//------------------------------// // Off to the Badlands // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. On the Seas. The Sea Temple, Samiya. Afternoon. It was a quest to retrieve the two crystals. The Storm King had stolen two of them from the People of the Water and this news already travelled to Ash. Informing his friends, he set out to find those crystals and return them to the Sea Temple. Of course, getting to the Sea Temple which was moving uncontrollably through the seas of Equestria was the biggest objective. Speaking of which, they were still on the move. The temple was not stable yet as it moved across the Equestrian Seas, having no sense of direction. The movement of the temple made tidal waves while the people and Pokemon inside struggled to stay still. While the temple wasn't taking any damage, the lives of everyone inside were in danger. Donoma held onto her crystal ball, keeping it safe as she was leaning against the wall to try and stay still. But that was proving to be rather taxing as she was feeling rather ill from all of these motions. Enola, at such a young age, felt greatly ill too as her eyes spun around. The temple was till durable, taking no damage at all. But that wouldn't mean much if the residents inside would receive major damage if something wasn't done. Manaphy tried pursuing the crystals but found that the movement of the temple made it far too difficult for such a task to be done. Many of the Water-Types couldn't even keep their momentum in the water. Not for one moment. "The crystals are out of our reach?! Where in the temple did they drift off to?!" Indeed. The crystals had left the treasure room thanks to the recent attack. Without them, they couldn't possibly hope to keep the temple still. Even still, they were attempting to grab the crystals to try and save themselves. The crystals could be seen moving across the water, going on endlessly. The People of the Water attempted to catch the crystals that passed by, struggling to grab them. Some Samiyans and Pokemon went flying, unable to hold on. The temple would leave the water for a few instances, making all of them jump. It was a rough ride for them indeed as they had no idea where in the Sea they were at this point. "L-Look!" A Samiyan screamed as her eyes saw something outside that was next to the Sea Temple. Her words reached everyone else who would also look outside. Outside, yet another ship could be seen. They weren't exactly in the mood for yet another ship considering what they went through previously. But this one wasn't here to steal from them as their eyes instantly recognized the appearance of this vessel. Instead, it was the Grand Equestria. The ship of Princess Celestia. Not only did it appear before the Sea Temple, but it even kept up with it. And that was all thanks to Princess Celestia's magic. She was boosting the entire ship with her magic, increasing its speed. "Hold it!" Celestia ordered as the many Golurk were sent out of the Grand Equestria to hold the Sea Temple. Each of the Golurk surrounded the temple from all sides, placing their hands on it. With the synchronized strength of the Golurk, they managed to hold onto the Sea Temple. Everyone inside would feel the temple slow down. The rocky motion had been diminished as the Golurk were certainly powerful enough to keep the temple going any further. Celestia would also slow down the ship now that the Sea Temple was moving at a slower pace. The crystals that were drifting along the sea would still continue drifting but at least now, it would be easier for someone to catch them. But there would be no need to use them to save the temple when the Golurk were the ones to do it. After the temple reached a stable motion, the Golurk would pull their hands back, gently moving back. Just like that, the Sea Temple had been saved. Alo and everyone inside sighed greatly now that it was over. That could've ended terribly for all of them. Either they would've suffered heavy damage from crashing into an island or they could've sunk eventually. Either one would've been horrible but they had nothing to fear. Afterwards, everyone could relax now that the rough ride was all over. The temple was still one piece, untouched by the motions. The only damage here was the battle that took place when the Storm Creatures and Tempest Shadow arrived. They previously broke into the Sea Temple by crashing through the floor. Despite that, none of the water had damaged the Sea Temple as it was built to withstand the sea from the inside and outside. "Hah...Thank you for coming to our aid." Alo said, sitting down as Ash, Celestia and all the others from the Grand Equestria had shown up. He and many of the Samiyans were drenched in water as some of them had caught a cold, shuddering and shivering. "Any longer and you could've ended up on a nearby island, crashing into it," Celestia replied as she had Arcanine warm up the