//------------------------------// // Remnants of the Past // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Unova. Mistralton City. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon. "Victini!" Making a surprise arrival at the Pokemon Festival for a second time were Victini and Meloetta. This was the second Pokemon Festival they've joined despite it being the third. They had reunited with Ash, finding him here at Mistralton City. "Melo!" "Oh! Victini! Meloetta!" Ash exclaimed, happy to see two of his mythical friends once again. He immediately embraced them both with a hug. The three of them laughed as Pikachu ran over to join the group. "Great to see you!" "So it is Victini and Meloetta..." Hilda's jaw had dropped as Meloetta made a cheeky smile, grinning at Twilight. Twilight responded with an unimpressed expression as she and Meloetta were close rivals. Victini was just happy to see Ash again before then holding hands with Pikachu and dancing about. "For real?!" Meanwhile, Hilbert got out of the lake after being pushed into it by Victini. He shook his head as Emboar and Hydreigon rushed to his side. Emboar immediately used Flamethrower on Hilbert's face, cooling him off but also leaving his face a smoking mess "Kah...Thanks, Emboar." "Emboar." "Who are those two?" Sci-Twi immediately took out her Pokedex to observe these two Mythical Pokemon. The data on them both had been gathered instantly with Sci-Twi learning all the unique things about these two Psychic-Types. "Should've known you'd show up for another Pokemon Festival," Ash said to them. "And on the first day too. Sweet." "You're friends with both of them? Lucky..." Hilda commented on Ash's relationship with them both. "Mhm. We're both good friends. I've got a lot of stories to tell with both of 'em." "Man...wish I had a Victini on my side." Hilbert pouted before leaving the lake, completely dry thanks to Emboar. He soon returned both his Pokemon. "A Pokemon that grants victory to all...No way." Sci-Twi, meanwhile, had just finished learning about their dex entries and the one that surprised her the most was Victini's. "Yes way," Twilight added. "All Victini needs to do is affect you with its power and you can overcome anything. It's not just with Pokemon Battling either. Isn't that right, Ash?" "That's right. Victini can make anything better. No one has a power like Victini." Ash fist-bumped Victini. "Tini!" "Hmmm...So, this Victini's wild, right?" Hilbert slid over, looking at Victini for a moment. "If that's the case..." "You'd better not be thinking what I think you're thinking, Hilbert." In the blink of an eye, as swiftly as Hilbert slid over to Victini, Hilda appeared just as swiftly behind him. "You're not thinking of catching Victini, right?" "Gh! W-Well, it was just a thought!" Hilbert chuckled. "Besides, it's a wild Pokemon, so what's the big deal?" "Victini here prefers to stay wild," Ash explained. "But it's not afraid to hang out with others. Not anymore when I first met Victini back at Eindoak Town. "Victini!" "Ah, whatever. There's still the Victini in my world. I'd love to meet it someday." Hilbert shrugged. "You're only going for Victini just to get past Leon," Hilda said, making Hilbert stagger. "So much for being number one." "Leon? What's up?" Ash asked. "He calls himself number one but he hasn't beaten Leon yet," Hilda explained. "Not sure why if there's one obstacle he can't get through." "He's tied with me as number one, obviously." Hilbert made up a new rule. "I haven't battled him yet so we're even. All I gotta do is beat him once and then I'll be the only number one trainer in the world!" "That's not how it works, Hilbert! You can't call yourself the best unless it's under a tournament!" Hilda roared while Hilbert kept his proud expression. "That's how it works back at Nuvema Town."Hilbert then gave a thumbs up as Ash and the others laughed at this amusing exchange. "Then...by that default, I'm number one!" Hilda shouted out, causing Hilbert to immediately made a sharp turn with his eyes building out. "What?!" "You beat me once and I beat you once. How's that, number one?" Hilda smirked, using Hilbert's own rule against him. "Gah! T-That's..." Hilbert's hand trembled, trying to think of a smart response whilst Hilda had a smug look on her face, finally trapping Hilbert. "So what about the Tug of War game? Is it over? What happened to best of three?" Sci-Twi asked. "Dracovish destroyed the entire rope, so that's game." Twilight picked up the remaining rope with her magic. "Lucky us, right? It pays to have a such a rare Pokemon our side. We would've probably won in a few seconds though if Victini were here earlier. The power of a Mythical Pokemon is special. Oh and uh, Meloetta too, I guess." "Melo...!" Meloetta growled at Twilight. "This is cool and all but...I really wanna meet up with an Elite 4 Member now." Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves. "Maybe Victini can fix that...or Meloetta can pull any one of them in with her voice. Or something like that, I don't know." "You're looking for an Elite 4 Member?" The employee of the Tug of War game commented. "Well, you showed up to the right place. There's one currently here." "Really?!" Rainbow Dash moved at the speed of sound, leaving behind a shockwave as she got in the face of the employee. Her attention was fully grabbed. "Where?!" "A-Ah...well, she's doesn't prefer having the Elite 4 title attached to her name. That's what she told us anyway." The employee stammered. "She's still a member either way. You can find her near Mistralton Tower." "Doesn't prefer it...?" Ash immediately started pondering. That kind of preference sparked a memory in him. "Hang on...Could it be Bertha? But she's from the Sinnoh Elite 4." "Sinnoh Elite 4? But this is Unova." Hilbert said. "This is the Pokemon Festival. It doesn't matter who's where. Especially with all these options." Someone had replied to Hilbert. Right on cue, the lady of the hour had shown up. Drawn to all the noise that was happening at this very spot, it was only matter of time until she showed up. Bertha of the Sinnoh Elite 4. "Plus...I enjoy getting out like this from my own region sometimes." Bertha added. "Ah...well...good point." Hilbert couldn't argue against it. "Look at this. Isn't this an interesting lineup?" Bertha admired the colourful lineup of characters. That involved the two Mythical Pokemon that were hiding behind Ash. "It is Bertha!" Ash cried out. "Hello, Ash." Bertha greeted "How long has it been? Judging from how we both look, probably not that long." "It feels pretty short but it's not. Weird, huh?" Ash laughed right afterwards. "I've heard you've been moving up in the world recently, Ash. Congratulations on becoming Alola's first champion and reaching the Pokemon World Coronation Series." "Hmmm...I was planning to battle one of the Unova Elite 4 first, but oh well. I'll take this instead." Rainbow Dash flew over to the Elite 4 Member. "Hey there. This year's Pokemon Festiva allows us to challenge Elite 4 Members. So, I wanna challenge you, please." "Hm-hm. You do. Well, give me some time." Bertha turned around. "Huh? Give you some time?" Rainbow Dash pulled back. "Yes. I for one enjoy the Pokemon Festival and what it has to offer. It's only been three years since it's been introduced but the enjoyment of it is too vast. I'd like to have some fun before I battle. Please understand, my little pony." "Aw....but I was so pumped!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Such is the law of Pokemon Battling, my student!" Hilbert exclaimed, walking up to Rainbow Dash. "We all need some downtime, don't we? I know you totally do after I beat you back at Castelia." "Yeah...I remember. And I'm not your student." Rainbow Dash grizzled her teeth. "We'll battle after one thing. A great meal. Here at Mistralton, there's a buffet and no one wants to miss out on that." said Bertha. "Buffet?!" Ash's eyes lit up after hearing that. "Say no more! Let's do that first!" "Yeah! Let's!" Hilbert was just as excited along with the others. There was an array of food waiting for them. Bertha would lead the way, but the scent of this food would attract them very soon. "Lots of food sounds too good to pass up." Ash turned to Victini and Meloetta, encouraging them to come along. Victini was all for some food. "There might be some macarons there." "Tini?" Victini gasped. That was Victini's favourite and that prompted the Victory Pokemon to get involved. Of course, Victini would look at the other options there. Meloetta would