//------------------------------//
// Captain Celaeno 
// Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

The Badlands. On an airship. Afternoon.

After escaping from Verko's Bodyguards, Ash, his friends, Capper, and his Pokemon ended up on an already moving airship. Everyone was brought to safety but now that they were on this airship, whoever owned it would be fully aware of their presence.  Twilight Sparkle was barely awake thanks to the Rift Magic while her friends were all asleep. But eventually, they would wake up and all it would take was a jolt.

"Pika...chuuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a jolt of electricity on each of them, waking the ponies and Pokemon up from their slumber. They all grimaced after receiving 100,000 volts, waking up to pain as they had to realize where they were right now.

"Oh. Thanks for the save, Ash. Great work thinking on your feet." Capper sighed, casually walking up to Ash as if nothing was wrong. But the second Ash glanced at him, Capper stuttered, intimidated by his flare.

"I need some answers. What was up with that back there? I heard Fluttershy cry for help and everyone just starts falling asleep?" Ash sounded genuinely upset by this. Anyone that messes with his friends wouldn't be treated kindly at all.

"Hold on. I know it doesn't look good but hear me out. I was just trying to pay my debt. There's no other way to do it."

"You tried...selling us off," Twilight said after being woken up by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. "Each one of us. And I'm guessing you were warming up to Ash to keep him away from you. Or to get some wealth thanks to his status as a king."

"Well...Yeah. That last part was still pending." Capper laughed nervously as warming up to Ash was a part of his plan to gain plenty of wealth and a backup plan to pay off his debt. Obviously, that failed.

"I can't believe you!" Rarity was fully awake and reasonably mad at Capper. "Trying to sell us off! And I know for a fact in a place like this, I wouldn't even be worth much!"

"Okay, it sounds bad, whatever. But there was no other option. And my only option is something I can't do." He raised one part of his paw, wagging it as he referred to his Rift Purrloin.

"Purr?" Speaking of which, that same Purrloin would move through the crowd of her Brothers and Sisters, approaching Capper. While the ponies and Goh were looking at Capper with rather disdainful and upset looks on their faces, Purrloin had a different look. It was still her usual sheepish expression but there was something more to it. And once Purrloin looked at Ash, her expression was already telling Ash what to do.

"About that...Can you tell me what's up with this?" Ash then held up the picture that Purrloin showed him. "Purrloin showed me this picture and something about it bothered her."

"That? Oh, you had to go and find that picture..." Capper sighed. "Of course Purrloin is the one who showed it to you. If you want to know about what this picture means then fine..."

"You also sounded like you wanted to keep this one Purrloin away," Fluttershy added. "I remember. That Verko wanted your Purrloin and not the other ones. Why?"

"Purrloin here is one of those Rift Pokemon. That's what you call them, right? She has all that Rift stuff inside of her which gives her something pretty unique. She can make any currency she wants."

"She can?" Everyone repeated, amazed by what they had heard. Capper's answer did not disappoint. Not only was Purrloin a Rift Pokemon but she also had a power that any greedy individual would want. And from how Capper described it, it was any possible currency. Not just Stormbucks but potentially bits and most definitely Pokedollars.

"A-Any?"

"Any. I found that out myself. Found her one day next to all the other Purrloin." Capper explained, reminiscing about that fateful day. "She never fond of it for a moment. She kept generating all kinds of money that anyone would want. I even saw some currency I've never seen before. You should've been there. Mountains of money for all to see." Capper stood up, raising his arms and spreading them to demonstrate how vast the money was.



It was somewhere out in the Badlands, where Capper was just out there, trying to find something for himself. But what he found was beyond anything else. Near a mountain pass was a group of Purrloin as they were all gathered around one Purrloin. And that one Purrloin was currently in pain. She was surrounded by a great storm of money which was keeping her airborne.

And flowing out of her was a ton of Rift Energy. Capper had no idea what to make of this but his eyes lit up the second he saw the currencies. There was even some gold in there.

I only wanted Purrloin for the chance to have as much money as I could. But I knew I had to sweeten her up. All of them. They came as a family after all. 

At that moment, Capper aimed to solve this problem just to get the Purrloin on his side. And he would do so by helping the Rift Purrloin. Of course, he had to leave and find the solution, hoping that the Purrloin would still be here. He quickly rushed back to Klugetown, leaving the nearby Mountain Pass. 

So I left, planning to come back for them with a way to sort out that money storm. That was by taking all the money for myself obviously. But that's when some bad company caught wind of her.

When returning to that area, he found out that others were already on to the Rift Purrloin thanks to her Money storm. These Badlands Residents set their sights on Purrloin, planning to use her. And despite how many Purrloin were here, they were easily intimidated. Even back then, they could be intimidated by someone, appearing rather defenceless.

