//------------------------------// // Absent Gym Leaders // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Ponyville. The Pokemon School. Day. A new day had arrived at the Pokemon School. And currently, it was lacking teachers. Twilight and her class found themselves sitting in what was meant to be Brawly's class, only to find that Brawly was absent. The students all lounged around, waiting for the Fighting-Type expert to show up. "He's not here yet..." Twilight grumbled, waiting patiently for Brawly. "Where is he? Come to think of it...not many teachers are in today." "Maybe they're running late?" Rainbow Dash yawned, bouncing an empty Poke Ball on her hoof constantly. "Not all of 'em are used to how this new world turned out." "That can't be right." Rarity thought otherwise. "They made it here yesterday with plenty of time to spare. Maybe they're just ill." "Or something got in their way. You did say that some Pokemon are riled up from how the world has changed." Fluttershy said to Twilight. "Maybe they're just dealing with some Pokemon." "I don't mind if they don't show up soon. This takes me back anyway." said Amethyst Star. "I remember back at the Ponyville Schoolhouse, we'd meess around when the teacher wasn't around." "I remember that!" Roseluck added, sitting up. "Usually, we'd be the ones to start something. Good times...Maybe we should do the same here until they show up?" "Sounds fun!" Applejack was all for that. "I always joined in when that happened." "All of you went to the same school?" Twilight faced her friends from Ponyville. "Not all of us, but enough for some familiarity. "Applejack would be the one to start all the chaos, actually." Roseluck revealed that Applejack was a bit mischievous back then. Only when the teacher was absent from the classroom, that is. But that was only natural for children. "Well, glad I wasn't there." Twilight crossed her hooves. "Everything back at Canterlot was smooth-sailing, even with the teacher gone. In any case, who's going to teach us now?" Twilight had to wonder if a substitute would show up. And if it would be very soon. But none were aware to the true reasons for these absent teachers. Some were obviously not here, busy as Gym Leaders and Elite 4 Members. But for others, it involved Magehold. Entering the classroom was Volkner, as he surprised everyone with his appearance. The entire class would stop what they were doing just to respond to Volkner's arrival. So much for goofing around. "Volknery, you're here!" Twilight stood up with glee. "Are you our substitute?!" "No. If you're wondering about Brawly and the others...they're fine. Well, as fine as they can be." Volkner said, revealing that the other teachers were still around. "Right now, they're a bit busy and healing." "Why? What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I'll tell you what I heard." Volkner was ready to share the whole story. At least, what Drayden and the others managed to tell him. And it involved Hearthome City and the disappearance of Fanatina. Magehold. Afternoon. Speaking of Magehold, Rosa Maledicta, who was still in her healing chamber, would open her eyes as for the longest, she had kept them closed. The Lich Queen took a deep breath, relaxing herself. But she still could not move her hooves at all. Only her eyes could be controlled. "Ahh...It's a new day. And by now, I can trust that my darling Despair Plants had dealt with those Gym Leaders. I could use some new help over here at Magehold when it comes to Pokemon knowledge." Rosa rambled. "Not everyone here uses Ghost-Types or even Dark-Types." "Are you feeling better, your majesty?" Fractured Note, her loyal servant asked. "A bit. But I still cannot move. Yveltal's power is exactly what I hoped for but obviously, it's just as dangerous to us as it is to anyone else. It will still be some time before I can move." "The Black Crusade will still happen relatively soon, right? Until then, should we launch another full-scale attack on the rest of this new world while we wait?" Fractured Note suggested. "No. But keeping causing anarchy. That's always lovely. In this new world, we need to expect the worst. It's already been a week and we have yet to fully know what this new combined world has brought us. In the meantime...Let me check up on Hearthome." The Lich Queen closed her eyes, using her magic to view Hearthome City even from this distance. With her amazing magic, so as long as she had been to a destination and left an impact on it, it was impossible for this location to escape her