Alola. Poni Island. Seafolk Village. The Pokemon Festival. Day.
Here at Seafolk Village, Princess Celestia had made an appearance. Appearing in her human form, which he had gotten accustomed to quickly, she gravitated towards this village and its small scale. She mainly gravitated to the entirety of Alola due to the Sun.
Being in Alola felt like being in a familiar place. It was like she never left Equestria. And in the body of a human, it led to her realising her hidden capabilities. For example, she came across one attraction that was a test of physical skill.
A High Striker game.
"Hm. I remember these..." Celestia stood upon the attraction. "A way to test one's strength. Back in Equestria, we usually use magic or our mouths...never our hands."
"Well, now's your chance. Go on. Smash away." The employee encouraged Celestia, aiming at the hammer. It was free for Celestia to try and see how much she could earn.
"Alright then." Celestia rubbed her hands together before raising them. She was going for a hard hit.
"Uh, you have to use the hammer miss-"
"Haha!" But Celestia was literal when she meant her hands. The moment she channelled her strength, her body radiated magic, causing her to smash into the machine. One strike and immediately her strength had broken the limitations of the High Strike game. The bell had shot up the machine, breaking through it and heading to the skies.
Everyone's jaw dropped as the bell kept flying, breaking through the clouds and even nearly hitting some Flying-Types along the way. Judging by that ludicrous distance, it wasn't coming back down for a while. It might as well have gone into orbit.
"Splendid! How did I do?" Celestia asked, putting her hands together as they were smoking. The hammer was unnecessary. Her bare hands were just enough.
"N-New high score...pick a prize, please." The employee stammered as many gathered around to admire Celestia's insane strength. The physical strength of an alicorn resided within her even in this human form. She didn't even need to be in the Human Word for Equestria Magic to go off. Equestrian Magic has been flowing in this world due to recent events after all.
Celestia was given a batch of prizes to choose from. But since she broke a second that was most likely not going to be beaten by a while unless a super strong Pokemon was involved, she could choose as many as she wanted.
Passion carried some of the prizes as she, Celestia and Arcanine continued exploring to see what else they could do. Passion found herself fond of a Teddiursa plush. A fairly large one to boot.
But while exploring Seafolk Village, something had caught her attention. It would've caught her attention at any time as it had also targeted her weak spot.
"Oh!" Celestia froze on the spot, spotting a stand that sold pastries, desserts and sweets. And where there were pastries, there was Cake. The Ruler of Equestria knew what she wanted as she rubbed her hands together, sliding over to the stand of pastries and sweets. They were already loaded out with ready-made selections.
But Celestia wasn't the only one heading for the stand, absolutely addicted to the sight of it. Someone else was just as excited as her, but they favoured the dessert part of the stand. That was the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia. Her eyes were fixated on the ice cream and the sweets. But mainly the ice cream.
"I can see the look in your eyes." The old lady wearing a large sunhat at the stand said as her Ralts nodded in agreement. "The sight of ice cream and cake entices you both. Plus sweets."
"Mhm." Cynthia and Celestia nodded in agreement as their eyes were sparkling.
"How about the best of both worlds then?" With lightning-fast hands, the old lady mad mashed together some ice cream with a large vanilla cake as Celestia and Cynthia's eyes followed her movements.
In a matter of seconds, an ice cream cake had been formed. The vanilla was the baseline while ice cream sprinkles were on top of it as well as ice cream frosting. The best of both worlds for them. Celestia loved all forms of cake and anything sweet was appealing to Cynthia's eyes.
"Here you both go. Sit and have a bite." She then stylishly sent the Ice Cream Cake towards the table. Both of them were satisfied, immediately sitting together at that table to share this grand combination f their favourite things. It took a while for them to realize they had met each other again.
"Oh. My mistake. I didn't greet you when I saw you, Cynthia." Celestia chuckled.
"I barely recognized that it was you with this human form." Cynthia laughed back. "Oh, but this already distracted us, didn't it?"
"Mhm. Ice Cream Cake...Never had it before. All we need to do is make some slices." Celestia used her magic once more. This time, she made her hands act like knives, rapidly moving them as she cut up slices in a matter of seconds, stunning Cynthia. And these pieces were perfectly aligned too. Cynthia applauded this skill of slicing along with Passion.
They both had their fill, along with Passion and Arcanine. This was a cake that satisfied them both to the core. Celestia could get her hands dirty with cake for the first time, licking them off. Such were the wonders of being a human. According to her.
"Do you like my jacket? I think it contrasts well with yours." Celestia asked.
"Black and White? It's a perfect match." Cynthia agreed before finding a sweet spot with the cake, holding it out to Celestia. "Try this."
