Sinnoh. Out in a forest. Nightfall.
Arriving to try and capture Cresselia was the Matori Matrix of Team Plasma, led by Matori herself. Shutting down Luna's access to the Hyperdream via another Rift Weapon, the Matori Matrix have closed in on their target. With Luna ordering Dawn and Chloe to take Cresselia elsewhere, the Princess of the Night found herself encountering the Matori Matrix yet again.
But at the moment, Luna was also dealing with her own barrier, transformed by the Rift Weapons that the Matori Matrix used, forming a sentient barrier with sharp jaws on all sides. Dawn and Chloe picked Cresselia up, using all of their strength to carry the Lunar Pokemon.
"Don't worry, Cresselia! We'll get you away from here!" Dawn promised while already feeling the weight on her arms. "Ghhh! Geez, you're heavy!"
"Piplup!" Piplup and Eevee would also chime in, attempting to lift the Lunar Pokemon. But even with this added help, Cresselia was still extremely heavy for all of them.
"Darkrai, use Dark Pulse!" Luna shouted while flying back, managing to evade the Barrier's Fangs once it went for its first bite. The fangs of this Barrier were unlike anything out there due to how unique they were. Even when she ended up dodging those fangs, the magic from the barrier would leave something behind. It was still made up of Luna's magic at the end of the way, letting out a pulse that would further push Luna away. "W-What!?"
Intercepting the barrier's next action was none other than Darkrai, unleashing a pulse that was imbued with Dark thoughts. However, the barrier was still a protective force despite how hostile it now was. One of the jaws ended up biting onto Darkrai's Dark Pulse, crushing it with brute strength.
As for the Matori Matrix, they left it all up to the barrier, focusing on Cresselia only and ignoring Princess Luna. They would ready their weapons from the helicopter, prepared to use the power of the Rift once more.
"Cress...!" Cresselia noticed how Dawn and Chloe wouldn't get anywhere quick enough thanks to her weight. This wasn't enough to avoid what was coming. Thankfully, with the strength she recovered after resting up, Cresselia managed to use Psychic on their arms, strengthening them.
"Oh! I feel a bit stronger now!" Dawn gasped after receiving a physical strength increase. "Thanks, Cresselia!" And with this increase in strength in their hands, they could carry Cresselia with ease. At least, for as long as Cresselia can keep it up.
"You won't get away from us!" Matori cried out as the sound of the weapons could be heard charging up.
"Not good...Gliscor! Xatu! Appear!" Luna wished to deal with the Matori Matrix while also stopping this rabid barrier of hers. With two Poke Balls being held out by magic, she would throw them into the air, summoning her Xatu and Gliscor.
"Gliscor!"
"Xatu!"
"Stop those weapons, you two!" Luna yelled before putting up her own shield to defend against what was once hers. The fangs viciously bit onto Luna's shield, attempting to tear it into pieces. The way it rapidly moved its mouth was utterly disturbing as it had no sense of slowing down.
"Scor!" Gliscor and Xatu would fixate their attention on the Team Rocket Helicopter with Gliscor using Acrobatics to ascend even faster than how he normally could. Electricity came out of the ship once the weapons were used, only for Gliscor to shut it down. He got in front of the bolt of lightning, being completely immune to it.
As for Xatu, he would use Psychic on one of the ship's weapons, attempting to break it apart. However, though Gliscor was immune to this, the Rift Particles within would travel through the bolt, suddenly changing that common immunity. Gliscor cried out as the electricity damaged him.
"Idiots!" Matori exclaimed. "With the power of the Rift, there's nothing that we can't beat out. Your Ground-Typing doesn't mean anything to us!"
"G-Gli!" After being harmed by what he was supposed to be immune to, the weapons from the cannon would unleash the other elements, shooting them at the Ground-Flying-Type for extra damage. Xatu focused on those instead of the main weapon, using Psychic to manipulate the elements. It was a lot to control, but he managed to pull it off, saving his friend as the rays of elements crashed into a pile of rocks.
The Barrier Fangs meanwhile were only growing more vicious, forcing Darkrai and Luna to think fast. Each side of this sentient barrier would attack, crushing their attacks easily. Darkrai's Dark Void failed miserably, unable to knock out this sentient barrier while also witnessing how it tore its attacks into pieces. Luna's own magic, which is what originally made this barrier, had also been devoured.
