The Stratosphere of Earth. Right below Canterlot.
Kyurem was still up at the stratosphere, having to deal with this Absorption Demon, much like how everyone else was handling demons back on Earth. Both Earths to be exact. But getting close to the demon was a challenge on its own. Unexpectedly it started crying, stunning even Kyurem. This cry was vocal enough to keep the Boundary Pokemon at bay with how much pressure was coming from it and the fact that it summoned magic which would combust around Kyurem.
But not for long. Kyurem would find a way past this. The best way to do so was to shut this demon up. Immediately, Kyurem's eyes would flash blue before then switching forms. A burst of electricity would emerge from his body, loud enough to even be heard in space. But not even that could grab the demon's attention or silence it. However, it did allow Kyurem to hear something else that didn't require him to cover his own ears.
The flash of lightning would bring about Kyurem's other form. Black Kyurem. Upon emerging from the lightning bolt, Kyurem would use the violent and erratic energy of electricity, shocking the demon. However, this was quickly interrupted by the green sparks that were summoned by this constant crying. The sparks automatically intercepted the lightning bolts, shielding the demon from harm.
But the Demon didn't want to waste this either. Much like how it absorbed Kyurem's Dragon Pulse, the electricity would be absorbed as well with all the leftovers flying around. Even when crying, the demon could still use its special ability. And upon absorbing Kyurem's special lightning, its arms and whiplike tail would suddenly flare up, gaining the element of electricity.
This demon could multitask. It could cry and fight back as it would shoot out its own electricity that it managed to transform, giving it that signature Changeling Green. Kyurem would fly to the side, evading the first batch of bolts, but unexpectedly, the bolts would home in on Kyurem, redirecting themselves. Kyurem would be zapped from behind before being shocked by the ones from the front.
The Boundary Pokemon growled, feeling reasonably annoyed by this. This one demon was difficult to get past. Not because of its strength, but with how erratic it was.
"My attacks from afar won't do a thing...but what about up close?" Kyurem then deduced a possibility. He noticed how the demon had the power to absorb attacks with that giant mouth of its and that seemingly infinite stomach. Any attack from afar would most definitely be absorbed. But could the same be said for physical attacks? Kyurem wanted to test that theory.
He would advance with all of his might, even with the pressure from all this crying being ever-present. Powering through was the only option he could make. Luckily for him, with his status, he could move through the pressure while unleashing lightning from his body to shock any sparks that got close
Kyurem reached his target before going for a Shadow Claw, slashing the demon successfully. Kyurem would leave a trail of shadows from this impactful hit, moving past the demon. And indeed, the demon had no response to this. Much like how a Pokemon or anyone would react to being slashed, the demon would react by staggering and even finally ceasing all of its crying thanks to the severity of the slash which was enough to leave a mark on it.
This confirmed Kyurem's theory. Ranged attacks wouldn't do unless you could get lucky but physical attacks were efficient to the core. The Boundary Pokemon knew what to focus on, but the demon certainly wouldn't let it be that easy. Right after being slashed, the demon would then reveal more of its extraordinary powers.
And that came from the back. Surprisingly, the demon grew a second face from the back. Two of them to be exact. One on the back of the head and the other at the back of its torso. Now having three heads, the demon would use two attacks at the same time. A corrupted Dragon Pulse and a corrupted Thunderbolt.
Kyurem would put his arms up, locking both attacks once they unexpectedly arrived from a different direction. All new things were being revealed from this demon and that certainly bothered Kyurem. By this point, minutes had gone by, making this battle longer than what Kyurem originally intended. As long as this demon reveals more of its abilities, Kyurem may never return.
Equestria. Canterlot. The Pokemon Festival. Nightfall.
The same problem emerged back on Earth. The hatchlings of the demon were reaching an all-time high of annoyance. A few minutes had passed and yet it felt like hours had gone by with all of this crying. Fluttershy and Audino, who were the most sensitive to noises, were still on the ground, trying to resist this.
"Someone make them stop already!" Rarity groaned before being blown away by the pressure of their collective cries. Pheromosa, who had a supple and fragile body, would also be blown away. The bolts of green lighting would also continue crashing from above, only making it harder to get through this.
"Hoopa's ears hurt!" Hoopa writhed alongside Victini and Meloetta. Meloetta right now wished that she could retaliate with her own singing voice, but with how many of them were crying out, her voice would be lost in the noise.
"Mom! Dad!" Twilight was too busy fixating on her parents, praying that they were fine during all of this. She dearly wished to check up on them but all of this crying was making it impossible.