Samiyans who were doused in water. Twilight's Ninetales would do the same as both Pokemon used their body heat around the Samiyans who were cold. "So, only two crystals were taken, were they?" Luna said as she managed to retrieve the Sea Temple crystals along with her Frillish. "Just the two. We managed to save the rest of them. But losing two is still critical for us." Alo sighed. "With them, they can surely bring out Zygarde depending on how they plan to use them. Those crystals shouldn't be used in such a devious way." "No need to worry. That's why we're here." Ash walked up to Alo. "We'll get those crystals back for you. Plus, there's also Zygarde that we gotta reach." "It's a lot like what the Dread League tried with Xerneas. But this time, I'm afraid the Storm King might succeed in his approach way easier than they did." Rarity added. "Surely, Zygarde must be on the move right now." "We're gonna beat 'em to Zygarde, right?" Pinkie Pie bounced over. "I mean, Zygarde's obviously in Kalos and only Kalos so that makes it easier for us." "Yeah, well if one place's ecosystem is out of control, Zygarde's totally gonna ignore Kalos and come to wherever it is." Rainbow Dash pointed out, seeing what the Storm King and his legion were going for. "Well, we should hurry then," Luna replied. "We can't get to the Hippogriffs in time and stop the Storm King from reaching Zygarde if we don't act. Hopefully, it shouldn't be too hard to miss them." "Ah, that won't be an issue. Even though they took our crystals...it can also be used as an advantage." Alo got up. "It can?" Ash and the others repeated. "Long ago, when we made the crystals, we feared that if any one of them were to be stolen, we had to find a way to retrieve it by knowing where the thieves went." He would approach the crystals, shaking his head and letting the last of the water leave his moustache. "So, upon creating, we made them all linked." "Oooh, really?" Ash gawked. "Yes. If one goes missing, we can use the others to track them down. Of course, this was only made for if some were taken and not all. Lucky for us, it was only two crystals." Alo placed his hand on the crystals. "No matter what, we will never lose sight of them." "That's so awesome!" Ash and Rainbow Dash expressed, amazed by this. The crystals never ceased to surprise them. It was very easy to see why someone would want their power and why the Samiyans hid for so long. But now, they were done hiding and embraced the world once more. And of course, neither wished to be sealed away again. "Ah. So we can know where the Storm King is with these." Celestia nodded in amazement. "That's very handy. Now that I know about this, I have something else in mind. You obviously want to get your crystals back so that would mean you'll have a set destination this time." "Of course. Our targets will be the intruders from before. If we use our light-speed travel, we can probably end up in the same area as them. Although, it has never been done with the crystals tracking the others." "I see. Then let's work together again. Since we're travelling by sea, we can reach the Hippogriffs faster while also knowing where the Storm King is." Celestia suggested. "The Grand Equestria will guide you and follow you." "Sounds good." Alo agreed to it in a heartbeat. "Your help is greatly appreciated, Princess Celestia. All of you." "Let's focus on the Hippogriffs first. Taking the crystals out of the equation, the Storm King is capable of something that could bring us to a great disadvantage. Only the Hippogriffs have the method to sort it out. It is a pearl that has the power to transform anypony. It possibly has the greatest transformation power out there." "Even greater than Mew's?" Pinkie Pie made a prolonged gasp. "Mew?" "Probably. And even the Shift Stone. In a way, it combines Mew and the Shfit Stone's Power to transform and forms the perfect version of them. You're essentially becoming a completely different being entirely." Luna explained. "It is even permanent. Using it means that you will always have another form." "S-So...You keep the transformation?! Just like that?!" Ash's jaw dropped. "Forever!" "That's like being two species in one!" Twilight put her hooves on her head, amazed by what she just heard. That definitely sounded like the best Transformation Power in the world. Even Mew was taken aback by it. "Indeed. And you can swap from your original form to whatever form you choose. The Storm King obviously wanted that power for himself when he found out the Hippogriffs had it. It is a perfect counter to the Staff of Sacanas as well. If he could get that pearl, the weakness his staff faces could be reversed." Luna continued. "He never did retrieve it, of course but at this rate, if he gets Zygarde's power, he could finish his mission of obtaining that pearl." "Then he could turn into anything he wants...If he knows about Zygarde then he probably knows