//------------------------------//
// Patience for the Crusade 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Equestria. Ponyville. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon.

"Listen up!" Shouting at the top of his lungs was Hilbert. He attracted the attention of everypony here at Ponyville successfully with his bombastic nature. In his hands, he held a flagpole that was then inserted into the ground. On that flagpole was a poorly drawn version of his face, mostly done by him. The marker in his pocket proved it as His Emboar proudly stood by the flagpole, holding the flagpole for Hilbert.

"What are you up to now?" Hilda asked, having an unimpressed look on her face.

"This my attraction. Everyone else has one for the Pokemon Festival. I'm taking all challengers! You can take on the Number One Trainer, Hilbert Blair. Sounds tempting, right? Who wouldn't want to face the best?"

"Hmmm...Then how about I take you on?" Hilda put on a devious grin as Hilbert instantly shuddered at that response. "Sound good? Unless you're nervous since you know I'm on your level."

"Uhh...No friends allowed! Emboar!"

"Emboar!" Emboar would quickly grab Hilbert's marker, adding new words to the flagpole. Just as Hilbert said, his friends wouldn't be allowed to compete. Or in this case, only Hilda was permitted. Emboar didn't want to make it unfair for his friends either.

"There." Hilbert proudly crossed his arms, dodging a massive bullet by preventing Hilda from competing.

"Mhm." Hilda nodded. "Be that way. But you're still not brave enough to challenge me. Afraid I'll take your fake number one status if I beat you?"

"You won't tempt me!" Hilbert roared as he started a back-and-forth argument with Hilda over the title of Number One. Hilda was the only one who could retaliate against Hilbert's boasting.

And of course, most residents of Ponyville already know what Hilbert was all about. Thus, they would not indulge in his attraction. There was also the fact that he didn't have permission to do so in the first place.



Twilight's Castle.

"And...done...!" Back at Twilight's Castle, research about this alien language exhausted the Princess of Friendship, her human counterpart, the Sinnoh Champion and Fluttershy. Only Pheromosa looked energized thanks to her amazing energy which allows her to move at great speeds.

"Finally...That was so much fun. But so tiring." Sci-Twi held her face. The book they read was about that Space Dragon they saw in the flashback.

"It was totally worth it!" Twilight slammed her hooves on the table, sitting up. "The language was so challenging that it tired us out. So learning a good chunk of it paid off! Well...until we meet one of the aliens but still!"

"So now we know that dragon's name. And why it suddenly appeared out of the Sun on that day." Cynthia added. "How o you pronounce it?"

"I think it's...Khaikkex." Twilight said the Space Dragon's name. "That's how it's said. Born in the North Sun and eats the North Sun. It's amazing that their home planet has over 5 different suns. And one of them houses an alien creature we've never seen before. Which means...if we get out there, we could find a place in space that has 5 Suns and that could be their home planet!"

"If we can get close to it. 5 Suns seems like it'd be hard for any of us to live on it." Sci-Twi added. "The Planet Lindieter's built for that and the aliens who live on it."

"We still don't know why it attacked during that war though." Twilight pondered. "It just showed up, readied an attack and the rest is still history. The only way we can know what truly happened is if we find that planet ourselves. But that could take years considering how lengthy space travel is. The only reason why the Empress reached us so fast was because of a gateway. But we can't use a gateway if we don't know where the planet is."

"So...what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh! We're not going back into space are we?!"

"No. I think we'll call it a day. We can start teaching others about this language. Just in case. Thanks for your help, everyone." Twilight thanked them for helping make this language readable. Now, she had a new arsenal of language to learn if it ever comes in handy or is necessary.

"We're done? Oh, finally." Rarity, who wasn't involved in learning this language, only showing up here to have Pheromosa be the main translator, did her own thing. This whole thing, she was essentially playing dress-up with her 12 Leavanny and Milotic.

"Oh! I know! I get to see Fidough again. You should definitely come and see this adorable little Pokemon that came by the Pokemon House today. It's an actual dough dog. Doesn't that sound tempting?"

