//------------------------------// // Apology // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Outer Space. "Another Giratina? But it doesn't look quite the same..." Up in the stars, Flurry Heart, alongside some Canterlot Guards arrived on the back of her partner Pokemon Giratina. Fittingly, the two of them laid their eyes on a second Giratina, one that wasn't natural at all and came from another dimension, formed by the power of Arceus and the Rift. Only by body and face did this Rift Creation resemble Giratina. Everything else was doing its own thing, making this creation distinct from the original. Naturally, the real Giratina wasn't sure how to take this. Should it be offended or feel some sort of superiority? After staring at this amalgamation of energy, seeing that it was haphazardly formed by these two different powers and with who it was fighting alongside, Giratina decided. The first option was the one to feel. This alternate Giratina made the real Giratina snarl with disgust. This snarl intimidated the guards as it then prompted the alternate Giratina to snarl back in response. "Easy there..." Flurry Heart patted her partner on the head to hold it back. "I know you're not a big fan of this. But, hey. At least I'm not the only one who has a double in this world too, right?" She grinned, joking about how her baby self can be found next to her at times. "Princess...please take this seriously." The guards shuddered. "Oh, right! We should be getting to the tower by now. But this one won't let us pass. So then, let's see which Giratina is better! I already know mine is!" Giratina agreed. It did so by unleashing its signature roar but without any alterations to it, unlike Rift-Giratina. This was a cry that issued a challenge against the alternate Giratina. Although, the two of them would've battled either way. Thanks to Flurry Heart, the Rocketship was free to pass by, approaching the Galaxy Tower. In its condition, it could still move, even after the Antimatter tore apart pieces of it. The only true downside to all of this was that Team Rocket wouldn't be too happy about this. The ship approached the front of the door as Chrysalis steadily parked it, still controlling the ship. It wasn't until the ship finally came to a halt that Jackie showed up. The engine room had been taken care of at last. "Hah..." Chrysalis found out what it was like to pilot such a vessel for the first time. Using her magic to control the ship's movements, and weapons while protecting it with a barrier against such a strong force drained her. "At last. I regret choosing to pilot this thing." "You did a great job though." Jackie eased her with a pat on the back. "Thanks to you, I could make sure the engines don't lose it with all that ruckus." "I'm surprised the bolt managed to withstand all of that. It's served its purpose thankfully," said Paramount. "Now, you've seen its strength for the first time. We're glad to have only used one bolt for this." "It was impressive of Golett to wield such a weapon. A shame that it was too heavy for Golett to do it alone." Luminary added. "Oh, well. That throwing strength was just what we needed to break that barrier." "Is Princess Flurry Heart gonna be okay, sis?" A worried Apple Bloom asked her big sister who was ready to leave. The hatch to the ship had been ruined by Antimatter but it was just close enough to the tower for them to reach. "Eeyup. She's got the real deal with her. No way she's losing. As for us, we can put an end to this right now once we get inside that tower. How'd Ash open it again?" The earth pony waved her hoof around the tower the same way Ash held his hand up to the entrance. She expected a reaction, but there was nothing. Her constant waving triggered no reaction from the door. "Come on...!" "I've got a better idea." Chrysalis stepped forward, having an easier solution to entering the tower. Magic. Specifically, a magical blast. Straight from her horn, a mighty blast of magic came flying out, blasting through the entrance. Despite being wrung out from all that action, she still had magic to spare. The entrance was blown wide open with a large hole also being left behind, exposing the inside. "That's one way to do it." Applejack chuckled before leaping off the Rocketship. "Your majesty? What do we do about the Master Bolt?" A Pegalysium guard asked Paramount as the bolt was now just sitting there in the Dynasite container. "If we take it inside, we increase the risk of harming everyone else there. And that's not what we want. Some of you will keep watch of this bolt, in case the scuffle between those two Pokemon reaches here." "Yes, your majesty!" "Wait up, sis!" Apple Bloom jumped out of the ship, feeling the low gravity of space in this instance before then feeling natural gravity when getting close enough to the tower, sticking an almost perfect landing. Everyone else soon followed, no longer having to worry about staying safe within the Rocketship. Now they had to worry about staying safe in the Galaxy Tower. Arguably, this one could be worse than the previous one. Immediately inside, Applejack rushed back to the last spot she recalled herself being at. Unfortunately, due to the abundance of hallways, it would be difficult to find the exact spot she was at before the Rift sent her out of the tower. Either