Mount Aris. Late Afternoon.
"Let...go of me!" Twilight was in the clutches of Sneasler at the moment. Due to Tempest Shadow's plan, she managed to grab the Princess of Friendship. Sneasler pulled her back to the surface along with Tempest Shadow where many Water Pokemon and Hippogriffs had been brought along. The grip of Sneasler was stronger than what she expected, forcing Twilight to really struggle. Once on the surface, Tempest Shadow had already prepared an Obsidian Orb for Twilight Sparkle just to freeze her.
Refusing to let that happen, Twilight would go all in just to free herself. Her eyes were flashing purple as even though she was previously a Seapony thanks to the pearl, her original form soon returned, showing her back hooves. With her magic pulsating, Twilight created a magic pulse, pushing Sneasler away. Sneasler and Tempest were both pushed back by the pulse which blew away some moss and rubble here at Mount Aris. Twilight slid on the ground, nearly bumping into one of the statues.
Some Storm Creatures coulda already be seen out here as well as the Hippogriffs and Pokemon that were forced out of the sea because of Tempest Shadow's action. Twilight looked around to see these sea-dwelling individuals lying around, still feeling the pressure of the air current that pulled them up here. They weren't the targets here but eventually, they could be now that their hidden location has been found. The Storm King will definitely try and attack them once more.
"It's just you now, Princess of Friendship. These ones are too winded to be of any help," said Tempest, staring down Twilight. "And your friends down there will still have the tunnel I made to deal with."
"I'm not alone! I always have my friends with me!" Twilight was right about that. Thanks to the Pokemon, her friends will be by her side at all times as seen by the two Poke Balls that were thrown into the air. Out of them came Ninetales and Cinccino.
"Ninetales!"
"Cinccino!"
Tempest narrowed her eyes while Sneasler sharpened her claws, already expecting a Pokemon Battle. And right above Tempest Shadow was her other Pokemon. Noivern. Twilight had those two Pokemon to deal with plus the Storm Creatures as well. On top of that, her friends were back at the castle, dealing with the air current. The Princess of Friendship gulped in the face of the Storm King's forces but she made sure it wouldn't intimidate her too much. Not when she had powerful friends to assist her.
"Alright then. Sneasler, Dire Claw. Noivern, Draco Meteor."
"Ninetales, use Hidden Power! Minccy, use Thunder!"
"Nine...!" Together, Ninetales and Cinccino would attack the second their opponents made a move. Noivern was already planning to bombard them, shooting a purple sphere into the air. That sphere would soon divide into multiple larger spheres, raining down meteors with draconic energy at them. But that was where Ninetales came in. From the ground, he summoned a white aura that was also filled with draconic energy. The aura would then turn into orbs which flew into the air, targeting the meteors.
"Sneasler!" Moving in was Sneasler who was certainly faster than everyone here in terms of running speed. However, that didn't stop Cinccino from leaping to the side, evading Sneasler's Dire Claw. By jumping to the side, Cinccino would prepare a blast of thunder from her body, shooting it out while in the air. However, Sneasler was quick to slash at it, knocking the Thunder aside with the energy of Dire Claw.
Above, Hidden Power and Draco Meteor clashed, causing a cascade of explosions to go off in the air. Twilight closed her eyes from the furious explosions above which left behind bright flashes. Cinccino and Ninetales had to do the same but Sneasler looked completely fine, continuing her assault.
"Cincco?!" Cinccino gasped as she would jump over an incoming Dire Claw. Sneasler didn't waste time launching another attack but Cinccino and her little body were active enough to react in time.
"Aqua Tail!"
"Cincinno!" The Scarf Pokemon would quickly block the incoming Dire Claw by covering her tail in a veil of water. She barely managed to stop the attack before going back and forth with the Free Climb Pokemon. At the same time, Sneasler was moving forward with each slash, trying to reach Twilight. Speaking of reaching Twilight, Storm Creatures were coming her way, making it so that Twilight couldn't focus on her battle at all.
Quickly, Twilight formed a shield around her right as one of the Storm Creatures lunged at her. The barrier caught the Storm Creature before pushing him off once it expanded. The other Storm Creatures would be pushed back by the expanding shield too, rolling and tumbling on the ground and crashing into the ruins of this city. Cinccino was hit, unable to beat out Sneasler in a close-quarters exchange. Quickly, Ninetales used his tails to catch Ninetales before she could suffer any major damage.
