//------------------------------// // The Hippogriffs // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Mount Aris. Late Afternoon. "Dondozo!" Appearing out of nowhere and seemingly consuming Tatsugiri was a Pokemon that went by the name Dondozo. In the Ghost City that was Mount Aris, home to what should be the Hippogriffs, two Pokemon could be found, bringing some life to it. And one of them had currently been snatched by Dondozo. Ash and the others backed up in awe at this massive Pokemon. Fluttershy, who was the closest to Dondozo, stood there absolutely bewildered out of her mind. She was stiff as a statue until Rainbow Dash pulled her out of the way. Once they processed what had just happened and Dondozo stared them down, staying in the pool it had leapt out of, the Pokedex was used on this Water Pokemon. "Dondozo. The Big Catfish Pokemon. This Pokémon is a glutton, but it’s bad at getting food. It teams up with a Tatsugiri to catch prey." "So that's Dondozo!" Ash said in bewilderment. The Pokemon that Tatsugiri's Dex Entry mentioned has finally appeared. "Pika-Pikachu?!" "So, Tastugiri's alright then?" Fluttershy soon snapped out of it, realizing that it meant Tatsugiri was safe inside Dondozo. "I don't think that matters right now! It's looking at us funny!" Applejack grimaced, noticing how Dondozo was looking at her and all of her friends. And with its mouth opening, Tastugiri could be seen. It was perfectly fine in there but now its casual pose made even more sense. It wasn't just waiting for Dondozo to show up, it was waiting for the time to attack these new faces. And with the way Dondozo was staring them down, it was clear that they weren't giving off a welcoming or friendly aura at all, especially Tatsugiri who was the brains of this team up. Seconds later, Dondozo would go on the offensive, listening to Tatsugiri inside. "Dozo!" The Big Catfish Pokemon used Heavy Slam, launching itself upwards for everyone to see. They soon realized that Dondozo was attacking them. The Water-Dragon ascended, preparing to use its weight against them all. Why it and Tatsugiri were suddenly attacking them was unknown. But what was known was that they had to avoid this incoming attack. Ash and the others moved back as Dondozo's massive body crashed into the ground of this Ghost City, leaving behind visible cracks while causing a small tremor. "Y-You don't think they're the reason Mount Aris is like this?!" Spike gasped after falling over thanks to these tremors. The thought of both Dondozo and Tatsugiri doing this was horrifying, especially for Tatsugiri's case since it was so small and unassuming. "No! There's too much moss for these two to have been here as long!" Twilight pointed out. It couldn't have been these two. But they were definitely living here in what appeared to be an abandoned area. "But they're definitely hostile!" "Dondo!" Dondozo, after missing Heavy Slam, would continue going on the offensive. This time, it would use a move that neither of them have seen before. Wave Crash. Shrouding itself in water, Dondozo would fly in, becoming a water comet as it was similar to Aqua Jet. But while it lacked the speed of Aqua Jet, they could tell that it had a greater power than it. "Not good! Pikachu, Makeshift Volt Tackle!" "Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu would retaliate once his friends were being threatened. By combining Thunderbolt and Quick Attack, he formed a false Volt Tackle that still had plenty of power behind it. He would move so fast he became an actual lightning bolt with all of that electricity around him. The Mouse Pokemon's Electric Aura clashed with the Big Catfish Pokemon's Water Aura, creating the usual wild synergy between Electricity and Water. Both were pushed back immediately from the clash but there was some recoil in the process. If this were the real Volt Tackle, Pikachu would've suffered some recoil damage but since this was a makeshift one, he could hit as hard as Volt Tackle without needing to worry about recoil. But for Dondozo, Wave Crash was exactly like Volt Tackle or any recoil move, damaging its body. Watching this battle play out from an area that was seemingly brighter than everywhere else was an individual whose appearance matched that of the Hippogriff statues. And right next to her were an assortment of Pokemon who couldn't believe what they were seeing. It wasn't Dondozo and Tatsugiri that got their attention but actually Ash and his friends. "Iron Tail!" Ash bellowed as Dondozo was preparing for yet another attack due to what Tatsugiri ordered. Pikachu's tail started to harden, ready to leap into action