Equestria. Despair Plant Garden. Nightfall.
"Fantina. You don't remember us at all?" said Rarity. She, Applejack and Galaxy Master had come across Fantina, who has been missing for months ever since the third Pokemon Festival. However, when they finally found her, they were shocked to hear that Fantina did not recognize them. Not even Rarity, whose little sister Sweetie Belle had received tutoring from the Hearthome City Gym Leader before.
"Terribly sorry. I'm not quite sure." Casually, Fantina shrugged it off. She didn't have much to say about this, failing to recognize Rarity and Applejack. She certainly didn't recognize Galaxy Master at all.
"Oh, this can't be!" Rarity screeched, holding her face out of pure shock. "All these months of wondering and she doesn't even remember us!?"
"Memory loss? Oh, that's a shame." Galaxy Master shook his head, not too worried about this issue since this was his first time meeting Fantina. "But, as a hero, I'm willing to sort this out."
"Can ya fix this?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot fix memory losses with my natural skills. But something can be done."
"But...Ebony did mention something about memories to me." Despite this, Fantina recalled how Ebony Rhyme was dedicated to bringing her memories back. That clicked with her. "Curious. Do you know something about my past then?"
"Yes! Yes, we do!" Collectively, Applejack and Rarity shouted out. With Fantina bringing this question up, they would answer immediately and had a lot to share. Not exactly about her past but about what she has done.
"Ah, splendid!" Fantina clapped her hands with glee. "I always knew something was missing! I only remember so little of my childhood and yet there is something there I can't reach."
"Ooh. Childhood. I'm not sure we've stepped into that territory." Rarity grit her teeth, failing to mention anything about Fantina's childhood. "But we know about what else you've done! For starters, you're the Gym Leader of Hearthome City. I believe that's where you were born, right?"
"Hearthome City?" Fantina uttered, tilting her head. "Mmm...I'm not sure that is my home. I come from somewhere else." Despite lacking most of her memories, even Fantina knew that she was not born in Hearthome City. In fact, she wasn't born in Sinnoh at all. She came from somewhere else that escaped Rarity and Applejack's minds.
Unfortunately, despite how eager Applejack and Rarity were eager to make Fantina remember, they didn't know that much about her. All they knew was that she was a Gym Leader and a Top Coordinator. Fantina herself remembered herself being a coordinator as well but that was as far as it went. Currently, they were rather stumped, struggling to find something to jog her memories. If only they knew more about her.
"Well, there's..." Rarity scrunched her face before twirling her mane, pausing her sentence.
"Mmm?" Applejack shrugged as she just admitted that she didn't know anything else. The memories Fantina kept were the same things she and Rarity already knew about, making this much harder than it was. "I ain't got nothing. But I'm pretty sure we can figure something out."
"I'm sure you can. You seemed happy to see me so I must know you from somewhere." Fantina kneeled. "My friend Ebony back at Magehold is trying her best to make a memory potion, so you two are not alone in this. I'll tell her abouts your efforts when I get back."
"Magehold? You're living in Magehold, now?!" Rarity was shocked. Her suspicions were correct. She first thought that the vampires abducted Fantina and took her to Magehold. She was right on the nose with that but Fantina certainly didn't look or act like someone who had been abducted.
Before they could think of something else to try and jog Fantina's memories with or even process what Fantina just said, tremors from the garden were starting to reach this area. With all of this destruction, it was inevitable as Rarity would fall over immediately, only for Fantina to catch her.
"We can't stay here forever! This garden might be on the verge of collapsing!" Galaxy Master exclaimed as it was wise to keep on moving. Cracks were rapidly approaching the area with magical energy bursting out of them. They all made a run for it. Well, some of them did. Fantina would run with Rarity in her arms while Galaxy Master would get back on Dragonite. Applejack quickly took out her Poke Ball, throwing it to summon Sceptile back into the scene. She could also count on Sceptile's vines to travel across the garden. Not everyone could fit on Dragonite after all.