about the other Legendary Pokemon as well!" Spike realized how out of control it could get when putting things into perspective. "Exactly. The Hippogriffs used it to escape the clutches of the Storm King when he invaded their land. The power he brought was so great that the pearl was the only way to survive. It wasn't enough to defeat him sadly. All because of that staff of his." "The Staff of Sacanas. It absorbs the powers of creatures and grants them to its user. And with it comes Infinite Power. Now that the Storm King is in possession of two crystals which already grant amazing power, he is probably stronger than ever." Celestia added to the explanation. "If he uses it on Zygarde, then judging by what Zygarde does, the Earth will be under his control. He could move entire continents, change the landscape and form a new ecosystem in his own image. Total World Domination." "Yikes..." Applejack grimaced, realizing how bad it was. Everyone except for Ash never knew how bad it could be. They could already see it now and it was absolutely horrifying the way he could mess with the Earth. "But let me not scare you with these words. Let's head over to the Hippogriffs as soon as possible. But first, let's see where the Storm King could be." Celestia requested. "Of course." Alo would grant that wish, channelling the power of the crystals. One of the crystals would light up, shooting a ray of light into the air. The light would then show a projection of the two crystals that had been taken away. And with that projection came a viewpoint of the Storm King's ship and where it was as it could be seen next to a mountainside. And when viewing the mountainside, they saw that the Storm King had already attacked it, using the power of the crystals to damage the ecosystem. "W-What happened to that mountainside?!" Fluttershy gasped in horror when seeing the condition of the mountainside. "It seems they aren't too far from here. The Storm King has probably been slowing down his airship to unleash the power of the crystals on the land. To draw Zygarde out." Alo grumbled with a worried tone. "This at least means he'll be easier to keep up with." "Indeed. That's not too far from our location. Some of us will pursue the Storm King's Airship while others will find the Hippogriffs." Celestia ordered. Now that they knew where the Storm King's Airship was, they could pursue it. But some could still head to the Hippogriffs as soon as possible. The Sea Temple would follow the Airship while the Grand Equestria would advance towards the location of the Hippogriffs. They had to make haste before the Storm King accomplishes his devious goal. The Badlands. The Grand Equestria was currently near the Badlands, moving through what seemed to be the last bit of sea that could be seen. Separated from the Sea Temple which was after the Airship. To get to the Hippogriffs they had to go south beyond the Badlands but that also meant getting near the Badlands. In the Grand Equestria were Ash and his friends plus the Canterlot Guards. However, Celestia and Luna were not within the ship this time. Instead, they had gone with the Samiyans to pursue the Airship. Those within the Grand Equestria noticed how the ocean just stopped abruptly. And right in front of them was a desert. No sign of an extended ocean could be seen. Realistically, there should be more of it up ahead but there wasn't. The ship had to stop as there was no other direction for it to move at. The Grand Equestria docked itself at the edge of this desert, having nowhere else to go at the moment. Ash would hop out of the airship, landing on a sandy and rugged land. His friends would join him, appearing in this desert far from home. Right now, they were away from Equestria and in new lands that neither have come across until now. The Storm King was said to come from lands beyond Equestria. There was a chance this was one of those lands. "Check it out. A city's up ahead. Is that where the Hippogriffs are?" Ash said, spotting a city in the distance. "No. They're even further than that. But for now, we have to stop the ship since we can't get past here." said a Canterlot Guard. "There's sand everywhere." "And it's getting everywhere too." Rarity shuddered as the sand was already creeping up on her. "How are we gonna get past this if there's sand everywhere? Oooh, are we gonna move the ship across the sand?" said Pinkie Pie. "We can probably find another pathway of water, but in a place like this, that'll be difficult." A Guard responded. "Be careful though. These are the Badlands after all. You'll find danger in any corner, I can guarantee you." "Well, maybe someone there knows where the rest of the ocean is." Ash would approach this city that looked absolutely rough from a distance. Everyone could already see the steam coming out of it. Some of the guards would leave the ship, following Ash and the others to this town which gave off