"It just eats everything that we throw at it! Absurd!" Luna shouted while backing away from the constantly-moving barrier. This was a peculiar opponent to beat. With all those fangs from every side, it could crush any attack that was thrown at it. And they certainly didn't want to get close to it, unless they wanted to lose something from their body. All the while, this gave the Matori Matrix the chance chase down Dawn and Chloe, leaving behind Luna and her Pokemon.
"They're already ahead of us by now, Luna!" Darkrai said while Thunderbolt to try and overload the Sentient Barrier. But it seemed to relish this, endlessly absorbing the electricity with its fangs. "I can't overfeed it either! It doesn't seem to care at all!"
"If only I could enter the Dream Realm prior to this..." The Princess of the Moon growled. The only way for her to re-enter the Dream Realm was potentially by destroying what the Matori Matrix had used. If she could get to it, that is. Luna watched as the helicopter advanced. Gliscor would drop to the ground after being hit with Xatu quickly flying to his side. With the Matori Matrix going ahead, Luna had to get past the sentient barrier first while also catching up to Team Rocket.
"Wait...There's nothing underneath it." Luna then saw one visible weakness that could be exploited. The Sentient Barrier was originally in the shape of a dome since Luna stood on the ground while using it to defend against the Matori Matrix's assault. Because of this, it had fangs on every side except for one. The bottom. This Sentient Barrier was essentially scraping on the ground to move instead of rolling or even flying. If it had been a spherical barrier, this would've been harder to try and overcome.
Seeing this weakness, Luna would try and capitalise on it, looking at Darkrai. Darkrai already understood what needed to be done. The Pitch Black Pokemon descended into the shadows while Luna would focus on distracting his barrier. Darkrai vanished from the sight of the Sentient Barrier. But then again, it had no eyes to speak of in the first place.
Luna would constantly zap magical bolts at the barrier while backing up, distracting and feeding it while Darkrai would try and strike from below. And he had to be precise when doing so as this Sentient Barrier had no concept of slowing down, biting at great speeds while scraping across the ground. Luna would then move past some trees, instinctively avoiding them when backing up. But the barrier would end up destroying these trees with each bite. And despite the trees being its way, it still did not slow down. If anything, it was starting to speed up, getting closer to Luna.
"I should feel somewhat proud that this is my barrier." Luna smiled as the barrier would close in on the Moon Princess. She would then cease all of her movements, deciding not to move back any further, allowing for the barrier to strike. But this was part of Luna's plan. Constantly moving meant that the Sentient Barrier would also keep moving. But by staying still, it wouldn't get too far.
This gave Darkrai his opportunity. Just as the Sentient Barrier was ready to gnaw on Luna, going straight for her head, the Pitch Black Pokemon would emerge from the shadows underneath it. He used Dark Pulse, unleashing the pulse of darkness inside the Sentient Barrier. It had no way to protect itself from this position due to how it was originally made.
The Sentient Barrier would howl after the pulse enveloped all of its insides. Luna flinched at this horrifying howl and the fact that she was one inch away from receiving a bite. The pulse would then grow by Darkrai's command, properly overloading the barrier as he wanted originally. The Sentient Barrier, unable to stop this, would be destroyed, combusting from over-expansion.
The creation of Luna's magic would be obliterated with only drops of this magic being scattered. The Rift Energy within it had been taken out because of this destruction as well. Darkrai would then emerge from the dark smoke after successfully taking it out. That was one major problem dealt with it.
"Hah...Finally." Luna sighed, relieved that the Sentient Barrier had been destroyed at last. "Well done, Darkrai." Now that this had been sorted out, the next problem was at hand. The Matori Matrix. By now, they were already ahead with Xatu and Gliscor pursuing the helicopter. Not only that, but the second Darkrai was still someone they had to take into account. Luna could only hope that Dawn and Chloe managed to get somewhere safe for the time being.
Thankfully, they did. Thanks to Luna and her Pokemon occupying them for a bit, that was enough for them to get somewhere safe. The sparkling lake near this forest was their choice as it was surrounded by an abundance of trees. Enough to conceal themselves and Cresselia. But they had to keep on moving, otherwise, they would be found either way.
