Kanto. Pallet Town. Ketchum Household. Balance of Day and Night.
Coming to see if Delia Ketchum was doing well during the Black Crusade, she was still in one piece and looking as lively and healthy as always. But the look on Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie Pie's faces spoke for themselves as they witnessed Spectrum Shade, a member of the Dread League, sitting on the Ketchum couch and partaking in delicious treats made by Delia herself. And it was so casual too. No damage had been done and there wasn't anything wrong with Pallet Town. It was completely fine. There wasn't even a looming ominous black cloud since a vampire was present here.
"Mmrgh!" Upon seeing them, Spectrum Shade swallowed her food in the wrong way, leading to a choking process. Her eyes bloated as she furiously hit her chest, trying to save herself. It wasn't the loud noise that came from Twilight opening the door that startled her but their sudden appearance. Twilight's group were equally shocked but at least they weren't choking at the moment.
"Oh, drink up." Thankfully, Delia saved her by passing some juice over. The juice was good enough to smooth out the food, saving Spectrum's life, followed by a pat on the back.
"Thanks, Mrs Ketchum..." The vampire sighed in response, slumping on the couch. Her taste buds were satisfied and her health was intact. "Even when choking, it still tasted good though.
"W-What is she doing here?!" Rarity thundered, vigorously aiming her hoof at Spectrum Shade. Pheromosa, Ampharos and two of her Leavanny were prepared to step forward, still appearing as bodies of light. "And she's eating here too?!"
"What?! Can't I eat?!" Spectrum roared back at her. "Plus, I got a great meal out of this! She's really a one-of-a-kind chef"
"Oh, why thank you~" Delia chuckled. "It's my pleasure since you were craving something new, my little pony. But I didn't know you were all friends."
"We're not friends!" Rarity and Spectrum collectively said before glaring back at each other with intense eyes.
"And geez, can you turn that off?!" Spectrum Shade pulled back, feeling the radiation from the light that was around the Equestrians. Her body was slightly sizzling but she managed to weaken it by using her magic, covering her body in a dim multicolour veil.
"Oh, we have quite enough light in this room, girls." Delia sat up, casually walking past Spectrum Shade as if it was nothing. Never had someone looked so gentle around a vampire before. "With the Sun and Moon up at the same time, everyone's active all of a sudden."
"So...everything's fine in here then?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Hm. Didn't see that coming. I thought Galaxy Master would show up here, not her. What's she doing here anyway?"
"Yeah. What are you doing here, actually?" Twilight questioned.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to battle Ash." Spectrum Shade's reasoning was clear. And it did not involve the Black Crusade at all. Instead, she just wanted another chance to battle Ash.
"...That's it? That's why you're here?" said Twilight with a rather confused expression. "At this time too?"
"Yeah. Why else would I be here?" Spectrum Shade responded as if this was meant to be known by everyone she's met so far. "It's not that hard to figure ot where he lives thanks to that gateway. I mean, I didn't even come here with that gateway in the first place."
"It's wonderful how my Ash is encouraging so many trainers recently. Everypony back in Ponyville was just the start, I believe. Or were there more? Oh, it's still great either way." Delia happily said. "She eagerly showed up here, looking to battle with Ash, but I told her that he was rather busy at the moment. So, I offered her some food first before she could head out."
"You didn't panic at all?! You knew that the Black Crusade started!" Twilight was absolutely flabbergasted at how calm Delia was about this. She knew that the Black Crusade had begun but didn't seem to be bothered by Spectrum Shade's presence.
"Oh, I know. But she looked so hungry when she got here. I couldn't just let her go on like that."
"Yeah...I came here all the way from Magehold, after all. It was a long trip reaching Pallet Town. Plus, the world is way bigger than it used to be." Spectrum scratched her mane, blushing lightly. "I hadn't eaten for weeks..."
"Without any food for weeks?!" Pinkie Pie gasped as that sounded horrible to hear.