a rather uncomfortable presence just by looking at it. But there was a very good chance it could be worse inside of the town. But as they were approaching the town, the guards at the back would suddenly feel something grab onto their hooves from below. Before they knew it, they were pulled into the sand. Their screams were cut off as even their Golurk had been pulled down. More and more of the guards were being pulled down by something lurking underneath the ground. It was even strong enough to drag down the Golurk. The other guards hadn't noticed the others being pulled down into the earth. "Hm? Hey!" It didn't take long for one of them to notice but a considerable amount of guards and Golurk have been snatched by whatever was underneath. And the one to notice it was Applejack once she turned around. She alerted all of her friends who would soon see the guards and Golurk being pulled down. "What the?!" Ash shouted. "Something's underground!" Twilight gasped, looking down as these sands were not as standard as they seemed. They were home to something that was pulling them down. "W-Where is it?!" Goh questioned, unable to see whoever was responsible for this. The sands looked completely normal and there was no indication of someone or something moving across it to drag them down. Very soon, he could be dragged down if something wasn't done. "I can't hear it!" Fluttershy couldn't even hear the voice of this creature and whatever it may be. Audino tried hearing for it since she had a superior hearing. The Hearing Pokemon stood still, trying to find the source of this issue if possible. "Oh, goodness!" Whatever was underground eventually reached Rarity, grabbing her by the leg. She screeched as she was viciously brought down to the earth. And the rest of Ash's friends were its targets now that Rarity had been snatched. "Audino!" At that moment, Audino heard the sound of the one causing this the second Rarity was pulled in. And from what she heard, it sounded like a Pokemon. "It's a Pokemon?!" Fluttershy translated as she was suddenly grabbed by the Pokemon that was underground, being the next target. But with Audino close to her, she wasn't fully dragged down. The Hearing Pokemon grabbed Fluttershy's hoof, keeping her from being swallowed up by the Pokemon underwater. "Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!" Ash would act fast, going for what could work in this instance. "Chu...Pika!" Pikachu took action by hardening his tail before leaping into the air. He flipped for a moment before swinging his tail downwards, striking down at the ground. And that impact sent a white shockwave along with a ringing sound. And that approach certainly did the trick as Fluttershy was pulled out of the earth. Pikachu's alert affected the Pokemon that was underground, causing it to lose its grip on Fluttershy. But the question was which Pokemon was responsible for this. It didn't take long for this Pokemon to show itself as it perfectly blended in with the sand. "Palossand!" It was a Palossand. The one Pokemon that could perfectly blend in with the sand. The Ghost-Ground-Type had snatched up Rarity, the Golurk and the Canterlot Guards as their bodies could be seen sticking out of the Sand Castle Pokemon's body. "It's a Palossand!" Ash cried out before seeing one difference with this Palossand compared to the others. The size of it surpassed the average height of a Palossand as it towered over everyone here. It was easy to see how it managed to snatch up the others back to back with this size. "And it's massive!" "Pikachu?!" "G-Get me out of here!" Rarity cried out as her head was sticking out of Palossand. "The sand is getting everywhere again!" "Just hold on, Rarity!" Ash would dig into his pockets, preparing to take out another Poke Ball. But before that, Palossand had used Earth Power. Palossand's body briefly flashed with yellow energy as the sheer exertion of its energy created glowing gold cracks that travelled at everyone from below. "Use Protect!" "AUdino!" Audino held her hand out, shielding them all from the trembling power. Rainbow Dash had already taken flight just in case as the Earth Power was stopped by the barrier Audino whipped up. After blocking the attack, the sand had been kicked up, flying everywhere. "Eve! Use Dazzling Gleam!" "Espeon!" Espeon retaliated by shooting out beautiful rays of rainbows out of her body, bombarding the Sand Castle Pokemon with them. Palossand cried out with each attack striking its body. And by hitting its body, Espeon managed to free some of the ponies and Pokemon that were trapped inside of Palossand. "Oof!" Rarity was dropped from the Sand Castle Pokemon, landing flat on her face as she now truly had sand everywhere, much to her dismay. The Golurk would land perfectly compared to Rarity as they would catch their trainers mid-fall. "Dracovish, I choose you!" Ash would throw his Poke Ball into the air, summoning