 3 or 4 years, Canterlot and frankly the rest of Equestria aside from us have started to pose a greater threat. Ever since the introduction of Pokemon, they've managed to reach new heights they would've never reached before. From having these powerful creatures by their side and unlocking new boundaries of magic." "Right. It is a bit worrying. But surely, we still have a chance, don't we?" "We do. Our Curse Magic still holds weight to stand up to the new heights they've reached. However, with how things are advancing for them, this could twist and turn our chances greatly." Rosa narrowed her eyes, thinking about the future and how it could turn out. "But of course...that's why I ordered those to be built." "Hm? Ah! The weapons that'll take away their magic! Of course!" Opal exclaimed. "That's right. Such overwhelming magical power needs to be restrained. For our odds to increase, of course. Massive numbers of them are needed to get rid of all the magic. But our Curse Magic will stand strong. Opal. How long until they're completed." "Almost~" Opal whistled. "I'd say we need at least...5 months or so. That's not too long for a vampire." "Not at all. That's what I love to hear." Rosa smirked. "The Necrobeams will be our ace in the hole along with Yveltal to complete the Black Crusade. But, I already have something else in-store, just in case things go awry." "Something else? Oh, what is it? Is it possibly one of the 100 Demons?" Opal wondered. "No." Rosa shook her head before using her magic to bring over a drink. She passed another drink to Opal for her to have as they had this dark conversation. "Our third Ace-in-the-hole...shall be the Pony of Shadows." "The Pony of Shadows?!" Opal didn't even get a chance to have a drink as the glass had dropped from the shock in her voice. She then looked down, appearing visibly disappointed once her drink was spilt. "Oh...my drink." "Yes. The Pony of Shadows. He's been in hiding for too long now. And I believe that he wouldn't mind exacting revenge on the rest of Equestria." The already dark room had darkened some more as the thorns wriggled violently once Rosa let on a smile that only exuded cruel intentions. She had three powerful forces that would help her Black Crusade with one of them being a backup if things were to go wrong for the entirety of the Dread League. Yveltal. The Necrobeams and the Pony of Shadows. Canterlot. Canterlot Castle. Afternoon. "You don't have it?!" Meanwhile, back at Canterlot, once Twilight was brought over to speak to Twilight, a slightly shocking revelation had been made. "Sorry to disappoint. But, I don't have anything containing Yveltal information." Twilight Sparkle shrugged as this entire time, she didn't even have anything about Yveltal back at her castle or lab. "Nothing? I thought you would've had something, Twilight." Celestia walked over. "Well, Yveltal's not exactly a Pokemon that many would want. I can see why." The young alicorn chuckled. "I do have something about Xerneas, but you can probably guess why I could obtain that. Plus, BigTime Ben is the one who gave me a majority of the Pokemon books while some of them, I bought, so even he doesn't have anything about Yveltal." "So...Night Sprout would've failed in the end. That is a shame." Celestia added. "At least, it's a relief that we don't have to worry about your home being attacked." "You're safe and sound, Twilight," Ash said. "It could've been part two of what happened back at the Human World." "Pika-Pika." "Thanks. And we should also thank the Pokemon World for making information about Yveltal too scarce. It might be rarer than Mew. In knowledge at least. Maybe." "But it does mean that it gives the Dread Leauge a greater drive to find it," Celestia replied. "Ash. You're also a target since you have some knowledge about Yveltal after meeting with it." "Yeah. But I'm not gonna let them get anything out of me. Including Pikachu. And besides...we don't even know where Yveltal is either so there's that." "Pikachu." "Glad we sorted this problem out. But it wasn't much of a problem at all." Celestia shrugged before she and the others had their ears pick up on something. The voice of Sweetie Belle passed through this window as the battle between her and Lucky was ongoing. "Oh, the battle!" Ash went over to the window, immediately fixating his eyes back on the battle along with Twilight and Celestia. Even at this spot, they could still get a good view. "Go, Teddiursa! Night Slash!" "Teddiursa!" Sweetie Belle's Teddiursa got a chance to shine in this battle as she was facing off against Lucky's Heliolisk. "Okay, Heliolisk! Parabolic Charge!" "Heliolisk!" Heliolisk spread its frills as it then fired a blast of electricity into the air. A sphere of electricity formed above in-between Teddiursa and Heliolisk before it then shot out multiple blasts of electricity. "Above