Equestria. Ponyvile. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon.
Nightmare Moon had been turned to stone. After using the destructive power of plasma, she put herself at significant risk. And the consequences showed themselves. Her body was now solid on the outside, with no response. For the doctors, this was a troubling situation that none of them had ever experienced before.
"She'll be fine." Good news came through thanks to the Doctor's words. "She has a heartbeat that's still active, despite how she may appear. Princess Luna...or I suppose, Nightmare Moon will survive. But I'm not sure how to reverse this. This is in the territory of magic."
"Good to hear," Hollow replied before gazing at Nightmare Moon's frozen body. Darkrai closed his eyes as he had recently been healed up as well. He knew that if he used all of that power, his body would turn to stone as well.
"Frillish..." Frillish, Xatu and Musharna gathered around Nightmare Moon's stony body, mourning for her. In this instance, they respected Nightmare Moon as a Trainer and now a friend, almost as if she was Luna herself. And for that, seeing Nightmare Moon frozen was heart-wrenching. But they could take some solace knowing that she was still alive.
"And there's the problem of Krookodile that we have to worry about," Hollow added. "How did he even get captured? Doesn't he have a Poke Ball?"
"Angel Bunny told me. Team Rocket possesses a Poke Ball that can catch Pokemon that already have Trainers." Darkrai replied.
"They made something like that?!" Hollow pulled back. "Scary..."
"Not just that. They've found a way to use plasma. I thought only Reshiram, Zekrom and Passion could do it. But now they have access to that kind of element and we saw how strong it could be. If they have that...who knows what else they're wielding? But then again, this was to be expected. With the way things are now, this development was inevitable."
"It was? How?" Hollow asked.
"In the beginning, everything seemed fine and peaceful at the start. Sure, there were the occasional problems that would show up. I was unfortunately one of the earlier ones in the beginning. These problems would stir up trouble in different worlds, disturbing the peace. But for the most part, it was all simple and relaxed. But then...as time went on and our enemies started revealing themselves, things spiralled out of control. It could all be equated to when Ghetsis first appeared."
"Oh yeah...He made a big impact on Equestria by conquering Saddle-Arabia. And it was so easy for him to do so too."
"Back then, no one was formidable enough to stand up to a Pokemon Trainer. As time went on, Pokemon Trainers started appearing rapidly but that also meant that our enemies would sprout up in greater numbers. Then came the larger-scale instances. The Storm Behemoth, Tirek, Spiritomb, The Indigo Alliance, The Empress invasion and so on. And by the looks of it, it's not slowing down. If anything, it's getting worse by the minute. The more we grow, the more our opponents grow. It's an endless back-and-forth of who can 1UP the other. And when that 1UP happens, the results are vast for either side."
"So it's not gonna get any better, huh?" Hollow grimaced, scratching his hair before gazing at Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon's current condition was a representation of how things were spiralling out of control.
"I've seen it happen before. It always starts out good but over time, it will build up to something unpleasant. And even when the two worlds are connected at last, it won't make things better." Darkrai shook his head at the harsh reality of all this. This extraordinary union of worlds was only going to experience more hardships through and through.
"Frillish..." Hearing that, Frillish, who was already upset, felt a bit intimidated by that. From what Darkrai said, he would have to expect more heart-crushing scenarios.
"But...it's all a matter of what we can do." Darkrai then brought a different side to this conversation. "If we want happier times, we need to keep doing our best to guarantee that. That's what Celestia said once. And even though Krookodile's been taken, nothing's stopping me from finding him."
"You can find Krookodile? How?"
"Previously, I was too tired and didn't have the energy to do much. I couldn't even enter the Dream Realm or even the Hyperdream. Now that I got some rest, I can do just that. Krookodile will fall asleep at some time. And when does, I can reach him."
"What about Princess Luna? Shouldn't you be getting to her by now? After all, you've been looking for her this entire time."
"That too..." Darkrai grumbled, closing his eyes. "Please. Inform her in some way if you can."
"Leave it to me. I'll do my best to reach her." Hollow would take it from here. Informing Luna about her Pokemon would be a top priority as well as finding Krookodile. As for Nightmare Moon, all that could be done was to let her rest and nothing more in the meanwhile.
