//------------------------------//
// Confrontation at the Arcane Sea! Ghetsis reaches his peak 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Universe 11. Equestria. The Solar Empire. Canterlot. Afternoon.

Away from the jolly festivities of the Pokemon Festival, Universe 11 had its own variation of being jolly. Under the rule of their great and mighty ruler, Daybreaker.

Life continued as normal within this universe and this variation of Equestria, while various plans were being made by the higher-ups within the palace. Whether it'd be restoring Necrozma to his full strength or absolute vengeance against the residents of Universe One.

But right now, one of these higher-ups wasn't as active as usual. The ruler of Team Plasma, Ghetsis. Ghetsis was inactive at the moment while his entire team were constantly on the move. Checking up on Ghetsis was Daybreaker, opening the door to the massive room he was currently staying at.

And when those doors opened up, Daybreaker witnessed Ghetsis emanating a dark aura from his body while sitting on the bed. He looked outside the window while having this aura around him, giving off a strange vibe that hadn't been felt yet from him.

"He's been like this since yesterday," Daybreaker observed before turning to face some of the Team Plasma grunts. "Why is that?"

"Well, it was actually 21 days ago, Queen Daybreaker." A grunt started explaining. "All of a sudden, Lord Ghetsis felt ill and the next thing we know, he decided to sleep in for many days. He hasn't left his room since."

"21 days of this? That's almost a full month." Daybreaker pondered, knowing that this was not normal. Mainly for Ghetsis. "For someone like Ghetsis, he wouldn't stay out of action for this long. "That Aura around him...That might be the answer."

"I can hear you" Ghetsis spoke as he heard their conversation from outside, prompting the grunts to back away and for Daybreaker to enter.

"Is someone feeling ill? Seems almost out of character for you. Almost" Daybreaker decided to get a chuckle out of this, taunting Ghetsis. "Why is that?"

"Like I know..." Ghetsis grumbled. "I don't know what this is all about but there's something about my Aura that's screaming to me."

"Screaming to you?" Daybreaker repeated, losing her smile.

"Those 21 days ago, it was like...ugh! This is impossible to describe! It's frankly irritating." Ghetsis couldn't describe it himself. All he knew was that it agitated him.

"Hmph. Well, seems like someone is keeping up with their magic. Have no fear. I'm an expert on all things mystical. How about we get you checked up? And your Pokemon as well." Daybreaker nudged him. "It'll take a few minutes."

"I am not a child." Team Plasma's grunt groaned after being nudged. "I feel too weak to even move. I'd prefer to stay in bed. Perhaps for 5 more minutes.

"Spoken just like a child. Come along." Daybreaker would bring him along anyway, using her magic to grab Ghetsis. Ghetsis was powerless to do anything. His Dark Aura was somewhat betraying him, preventing Ghetsis from breaking free from Daybreaker's grasp. Thus, he would take this option.

After all, he could count on Daybreaker when it came to the mystical arts. But for Ghetsis, this strange feeling that existed for 21 days was too suspicious. And more importantly, too sudden.



Unova. The Arcane Sea.

The Arcane Sea. A sea rich with Rift Magic. The most Rift Magic imaginable was located here. And currently, Galaxy Master had encountered Darkrai yet again. The two of them stared each other down as both knew just how much of a threat the other was.

"You waited for me to come back." Galaxy Master said. "I suppose the Master of Nightmares has the most patience out of anyone."

"Even around the sea, I can conceal myself," Darkrai spoke, floating up as he hadn't touched the sea once. Knowing how unpredictable Rift Energy gets, he couldn't afford to slip up. Although, Darkrai was curious as to how Lapras could touch it without anything happening to her.

"Where's Princess Luna? You seem to be going solo today."

"Luna's taking a break. One she deserves. As for me, my work is never done. I vowed to be Equestria's guardian no matter what happens. That includes troublemakers such as you and your Pokemon."

"Pika...!" Pikachu didn't take kindly to being called a troublemaker as he flared his red sacs with electricity. Galaxy Master calmed him down with a path from his head.

"Even if my opponent is a fictional character, I can't afford to fail my goal."

"Fictional character?" Galaxy Master repeated. This entire time, he wasn't aware of his true origin and how he came to be. This whole time, he just assumed he popped out of nowhere.

"Right. You don't know about it yet. Well, I'll tell you now. And it'll be the last thing you here once I put you to sleep. You're the result of the Rift bringing you into reality."