"I can see where Ash's kind-hearted nature comes from." Twilight sighed along with Rarity. They now knew which side of the Ketchums that Ash's kindness comes from. And all signs pointed to Delia since she helped out a vampire during the Black Crusade.
"But I know it's gonna be worth it! My travel's are gonna matter! Ash is just past that gateway after all, right? And since you're here, he must be close!"
"Uhh..." She wasn't wrong. Ash was practically close. Lapras Lake was close to Ponyville and Ponyville was just beyond this gateway. Rarity scrunched her face, not answering that or anything. "E-Either way, we wouldn't tell you. The Black Crusade has started after all and you just want to throw down with him?"
"She did seem interested in Pokemon Battling. Remember what happened with Bertha and Rainbow Dash? She was there." Pinkie Pie brought up the last time they encountered Spectrum Shade aside from the Box of 100 Demons retrieval.
"Yeah, and you were the one who knew she was there in the first place and didn't say anything until the battle was over and she was gone." Twilight shifted her eyes at PInkie pIe who would whistly innocently, knowing that was 100% true.
"I know, I know. I just couldn't do it. Come to think of it..." The pink pony pondered for a moment. "Are you here to help out?! You're so casual with Delia and her food helps with that!"
"A vampire ally? Now of all times?" Rarity gasped, looking back at the vampire. "You aren't going through with the Black Crusade at all."
"If you are here to help us, that'd be amazing!" Twilight expressed how wonderful that would be if Spectrum Shade was on their side. "Potion Nova had a point and I'm guessing those previous experiences had an effect on you! You went this far just to battle Ash since you're interested in Pokemon! And there's no better person to go to than him when it comes to Pokemon interest!"
"Why didn't you say so in the first place silly?!" Pinkie Pie and Mew jumped to this conclusion themselves. Deep within their hearts and from the outside, they believed this to be true. The safety of Delia seemed to back it up a bit and she did butter her up with some food. "If you wanna help us, then sure!"
"...No way." But instantly, Spectrum Shade denied it, shocking them all with her straightforward, quick and direct answer.
"WHAT?!" The girls had their voices explode after the shutdown. It wasn't what they thought at all, alas.
"I don't care about the Black Crusade and I'm definitely not helping you all. I just wanna battle Ash, that's all. But you're right about the 'Interest' part." Spectrum Shade had her priorities straight. It was just Ash and nothing else.
"Y-You don't care about the Black Crusade? At all?"
"Bah. I would've done something to this town by now if I did. But I know what I care about. And it's something that I've been waiting for my entire life. Excitement!"
"Excitement?" Rarity repeated.
"Got that right! I mean, it's not what I had in mind but it's still amazing and something I never knew I needed before. Magehold's totally boring. Living for that long without much excitement is the worst feeling ever!" Spectrum suddenly bellowed, expressing her distaste for Magehold's boredom.
And this all stemmed from Opal Vivacity's actions. Because of her, Magehold was a gloomy and unimpressive place for most vampires thanks to Opal. And even a member of the Dread League had been affected by it. "I couldn't do anything about it at all. Everything fun was just silenced and taken away, turning the place into a snooze-fest."
"For that long?!" Pinkie Pie grimaced as the thought of it was way worse than the lack of food for weeks. Centuries without entertainment and fun was maddening and thinking about it was stressing Pinkie Pie out. Mew couldn't really relate since he always found entertainment despite how long he's been around for.
"I've got Opal to thank for that. Sucks a whole bunch. But! The moment we learned about Pokemon and they came into our world, everything changed. I got my first Pokemon and I knew there was something there. Something new was coming up. It wasn't until I battled Ash in that Human World that the drive for entertainment I lost so long ago came back and since then, I've been wanting to experience it much longer!"
"I see. So that battle you're looking for Ash is a full team battle." Twilight added. "And that's all you want to be fulfilled? Nothing else?"