"Hm?" Celestia was fed the sweet spot of the cake before nodding in approval of its quality. "Mmm. Then, how about this?" Celestia used her natural senses to find a sweet spot, holding it out to Cynthia. She was fed as always, approving of this equal quality."
"Mhm. We should hang out more often. When we're not busy in our respective roles." Cynthia replied.
"You're both a Champion, Principal and Archaeologist. You're very occupied, aren't you?"
"Same to you, being a massive ruler of an entire nation. Especially with your lifespan. You've been ruling for how many years?"
"Millenniums upon millenniums and centuries upon centuries. I have my experiences and I've adjusted myself perfectly to become Equestria's ruler. Safe to say I don't plan on quitting anytime soon. Or ever. I will admit, it has brought some limitations to me for a long time."
"But not anymore, right?"
"Not at all. Pokemon was the best thing to happen to me. I've been able to get out more and experience what this brand-new world has to offer. I already have two amazing new friends of mine that are always by my side.
"Gardevoir."
"Arcanine!"
"Though...wish I had more Pokemon. Everyone nowadays are going past just two Pokemon. Full teams of 6 are common and sometimes entire gardens or places full of Pokemon. Ah, there's so many to choose from..." Celestia pondered, thinking of which Pokemon she would want next.
"Oh, but now you have the time to choose. Or is that challenging since there are so many?"
"Probably." Celestia sighed. "Ah, but I'll think of one eventually."
"If you're looking for a Pokemon, how about I recommend one that is fit for a ruler?" The old lady at the stand had something to say, hearing their conversation. "There's a Totem Pokemon nearby."
"A Totem Pokemon...? Oh like what Chrysalis has." Celestia replied. "Larger and stronger than their natural species. Almost sounds like an Alpha Pokemon now that I think about it."
"Ah, I know what she's referring to. It was the same place I caught my Kommo-o. At least, it was at Heahea Beach. There exists another Kommo-o over at Vast Poni Canyon. It's been the Totem Pokemon of that place for years, always moving about. I once tried catching it, but received one from Heahea Beach instead."
"Then...That's the one for me!" Celestia stood up.
"Oh. I didn't say there was only one." The old lady commented before putting on a smile. Celestia and Cynthia collectively gasped before facing the old lady.
Just then, they now noticed that this lady had a second Pokemon on her shoulder, contrasting her Ralts. It was a Deino as the lady then raised her hat, revealing crimson eyes and green hair. The same appearance as that mysterious witch.
In fact, this was her.
"Sometimes, multipe Totem Pokemon come around and make rare appearances. Salazzle, Lurantis, Ribombee and so much more. Granted, they rarely come around there, but they can appear. Feeling lucky?"
"I am now!" Celestia exclaimed. "Even if I can't get Kommo-o, I'll have other Totem Pokemon to choose from.
"You'll have to be quick and careful about it then. Totem Pokemon will disappear and head back to their usual locations. See if you can reach that Kommo-o first."
"I'll help you there. Vast Poni Canyon is a difficult place to traverse, so they say." Cynthia offered her suggestion. So, let's make it a team effort, okay?" She then held her hand out.
"Sure. Let's make it happen." Celestia then held her hand with both of them and Cynthia soon did the same. It would be a team effort from these two to traverse Vast Poni Canyon and find Totem Kommo-o, the strongest of the Totem Pokemon.
Vast Poni Canyon.
Vast Poni Canyon.
The most challenging path on Poni Island. The ups and downs of this canyon are beyond any other as it connects to the Ancient Poni Path, filled with rare Pokemon.
Celestia and Cynthia already scaled parts of this canyon, feeling a great sense of height. They look at the nearby sea, witnessing rare Pokemon such as Dratini and Dragonair swimming about. The Dratini and Dragonair quickly waved at them with their tails, prompting Celestia and Cynthia to wave back.
When entering the caves, they spotted not just Carbink flying around but also Machokes. These Machokes were all training with a group of Mienfoo while the Carbink watched. Celestia stopped by to watch them before having one of the Mienfoo climb on her back. She laughed as the Mienfoo could smell delicious cake on her, wanting to know where it could find some. But Celestia had devoured it all before coming here.
Dugtrio, Alolan variants, popped out of the ground just to show Cynthia and Celestia their fabulous hair. Celestia used her magic to create an energy-based 10/10 for their hair, making the Dugtrio satisfied. Of course, the rarity of Pokemon increased, revealing Lycanroc. Both forms.
They saw a Midday and Midnight form dashing by like the wind. And that was all they would see of them as a Rockruff was running behind, trying to catch up with them.
