The Badlands. Klugetown. Afternoon.
Klugetown. A rather rugged town that its own distinct style. And that was a style that made it look aggressive. The clouds above were already blending in with the sandy landscape around it as it made look like the sky itself was rusting. The buildings all looked shabby and rough with a majority of them being built with purely metal. Much of the town appeared to be ridged and scabrous, as the buildings are sparse and scattered and with trees, broken ships, and puddles of purple fluid from octopus tentacles littered everywhere.
The citizens here were all creatures that could not normally be found at Equestria. Pig Creatures were seen preparing to sell whatever they find for money. And it was literally anything as a bird that had been caught by a net would soon be up for sale. This place didn't exactly look like it was holding a good amount of money and if it was, it certainly wasn't being used to benefit the state of the town.
"Storm King bobbleheads!" And confirmation that the Storm King has been around here was shouted out by a vendor who was selling bobbleheads of him.
"Ooh. Hey! You with the horn, you selling?" Another creepy vendor said, speaking to Twilight Sparkle after spotting her. Twilight would simply keep on walking, staying close to Ash.
"Do you think anyone here knows where to go next?" Ash wondered, looking at the rough surroundings of Klugetown.
"I couldn't tell you right about now..." Twilight answered, passing by many cages that looked like they could fit her in. They even looked like they could fit some Pokemon inside.
"Yeah, well, let's hurry and find someone. This place creeps me out." Goh shuddered, holding his arms thanks to this uncomfortable setting.
"This place is completely out of our jurisdiction." said a Canterlot Guard, warning them about how they had no power here in the Badlands. It was out of Equestria after all. "So be careful, alright?"
They would wander Klugetown, searching for a way back to the sea. A majority of them were rather nervous to ask the citizens of this town for very obvious reasons. The citizens of this town carried intimidating and dangerous dispositions with them after all. Each of them tried various directions, searching for whatever they could.
And with their presence here, it didn't take long for some of them to eye down this rather colourful group, especially one individual who took a strong notice of Ash.
"Hm?" He put a smile on his face, focusing all of his attention on Ash. And he didn't ignore Twilight and the others, that's for sure. Seeing ponies here was rather surprising. But a Human being here was just as shocking even if it was just two out of multiple.
"How much for the giant gecko?" A resident of this town eyed down Spike, seeing him as a potential way to sell something.
"Who you callin' a gecko?" Spike narrowed his eyes, displeased by those words.
"SPike isn't for sale." Twilight put her hoof in front of Spike who tried approaching them.
"I want that fancy purple hair! I'll give ya two storm bucks for it!" Another resident looked over at Rarity's hair, wanting it for herself.
"Two storm bucks?! It's worth more than that!" Rarity scoffed as she was only encouraging her, seeing her mane as a prized possession.
"I'll take whatever that big green thing is for five storm bucks!" It didn't take long for the Pokemon to be targeted, especially since they were more varied in appearance compared to the ponies. Sceptile was pointed at by a few fingers as he piqued many of their interests.
"Well, give me the pink one?" More bidding came through as they all stood out like sore thumbs in such a rough place.
"Which one?" Another said, referring to Pinkie Pie, Mew, Audino and Fluttershy. Various bidding sounds could be heard as they were all aiming to buy whatever they could from this group, seeing everything as a chance to make some profit. They all just wished to benefit themselves. Twilight and the others felt greatly pressured and uncomfortable by this as they were merely being seen as objects.
"What about this hairless monkey?" One of the residents grabbed onto Ash's shirt. But the second she grabbed Ash, Sombra would take action. His Dark Magic flowed out of Ash's body as a flash of green eyes appeared before this Klugetown resident, instilling great fear into her. She immediately backed away from Ash, terrified by what she saw for a moment.
"Pikachuuuu!" Wanting them all to back away from his friends since they were not objects was Pikachu. He used Thunderbolt, shooting a powerful blast of lightning into the air to intimidate them. And it certainly worked as they all saw the raw power that flew out of this small mouse-like creature. Not wanting to be zapped, they would back away immediately, distancing themselves from Ash and his friends.
"That was strange..." Goh said. "How bad is it here in this town? They'll take anything they see from us."
"W-We should leave immediately. Please." Fluttershy pleaded. "Staying here any longer doesn't feel safe. I don't want anyone to have something they have be sold off."
"You there." Eventually, the Cat Creature would come into contact with Ash and his group.
"Yeah?" Ash responded
"You're one of those Humans, right? What are you doing here in a place like this?" He approached the Trainer from Pallet Town. "Plus, you're here with ponies?"
"Well, we were on Sea earlier, but now we're trying to get back to the sea even if it's all sand here." Ash explained.