Dracovish into the fray for a clear advantage and a way to wrap this up as soon as possible. "Dracovish!" "Use Water Gun!" "Dra...Co!" From its mouth, a powerful stream of water from one of the most common Water-Type moves was unleashed. Palossand would receive a mighty blast of water straight to the middle of its body, dealing super-effective damage. "P-Palo!" However, while this did do huge damage to Palossand while also blowing a hole through its massive body, it was also used to its advantage. Its body would light up as it suddenly grew wider, bulking up a bit. "What happened to it?! What was that?!" Rainbow Dash questioned after seeing Palossand expand. "It's Water Compaction! It's defence is greater than before now since a Water-Type attack hit!" Ash gasped as the super-effective attack would now benefit Palossand. "Lossand!" Palossand would retaliate, using Ancient Power this time. Massive fossilized rocks were ripped from the earth, appearing before everyone as Palossand would launch them all at high speeds. "Iron Tail!" "Leaf Blade!" "Psychic!" "Weather Ball!" "Chu...Pika!" Pikachu, Sceptile, Espeon and Castform would strike at the incoming rocks which Pikachu crushing them with his hardened tail, turning them into pebbles. Espeon would telekinetically hold the massive rocks with her mind, stopping some of them in their tracks before shooting them back at Palossand. Castform's Weather Ball and his radioactive cells would react to the hot water, turning him into a Fire-Type. A Fire Ball was unleashed, blowing up some of the rocks despite the usual Type Matchup. As for Sceptile, he cleaved through the rocks with ease with his bladed arms, destroying them in one fell swoop. "You're going to pay for this!" Getting up from the sand which now had a dent of her body in it, Rarity would express her rage, using her magic to summon Milotic. She wanted payback against Palossand at once. "Milotic!" "Freeze it! Use Ice Beam!" "Milooo...Tic!" Knowing that Palossand would only get stronger this way, Milotic would simply use the opposite of Water. A strong beam of ice flew in, striking the face of Palossand. Before Palossand could even see it coming, the beam hit it, kicking off its effect. The Sand Castle Pokemon felt its body freeze over suddenly, starting from the top of its body. Those stuck within Palossand would quickly free themselves now that more damage had been done to it. They had to escape before they were turned into ice as well. "Finish it with Shadow Ball!" "Es...Peon!" Espeon would then deliver the final blow, leaping into the air and summoning an orb of shadows from her mouth. Palossand could not retaliate against this at all with a frozen body as all it could do was take the super-effective hit. Unfortunately for Palossand, it didn't have another ability similar to Water Compaction to help against one of its weaknesses. Shadow Ball hit its mark, obliterating the ice while also enveloping Palossand in a shadowy explosion. "Palo..." Beaten, Palossand would wail before suddenly shrinking. This Palossand clearly got stronger over the months thanks to its massive size but now all of that strength was leaving its body. Unable to continue, the Sand Castle Pokemon would descend back into the ground, retreating. "Phew...That was a bit of a surprise." Twilight said, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "And battling here certainly heats you up in a second, doesn't it?" "Yeah. That Palossand was massive. It must be from all the sand here." Ash replied before returning Dracovish. "Ah...My mane." Rarity moaned, feeling her mane was there was sand in it. She would shake her mane, sending sand grains flying everywhere. "The nerve of that Palossand." "Lotic!" To cool her off, Milotic would blast Rarity with Hydro Pump, destroying the rest of the sand that was tormenting her mane. "Thank you, darling." Rarity sighed, feeling greatly refreshed from this. "I guess this confirms it for us. There are Pokemon that live beyond Equestria. Starswirl spoke of this to me." said Twilight, referring to Starswirl's words. "Which means we're bound to see more of them." "Yeah well, can we leave here already and head to that town? I don't wanna know what other Pokemon's gonna try and get the jump on us." Rainbow Dash pleaded. They did have to hurry. They couldn't let someone like Palossand slow them down. Now that they were in the Badlands, sneak attacks were to be expected. And with Pokemon now living here, they were bound to encounter more Pokemon that would try and strike them when they least expect it. After all, these were called the Badlands for a reason as they affect anyone who chooses to live here. And the same could be said for the town they were approaching at. Time was of the essence as the Storm King's goal could be coming closer to him. And the fate of the entire world's ecosystem was on the line as the journey continues. Chapter 202 End.