while his friends watched the battle. He lunged into the air while Dondozo would turn its tail into water, ready to use Aqua Tail in retaliation. "Oh! Wait!" Soon realizing what this could mean, this Hippogriff would quickly jump out of the water, interrupting this battle before it potentially escalates. And by shouting out, she eventually revealed herself. "Huh?!" Twilight looked up as her eyes would sparkle. Right before her eyes was a Hippogriff. At last. Once she showed herself, Pikachu's actions came to an immediate halt along with Dondozo. The Big Catfish Pokemon would even open its mouth to show Tatsugiri. With everyone looking up, they saw droplets of water following a new species that they have never seen before. Or rather, they've only seen statues of this species. "That appearance...You're...A Hippogriff!" "Calm down! Wait!" The Hippogriff would land in the pool that Dondozo was in, putting a stop to this battle with just her arrival alone. Now everyone got a look at a Hippogriff as there was finally one in this city that once had many Hippogriffs around. The Battle between Ash and Dondozo quickly came to an end. "You two. Attacking others in plain sight like that? That's not really nice, is it?" "Dozo..." Dondozo would then lower its tone as Tatsugiri was seen pouting inside of its mouth. "Phew. Sorry about that. They're a bit protective of this place. I mean, it's not all that right now, but still." She giggled, apologizing for the actions of Dondozo and Tatsugiri. All the other Water Pokemon would soon join her, making this place a bit more populated. "That singing...Was that you?" Fluttershy questioned, wondering if she was the one responsible for that singing. Or if it was the Primarina that could be seen. "Oh, yes! That was all me!" She nodded, confirming that question with no hesitation in front of these new faces. "Hi there! Skystar's the name!" She finally introduced herself, bearing the name Princess Skystar. "Oh, thank goodness!" Twilight had a sigh of great relief. "I was getting worried for a moment but we found one! We're looking for the rest of the Hippogriffs." "How do I know I can trust you?" Skystar questioned. "I mean, even though these two instigated the battle, I don't really know you all." Please. The Storm King is on the loose, gaining power that'll be difficult for a lot of us to match up to. And we need their help." Twilight pleaded. "From what I hear, you have something that can help us." "The Storm King?! Oooh, that's a bad name to hear right about now..." Skystar added. "I'm totally taking you to my mom!" "Does your mother know where they are?" asked Twilight. "Oh. She may have an idea." She let out a cheeky giggle, knowing more than Twilight. But it really wasn't that much. "Primarina knows a thing or two about it. She's always next to her." "Next to her? You mean...she's her Pokemon?" Rainbow Dash questioned after hearing how Skystar worded that. "What's a Pokemon?" Despite having all of these Pokemon around her, Skystar had no clue what they were actually called. At all. "I've just been calling them by what they say. They always say the same things so I just think that's their name." "Well, you're not wrong about that. Those are their names." Pinkie Pie confirmed it to Skystar, sliding over to her. "This here's Mew! All he says is Mew! "Mew!" Showing himself by popping out of Pinkie Pie's mane was the New Species Pokemon Mew, greeting Skystar and the other Water-Type Pokemon. "He can be any Pokemon though so you'll hear lots of sounds from him!" "Really?" "That kinda looks like Dugtrio, doesn't it?" Meanwhile, Applejack was focused on one Pokemon that strongly resembled Dugtrio but there was something different about it. Mainly due to its dark pink colouring. "It does, but totally different." Rainbow Dash agreed, taking out her Pokedex for this. "Wugtrio. The Garden Eel Pokemon. It has a vicious temperament, contrary to what its appearance may suggest. It wraps its long bodies around prey, then drags the prey into its den. A variety of fish Pokémon, Wugtrio was once considered to be a regional form of Dugtrio." "Oh, that makes sense." Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack said in unison now that they heard the dex entry. "All these creatures...uh...Pokemon!" She finally called them by what they were commonly known as. "I've never seen these ones before. Not ones that walk on land at least. They look so different from what I've seen...Mom and everyone definitely have to see this!" Skystar said with glee, amazed by all of the Pokemon she was seeing. Pikachu piqued her interest in an instant and she even got to see him battle. Espeon, Sceptile, Audino and Mew were also interesting to look at as well for obvious reasons. Each of these Pokemon were so distinct in appearance, having their own unique styles that made them stand out. Truly, a colourful cast. "But...what are you two supposed to be?" However, Skystar's attention was then drawn to Ash and Goh, who definitely confused her. Their appearance was vastly different from anyone else she's seen. "You look so out of place." "We do?" Ash scratched his hair, not really seeing it. He's become so accustomed to Equestria and everything beyond that nothing seemed out of place to him. It only added to the wonder of this Grander World. "Well, yeah. By all accounts, both our worlds were never meant to meet but now they're one. Stands to reason that we'd still look different even after everything that's happened. "Goh added. "Hm. Okay then! Come with me! You'll get your answers underwater!" Skystar was off, ready to lead to where they need to be. Twilight placed the Underwater Breathing Spell on everyone. "Cannonball!" Pinkie Pie would take a huge dive, going for a fun approach when entering the water. Everyone else would soon jump in or slip in depending on how they wanted to approach this. Goh grimaced as his clothes were about to get wet and the same went for Rarity who wasn't in the mood to get her mane wet. She's already been through enough for today. Once underwater, they travelled through these waters that were near a dead and ruined city that still brought many questions with Skystar hadn't answered. She resembled the statues that were seen at the entrance of Mount Aris after all and she was a Hippogriff. When travelling underwater, they saw more Water Pokemon residing here as this place was way more populated than the city above. Mainly because not many of the Water-Types seem to go out there and prefer to stay here. Tatsugiri and Dondozo were the only ones out there and they were only planning a surprise attack more than anything. But seeing the Water Pokemon here paled in comparison to what they actually found. Skystar led them to what first appeared to be a cave, letting out a warm pink glow. But once they passed through it, they saw something mesmerising. The city above may be empty, but what was beyond this hole was not. A castle of some sort stood there, glowing the same beautiful pink light as it was the one emanating it. An entire structure was underwater, near the corals as the very top of it was touching another surface of water. This castle resembled the buildings back at the dead city but with all the pieces of it intact instead of broken and ruined. It seemed that the Sea Temple wasn't the only underwater civilisation. And outside of this castle, not only were there more Water Pokemon but also more of Skystar's species. The Hippogriffs. They saw Ash and his friends swimming by and naturally, seeing these unfamiliar faces along with Pokemon who didn't look like they were suited for the sea made them rather cautious and nervous. Some could be seen pulling their children towards them for safety. It was clear that they haven't seen others in a long time and whatever happened at that city played a part in their cautious behaviour. Skystar led them to the castle, showing them the way in. Once inside, they came across the further wonders of this underwater location. It looked truly royal in here as two guards could already be seen holding staffs along with a large throne that was made up of underwater plants. Above it was a lamp that was also made up of things that could be found underwater. It was rather different compared to the Sea Temple. In fact, this place leaned into that Sea aspect even more than the temple. And sitting on that throne was royalty. "Mother, look what I found!" Skystar said as this was her mother, making her royalty as well. "Is it another shell?" She said with a rather bored tone. She looked bored too, lazily resting on her throne as if she had all the time in the world. "Mm-mm." Skystar shook her head as she had something way more interesting than that. "Because I am telling you if it is another shell, I am-" Before anything else could be said, Skystar's eyes met with the new faces that were out of the ordinary here. And the reaction she had was a loud and prolonged gasp. "Princess Skystar, whatta you done?! You know surface dwellers are forbidden here! Guards!" Immediately, she ordered them to be apprehended. The guards reacted, moving towards Ash's group. Spears were pointed right at them to try and threaten them, but that only prompted Pikachu to narrow his eyes. Sceptile and Espeon would obviously do the same