you! Go!" "Teddi!" Teddiursa would meet with the blasts of electricity, using Night Slash to do so. She swung her cute paws with the ferocity of an adult Ursaring, slashing away at the incoming blasts. Once she knocked the blasts out of the way, she continued to advance on Heliolisk. "Uh oh! Heliolisk! Dragon Rush! Quick!" "Helio!" Heliolisk immediately covered itself in a blazing blue aura that had the face of a dragon in the front. Afterwards, Heliolisk charged in with this massive aura, approaching Teddiursa. "That's a big attack!" Sweetie Belle gasped, knowing that Dragon Rush was an attack that should not be taken lightly at all. This could cost her the battle. "But, we'll power through it! Right, Teddiursa?!" "Ursa!" Teddiursa heard Sweetie Belle loud and clear as she collided with Heliolisk. Night Slash and Dragon Rush clashed, resulting in a heavy impact that let out a shockwave. Immediately, Heliolisk was starting to overpower Teddiursa, with Teddirusa trying to push back. "Come on, Teddiursa! Push through!" "Nuh-uh." Lucky shook his head. "Heliolisk's ability is Solar Power. Since it's summer and the sun's brighter than ever, all of its attacks go up, ya know. It's not just Fire-Types or even Grass-Types that benefit from this season." "Lisk!" Heliolisk beat out Teddiursa in the clash, blowing the Little Bear Pokemon back. "T-Teddi!" Teddiursa cried out, rolling on the ground before jumping back up. "I'll win this. Use Glare!" "Heliolisk!" Just then, Heliolisk unleashed its frills once more. But this time, the frills showcased a mysterious pattern that was mind-boggling to the eyes. And Teddiursa was immediately fixated on it as the pattern then flashed yellow. "Ursa?!" Teddiursa gasped as his body was instantly paralyzed by the effects of Glare. Now, he was stunned and stuck in one spot. Rarity gulped as she started huddling her hooves together, fearing that her little sister would lose this. "Okay. Let's finish this, Heliolisk! Dragon Rush!" "Helio!" Heliolisk came rushing in with Dragon Rush once more, this time at a stunned Teddiursa, who wasn't moving at all. Sweetie Belle hadn't said anything either. But that was for a good reason. "Gotcha." A cheeky smile graced her face as she already had something to reveal. "Dodge it and use Dynamic Punch!" "Teddiursa!" The second that Heliolisk came close, Teddiursa managed to evade the raging Dragon attack in the blink of an eye, zooming to the side and leaving an afterimage. Heliolisk ended up hitting no one in the process. "What?! How?!" Lucky bellowed. "Teddiursa's ability is Quick Feet! If she's hit by a status condition, her speed gets an increase!" Sweetie Belle had also revealed Teddiursa's ability, in response to Lucky doing the same for his Heliolisk. "Now, Teddiursa!" "Teddi!" Teddiursa's paw lit up with a vibrant and dazzling orange colour before she then lunged at the Generator Pokemon. "Behind you, Heliolisk! Weather Ball!" "Lisk!" Heliolisk harnessed the power of the weather before turning around. Since it was summer, Weather Ball had generated fire, forming a flaming orb. However, Teddiursa was much quicker than even Heliolisk as the Little Bear Pokemon had smashed his paw into the orb and right near Heliolisk's mouth before the Electric-Normal-Type could unleash it. "H-He!" "Teddi!" Teddiursa roared with an equal ferocity comparable to that of an Ursaring. The attack blew in front of Heliolisk's face and especially its mouth as the Generator Pokemon was knocked back after receiving that devasting blow from its fellow Normal-Type. "Heliolisk..." Heliolisk then slid on the ground before revealing to have fainted right afterwards. "Heliolisk is unable to battle! Teddiursa wins! Thus, the victor is Sweetie Belle!" "Woohoo! Score!" Sweetie Belle jumped for joy before running over to Teddiursa. "Nice, Teddiursa! You were amazing!" "Teddi!" Teddiursa jumped into the hooves over her trainer. As if she was holding an actual teddy bear plush, Sweetie Belle embraced the Little Bear Pokemon, spinning with her. "Ursa! Teddiursa!" "Guess I wasn't as lucky here. Oh well." Lucky shrugged before walking over to his partner, helping Heliolisk up. "I've got one final chance to enter the semifinals. I just have to beat BigTime Ben next." The little unicorn giggled. "Thanks for giving me a fun battle by the way, Lucky. Wish me luck." "Sure. I'll send all my luck to you." Lucky returned before trotting away. Now that the last match of the Quarterfinals was over, before they could announce the semifinals, the match between BigTime Ben and Sweetie Belle was needed due to there being one pony short. "Oh, my sister is about to be both a skilled Pokemon Coordinator and an adept Pokemon Battle." Rarity's heart melted. "These are some of the best moments in an older sister's life. Don't you all I agree?" "I'm not the oldest in my family, but I get you." Pinkie