"Where do we go now?" Dawn wondered where they would go now. "Princess Luna stayed behind for us..."
"I'm not sure." Chloe shook her head, clueless as well. For now, they were both directionless, unable to decide on their next action. As they stood there pondering, footsteps were heard by Dawn.
"Someone's coming!" Dawn exclaimed, swivelling her head as hard as she could. She feared that Team Rocket had shown up once more, this time, going by foot instead of using the helicopter. However, she had nothing to fear. Being at the ready wasn't warranted at all. At least, not now.
Because the ones to appear before Dawn's group, emerging from the many trees was none other than Ash Ketchum and his group.
"Yeesh, this forest is huge. Did you hear this way, Fluttershy?" Ash spoke before coming to a halt. All of his friends did so as a familiar face graced their eyes. Dawn also saw this familiar face for herself as they all stood silent. Meanwhile, Chloe was rather confused by this sudden silence and static posing from them all. "Oh...Dawn? Chloe?"
"Ash! Everyone!" Dawn said with a bright smile on her face. Another friendly face had been found tonight. Many friendly faces after all. Excited to see them again, Dawn would rush over to give her greetings. "It's been a while, hasn't it?!"
"It sure has!" Ash and Dawn did their signature greeting, high-fiving each other. As for how Dawn greeted the rest of her friends, she would put her arms around the ponies, going for a massive hug.
"I didn't see this coming! This is a nice surprise!" Dawn excitedly said, rubbing her face against the ponies who would hug her back. "Ah, it's only been 2 or 3 years since we last met, hasn't it?!"
"Has it? I couldn't tell." Fluttershy said. "Either way, everyone back at the Pokemon House has missed you so much, Dawn, so it's great to see you and Piplup again."
"I didn't think we'd see you here, Chloe." Goh pointed out. "Are you out searching for a Pokemon of your own?"
"Not really. I was just told to come here by my dad. I expected to eventually run into you but...I wish it was under a different circumstance. Not this. But...you all know each other."
"Mhm!" Dawn vigorously nodded. "Ash and I used to travel across the Sinnoh Region together and I even showed up to help with the creation of the Pokemon House. Plus, taking care of some Pokemon there."
"This is cool and all but what's up with that giant croissant?" Rainbow Dash questioned, fixating her attention on Cresselia as this would be her first time laying eyes on the Legendary Pokemon. Most of them would be seeing Cresselia for the first time.
"That croissant is Cresselia!" Twilight gasped, recognizing the Lunar Pokemon. "Why's she here?!"
"Probably for the same reason Darkrai's here," Starlight added. "They're both usually around each other, aren't they? Well...except for Princess Luna's Darkrai."
"Oh, right! Princess Luna!" Dawn quickly switched her attention back to what mattered. "Uh, well, you should all know this. A lot happened recently. Cresselia here's being chased down right now. We found her injured in the forest after being attacked by Team Rocket. Not the ones we usually know."
"Well, we're here investigating the nightmares that Darkrai has been causing." Rarity spoke. "Have you seen it?"
"Only Princess Luna's Darkrai. I'm not sure about that other Darkrai. Princess Luna spoke about how Darkrai was looking for someone. I think it might be Cresselia that it's looking for, so by now, it should've come to her. But there's no sign of it." Dawn explained.
"Is that why Darkrai's been on the move?" said Ash. "But why go after all those cities then?"
"Princess Luna's Darkrai said that the other Darkrai's Dark Pulse was strong because of the emotions behind it. Cresselia might have something to do with it." Twilight recalled what Luna shared with her friends.
"Maybe Cresselia fought with Darkrai and later Team Rocket, took damage and ran away. It might be some form of revenge. I think." Goh theorized on why this could potentially be the case.
"Mm-mm." Dawn shook her head. "That's definitely not it. She didn't react like that when seeing Princess Luna's Darkrai. It was only Team Rocket that was behind this."
"Hmm..." Fluttershy and the others thought deeply about this. If that was the case, why was Darkrai just going around spreading nightmare sand Cresselia just so happened to also be around at the same time?