"Fantina! You have to come back with us at once!" Rarity shouted while being held by Fantina. "Back to Hearthome, not Magehold of all places!"
"Come back?" Fantina repeated. "I'm not sure I can do that right now..." But she's grown so attached to Magehod and formed quite a few promises to the point where that was hard to do at the moment. And of course, the memory loss played a major part in that.
The crash of dark lightning from above would also reach this area, targeting the ground and showing off its fury. By now, it didn't matter who was winning this confrontation. The garden would potentially take everyone out with how it was starting to fall apart. And the same went for the Sea Temple, which was also threatened because of this.
Magehold.
And with everything going on over at the Despair Plant Garden, it was only a matter of time until the one who grew that garden would take notice. At last, the Lich Queen would wake up. Her eyes were opening slowly, finally recovering from that massive usage of magic that she performed in her current state.
Fractured Note, who was secretly the first Lich King, gasped after seeing Rosa Maledicta wake up. He was hoping that she wouldn't wake up this soon, especially when Fantina was still on the garden, away from Magehold.
"No! She can't wake up now! They haven't returned yet!" He thought to himself. This would certainly bring about new problems he was hoping to avoid. For now, he had to play along.
"That should be enough for now," said Rosa Maledicta, recovering enough magic after resting. "Never have I had to rest before. I must be careful using my magic continuously while I'm still healing."
"Evening, your majesty. You weren't asleep for that long despite your magical usage." Fractured Note bowed.
"I'm a natural when it comes to reversing my magic, even if I go overboard. But after this, I'll need to rest for a few more days before I can do more. For now, I must know how the events over at the garden have played out." Now that she was awake, Rosa Maledicta was ready to view the garden from afar, making Fractured Note narrow his eyes.
He feared this would happen but there wasn't much he could do about this. All he had to do was stand back, watch and speak when necessary. After all, Rosa Maledicta did leave him in charge of this mission before she started resting. And of course, the first thing that caught her attention was none other than Fantina.
She spotted the Ghost-Type Specialist with Galaxy Master, Rarity and Applejack, fleeing from a stream of destruction that was tearing through the garden. Already after viewing the garden, Rosa Maledicta saw its current condition and the surprising appearance of Fantina.
"Fantina?!" Rosa Maledicta gasped. "What is she doing out there?! And what is becoming of my garden?! Has it failed to reach its full potential in its entirety?!"
"Apologies, your majesty." Fractured Note saw this as the best time to say something. In his own words, of course. "I originally sent Ebony Rhyme and other vampires to take of things. Ebony Rhyme would've used a potion to accelerate the garden's growth. But it seems that Fantina slipped by. Probably, she used Ebony as a partner to leave the area." He was almost telling the truth. Everything he said was true but he spun it to make it look like an accident.
"Did she now? She slipped through using Ebony Rhyme. Why? And what has happened while she has been there?!"
"They might be a bit too attached to the hip. Most likely, she's there to help Ebony Rhyme. She is the only one Ebony trusts. No other vampire is that close to her, even though Fantina isn't a vampire. I apologize for this oversight, your majesty."
"And my garden...what caused this destruction? Why have they not yet returned at this point. Just what is going on?" Rosa Maledicta's eyes twitched. This was the most annoyance she has ever felt simply because it was out of her control at the moment. But with her magic restored to a certain level, she could once again interact with the garden.
But at this rate, how could she interact with it?
Despair Plant Garden.
Back with Ash's group in the garden, they narrowly avoided a devastating attack from the vampire Dimstar, who possessed the magic of Lich. Her attack was responsible for this atmosphere and only added to the destruction of the garden. Ash and Dimstar stared at each other while the black lightning sparked from the clouds.
"You've been fooling around for far too long now." Interrupting their staredown was none other than the Lich Queen and her voice. She had enough magic to interact with the garden once more, surprising everyone.