"Boomburst!"
"Noi...Vern!" Just then, Noivern unleashed a powerful soundwave that overpowered every other sound here. The ruins of the city were blown away by Noivern's Boomburst, harming the ears of the Hippogriffs and the Water Pokemon. Twilight would quickly make a run for it, as well as her Pokemon who followed her. They attempted running from the soundwave, hoping to outspeed it as it tore through the rubble and broken buildings that stood in its way.
Unable to outrun it, Twilight and her Pokemon would simply lunge to the side, evading it as it could only go forward even though it had such a wide radius. After avoiding it, jumping out of the fog was Sneasler with Dire Claw, eyeing down Twilight Sparkle.
"Cinccino!" Coming to her save was Cinccino with Aqua Tail, this time, hoping to win the up-close exchange. Right as Dire Claw was near Twilight's face, the Fighting-Poison-Type was met with a wet slap to the face from Cinccino's Aqua Tail, finally landing a hit on her even if it was a surprise attack.
"Snea!" Sneasler slid on the ground, holding her face as that Aqua Tail packed quite a punch.
"Close Combat!"
"Sneasler!" Sneasler moved back in, this time, switching up what attack she would use. She would still get up close and personal as that was her personal, but now it was Close Combat that Twilight's Pokemon had to deal with. And for someone like Cinccino, that was a problem.
"Use your scarf to deflect the blows!"
"Cinno!" However, one advantage that Cinccino had over most Normal-Types was the fact that she had a method for physical attacks such as this. The special oil that always seeps within her fur would kick in as she raised it, using it as a shield.
Just as the Pokedex aside, the scarf helped deflect the incoming strikes. Sneasler found that her claws were pushed back when coming into contact with the scarf. Sneasler would throw multiple strikes at high speeds, only for Cinccino to deflect each of them with her scarf. The claws were slipping, failing to land any heavy blows.
"Extrasensory!"
"Ninetales!" Assisting Cinccino was Ninetales with Extrasensory. Both his eyes flashed blue as he send a highly super-effective move towards the Free Climb Pokemon right as she went for her next attack. Sneasler was sent flying by the heaviest attack she's taken so far. As a Fighting-Poison-Type, something like Extrasensory was volatile to her. The counterpart to Weavile hurled through the air from that powerful Extrasensory, really feeling bewildered by it.
"Vern!" Only for Noivern to catch her with his claws, preventing her from going any further.
"Tri Attack! Hidden Power!"
"Cinccino!" The duo would then attack their opponents in the air with Cinccino summoning three orbs. Two on her paws and one on her head. Each having the power to leave behind three status effects. Ninetales would suddenly use his tails, grabbing ahold of the Scarf Pokemon as they were going for a team attack instead of attacking individually.
"Tales!" With all of his might, he launched Cinccino into the air while she was still carrying Tri Attack. At the same time, Ninetales had sent the orbs of Hidden Power upwards, letting them fly alongside Cinccino.
Noivern would then throw Sneasler, allowing her to use Close Combat while in the air. The two sides approached each other as Cinccino and Sneasler were about to get into an up-close exchange once more. However, this time, Cinccino had some ranged attacks to add to the mix. While approaching Sneasler, she threw two of the spheres right at her. The Fire and Lightning Spheres were the ones thrown at Sneasler, only for her to slash them apart. With her claws, the two spheres were easily cleaved through as that only left the ice sphere.
But that final sphere would be unleashed right as Cinccino was close to Sneasler. The second Sneasler's claws came in, the ice sphere was thrust forward by Cinccino, creating a bright blue and chilling explosion in the air. Out of it, Cinccino could be seen falling down.
"C-Cinno!"
At the same time, Twilight was currently avoiding the Storm Creatures who tried grabbing her. She would jump from building to building, avoiding the Storm Creatures the best way she could. But they were rather relentless when pursuing her, even bashing their bodies through the walls of the buildings just to chase Twilight down. The Princess of Friendship looked over at her Pokemon, seeing how Cinccio took a fairly heavy blow from that explosion in the air. But there wasn't any time to return her into her Poke Ball. Not when some of the Storm Creatures were starting to intercept Twilight.