"Maybe..." Twilight put her hooves on her head, drawing a conclusion. "Maybe it's out of anger. Dark Pulse is only filled with dark thoughts so the only emotion that Darkrai was feeling was probably anger. Cresselia and Darkrai are opposites to each other and from what I've read, they will battle with each other often. But Darkrais don't just spread nightmares without a reason. Even if they battled, Darkrai would only take it out on Cresselia and no one else. The power to dispel nightmares is rather easy for Cresselia just as much as it is for Darkrai to spread a nightmare, even if she's injured."
"So Darkrai's taking it out on the cities?" Starlight replied. "Why? Does it think they did this to her?"
"I believe so. Darkrai doesn't know who's responsible for this, so it's probably looking for the culprit. But it's actually Team Rocket." Twilight nodded.
"Aw, that means these ones are friends. Isn't that sweet?" Pinkie Pie uttered as this meant that this Darkrai and Cresselia were not exactly against each other. "Oh, is that rare?"
"Not really. The two of them don't interact that much." Twilight shook her head in response. "The reasons they have for battling are straightforward but rarely happen as long as they keep to themselves."
"Darkrai." Just as they started to piece things together, the cry of the Pitch-Black Pokemon echoed out. Cresselia and everyone would swivel their heads, looking up to spot the one who was the opposite to Cresselia. Darkrai.
"Darkrai!" They all collectively said as Darkrai and Cresselia had encountered each other at least. Upon arriving, Darkrai would narrow its eyes, gazing at Ash's group. Fluttershy gulped, sensing the hostile aura from the Dark-Type.
"Maybe it doesn't help that we're next to Cresselia..." Fluttershy said as Darkrai didn't too fond of them being this close to the Lunar Pokemon. It was certainly sparking a reaction.
"Wait, Darkrai," Ash spoke to the Pitch Black Pokemon before anything could happen. "All those nightmares you caused...you were just searching for whoever did this to Cresselia, right?"
"Pikachu!"
"It's just like what I experienced back at Alamos Town..." Ash reminisced about the past. "You were probably doing it to look into the dreams of others. So you could find out who went to Cresselia, right?"
"Oh, right. You did say the Darkrai back at Alamos Town warned you about what would happen between Dialga and Palkia that day." Dawn would also recall that moment from years ago. "Darkrai's nightmares act as warnings too and a way to look into the future."
"We weren't doing anything to her. Honest!" Pinkie put her hooves together as the other ponies would collectively nod. Just for safe measure, Rarity, Goh, Starlight and Pinkie would shimmy away from Cresselia.
"I don't think you're convincing it at all..." Applejack said as it was pointless to move away.
"Huh? Up there! Look" Goh cried out, bringing everyone's attention to something else. Something far more intimidating than the Darkrai that hovered over them. Even Darkrai had to look up. The real threat had arrived, tracking down Cresselia endlessly without resting for a bit.
The Matori Matrix. "Cresselia located. Along with some annoying individuals with her." Matori said after noticing Ash's face.
"It's you!" Ash roared out after noticing Matori's face through the window.
"Pikachu!"
"Cress..." Cresselia whimpered after spotting the Matori Matrix for a third time. They were truly relentless in their pursuit of her. Cresselia feared that the chances of the Matori Matrix capturing her were still high with how they were constantly managing to find her.
"And look at that...the extremely special Pikachu that our boss has been trying so hard to find." Matori would also eye down Ash's Pikachu. "I'll make it a triple catch. Cresselia, Darkrai and Pikachu will be brought back to headquarters. Fire!"
The weapons would be used once more. The power of the Rift had been built up, shooting out of the cannons, but this time with only the intent to injure and not pull off anything strange. And the one to be hit by the ray was none other than Darkrai. "D-Dark!" After being blasted, Darkrai would be pushed down, tumbling on the ground next to Ash and the others.
"Darkrai!" Ash gasped, kneeling to face the Pitch Black Pokemon. "Are you alright?!"
"Pika?!
They would stop there. More of the ship's arsenal would be unleashing, shooting out the various elements at Twilight and her friends. Twilight, much like Luna, would put up a protective shield around her friends. A quick save. The shield blocked the other elements that were thrown at them, but that would only prompt for the Matori Matrix to keep up their assault. More of the Rift Energy would be used, planning to turn Twilight's own barrier against her.