as spears weren't exactly something they feared at all. "No no n-no! M-M-Mom, please! It is so not like that! The Storm King is trying to destroy their home, too!" Skystar would try and reason with her mother, stammering. "This place is full of Hippogriffs. You've all been down here this entire time?" Twilight asked. "And you should've stayed up there the entire time instead of coming down here." The Queen kept her consistent tone, not wanting them all down here. "It's a long story about how we got down here! And it's a good one too!" Skystar replied. "It's really not good at all." She shook her head, disapproving Skystar's words. "And Don't you dare tell them!" "Once upon a time, like, a while ago, the Hippogriffs did live on Mount Aris." SKystar went for it either way, telling the story after all. "Did I not say don't tell them? But hey, I'm just the queen. Don't mind me." She sighed, resting on her throne once more. "Fine!" The Princess groaned. "I can't tell you! But if I could tell you, I'd say that that horned beast did show up to steal their magic!" She went up to the windows and by going near it, it would suddenly light up, showing a visage of the Storm King. The Queen put on an unimpressed face as her status was being completely ignored. Then again, children of royalty do tend to do that a lot of times but for the sake of enjoyment and there was no stopping them at all as Skystar continued the story, moving to another window that showed a light visage of the Queen herself. "But, to keep it out of his clutches, their brave and majestic leader, Queen Novo, hid them deep underwater where he could never go! We are... Well, we were the Hippogriffs! Ta-da! But I totally did not tell you that!" In the end, she spilt it all either way. "Well, I guess the pearl is out of the oyster now." She sarcastically said before introducing herself. I am Queen Novo." "Is that why that city above is like that?" said Goh. "We didn't flee! We swam! Y'know, in order to flee." Skystar tried wording it differently but in reality, they did flee. "Princess Celestia said you used the pearl...The same thing the Storm King was after." Twilight recalled what Celestia shared with her, remembering the Pearl. "You already know about the Pearl? How is that possible?" Skystar narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. "Princess Celestia told us." Twilight quickly explained. "She's the one who sent us to find you while she goes after the Storm King. He's already taken some major power for himself and if he continues, he could finish where he left off by coming back for your pearl." "Impossible. He won't find us here. Unless someone doesn't draw attention to herself..." Novo then looked at SKystar, referring to her. "Well, technically, it was these two that did it." Skystar would then shift it to Tatsugiri and Dondozo. "He could." Ash swam forward. "He has some of Zygarde's power which lets him change the land and even the Sea. And if he gets more, he could change the world in ay way he wants. It wouldn't matter if you're underwater." "The Power to Change the Land?!" That got Novo's attention. "What kind of magic is up there?" "A lot has happened while you were down here." Twilight swam next to Ash. "If we don't act fast, everything we've built up these past years could go to waste in an instant. Even here." "What you say is alarming, sure. But even though I hate to admit it, we weren't enough for the Storm King when he showed up, which is why we went down here. I doubt that he'll have the same luck with all the vast nations out there. He'll have to get past the terrifying Magehold as well." "Oooh..." Rainbow Dash and a few others grimaced, knowing how that turned out. The Storm King wouldn't have to worry about Magehold anymore. At least, not when it comes to the Dread League considering Ash and his friends put a pin that not too long ago. "I still have knowledge about the outside world after all. And I even hear there is a King of the Sea now. That level of status surpasses most others that I know of. While we may have entered the sea, I'm just the Queen of this part of the ocean. The King of the Sea has power over practically the entire world. That much should be obvious. If you want help, go and ask him. The lands won't change if he is in control over most of it." "About that...he's already here." Pinkie Pie snickered, knowing who the King of the Sea was. Goh, Rarity and Fluttershy would hold in their laughter too due to what Queen Nova had said. "He is?! Where?!" Novo sat up, moving her head from side to side. "Right here."Twilight moved aside, showing only Ash who stood in front of