"Did you get past the Sand Castle then?" He referred to the massive Palossand that was outside of Klugetown.
"Palossand? Yeah. Got us by a surprise for a moment but we made it." Ash added. "Say. Do you know where we can find the rest of the sea?"
"If you do, please tell us." Rarity put her hooves together, pleading for an answer.
"The rest of the sea. Hmm...That's a tall order. There's nothing but sand for miles here. I, myself haven't gone past the town all that much and if I have, I come across some nasty things." The Cat Creature explained while walking with Ash. "I wouldn't dare go that far to see what's out there. But I hear you'll do it. You're Ash Ketchum, aren't you? Capper is my name."
"Oh, so you know about us even all the way here, huh?" Ash said, learning his name for the first time.
"Everyone here won't bother to learn that much about what's outside. I, on the other hand, will. I'm not that oblivious to these creatures." He raised a paw. "I even have a partner of my own."
"Meowth!" Right on time, a Meowth crawled on his shoulder, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. But that just confirmed that he did have more knowledge than a majority of the residents here. Having a Meowth was proof of that.
"I'm a friend that you need in a time like this. Just like my little friend on the shoulder. You'll need someone like me to get through a place like this. So, since you're out at sea and looking for the rest of it, you need a place to go, right? Well, even though I haven't gone that far, I can guarantee you that the sea does continue."
"Really?! That's great!" Goh exclaimed.
"Where does it continue?! Come on, tell us!" Pinkie Pie excitedly bellowed.
"Well, you need a way to know where you're going in the Badlands if you want to make it back to sea. I have just what you need to guide you in my home. Come with me." Capper would do the honour of guiding them to his home.
"Is it a map?" Twilight asked.
"Sure, sure. But it myself." Capper smirked while not facing Twilight at all. He was only focused on staying beside Ash. "You'll really need it since it'll even tell you what kind of creatures are out there. Like that Sand Castle or as you call it, Palossand."
"Are there any other Pokemon here? Palossand's the only Pokemon we saw. Plus your Meowth." Rainbow Dash asked.
"They're here. Just not in this town. I doubt any Pokemon will want to show up here of all places. They're all built on trust, right? Does this really look like the most trustworthy place?" Capper turned to face them. "Even your guards that are asking them around are getting vague answers that are probably lies. Now, Ash. You're King, am I right? Let's talk about that and share some things with me in the meanwhile."
Equestria. Out at Sea.
Meanwhile, the Grand Equestria and the Sea Temple were currently in pursuit of the Storm King's Airship, tracking down its location by using the crystals. And once they found out where it was, they made a beeline for its location. Already, they were catching up thanks to the airship slowing down, just so the Storm King can use the power of the crystals that he sent into his staff, attacking the landscape and further damaging the ecosystem.
But of course, this didn't go unnoticed from the Storm King himself who viewed the ship and the temple from a distance, seeing them nearby. His eyes widened after seeing the ship and the temple trailing behind his airship. "The Sea Temple? Equestria's Ship?! Did they find us already?! This soon?!"
"I wonder why." Tempest Shadow said with sarcasm, knowing the reason why they caught up so easily.
"Ah, whatever. They're not getting those crystals back. Besides, they're practically brought the rest of them to me. Stop them and get the rest of those crystals! It'll be much better than two!"
"This must mean the Princesses are here too. Should we proceed with taking their magic too?" Tempest Shadow suggested.
"Hm? Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. I was having too much fun using the new power of the crystals! I think it's way better!" The Storm King rubbed his face on the staff with a gleeful look on his face before turning his face into a serious one. "Let me take care of this. They're gonna see first-hand how great this new power was." He would then twirl the staff, heading back to the open windows just to use the power on his pursuers.
With the window open, the Storm King aimed the staff, pointing at the Grand Equestria first instead of the Sea Temple. Either one would work in this in instance. With one eye closed, the Storm King took aim as the light from the crystals appeared around the tip of his staff.
"I don't want to take them out. I just want their magic. So I'll make this one a little bit weaker." He said, holding back the power. But one thing was for sure, it would still be staggeringly powerful. He expected the Princesses to withstand it since they were alicorns. After having a clear sight, he took the shot, unleashing a light beam.
However, instead of hitting its mark and leaving behind a powerful explosion, something else happened. Right as the destructive light approached the ship, it was a bit short when it came to reaching it. Mainly because something had stopped as the light was struggling to push through and strike the ship. The Storm King raised an eyebrow, confounded by the fact that nothing happened. But when looking further, he saw who was responsible for this.
"Gardevoir!" Holding back the light was Gardevoir. With her own power, she kept the light back, preventing it from harming anyone board. "Voir!" After holding it back, Gardevoir would launch it into the air, sending the light elsewhere. The Storm King gasped along with the Storm Creatures as the light would finally combust.