"Ah that...I hate to break it to you, but I'm not a creation of the Rift. I'm my own being." Galaxy Master wagged his finger. Despite not knowing his origin, he was aware that he wasn't made by the Rift at all, shocking Darkrai. "While I don't know how I came here, I do know why. Wherever there's a cry for help, I shall appear!" Once more, he pulled off one of his many poses.

"So, he doesn't know." Darkrai spoke to himself, making Galaxy Master seem a bit more mysterious than he was in the beginning. He realize that if Galaxy Master was not a Rift Creation, he would have no problem stepping into the Arcane Sea. But because he avoided it, that confirmed to Darkrai that he was not a product of the Rift.

"Now then...we have some Rift Energy to send to the Rift. Getting all of this to the Rift would take weeks but it'll have to do. I can't allow you to stop us, Darkrai."

"Then, let's make it the last time we have to do this." Darkrai was ready to put an end to it. Within his claws, he already summoned the pulsating darkness from Dark Pulse, making the first move.

"Go, Lapras!" Galaxy Master would have Lapras continue swimming even in the face of Darkrai. Lapras showed no fear when facing the Pitch Black Pokemon as she started booking it.

"La!" Larpas would head north within this seemingly endless ocean. Darkrai, making his pursuit launched the pulses as if they were baseballs. Dark Pulses came raining down as they struck the cosmic waters, resulting in large splashes from the impact.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu would be Galaxy Master's shield, shooting out Thunderbolt from his body and intercepting the incoming Dark Pulses. Darkrai would not only clash with these bolts of lightning by launching Dark Pulses at them, but he would also evade them as well, having a great sense of multitasking.

At the same, Galaxy Master was gathering the Rift Energy from here in a way that Darkrai wouldn't think of. There wasn't a bucket or a cup anywhere to scoop this liquid up. Instead, there was another method that only Galaxy Master knew about. Right now, the goal was to lose Darkrai.

The Pitch Black Pokemon decided to use Electricity as well. He also had access to Thunderbolt, switching out of Dark Pulse for this electrifying blast. With his attention focused on the waters themselves, Darkrai unleashed Thunderbolt, going for an electrifying overload due to the sensitivity between Water and Electric.

"Look out! Lapras!"

"La?" It was too late. The electricity travelled insanely fast after interacting with the cosmic waters, electrocuting the Transport Pokemon. "L-Lapras!"

"P-PI!" And once Lapras was shocked, so were Galaxy Master and Pikachu. Pikachu resisted it but Galaxy Master and Lapras, especially Lapras, received a crushing shock from it. Darkrai had them right where he wanted them.

Once they felt the exhilarating shock, he went for Dark Void, launching two black orbs. With their bodies stunned, it looked like it was guaranteed to put them to sleep. However, Galaxy Master would change that.

He decided to send Lapras back, freeing her from this electrical torture. She turned into light particles, returning to Galaxy Master's palm. And as for Galaxy Master and Pikachu, right before he returned the Transport Pokemon, the fictional character and his Lapras, he took the time to even pull off a stylish backflip. It was unnecessary but it was natural for him due to the way Ash made him.

Galaxy Master's qualities as a fictional character showed themselves some more as he had an impressive amount of airtime when jumping off Lapras before returning her. It almost looked like he was floating. And with that air time, he had enough time to call for more help.

"Come, my feathered friends!" By raising his arm, he summoned some more Pokemon to his side. And in this case, it was all his Flying-Types. Darkrai looked up, hearing the sounds of rapid wing beats nearby. Not only that but familiar cries of familiar Flying-Types. The Dark-Type's eyes widened as Pidgeot and many of Galaxy Master's Flying-Types came swooping in.

"Pidgeot!" Once they showed up, each of them used Aerial Ace, Brave Bird and Sky Attack to move in at blinding speeds, all focused on Darkrai. Darkrai would have his claws full, but it was nothing the Pitch Black Pokemon couldn't handle.

He readied himself, evading the first incoming Aerial Ace from Pidgeot successfully but he had to worry about the rest that were incoming. After evading Pidgeot's Aerial Ace, Darkrai had used Thunderbolt from both claws, shooting one at Pidgeot from behind and targeting the second at Noctowl. However, Noctowl managed to evade the second one by swooping underneath the bolt in time.

"Noctowl!"