all of his friends. He was the King of the Sea that Queen Novo heard about. "..." Nova paused for a moment, looking directly at Ash. There was a moment of silence with only the sounds of bubbles flowing. When looking at Ash, she noticed his distinct appearance. That hat. That signature blue jacket. The V on his Shirt. The Thunderbolt Birth Marks and more importantly, the Pikachu that was right next to him. It took a while for her to process this but once her mind gathered everything, she quickly changed her tone and attitude as she was near that very same figure she spoke about. "It is the King of the Sea!" Novo bellowed, flabbergasted that he was actually here. Now that she knew, she would quickly fly to his side, making sure that she didn't stand above him thanks to the throne. At that moment, she bowed her head. "F-Forgive me, your majesty! I didn't know! I should've known the second I saw you! I didn't mean to stay on that throne for so long to look down on you!" "Uh, it's okay." Ash wasn't too fixated on his King Status, even if it wasn't one of royalty. He didn't fault Nova at all. Novo even changed up the way she spoke, no longer speaking in her lax tone but in a formal one. "I've been far too rude to you already! If you wish to punish me then I will gladly take it!" Novo was taking it far without a doubt, truly holding Ash's title as King of the Sea with high praise. She then looked at her guards who were still holding their spears, shouting at them. "Drop those weapons already!" "!" The guards gulped before dropping the spears. "So much for majestic..." said Spike as Novo wasn't exactly making herself seem majestic, grovelling at Ash's feet. "Geez...I don't even hang around the temple that much." Ash scratched his hair. "Hey, no need to worry. I may be king but I'm the one who showed up to your place. It's still your home and I don't own it." "Y-You mean it?" Novo looked up. "Yeah. We just want your help, that's all. Celestia said we could find it from you all." Ash requested. "One of my friends has already lost some power to the Storm King. Zygarde's gonna do its best to make sure that not all of it is gone and we're gonna help stop the Storm King as soon as possible. I'd love to get up there and throw down with him but apparently, there's a pearl that can deal with his staff?" "Y-Yes!" Novo pulled back. "There is. The same pearl we used to escape from the Storm King. Skystar?" "On it!" Together, the Mother and Daughter would ascend, approaching the lamp that was above the throne room. Everyone looked up as the duo would start swimming in a spiral formation. Turns out, that lamp wasn't just an ordinary lamp. The light source it had would start dropping, revealing something else. This whole time, the pearl was in the lamp as it would gently float down, entering the hooves of Queen Novo. There it was. Brighter than any pearl they've seen before. The way it shined on the inside and outside. They could just feel the amazing magic coming from it and seeing it told them just how wonderful it was. "Here, your majesty. And your friends. Witness." Novo would already give a demonstration to what the pearl could do and how it worked. They all figured out how it worked since Celestia told them but they would experience it for themselves as these light pink wisps flew out of the orb, approaching Ash and his friends. The wisps would then unleash a transformation on them all, just as predicted. As for the transformation they took on, the wings of Twilight Sparkle suddenly grew, even changing a bit to match the wings of the Hippogriffs. So did Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and even more so than that, those who didn't have wings. Applejack and the others would find themselves having wings on their backs, which they never had before until now. But not only that, their back hooves were changing too, replaced by another part that the Hippogriffs possessed. Fins. Their bodies were starting to match that of the Hippogriffs. In fact, they were now Hippogriffs. A perfect transformation as they now resembled this species that lies beyond Equestria. Much like, Mew, the Zoroark Species or Ditto, that pearl could indeed transform them. But according to Celestia and Luna, it was the best of all three. It didn't just make them into Hippogriffs. It completely changed their biology, making them entirely new beings that could do everything a Hippogriff could with no limit. Even Pikachu and his Pokemon friends were now completely new species of Pokemon. Pikachu now had wings that he could use, moving around with them. Audino had wings she looked proud of as well as they matched