And since Pokemon were still new, they were already planning to sell them, meaning every single Purrloin would be taken away and sold off as some were already in cages. The Rift Purrloin already had a special cage of her own. But Capper, with a sly look on his face, had a backup plan for this which would show itself instantly.

So, I played the Hero, swooping in to save the Purrloin. Luring a Badlands Creature was the best thing I could come up with. And once those Purrloin were safe, they flocked to me instantly. I got on their good side in a heartbeat. 

Capper saved them by scaring them off with a Worm-like creature for them Badlands, forcing them away from all of the Purrloin. As for the Purrloin, the movement of the Worm Creatures broke the cages, freeing them from their captivity. And once they were all saved, along came Capper to remove the final cage.

All the Purrloin watched as Capper removed the cage that contained the Rift Purrloin. She was terrified out of her mind, fearful of what might happen. The currency she created had already been taken away by that group as the storm she previously made came to an end eventually. All she left behind were some Pokedollars and that was about it. Immediately, the Rift Purrloin would lunge at Capper, hugging him for saving her life.

She already believed that he did it out of the goodness of his heart as Capper was a bit taken aback by this. But for the sake of the money, he would play along, holding Purrloin in his paws. At that point, Capper gained the trust and favour of the Purrloin but in reality, he was only planning to use the power of Rift Purrloin differently than what the group planned to do.

When returning to Klugetown, he traded in the leftover Pokedollars for some items to bring home with him. He even went through the trouble of expanding his home a bit just for his Purrloin to fit in. And when trading in the Pokedollars, he promised Verko that this Purrloin would be able to pay his debt just by generating money. Of course, that never came to pass but Verko still waited until that day came.

However, that moment did not come solely because of how closely Capper became with the Purrloin. More so than he expected. The Purrloin, much like Meowth, shared his tendencies to be sneaky, taking whatever they can and in secrecy too. A majority of the objects that the Purrloin play with are stolen. It was this shady act that made them all closer. But as for the Rift Purrloin, she grew distant of Capper and that was mainly thanks to him asking her to generate money.

But it was very clear that Purrloin disliked doing so. This power that she possessed was something she did not ask for at all. On top of that, it seemed to be uncontrollable, making her summon a storm of currency. Capper would ask Purrloin to generate money but she never committed. In reality, she just wanted to mess around like her brothers and sisters but always stayed on her lonesome.

But as time went on, I grew closer to these Purrloin. The same way I grew closer to Meowth. And thanks to that, I couldn't bring myself to force the money out of her. She seemed so afraid. And to be honest...I have a soft spot for other cats. Having all of these Purrloin here with me plus Meowth reminded me of my home and what it was like before. So even though I knew what Purrloin could do, I couldn't bring it out.



"So, I promised never to force her. And there's no way I'm selling any of my Pokemon."

"But you'll sell us." Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"I get it now." Ash finally understood things now that Capper shared it with him. It also explained the picture perfectly and gave him a new perspective on this. But before he could say anything, those on this airship had finally noticed the stowaways on board, catching everyone's attention.

"Hey, guys! Come check this out!" An avian-like pirate who resembled a parrot shouted after spotting them. And he wasn't the only avian.

"Looks like a pack of stowaways." Another avian showed up, followed by a third one in the middle and a fourth one who simply squawked.

"What are we s'posed to do with 'em?" The third avian wondered. "Too many of 'em here."

"I got enough rope to hold 'em all." The first avian held up the rope. But the numbers were more prominent than they expected. Above them, some Flying-Types could be seen as they were all wearing bandanas. Unfeazant, Pelipper, Toucannon, Chatot and a new Pokemon none of them have seen before in the form which Ash would quickly scan with his Pokedex.

"Squawkabilly. The Parrot Pokemon. White Plumage Form. This Pokémon dislikes being alone. It has a strong sense of community and survives by cooperating with allies. Though these Squawkabilly are the fewest in number, they have no trouble living in towns since they blend in with the white buildings.

"Chatot! Hold them all!" The Chatot repeated.

"Wai-wai-wai-wait. What say the book, Captain Celaeno?" The first avian then spoke to none more individual on this ship. And this individual was the captain here and she wasn't too far from sight, approaching the group. The sound of her footsteps were a bit mechanical as one other part sounded like wood as she held a book in her hands with the symbol of the Storm King on it. It was clear that everyone here served under the Storm King.



"Storm King's rule book says throw them overboard." She said as she was joined by a Pidgeot which hovered over her. She would then stare down Ash and the others, making some of them nervous. 

Capper would quietly step back, hiding behind Dragonite. Ash would stand back, looking back at Celaeno with an equally serious stare. His friends were almost sold off so he was rightfully upset and couldn't afford to let them go through something overwhelming again.