sights. Hearthome was one of the few Pokemon locations she could view from Magehold. Similar to how Lucario senses Aura, Rosa Maledicta's vision would accelerate. And there it was. Hearthome City. Still devoid of colour and absent of sound. Rosa was expecting to see a new addition of victims to the ball of innocents. However, the moment she viewed the city, she would find that Amity Square, the location where all the victims could be found, was empty. Not a soul could be found here. However, something was left behind. Droplets of poison had been scattered everywhere, most likely from the Despair Plants. None of the plants could be seen. Not Chimera or even Cordyceps. "What...? Where are my darlings? I can still see Hearthome so one of them has to be around somewhere. But where are the Gym Leaders?" The Gym Leaders were gone as well. Rosa Maledicta could not find a trace of them anywhere. The only thing that her eyes managed to grab was the large crater that was formed underneath Amity Square. She would send her vision to that crater, looking through its massive size to see what was lying within. Lo and behold, Despair Plant Chimera had been found. It lay there in the massive crater, still active as its multiple mouths were moving. This one Despair Plant was enough for Rosa Maledicta to view the city for herself. "My darling Chimera. You're still here...But the Gym Leaders...Did they escape?!" This annoyed Rosa. This was a clear sign that the Gym Leaders managed to escape but failed to take down this Fusion Plant. And of course, this meant that the many victims had managed to escape. Yesterday. It all happened yesterday. Drayden, Brawly, Roxie, Roxanne, Valerie and Olympia had witnessed the true power of the Despair Plants. They had the power to fuse into an even deadlier Despair Plant. In this case, Cobra and Scorpio had fused into Chimera, stunning the Gym Leaders with its horrific appearance. However, this is where things turned for the Gym Leaders via their own efforts. "D-Druddigon...!" Druddigon caught Chimera's large mouth with his bare hands, holding back the plant from consuming him and his friends. Right in the nick of time as the plant was only one inch from doing so. However, Despair Plant Chimera's ferocity was far worse than what the lesser Despair Plants had to offer. From its main mouth, it would unleash a purple light that would connect with the ground, pushing Druddigon and everyone back. The light would send out a pressure that ended up letting out a roar. This was an odd way for the Despair Plant to let out a roar but it was efficient and fierce. The sheer volume of this pressure was difficult for any of them to keep their balance. "W-What strength...!" Drayden growled as he just barely managed to recover after being pushed back. Roxie and Roxanne would both crash into the rubble of benches while Brawly, Valerie and Olympia found themselves hitting the walls of the buildings. Their Pokemon didn't fare any better. The two Meowstics and Mawile with their small bodies would be sent the farthest, bumping into their respective trainers. Druddigon recovered in the air, only to fly through a few lamp posts when trying to maintain his momentum. Hariyama would crash into Brawly, who was already trying to recollect himself. Scolipede would try forming a circular shape as a form of recovery, only to be too late to do so. Each Trainer and Pokemon had already suffered damage just from this attack. But Chimera, along with Cordyceps, would not let up. The massive vines around it would be swung around along with the rest of its mouths. Having yet to recover, the vines would hit their targets, starting with the Pokemon which would lead on to the trainers. The vines cleaved off the sides of different buildings, spreading more destruction along the way. Cordyceps wouldn't help, dropping seeds from above which would only combust to put the pressure on some more. Since Hearthome was devoid of much life, the Despair Plants were free to cause as much destruction as possible. And that even involved Fantina's Gym along with the Contest Halls, both having their roofs blown off. The roofs would fall, crashing into lesser buildings, leaving them in shambles. Asserting its dominance, Chimera would roar while being surrounded by the combustion. "Ugh..." Crawling out of the rubble was Brawly, who now had tatters and scratches all over him. Everyone else here received the same treatment. They all had a battle with the Despair Plants earlier and now it seemed like it continue. Some were already starting to