"There are too many of them to stop!" Luna replied as she and Celestia, Twilight and Cadence placed soundproof barriers around themselves. But even with these soundproof barriers shielding them from this violent noise, it didn't shield them from the pressure. "We can't get close with all of this pressure!"
"And we can't hit them properly either!" Cadence replied before having her barrier struck by the lightning bolts. Her shield would shudder at this impact, even showing cracks in the process. That's when, with her perceptive eye, Cadence noticed something that was rather consistent. "Wait...Aegislash! They haven't done well to retaliate against physical attacks."
"They haven't?" The other alicorns repeated before spotting Shining Armor and his Aegislash. But even those two were struggling to focus with all of this noise so it was difficult to see Aegislash in action.
"They can absorb our attacks but not all of them. We can silence them if we get up close and personal. Unfortunately, Sylveon can't do anything about this since all of her attacks are ranged attacks. But you all have Pokemon that fill that quota."
"We do. But the problem is trying to get close to them in the first place. With all of these cries, their combined strength is just going to keep holding us back." said Twilight. And it was only getting worse. Even with these alicorns using soundproof barriers, the combined might of these demons was enough to even keep them busy.
"Then we shall match their pressure with our own yells." Celestia's eyes flared as the alicorns knew what needed to be done. The Royal Canterlot Voice. In unison, they would each use the Royal Canterlot Voice and shout with all their might, creating their own pressures.
The soundwaves broke their barriers before meeting with the opposing soundwave. The clashing of sounds was truly staggering and surprisingly, even with the princesses using their magic, the number of demons was still making this difficult as the soundwaves would cancel each other out. However, this allowed the cancellation to blow back some of the demons, ceasing their cries but it also ended up pushing back the alicorns and the rubble around them.
"Now, Eve! Quick Attack!"
"Espeon!" Espeon would be the first to try and attack while she had the chance. Thanks to this disruptive shockwave that affected both sides, she would zoom in with the only physical attack she had. Quick Attack. She dashed at lightning speed, crashing into one of the demons that was surrounded by flames. A direct hit. Eve smashed her head into the demon's head, pushing it back.
But immediately, the demon would retaliate by swinging its tail back at Espeon, recovering swiftly. The Sun Pokemon would tumble before managing to recover herself by sliding on the ground.
"All of you! Use Physical attacks at once! Quick! Before they start crying again!" Celestia exclaimed to her friends, quickly sharing the best way to take on these hatchlings.
"Gotcha! Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Pheromosa, use Triple Kick!"
"Pika!" Hearing this, those who could get physical would advance. Pikachu and Pheromosa went ahead, approaching three of the hatched demons as Pikachu would vigorously swing his tail, going for an overhead hit. Pheromosa would try and hit three of them with just one attack, only for the demons to use the elements they stole. Flares of darkness and spectral energy flew out of their bodies to try and push their opponents back, only for Pheromosa to zigzag past some of these flares.
"Mosa!" Pheromosa would strike one of the demons directly in the chest right after evading all those blows, making the hatchling gasp while Pikachu would simply hit the attacks away with his tail before then slamming it against the other demon.
Now that they could retaliate, Twilight would take the chance to rush off and find her mother and father before it was potentially too late. She and Espeon would depart from the scene while also being eyed down by another demon who received the element of electricity.
Espeon would sense the imminent danger when seeing the demon lunge through the air, coming after them both with shocking fangs. Twilight would soon swivel her head to see the lunging demon who would also shoot out volts passively from its body. "Psychic can work without needing to shoot something. So...Eve! Psychic!"
"Esp!" Another strategy would be utilized. Espeon used Psychic, covering the demon in a blue outline. Indeed, Psychic wasn't like most ranged attacks, making it easy to exploit. In this case, the demon found itself being held in the air by Espeon's mental power as Twilight found another efficient way to get past their absorption abilities. "Eon!" Espeon would then launch the demon into other demons by unleashing the full force of Psychic, striking them as if they were bowling pins.
The cry of the demons had ended at last. However, this didn't stop them from trying again. They could still hear Chrysalis crying after all. Those sounds were enough to move them as they were on the verge of making yet another outcry.
"Not again! Go Dragonite!" Iris could finally chime in now that the irritating noise was gone. She definitely didn't want it to make a comeback and aimed to silence the demons for good. By sending out Dragonite, she joined in the battle. "Use Thunder Punch!"
"Rrrr!" Dragonite, upon making his entrance, would fixate on the demons with his usual aggression. He took flight, going for two demons instead of one. Before the demons could cry once more, Dragonite would intervene, slugging their throats with an electrifying blow.
The lightning would crackle all around them as they were unable to absorb this attack since it was still a direct attack at the end of the day. Dragonite would then swing at the second demon, knocking it over with a swift but heavy blow that would send 50,000 volts through each of their bodies.
