//------------------------------// // Friendship over Loyalty // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Magehold. Late Afternoon. Currently, a fashion show was being set up. A rather childish one since it would only involve children. As such, it would not match the sheer scale of most fashion shows. Originally suggested by Fantina, many vampires would obviously deny this. That is until Fractured Note, the loyal servant to Rosa Maledicta allowed it, making this possible. And the ones to set it up were the vampire children that Fantina taught. Using what Fantina left behind, the children did their absolute best to try and make this stage possible. Fractured Note had even sent vampires to also work on this show as he had the highest authority over all of them except for the Lich Queen herself. "Ebony! Ebony!" Meanwhile, Fantina was out searching for Ebony Rhyme after the insult she received from Opal Vivacity. She immediately came to Ebony Rhyme's home which was distant from most other buildings here. "Ebony?" The door was locked as seen by the various chains around it and an eye in the middle. Ebony Rhyme kept herself locked up. However, the moment Fantina went to put her arms towards the locks, the magic around it would suddenly glow, flowing through Fantina's arms. Fantina stayed stunned for a bit before being read by the magical eye. After reading Fantina, the locks would suddenly pull back, vanishing from plain sight. Afterwards, the door was opened, allowing Fantina to enter. If there was one individual Ebony Rhyme would let in, it was Fantina, without a doubt. "Ebony?" Fantina called out her name while entering the room. And sitting there on her lonesome, without having any of her Pokemon out was Ebony Rhyme. "I forgot my carriage...Not like I could run with it, anyway. Unless I used a strength potion."Ebony spoke while facing away from Fantina. And from the tone in her voice, she was still gutted about what was said about her. But it wasn't anything new and yet it still stung. "Ebony. Sorry about what happened back there. You can't listen to them at all. Like you said, you are not a defect at all." Fantian approached her vampiric friend. "I know that." Ebony Rhyme grumbled. "But it never gets across...And I might as well be considered a defect every time I storm off because they always get the last laugh." "You've stormed off multiple times from them?" "Always." Ebony looked back at Fantina with a disgruntled face. Even after all that, she has yet to show an expression of sadness. "Much like every child here, when a vampire is born, their scanned for their magical capabilities. Obviously...I had none. There was no trace of Curse Magic within me or any form of magic. I was labelled a defect by everyone for my lack of magic and wings. And even my lifespan..." The more she went on, the more her voice weakened. Although she was strong in keeping any form of sadness in check, it didn't stop her voice from changing and face from twitching a bit while speaking at a much lower tone than she already does. And Fantina could tell. The Hearthome City Gym Leader wished that Ebony Rhyme would let it all out right now. "But you still have those who care for you, don't you?" Fantina sat next to Ebony. "You can't let someone like Opal take that away from you." "That's why it's not the absolute worst. You, your Pokemon, my Pokemon and the children from the school are all I have. But that's about it, Fantina. Compared to the size that is Magehold, what good does it matter?" Ebony shook her head as she was also strung-up on the sheer size of Magehold and how many vampires label her as a defect. Taking the children out of the equation, it would be everyone. "Hmm..." Fantina thought for a moment. How could she comfort and cheer up her monotone yet sometimes expressive vampire friend? That's when a realization came to Fantina's head. "Well...Even if the odds are stacked against you...you have the best favour possible." "What's that?" "The Lich Queen, of course. She's the ruler of Magehold, after all and she trusts you." Fantina brought up an excellent point. The Lich Queen Rosa Maledicta was not a vampire. If anything, she was just like Ebony Rhyme, who was so devoid of any vampiric traits that she might as well be a normal pony. "She does. But that's only because Queen Rosa's not a vampire herself. From all the vampires and skeletons she rules, being the only standard pony her means that she could care less who she's talking to. But I won't like...Queen Rosa does trust in my potions more than anyone until you showed up." Ebony replied, thinking back to the times when Queen Rosa Maledicta needed her potions. Especially months back when Ebony Rhyme was the one who managed to heal a bit of the Lich Queen after Yveltal injured her. It was a rather colossal achievement. But even with that achievement, it did not earn the respect of every vampire, even if it involved the Lich Queen. "I guess the Lich Queen is an exception...if she doesn't show it. But I did tell you about my old friend, didn't I?" "You did. You met someone when you were little who loved to make potions with you." Fantina grabbed some of the potions in this house. "What was her name?" "Potion Nova." Ebony Rhyme revealed her name to Fantina at last. "The only other normal pony I know from far away. Before you came along and encouraged the children, there was her. But I haven't seen her in a long time." "Oh, but you might, right? What's stopping you from seeing her again?" "Fantina...We can't leave here. We have limitations to where we can go in Magehold. I highly doubt I'll see Potion Nova again." Ebony Rhyme sighed as it hurt her to say such a thing. "But