"Push it back, Twilight!" Dawn yelled out, knowing of what happened to Luna's own barrier. "Or else they'll turn against you!"
"O-Okay!" Twilight stuttered, taking Dawn's suggestion. She would reverse her barrier, pushing back the elements that bombarded it. The elements were thrown off course, flying elsewhere as a bit of Twilight's magic would also reach the ship.
"Kh!" Matori gasped as the pressure from Twilight's magic generated some wind that made her flinch. The threat of alicorn magic was something that couldn't be ignored. They already acknowledged it with Princess Luna. "Darn alicorn...!"
"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"
"Piplup, Bubble Beam!"
"Sceptile, Dragon Pulse!"
"Castform, Weather Ball!" Taking action against the ship and what it would throw against them, Ash and the others would yell out commands.
"Pika...Chuuu!" 100,000 volts, a flurry of bubbles, a dragon-shaped blast and a sphere of energy were collectively shot out, intercepting the elements that the cannons threw out. The collection of attacks clashed with the Matori Matrix's weapons, cancelling each other out in the process. Not quite enough to push through. That went for both sides. Compared to Luna, Ash and his group had greater numbers in this instance.
"Nothing but obstacles." Matori and her group would suddenly leave the helicopter, leaping out of it while a few more would stay behind to utilize the weapons. "Eliminate them!"
"Yes ma'am!" Team Rocket exclaimed before sending out their respective Pokemon. Toxicraok, Skuntank, Glameow and Rhyperior to be exact.
Staying close to Cresselia as protection would be Chloe, Fluttershy and Goh. With how many Pokemon were here, Cresselia could be harmed once more. And there was also the helicopter above that they had to worry about. Darkrai would then raise its head, finally understanding who it should worry about. Ash's group and by extension, the people over at the different cities across Sinnoh.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
"Castform, use Energy Ball!"
"Chu...!" Pikachu moved in, using Iron Tail as his tail would glisten in the night while Sceptile's Energy Ball was thrown alongside him.
"Skuntank, Flamethrower!" The Team Rocket grunt yelled out as Skuntank would shoot out a stream of scarlet flames to intercept these two Pokemon. However, it only managed to stop Castform's Energy Ball, incinerating it into nothing. This allowed Pikachu to move ahead, slamming his tail on Skuntank's head to deal the first bit of damage.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Twilight and Starlight both said to Espeon and Hatterene, who had just been sent out. Two Dazzling Gleams were used with rainbow rays flying out of their bodies. Unfortunately, the dual Dazzling Gleams were stopped by a rain of fire that came from above via the helicopter. The flames blocked off the Dazzling Gleams from going anywhere while giving Team Rocket the chance to launch another attack.
"Toxicroak! Sludge Bomb!" After the flames dispersed, the group of Toxicroak would collectively use Sludge Bomb, bombarding Espeon and Hatterene with these toxic bombs.
"E-Esp!"
"Now, Piplup! Use Whirlpool!"
"Sceptile! Frenzy Plant!"
"Pip...Lup!" From his beak, Piplup would form a whirlpool that he would then throw with his arms. Joining this whirlpool of water was a giant barrage of plants that would erupt from the ground via Sceptile's power.
"Stone Edge, Rhyperior!" Attempting to block these attacks would be the Rhyperior, generating large crystals in front of them. The crystals would block some of the plants, only for a few to press on while Whirlpool would carry away the rocks.
"Go for Cresselia! Now!" Matori ordered them to focus some of their attacks on Cresselia before she could fully recover. After all, she was looking better than when they first pursued her.
"Yes ma'am! Hyper Beam!"
Unexpectedly, most of these opposing Pokemon had Hyper Beam in their current arsenal. Mainly Rhyperior and Purugly only. They would collectively charge up this destructive attack. And all of it would be directed towards Cresselia while the Pokemon who did not use Hyper Beam would only focus on the opposing Pokemon.
"Oh!" Fluttershy gasped. "Audi! Quick, use Protect!"
"Audino!" Audino would form a green shield around herself and those next to Cresselia, defending against the beams of destruction that came this way. It was a successful Protect since most of those Hyper Beams hit it at the same time. And as a bonus, they had to recharge because of this.