her colour scheme perfectly. However, for Ash, there was a different result. In fact, there wasn't actually a result with him. Ash simply looked the same with no significant changes. "Huh. I look the same, don't I? What about you, Goh?" Ash looked at himself, thinking that Goh wasn't any different. "I don't! Check it out!" Lo and behold, Goh had received what looked to be a scaly version of what Twilight and the others received. "I look like one of these Merman in those story books! Am I a Merman now?!" "I wouldn't want to disrespect you, your majesty." Novo purposefully kept Ash away from the pearl so that she wouldn't insult the King of the Sea. Ash laughed and sighed afterwards as Novo was still taking him very seriously. "Ooh, we can have fun with this!" Pinkie Pie giggled as Skystar flew over to her. "This is amazing! With this, we could transform everypony into something powerful enough to face the Storm King's army!" Twilight said with wonder. "Or it could end up in his greedy claws!" Novo added. "That is a risk I don't think I'm willing to take after the last encounter. Unless...his majesty has something else in mind?" "I get why you're worried, Novo. Just leave it to us." Ash gave a thumbs-up. "Now...The Storm King's all the way in the sky. Celaeno's crew is up there doing their best and so are some of the Canterlot Guards. We'd better hurry before more of Zygarde's power is taken away." "I understand. Ooh, but right now, it's time for my seaweed wrap. Mama needs her deep tissue." Novo changed her tone once more when it came to something she enjoyed. "Oh, that means we could go out there soon, right?! Back to the surface at last! There are so many things we can see! But also we can have just as much fun down here!" Skystar started rambling on. "We can make friendship bracelets out of shells and... picture frames outta shells and... decorative wastebaskets out of shells... Oh, I have so many projects that involve shells, haha! Now I have someone new to share them with! I mean, aside from my friends, Shelly and Sheldon." "Heh! I get it." Pinkie Pie giggled at that joke. "That sounds lovely, darling, but you must realize, we can't stay." Rarity said. "We've gotta get back to our families," Applejack added. "I know we have to go but it'd be so great if you could come along with us anyway." Pinkie Pie approached Skystar. "I really wanna stay a bit longer but something crazy's happening up there right now." "You fool...Use your status as King and order them to come with us." Suddenly, Sombra spoke to Ash, encouraging him to involve the Hippogriffs. Sombra didn't exactly make himself silent. He made sure everyone heard him. "Are you sure? They don't wanna get involved though." Ash thought otherwise. "If that is what you wish, your majesty, we shall help you. And we can start by giving you the pearl, just so you can stop the staff." Novo said. "You'll really give us the pearl?!" The eyes of the Princess of Friendship widened with glee. "Yes! We'll make sure it comes back right after we stop the Storm King!" "Come with us, Skystar! You're eager to see what else is there, right?" Pinkie Pie would share her own encouragement towards Skystar, knowing that she wished to see the rest of the world. "Mhm! More than ever. I mean, the sea's nice and all but everything else? I'm missing out. And when it comes to Pokemon, I'm really missing out!" Skystar was more than eager to see it all. "Alo! Alomomola!" Suddenly, bursting into the throne room with a rather worried tone was an Alomomola. For a Pokemon as gentle and caring as Alomomola to be in such a rush, it had to be rather important. "What?!" Much like how ponies can understand Equine Pokemon, Cat Creatures can understand Cat Pokemon, and Hippogriffs, who were now Seaponies, could understand Water-Type Pokemon. "There's an attack approaching here?!" Not the words the Hippogriffs wished to hear. But now that it has reached them based on what Alomomola has shared, Ash and his friends could only reach one conclusion since they only came here for help. The Storm King's forces were near. Or in this case, Tempest Shadow was near. Although this place may be secretive, the newly obtained power from the Storm King's side could change that. With just a bit of Zygarde's power, the land was free to be controlled in the worst ways possible. Coming to ask for help from the Hippogriffs was soon leading up to yet another attack from the Storm King's forces. But this time, Ash and the others were planning to let this be the end of it. And with the pearl, they seemingly had the best way to obtain victory. As the journey continues. Chapter 208 End.