Darkrai received a hit from Noctowl first who came soaring upwards, delivering an upper hit to the Dark-Type. Darkrai's Thunderbolt had been thrown off course while receiving a meaty blow from Noctowl's Brave Bird. The only thing Noctowl suffered was some recoil. After knocking Darkrai back, that allowed the other Flying-Types to come flying in, delivering an assault of aerial attacks on Darkrai.

The Master of Darkness was met with a rush of Flying-Type attacks that were used consecutively. Consecutive Aerial Aces and Brave Birds had hit him from all sides, knocking the Pitch Black Pokemon around. If anything, they were playing ping pong with him.

"Swellow!" It was mainly Staraptor and Swellow who delivered these consecutive hits with Pidgeot returning the favour after being shocked. Gold and red streaks could be seen by the sheer speed these Flying-Types were moving at. After knocking Darkrai around, along came Talonflame to deliver the final blow with Brave Bird, moving faster than the rest.

"Talonflame!"

Darkrai could potentially fall into the waters if this were to land and that could not happen. So, that was where his shadows came into play. Darkrai manipulated the shadows that were over the seas, using them to his advantage. As quickly as he could, he swiftly send the shadows up in the form of tendrils. But those tendrils wouldn't be enough to stop a high-speed impact.

Darkrai quickly transformed the shadow tendrils into a large mass of darkness, forming a shield. Right on time as Talonflame crashed into the mass of darkness, causing a ferocious combustion of energy, The shadow wall had been destroyed by the impact as well. But even with that aftermath, Darkrai managed to protect himself while also concealing his body in the large body of smoke. 

"Talon." Talonflame shook his head from the recoil damage as the smoke was large enough to engulf most of them, including Galaxy Master and Pikachu. Just what Darkrai needed.

Right after saving himself, Darkrai struck without a second to spare. He unleashed a Dark Void that flew through the smoke, instantly hitting Talonflame before it knew it. The Fire-Flying-Type was the first to be caught by Dark Void, immediately being put into a state of sleep.

"Staraptor!" Staraptor, seeing that Talonflame had been put to sleep within the smoke, came to its aid before it could drop into the sea. The Predator Pokemon helped its fellow Regional Bird out, using its body to catch the Scorching Pokemon.

But Darkrai's assault didn't end there. Right afterwards, other Dark Voids came flying out with the Pitch Black Pokemon hurling them at each Regional Bird.

"Noctowl!" Noctowl and the others wouldn't be blindsided like Talonflame after witnessing that. Together, they each flew out of the way, evading the orbs of darkness. However, Darkrai would send more through the smoke cloud that lasted for a fairly long time, forcing the Flying-Types to keep moving.

This pressurized the Flying-Types to constantly move and evade as many Dark Voids as they could, lest they end up like Talonflame who was out of commission.

As for Galaxy Master and Pikachu, to keep themselves safe, Galaxy Master created a body of light around his body along with Pikachu. The same light that was able to harm those dark thorns and the energy they become when flying This light protected them from the unpredictable nature of the Rift Sea, allowing them to substitute for Lapras. However, they did something better.

Just for style points as always, Galaxy Master and Pikachu started surfing on the Arcane Sea. Pikachu was even using Surf to get around, controlling the Arcane Sea for movement. Galaxy Master generated light discs on his feet, giving him the power to surf. Darkrai looked at this with a somewhat impressed look on his face.

He had to give credit where credit was due. That was creative.

But getting back into the action, after pressuring the Flying-Types, Swellow flapped its wings, eventually getting rid of the smoke that had obscured Darkrai. As soon as he did so, Darkrai got the jump on all of them. The Dark Voids were the main distraction. The real threat came from his Thunderbolt. From his entire body, he unleashed a flare of electricity that flew in every direction.

A successful hit as all Flying-Types had been struck by the fury of Darkrai's Thunderbolts that acted just like Discharge in this instance. They all received 100,000 volts in return with Galaxy Master and Pikachu surfing out of the way from these volts.

"My friends! Come back!" Galaxy Master saw that they each took hard hits from that outburst of electricity and would potentially drop to the waters. Especially Talonflame who was still asleep.

But before he could return them, at great speeds, Darkrai appeared in front of the fictional character, using Poison Jab. He was determined to put an end to all of this and it showed in how handled this great numerical disadvantage. 

"Chu...Pika!" But Darkrai wouldn't get a free hit in with Poison Jab. There was still Pikachu, who had used Iron Tail to intercept Darkrai's Poison Jab. It was a heavy direct clash as Galaxy Master backed away, giving a thumbs up to his partner for that lightning-fast save.