But that wouldn't stop one of the Rhyperior from waiting, using Stone Edge to try and surprise them. The crystals popped out of the ground, attempting to hit Fluttershy and the others. Intercepting these crystals was none other than Darkrai. This Darkrai, understanding the situation, would also chime in, using Dark Pulse to block these crystals from even touching Cresselia.
"Oh, Darkrai!" Fluttershy gasped after noticing the swift save from the Pitch Black Pokemon. "Thank you so much!"
"Cress..."
"Hmmrrgh...!" Matori growled at how much time was being wasted. "How about you all receive a dose of this?!" From her pockets, she revealed another Rift Sphere that was slightly different from the rest. This one seemed to resemble a Poke Ball, having the same design with a few holes around it. "Everyone of your Pokemon should just return to their Poke Balls!"
Out of the sphere, rays of Rift would come flying out, striking a few Pokemon. Specifically, Sceptile, Castform, Espeon, Hatterene and Pikachu.
"P-Pi!" Pikachu gasped once the lights hit him. But no injury was done to him surprisingly. He didn't feel any pain at all. Rather, this sphere had a different purpose. Sceptile suddenly found himself shrinking, returning to his Poke Ball which could be found in Applejack's saddlebag.
Espeon would also shrink as if she was being called back by Twilight. But it wasn't by Twilight's own will. Instead, it was the Sphere. Piplup and Eevee would also find themselves heading back to their Poke Balls. However, Pikachu and Castform remained outside.
"What just happened?" Applejack shouted once as Sceptile returned to his Poke Ball.
"It returned our Pokemon! It can just do that?!" Twilight looked inside her saddlebag. Team Rocket now had access to a Rift-powered object that could send Pokemon back into their Poke Balls against their trainers' command.
The only ones immune to this were Pikachu and Castform due to the absence of their Poke Balls. But the same couldn't be said for the others who still had their Poke Balls with them thanks to their trainers.
"That's not all!" Matori smirked. "For now, you've been locked out of using any of your Poke Balls. That'll drop your numbers and teach you to think you stood a chance."
"Curse it!" Rarity held out her Poke Balls, unable to send out any of her own Pokemon. Everyone else tried sending out their Pokemon once more, only for the Rift Energy around the Poke Balls to deny them access. "So unfair! You're just afraid, that's all!"
"We're still here though." Ash and Rainbow Dash said, still having their Pokemon who were immune. "You won't get rid of Pikachu and Castform.
"Pikachu!"
"Castform!"
"Darkrai." Darkrai would suddenly appear in front of Pikachu and Castform. It wouldn't be just these two Pokemon on their own.
"That's right. It's just the three of you." Matori shrugged. "Why should I worry? Destroy them!"
"Hyper Beam!" Another Hyper Beam would be used. This time with fewer Pokemon to worry about. Even though they could not send out their Pokemon, there was still a way to protect themselves. Specifically, Twilight, Rarity and Starlight had their magic which can still come in handy whenever they needed it to.
"Gliscor!" Suddenly, the cry of a Gliscor could be heard nearby. Matori would shift her eyes elsewhere. Swooping in was none other than Gliscor. Luna's Gliscor to be exact. The night was perfect for him, as much like Darkrai, he used it to conceal himself. Gliscor are known for hiding in dark areas until they can properly strike and this wasn't any different.
"You-" Matori gasped as Gliscor was coming straight for her. She didn't have time to do anything. But instead of going for Matori, Gliscor focused on the sphere.
The Fang Scorp Pokemon used Knock Off, slapping his claws against the Rift Sphere that nullified the Poke Balls. Gliscor shattered the Rift Sphere while also harming Matori's hand in the process with Knock Off. Matori's pupils shrank once the sphere had been broken.
With this, the seal around the Poke Balls had been broken. Gliscor made an excellent save, only to be then struck by a Purugly who had used Night Slash on him. But it was worth it. Even if Gliscor took damage, he managed to get rid of one of nuisance.
"Too bad for you." But really, it was Luna who was responsible for this action. All of this battling led the Princess of the Night to this area. Luna smiled after destroying one of Matori's weapons as the explosion of Hyper Beam would go off, making her ethereal mane flow along with Matori's hair. The magic of the unicorns had successfully blocked the Hyper Beams.