"That voice...The current Lich Queen?" Dimstar spoke, reacting to Rosa Maledicta's voice. Since she was around when the first Lich King was established and in power, she only has a semblance of his magic and now the current Lich Queen.
"Ash Ketchum. Twilight Sparkle. Galaxy Master. All of your friends that are scampering around my garden and below it. You've tried my patience even though I have just now awoken. Oh, how frustrating it is to be in such a condition. If it were not for Yveltal...the things I would do." She expressed her frustrations. "But that doesn't mean I'm powerless. I will bring you all down at once."
She was speaking to practically everyone here, expressing her frustration and irritation. This was the most powerless she's felt and it was all thanks to Yveltal and by extension, Galaxy Master's sudden involvement in all of this after being missing for months.
"Wait, your majesty! Let me-" Dimstar cried out, wishing to deal with things here since she was ordered by Ebony Rhyme.
"Silence!" Rosa immediately shut Dimstar down. "I'm not sure who you are, but much like the others, you are failing to get things done here. Unless you can prove something and get it over with, I will be taking over."
"I can. I have a semblance of a Lich in me!"
"You do?" That caught Rosa Maledicta's attention. "If that's the case...then show me. But that will not stop me from getting involved. With the garden in this state...I will bring everything down!"
Expressing her fury, Rosa Maledicta used her magic to shake the surrounding area and the skies themselves. It felt like a hammer had just hit the sky and the garden at the same time. An invisible one. She would encourage the destruction of the garden, only for the sake of bringing the others down with it.
"I cannot afford to disappoint the Lich Queen." Dimstar would turn to face Ash and his friends once more. She needed to impress the Lich Queen at once, showing her just what she could with the magic of a Lich. Her tendrils, which were her main weapons, would be used once more as Dimstar sent them flying towards her targets.
"Use Iron Tail!"
"Force Palm!"
"Pikachu-Pi!" Pikachu and Mienshao would engage these tendrils with their own physical attacks. A hardened tail and energized paw would meet with the tendrils, generating a white flash from the collision. Fluttershy closed her eyes from the collision as sparks would fly from this. After the collision ended, Ash saw this as an opportunity to move in.
"Use Quick Attack, Pikachu!"
"Pika-Pika-Pika!" Pikachu would advance on Dimstar, taking off at such speeds that he leave white afterimages and a trail of energy from his body, zigzagging in the process.
"Get back!" Dimstar roared, flailing her tendrils out at Pikachu to try and stop his hyper-fast movements. Pikachu would zip and dash from side to side, evading as much of the tendrils as he could. Each time the tendrils lashed the ground, they left marks that were scorching hot, prompting Ash and the others to back away.
"Pika!" Pikachu got in close, zooming through the air before headbutting Dimstar's face. He landed a successful hit in, making Dimstar flinch for a moment. However, it was only for a moment as one of the tendrils managed to catch Pikachu once he got in. Not even Quick Attack was fast enough to get ahead of her. "Pika?!"
Pikachu gasped as he was caught by one of the tendrils which would immediately raise him into the air. And when raised into the air, one of the tendrils would suddenly affect his body, sending a chilling aura around him that made the Mouse Pokemon grimace. This chilling aura let out a howl that sounded just like crying white also letting out black sparks which made Pikachu twitch and squirm.
"You'll feel the cold touch of the undead. How does it feel?" Right now, Dimstar was using the coldness of the undead on Pikachu. And it was uncomfortable, as to be expected.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Pika...Chuuu!" Pikachu would retaliate with Thunderbolt, unleashing a violent flare of 100,000 volts from his body, generating light energy that was strong enough to affect Dimstar's vampiric body and coat. The vampire hissed at the light Pikachu emitted, but she wouldn't let this stop her. She used her tendrils to smack Pikachu against the ground, interrupting his Thunderbolt while also sacrificing one of her tendrils for this attack. The tendril had been blown away by Pikachu's energy but in return, Pikachu took some damage as well.
"Raboot, use High Jump Kick!"