Pie agreed. "So. Who do you have winning this? My bet is on Scootaloo. She's yet to use her Z-Move, ya know." Scootaloo proudly smirked. "And when she does, it's gonna be a sure-fire win for her." "I'm picking my sister, obviously." Rarity went for Sweetie Belle. "She may not have a Z-Move, but she makes up for it with her amazing skills. Sweetie Belle stays up late, after all, learning new things each time." "What about Diamond Tiara?" Fluttershy questioned. "She did all that work for months just to beat Gelidity's Ninetales. Do you think she's been planning the same thing with them? Mainly Sweetie Belle since they're both coordinators." "If she did..." Spike pondered for a moment. "That'd be pretty scary. She does hang around with them too. But Liepard's her only personal Pokemon. The other two are from her parents." "We'll see for ourselves." Twilight had suddenly appeared, returning to her seat. She had already seen the rest of the battle from high up at the castle. "Oh, Twilight. How'd it go?" Fluttershy asked. "Well...I have a few things to share. Involves explosions and a certain Dark-Type. But...let's focus on the tournament, shall we? We're nearing the end." "Okay." The announcer spoke once again as everyone's attention was geared towards him. "That's the final match of the Quarterfinals. However. It's not over yet. We won't reach the penultimate stage yet, everypony." "Not yet? How come?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "It's probably because of how there's one pony missing." said Twilight. "I already noticed it a while ago. But there's one pony short in this tournament and Sweetie Belle won't have anypony to battle in the semifinals." "What?!" Rarity was stunned by this as her mane spiked up for a split second. "T-Then what now?! My sister can't face no one, can she?!" "Because...we'll have an extra match before the end." The announcer continued. "Sweetie Belle won this battle, thus, she has access to the Semifinals. However, since there's nopony for her t face in the semifinals, she'll have to battle an extra trainer to make it there. In fact, we won't have a Semifinals." "We won't?!" Twilight and everypony exclaimed. "Nope! Just the finals! You'll see what I mean when we get there. For now! Sweetie Belle will be facing BigTime Ben for the chance to reach the Semifinals!" "That's a great idea!" Twilight nodded in agreement. "But then...what's happening with the finals. Unless..." Twilight Sparkle thought of only one possibility. "You're gonna see what it is, ya'll." Apple Bloom, who was now sitting in the crowd alongside her big sister, already knew as she heard the information for herself. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle returned to the waiting room to have her Pokemon healed up. She was about to battle BigTime Ben so her partner needed to be back up to full strength, depending on what format this battle would be. Speaking of BIgTime Ben, he sat on the couch with Gothitelle behind him. Sweetie Belle and her friends couldn't help but wonder about his amazing strength. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Scootaloo whispered to Sweetie Belle. "BigTime Ben has a lot of Pokemon. And Gothitelle looks to be his go-to ace who can do a lot of things. So be careful, Sweetie Belle." "I know. I'm getting shivers just thinking about what he has." "Don't be too frightened my little pony." BigTime Ben replied, startling the two fillies. "You've come this far, so any opponent that stands in your way should not strike fear into you. Even with my size. Bahaha!" "You're right. But...are you strong, BigTime Ben?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Am I strong?" He put his hand on his chin before grinning. "Catching all of those Pokemon wasn't easy. That should give you a good hint on what you should expect." "Oh, he's stupid strong then," Scootaloo whispered, already guessing what BigTime Ben meant by that. "You're gonna have to go all-in for the next match. If you're lucky, the battle might be a full 6-on-6 battle." "I don't have six Pokemon though. I'm one short. But I do hope he'll give me a chance to use both Plusle and Minun. I want those two to shine in this tournament too." "Then it's settled." Once again, BigTime Ben could hear them as their whispering wasn't secretive right now. "A Double Battle it is then. Just for your Plusle and Minun. Sound good?" "Great! They'll love it!" Sweetie Belle laughed. "Let's have a good match, Mr Ben." "We will. Let's show them what we can do, Gothitelle." "Gothitelle." Sweetie Belle and Ben stared each other down as their extra battle was about to begin. This was Sweetie Belle's big chance to advance to the finals. Battling BigTime Ben. The man with Big Ideas and a Big Number of Pokemon. The climax of the Canterlot Junior Cup was approaching as the journey continues. Chapter 819 End.