way, she would have to find someone in here at least. The Very Top of the Tower "Ash. At last. Seems you came to me instead of the other way around." The Rift spoke to Ash once he finally showed up with Twilight and Fluttershy by his side. "Ashkan!" Hoopa soon flew over to Ash with what strength he had left, embracing the Alola Champion. Seeing that Hoopa had injured all over him, he passed the Mischief Pokemon over to Fluttershy. "I was just talking about you with Hoopa. I said some wondrous things you'd probably love to hear. But you showed up a bit too late for that." The Rift continued. "Not that it matters anymore. Not with what I plan to do with you. But I need to know what your reaction was to see so many of your friends down and defeated like that. Did it agitate you, maybe? Maybe anger you to also dish out some payback to me? I wish I could've seen your face when you came across those close to you! Well?! What did you feel?!" "I'm not mad." Ash threw his answer in immediately, shocking the Rift. This wasn't the answer that it wanted. It expected something more that was packed with despair. "Not at all." "What?! You're serious?!" The Rift staggered in the body of Galaxy Master. "Explain yourself!" "I'm not gonna give you what you want, Rift." Ash snapped back. The Rift didn't get that shattered expression from Ash at all. "I know they'll be fine. Especially with how I saw them back in the hallway." "Tch! How disappointing...Even if I'm using the body of your own created character? Honestly...what gets you mad nowadays?" "But...I gotta say something first." Ash closed his eyes as he didn't immediately jump to any conflict despite who he was standing in front of. "I'm sorry about this." "Sorry?" The Rift said with Fluttershy and Hoopa repeating the same thing. Twilight already knew what Ash apologizing for. "Ashkan? What are you sorry for?" "Some of this is my fault," Ash answered. "I made a promise to the Rift's parents back then. That I'd help bring back the real Lucien and Sienna who made up the entire Rift. But, I went and made an enemy out of it. I only slowed things down for you and your parents. And for that, I'm sorry. I wished I could've focused on speaking with you, even if it would take some time." Ash apologized deeply, referring to that certain moment back at Holon. The expulsion of Aura that affected the Rift's body to a colossal degree. Hoopa knew of it too since the Rift shared it all with him. "Before all of this, you weren't looking to take it out on us. If I hadn't done what I did in that pool then..." Ash even took the time to think of what would happen next even if he never harmed the Rift. Most likely, the Rift would still exist to sprout various events and scenarios for Ash and everyone to interact with. But with something different in mind. Ash knew this to be true. He thought back to the times when he and the Rift interacted with each other. Most of the time, it was only mutual. And even so, much like how the Rift chose to interact with this world because of Ash's journey. "D-Do you think that's enough?!" The Rift roared at Ash's apology. "You think an apology is all it takes?!" "No, not really." He smiled. "I just needed to say it to you eventually. And it's for everything else that's happened here. Even though you pulled off cheap tricks just to keep our odds of keeping the worlds connected...you did know how to make things fun for us." "W-What?" "But I wouldn't call this fun at all." Ash morphed his smile into a frown. "It's just like before when you talked about having fun. I can't see the entertainment in all of this. Not when others are being hurt because of all of this. Before I can find Jirachi, I'm not just gonna stop you. But I'm also gonna make sure I don't break my promise to your parents. Even so, I've got no other choice at this point. Talking it out won't do." "What's with this kid? What happened to all that burning anger that he harboured? No...Of course. This Ash is far different from who I've been following. That temper of his has fizzled out compared to his earlier Pokemon Career. I can't get a sense of fury anywhere. Even during the invasion..." "Ash. Let's try and keep it safe, okay? We're still in space and at the very top of this tower. We can't be too reckless." Twilight warned. "Let's just try and force the Rift out of Galaxy Master's body before anything else." "Ashkan. Hoopa heard everything from the Rift." Hoopa, who was currently being healed by Audino, held his hand out to the Alola Champion, sharing his sentiment. "Hoopa's just like-" "I know, Hoopa." Ash interrupted him, knowing exactly what Hoopa was getting at. "You're alike. Both of you. Nothing wrong with having fun at the end of the day. But it's always about how you do it and even thinking about everyone around you. Rift. You already know that, but that's not your style." "Then you might as well give up trying to change that!" The Rift scoffed. "Seems you already know that it's pointless." "I didn't say it was pointless." Ash protested. "I can't change who you are. That's not what I even wanna do. I'm only here to end this and keep my promise. And as a bonus, I'm looking forward to the future with you." "With me?!" The Rift pulled back as even Twilight and Fluttershy were shocked by this response. "Yeah. To be honest, it's thanks to