"Flare Blitz, Ninetales! Quick!" Twilight yelled before blasting one of the Storm Creatures out of the way. That Storm Creature would fall, landing on his comrades. Twilight would then jump on the head of another, using him as a launchpad. However, when lunging into the air and spreading her wings out, catching her by surprise was Tempest Shadow. Twilight gasped as she also managed to enter the air, using her own jumping skills.
Getting in front of her, Tempest would use the Obsidian Orb at last, thrusting it at her. However, it was a failure. Twilight quickly lowered her head, barely managing to avoid the orb as it was thrown elsewhere. Twilight lost her balance after being caught by surprise like that, crashing into the ground.
Tempest kissed her teeth as that was the last orb that she had on her. The unicorn with a broken horn landed on the roof of a building while Twilight receive a hard landing back to the ground. The Princess of Friendship rolled across the ground, going down a hill as her body would bump into some of the ruins before she finally came to a stop.
But even when stopping, there were Storm Creatures already chasing her down. The young alicorn couldn't afford to slow down at all as the Storm Creatures came charging in while she was on the ground. Unable to get up in time, Twilight used her magic to propel herself backwards, unleashing a beam to do so. That beam would be powerful enough to make her travel while also hitting some of the Storm Creatures.
She went further down the hill, trying to find the right time to recover as the speed she went at made that rather difficult. The one to bring Twilight to a true halt was none other than Tempest Shadow. By using the cube, she utilized Zygarde's power once more, targeting the land itself.
The land underneath Twilight had been altered, creating a large mound of rocks that she would crash into. Finally, Twilight's movements were stopped, even though Tempest was the one to do it.
"Enough of your running." Tempest Shadow said to Twilight, looking down at her. "I guess I'll just have to take you in without your body being obsidian."
"T-That won't happen..." Twilight got back, groaning as her back was in a bit of pain thanks to the crash.
"Really now? Well, you should know that those rocks I made left something for you."
"What?" Twilight looked at her back as those rocks weren't just ordinary rocks. When making them, Tempest Shadow left something behind to her advantage. And that was some of the magic from the Sea Temple Crystals. A small bit of it but it was enough to get something done. "Ngh!" Twilight suddenly groaned as her body was paralyzed. Tempest Shadow used the crystals to form a paralysis effect.
But it was more than just a paralysis effect. It had a strong electrical shock to it as well, making Twilight scream. Her scream was then heard by Cinccino and Ninetales, who were still dealing with Noivern and Sneasler. And the second Twilight's screams came out, they gasped, knowing that their trainer was in great trouble. But that gave TEmpest's Pokemon the opportunity to strike as Sneasler's Dire Claw had landed, striking Cinccino at last. Poor Ninetales was sent flying by Noivern's Boomburst as it was difficult to reach their trainer at the moment.
"Easy enough." Tempest Shadow leapt off the roof at a great distance, landing in front of Twilight Sparkle. This wasn't how she envisioned capturing her but it would have to do. Twilight looked up at Tempest Shadow with one eye closed, trying her best to resist. "You're coming back with me. The Storm King's final array of power is long due."
Back underwater, the Hippogriffs were dealing with a new problem. An air current that was pushing them forward. Many of them had been sent hurling through the sea. Some of them had been pushed up against the walls of the sea, stuck there as the wind would mercilessly beat down on them. Pinkie Pie and Skystar both had their faces planted into the walls, seeing nothing but rock.
"There has to be a way to stop this! Because it feels like my bones are about to break off! Somepony do something already!" Rarity screamed, wanting this to be over at once.
"Sceptile!" Sceptile held his hand out, trying to use his roots to block off the hole once more. But this hole was much bigger than before thanks to what Tempest Shadow had done. Not even Frenzy Plant could block it off. Frenzy Plant couldn't save them now, unable to made the radius of this hole.
"Mmmm! Mmm-mm!" Pinkie Pie said something but since her face was planted in the wall, it was hard for anyone to understand her. But she clearly had something in mind that might work if given the chance.
"I've got something...Mew! I need your help with this!" Ash said to Mew.
"M-Mew!?"
"Wailord will be enough to block off that hole but the air current's too strong for Wailord to get close. Mew'll just be pushed back. We need you to go into that tunnel and turned into Wailord. That'll definitely shut it down."