already go along just for Ash. Indeed, there was a long table filled with a large array of food of all kinds. The perfect combination of Quality and Quantity. There was something for everyone as the food sparkled, showing off its freshness. Food for humans, ponies and Pokemon. It was beautiful to the eyes. "Mmm! Hey there! You made it!" And feasting on this buffet along with others was none other than Pinkie Pie. She was eating alongside her Pokemon before waving at Ash and the others. "Knew you would make it in time for this." "Look at all of this..." Hilbert rubbed his hands together. "A meal fit for number one!" "You got here before us, Pinkie?" Ash said before sitting down. "Lucky...you've probably already had some of the best things here." "I have but everything else is just as good. Try it out!" "Will do!" Ash went in, not wasting anymore time. Everyone sat down to have a meal but not before sending out the rest of their Pokemon. Hilbert sent out his Emboar, Braviary, Hydreigon which were already known. And the remaining three ended up being Volcarona, Zebstrika and Carracosta. Hilda revealed her last three Pokemon, which where Reuniclus, Whimsicott and a female Jellicent. Bertha would only slightly involve herself in this buffet, eating one thing at the time. But everyone else just went crazy. Even some of the most gentle and civilized individuals can't help but lose manners in the face of their favourite foods. "Togekiss?" During this feast, Togekiss paused for a moment, looking over at Hilbert's Carracosta. Immediately after seeing Carracosta, Togekiss was reminded of her adopted father, who was also a Carracosta. She was about to rush over, but soon remembered that not every Carracosta was her Carracosta, even if she's only seen three of them. "Toge..." "Mien. Mienfoo!" Mienfoo poked Emboar's leg, grabbing his attention. "Emboar?" Emboar looked down with his mouth full. "Foo! Mienfoo!" Mienfoo wanted a rematch. An immediate rematch. She wanted payback against Emboar for taking her down in just two hits. The Martial Arts Pokemon did some shadow boxing to show that she wouldn't let herself go down as quickly as before. "Mien!" "Emboar." Emboar didn't feel like fighting right now. He was only enjoying the food and stuffing his stomach. The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon preferred that Mienfoo relaxed for a bit. And he did so by shoving some food in Mienfoo's mouth. "Mien-" Mienfoo was stunned once the food entered her mouth. She was ready to retaliate, only for the food to resonate with her. "M-Mien?" She chewed on it for a bit as the taste had wiped away any frustrations that Mienfoo currently had. SHe closed her eyes, savouring this holy taste. "Mienfoo..." "Mew? Mew!" Mew and Victini had met each other for the first time. This was another Mythical Pokemon for Mew to get to know since he doesn't know many aside from his fellow Mew, Mewiw and Darkrai. "Victini!" Thus, they created a new way for Psychic-Types to greet. Mew and Victini touched their paws and fingers, creating a spark of Psychic energy, similar to how the Electric Rodent Family greets each other. By exchanging their respective energies. "Tini!" Hisuian Zorua was hiding inside of Sci-Twi's bag from start to finish. The Pokemon Festival was overwhelming with so many people, ponies and Pokemon around. She was being fed inside of the bag, staying away from anyone's sight. However, she poked her head out of the bag just for one Pokemon. Earlier during the Tug of War Game, Hisuian Zorua noticed Hilda's Zoroark. Zoroark got her her attention, prompting Zorua to sneak out of the bag and creep up on Zoroark. Regional form or not, this was still a friendly face she could trust. "Zo..." Zoroark was too into the food to notice that Zorua was creeping up on him. It wasn't until that Hisuian Zorua stopped right in her tracks. "Rr?" "Hello." Hisuian Zorua nervously greeted her evolved form from another region. Zoroark looked at Hisuian Zorua before having his eyes expand. He had never seen this form of Zorua before, but he recognized the species. "Z-!" Zorua almost choked on his food, startled by Hisuian Zorua's appearance. He started beating on his chest, grabbing the nearby berry juice and drinking it. "Zo..." "Sorry about that!" Zorua