"Freeze her, Altaria! Use Ice Beam!"
"Boot...Ra!" Along came Raboot, getting in on the action. The Rabbit Pokemon leapt into the air, performing a few flips before going for a dive kick. He zoomed through the air, managing to evade some of the tendrils that came his way. he even smashed his feet against some of them, knocking the tendrils aside. However, he couldn't stop all of them as a barrage of tendrils formed a shield, blocking his High Jump Kick. "Raboot!?"
"Freeze me?" Dimstar scoffed before turning her attention to the incoming Ice Beam. It was a direct hit. The ice would crash into Dimstar's body, forming an icy blue explosion while Raboot jumped off the shield of tendrils that he failed to get through. This also helped free Pikachu, who slipped out of the tendrils, feeling a bit wobbly from this. It looked like it was a successful hit, however, that was not the case. Immediately, the tendrils would blow away the icy smoke, revealing Dimstar who was completely fine.
"She didn't freeze?!" Rainbow Dash pulled back.
"If I were an ordinary vampire, I would. But with the power of a Lich, I am immune to such trivial afflictions. My body is already cold from the power of the undead on my side." Dimstar smiled, revealing that she was immune to being frozen. And judging by the fact that she put a plural in one of her sentences, other afflictions possibly counted.
She would return the favour to Altaria and everyone else, putting her tendrils together to form some magic once more. This time, it was a morose and cold wave of magic that resembled that of the northern lights. But it moved with the intensity of a thunderstorm, racing toward its targets and carrying an ill-tempered aura with it.
"Ngh!" Ash and his friends felt this. The horrific chill of the undead was something they've never felt before. For the most part anyway. Ash has felt a semblance of it with certain Ghost-Types but this was on a whole other level. It felt like a swarm of the undead were breathing in his direction, causing him to hold his hat from all the pressure.
"It's...So cold and horrible!" Fluttershy felt uncomfortable as she and Audino held onto each other for warmth. Audino's weight allowed her to stay in one position without being blown away.
"What is this?!" Pinkie Pie shuddered as her teeth were rapidly clattering against each other while Mew immediately turned himself into a Torkoal, attempting to keep himself warm.
"Your transformations won't save you from this. The chill of the undead is something no one can ignore. Because it comes for us all." Dimstar said, approaching with her tendrils while sending the cold closer to them. "Very soon, you will all feel morose and cold one day when the Black Crusade is complete. Actually...perhaps today will be that day!" With a vicious grin, she would send the tendrils towards them while they were this thrown off by the cold.
"Y-Yeah, right! Been there, done that!" Ash begged to differ, having the strength to retaliate and having experience with a cold body before. More than he would like to admit. "Pikachu, Countershield!"
"Pika...Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu would snarl before getting on his back. An old favourite was used to counter the tendrils and that would be Countershield. He spun around, using Thunderbolt as a shield as it would expand to great heights. And as a shield, it was always successful.
The tendrils were not only blocked by the shield of electricity, but they also ended up melting from the light energy they gave off. Dimstar gasped after she got a taste of the Countershield. Her tendrils attempted breaking through but the shield was too effective with how rapid and erratic it was, more so than the tendrils themselves.
"A shield of electricity just by spinning? Amazingly impressive yet simple!" Dimstar growled as she was finding it hard to get past this.
"Allow me to give you some assistance." The voice of Rosa Maledicta came through as she decided to get involved in this one instance. Her magic would affect one of the tendrils, giving it more power than what Dimstar could muster. It already had a semblance of Lich within it but with Rosa's involvement, that was doubled greatly.
"Gaaah!" A scream came afterwards. One of the tendrils phased through Pikachu's Countershield, passing by everyone. Everyone except Fluttershy. Her friends all gasped to see Fluttershy caught by one of these tendrils that were protected by the Lich Queen.
It knocked Audino out of the way immediately, picking up the pegasus while only holding onto her upper body. This one tendril would then separate from Dimstar's body, forming a new extension once it was away from the Countershield.