you that I've made so many new friends. If you never crossed our worlds over, I don't know if I'd ever find more to love. I wouldn't have met Twilight, Fluttershy, Celestia and so many others. I probably would be stuck in my world without knowing about all the possibilities I can explore beyond it. But now, it's all endless. And you only crossed it over just to see what would happen. And I love it!" "You...love it?" At this point, the Rift could only marvel at Ash's words. Not only was he not feeling a sense of payback but he was even expressing his positivity to this cosmic being despite everything that's happened. "Oh yeah! All the more reason I wanna keep them together! Even if you end up leaving...Keeping both worlds together and reuniting you with your parents are two promises I can't afford to break. So, again, I'm sorry for what happened back at Holon. I wish we could've done it differently. But now, I've gotta beat you if I wanna reach those goals." "Well said, Ash." Twilight used her wings to form a thumbs-up, approving of Ash's words. Hoopa didn't need to say much at all. Ash took care of everything for him. "Ah, my bad. I kinda rambled there for a while, didn't I?" Ash chuckled, realizing how long he spoke. "It doesn't usually go on that long, ya know. Hahaha!" "You..." The Rift paused on its words before speaking to itself. "Even after what I aimed to do, it was all pointless? Not a shred of despair that I can take advantage of...Even in this body? What was the point then? Curse it all! Having fun together? With you? Are you nuts?!" "But it's true. Hoopa, who had been healed back to considerable health, added his own words into the conversation. "You like having fun. That's why you came here. Why stop for this?" "I'll have my fun when I want to!" The Rift shouted, exuding a flare of cosmic energy. "After this, here's what I'll do! Everything will go back to the way it was but with my own twist to it! Understand?! And since you want it that way, Ash? How about this? I defeat you in a way that's fitting to the character I'm possessing. And thanks to Bertha, I've made some changes to that Galaxy Master story." "Changes?" Twilight repeated as her mane blew violently from the cosmic pressure. "Yes! To truly make Galaxy Master unbeatable, I must write it that way!" The Rift then revealed one of the Comic Books it took from Bertha. "What better way to gain the advantage? And of course...you're the antagonists of this! Care to play out the next chapter for me?" "Hm," Ash smirked. "Okay." His words, once again, stunned the Rift. These responses rubbed the Cosmic Being the wrong way. "But I was hoping to look different for the part. Time to throw down, Rift!" "Pikachu!" "We'll throw down alright...but I won't need a Pokemon to do so! Not with the power I've absorbed!" The Rift then summoned a giant cosmic ring around Galaxy Master's back which had stars inside and outside of them. The stars on Galaxy Master's outfit intensified too, receiving different colours. Everyone squinted from this sudden emergence of multiple lights as the Rift began drawing out all that it could muster at this point. The inside of its cape soon received the appearance of space itself, showing planets and galaxies that were moving. It was like the Rift had the entire universe in its cape. "I restored some of my power thanks to Meloetta! I couldn't get what I wanted out of Hoopa but absorbing some of his strength was worth it! I'll suffice just perfectly to beat you, Ash!" "So you say...But we're gonna beat you instead!" Ash adjusted his hat while Twilight and Espeon stepped forward, unintimidated by this rise in cosmic strength. "Pika!" "Stay outside, Hoopa." Twilight used her magic to grab Hoopa, forcing him out of the main room. Fluttershy would take part in this battle, meaning she couldn't nurse Hoopa back to full health at the moment considering what stood before her. "We can finish things up here." "O-Okay! Good luck!" "Ash may not be feeling any form of payback, but I certainly am!" Twilight exclaimed. "There's a lot I want to get back at you, Rift." "Do your worst then, princess." "Audi! Use Light Screen to protect them!" Fluttershy made the first move, choosing to give everyone some resistance. When it comes to cosmic threats, ranged attacks are to be greatly expected. "Audino!" Audino raised her arms before then coating her friends in a beautiful veil of energy. "Thanks, Fluttershy! Audino! Okay, let's go on ahead! Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" "Eve! You should use Quick Attack too! Go for it!" "Do the same, Raboot!" "Pika!" Together, Pikachu, Espeon and Raboot would approach the opponent at lightspeed, leaving behind white afterimages from their speeds as the trio ran side by side at an equal pace. In response, the Rift shot out cosmic lightning from its hands, viciously crashing it to try and match their speed. But this only resulted in Pikachu, Raboot and Espeon zooming to the side with the speed of Quick Attack, evading the crash of lightning which destroyed parts of the floor already. "Espeon!" After evading the cosmic lightning, Espeon charged in, headbutting the Rift's face. Soon, Pikachu would do the same, tackling the other side of the Rift's head and Raboot would go straight for the chest. "Gh!" The Rift staggered from this swift Triple