Could she even hear them in this frozen state? No one knows.
Hoenn. Lilycove City. Afternoon.
As for Luna, she expected to see Team Rocket and Nightmare Moon over at Hoenn after reading the news. But after searching for any noticeable food stands across Hoenn, Luna and her sister failed to find them. None of these food stands had Nightmare Moon working there.
Not from what Luna had seen so far. The Sun could already be seen lowering, showings signs of a late afternoon and the eventual arrival of the night. By this point, Luna's smile was fading away the longer she was away from her Pokemon. Celestia watched as her sister sat down to gaze at the setting sunlight out upon the sea. Far beyond the Contests halls out at Lilycove City, she would try to ease down with this beautiful sight.
This year's Pokemon Festival certainly hasn't been kind to many others. Thanks to the Dread League, The Rift and now Team Rocket's Matori Matrix. Celestia feared that it could all spiral out of control, especially since this was the longest one so far.
Luna wondered if she was getting weaker instead of stronger. She encountered Ghetsis and ended up losing right afterwards, only for Ghetsis to let her go surprisingly. And every other event afterwards only downed her spirits some more
She looked up at the azure skies, wondering what was happening in Pegalysium back in her world. Could another predicament emerge there? It was seemingly likely with how the world was changing. And even after the Pokemon Festival ends, it certainly wouldn't slow down for anyone.
Both worlds had their own problems to deal with. And for the most part, their biggest threats have unified, only worsening the stakes.
Equestria. Ponyville. The Pokemon House.
As for the Pokemon House, in its state, all of Fluttershy's hard work had been greatly damaged. Craters and obliterated rooms could be seen as not every Pokemon managed to escape from Team Rocket's clutches. Some had been taken. They not only missed their friends but also felt gutted by what happened to Nightmare Moon, who they still saw as Luna.
They picked up the rubble as their wonderful sanctuary had never suffered this much damage before. The worst part was that they all felt powerless to do anything. All these Pokemon with vast numbers and they didn't have the strength to fight back.
They felt like Luna in this instance. Weak. It hit them even more since they managed to help out during Cosmos' attack. It wasn't as if the Pokemon House made them soft or anything like that.
Angel Bunny held a remnant of Team Rocket's actions in the form of this special pen. This pen emitted a specialized soundwave that only Pokemon, animals and surprisingly enough, ponies could hear. At least, he held the pieces of it. Angel Bunny had never seen the Pokemon so distraught before.
Apart from when nightfall comes, this was the most silent the Pokemon House had ever been. And it may remain that way for a while with how things turned out.
Unova. Ghetsis' Castle. Colress' Lab. Afternoon.
Unfortunately, with how the enemies of the Pokemon World and Equestria were moving, the disasters wouldn't slow down at all. Not when Colress was currently working on his various inventions. In this case, it was a Poke Ball. Two of them were in front of him. One of which greatly resembled the Poke Ball that captured Krookodile.
"Glad to hear it was a success. A Poke Ball that catches Pokemon that arent Wild is truly a stupendous innovation from here." Colress chuckled. "But...let's take it a step further."
"How so?" Giovanni questioned as he was currently speaking with Colress in private.
"I'll obviously make more copies of this special Poke Ball, just for your team. Lord Ghetsis won't mind. But there's one Poke Ball that Hunter J recommended. A Poke Ball that catches Ponies."
"Go on." Giovanni was now interested in what he was hearing.
"At first, I thought that was ludicrous. But what's stopping me from creating it? After all, we live in an era where anything is possible. I believe that Poke Balls that can catch Ponies will do nicely. How does that sound?"
"Seems a bit extra to me." Giovanni shook his head. "But, if it's efficient, who am I to judge? Especially since it'll get rid of unwanted problems from Equestria."
"Oh, it will." Colress raised the Poke Ball which was still under construction. "It'll be a one-hit wonder that does its job perfectly. After that, we'll only use it when necessary."
"And who will you use it on? I know what Team Rocket in its entirety will be using it on."