"Thank you, Pikachu! Let me return the favour! Andromeda Flash!" Galaxy Master took the chance to chime in. With Darkrai's claw being locked with Pikachu's tail, he was then met with a flash of light that came from Galaxy Master's body.

"Ugh!" Darkrai flinched, covering his eyes before backing away. This was Pikachu's chance to strike now that Darkrai was befuddled by the light.

"Pika!" Pikachu had then delivered an overhead smash to Darkrai's head, sending him downwards. Thus Darkrai was finally sent through the waters of the Arcane Sea. Something he tried so hard to avoid and it was all for nought. Darkrai already realized that it was too late. His body had interacted with the cosmic energy.

Whatever happens next, he was unable to stop it from emerging. One thing was for sure. Even with this knockdown, Darkrai wouldn't be stopped. While something was most likely bound to happen with his body, he would still have the chance to stop Galaxy Master.

The question was what would happen to him afterwards.



Universe 11. Equestria. The Solar Empire. Canterlot. Afternoon.

Back at the Solar Empire, Ghetsis was currently being checked up on. He was brought to a medical room that focused on fairly mystical health instead of standard everyday health. In this case, this was their standard form of health. Magic circles were imprinted on the walls as there were various patients around, being treated by the flow of Equestrian magic.

As for Ghetsis, he closed his eyes, feeling somewhat humiliated by this as all he did was just stand there while a magical spotlight beamed down on him. A magic circle was also right underneath him as the many doctors and nurses were observing his Dark Aura.

Daybreaker was involved as well, using her magic to rip a piece of Ghetsis' Aura. By doing so, she received a small wisp of darkness that was already oozing with malice.

"Aw, it's a bit cute." Daybreaker laughed at this volatile wisp that was like a rabid dog, barking at Daybreaker despite being significantly smaller. "But anyway, I think I, the doctors and nurses have figured out what's wrong with you."

"What's that?" Ghetsis asked.

"Seems like you're going through a bit of a late process. No surprise considering how old you are..even though you look younger than when we first saw you. You have a combination of Dark Aura and Sombra's Magic in you, but even though you possess them, your body is now realizing how behind you are."

"Are you saying that I'm too late to use this kind of power? What are you getting at?"

"Respect our majesty, why don't you?" The doctors spoke, finding Ghetsis' attitude and tone to be disrespectful to their mighty ruler.

"It's fine. He's interesting this way." Daybreaker could care less. She was used to this as well as she wouldn't try to force Ghetsis to speak to her formally. To Daybreaker, that would spoil the fun. "Ahem. Anyway. You're late because you're already far past your adolescence. Magic like this is mainly fruitful when you're young. That's when it has all the time to grow."

"I never had it when I was young. Back in my younger days, I was wandering the world alone, planning other things such as starting Team Plasma for the first time. I had no time to search for what was deep within."

"Well, how would you have known?" Daybreaker shrugged. "You had the Aura, but nothing encouraged you to bring it out. Thus, you went through your entire childhood, juvenescence and adulthood without tapping into this power. And well...that doesn't help." Daybreaker held up the dark wisp.

"We're not sure about your Aura but for the magic you took from another Sombra from another world, it's definitely making you seem like a late bloomer. This kind of magic can only grow when you're young but you certainly aren't young anymore."

"About your Dark Aura. Did that bloom late for you too?" Daybreaker asked.

"Hmph. My Dark Aura was brought out by the Rift. It was on the same day the Rift freed me from that prison. It was its way of gaining more entertainment. I never even knew that I had this within me in the first place." Ghetsis looked at his hand which was emanating darkness to the point where he couldn't even conceal it.

"That explains it. Oh, Ghetsis. You can adapt fast to this magic, but those drawbacks show themselves with age. If only you had a younger body..." Daybreaker made a sarcastic sigh.

"I could've!" Suddenly, Ghetsis roared, startling everyone else here except for Daybreaker. "I once swapped bodies with that brat, Ash Ketchum. It was temporary, but it happened. And when I did, I felt something in there. My Dark Aura felt richer than it was, I couldn't believe it. Despite the contrast between my Aura and his, it flowed perfectly within me. Now I don't have that body anymore, nor can I grow from it."

"Funny how that happens. But...you won't need to swap bodies with anyone else. If something isn't done, your body might not handle the kind of power that hasn't been given enough time to grow as it should." Daybreaker pondered. "The results won't be pretty."

