Equestria. Ponyville. Day.
Peaceful Ponyville. At last, Twilight and almost all of her friends had returned, courtesy of the Sea Temple and its lightspeed travel. The one town that has a gateway which connects to Pallet Town and was the only gateway that stuck around after the wish. The Sea Temple could be seen from afar, near Lapras Lake with its towering height. By this point, the invisible temple was no longer invisible. At least, to allies and friends, and Ash certainly had a lot of them here, if not all of them.
"Ah! Feels great to be back! Even if it was just one day. Or I guess two." Twilight said with a grand sigh of relief, entering her home. She had a lot to report on and process. Entering the home with her were Daisy and Flora along with some new smaller additions that would most likely fill up the castle. The Baby Despair Plants, of course. They were kept in a box before leaping out of it to explore the castle. As far as it goes right now, this was their home. "Now, to just-"
"Twilight! There you are, dear!" Suddenly, her mother appeared. Out of nowhere, she was just suddenly within her home, startling her daughter and rushing towards her.
"Mom?!" Twilight gasped, pulling back and nearly falling over, only for Espeon to catch her with Psychic. "You scared me...I thought I'd see Spike or Starlight first."
"Ah! I was waiting for a while! So was your father!" Twilight Velvet screeched with an excited tone as right behind her was Night Light.
"I was dragged along." Night Light gave an immediate honest answer. It seemed that he was brought along by Twilight Velvet for one crucial reason that Twilight Sparkle herself hasn't realized yet. That is until her mother spouted it out.
"I've been waiting for this day...!" Twilight Velvet's eyes were tearing up with joy. "I finally have Grandfoals. It's about time...Even if they are already old in appearance. This is one of the best days of my life!" She was obviously happy about the existence of Daisy and Paradise, seeing them as her grandchildren, much like how Daisy and Paradise saw Twilight Sparkle as their mother.
"Oh, so that's it..." Twilight Sparkle lowered her eyes, chuckling lightly.
"Are you our grandparents?"
"We sure are!" Twilight Velvet moved past her daughter to meet the Flora Ponies. "I'm elated to finally meet my grandchildren! Even if it isn't by blood! Or I guess it is because an elixir was used by my daughter. Right? Ah, who cares!"
"Oh, great!" Daisy shared Twilight Velvet's enthusiasm as they both held hooves.
"I expected this to happen." Twilight Sparkle shrugged as this was inevitable. This was the kind of spirit her mother carried. Really, most mothers look forward to a moment like this. "She does in my dreams...interfering with them just to ask me." Twilight Sparkle added.
"At least that puts her to ease. I know she would've started going off and on about wanting Grandfoals, no doubt." Night Light said. "Congrats by the way."
"Thanks, dad. Sorry that mom dragged you along but I would've brought them to you anyway. I'm glad to have them around. But mom looks happier than me."
"Mhm. Now all that's left to do is find the father, but it was you who made them. Any ideas?" Night Light questioned.
"Don't ask..." Twilight sighed, knowing that was already attempted with Ash but became a bust instantly. "It's pending though..."
"We have so much to do! If you were babies, I would pass on Twilight's old objects and clothes. But since you're this big, we'll skip ahead! How about we go shopping together?!"
"Yes, please!" Daisy greatly agreed.
"Oh! Can we buy some Pokemon Equipment, grandma?!" Paradise asked, more interested in things that had to do with Pokemon.
"Hang on! You're not leaving until we figure out what to do with these baby Despair Plants!" Twilight Sparkle halted them, focusing on important matters. "They may have been made by you but-"
"We'll be back in a bit!" Twilight Velvet cut her off. "Don't worry, dear! You've already spent quality time with your daughters so now it's my turn. Every grandparent's duty after all!" The mother of the Princess of Friendship laughed before using her magic to teleport out of the castle.
"Mrrgh...Mom...!" Twilight Sparkle grumbled before sighing, knowing it was pointless to do anything about that. "Oh well. It is what is. See you around then, dad. I have quite a lot to do after that wild moment at Sea."
"What happened at Sea?"