feel exhausted. "Oh yeah...It's strong. Kinda wish Machamp would come back soon...I can trust that he's put them all somewhere safe." "Absurdly strong..." Olympia groaned before getting on one knee. The smoke and dust would mask her appearance as her cosmic-like cape had received some damage and yet the stars within would remain. "If we are to return the souls of everyone in whatever way we can...stopping these Despair Plants is a top priority. Otherwise...we may not leave Hearthome at all." "Fantina could be with those innocents...It's horrible that they've all been stuck here." Valerie helped up her Mawile before returning the Steel-Fairy-Type. "Why would someone do this?" "Only one possibility...The Dread League." Drayden growled. "They only seek total destruction of our world after all. Which means Fantina, unfortunately, got caught up with them." "That sucks." Roxie looked at her guitar, which had received major damage, causing the Posion-Type expert to gasp. "My guitar...! That plant's gonna pay!" At this point, Roxie had an even bigger reason to defeat these Despair Plants after her guitar suffered damage. "We should worry about ourselves as well." Roxanne held her arm before kneeling, grunting at the damage she received. "Are you alright?!" Brawly ran over to Roxanne before feeling his knee ache, slowing the Fighting-Type expert down. "Gh!" "How about you look after yourself first before someone else?" Roxanne chuckled. "For now, I'll be fine. We'll all be fine unless we stop that thing." Chimera and Cordyceps would approach their prey. These predator plants would not relent as there was a different fate waiting for the Gym Leaders compared to the innocents. And it was the same fate as Fantina. "Then, let's hurry." Drayden stood up tall along with his Druddigon. "Our students are waiting for us. With this new world, we have more to teach them and more to see." "Agreed." Olympia would remove her cape as her two Meowstics, even if one of them was poisoned, would gather the strength to continue until the Despair Plants had been weeded out. Brawly, Roxie, Valerie and Roxanne would collect themselves as well. If they do not stop these Despair Plants, they might never seek the answers for where Fantina may be or even help those who have lost their souls' thanks to Rosa Maledicta. Valerie would send out her Sylveon as all the Gym Leaders that all shared similar regions in pairs would once again unite their strength. It would start with Drayden ordering his Druddigon and soon, all the others would follow after that. Another clash with the Despair Plants would begin over at the ruined Hearthome City. The Pokemon School. "That's what they shared." Back at the Pokemon School, during the present, Volkner shared what he learned. "They were out searching for Fantina. Unfortunately, they didn't find her, but they did find those that lost their souls back there." "That's horrible! I-Is there a way to bring their souls back?!" Fluttershy stammered. "You're lucky that most Gym Leaders are experts in a ton of things instead of just one Type." Volkner continued. "Olympia's already trying to sort it out. But as for Fantina...She wasn't with those who lost their souls. She's currently missing and Drayden figures that it's the Dread League that's behind this." "Oh yeah...Back at the Pokemon Festival, Scootaloo and the others mentioned how some crazy vines and roots attacked them over at Mt Coronet." Rainbow Dash added as the Cutie Mark Crusaders had a run-in with Rosa Maledicta's magic. "It was Galaxy Master who saved them." "The vampires got Fantina? That's horrible!" Rarity screeched, fearing that the worst was happening to Fantina at the moment. She feared that the Contest Specialist was being tortured in various ways. "They might ruin that unique hair of hers that she has...And her dress too!" "We don't know yet. But we won't stop searching for her." Volkner took a seat. "For now, stay calm. We'll figure it out. But Hearthome City's currently off limits. The battle between those weird plants and the others left a big impact on what was already an empty city. "Hearthome City's in that state?" Twilight said to herself, looking to the side. Already, thoughts about where she wanted to go were coming up. "As for everyone else they're back at Olympia's city. Anistar. You can expect to see 'em again. That's all I gotta say. And as for your lessons...I'm not supposed to teach you today or yet, so do whatever." Volkner finished. "Uh...I don't think I'm in the mood anymore." Amethyst Star sighed as her chaotic