"No sign of Kommo-o yet, but I'm loving this sight," Celestia commented. "After this, I'll head back and try another one of that Ice Cream Cake."
"I'll have seconds," Cynthia replied. But just then, they both came to a screeching halt. As if they had the same senses, they sensed someone nearby, stopping in place. "All it took was the sound of footsteps that sounded familiar to them for them to stop.
There were actually two or possibly three footsteps, coming from different sides of the caves and they were closing in. Arcanine would use his nose to sniff out the area, searching for these scents. And the moment he did, he recognized two of them.
"Arcanine!"
"Arcanine?" Poking out of one of the cave entrances was none other than Spike. Alongside his Equestrian Axew.
"Ah, Spike. It's you." Celestia commented, but there was a third footstep, coming from the other cave entrance that forced the others to turn around.
"Did someone mention Spike?" That voice belonged to Ember, who had also shown up. There were indeed other trainers here and seeing that they were both dragons, gave Cynthia a pretty good idea of why they would be here. "Spike?"
"Hm? Aren't you that Celestia from the Human World?!" Spike gasped.
"No, no. I'm your Celestia, just taking on this form. Ta-dah~"
"Oooh. Nice jacket." Spike nodded in approval of her jacket.
"Thank you. It is a nice jacket, isn't it?" Celestia was proud of this white jacket, spinning around and making it flap too.
"I didn't expect to see you here." Ember walked out of the cave. "Did you get the same idea as me?"
"Uhh...what idea would that be?" Spike asked before already catching on. Seeing as they were both Dragon Trainers, the answer is clear. "Oooh...right, right."
"This is a nice surprise." Celestia put her hands together. "So, you must all be here to catch some Pokemon too. Mainly a Totem Pokemon, right?"
"We are. I already knew I wanted to come here after hearing about a Totem Kommo-o that's around here." Spike gave his reason for being here.
"Kommo-o's the same reason I'm here," Ember added.
"Then we all share the same reason. Totem Kommo-o is who we all want to meet. But...there's just one problem with that." Celestia raised her finger, wagging it. She found it addicting, wagging her finger as it was another thing that humans could do. She couldn't stop staring at her finger, almost being hypnotized by it until Cynthia snapped her out of it.
"You all are shooting for Kommo-o," Cynthia spoke. "But, there's only one Kommo-o isn't there? Especially a Totem one in this canyon. Surely, you can't all catch it at the same time."
"She's right. I wasn't expecting anyone else to come here..." Ember replied. "Plus, there won't be another Totem Pokemon here will there? This is an exclusive spot for Totem Kommo-o."
"Well, I kinda wanna catch it because it'll remind me of Avaun. You know." Spike replied. "So..."
"A shame. Because I've already decided that I shall be the one to catch Kommo-o. Sorry." Celestia pointed at herself. "Maybe next time."
"That is...if one of you could reach Kommo-o first." Cynthia smiled, issuing a challenge for them. It would only matter if one of them reaches Kommo-o first before anything.
Celestia, Spike and Ember looked each other in the eyes with Celestia having to look at both sides. There was a moment of silence between them both. They all knew what needed to be done.
"Sorry, but I need that third Pokemon!" Celestia went ahead, immediately running to get a head start. Passion and Arcanine soon followed.
"Oh! No way!" Spike quickly dug into his bag, holding out one of his Poke Balls. He then threw it into the air, summoning his Druddigon.
"Druddigon!" Druddigon emerged as Spike quickly hopped onto his back. However, Ember didn't need to summon a Dragon-Type to fly. She could already fly whilst Spike couldn't as Ember flew past him.
"Quick, Druddigon! Let's find ourselves Totem Kommo-o! Go!"
"Drudd!" Druddigon was off. He was an expert when it came to caves, so choosing Druddigon for this exploration was a smart move on Spike's part. Cynthia would just watch it play out. She already had her own Kommo-o after all.
It was now a race for Totem Kommo-o.
Such a rare Pokemon would only be at the pinnacle of this canyon. Practically the very end. That's where they would all head, taking different routes and pathways to reach the end.
But, they would be met with some obstacles along the way. Not every Pokemon here was friendly. Some were hostile immediately after seeing the trainers. Skarmory was one of them. A flock had spotted Celestia taking this pathway, targeting her without a second thought.
"Skarmory!" They cried out, alerting Celestia to look up. The Skarmory had their talons out, going in for a Swords Dance. "Oh! Passion! Arcanine! Mystical Fire and Flamethrower!"
