Sinnoh. Michina Town. Day.
At last. Michina Town. A riverside town surrounded by flourishing nature that has lasted for centuries. When entering this town, the sun would beam through the clouds, basking its wonderful light on this land. Moving through the leaves, Ash and his friends would gaze at the town before them. This prosperous town with striking agriculture that was filled with numerous fields that grew crops such as corn and watermelon. This was certainly one of the more ancient locations in the world alongside Arche Valley and Samiya.
Even though it was a town, it was still staggeringly large to look at.
"Here it is." Ash introduced them to Michina Town as they got a stellar view of it by standing on top of a hill. This town was theirs to explore. But more importantly, the woman known as Sheena could be found here. They wasted no time approaching the town.
Finding Sheena and requesting her help was the top priority but nothing was stopping them from glancing at this scenery and greeting the people here. Not much has changed here at Michina Town. Even with two worlds merging as one or even before that when there were multiple gateways everywhere, this ancient town remained the same. Untouched by the events of the world.
Much like Arche Valley, this location that once received Arceus' presence on more than one occasion, flourished to such stupendous lengths to the point where it looked like it wasn't even from this world. A place this vibrant, clean and welcoming with such a warm aura was astronomically amazing.
"Why does this place feel so nice?" Pinkie Pie asked, almost melting just being here. "It's just like Arche Valley."
"That's because this place has a lot of Arceus' power in it," Ash explained before sharing some bread with her. "Twilight. You found out about Michina Town way back, remember?"
"I did. I saw you in ancient artwork in one of the books I found. I didn't know it was a result of time travelling back then. So this place has Arceus' power within it. Even more so than Arche Valley?" Twilight added.
"That's right. Ya see, long ago, this whole place was a wasteland and it didn't look like it would grow into anything at all. But then, that's when Arceus used his power. Or I guess in this case, the Jewel of Life."
"Jewel of Life?" Each of them repeated. This was news to them. None of them have ever heard about a Jewel of Life.
"Ah, guess you don't know about it. Well, you're in luck!" Ash rubbed his hands together, eager to share this information with them since he was one of the few people in the world that truly knew about the Jewel of Life. "This whole land was boosted up by the Jewel of Life which helped it live for so long. Arceus took some of his life plates to make that jewel. Water, Grass, Ground, Electric and Dragon are all in here."
Ash would pat the ground. While nothing came out, it was obvious from how this town flourished, Arceus' power was well-embedded in here. The Splash, Meadow, Earth, Zap and Draco Plates were no longer physically here at Michina Town but they left an impact that helped this town live. Of course, Ash and his friends had to go through a world-ending event to make it possible, but it all worked out in the end.
"Hmm..." Pinkie pressed her head against the ground, trying to see if she could feel something. "I don't feel anything down there. Or hear anything."
"Arceus took the Jewel of Life back with him. That's a whole other story I haven't shared yet. But even though they're gone, the town's been doing great." Ash continued. "No one leaves an impact better than Arceus."
"What about those ruins over there?" Goh eyed down the ruins. which was the centrepiece of Michina Town. It could be seen at the peak of a huge, rocky mountain in Michina, where a beautiful lake was nearby as well as multiple waterfalls that cascade down the mountainside. "Any rare Pokemon there, maybe?"
"Michina Ruins? That's where Damos built a shrine for Arceus. Not in the best shape anymore but at least Sheena and Kevin guard it and keep it safe. No rare Pokemon, but there's a sweet Time-Space Axis in there. It's what helps monitor all those time-space disruptions that go on whenever Dialga and Palkia battle."
"Look at you...holding this much knowledge that isn't about battling." Twilight nudged Ash, impressed at this knowledge of Michina Town. He wasn't just a clever battler. Ash's knowledge about certain places was plentiful because of how wild his adventures have been.
"Hehe. Yeah..." Ash chuckled, even realizing how much he was spewing out. "But we should find Sheena and even Kevin first."
"You're looking for Sheena and Kevin?" A citizen spoke to them, grabbing the attention of Ash's party. "Ah, sorry, sorry. You won't find them here, unfortunately. At least, not right now."
"No? Where are they then?" Ash asked.
"They've been gone for a while. At least 3 years now and we haven't seen them since. But I'm positive they're fine. Those two are rather resilient."
"3 years?! That's nearly the entirety of our world's meeting!" Twilight gasped as the one they were looking for was long gone by now. Right around the time her world was still getting used to living with the Pokemon. Not exactly the full 4 years but it was just around that time frame.
"Hmm...That's a problem." Ash realized that his objective has been slowed down greatly because of this revelation. Not expecting them to be here was one thing, but to be gone for 3 years, was on another level. "But that means they're doing something pretty important, huh?"
"Oh, very. Our town was nearly attacked by some sort of Flame Behemoth 3 years ago. It was then that they both decided to set out and get to the bottom of this."
"Flame Behemoth? Um, do you mean the Storm Behemoth?" Rarity asked as the Storm Behemoth was the most known Behemoth that they've seen. The Tree Behemoth also happened but did not last as long or even reappear as much as the Storm Behemoth. It didn't even leave an impact.
