Galar. Wild Area. Nightfall.
Nightfall had come to the Wild Area. And the vicious snowstorm from before that Hunter J created had finally come to an end, leaving behind white sheets. The newly developed hills were a thing now because of Hunter J.
"No sign of that Lopunny anywhere." Failing to find Alpha Lopunny, Pokemon Hunter J returned to her Airship. The powerful jump of this Alpha Pokemon eluded the Pokemon Hunter until the moon came up. "It's as if it just left the scene."
"Our overview monitors haven't gotten a single sight on that Alpha Pokemon yet, boss." J's men said as none of them had spotted the Alpha Lopunny either.
"Tch." J scoffed. Nightfall had already arrived and there was still no sign of Alpha Lopunny at all. The airship moved across the whole Wild Area and there was nothing. "Fine then. Let's call it a night. Then we'll advance to Unova and find ourselves that Scyther." Hunter J and her men would promptly leave the Wild Area, focusing on the next Alpha Pokemon.
And that would be Alpha Scyther. But of course, clocking out for the night was needed after the work they've done today. As for Alpha Lopunny, J hadn't given up on it at all. She was going for all of them after all. And neither was Sci-Twi. After resting up and having her Pokemon healed, she was determined to also find Alpha Lopunny even after that horrific battle with Hunter J. Only Sci-Twi knew of Alpha Lopunny's special trait that it had as an Alpha Pokemon. A greater jump than any other Lopunny that made it go so high that there was barely a trace of it.
However, Sci-Twi had her own way of matching Alpha Lopunny's jumps, at least in her theory. And that was with her Alpha Rapidash. Growing closer, the two agreed to help each other out once more. Alpha Rapidash certainly wasn't as stubborn as she was in the past.
"Okay. If you run fast enough, Rapidash, you'll gain enough momentum to jump at great heights." Sci-Twi said while also wearing a helmet. "Just...be careful, okay?" The helmet was for safety reasons. After all, Rapidash would be running at stupendous speeds and jumping at great heights.
"If you jump high enough, you could find Alpha Lopunny up there as well." Sunset Shimmer said. "Rapidash was the only one to see it since she's incredibly fast much like Lopunny. So this is a perfect decision."
"I don't see J's airship anywhere." Pinkie Pie looked up. "Then again, we didn't see it before, right?"
"It's got an invisibility feature in it so she uses it to travel around without being seen," Ash explained, recalling the invisibility feature that the Airship had. "It must've gotten a huge upgrade cause this is the longest it's been hidden. Or maybe it's not here anymore?"
"Pika?"
"Whatever the case. I'll find Alpha Lopunny. Are you ready, Rapidash?"
"Rapidash!" Rapidash scraped her hoof on the ground, ready to build up some speed.
"Don't feel too intimidated being on Rapidash." Rainbow Dash nudged Sci-Twi. "Just let her do all the movements and you'll be fine, okay?"
"Mhm. You can trust Rapidash's speed." Ash gave a reassuring thumbs-up to her. He should know. He's been on a Rapidash before after all. "Good luck. And we'll stay on the lookout for you."
"Pika-Pikachu!"
"Right. Thank you, everyone. Alright, Rapidash. Let's go." Twilight gulped, readying herself for a high-speed rush. After all, there is no instance where Rapidash would ever slow down when running. With her sights set on the night sky, Rapidash would ready herself.
And with a spurt of speed, the Fire Horse Pokemon took off, creating a large dust cloud. Immediately, Twilight felt herself jerk back a bit. Rapidash was already gone from this spot, becoming a blur for a few seconds. Ash and the others would see their friend off while staying here for any signs of Hunter J.
"Oh...Oh!" Twilight would hold on to dear life as Rapidash blazed across the Wild Area, moving at confounding speeds that were on par with Quick Attack, Aerial Ace or even Extreme Speed. Possibly even more so. Twilight had never experienced this much instant speed in her life as this was the second overwhelming thing she's had to experience so far. But at least this one was with a friend who would keep her safe.
Rapidash, despite moving at great speeds, would still focus on keeping Twilight Sparkle safe. Twilight shuddered while on Rapidash as that helmet of hers certainly wouldn't be enough to protect her. But Rapidash would be enough. Twilight opened her eyes as she looked to see if she was still in one piece.
Perfectly. The flames of Rapidash kept her warm during the night and she could still feel the Fire Horse Pokemon. Rapidash would never let her fall after all. Even with all of this speed she built, the Fire Horse Pokemon prioritized Twilight's safety. And while running, Twilight got to see the sights of the Wild Area.