"Dough dog?" Cynthia's mind went a bit blank as she thought about that kind of Pokemon. The concept of Fidough was never brought up to her until now. Her projection of Fidough was a dough-shaped Pokemon that had the face of a dog. She wasn't too far off.

"That makes me hungry hearing that...does the Pokemon make food?" Sci-Twi asked, feeling rather peckish after hearing about Fidough's description.

"I don't think so. Just be careful about yeast in its breath. It induces fermentation in your Pokemon. For better or for worse. That won't be a problem, right, Zorua?"

"Mmm...I don't know..." Hisuian Zorua couldn't comment at all on that. She had no knowledge of Fidough's existence. Not many in this room or this entire town did.

"Well, you can all do that. I know what I'm doing. For the final week, I've been called in for a special role." Rarity smirked. "You know of the musical performance that's happening in the final week?"

"Ah, right. Coloratura's singing. Oh and uh, the Dazzlings too." said Twilight. "Good on them for getting another musical act."

"The performance will happen at PokeStar Studios. A great place to perform, if you ask me. And since I'm well-known there, they're entrusting me to make the stage for this performance. Pheromosa, Leavanny, Ampharos, Milotic and I will be busy because of this. Not one to make something for a former enemy but oh well!"

Rarity would depart, returning Pheromosa and all of her Pokemon. She would split from the group, only to prepare for the day and that inevitable musical performance. Fluttershy would also leave, returning to the Pokemon House just to look at Fidough some more. She was also hoping to see more new Pokemon.

"Hmm...I haven't met up with Sunset or the others this entire time. I actually don't know where they are or what they're doing right now." Sci-Twi would focus on her friends from her original home world. This entire time, the counterparts to her friends here weren't present at all. 

"Go for it." Twilight encouraged her counterpart. "You still have time to meet up with them. Or even bring them here. If you have enough Shift Stones to keep them as humans...Speaking of counterparts...I haven't bumped into my other counterparts from different worlds. They said they'd show up here at the Pokemon Festival, but I haven't seen a single one of them. Wonder what they're up to..."



Unova. Ghetsis' Castle. Afternoon.

Back at Ghetsis' Castle, these past days have already graced this land with swift developments. The people of the past finally settled here thanks to Ghetsis accepting them. And already, they made themselves comfortable by bringing their old-school Hisuian Traditions to this land. Of course, there were some modern upgrades considering it was a different time.

The society here had also changed thanks to what the Rift was able to give Ghetsis from the beginning and what Colress ended up making. Their industry and infrastructure are among its current greatest strengths. Unfortunately, they lack a lot in education of the current world but that wouldn't last for long thanks to Team Plasma.

Because of how new it was and the fact that Ghetsis was the ultimate ruler here, there are hardly any opposing groups against the current leadership. And there wasn't a single sign of it at all. Mainly because Ghetsis, despite being the King of this Land, wasn't constantly in his castle.

But this time he was and he came with a visitor. Daybreaker arrived at Ghetsis' new Kingdom for the first time, seeing the castle for herself. But she wasn't here for the castle. All the people of Hisui who were now official Unovans, gazed at Daybreaker's appearance.

"What kind of Rapidash is that?" They mistook her for a Rapidash with a longer horn and a more feminine appearance with the addition of fancy accessories.

"It can't be a Rapdiash. It must come from the other world." Some of them could already see that Daybreaker was from Equestria. But not the Equestria they knew. 

Daybreaker was curious about the absence of Empress Twilight, so coming here to investigate brought along a surprising revelation that she wasn't ready for.

"A Poke Ball that catches ponies?" Daybreaker held a sheet of Colress' plans. One of them involved the Poke Ball plan as it was already a success with the first one being made.

"So, Lord Ghetsis. As you can see, we've made an alliance with Team Rocket. Their boss Giovanni brings a lot of benefits and this Poke Ball that I've crafted brings greater advantages."

"Hm. So that's what you've been doing." Ghetsis closed his eyes before looking at the Poke Ball. "Anything else?"