It ended up blowing up in the air instead, damaging absolutely no one. But the shockwave it left behind couldn't be ignored as it reached the airship of the Storm King. The Storm King and his forces were knocked off balance thanks to this genius approach from Gardevoir, who knew how to not only stop the light but also use it against the Storm King.
"Oof!" The Storm King bumped his head into the walls after his airship was disturbed for a moment. He got back up, growling after being humiliated in such a way. "Why that little...Whatever that Pokemon is supposed to be!"
"She held back the light on her own?" Tempest Shadow said with amazement. All the Storm Creatures couldn't believe it. Already, there was someone who could rival the strength of two Sea Temple Crystals. It just so happened to be Celestia's Gardevoir who has always had a great ordeal of strength in her.
"Golurk!" But it wasn't just Gardevoir they had to worry about. The Golurk were flying over, taking to the skies and ready to confront the Storm King by storming his airship.
"Eugh!" The Storm King grimaced at the sight of all these Golurk approaching. The airship was still training to stay steady thanks to what Gardevoir had done, making a counterattack rather difficult in this instance. Quickly, the Storm King would use the power of the crystals once more. This time, he would use them for defensive capabilities.
A light shield would form, blocking the Golurk the second they got too close. Once it formed, the Golurk would crash into the shield, taking some damage as they each failed to enter the ship or even grab a hold of it. The Storm King laughed before expanding the light shield, using it to send the Golurk away. He would even keep the shield up, making sure no one would get close at all, gaining permanent protection.
"He's already using so much of the crystals' power," Alo grumbled, watching the light of the Sea Temple being used by the Storm King and the damage it has already caused. The environment behind them had already been destroyed earlier by the Storm King, ruining more of the ecosystem. "At this rate...Zygarde might finally show up."
"Not yet. We can use the power of the crystals to reverse what he's created." Donoma said, being right next to the Storm King. "I've forseen Zygarde appearing but we can prevent the Storm King from ever encountering it. Let's take down his shield with the same power he stole from us."
"Mm." Alo was in immediate agreement. He had this in mind from the start anyway. The Samiyans would turn their attention to the crystals, placing their hands on them once more. This was the most they've ever had to use the crystals but it was worth it to save the ecosystem and retrieve what was taken from them. Even if all the crystals weren't here, multiple were still enough as that was proven by what the Storm King had done.
Meanwhile, on the Grand Equestria, Celestia focused closely on the Storm King's Airship, waiting for the right moment to taken action. She couldn't fly in there immediately. Not when he had the power of the crystals to assist him. But Celestia knew she also had some crystals to help her out.
Right as the Storm King was about to fire another light beam, his shield would suddenly start shrinking before his eyes. "Hm?! What now?!" By the power of the Samiyans, the shield he made was fizzling out, growing weaker as more crystals that outnumbered his two were being used.
"They're using the other crystals!" Tempest Shadow gasped. "Your excellence! We should probably leave since they have more crystals than us. With those crystals, they can do whatever they can to stop us."
"Wait, retreat?!" The Storm King shook his head as Tempest Shadow was suggesting to flee the scene. "That's ridiculous! What makes you think I'd retreat from this?"
"If we stay any longer, then it's not just the crystals we have to worry about but also the Twin Dragons. They're now the Pokemon of Princess Celestia and Luna."
"Ooh. Good point." The Storm King saw where she was coming from. "But I still refuse to go out sad! So, I say we do one more thing that'll mess them up and even encourage Zygarde to come here." While he hated retreating, it did seem like the best option for now. But he would go out with a bang as he aimed his staff once more.
This time, it would be targeted at the sea instead. This whole time, he had been focusing on the land since Zygarde was mainly associated with that. But the sea had its own ecosystem. Possibly a larger one than any land out there, making it ripe for destruction. It had already been torn through thanks to the Dark Magic and now, the Storm King was about to add to that.
"He's preparing for another shot!" Luna noticed.
"No, he's not!" Celestia shook her head before holding out a Poke Ball with her horn. SHe would then launch the Poke Ball into the air as Luna would quickly do the same. Both Poke Balls flew into the air, spinning in unison before unleashing the two Pokemon within.
Out came the Legendary Dragons of Truths and Ideals. Reshiram and Zekrom. And upon arriving, they unleashed their signature roars in unison, unleashing a powerful soundwave that travelled through the air.
"Dragon Pulse!" Together, Celestia and Luna bellowed out the same commands. And together, Reshiram and Zekrom would unleash those mighty draconic blasts. The sky darkened for a moment from the sheer output of their attacks as they would intercept the light. The dragon-shaped blasts would bite down on the light that went after the sea. The light had been stopped by the dual dragons, blowing up right afterwards.