"I barely even cared about everything else. I just focused on getting my Pokemon stronger than ever. I only went out on missions with the rest of the Dread League in the hopes of battling Ash again if she shows up again. Training with my Pokemon killed so much boredom and it felt like it was going to get better! I mean, I don't have a full team yet but four Pokemon should be good enough if you ask me!"
"I'm sure Ash won't mind how many Pokemon you have with you. You know he has plenty of Pokemon he's caught over the years over at Professor Oak's lab? They all have their fair share of battle experience."
"Really?! Seriously?!" Her eyes widened in wonder. Music to her ears as she had all of these Pokemon to look forward to that great synergy with Ash.
"So, then...after you battle Ash, then what?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I keep going. Ya think I'm gonna let this wonderful world of Pokemon go?"
"You say that and yet your Queen is going extinguish all life until it's just you and the other vampires left alive. There won't be a wonderful world of Pokemon left."
"I know. But...I'm gonna make the most of it. I already saw a lot when travelling the world." Spectrum Shade accepted what could happen. She still wanted to see the Pokemon. "Her majesty's gonna win either way."
"Nuh-uh, we're gonna win!" Pinkie raised her hoof, objecting to that. She believed in Equestria's victory over Magehold. "We've got the greatest friends that ever could be found to back us up!"
"Yeah, right! You haven't been around for centuries so you don't have the experience to deal with all of them!" Spectrum Shade retaliated, trotting up to Pinkie Pie.
"No, but Mew has." The earth pony looked up, nudging her Psychic Partner.
"Mew-Mew!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, I got Pokemon of my own that can mess him up." Spectrum continued, getting close to Pinkie Pie's face. "I've been working extra hard to improve to greater levels. You don't look like the type to put up a good fight."
"You'd be surprised~" Pinkie winked, knowing that she could hold her own in a Pokemon Battle. And it wasn't just with Mew by her side.
"Look." Twilight got in front of them both. "If you want to battle Ash, he's busy. Busy taking on DImstar, that is."
"He's battling Dimstar?!" SPectrum's attention soon turned to Twilight. "Aw, lucky! I gotta get there now then!"
"No way! We won't let you take on, Ash!" Twilight shook her head, refusing to let Spectrum Shade advance. "Not when he's fighting for his life right now..."
"Fighting for his life?" Delia repeated with her ears perking up. The sound of her son fighting for her life had her full attention. She had no clue what he was doing back at Equestria at the moment.
Equestria. Lapras Lake.
"Let's go, Lucario! Force Palm!" With a thunderous shout, Ash continued his battle with Dimstar, now with Mega Lucario on the scene. Mega Audino and Sceptile had also joined him, gaining some resistance to the mortifying aura that Dimstar had permeated the area with.
"Lu...Ca!" With a burst of Aura, Lucario channelled power into his paw. Afterwards, he would lunge in, approaching Dimstar, who already had her tendril fists ready. In fact, she used them to block Lucario's incoming attack instead of hitting back. The Force Palm crashed right into Dimstar's Tendril Arms, sending out a bright flash of energy. "Rrr!"
"Sceptile, Dragon Pulse!"
"Sceptile!" Mega Sceptile got on all fours, opening his mouth and unleashing the power of a dragon at full force. The Dragon Pulse flew out, obliterating some of the sand nearby. The dragon-shaped blast would then hit Dimstar's tendril arms right as she was blocking and the combined force of Force Palm and Dragon Pulse not only pushed her back but harmed her tendril arms.
Grunting at this, Dimstar retaliated by finally attacking with them, going for a heavy strike. And it was indeed heavy as it hit Lucario right in his face, making him grimace and fly back. But Lucario kept his balance, growling at the Hybrid Vampire as he did multiple flips in the air to recover.
"Aura Sphere, Lucario! Pikachu, head in there with Quick Attack and Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"
"Riolu, use Power-up Punch! Sceptile, Thunder Punch!"