you...You're even more bizarre than me and even the Lich Queen. You're a human. All things considered, you shouldn't be here." "Why not?" Fantina questioned as her memories were that badly affected to the point where she didn't even question her presence within Magehold. Ebony Rhyme looked down for a moment, knowing that there wasn't anything to convince Fantina to leave Magehold at all. Nothing has come up for that and nothing has happened that has made her want to do so. Fantina seemed more than fine with this place. "Well...I should probably give you this. I should've done so in the beginning." Ebony Rhyme got back, going for one of her potion cabinets. When opening this cabinet, there was one potion that seemed almost invisible compared to others, having high transparency. When picking up this potion, Ebony Rhyme would unleash most of it onto the table, using up a lot of the potion. But for a good reason as a black pulse would suddenly fly out of it, enveloping the room. Fantina gasped as she was caught by this pulse which turned everything into nothing but darkness. The furniture and potions had been masked by it. "What is this?!" Fantina gasped upon seeing this room of darkness. The potions she previously held had also been hidden as only her and Ebony Rhyme were visible. Everything else was hidden in darkness. Everything except for one potion. Ebony Rhyme's strange transparent potion was there, now having a pitch-black appearance while still being visible. "Ebony? What are you doing?" "This way, the Lich Queen can't hear us. Thanks to this potion. Fantina, I think you should hear this." Ebony Rhyme walked up to her with the Pitch Black Potion. "This is a Devoid Potion. It's one I've been working on for a few months. In secrecy compared to the others. As you can see, everything about is not only pitch black but the only voices and thoughts that can enter this small dark room is ours." "Only us? No one else can hear this? But can they see it?" "It's a powerful potion with limited space. I can only make it reach room size at best. I started making this potion a few months ago. Right after her majesty started healing from the struggle with Yveltal. And really...it's meant for you." "For me? I'm not sure what I would do with this potion, Ebony." Fantina chuckled. "You're not keeping it. I made it so that we can speak alone without anyone listening in on us. The Lich Queen has an amazing presence that makes her aware. And with this potion, I had to be discreet about it, making it as if I was making any other potion. I'm lucky that not everyone is into potions to know all the ingredients. But listen, Fantina. About you being here...You really shouldn't be here. At all. You're a human, after all. This isn't your home." "Then...What is my home?" A confused Fantina asked, losing knowledge of her home thanks to the Lich Queen. "I'm not sure. That's the problem. But I know that you weren't born and raised here. You were brought here. By the Lich Queen. Most likely, her magic was used to rob you of most of your knowledge. That involves your own past. But you actually come from the lands beyond here, where many Pokemon of all types can be found except for the ones we're so crucially limited to. You should at least know that." "I...Don't know..." Fantina scratched her hair, trying her hardest to remember something. But her knowledge was limited to only Pokemon and a bit of her childhood. It was not enough. "Why tell me this now?" "I've been working on a memory potion as well. It will help bring back your memories, but it isn't yet complete. I wasn't sure that I wanted to go through with this. You've been so kind to me, Fantina. More than anyone here." Ebony held the Devoid Potion close to her. "And I'm glad you're here with me, Fantian since I've never had anyone so close to me before. So, I never thought about it. I was only thinking of what we could accomplish in the future and thinking back on it...I'm sorry." Ebony Rhyme apologized. It was for trying to keep Fantina here. But why wouldn't she? From how she described her experiences here and how she was viewed, someone like Fantina was who she needed in her life. Someone who could spend time with this potion-making vampire. "You always thought about me and problems...Especially on the day we first met. Now, I want to do the same for you, Fantina. One day, you have to remember and return home. To where you belong. It's definitely not here." Ebony Rhyme pleaded. "I hope that memory potion is strong enough to break past the Lich Queen's magic. That's already a tall order for me to overcome." "Ebony." Fantina kneeled to face her vampiric friend. "Thank you. I may not remember much...but I love that you're doing this for me. It's rather dangerous going against your queen, isn't it?" "I know. I'd do anything for the queen but...I think it's best that you deserve this." Ebony put Fantina over the Lich Queen. The Bond of Friendship managed to overrule loyalty to the Ruler of Magehold. "What will you do now that I've told you this? It's not like you can just walk out of here anyway..." "I won't do anything, my friend." Fantina stood up tall with a proud face, unbothered by this news. "I will keep living my best life here in the only way I know how and I will wait for you to achieve your goal. Good luck on that potion." "Wow...Nothing gets past you does it?" "Of course not~!" Fantia giggled before twirling. "Now, I have a fashion show to prepare. Please come by and watch it when it's ready, alright?" Fantina winked. "And work on that potion while you are at it." "I will. I'll do my best." Ebony Rhyme put on a smile as a tear was finally forming. But with her monotone expression