Even after the snowstorm and the altered earth, the Pokemon here still knew how to live with joy. All the small Pokemon from before noticed Twilight, waving at her even though she was too fast to keep up with. And yet, Twilight still found the chance to wave back at them too. She would then spot multiple Flying-Types soaring at decently lower levels before ascending once more. With the snowstorm gone, they could freely fly once more.
Rapidash would then pass by the bridge, allowing Twilight to gaze at Water-Types that populated it. This was both a mission and a moment of fun. Everything that Twilight went through with J was being drowned out by the wonderful world of Pokemon. Just seeing it all play out was enough to lighten her heart and mind.
"Dash!" Suddenly, without warning, Rapidash would finally take the opportunity to lunge into the air. Twilight screeched as she was taking to the skies. With all of this momentum and her powerful legs, Rapidash took off, entering the skies. This was to match what Alpha Lopunny was capable of.
She passed by all other Flying-Types, reaching incredible heights immediately. Up in the sky, it looked like a fireball was ascending with how Rapidash's flames would flow gracefully with each movement. In the night, the flames were at their brightest and could shine more than ever.
"Wow..." And with this amazing jump, Rapidash would gain so much airtime to the point where it looked like she was flying. Sci-Twi even felt like she was flying. Everything from the Wild Area was available to see in its entirety at this birds-eye view. She could even see Ash and the others who would gander at the fireball in the night sky This was a truly magical feeling. How often can a moment like this come for Twilight? That's what she wondered. But with Rapidash by her side, it could be forever. "But I still don't see Alpha Lopunny anywhere."
"Lopun...!" Right on cue, the cry of the Alpha Pokemon could be heard, alerting Twilight Sparkle. Now that the cry of Lopunny came out, Twilight had to wonder where it came from. There was only one possibility. The sky. However, despite how high up Rapidash was and the air time she received, Lopunny was much higher.
Much higher. With just a singular head raise from Sci-Twi and Alpha Rapidash, they spotted the Rabbit Pokemon at last. And it was way ahead of them. Not because it was jumping higher than them but because of what it was doing to get the edge over everyone, being incredibly elusive. What Lopunny was doing was stunning to Sci-Twi's eyes but it was something that pegasi from Equestria are capable of and even alicorns. Especially her Equestrian Counterpart.
Alpha Lopunny was jumping on clouds. Twilight was flabbergasted. Alpha Lopunny's method of avoiding everything from seeing it was by jumping from cloud to cloud, using its powerful legs to the fullest. This was the best a Lopunny has ever been as it looked down, spotting Sci-Twi and Rapidash.
"Lopunny!" Alpha Lopunny then let out a bellowing cry that all Alpha Pokemon were capable of.
"Rapidash!" Rapidash would unleash her own Alpha cry, replying to Alpha Lopunny. This cry was essentially a challenge to Alpha Lopunny as Rapidash saw that reaching this Alpha Pokemon would take a few more steps. Literally. However, Alpha Rapidash then found herself descending.
"Lopun-Lopun!" Lopunny then laughed at them. This Alpha Pokemon did not launch any hostile attacks mainly due to how there was no point since no one could seemingly reach it. At least, not yet. After seeing them descend, Alpha Lopunny would then continue hopping away, heading to who-knows-where.
"Well...we're not reaching that one. Not yet, at least." Sci-Twi already knew this. And even with this fact, a smile was placed on her face. "Thanks anyway, Rapidash. Let's try again someday though."
"Rapidash." Rapidash was pleased to have helped. Though they failed to reach Lopunny, an enjoyable ride was given to Twilight Sparkle. And as a bonus, Hunter J was oblivious to what Lopunny was truly doing.
"Seriously?!" After returning to her friend with Alpha Rapidash, Ash and the others heard about what was up with Alpha Lopunny.
"Seriously. My mind was being thrown for a loop after I saw it. It was jumping on the clouds, going higher and higher." Sci-Twi explained. "I don't think I can reach that one yet. And who knows where it's heading?"
"But that's not possible!" Rainbow Dash yelled. This went against everything she knew about clouds and how those who can fly can stand and interact with them. But then along came Alpha Lopunny, breaking that natural law. "You can only stand on clouds if you've got wings or even fly! It's just jumping really high and stuff! Wait...is it possible?" She had to think about it for a moment. Could there be Pokemon that could achieve such feats without even needing to fly?