"Luna...! Why aren't you firing!?" Matori then looked up at the helicopter, wondering why they suddenly ceased their weapons. And it wasn't because their weapons had been damaged. Far from it. It was something else.
Within the helicopter, Luna's Frillish had appeared, phasing through it. Staying intangible, he had used Hydro Pump, interfering with the devices within. The Team Rocket grunts gasped as their electronics were sabotaged by this high-volume blast of water. The water would even carry them with how it would flood the helicopter. Staying out of sight because of his intangibility, Frillish would descend from the helicopter, becoming tangible once more.
"Thanks, Luna." Ash gave a thumbs-up to the Princess of the Night for her stupendous save. His face would then intensify, focusing on the remaining Team Rocket Grunts. "Okay. Let's finish this! Thunderbolt!"
"Pika...Chuuu!" Pikachu jumped up, slapping his red sacs to generate electricity. Joining him was Castform along with Darkrai who would use Energy Ball and Dark Pulse. The opposing Pokemon use Flamethrower, Stone and whatever they could to stop these attacks.
"C-Cress..." Cresselia closed her eyes before gaining the strength to stand up own her own. Enough time had passed for her to move on her own. Recently, she could only use Psychic. Now there was more she could offer. Joining Ash and everyone, she would use Moonblast, unleashing a sphere that was gathered by the moon itself.
The moon would even show sparkles that descended from above, filling up Cresselia's sphere. The Lunar Pokemon would throw the sphere, combining it with Pikachu, Castform and Darkrai's attacks. They would all meet with the attacks from Team Rocket's Pokemon, attempting to push through. Ash's team succeded as their attacks crashed into the opposing Pokemon. With the extra power of Darkrai and Cresselia, these attacks were certainly heavy to deal with. Team Rocket's Pokemon would find that out the hard way as they ended up fainting.
"Now, Darkrai!" Luna yelled, calling for her own Darkrai to take action. Her Darkrai had been absent from this battle for a while and for a good reason. He had blended with the shadows, appearing once Luna called out his name.
From above, the Pitch Black Pokemon would use Dark Void. He put his claws together, forming a sphere that looked like it came straight from the void. Now that the opposing Pokemon were down, it was time for them to join their trainers, courtesy of Darkrai.
And just to add more insult to injury, Newmoon Island's Darkrai would do the same. A dual Dark Void had been used. One from above and one from the side. Matori and her group found themselves being enveloped in two domes of darkness that would spread out at the same pace. They had no time to worry about which one to avoid as it was too late for that and too difficult to even avoid them in the first place. The voids would converge with each other, engulfing the Matori Matrix to put them into a deep sleep where nightmares were inevitable.
"Im...Impossible..." Matori would drop to her knees, irritated that she managed to lose the edge this quickly. Her grunts would already drop, falling asleep from Darkrai's energy. Matori was the only one still awake but would fall asleep eventually. "I refuse to lose here..." Using the last Rift Object at her disposal, Matori held out a third sphere. This one closely resembled the Travel Spheres that were used to get around to other universes.
In this case, Matori would use it to return to headquarters, without the rest of her matrix. This mission to capture Cresselia was a failure after all. Right as she would drop to the ground in this dark void, her body would suddenly dissolve instead of a gateway appearing. It dissolved in the same way Twilight Moonlight woulda also use a form of Rift Travel. The Matori Matrix had been defeated, with only their leader managing to escape. The helicopter would drop, landing in the acre of trees as the grunts inside were currently trapped.
"Guess that's that," Ash said as this confrontation was over. Darkrai would then look over at Cresselia, who was breathing slowly after using Moonblast. The Pitch Black Pokemon would then clear the clouds for her. But for what reason? Cresselia would find out once the clouds were clear by Darkrai's own manipulation over the weather without even having to move any of its limbs.
"C-Cress..." And after it was over, Cresselia would drop to the ground, lying down. She used up a ton of her power in that one Moonblast. It was worth it as it contributed to the victory of Ash's group and her own safety. But with the last of her power, she managed to pull off Moonlight. A beam of moonlight shined down on Cresselia, causing her body to sparkle and restoring her lost health. It was as if she was receiving a blessing from above and since it was nightfall, Moonlight was more effective than ever. But this was also thanks to Darkrai, who cleared the clouds away for Moonlight to really shine.