"There are many contenders. But for once, I'll stray away from our biggest problems and focus on the ones that could become a problem. Daybreaker will certainly appreciate this. You as well, Mr Giovanni since this pony threatens everyone's life, no matter which side it is. I suggest we start by capturing the Lich Queen, Rosa Maledicta."
Hoenn. Lilycove City. Late Afternoon.
It was close to nightfall by now. The Sun could be seen lurking over the horizon, slowly setting. Luna waited for the moon to come up as that would give her some form of solace. She feared that this search would continue until tomorrow.
"Luna. Look this way." But that would not be the case. Celestia would do her best to cheer her sister up. But it seemed that all she needed to do was draw her attention to something else based around her. In the distance, bombastic sounds were approaching, reaching this vicinity. Luna would turn to face the direction of this sound as confetti could also be seen flying everywhere. All her thoughts were tossed aside for this very scenario.
A parade was heading this way. Not just any parade. But a parade about her. A giant Luna balloon, which was expertly made surprisingly, could be seen in the distance, towering over everything else. And the ones in charge of this parade, moving head were none other than Team Rocket.
Finally having enough time to rest, Team Rocket showed up, wearing parade uniforms as Jessie proudly twirled a baton around. "This way! Hurry it up~!"
Joining Team Rocket were a few Ponyville residents who were roped in. But they didn't mind at all. Not just that, but more importantly, Luna's Pokemon were wearing uniforms as well, wide awake and everything.
That frown on Luna's face would fizzle out swiftly after witnessing this. She not only saw a parade fitted for her but her Pokemon as well. Darkrai and everyone were here once again. "Darkrai! Everyone!"
Darkrai refused to wear a uniform, so he settled with a hat. Admittedly, in the eyes of everyone, he was a good fit and looked somewhat prim and proper in it. But none of that mattered right now. Right now, Luna mattered.
Overjoyed, she used the full extent of her alicorn speed to fly in. She immediately fly-tackled Darkrai with a mighty hug that would knock many over. But not Darkrai. She spun around the Pitch Black Pokemon's body after that staggering hug, tearing up with joy in her heart.
The rest of her Pokemon would also gather around her as a reunion. Luna gazed at them before then letting out a few chuckles after seeing all their outfits. These parade outfits were too humorous. "You all look ridiculous. But this...this parade is amazing. Seeing you all again is amazing. I missed you all!"
"We did too." Darkrai comforted her with a pat on the back.
"Successful parade." Team Rocket high-fived each other along with an extra individual who was truly the mastermind behind this. Hollow removed his hat which covered his eyes, giving a thumbs-up at Celestia's direction. Celestia would reply by using her wing to do the same gesture.
"Wait. if you're here...where is Nightmare Moon?" Luna wondered as there was no sign of Nightmare Moon.
"Resting. But not in the best state. Luna. You need to go to her right now." Darkrai pleaded. "Urgently. Before we can go and save Krookodile and a few Pokemon."
"Why? What happened with Krookodile? What Pokemon?"
"I'll tell you everything before the Sun truly sets. But as for Nightmare Moon, it's important that you meet with her. Especially with how she helped us."
"She helped you all? Nightmare Moon?" Luna couldn't believe her ears. But it was true as it sounded. All it took was the visible nods of the Pokemon to confirm this. The Nightmare Moon Luna knew wasn't exactly how she was when she first appeared. Granted, that cockiness is still there, but there was another layer to the alter-ego. And that was only possible by the original ego. Princess Luna. "Very we. But please. Let me savour this moment for a bit."
Luna wanted to savour this hug for a while before she could head to Equestria. She deserved it after missing them all. Celestia even wanted to meet with Nightmare Moon herself. After all, that was also her sister by extension. Family was family.
The Sun would stay a little while longer. Was it supernatural forces doing this just for this instance? Maybe. The Pokemon World is an anomaly. And anomaly that responds to the hearts and emotions of others that is. Even with everything dark happening across each world, only rising in numbers, there was also something bright to emerge from it. And that brightness would outshine the darkness more than anything as the journey continues.
Chapter 940 End.