"Rio!" Delta Riolu got involved, running ahead as his Sinnoh Variant would descend to the ground next to him, raising the sand from the hard impact he made. Riolu could manage with the morose aura in the atmosphere since he had experience with being around the dead. All of this angered him as he hated how Dimstar was using the dead as a means to gain an advantage.
"Cario!" Joining him was Lucario, who felt all the Auras of the dead crying out in anger. He wanted it all to stop and the only way to make that happen was by defeating Dimstar. Speaking of Dimstar, she would then generate Dark Magic in her massive tendrils, finally using them for something other than punching.
This dark magic was then thrown, going straight for Riolu and Sceptile since they were coming straight for him. But that was where Aura Sphere came in. Lucario's Aura Sphere was already huge, furiously bursting out of Lucario's palm with all the Aura flying out of it.
Aura Sphere intercepted the Dark Magic as it was thrown out, struggling with it for a bit. Both attacks cancelled each other out, forming a blue and black cloud from the explosion which blocked them all from seeing each other. But this gave Riolu and Sceptile a perfect opportunity.
They moved to through the smoke, surprising Dimstar as she received a double hit from two of Applejack's Pokemon on both sides of her face. It was a fierce hook from Riolu who struck her right jaw while Sceptile went straight for the left jaw. She couldn't turn her head either away because of this and it only got worse once Pikachu got it.
"Pika!" Pikachu would then headbutt Dimstar as he appeared in the blink of an eye. Dimstar growled but that wasn't the last attack to get her. That came from Gengar, who threw two Shadow Balls at her. Right as Dimstar was pushed back, she was further launched by a double Shadow Ball that ended up crashing into her. All of this sent her high into the air along with her large tendrils.
"Audi! Hyper Beam!"
"Keep her up there, Roserade! Use Petal Blizzard! "Use Hyper Beam as well Bellossom!"
"Roserade!" Right as she was airborne, Roserade took advantage of this. By putting her bouquet hands together, she generated a whirlwind of blizzards that flew out, surrounding itself around the Half Vampire Half Lich, keeping her in the air. The fierce winds of the Petal Blizzard would continuously push Dimstar up while she was also taking damage.
"Audino!" Following up with that were Audino and Bellossom with Hyper Beam. She put her hands together, gathering up a large portion of Infinity Energy. The energy crackled with lightning flying out, making Audino's arms shake. Afterwards, she unleashed the beam as it lit up the area from how much of it had been gathered. All of that energy flew upwards, approaching Dimstar as the Petal Blizzard had come to an end. Twoo Hyper Beams came upwards as Bellossom released it from her mouth instead.
Dimstar descended but was soon met with the force of two Hyper Beams engulfing her. Dimstar gasped as the attacks covered her entire body, furiously beating her down with all of that Infinity Energy. The attack would combust in the air, shaking some of the palm trees that were around here from the force it generated.
Dimstar would then drop from the explosion after it went off but she wasn't out of it. Instead, she needed up managing to use her arms to block the rest of it. But her arms were currently smoking and her suit had been damaged, showing that the attack still hurt.
"How can this be...?" Dimstar growled. "They should be perishing around the feeling of the deceased. How can they continue in such a way?!"
"Because we know we can put an end to it by stopping you, so it doesn't bother us at all! Bullet Punch, Lucario!"
"Lucario!" Ever since he learned Steel Beam, he tapped into his Steel-Type side. But instead of Steel Beam, he went for Bullet Punch which had recently learned. With both his fists lighting up, Lucario was ready to get airborne. But not without assistance.
"Frenzy Plant!"
"Tile!" Summoning roots out of the ground was Sceptile. Massive roots that could reach impressive lights flew out and formed platforms for all of Sceptile's friends. Lucario would use the roots as a way to get closer to Dimstar, running up them at fast as he could.