"It's your time to shine. Kommo-o!" Celestia would send out Kommo-o, who was fittingly specialized in physical attacks.
"Kommo-o!"
"They can't absorb physical attacks...but if we can hit them with something like Thunderbolt, it's gotta be when they don't see it coming," Ash said. "He knew that their absorption abilities had one major flaw. Two rather. Unable to absorb physical attacks was the clearest one. But he would try and prove a second one.
And if he could, the odds of winning could elevate to new heights. Some of the demons started crying yet again, bringing back the vicious pressure that came from their voices. But this time, they had a way to retaliate. And that came from the alicorns.
Meloetta finally had the chance to sing thanks to them. And once the alicorns used their own powerful voices, the Melody Pokemon would try and chime in, but only after the Royal Canterlot Voice came to an end. She didn't want to be silenced after all.
Shining Armor would then notice Twilight heading straight for her home. Or rather, their home since they both came from the same family. And in the distance, the home of Twilight and Shining Armor had unfortunately taken damage.
Twilight rushed over as quickly as she could, finally arriving at her destination to see what had become of her home. Shocked, the roof had been blown off thanks to the asteroids while the green lightning had pierced through the walls and windows, shattering them and leaving behind green crackles. Not all of it was gone but the damage was still considerable.
"Mom! Dad?! Are you in here?!" Twilight would rush inside, crying out for her parents. But instead of seeing her parents, she would meet with one of the hatchling demons that ended up being in her home. Surprisingly, it was able to fit in it despite how large it was. But the destroyed parts of this building certainly helped it to fit in."?!"
The demon would have the body of Steel, possibly absorbing a Steel-Type attack to gain this iron-clad body. It had metal spikes all around it which glistened in the moonlight and lit up the room. Twilight was stunned and taken aback for a bit before regaining her composure. The demon would bare its fangs, ready to devour both Twilight and Espeon in one gulp. It certainly had the size to do so.
"Quick Attack!" Twilight would fly away, evading the demon's attack while Espeon would do the same but with the speed of Quick Attack.
"Espeon!" And right after evading the demon, the Psychic-Type would then tackle the side of its body. However, this steel protection kicked in, harming Espeon's head once she made direct contact while also increasing the demon's defences. Espeon crashed into one of the spikes which poked her head, causing her to pull back. "Esp!"
"Espeon! Are you-" Before Twilight could finish her sentence, the demon had already swung its hardened tail at the Princess of Friendship. Sadly, she didn't have time to check up on Espeon with how quickly this demon was moving despite having a metal body.
Twilight would be hit by the metal tail as it sounded like a hammer being smashed against a wall. Twilight would grunt at this was reasonably painful to experience. Right into the wall, Twilight would end up damaging her own home unintentionally, leaving a crater that was the shape of her stature.
She would be pinned there for a bit before witnessing the demon preparing another attack. This time it was from the spikes around its body which were shot out like missiles. Twilight Sparkle grimaced before teleporting away from her compromising position. Right on time as the spikes would pierce through the walls, making new holes in the process.
"Don't tell me mom and dad had to deal with this thing...!" Twilight shuddered at the thought of her parents encountering this demon. This building was already damaged so the possibility was there. This made Twilight's heart tense up. This could truly be a scenario where her parents had fallen victim to this aggressive conflict.
And so far, there was no sign of them anywhere.
Manehattan.
Freed from the walls were Pinkie Pie and Coco Pommel. Rainbow Dash had recently found them both stuck against the melted walls, having almost their entire bodies frozen except for their face. But if time had gone by some more, everything would've certainly been trapped. Rainbow Dash had Altaria freeze up the melted floor, making it smooth and solid once more. Albeit a bit cold.
"Gaha...Thanks for the save, Dash." A relieved Pinkie Pie uttered before slumping onto the cold hard floor. But she'd rather take this than the melted walls.
"Did you get Mew back?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"No. That vampire still has him." Pinkie Pie sighed while feeling stiff everywhere. Being frozen within the melted walls left an impact even when being freed. And all of our Pokemon.
"Drat!" Rainbow Dash kissed her teeth. "But Spitfire's still doing fine. I just know it. All I have to do is find her and help out. That vampire won't see it coming."
"Everyone else is over at the main hall, Rainbow Dash," said Coco. "Glaceon should be there too. You could probably find them all there. Just be careful. She has a lot of them on her side."
"Too many. And she's got them all forcing to hit their own trainers. She just uses that magic around her tail and messes with them. Not fair..."
"That's what I'm worried about. How am I gonna get past those numbers?" The pegasus growled. "Unless I run into the vampire first..."