apologized to giving Zoroark such a scare. "Zoroark..." Zoroark took a deep breath before sitting down, saving his own life. "That Zorua of yours...I'm surprised to see such a rare variant of it." Bertha spoke, spotting Hisuian Zorua. "You know about Hisuian Zorua?" said Sci-Twi in response to Bertha. "I do. My family knows quite a lot about the Pokemon of the past. Especially me. I would've never thought I'd see a Hisuian Pokemon, however...come here." Bertha held her arm out, asking Zorua to come over. "I don't think Zorua is-" But much to Sci-Twi's surprise, Zorua came over. She wasn't afraid of Bertha at all, catching Sci-Twi off guard. Hisuian Zorua felt a sense of safety when looking at Bertha. This sense of safety allowed her to get closer. "No way!" "This is the same case as those Alpha Pokemon, yes?" Bertha stared scratching Zorua's chin, already knowing what to do to get friendly with the Spiteful Fox Pokemon. "Time is acting up again." "You're not the only one with a Pokemon that comes from a long time ago." Pinkie Pie said to Sci-Twi. "How lucky am I to have a Mew? And we're friends with a second Mew and soon all of them!" "Mew!" "Since you know a lot about the past, Bertha, do you know about a witch?" Ash asked, bringing up the topic of the mysterious witch from a week ago. "A witch? Hmm..." Bertha pondered for a moment. "I've heard that long ago, there used to be a witch in Hisui. But she originally came from Unova, legends say." "Originally from Unova?" Sci-Twi repeated. "Well, that would make sense on why she was there." "They say that she had green hair and crimson eyes...That was the only appearance that they gave out about her. Everything else is a mystery apart from her mystical powers." Bertha continued. "But sometimes, she appeared in different clothes depending on where she would be." "She looked pretty normal when we saw her. Unelss that was a descendant. Maybe." Ash replied. "That's funny." Pinkie Pie drank some apple juice. "Rarity said that she saw someone like that back at the hospital." "She did?" Ash and Sci-Twi looked over at Pinkie Pie. "Oh yeah. Rarity told me what happened back at Sinnoh. It was all about how Pheromosa and Froslass bonded and reunited again or something like that. But there was this lady who had the same hair and eyes that you all said. She even showed up in a nurse outfit in the hospital before disappearing. Isn't that freaky?" "It is freaky..." Hilbert shuddered. "Only a witch could do that..." "Are you saying that she's been around for that long?" Hilda asked. "No way. Right?" "Who's to say she hasn't? Descendants can be uncanny to their ancestors or sometimes they're not." Bertha smiled. "If she had the exact same eyes and hair, then it's 50/50." "Pssh. That's nothing." Hilbert scoffed. "We know lots of guys with green hair and red eyes. Uhh...actually, two of them. One of them has both and the other only has green hair, so, nevermind." "If she ever shows up again, you can try and ask her yourself. Or perhaps she prefers to keep things a mystery, right?" Bertha winked. "I do love a good mystery." Twilight squeed with excitement. "That just means it's waiting to be solved!" "Mm-mm." Hilbert shook his head. "Nope. I wouldn't. Not gonna mess with anything from the past." "You've messed with things form the past before, Hilbert." Hilda pointed out. "We both have." "Yeah but...Not witches. They're scarier than Pokemon..." Hilbert expressed one of his common fears. He loved to discover the unknown but there are some things out there he'd prefer to remain a mystery. "But, judging from that description, she could be from that infamous family line that possess those qualities." Bertha had a bit more to reveal as Zorua climbed up to her lap, receiving a back rub. "Their genes are very dominant and will most likely overtake any other gene when it comes to an offspring. That offspring is born with red eyes and green hair. Some say that it is a sign of royalty. Of course, this was in the past. It isn't that known today and it might not even exist anymore. But she might be a remnant." "Hmmm..." Hearing all of this reminded Twilight of two individuals. Ghetsis and Harmonia. Both fit the descriptions perfectly. Green hair and Crimson eyes. And now there was a third person in the mix who had the same descriptions. "Isn't thinking about the past so much fun?" Bertha laughed. "It doesn't matter how far it may be or how hard others try and hide it. Eventually, someone will uncover the past. Nothing is hidden forever. Whether it turns the world upside down or revives what was once lost. Cynthia told me that and there is a stark truth to those words. What say you all? Do you believe the past is never fully hidden." "No way." Ash immediately answered. "Speaking from experience, I know there's always a way to uncover the past, no matter what." "Pikachu!" "Mhm." Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement. Sci-Twi thought about it for a moment. The Time Leaks, Zorua and the Alpha Pokemon that she caught were proof of that. She agreed too along with Hilbert and Hilda. They were all surrounded by Pokemon of the past after all. Twilight's Alpha Pikachu was Ash's Pikachu's many-great grandfather from long ago. Hisuian Zorua also comes from the Time Leaks along with all of Twilight's Alpha Pokemon. The two Mews, Victini and Meloetta were all examples of the past, especially with what they've seen. Very soon, many of their Pokemon would end up the same, what with Ninetales' long lifespan while Absol had been around longer than all of his teammates. No matter what, they were always involved with time in some way. "That's good to hear. As for me...I feel lucky!" Bertha said with a giddy tone. "Most would've expected me to be gone by now. But time has been ever-so kind to this old body." Bertha was glad that she was still around, despite how old she was. "Same here." Hibert pointed at himself. "I don't look a day old. Guess when I get old, I'm gonna look like I'm in my 20's. Neat stuff." "We all look like we haven't aged a day." Hilda replied. "I still look the same as before! And I can guarantee the same goes for Ash." "I've kinda changed but yeah. Guilty." Ash shrugged. "Pika-Pika." "I know Rarity loves this." said Twilight. "Staying young is one of her dreams and it already came through when we met Ash. Of course, we still have other dreams we want to finish." "Well. Rainbow Dash, was it? I believe I owe you a Pokemon Battle." Bertha was finally getting to the Elite 4 challenge, grabbing Rainbow Dash's attention. "You want to see how far you've come, don't you?" "Oh yes!" Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof. "I need to get ready for the Equestria League soon, so what better way to do so than challenging some of the best?" "Hm. Not a bad idea. I can't find a flaw with that. Well, let's get started soon." "Wait!" Just then, a voice had interrupted them. They all turned around to se a pony standing up ahead. This was Spectrum Shade in disguise. She too wanted to challenge the Elite 4 before anything else, straying away from her original goal. "I want to battle you first! Let me go!" "Huh?!" Rainbow Dash pulled back. "Sorry, my little pony. But this one already requested a battle with me." Bertha stood up, holding Zorua. "Well, maybe later. Because I wanna battle you more than anything right now." Spectrum Shade held out her singular Poke Ball. "With just one Poke Ball? You're a new trainer, aren't you?" Bertha noticed that Spectrum only had one Poke Ball on her. She didn't even have a saddlebag, confirming that this was her only Poke Ball. "I am...Pretty new." Spectrum lowered her head. "I got introduced to it pretty late, honestly." "Hm. Well, I suggest that you watch our battle instead. Rainbow Dash here has high spirits so I sense a great ordeal from her." "Gee thanks." Rainbow Dash enjoyed that compliment, proudly crossing her hooves. "I too would like to see how far the new generation of Pokemon Trainers from another world have come. It's far too interesting to ignore. Shall we go now, Rainbow Dash? Let's battle at the Mistralton Tower and make it our stadium." "Works for me! I'm ready, Bertha!" Rainbow Dash and Bertha would have their battle on the Mistralton Tower. And all Spectrum Shade could do was watch. She had already seen Hilbert battle Rainbow Dash back at Castelia. Now she would see another battle from a high level trainer against Rainbow Dash and see how much she's improved since that last one. The first Elite 4 Challenge would begin as the journey continues. Chapter 841 End.