"Now, Pikachu! Makeshift Volt Tackle! Back him up with Dazzling Gleam, Gengar!"
"Raboot, use Flame Charge! Bayleef, Body Slam!"
"Sceptile, Leaf Blade! Riolu, get in there with Dark Pulse!"
"Go up, Roserade and use Poison Jab!"
"Pika...Pikachu!" Pikachu would summon Thunderbolt but in a different way. While all of his friends got on the roots of Frenzy Plant, he unleashed a burst of lightning out of his body and at the same time, built up a Quick Attack. The Mouse Pokemon got on all fours, building up some power in his legs as he wanted to make this attack really pack a punch.
Seeing them all appear, Dimstar would use the usual tendrils that she appears with to try and stop them in their tracks. And these tendrils all had darkness around them, giving them that extra power. Lucario would duck from the incoming tendrils, advancing forward while running across the roots. Raboot would use Flame Charge to bash right through one of them, enveloping the tendrils in flames.
Roserade would start hitting at the tendrils with Poison Jab, knocking them aside while approaching the Hybrid Vampire with fiery resolve. Assisting her in knocking them away was Riolu who would shoot a Dark Pulse out to intercept these tendrils the moment they got close to his friends.
"Ca!" Lucario was the first to get close to Dimstar who would quickly shift her attention to him before anyone else. She raised her large tendril arms, engaging in a clash with Lucario. Both of them attacked each other but with Bullet Punch rapidly striking at Dimstar's Tendril Fists.
It was a fierce clash between the two. Both were thrusting their arms as fast as they could as sparks were flying in all directions. Lucario brought on the fury with these attacks as they were all further boosted by his heightened Aura. At the same time, Lucario could hear all of the cries of the deceased from the ground and even the Sea. They would continue on non-stop, not ceasing for a moment.
It still saddened him to hear it but he couldn't afford to tear up right now. He knew that Dimstar's defeat would put an end to it and their cries even managed to boost him. Lucario was fully willing to let them all rest peacefully as that would give him further strength.
Dimstar gasped as Lucario's strength expanded all of a sudden with a flare of Aura flying out of his body. Her fists were being pushed back as Lucario was starting to beat her out in raw strength. "Luca!" Lucario would then deliver a heavy blow to her tendril fists so much that it sent a ripple through them, reaching the rest of her body.
The Hybrid Vampire trembled violently from this rippling shockwave that reached her. She failed the clash against Lucario as her fists opened up to show all those fleshy fingers. And with Lucario's powerful strike, this gave the rest of his friends the chance to get their free hits in.
And they did not hesitate. It started with Sceptile slashing right fast Dimstar with Leaf Blade, becoming a green blur for a moment. Dimstar's eyes opened once Sceptiple passed her, hitting the middle of her body. This was followed up by Raboot bashing his entire flaming body onto Dimstar, further racking up that damage and using another weakness that a vampire possesses.
Right as Dimstar was about to fall, along came Roserade and Delta Riolu with Poison Jab, throwing them down on the Hybrid Vampire. Delta Riolu's Dark Pulse reached her first while Roserade would go in last, striking the vampire with her poisonous bouquet. Each of these hits were bound to send Dimstar downwards at high speeds but not before she met someone along the way.
"Pika!" Pikachu finally took off, finding the perfect time to use his Makeshift Volt Tackle. And with enough power built, he took off at such speeds he made the sound of thunder go off. His body rapidly approached Dimstar as she was falling, moving at lightning speeds. He even made the symbol of a lightning bolt by zigzagging for a moment.
Dimstar did not touch the ground at all. Instead, she was hit directly in the chest by Pikachu's Makeshift Volt Tackle, receiving every bit of it at all full power. Her body was not only exposed to light, electrocuted and hit with a high-velocity tackle, it was also thrown into the air for a second time, keeping her airborne.