The explosion happened right in between the sky and the sea. The sea still received some damage as the waters would rock from the sheer pressure that was emitted. Those in the air would feel the shockwave too, bracing themselves.
"Up ahead! There's a Mountain!" Tempest Shadow shouted. But during this pursuit, the obstacles in their way were present, such as the large mountains that could be seen up ahead. They were so focused on their pursuers they almost forgot about what was waiting for them up ahead. Everyone looked over to see a huge array of mountains in the way. It didn't help that the airship has been disrupted too thanks to the staggering events happening in the air.
"Lower it!" The Storm King ordered before putting on a devious grin. "I have a splendid idea in mind!" The airship would descend instead of flying to the side. They would be approaching the mountains as the Storm King would try and take advantage of this. Tempest Shadow could already guess it had something to do with his pursuit of Zygarde without a doubt.
The Grand Equestria and the Sea Temple would continue pursuing them, unable to lose sight of them thanks to the crystals. Reshiram and Zekrom would soon move ahead of them, chasing down the Storm King's Airship.
The Storm King moved to another side of the airship, opening yet another window. He would fire the light from another side but with something else in mind. When firing the light, he would strike it at the mountains. Of course, this was to damage the ecosystem some more but he would also use the mountains to his advantage. The Storm King knew that the crystals were tied to the sea and right beneath the mountains were the seas themselves.
With the power of the crystals, he managed to lift some of the mountains up, ripping them from their original position. But he went a step further. He would even rip out a large chunk of the sea itself. Everyone gasped as the seas and mountains were pulled out of their original positions. Even if Zygarde wasn't here, the Storm King was already giving an example of what he could do if he gets its power. The crystals were tied to the sea so this wasn't too much of a surprise but the mountains certainly were.
After lifting them, he would fling the elemental powers at his pursuers. A huge chunk of mountains and ocean came their way, threatening to crush or drown them all. Reshiram and Zekrom were about to take action as soon as possible but halted themselves once they saw who was inside the water. The Storm King didn't just rip out of a lot of water but also the Pokemon and other aquatic life that were living in them.
They could not attack at all. Not when there was life in these seas. The best they could do was shield themselves and try to protect the Pokemon and Sea Creatures within. As for the mountains, there were so many of them that each of the Golurk would try and grab them before any further harm could be done.
But this was the perfect getaway for the Storm King. By distracting them with such a monumental action, he could advance. And as an added bonus, he manipulated the rest of the water, creating a tunnel for himself that his ship could go through. He laughed, making his stylish getaway as he had damaged the ecosystem even more than ever.
Celestia growled, irritated the Storm King managed to slip by her in such a way. But it wasn't over yet. Not when she could track him down. But even if she could track him down, the Storm King would still bring massive damage to the world. But for now, she would focus on saving the lives of others that the Storm King carelessly threw. Literally.
"We escaped them for now. But at this rate, they could get to Zygarde at the same rate we're going at." Tempest Shadow said. "We'll probably leave the lands of Equestria eventually as well."
"Bah. It doesn't matter if Zygarde comes to Equestria or not, as long as it comes to us. And I have a good feeling that might happen at last." The Storm King twirled his staff before jumping back into his seat. "But make sure they don't catch ups with us again!"
"Hah..." Tempest Shadow sighed, knowing the reason why they were catching up but she wasn't brave enough to tell the Storm King that. "Yes, your excellency."
Kalos. Out in the fields.
The Kalos Region. The most exposed to the Dark Magic that once struck it. But also a top priority of its guardian. The damage had truly been done, leaving many locations scarred by the Black Crusade.
Black and dark red were the new colours of what was once a beautiful field, which has now become an example of a long, destructive battle. The air which would normally be fresh and smell of nature's wonders is now thick with the scent of horror, destruction and decay, something no survivor will ever forget.
Hopping on the ground with a tiny body and gazing at the massive damage done to the earth was none other than Zygarde Cell. It stood on a rock, feeling the damage And standing next to the Zygarde Cell, watching the destruction was Greninja who stood on a tree, seeing what was left behind by the Black Crusade.
"Something truly awful is encouraging the dark magic that is disturbing the natural order of the world." Zygarde, also known as Squishy said. "But it seems to be worsening over at the land they call Equestria. That is where our friend is, right?"
"Grenin." Greninja nodded, knowing what had to come next. He was already dealing with what the Rock left behind years ago during Team Flare's Plan but it seemed like another issue had popped up for him to deal with. The Dark Magic and the damage it was doing to the land. Just like the Storm King wanted, Zygarde was coming to him. And in Greninja's case, every part of him already knew that out there, Ash was already involved in this. He had to be.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 203 End.