"Garde...Voir!" But she had her Pokemon here to protect her. Passion put her arms together, forming an enigmatic flame that was then unleashed in the form of a spiral whilst Arcanine simply breathed out a stream of fire. The flames shot down the Skarmory, dealing super-effective damage and knocking them out of the sky.
After dealing with the Skarmory with ease, Celestia and her Pokemon continued, going through the pathway that they were currently on. Spike would across some obstacles too.
Golbat. Usually, this species of Pokemon, alongside their pre-evolution Zubat were the scourge of many caves. Naturally, they would attack immediately, going for Poison Fang and Wing Attack.
"Druddigon! Metal Claw! Axew, Dragon Claw!"
"Druddigon!" Druddigon hardened his claws before being swarmed by the various Golbats. A large group had covered Druddigon's body, making it seem like there was just a Druddigon-shaped army of Golbats. However, they all then blown back by not only Druddigon's roar but also a hard swipe from his claws.
"Axew!" Axew joined in, swiping his claws with draconic energy. The two Dragons worked in perfect unison, slashing and swiping away at the Golbats, forcing them away from Spike, granting him his safety. Once the Golbat were all scared away and some had fallen, defeated, Spike and his Pokemon were free to go.
And of course, the same went for Ember. Her enemy came in the form of the few Midnight Lycanrocs that were roaming about. Celestia had already spotted one of them and now another had appeared before Ember, blocking her way with a mischievous grin.
"I'd rather not deal with you right now. I need to save up my strength for Kommo-o...but!" Ember then threw a Poke Ball, forward, revealing one of her Pokemon. It was her first ever Pokemon, but now, he had evolved. Once a Gible and now a Gabite.
"Gabite!"
"Lycanroc!" Midnight Lycanroc would go first, using Crush Claw as it bared its fangs against Gabite.
"Gabite! Dragon Claw!"
"Gabite!" Gabite would retaliate with his own claws. By summoning green draconic energy around it, Gabite moved in, engaging in a closer quarters encounter with Midnight Lycanroc. It was a Claw Clash with sparks flying around. The encounter was fierce with both Pokemon going head to head. "Ga!"
Gabite managed to block two incoming Crush Claws, gaining the upper hand. Or in this case, the upper claw. After blocking two Crush Claws with one claw, he then performed a Dragon Claw uppercut, hitting Lycanroc's chin and sending the Midnight variant into the air. "L-Lycan!"
"Finish it with Fire Blast!"
"Ga...!" By holding his breath, Gabite gathered massive amounts of energy, before then releasing a 大-shaped blast of yellow-orange fire from its mouth at the opponent. Lycanroc was hit in the air by this powerful attack, even if it wasn't very effective. An explosion occurred in the air as Lycanroc dropped from the smoke, fainting.
That was another Pokemon out of the way. Ember would keep Gabite around since he was experienced with caves as well. She and Gabite flew over the fainted Lycanroc, continuing on their quest to find Totem Kommo-o.
No one was going to get in their way of reaching Kommo-o. Any Pokemon that comes across them would have to feel their wrath. And since they were all experienced, having three years or in Ember's case, two years to hone their skills, they were capable of taking on many Pokemon.
However, the race for Kommo-o would only lead to one of them catching the Dragon-Fighting-Type. Not all of them could catch it. Thus, the second one of them ran into each other, they would have to do one thing.
Spike and Ember had ended up at the same pathway, running into each other once. This time, they stood on different sides of the same pathway, which had another one that was smack-dab in the middle. By spotting each other, they paused and filled the atmosphere with silence.
"Spike...You can let me have this one. I've only got three Pokemon while you've got six now." Ember commented, trying to convince Spike to back out.
"Sorry. But I already set my sights on Totem Kommo-o, Ember. Even if you're my friend, I won't let you beat me there." Spike was adamant in his choice. So was Ember. There was no point in trying to convince each other. They both wanted Kommo-o and that much was clear.
"Then...I can't let you go any further, Spike. I won't let anyone get ahead of me. Not when I'm shooting to become a great Dragon Master."
"Gabite."
"Same here, Ember. And being a Dragon Master means taking on other Dragon Trainers to hone your skills. So you already know what that means."
They were both in full agreement on another thing. Neither of them would let the other go through the middle upper pathway. But, there was only one way to prevent that. A Pokemon Battle.
Such was the tradition in the Pokemon World. If there's an obstacle, there are two ways to deal with it. Work together with friends and family or battle through it. Of course, the second option was the one that made the most sense here.
Spike and Ember would face off against each other in a Pokemon Battle for the right to reach Kommo-o. Whoever would win would have that chance. It was a battle between friends that would be of draconic proportions as the journey continues.
Chapter 848 End.