mood had been killed after what Volkner shared. The same went with everyone else who were ready to goof off. But as they all spoke about the situation, the one who stayed silent was Roseluck. No one noticed it yet but she moved to the corner away from everyone. After hearing about the possibility of the Dread League being involved along with these demonic plants, Roseluck already knew the truth. Being that she was the little sister of Rosa Maledicta, Roseluck knew that her sister was behind this. And yet, no one else but Princess Celestia as well as Applejack knew about this. Speaking of Applejack, she would notice Roseluck in the corner, looking down with disappointment and sadness in her eyes. .The thought of her sister performing all these wicked acts was something she did not wish to think about. But with how things currently were, it was impossible to ignore. And unfortunately, for Applejack, despite being so honest, she had yet to share the truth with everyone. Mainly due to what the Memory Demon once said to her. Your Sun Princess knows by now what kind of consequences that could have if they knew about Roseluck's sister. Who knows what others would do to her? Maybe this town will be fine with it but everywhere else is another story...Not that she's as bad as the Lich Queen, not even anywhere near that level but what's stopping them from making the worst assumptions? This world has a reputation for doing that. So...how's that? Let me free for her sake?" "Uh, Volkner. Sir. Permission to head to Hearthome City?" Twilight suddenly spoke, wishing to visit the city that had been ruined by Rosa Maledicta and her Despair Plants. "Didn't you hear the Off-Limits part? No one's going. Not yet anyway. Those plants are still around and we haven't dealt with them yet." Volkner shook his head. "You'll stay away from there, princess. Sorry." "I-I got it. I just wanted to see if there was something I could do." Twilight sighed as Volkner already put his foot down, even if he did so with little effort and energy in his voice. "I can do something." Roseluck suddenly spoke, deciding to chime in as she raised her hoof. Everyone would soon face her while Applejack scrunched her face out of fear. "Those plants...I can do something about them." "I said no." Volkner refused. "Right now, it's way too dangerous." "Just give me a chance. I know a lot about plants myself." Roseluck insisted. "Those um...Despair Plants. I think I can get how they act. They're similar to Flytraps but they take it a step further. I have something that renders them immobile or even lures them away." "Yeah. Why not leave it to her?" Rainbow Dash added. "She's the plant expert here." "It'd be a lot of our backs if we got rid of these plants." Rarity spoke. "Even though the Gym Leaders struggled with it...Perhaps we won't need to battle them." "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to decline. Unless...you're gonna do it even with my rejection." Volkner smiled as he already predicted what these ponies would do. He saw through them instantly. "You're all still young, so that's the obvious thing to do." "So...I get to do it?" Roseluck leaned forward. "I can't stop you. But listen up. Drayden and the others managed to escape, so those plants are gonna act differently now that they've lost someone they couldn't trap. They might even decide to go elsewhere now that I think about it." "I can guess how the plants would act." Roseluck stood up, feeling more confident in herself. "Leave it to me, please." "Okay then. You're the expert here. And the Gym Leader." Volkner stood up, shrugging in response. "Who am I to judge a fellow Type Specialist?" "Thank you so much!" Roseluck thanked him greatly. "But uh...this method I'm gonna use. I'm gonna have give need a bit of magic for plants these large. And let's not head to Hearthome instantly. I'm thinking that we prepare first, however long it may take." "And if they come from the Dread League and are that tough, should we ask Galaxy Master for help? Where even is he right now?" Starlight asked. "Mmm?" Twilight shrugged as the location of Galaxy Master was a mystery. "His light was effective on those roots and vines apparently. That light would help out a lot...But we might have a way to get something similar!" The Princess of Friendship gasped, realizing that there was another light that could be greatly beneficial. And thankfully, it was a light that everyone knew. "Now might be a good time to take up Ash's offer about meeting Sheena." As the journey continues. Chapter 13 End.