"Counterfeits. Right now, Princess Celestia believes she's holding the Light Stone of Reshiram. But it's a perfect model made by yours truly. As for the Element of Magic, thanks to the Empress, it's been put under a spell. Not only is it useless, but since there already exists an Element of Magic in our enemy's world, the second that afflicted crown comes in contact with theirs, their crown will vanish. Foolproof, isn't it?"

"A lot of hard work just to end up with nothing." Ghetsis shrugged. "But, you clearly have something in mind, so go on. The real Reshiram is somewhere out there, correct?"

"Probably in its recovery state. Maybe somewhere around Holon. I've already ordered a group to try and scout out the place but so far, nothing yet."

"Hmm...I don't know I feel about this." As for Daybreaker, she was uncomfortable with the Poke Ball option. Colress was already crafting more which would soon result in vast numbers. Being able to catch any pony as if they were a Pokemon felt off to Daybreaker, especially since the intention of these Poke Balls were vastly different to the original.

But Empress Twilight certainly felt the worst out of this considering she had been caught. She was in the shadows, scowling at Colress since she was now his Trainer. The thought of being under someone's control via hard-to-break material aggravated the alicorn. Both alicorns had their opinion about the Pony-Cathing Poke Ball. Empress Twilight hated it since it caught her and Daybreaker was iffy about its existence and purpose.

"If we're going to use this, then use it on the one that matters. The Lich Queen." Ghetsis ordered. "Someone like her threatens us all. Get her out of the way first."

"That was my intention, Lord Ghetsis. The Lich Queen will be caught the second we see her. Now if only we could find her..."

"You can find her, but you can't reach her," said Daybreaker. "Her protection magic is too vast. I experienced the same thing in my universe. Even my flames couldn't get past them."

"So how did you reach her if you couldn't get past her protection magic?" Colress questioned.

"We didn't. We had to let her come to us. The same definitely goes for her. Possibly when that Black Crusade finally arrives. All you have to do is wait for that Crusade to finally happen. Then take your chance. But you have to do it before she can put her plan into full swing. Intercept before things go out of control."

"Easy enough. If all we have to do is wait, then I'll be in my lab, preparing for that day." Colress would return to his lab. He couldn't reach the Dread League. So the best thing to do was wait for the Dread League in their entirety to show up. Ghetsis would continue on with his day since he didn't have much to do at all.

Daybreaker had a lot on her plate. The first was getting Necrozma more light energy and also preparing for the Dread League. But before she could do that, coming up to her was Empress Twilight. She only had one thing in mind and it related to Colress for obvious reasons.

"Daybreaker. We need to talk."



Equestria. Magehold. Afternoon.

In Magehold, the Potion Brewer, Ebony Rhyme was doing what she did best. Brewing all kinds of malicious potions and sometimes helpful ones that only benefit the Dread League. After what Rosa Maledicta ordered, the vampire potion brewer got to work, already making piles of potions. But she had her assistants. Younger ponies who were also being taught how to make these potions.

"3 teaspoons of Thorn Culantro. 3 dashes of Flux Moss. 1 handful of Witch's Angelica. 3 bits of Mage Celery. 2 cups of Fade Nigella." She said, adding the recipes to her newest potion. Squash the Thorn Culantro by summoning one of your own minions and having them do the work for you. Then, they'll have to put the result in a cup. Add some purified water to turn it into a lumpy paste, then add the Flux Moss in small amounts at a time. Fill a pan with Cursed Gems, if you're a younger vampire wear gloves, add the mixture and cool it down with how cool you are, then bring the mixture to a boil."

"You don't have to wear gloves yourself, miss?" A young vampire said as the potion was coming up nicely, emanating a devious black smoke.

"Even as a filly, I never had to. It's all-natural for me. Let it brew overnight, or not if you're impatient before adding the Witch's Angelica and Mage Celery, in that order. Gently warm up the mixture once more, mix in the Fade Nigella and let everything rest while you take a power nap, maybe two since you've worked hard. If you've worked hard. After that, remove the solidified impurities floating at the surface. Your potion will be ready for usage. Only a droplet is needed for the potion to take effect. If you made a lot you can store leftovers in the Oblivion Cabinet. Understand?"