"Well, you did your best. But that only means we're gonna work harder to reach Alpha Lopunny. Nothing a good flight can't handle. All we gotta do is get ahead of her, right?" Ash said, looking at the options that were available to reach Alpha Lopunny.
"You're right. It's not impossible. But I'm tired now. And I think I'm okay with leaving things how they are now. " Sci-Twi stretched, wishing to call it a day. "It's good to know that Lopunny's safe. It's found the best way to keep itself safe too."
"Yeah, let's call it a night." Sunset Shimmer was in agreement. "And you know...Hulbury might be the best place to return to. You have a World Championship Match waiting for you, Ash." She brought up the battle with Nessa that he put on hold just to help Sci-Twi out.
The Alpha Lopunny objective was done for now. But most definitely, they would return to it. But by now, it was best that they all clock out. They've done enough and if anyone deserved to rest up, it was Sci-Twi. But for now, Rainbow Dash was going to be thinking about Alpha Lopunny's impossible feat in her dreams once she falls asleep.
"Hey, guys!" But before they could return to Hulbury, someone called out to them. Moving across the water by using a small boat was none other than Carlita. She did say she would race them to Galar and at last, the trainer from Eindoak Town had arrived.
"Oh, Carlita! You're a bit late, ya know!" Ash exclaimed, stunning Carlita.
"I'm late?!" Carlita gasped. This race wasn't even close. Ash and the others showed up during the afternoon while Carlita showed up once the moon had come up. "Aw, man...I knew I shouldn't have stopped to visit that Dragon Gym...Did you at least catch Alpha Lopunny?"
"No. But I have a lot to share." Sci-Twi squeed while having the brightest smile on her face that could illuminate the night. But now, it was time for them to rest. It was back to Hulbury.
Equestria. Canterlot. Nightfall.
Back at Equestria, it was a silent night for them as well. Currently, at Canterlot, Princess Celestia was still awake, too busy to sleep at the moment. Mainly because of how she had to manage a lot of things that came up solely because of the two worlds merging as one.
At her disposal, multiple maps from Starmap of Pegalysium were given to her. She already had a base map of how the world looked like now. Equestria was right in between Unova and Kalos. However, the fact that she was holding more meant that it wasn't that straightforward.
"The Dragon Lands have been slightly raised." Celestia pointed out how one of Equestria's locations had received a slight change in location. But not by much. The Dragon Lands had been elevated on the map. Not exactly the worst change. She wasn't sure if it was a bad change even for the dragons. But Pegalysium as a whole has been sent higher into the air. That doesn't matter as much since the Earth is larger than ever. Which means the skies are even bigger than what they used to be."
"Gardevoir." Passion looked over at the map, pointing at the Alola Region.
"You're right, Passion. The seas of Alola have grown too. Not only that but the same goes for the seas of Hoenn. But there's something else on my mind..." Celestia closed her eyes, moving away from the expanded world and thinking about something else. "That other counterpart to Twilight. Twilight Moonlight, right? She said that she wasn't like the other counterparts. Just how much did Jirachi change?"
New questions had propped up. Who was this counterpart of Twilight and what made her so different? Aside from the fact that she had her own Pokemon compared to the others who were still new to it. Not only that but Celestia was still fixated on reaching Magehold just to retrieve Yveltal. Cycling through all of these were tricky but being the Ruler of Equestria, Celestia could handle it all.
"Hmm...What to do first? Twilight Moonlight? Dread League? Handling the new world? Aaah...!" Celestia placed her hooves on her head, cycling to choose one to focus on. "Hm! The Twilight Moonlight thing can wait. She'll show up again if she's so fixated on Twilight Sparkle and keeping her safe. Getting to Yveltal is what really matters or else we won't have a new world to enjoy. But I won't use Daybreaker's strength for this. I'll use my own strength. But how am I going to reach Magehold?"
The problem with stopping the Dread League was the fact that no one could find them or even enter their land. Both were major inconveniences. And it didn't help that they weren't on the map. Not even Starmap's expertise showed Celestia the location of the Dread League even though they were said to be around the Hyperborean Island which was hidden near the Crystal Empire.
"No. There is someone who can help us find them. Chrysalis knows. And by extension, so does her mother, Mellifera." Celestia knew of two changelings who could find Magehold. They've been there already after all. "But it's far too dangerous to have Chrysalis go there. But Mellifera..."
She had someone who could help her. Mellifera, the former Changeling Queen. Her whereabouts were unknown. And even in this Super-Earth, she might be even farther than ever before. But anything to preserve the future had to be done when it came to handling the threat that was the Dread League as the journey continues.
Chapter 34 End.