"Is everyone else alright?" Luna asked. Thankfully, everyone else was still in one piece. "Excellent. Those Rift objects of hers were powerful but fragile. Cresselia. Are you feeling better now?"
"Cresselia." Cresselia was better than ever. She once again had the strength to float.
"Good. Well, that settles that." Luna was ready to close the book on this event. "It was rather foolish of me not to sense what that Darkrai was feeling. But I guess I only know what my Darkrai feels."
"It would've taken me some time to do so as well." Darkrai crossed his arms. "We're not the best when it comes to expressing our feelings."
"Cresselia!" Cresselia laughed before flying next to Luna's Darkrai. She just wanted to get a scare out of him like she did before. Darkrai was definitely startled once Cresselia got close to her, prompting everyone else to laugh.
"I will deal with these ones over here." Luna looked over at the Matori Matrix. "As for your Cresselia and that Darkrai...they should be returning home by now."
"Yeah. To Fullmoon and Newmoon," said Ash. "Team Rocket might try and find them again...but I think they have each other's backs."
"They will. But just to be safe..." Luna approached the Lunar Pokemon. "Cresselia. If it's not too much trouble...perhaps sometime, you can visit us in the Hyperdream."
"Cresselia"?
"Mhm. You have your own dreams. If you are ever in need of help, you can count on us to be there. I'm not sure how often you bring sweet dreams to others by dispelling nightmares, but I hope we can see each other again. In the Dream Realm."
"Cress...Cresselia." Cresselia would nod her head, agreeing to that offer. It was official. Cresselia could count on them for help. Whether it was Luna, Ash and especially Dawn and Chloe, who helped nurse her back to her health. The Lunar Pokemon would then look at the other Darkrai as they both agreed to return home.
"Darkrai," Darkrai said his last words as two Pokemon of the Night would ascend. Newmoon and Fullmoon were located at different directions while still being close to each other. The Psychic-Type and the Dark-Type would fly off, leaving behind a beautiful trail of sparkles along with a trail of darkness.
"Maybe they've been searching for one another this whole time..." Fluttershy gawked. "Even though all the Darkrai don't see each other that often...do you think Cresselia will be there for it."
"Mhm. I think so." Chloe was sure that this Darkrai wouldn't have to face solitude. Not when it had a good friend on its side. All Darkrai and Cresselia may be opposites of each other, but there was always more to their relationship. Whether it was how the Darkrai from Newmoon came for her or how Luna's Darkrai reacted to her presence. It was certainly something to wonder about with how deep it truly goes.
Day.
Morning had come. They all stayed behind in the same forest with the sparkling lake instead of returning home. By now, Chloe had missed her classes, but it was all worth it. "I'm late for classes by now...but Ii'll have something great to share that'll get me good grades."
"Here you go!" Meanwhile, Ash and the others were playing by the lake while their Pokemon would rest on the soft sands on the beach. They splashed water against each other, playfully, having the time of their lives.
"You've done it now, Ash!" Dawn laughed as she and Dawn would bombard Ash with a stream of water. Ash would find himself falling over from this.
"You know...we should be getting to that contest in Eterna City by now." Chloe said to Dawn.
"Oh, right!" Dawn gasped. "Piplup, we'll be going soon. Just after I do this!" Dawn would continue playing in the lake, deciding to burn some more time just for the sake of enjoyment.
"Oh geez..." Chloe sighed.
"You gotta relax." Pinkie Pie rolled on the sand. "When summer comes along, you can join us more often, Chloe."
"I guess so. After all...this was rather enjoyable." Chloe smiled as this was truly an enjoyable journey, despite how brief it was. Why not take another chance? Something amazing could happen next time, as was the natural occurrence in this wonderful united world. "Let me join in on the fun!"
Chloe would get up, joining everyone in the lake. No shame in doing it. No shame in having fun. Before Chloe knew it, the actions and carefree lifestyle of Ash and his friends rubbed off on her. All of them have yet to truly expand their horizons. Whether with standard Pokemon or Legendary Mythical Pokemon. There was more to see and more to do in this Grander World as the journey continues.
Chapter 48 End.