"You won't have to." A familiar voice resonated with Pinkie Pie and Coco Pommel. A voice of dread. Merry Dread to be exact. Emerging from the mist was the one responsible for this damage. Merry Dread would viciously smile while also having rugged hair, showing the signs of the struggles she went through in her. Her scarf had even been damaged, having holes in them.
Rainbow Dash wouldn't dare look behind her, knowing what to expect from this Curse Magic, even if she did have some Pokemon beside her. However, the list of Pokemon was shorter now and among them was Glaceon.
"Your captain Spitfire's a real nuisance, you know that?" Merry Dread said while slowly approaching Rainbow Dash from behind. "She still has Mew and I have no idea where she is. But I'll find her. There can't be that many rooms in this place. And though she got the better of me, it's not over yet."
"How come you're short on Pokemon?" Rainbow Dash noticed how not many footsteps were being made near her vicinity. That was a clear sign that she didn't have an army of them.
"Hmph. Those fools were knocked into the melting elements and got themselves trapped, thanks to Spitfire and her Pokemon. But that won't stop me. Not when I can continue racking up an army."
"Good luck. If Spitfire's giving you trouble, then I can as well." Rainbow Dash grinned, feeling confident in her abilities after hearing about all of this.
"Oh. I should've probably mentioned past tense. She did give me trouble. But not anymore." Those words shot Rainbow Dash's heart. The implications were not subtle at all. From what Merry Dread just said, even Spitfire failed to stop her, making the pegasus gasp.
But instead of trapping Spitfire, in reality, Merry Dread actually used Spitfire for herself along with her Scizor. Emerging from the shadows were Spitfire and Scizor. Forced by Merry Dread's magic, they would approach Rainbow Dash, Mienfoo and Altaria. Even these two had managed to fall victim to Merry Dread's terrifying magic.
Rainbow Dash and Mienfoo barely managed to move out of the way from the incoming Bullet Punch of Scizor. But unfortunately, Altaria was not fast enough to do the same as she was slugged by Scizor's Bullet Punch.
"Say it ain't so!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before seeing Spitfire trying to grab her. Alas, no matter how clever Spitfire was, Merry Dread came out on top.
"Oh, it is so!" Merry Dread exclaimed as she watched Rainbow Dash fly away from Spitfire who was unable to fight back against this control. "This is payback! I'll have you know I hate being humiliated! Whether it's from my older sister Opal or my older brother Fractured! No one humiliates me and gets away with it! And for your sake, Rainbow Dash...you'll keep your mouth shut and cease any trash-talking! But that's what you do best, isn't it? I read up on you. Or rather, Opal read up on you. Weirdo."
"S-Sorry, Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire apologized before managing to grab Rainbow Dash's hooves. Spitfire was one of the few pegasi who could actually keep up with Rainbow Dash after all. The two would enter a hoof struggle with one side trying to break free and the other side trying to restrain her target.
"Mien! Mien!" Mienfoo was swiftly dodging Scizor's Bullet Punches by backflipping as hard as she could. But Scizor was relentless, even if he was trying to fight back against Merry Dread's magic. On the slippery ice, Mienfoo had to keep her balance otherwise one slip-up could ruin everything.
"Ah, this reminds me of a story of when I was humiliated by my brother and sister and how I got my payback against them. How should I start it?" Meanwhile, Merry Dread was thinking of sharing more of her life while the rest of the opposing Pokemon would advance on Rainbow Dash's group.
Rainbow Dash looked around her to see herself surrounded on all fronts. And with Spitfire holding her hooves, the odds were only escalating by this point.
"Ah, maybe when you're paying attention. And I can fix that!" Merry Dread would then take flight, ascending over everyone else. And by doing so, she showed off the vibrance of her magic once more from her tail. And to increase the efficiency, she ended up using the body of Klang which would only create reflections of this light.
Rainbow Dash, who was too focused on Spitfire and the surrounding Pokemon, witnessed the light. Unfortunately, her eyes caught the vibrance as she was unable to work around it at all."Gotcha~"
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie and Coco Pommel yelled her name as another one of their friends had fallen victim to Merry Dread's magic. And now, it was Rainbow Dash as Altaria and Mienfoo, who were looking away, couldn't believe their ears. They didn't need to look to know what had just happened.
Rainbow Dash would stare there in amazement at this light before then slowly removing her hooves away from Spitfire's. Spitfire would close her eyes, disappointed that Rainbow Dash was unable to avoid this at all. It seemed that eventually, this light would catch its targets somehow.
And with the light fading away, Rainbow Dash fell silent, not saying a single word. All she did was look into the light with little response As the journey continues.
Chapter 979 End.