"Gengar!" But this allowed Gengar to deliver his Dazzling Gleam. After all of his friends performed a fierce assault on Dimstar, he made his body shine with Fairy Magic, unleashing a beautiful white flash from above. Dimstar went straight for Gengar, unable to recover in the air whatsoever as she was still bewildered.
And that final hit from Gengar's Dazzling Gleam only escalated that. After her body was exposed to the bright light, she would then descend once more. And while descending, her tendrils would return to normal, removing the fist shape that they had.
It was hard fall back down as Dimstar fell to the ground. All the Pokemon would land after dealing so many attacks on Dimstar. And once she hit the ground hard, a crater formed. The feeling of the deceased around them didn't stop them from giving it their all. Not when they were being encouraged to end their suffering.
And indeed, Dimstar had been downed. She laid there in the crater, groaning and squirming as her tendrils weakly flopped to the ground.
"You should've been too afraid to battle..." Dimstar whimpered. "How? How did you get past it?"
"I could hear them too...The Auras of everyone." Ash said while sighing for a moment. "Plus, me and my friends couldn't let that slow us down. We've seen way scarier anyway."
"It's still so sad what's happening here..." Fluttershy uttered. "It feels so heavy hearing them all cry out. But if it means we can make them rest then we had to use everything. And we certainly did..." Just then, Fluttershy would sit down, straining herself greatly. Battling while having this morose presence around certainly did a number on her.
"Yeah..." The same went for Roserade and the other Pokemon. They strained themselves from using everything in this mortifying atmosphere. "I don't think I can continue in this..."
"It's unbelievable..." Dimstar groaned, unable to get her tendrils up at all. Instead, they would simply retract into her body, unable to be used any longer. She then tried crawling out of the crater, attempting to make a turnaround. "I lost...Me. The Hybrid of a Lich and a Vampire. I never thought you'd be this powerful..."
"We've got everyone in the world on the line to protect. We've gotta be this strong." Ash got on one knee. "You've gotta know that. We won't let the Black Crusade take anyone's life. Not for a second."
"You've shown me just how much you can unleash just for this one task...The perseverance of life is that important to you? You're not even aware of what the Lich Queen can do to be ready for her."
"Who cares what my sister can do?" Roseluck spoke. "It sucks that she's doing this but even now I can't let my sister win. You should tell her that when you get back."
"Ngh..." Dimstar would use all of her strength to get up, relying on her physical strength instead of any tendrils. Seeing her get up, Gengar would fly in front of the others, preparing to defend them as he was the healthiest here.
"Rio! Riolu!" Meanwhile, Riolu would bark at Dimstar, wanting her to put an end to this terrifying presence just so the dead can rest in peace. Dismtar looked over at Delta Riolu, hearing his complaints.
"Not yet...I have to fulfil my mission." Dimstar lowered her head. "I cannot give up here. For centuries I've slumbered and now I've awoken to follow the orders of the Lich Ruler. I am the unification of the two species in one, so I must succeed."
"Not while we're here." Ash stood up as well, finding that strength. He adjusted his hat, willing to continue this battle if it meant stopping Dimstar. "If you wanna go again then bring it."
"Are you insane? Even with the Dark Tsunami, the previous attacks and everything, you would still continue?"
"Look who's talking." Ash smiled as he was just that daring enough to continue this battle. "You said we were formidable foes after all, well I haven't shown off everything yet. Right, you guys?!"
"Pika!"
"Luca!"
"Gengar!"
"Kh..." Dimstar scoffed at this. It was absolutely ludicrous that he would continue like this. Fluttershy, Applejack and Roseluck didn't have that same drive but they would certainly back him up.
"I-If you're continuing, then we'll do the same too, Ash." Fluttershy tried standing back up, crawling over to Ash and grabbing his leg. He used his leg as a way to stand back up, using one hoof to wrap around it and give her some balance.
"Right. We told you that we're with you until the end." Applejack groaned.