"As if." Celeano then turned around as the sound of a whistle horn went off, putting a halt to this tense atmosphere. "Alright! That's Lunch!"

"Lunch?" Ash repeated as the Pirates had walked off, acting like this serious encounter never happened and there weren't any stowaways on board of their ship. These Pirates were about to feast and they already prepared their meals for the afternoon.

"Phew..." Capper saw this as a major close call. He thought things were going to worsen but he was in the clear for now. However, he couldn't get home now at all for two reasons. He was already in the air and now he was definitely wanted in Klugetown.

Ash and everyone were left to their own devices which resulted in them staying on board the ship but rather confused by how quickly the tone shifted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! So you were about to toss us overboard and you stopped for a lunch break?" Rainbow Dash said, bewildered.

"Storm King only allows one break a day for meals, then it's back to hauling goods." The first avian known was Boyle said.

"Oh. So you all deliver?" Spike asked.

"These uniforms aren't exactly doing us any favours." Celaeno sighed. "Celaeno's the name. Captain Celaeno. And you're looking at my crew. What brings you all here on our ship? With all these cats too?"

"A lot just happened." Ash took off his hat. "We're trying to get to the Hippogriffs as soon as possible. Getting there's been a wild ride so far and it's not stopping, ya know."

"It's a long story that we can't get into now. Right now, we have to keep moving." Twilight said before looking at Capper. "And apparently, you have the map we need. I'm surprised you weren't lying about that."

"I'm always honest in some way." Capper shrugged. "Truth be told, I wasn't gonna give it to you since everything in the Badlands is under the Storm King's control and I just happened to have the map to the Hippogriffs. But since you saved my life...whatever. Here ya go." Capper would end up passing the map onto Ash, who he thanked for saving his life.

Now that they had the map, it was opened to reveal what was else was in store past Klugetown. Twilight would instantly look at the map, deeply focusing on it to see what she could find. And they immediately hit the jackpot as their answers were revealed. 

"It says here they're on the top of Mount Aris!" Twilight gasped. "That's where we need to be!"

"You're trying to get there? Bad idea." Celaeno shook her head, advising greatly against such an approach. "Besides, we can't let you. We do what the Storm King orders or we suffer his wrath."

"We're still going overboard, aren't we?" Goh sighed.

"Eh, it's nothing personal. But it's not like we can get all of you onboard. It's practically a full house in here." The other avian by the name of Lix Splite said.

"You weren't always delivery birds, were you? What about before the Storm King? You said this was your crew? Does that mean...you're pirates?"

"Um, we prefer the term 'Swashbuckling treasure hunters'". The other avian known as Mullet would add.

"So cool! Pirates!" Ash lit up.

"As for you...Don't I know you from somewhere?" Celaeno pointed at Ash, recognizing his face. "Come to think it, seeing you surrounded by all these Pokemon and ponies kinda answers that question for me."

"So you know who we are?" Rainbow Dash flew over. "That's great! Then you just gotta let us get to that mountain! Sounds to me you're just letting the Storm King boss you around."

"He is bossing us around," Boyle replied. "Everyone in the Badlands, that is."

"Yeah, whatever. But you're pirates. Or you used to be. Since when do you have to listen to anyone?" Rainbow Dash tried convincing them. "That shouldn't be possible, ya know? I mean, I only know about one group of pirates and we went up against them. But they're still pretty awesome." She referred to the Bisharp Pirates, who were impressive in their own right considering they exist in a board game world.

Celaeno grumbled, unsure of Rainbow Dash's words. Plus, she was trying to enjoy her meal. But Rainbow Dash wouldn't give up on them. She looked around the room, seeing if there was something that would rekindle that spark within them. After all, this was a flying ship, so that meant before the Storm King, it had a completely distinct look.

To test it out, Rainbow Dash would fly as fast as she could, bringing down the Storm King items and accessories that Celaeono's crew were given. Lo and behold, by pushing a large Storm King banner out of the way, it revealed something amazing. Hidden behind it was a picture of Celaeno and what she used to wear. 



Plus an assortment of pirate treasure from gold, rubies, maps, treasure chests and more. Ash and the others gazed at this part of the room that was hidden by the banner, amazed by Celaeno's previous look. Even the Pokemon of these Delivery Birds were amazed by what they were seeing. She was hiding this the whole time as it was shielded thanks to the Storm King's control.

Celaeno then looked at this picture, widening her eyes as she was reminded of her past which she had kept away, not wanting to incur the wrath of the Storm King by becoming a pirate again. But just looking at it brought back memories that were way better than this dull routine she's been forced to do.