"I still need explanations of other things. Why did it feel like something left my body? There's this sensation that tells me about something that's far from here. But I feel like I know it..." The thought of this was aggravating Ghetsis.

"Unfortunately, I can't answer that. But we can help you with your little problem. What if I told you there was a way for you to adapt to your magic to the point where it felt like you were a child again, starting from zero?"

"What?" Ghetsis was curious.

"You'll peak sooner than you think with this old body. But there exists a special dimension that will feel like years when you enter there. But for this dimension, time will move at its natural pace. Once you enter that dimension, time will be awry and much slower." Daybreaker then put on a smile that sent shivers down her subjects' spines.

"So...if I enter this dimension, I'll have enough time to grow my magic to where I need it to be?"

"That's right. You'll practically stay the same age there and that way, you'll never peak. So what do you say, Ghetsis? Give it a try?"

"Of course." Ghetsis did not hesitate. "I need to become stronger at all costs. Take me there now."

"Sure, sure. I'd say 5 years which will be 5 days in this world will do." Daybreaker then walked off, guiding Ghetsis away. But the doctors and nurses were nervous about this. Something about sending Ghetsis to such a place to improve terrified them.

However, Daybreaker was not nervous at all. The thought of this didn't even scare her. Then again, it was hard to tell if anything could scare her after all she's been through. Ghetsis received some answers, but there was one final question that he hadn't solved yet.

"While Ghetsis handles that, I'll continue giving Necrozma light. And I think the Pokemon World should be next." Daybreaker thought to herself, already focusing on her many goals and her promise to the Prism Pokemon. All these goals and nothing was clogging up her momentum.

Not even Universe One.



Unova. The Arcane Sea. Afternoon.

Over at the Arcane Sea, Galaxy Master and Pikachu continued on their way. To obtain all the Rift Energy from this sea, Galaxy Master was using Lapras once more, who was once again, unaffected by Rift Energy. And this was without using the light.

"Good work Lapras. We'll send some of the water you've gathered up to the Rift after this," said Galaxy Master as it was revealed that Lapras was the one gathering it up.

Underneath her, the cosmic energies were being soaked up by the Transport Pokemon as if she was a sponge. While she was safe within the seas without needing the usage of light, she was in fact using the light just to pull in the energy. Lapras was a sponge for all this magic though she didn't even bloat up. Though she did have a limit to how much she could absorb as proven by Galaxy Master's words.

The further the group went, that's when they saw something in the distance. It looked to be a source of fire. A large source to be exact. Considering this place was rich in Rift Energy, Galaxy Master couldn't ignore that either. But there was something else he couldn't ignore. 

The Arcane Sea started trembling, causing the Transport Pokemon to stop in her tracks. A seaquake was occurring with seemingly an unknown origin. Though the only origin for this would have to be someone powerful. 

"Is it Darkrai?!" 

It wasn't Darkrai at all. It was someone bigger and more experience on these seas. Bursting out of the sea itself, right in front of Galaxy Master and Pikachu was none other than the Milotic that roamed these seas.

More specifically, the Milotic that had been affected by Rift Energy to the point where its body was pure water while its eyes were glowing.

"ʍɨʟօȶɨƈ!"

"Great Galaxies!" Stunned by this Rift-Altered Milotic, Galaxy Master, Pikachu and Lapras got a first experience of what a Rift Pokemon truly looked like when submerged in this cosmic power.

As for Darkrai, he hadn't emerged just yet. The Pitch Black Pokemon was still underwater, filled with Rift Energy. Darkrai hadn't said or done anything yet except keep his eyes shut. He hadn't given up hope at all. Instead, being in this cosmic water made him feel the changes that were coming.

Darkrai lingered in the sea for a bit, silent and immobile. But after feeling so much Rift Energy enter his body, he then opened his eyes, realizing that he didn't need to accept this. And something from one of his friends proved this.

Mainly Twilight.

"I just had to empty out all of my magic from my body and make myself a vessel for Rift Magic. It had its drawbacks but worked like a charm. Now I have both."

That's when it clicked with Darkrai. There was a way. And Princess Twilight Sparkle was the one to discover it. Granted, Darkrai didn't have magic. But what he did have was Infinity Energy which could be considered magic. There was a way to reject this. But rather it would be a reverse of what Twilight had discovered.

"Empty it out...if Twilight can do it...then so can I!"

As the journey continues.


Chapter 870 End.