"Thanks, guys...But man, this feeling's pretty rough, ya know. I can hear them all with my Aura...I don't think they've calmed down at all. Dimstar's still up after all."
"He reminds me of the first Lich King...such a similar drive to him..." Dimstar said to herself, perplexed by this powerful drive that Ash had and how it inspired others. It greatly reminded her of Magehold's first Lich King. Fractured Note.
"Applejack...Applejack!" Just then, crying out to Applejack was a voice. Applejack and Ash both felt it. So did Lucario and Delta Riolu. It was only them that could hear this voice. Not even Audino or Fluttershy could pick up on it. It was exclusively coming to the Aura users.
"That voice...Mom...? Dad?!" Applejack recognized it instantly. Her mother and father Pear Butter and Bright Mac were speaking to her as their voices intercepted all of the cries of the deceased.
"It's alright, sweetie. We'll do the talking from here." Pear Butter uttered.
"Talking?" Applejack repeated.
"You didn't think we'd miss out on this, did you? When it comes to something like this, leave it to us. We can talk to them all for you and settle 'em down." Bright Mac added. These two were already long gone but their spirits remained. Mainly thanks to the Meteors that were brought here from Meteor Mountain. "You won't have to feel all of this anymore."
"We heard them all crying in the afterlife so we had to know what was going on. Don't worry about it okay, sweetie? And it's nice meeting hearing from you again, Ash."
"Awesome! Lucario and I couldn't do it ourselves so that helps out a bunch!" Ash grinned after hearing this. This also brought a smile to Lucario and Riolu's faces. Especially Riolu.
"Heh. I forgot all about that." Applejack chuckled. "We've got the dead on our side the entire time. I've got nothing to worry about at all!"
"Okay, Dimstar! Round 2! Or... three! Let's go!" Ash exclaimed, ready to continue this battle if Dimstar was up for it.
"...Nevermind. "I've lost this battle." Just then, Dimstar lowered her head, giving up entirely. This surprised Ash and the others. They didn't think she'd announce herself giving up. Usually, most vampires combust and leave the scene but not Dimstar. Not at all. She stayed behind. "You are the superior force. I know when i'm beaten."
"She gave up?" A surprised Roseluck said.
"When one side is victorious, it is respectful to acknowledge this." Dimstar would bow her head. "I am beaten...And you've shown me that power that can give you a titanic amount of strength."
"Respect? You can't talk about respect after what you did with the afterlife." Applejack wasn't hearing it.
"Rio!" And neither was Riolu.
"I used every advantage I had against you. And as a Lich, this was only natural. And since you have such a drive to let the dead rest and even gain assistance from it, what more can I do? If you wish to take me in, do so."
"Y-You'd let us take you in?! You're not gonna blow up?!" Fluttershy was flabbergasted by this. For once, there was a vampire who would not blow up and rather take herself in.
"As per the rule that the first Lich King made, I must do this." Dimstar seemed to be following orders from not just the Lich Queen but also the first Lich King who went out of power long ago. "Regretfully, I must do this. It is what I've been assigned to do."
"Assigned?" Ash repeated. "And you've been waiting that long for something like this?"
"PIka?"
"I cannot disobey the orders that my King, or rather, my father assigned to me all those years together. I must carry it out. It is the honourable thing to do."
Unbeknownst to Ash and everyone, Dimstar's father was Fractured Note, who was once the very first Lich King of Magehold. But this process of giving herself up was what threw them for a loop. Dimstar, unlike the other vampires that they've encountered so far, had honour.
Strong honour. Almost like a warrior. She felt like one too. She carried out the objective of partaking in the Dread League that was assigned to her by the Lich Queen ROsa Maledicta, mainly because she was discovered by her at last back at the Despair Plant Garden. But the orders from her father had something else in mind. Something rather honourable. What will happen next now that Dimstar has gone and done this? As the journey continues.
Chapter 159 End.