"No! Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"Gh...!" Fluttershy, who was restrained by this tendril, could then feel something being ripped out of her. Not figuratively, but literally. The tendril would begin to pull something out of Fluttershy's body. Pikachu would stop his Countershield to hear the cries of his good friend.
"I'll remove any trace of an average pony out of you and make you a full vampire!" Rosa Maledicta was aiming to make Fluttershy a full-blooded vampire and that was by removing everything that made her Fluttershy in the first place.
"Do not interefere with her majesty's actions!" Dimstar yelled, moving more of her tendrils as one of them caught Pikachu.
"P-Pi!"
"Pikachu!" Ash bellowed before seeing one of the tendrils come after him. He would back away, only to have one of them grab his arm. He was too late to fully escape them. Rainbow Dash, who was already focused on saving Fluttershy, would take flight with Altaria and Castform, only to have the tendrils get in their way.
Specifically, it was the tendril that was holding onto Fluttershy. With Rosa's magic, that tendril would spit up, immediately catching them both by surprise and wrapping around them. Rainbow Dash and Altaria would be stopped but not Castform, who managed to slip through thanks to his small body.
"Cast?!"
"Woah! Wait! Wait!" Pinkie Pie was trying her best to avoid the tendrils, having Mew transform into all sorts of Pokemon. Mew would turn into a Seviper, having the right body shape to slither through some of them. When more came, he would transform into a Voltorb, rolling past them. But he couldn't keep up without many were starting to spawn as he was caught midway in a Solosis transformation. So was Pinkie PIe. Bouncing couldn't save her as her tail was what failed her in the end.
"M-Mew!"
So far, they had all been restrained with Fluttershy still having a piece of herself being slowly ripped out of her. The only ones to avoid this were Bayleef and Castform. Bayleef's leaves would kick in, landing on her back as she managed to change fate, avoiding the tendrils from hitting her. The tendrils that tried to grab her would fly elsewhere once one of the leaves came off. If only she could've used it on Fluttershy seconds ago.
"Ah. You must be the one that Opal stole from. The Fate Changing Leaf." Rosa spoke to Bayleef. "I'll deal with you especially, dinosaur."
"Bay...!"
"It's not gonna end here!" Ash growled while holding onto one of the tendrils with the remainder of his strength. "Ya hear me?!"
"Oh, but it will! You have all the energy in the world and ton of spunk but that can only take you far! Eventually, you have to know your limits! All of you! Especially when you're facing off against those above you."
"Then we'll just break past our limits then! Just you wait and see!" Ash replied in a heartbeat, not sparing Rosa Maledicta any chance to gloat and have the last laugh. With his teeth clenched along with his hands, Ash's Aura would emanate in response to these tendrils.
Ash's Aura was fighting back against the tendrils as the struggle was continuing from here. Bayleef and Castform were the only ones free while Fluttershy was still in pain from having a part of her being slowly ripped out, just like what Rosa tried to do with Princess Celestia back at Rustboro.
Ash and Dimstar looked each other in the eyes intensively. So did all the other Pokemon. Their drive to resist would keep burning. Some were very literal in that sense, such as Raboot, who was generating an aura of fire around his body. The chill of the undead was still getting to them with only a select few being able to resist it. The ground beneath them was beginning to shatter from this destruction as the trees in this area would drop one by one while the wind howled viciously. It felt like the world was ending when it was really just this one garden.
And of course, this fierce battle grabbed the attention of those nearby. That would be Enola, Adriel and the People of the Water. They peered through the remaining trees in the darkness, barely holding on due to the collapsing environment around the garden. But even so, they could see Ash and the others in this heated struggle.
With the Lich Queen involved and Fantina finally found, the climax of this confrontation of the Despair Plant Garden was near as it was all reaching its boiling point. But the question was how it would all turn out. Each side had their own goals and at this point, it seemed like one only one of them could be achieved.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 78 End.