"Oh, no, no, my little pony. It was a behemoth of flames At least 500ft tall." The man continued, describing this behemoth which had a similar height to the Storm Behemoth. Seemingly, the only difference was that it was made out of flames instead of lightning. "A single step was enough to cause a wildfire. Our whole town would've been consumed in flames if no one did anything about it."
"That's just like the Storm Behemoth. There was another one we weren't aware of?" Twilight looked up for a moment. "So, is that why they're gone? Are they investigating events across the world?"
"They didn't say, honestly. Only that they were heading out. You could wait for them though but that would take a while."
"Hmm..." Ash thought for a moment. "So they're gone right now. But it's probably for everything else happening right now, no doubt. I wonder where they are now?"
Johto. Lake Lucid. Afternoon.
A large Lake that was in the middle of Ecruteak City and Olivine City. Home to three generations of Nurse Joy who are famous for their methods of cleaning and purifying the waters of the lake. There existed only one Pokemon Center that was surrounded by trees while sitting next to the lake. Though it was in between these two large cities, not much goes on here aside from all the Water Pokemon that will usually head to Nurse Joy if they ever feel uneasy.
Some of these Pokemon was certainly uneasy. A boiling rage within a sea of Remoraid was starting to build as they were viciously eyeing down their fellow Water-Types. The Water-Types who were intimidated by this rising rage would slowly back away, not wanting to find out what this school of Remoraid could do despite being so small.
And standing next to the lake was not Nurse Joy, but rather, the one that Ash and his friends have been looking for but were far too late to meet. Sheena.
"Transcend the confines of time and space." Already, she was showcasing her unique ability that was passed down by her ancestor Damos. By clasping her hands, a powerful aura would flow through the area, reaching the School of Remoraid. She would immediately reach the hearts of these agitated Pokemon, grabbing their attention with their soothing aura.
"Remo..." The School of Remoraid would be mesmerized by this aura and how it welcomed them. By reaching their hearts, Sheena would maintain their anger, calming them down with ease. The Remoraid would cease all agitation after Sheena spoke to them with just her aura. All of their rage vanished like that. Not much was said by her to even do it. The Water-Types were relieved as they saw the Remoraid swim away.
"Apologies for the intrusion," Sheena spoke while standing before the lake. She would kneel to face the Water-Type, giving a small wave to greet them. "As for this place...This lake should be fine. So far, most of the lakes around the world will remain safe."
She would then stand up, bidding farewell to Water-Types here. She would already depart from Lake Lucid, continuing on her unnamed quest. However, Kevin was nowhere to be seen noticeably. While moving through the forest, Sheena thought to herself, focusing on this mission that she was on for 3 years.
"That vision I had 4 years ago...There's a good chance it could be true. More than that, there's a chance it could show up again." She would stop next to the trees, leaning against one of them. "How do you think we should let everyone know about this? Keven already suggested that we should break it to everyone."
However, Sheena was not alone. From the way she was speaking, someone else was here. It was not Kevin, but someone who she could safely have a conversation with and who was also involved in her mission. This mysterious person would move through the shades of the trees, revealing himself in the golden sunlight.
It was none other than N.
"That's up to you. I don't mind sharing it, even if most won't believe it. And why would they?" N replied. "Even when thinking about it, it's a bit out there and hard to believe. There isn't even any evidence of it, is there?"
"I guess you're right. No one would believe that moments before the two worlds met, their original world was replaced by a new one." Sheena continued. "The Rift had enough power to erase that original world and bring a new one, and yet it doesn't look like it can do so anymore. Even after everything that happened to it."
"Your vision gave us a hint, Sheena. Whoever those two were, one of them managed to weaken the Rift before we were all thrust into this new world." N added. "That lost world lasted for a long time despite only being around for a split second. The flash that enveloped both those worlds was also that fast and yet no one remembers what happened in that split second."
"What do you think, N? Will it come back or is it lost forever?"
"It's only lost if it completely escapes our memories forever. But since you've had visions of it, I'd make a safe bet and say that there's a chance that we'll see it again. Elements from that short world haven't shown up here yet anyway."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sheena would shake her head. "N. Just months ago, I heard about someone named Red and Ethan. I think those elements are already making their appearances."
"What about Equestria?" N questioned. "It had its fair share of counterparts that have shown up. That Empress hasn't appeared yet and my father's been silent."
"No. Equestria seems fine. Nothing unusual's happened yet. But it could. With both worlds now connected, this could make our mission a bit easier. Time and Space depend on it, after all."
"I'll head to Galar next and see what I can find. Let's meet up back at Unova in a while. I have a feeling the one named Hilbert will make an appearance again with how things are currently." After exploring Galar next, N was set to head back to his home region, Unova. Not only that, but he was expecting Hilbert, who comes from another Unova Region.
"Right. And I'll continue through Johto. Kevin and I will see you in two weeks over at Castelia City." Sheena promised that she and Kevin would be at Unova to reunite with N. And with that, they would go their separate ways.
Olivine City.