"Pidgeot!" Suddenly, her Pidgeot would grab her old pirate costume, spotting it immediately. By grabbing it, Pidgeot would drop the hat on Celeano's head, already bringing back a part of her past. The captain gasped, seeing her old hat back on her as she was no longer wearing a bandana.

"Nice look!" Ash gave a thumbs-up for a hat, liking the way it looked on her. The rest of the Pokemon grabbed what they could, slapping it onto Celeano.

"Purr!" The Purrloin would suddenly open up the treasure chests, alerting Capper. He feared that the Purrloin were trying to get themselves into trouble by doing this. Even if Celeano was not a pirate anymore, that was still owned by her. But they were doing it to steal. Instead, they were doing it to bring it back to her. All of her gold was still here, unused to this day. And they still kept their dazzling golden sparkles.

"Oh to be a pirate again..." Celaeno said, thinking about it deeply. But her main fear was the Storm King, who she obviously lost to in the past which is how she ended up in this position. "But the Storm King..."

"Is gonna be stopped by us." Rainbow Dash added to her sentence, saying the opposite of what Celaeno would've said. "We already took down a whole league of vampires and saved the world. One king's not enough to stop us. Because we're awesome like that. You can be too like you were before."

"I can..." She then took off her hat, looking at it for a moment and then right at her picture. Rainbow Dash described it as being Awesome even if she was a pirate. No matter the occupation, in the eyes of Rainbow Dash, someone could exuberate that factor she spouts about so much in their own way. And it's been proven by those who were once enemies. Ponies, Demons, Despair Plants Vampires and Pokemon alike. "I certainly can!" She would then put her hat back on. 

She needed that boost of encouragement since this entire time, her crew has been bending to the will of the Storm King. By becoming pirates again, the schemes they could devise, the treasures they can find and use and so much more.

"There's a whole world of Pokemon I didn't get the chance to explore from the beginning. Finding these ones opened it up to me but I never journeyed past it." Celaeno then looked up at Pidgeot and the other Flying-Types. Meeting them sparked something within her the first time but it was Rainbow Dash who really lit that spark up.

"Yeah! That's what I love to hear!" Rainbow Dash grinned, nodding her head with great enthusiasm. "So what about Mount Aris?"

"Mount Aris? Oh, we've passed by it before. We know how to get there." Celaeno smirked as her past as a pirate, which was now her present, led her to places such as Mount Aris. "And you're gonna stop the Storm King?"

"For sure!" Ash exclaimed. "Celestia and the others are already going after him, so after we get to Mount Aris, we're gonna do the same!"

"Pikachu!"

"Hm. Good to know." Celaeno said as she would soon return to the helm, ready to control the ship she was once prided herself on owning. Now, it was no longer just some delivery ship but it was back to how it was. A Pirate Ship.



Equestria. Under the Sea. The Storm King's Airship.

Speaking of the Storm King, his Airship was currently under the Sea. Thanks to the two Sea Temple Crystals, he was able to move his Airship through the ocean with perfect speed and momentum. It was like it was still in the air which was just an example of how powerful these crystals can be. And the fact that they're connected to the Sea.

The airship was still moving at a slow pace. At this point, Tempest Shadow was wondering if it was on purpose or not since that was only allowing for the Storm King's enemies to keep up with him. The Storm Creatures and everyone aboard were just lounging about this time. It was mainly the Storm King doing all the work since he had to try and bring out Zygarde by damaging the ecosystem. Only he was capable of doing it at such a large magnitude. All the while, somewhere in the sea, the Grand Equestria and the Sea Temple were pursuing the Airship.

However, something finally happened. Something was felt above them, rippling the sea and sending a strong pressure. This part of the sea was already devoid of life since the Storm King threw a majority of it at his opponents. It was a rather empty sea with only an Airship moving through it. But not anymore. Something else was down here.

"Aha!" The Storm King sat up after sensing this presence. 

"That pressure is so powerful...What is that?!" Tempest Shadow gasped as the airship was shaking from this pressure. She looked around, trying to see what was causing it. There wasn't a Water Pokemon in sight and none of them could do this on their own aside from a few exceptions.

"That can only mean one thing...!" The Storm King giggled before hearing a cry of a Pokemon that was loud enough to be heard underwater. It was a cry none of them recognized but it felt truly powerful. And considering what the Storm King had been doing this whole time, his main goal was seemingly coming towards him. He used the crystals to enhance his vision and his eyes did not deceive him when he looked ahead. With a grin on his face, his main target ended up coming to him after all.

From what he could see from the front A Pokemon with a serpentine body with green and black markings could be seen. Most of its back, head, and neck are black, while the underbelly and the tip of its tail are green. Its eyes are made of four green hexagons, similar to an insect with compound eyes plus a thin, white line down the centre of its face.

"It's Zygarde!"

As the journey continues.


Chapter 205 End.