"Eh...Lots of stuff. It involves the Dread League, unfortunately. And there are a few things I want to read up on. The King of Pokelantis and the mystery with that colour combination of green and red. That Diadora, as annoying as she has, has me curious about something." Twilight pondered about Diadora. "If I remember correctly, the Witch comes from a group of people from the past who had that colour combination who are related to Ghetsis. Green Hair and Red Eyes."
"Good luck with that. I'll catch up with your mother." Night Light wished her the best before leaving the castle. "I'll have them back if things go south."
"Thanks. Bye, dad!" She would bid farewell to her father before focusing on Diadora once more. "Alright. A few mysteries I need to sort out. And as much as I hate to admit it...I would like to read up on this old Ketchum line myself. If I wanted to find out, I know what I can read! It's time I read books I haven't touched yet." Twilight knew exactly where to go.
Twilight had just the book. And it could be found in the back areas of the massive book collection she had. At the back, lesser-known books were spotted. Books that Twilight hasn't read about yet. She's barely scratched the surface of the Pokemon World after all.
And among these books was one about groups across history. And in the case of Ash's family line, which wasn't that well known, this was the best place to start. She would grab the book seeing and reading the title. "Tales of Odd Groups through the Years. This is the one."
By opening the book, she was already smacked in the face by some of the strangest-looking groups out there. A group of Merchant Deliberd were joined by what seemed to be a Heatran. That made Twilight's eyes open as she found it hard to believe that something involving a Legendary Pokemon was considered lesser-known.
She kept flipping the pages, viewing more and more unique and interesting groups that have been around in the past such as family lines, guilds, clans, teams and so on. Espeon would yawn while Twilight went through this rather hefty book, waiting for her to get to something good.
"Aha! That was easy!" And she did. She found exactly what she was looking for. The fact that this is all she needed to do was proof of this book's minor importance. But to Twilight, every book was important, especially with what she found on the 25th Page.
"Espeon?" Espeon got up to see this for herself now that Twilight made such a sound.
"Take a look, Eve. It does exist. The Ketchum Family Line." Twilight found the page of the Ketchum family as there was even an image to accompany them. And indeed, the resemblance to Ash was uncanny as it felt like looking at a bunch of Ash clones.
"They all look like him. Black hair, dark eyes and that signature Thunderbolt Birthmark on their faces. And those smiles of course. That's his family line. But let's see what it says here..." She narrowed her eyes, seeing what was said about the Ketchum Family line.
"The Ketchum Family is by far the closest to ordinary out of all of them. Sporting a unique Thunderbolt Birthmark on their faces, this group of people from a small village in Kanto aren't that much special. At most, they're rather ordinary. But what makes them stand out is their colossal level of optimism and energy that they carried with them. One skill they had was the ability to throw objects, specifically Apricorns and round fruits with skillfully."
"Well, I guess this and his time as a baseball player explain the catching skills," Twilight said, pointing out how Ash was skilled at throwing, never missing his aim. It runs in the family it looks like. She would continue reading, seeing what else this book had to share.
"Not much is known about this family aside from those traits. But what is known was that they managed to diverge more than any family in known history. But there is the fact that they all had an impact on others more known than them. Some would say their energy is contagious."
"Aw, that's it..." Unfortunately, that's as far as it went. That was all Twilight learned about Ash's ancestors. "But...I don't know what else I was expecting. If anything, for Ash's ancestors, it makes sense, right?"
"Espeon."
"Now all that's left to do is find out about Ghetsis' family line if it was somewhere here." Twilight would continue reading, seeing what else she could find. Hopefully, something relating to Ghetsis.
Hours passed and everyone returned to their daily routine. Pinkie Pie would start baking at SugarCube Corner once more. Applejack returned to her family back at Sweet Apple Acres, being greeted by all the small Grass-Types Apple Bloom had by her side. Rainbow Dash didn't have much to do except wait until enough challengers have passed all 8 Gyms for the Equestria League to truly begin.
And Rarity would get back to work, thinking about the Water Weaving trick she learned back at the Sea Temple. Speaking of the Sea Temple, it was still here, seen over at Lapras Lake. It wasn't going anywhere anytime soon by the looks of it, much like how it stuck around the Crystal Empire. Speaking of which, with this opportunity, they would leave the temple to explore the place. Mainly the children. Ponyville was now met with a few Sea Temple visitors but without a king to be with them at the moment. Life went on until the late afternoon came by.