Sheena would stop at Olivine City, sitting at Olivine Cafe for a bit. Instead of ordering from here, Sheena was still fixated on her mission. This was all because of a vision she had. 4 years ago during the earliest days of these two worlds meeting. Sheena and N knew something that not many knew.
In her mind, she could remember a split-second flash. The same flash that enveloped both worlds and started this whole crossover in the first place. However, there was something else. Sheena saw something that happened right as the flash was about to fizzle out.
"I can still see it..." Sheena said to herself, gazing at the table in front of her. "The world that no longer exists and what it looked like." In her vision, she saw a colourful and futuristic city which had hovering vehicles and virtual objects while sharing many general similarities to Equestria. The whole city was a perfect mixture of the two worlds, combining the older style of Equestria and the modern style of most Pokemon cities and towns into one.
Humans, ponies, changelings and other species could be seen in this short vision, living in this massive city which also seemed to have what looked to be Canterlot Castle there. Sheena's vision of this place even included sound. And the one sound she heard was chanting. Constant chanting of something. Or rather, someone. She could just barely see the appearance of someone standing in a massive Pokemon Stadium, surrounded by a huge crowd of different species from across the world.
"Prisma! Prisma! Prisma!" She heard the name Prisma go around and yet she couldn't figure out who this was.
"If it does return, I wonder what would happen?" Her vision ended as she stood up. "There is only one gateway left in the world. But my vision still tells me that those counterparts will show up again. I have to figure this out. I think the first one I'll try and meet with is Red.
Sinnoh. Michina Town.
"A shame we didn't find her here." Back at Michina Town, Ash and the others would stay here, eating the delicious hot bread that was offered by the citizens. "Oh well. At least the bread is so good that it's all worth it!"
"Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu greatly agreed with Ash as his fellow Pokemon would absolutely chow down at this hot-piping bread. "Pika..."
"I really wanted to see what she could do." Fluttershy sighed. "Reading the hearts of the Pokemon sounds so amazing."
"Better luck next time, I guess." Starlight guessed. "I guess we're heading home now?"
"We're already at Sinnoh. Should we check up on Hearthome City since all those plants are gone? Maybe everyone's back home." Rainbow Dash suggested. With the Despair Plants gone from the city and there being a solution to recollect everyone's souls, Hearthome should return to how it was.
"Hearthome sounds good. And after that, you all can come over next week to see which movie I'll be starring in soon." Rarity gave her own suggestion. As a PokeStar Studios Star, she would invite her friends over to see her performance and what major movie she would be involved in.
"I want to see that Time-Space Axis in the ruins first." Twilight already had something in mind. The Time-Space Axis that could be found over at the ruins after Ash told her about it. Twilight was fully interested in Michina Town due to its mythology. It was similar to how Sheena and Kevin researched the town extensively because of that mythology.
The young alicorn was already on her way to the ruins, finishing up her hot bread. Ash and the others would be left to savour this Michina Town delicacy. Some more food was waiting for them before they would depart as Starlight and Goh would quickly follow her. Goh was mainly curious about any rare Pokemon that could be found here.
Getting to the ruins meant scaling that massive mountain. But neither had time for scaling. Twilight would simply take flight for an easier time and whatever ways Goh and Starlight had of travelling in the air, they would choose that instead. Such as magical levitation and Goh's Flygon.
"But how come there was a Flame Behemoth? Do you think there were other behemoths out there that we didn't know about?" Applejack asked, wondering if there were more variants. Such examples that she thought of were the possibility of a Poison Behemoth, Water Behemoth, Rock Behemoth or even a stranger one such as a Fairy Behemoth. The thought of that last one was too hard for her to even fully imagine with how unorthodox it was. "Eeugh..."
"Maybe, but they're probably all gone by now." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I don't know if that storm one was the toughest or what but I don't wanna deal with the other behemoths."
Meanwhile, with Twilight, Starlight and Goh, they would finally enter the Michina Ruins after taking the easier option of reaching this old shrine. This temple that was made to honour Arceus, despite being so old, still had a sense of grandeur to it.
Twilight's eyes lit up just being in this ancient place that had a lot of history to go off. And of course, she was too excited to witness the Time-Space Axis. Exploring these ruins to find this specific thing was all too exciting for the Princess of Friendship. Goh had his own excitement, wanting to see if there was a rare Pokemon for him to find. Starlight was mildly interested in the Axis as well.
However, they were not alone. Someone else had already entered these ruins already. When walking through this ancient structure, above them and concealed in the shadows, a creature with no visible eyes had locked onto them.
With unnerving skitters on the wall, this was none other than Despair Plant Scorpio. Out of the few civilizations it spotted last night, Michina Town was one of them. And of course, the other Despair Plant Scorpios were eager to start some anarchy on their quest to find the Gym Leaders who managed to escape.
"Hm?" Twilight and Espeon would promptly stop. They were the only two to sense that something was amiss. Espeon's tail would sway back and forth as the Princess of Friendship would slowly look up, trying not to make any sudden movements. And from the corner of her eye, she could see it. She could see Scorpio.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 16 End.