returning, she would suck the tear back up, refusing to let it fall. "For this potion, I have to make it the best possible potion that can exist. It'll take longer than what I did with the Devoid Potion and I will need some time to myself. But I can make it work." "How long does this room last for, by the way?" Fantina asked, wondering when the Dark Room that was devoid of anything else but these two would end. "It doesn't last very long. It should run out right about..." Right as Ebony said that, the void would disappear, bringing Fantina and Ebony Rhyme back into the clear but still grim and dark land of Magehold. "Now. Everything's all clear for us." "Anyway, don't let those words get to you, Ebony. Show them that you're not a defect, okay?" Fantina would prance away, giving her farewells to Ebony Rhyme. Ebony Rhyme could smile knowing that she had a good friend who could lighten her spirits. No one did it better than Fantina. Really, she was the only one who knew how to do so due to how she viewed Ebony Rhyme. Now that Fantina was gone, Ebony Rhyme's goal would have a ton of passion poured into it. For the sake of her friend's own happiness, she would risk breaking her loyalty with the Lich Queen. But for someone like Fantina, the risk was worth it. Ebony Rhyme would be discreet about this but that was something she was already skilled at. After all, she managed to evade the Devoid Potion from the Lich Queen, having a way to bypass her powerful magic that could communicate with all vampires. And when leaving Ebony Rhyme's home, heading for the school, Fantina had to wonder about her true life and what would happen when she remembers it. All she remembers was that she was a Top Pokemon Coordinator, an excellent fashion model, a powerful Gym Leader and now a teacher among a few things. The Gym Leader part was surprisingly the most bizarre part of her that she still recalled. This entire time, nothing involving Gyms has even sprouted up in Magehold. That was one thought that had Fantina the most curious as in reality, being a Gym Leader tied back to the Sinnoh Region. Winsome Falls. Late Afternoon. Speaking of Gym Leaders, the rematch was now. Enough time had passed to the point where it was very late in the afternoon, showing off the powerful orange glow of the golden sun in all of its glory. And arriving here for that rematch against the Final Gym Leader Brock were Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna. With their friends coming to watch, the two Trainers stood before Winsome Falls' Gym, taking a step forward. "Well, we've both prepared for the worst, haven't we?" Luna spoke to Rainbow Dash, hoping that she was prepared for the battle ahead. And more importantly, the Dreaded Blissey that was a nightmare to try and defeat. "Oh yeah. I've burned enough time." Rainbow Dash said with a confident nod. "Brocks' already going to use Blissey. We know that much. But he might use a different Pokemon instead of Forretress." "Indeed. But let's make sure this is not a repeat of the last battle. I would hate for us to have a third retry." "Good luck you two," Ash said to them both. "Brock knows how hard you were working to beat him after yesterday. He'll double up his efforts in response to your strength. " "Pikachu." "We're ready for this, Ash." Rainbow Dash confidently said before she and Luna looked at each other, nodding in unison. Their confidence was greatly overflowing but not to the level where they think they can win this without much of a struggle. They knew what was waiting for them. A Pink Demon was beyond those doors and whatever Pokemon Brock decides to use alongside her. If they slip up, it would be another loss for them and they could not afford for that to happen. Together, they would both open the door to the Winsome Falls Gym. And standing there was the Rock-Solid Pokemon Trainer himself. Brock from Pewter City. Expecting Rainbow Dash and Luna at this time, he smiled at the moment they showed up. "Welcome back. A bit late, but this is fine." "Just enough before I can raise the moon," Luna replied to him. "Let's have this rematch begin as soon as possible." "Yeah. And this time, we're winning, for sure, Brock." Rainbow Dash declared before gulping slightly. "We'll see. If not, then the third time's the charm, right? Unless you two want to battle separately and take turns so it's less harsh on one of you?" Brock smirked, suggesting a handicap. But of course, the two of them would not take it. They were aiming to win this together and become the first ponies to advance to the Equestria League. Ash and the others would take their seats, excited and a bit worried to see how this would play out. To Rainbow Dash, Luna and all the other ponies, Brock was the strongest trainer they've had to ever face. Rainbow Dash had already faced Ash and that was her toughest battle but Brock was enough to fill up that spot. Compared to all their opponents that they've faced, good or bad, this Final Gym was not only a test of how far they have truly come as Pokemon Trainers that were new to the entire world of Pokemon but also their spot as Future Champions. "Okay." Brock held out two Poke Balls in his arms. "Let's see who you'll bring out for this battle. I can already guess the last two. you can guess who's joining this battle on my side. But who's gonna be up first?" "The Pokemon that'll stop that juggernaut of yours." Rainbow Dash said before also holding out her Poke Ball along with Luna's. Each Trainer held out their respective Poke Balls as the orange glow of the sun pierced through the windows, shining off these objects. The Rematch of the Final Gym would finally begin. As the journey continues. Chapter 55 End.