"Sure! But can we do that later? We want to go to Miss Fantina's class right now."

"The human? Why's that? Don't you want to make potions anymore?" Ebony looked at them with a vicious stare.

"N-No. Those are still fun...but you should see the Pokemon! They're just as fun! There's this one Pokemon that sends us to the afterlife!" The children were fixated on Fantina, already growing attached to the Hearthome City Gym Leader as they gossiped about her.

"I think it's two of them, right? Gengar can do that. Or so I've heard."

"I wonder if you can wear Mismagius' hat...Can it even come off?"

"These kids...Fantina hasn't even been here for that long and already she's won them over." Ebony Rhyme spoke to herself while the children blabbered. "The other vampires were worried about Fantina and the influence she would spread after what happened during the first field trip.

"Should I get a Pokemon of my own?" Ebony thought to herself, wanting to win the children over. "No. My potions are enough to make them happy. They enjoy the brewing process to the core. I don't need a Pokemon. I already get enjoyment from seeing them learn from me. But a Pokemon is fairly tempting..."

"We'll make it later, miss! Bye!" Right as she thought to herself, the children ran out of her home, heading to Fantina. Ebony Rhyme stood there in silence as the final sound was the door being slammed. The brewer then looked at all of her potions which were made for the Black Crusade and the entirety of Equestri for obvious malicious reasons.

But she wasn't feeling malicious right now. Though she couldn't express what she was feeling on her face, her mannerisms and words would do so. "Tch. Fine then. Go and look at some Pokemon. You only get to view Ghost-Types so it's not that interesting anyway."

She felt bitter. Ebony would face the Oblivion Cabinet which housed various potions that had yet to be used. Not only that but in the middle of them was a picture. In that picture was Ebony herself and the students who learnt from her brewing process.

"Fantina...How did you take them away from me so fast? It can't be because you're a human. At the end of the day, the Black Crusade will get you as well and you'll be a skeletal entity walking around Magehold.  Maybe it is the Pokemon..." Ebony pondered before closing the cabinet.

Would it be the Pokemon? Most likely. To Ebony Rhyme, her interest in potions stems from the wonders they can create. And the Pokemon weren't any different. They have their own wonders. Whether good or bad. They were truly the most magnificent creatures to ever grace this world.

"Then again...nothing wrong with having a Pokemon." Ebony sat down, in this quiet room with the only noises being her voice and the bubbling of potions. "I heard about a very popular one. A Pikachu. Small...yellow...red sacs and a surprisingly soft face. Hmmm..." Thinking about it for a moment, Ebony protected Pikachu in her mind.

The appearance of Pikachu was impossible for anyone to ignore, thanks to Ash's presence. Pikachu was two things. Adorable and fierce. Adorable in the sense of his cute voice, his small appearance and the way he moved. But he was also fierce for being such a great battler and being the master of electricity. One of the fiercest elements in the world, making Pikachu the perfect mix of Cute and Cool.

"Hmm...It is actually adorable." Ebony Rhyme saw the appeal of Pikachu as a small blush came on her face. The creatures from Tartarus and the 100 Demons are unsightly to look at. But I wouldn't mind having a Pikachu. Though...they'd just emit too much light."

That was the one drawback of having a Pikachu. The light. Especially in a vampire-heavy society. Ebony Rhyme shrugged it off before clearing the cloud in her mind.

"Now she's getting to me." Ebony Rhyme grumbled. "I'd best not do anything to her. The Lich Queen needs Fantina. But I'm losing time with my students because of her. But perhaps...the Pokemon themselves are what I need to focus on." The vampire would then go towards her potions as a flash of lightning cracked in the sky.

Ebony Rhyme had something in mind. Jealousy was a powerful force and here in Magehold, that force was elevated as noted by how the vampires view and speak of Fantina. Ebony was no different. By grabbing some of her potions, the vampire potion brewer had something rather devious in mind. Mainly for Fantina's Pokemon.

Because so as long as Fantina herself is fine, the Lich Queen wouldn't mind. 

As the journey continues.


Chapter 855 End.