But as for Fluttershy, she was more focused on a certain group who would usually help out at the Pokemon House. "Has anyone seen Team Rocket?" Fluttershy recently has been searching for Team Rocket as their presence was nowhere to be found at the Pokemon House and her cottage.
While searching for them, her friends would gather at the Pokemon House to hang out with each other while the Sun was giving an orange glow to the sky. Twilight found nothing about Ghetsis' family line and only found something about Ash, which she would soon share with her friends who were snacking on foods that Pinkie Pie and Applejack made.
"Still pretty tired here..." Rainbow Dash yawned. "Who's thinking of sleeping over here?"
"At a place with plentiful Pokemon and some that are nocturnal? Sure." Rarity answered. "Having a sleepover at the Pokemon House would be enjoyable. Imagine the sights we get to see that not many do at night, especially with all of these Pokemon around."
"Feeling the need to sleep right now." Applejack sighed, lying on Sceptile's stomach. "Feeling pretty lazy today...Or tomorrow."
"Yeah...Yesterday really drained us. By the way, Fluttershy. When are you gonna get new Pokemon here?" Pinkie Pie questioned.
"Hmm...They're probably with Zecora now since the Everfree Forest's been healed." Fluttershy believed since they were technically Zecora's students still.
"Looking for us?!" The voice of Jessie echoed, grabbing Fluttershy's attention.
"Ah, there you-" However, once she and everyone else turned around, they were stunned to see the Rocketship that once belonged to Empress Twilight and now Team Rocket, hovering above them. Very close to them as well.
"Feast your eyes on this!" Meowth cried out as the Rocketship was suddenly undergoing a transformation. Parts of this aerial creation would start shifting and morphing, extending in certain parts to touch the ground as all the Pokemon and the ponies gasped in awe.
Standing before them was a Transformed Rocketship that was now a Giant Robot that had the Team Rocket Symbol on the chest. It struck a powerful pose for its first appearance and it was certainly an impressive one.
"Introducing the newly constructed Team Rocket Mecha!" James exclaimed. "Made by yours truly with some adjustments here and there!"
"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up along with Pinkie Pie's.
"It is, isn't it? But what's more awesome is how we can get a lot of things done with this baby! Such as nabbing all the Pokemon we can from Ponyville!"
"Right, that's...Wait a minute, what?!" Twilight gasped, shocked to hear that Team Rocket were still attempting to steal Pokemon even after the time they spent with Fluttershy. "But I thought-"
"Thought we wouldn't? Get real, twerpette! The Pokemon House is off-limits but everyone else isn't!" Jessie laughed.
"Don't get us wrong. It's been wonderful working for Fluttershy and helping her as much as we can. Even sharing info on that whole Cresselia thing. But aside from that, we're Team Rocket through and through!"
"And we do it all for the boss!" All three of them collectively said. Team Rocket truly was loyal to Giovanni. If only they were around Fluttershy a bit longer.
"That's a shame..." Applejack sighed, facehoofing afterwards. "When does it end?"
"After we get Pikachu, of course!" Jessie exclaimed as a magical flare came from the mech. It still had magical energy within it, allowing it to be versatile in science and magic. "Our life's work will be completed!"
"Ngh!" Twilight and the others grimaced as the flare would blow their manes. Of all times Team Rocket chose to take action, now was the worst time, especially when they were all tired this late into the afternoon. "Gah...We don't have time for this, Team Rocket! We're too tired for this as well!"
"Can't you pick another time?" Pinkie Pie groaned.
"And ruin the moment? No way!" Jessie refused. "We'll make it quick and snag your Pokemon. Bonus points that you're tired and you won't have the twerp to back you up!"
"Are you sure about that?" Right on time, that 'Twerp' had made his appearance. All of them collectively turned their heads and raised their eyes to see the King of the Sea standing in the middle of the horizon, sticking out as always.
"Pikachu!"
"Ash! Pikachu! You're back! How'd you get here so fast?!" Twilight said with joy also wondering how Ash and Pikachu got here so quickly when Twilight and the others had to use the Sea Temple's lightspeed travel to show up here.