Quick attack. If it could show a face, it would be showing a grimacing look of pain right now. "Do it again!" Ash, Fluttershy and Twilight shouted as they aimed to use a consecutive Quick Attack. Repeatedly, Pikachu, Raboot and Espeon began zooming around at lightning speeds, constantly hitting the Rift back and forth with these speedy movements, becoming yellow, white and purple blurs. "I-I...I can't lock my target!" The Rift groaned as it was struggling to focus on three Quick Attack users. That's when it used its ring. Unable to focus on one of them, the Rift then separated parts of its body unexpectedly. It did so by turning it into cosmic stardust. When Pikachu went to tackle the side of the Rift, that specific side materialized into stardust, flying to the side as Pikachu only managed to hit a few particles. The rest of the Rift's body materialized, following the left side of the first particles just to reform elsewhere. "Pika?!" "Now, I've got you!" Materializing on the farther left side, the Rift then sent a scattershot of cosmic rays which assaulted Pikachu and Espeon. The two of them were hit by these rays which pelted them like rain. "P-Pi!" "Pikachu! Thunderbolt, now!" "Use Dazzling Gleam at once, Eve!" "Pika!" Even when being knocked back, Pikachu and Espeon could dish out an attack immediately. It started with them recovering on the floor before then shooting out a bolt of electricity and a barrage of rainbow rays from their body. "Same here!" But the Rift could easily replicate it by using the same attacks it utilized prior. The right hand used cosmic lightning while the left used cosmic rays, clashing with these two attacks via an identical appearance. "Now's our chance, you two." Fluttershy nodded at Audino and Raboot. "Go and use Hyper Beam and High Jump Kick, please!" "Ra!" Raboot nodded before being picked up by Audino. Audino used one hand to raise him while the other was used for Hyper Beam. Raboot used Audino's hand as a pedestal for extra height as he took a mighty leap. Out of Audino's hand, Hyper Beam came zooming out, but with a thinner appearance so as to not harm Pikachu and Espeon. "Hm?!" The Rift noticed how it was approaching it before then ending the clash with Pikachu and Espeon. Each of their respective attacks cancelled each other out. Upon ending this clash, the Rift placed a wide barrier around itself to protect against the mighty Hyper Beam. The barrier successful blocked the attack, only adding to the abundance of smoke around the area. And once that smoke cleared, along came Raboot, charging in to smash his feet against the barrier. "Ra-Raboot!" Raboot attempted pressing through the barrier. From the height he came at, this High Jump Kick had extra oomph compared to the rest. And thanks to Hyper Beam, Raboot's attack was starting to form a crack in the weakening barrier. "Hm?!" The Rift noticed how it was approaching it before then ending the clash with Pikachu and Espeon. Each of their respective attacks cancelled each other out. Upon ending this clash, the Rift placed a wide barrier around itself to protect against the mighty Hyper Beam. The barrier successful blocked the attack, only adding to the abundance of smoke around the area. And once that smoke cleared, along came Raboot, charging in to smash his feet against the barrier. "Ra-Raboot!" Raboot attempted pressing through the barrier. From the height he came at, this High Jump Kick had extra oomph compared to the rest. And thanks to Hyper Beam, Raboot's attack was starting to form a crack in the weakening barrier. "Don't you dare underestimate me!" Crying out, the Rift turned the barrier into an explosive force. The barrier blew up in front of Raboot first, consuming him before then reaching Pikachu and Espeon. But it didn't stop at just those three. Ash and the others would be targeted. "R-Ra!" Raboot screamed after being consumed by the explosion. Quickly, Twilight put up a protective barrier of magic, shielding the rest of them. Pikachu and the other two Pokemon would have to take this damage, unfortunately. "R-Ra!" Raboot screamed after being consumed by the explosion. Quickly, Twilight put up a protective barrier of magic, shielding the rest of them. Pikachu and the other two Pokemon would have to take this damage, unfortunately. "I've never had to do this before..." The Rift looked at Galaxy Master's arms, seeing how they trembled. "Taking part in a battle isn't my style at all...!" "First time for everything, right?" Ash grinned after each of the Pokemon recovered and regained their balance. "And it'll be the last! I can proudly say that, Ash Ketchum!" The Rift roared with great disdain in its voice. "Fitting that outer space will be where it ends, don't you think?" "It won't be the end. If anything...since it's all taking place in space, I've got a good feeling that this could start something new. Something awesome." "Ashkan. Pikan..." Hoopa, who was outside, peeked in to witness what seemed to be the final battle on this tower. And if it was, the one who wins will truly determine one thing. Entertainment. Nothing more. Nothing less. Both are battling with the same thing in mind. Though, each of them have their own way of entertainment that can be expressed. The battle against Galaxy Master finally begins as the journey continues. Chapter 921 End.