"The Sea Crown, that's how. Alo passed along one crystal for me to use if I wanted to make a quick return." Ash adjusted his hat. "You all look pretty tired, don't you?"
"We do..We don't have time for this but that is an impressive-looking machine that they've made. Or altered." said Rarity.
"It is! That's awesome!" Ash was amazed by the mech. "Alright. I'll take it from here!"
"Get lost, twerp! It's only meant to be between us and them! You're supposed to come in later!" James yelled at him as Team Rocket would then reveal arm cannons from this giant mech. These arm cannons would build up magic, using that as the main source of attack for the moment.
"Check this out...We'll finish it in one go! Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash thrusted his fist into the air, delivering a powerful command that made his hat nearly fly off.
"Pika...Chuuu!"
Pikachu responded to that powerful shout with an equally powerful attack as he jumped into the air as a start. By slapping his red sacs, Pikachu released releases a powerful bolt of yellow electricity from its body at the opponent that moved at blinding speeds.
Before the arm cannons could do anything, the entire mech was hit by this singular Thunderbolt and by extension, Team Rocket themselves.
"Gaaahaaa!" They screamed as the stream of electricity was greatly affecting the machine's functions, rapidly overloading. Team Rocket would feel the punishment of 100,000 Volts which would then combust. An electrifying explosion went through, launching the Rocketship Mech and Team Rocket themselves into the air. Impressively, the mech was still intact after that.
"I...I didn't even get to use the cannons!" Jessie growled, kicking and punching the air out of frustration. "Why was this one faster than the rest?!"
"At the end of the day, Electricity beats machines. Powers them too." James shrugged, accepting the outcome. "But this feels rather special, doesn't it? It's been a while since this has happened."
"Right. Let's soak in this familiar feeling." Meowth nodded in agreement. "And the next time will be business as usual but in our favour."
"Oh well. If that's how it is, so be it." Jessie would soon accept it as well.
"We're blasting off again!" They cried out with their voices fading in the distance after their defeat.
"Hm. I wonder if we'll see that mech again." Ash commented after seeing Team Rocket off. He would soon turn to face all of his friends, putting on that bright smile. "Everyone doing okay?"
"Just tired, that's all, darling." Rarity laughed. "Way to steal our thunder."
"Yeah. I was gonna have Mew Dynamax and clash with that giant mech. It would've been so much fun to see." Pinkie Pie added.
"Aw! That would've been cool to see!" Ash gasped, realizing the missed opportunity. "Oh, but we can make that happen! Mew, can you transform into that mech by becoming a Ditto first?"
"Mew-Mew!" Mew could make it happen without a doubt, fulfilling any wishes they all had.
"Maybe later. How about we get some rest? I imagine you would want some rest too, Ash." Twilight suggested.
"Yeah, you guys are tired. Maybe next time." Ash nodded. "Besides, I gotta get home and check out the present my dad left."
"Your dad came by?! Seriously?!" The Princess of Friendship and her friends all shouted once Ash's dad was brought up. It wasn't Galaxy Master. It was the real-deal Mr Ketchum.
"Nah, it was by Pelipper, unfortunately. But that's okay with me. I gotta check it out! See ya tomorrow! Come on Pikachu!" Ash would immediately bolt off, bidding farewell to his friends as Pikachu would follow.
"Pika-Pika!"
"He didn't even hear our sleepover recommendation. Or even see about his family line either." Rarity tilted her head. "Must he always be in a rush far more than Rainbow Dash?"
"Ah, that's who he is." Twilight and the others expected this by now with how much they hang around Ash. "That's how he lives. And it rubs off on us a lot, doesn't it?"
"Mhm." Fluttershy and the others nodded in agreement vehemently.
"And we wouldn't have it any other way. I'm looking forward to whatever adventure we have with him next time." Pinkie Pie would pet some of the Pokemon here after replying.
"Maybe we'll see him as a Pokemon Master on the next one, huh?" Applejack added, bringing up the Pokemon Master title. "Or is that too soon?"
"No." Twilight would shake her head before looking at the Pallet Town Trainer once more before he left the horizon. "In my eyes, he's already one."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 82 End.