"How are ya gonna do that if it's this strong?" Applejack asked, holding onto her hat.
"Novo! Pass me the pearl!" Ash would look over at Queen Novo, requesting usage of the pearl.
"Y-Yes, your majesty!" She replied to the King of the Sea, doing her best to reach him. She would try and pass the pearl over as throwing it would be a bad call thanks to this power air current. But with some help from Sceptile's vines, she was pulled over, reaching Ash. Once near, she passed the pearl to Ash, letting him utilize it at last. He hadn't been transformed into anything at all compared to his friends due to Queen Novo refusing to disrespect him.
But this time, that would be different. With the pearl in his hands, he had the means to turn into anything he wanted. Anyone he wanted. All he needed was someone who could power through the air current and get Mew to the tunnel just so he could transform. Ash's eyes would flash as the pearl would react to him. The wisps from before would encircle Ash's body, transforming him.
His friends and the Hippogriffs watched as he underwent a transformation the likes of which they haven't seen before. A bright flash enveloped the King of the Sea as he emerged with a rather celestial appearance.
He emerged as the Rift.
"No way!" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in utter disbelief. Ash's body shape was still there but now he had a celestial hair. It matched his black hair, making it seem like an entire space was within it. His clothes even gained a cosmic appearance, possessing an ethereal blue appearance. His jacket was a bit longer too thanks to the cosmic additions as his eyes were now sparkling, resembling white stars.
"Pika-Pi?"
"It worked!" Ash said as his voice was now echoed out. He took inspiration from the Rift. Or rather, the parents of the Rift. The same entity who was trying to save the Rift since it used to be two individuals. The True Lucien and Sienna. Ash had taken inspiration from the parents based on how many times he has seen them.
And with this body, Ash had no weight whatsoever. His weight was completely gone. Even the air had some weight to it thanks to the pressures its capable of. But not Ash. Not anymore. He was a completely new being as the Air Currents did not affect at all. He was completely immune to it.
"Is it because he's seen the Rift before?" Fluttershy gasped, wondering if the constant viewings of the Rift were why Ash was able to pull it off.
"I think it's because of the times he's been hit with Rift Magic in some way." Rarity thought deeper than that, recalling the times' Ash had been struck with Rift Magic. Rift Energy has entered Ash's body in these past 4 years but it has mostly been dormant, overtaken by the Aura. Now, there was a good enough time to use its power as Ash made the right call to transform into the Parents of the Rift.
He would grab Mew, flying straight for the massive tunnel in the sea. And thanks to his new Cosmic Biology, he could move freely, ignoring the powerful air pressures. His friends watched as it felt like an otherworldly being was swinging into action. Once close to the tunnel, Ash would raise Mew right above it.
"Now, Mew! Transform!"
"Mew...MEW!" Mew's eyes would soon flash, hearing out Ash's command. At that moment, Mew's body changed from its original shape into something far bigger. Something that would thrive in the sea. Ash moved back with his Cosmic Body, leaving behind stardust trails that decorated the sea.
And just as planned, Mew had emerged as Wailord, what many know as possibly the largest Pokemon. Aside from a few exceptions here and there. With Wailord's massive body, the hole had been filled up, putting an end to the air currents once more. The strong pressures it brought to the sea came to an abrupt halt and with it, anyone plastered against the wall could freely move at last.
"Whew. That did the trick." Ash sighed as even his sigh had an echo. It felt like a voice that transcended the world was coming out of him, not belonging here at all. "That hole's still gonna be there, so everyone here is gonna have to swim elsewhere if they wanna avoid it."
"Oh, thank you, your majesty!" Queen Novo put her hooves together, thanking Ash for protecting her home. "I should've expected that your excellence would-"
"Ah, it was nothing." Ash laughed. "Clogging it up just seemed like the way to go. Just needed someone big enough. Like Wailord."
"R-Right. I suppose speaking formally to you isn't your style at all?" Novo looked at him, finally taking in how Ash spoke. He wasn't exactly using his Thees and Thous or anything like that. He spoke as himself despite the respect that was thrown his way.
"I don't mind it." Still, Ash didn't mind it at all. He was fine with however others wish to address him
"Then in that case...Nice work, your majesty!" Novo would be back to speaking in her normal tone while still keeping Ash's Kingly Status in her sentence. "That was a close one! I thought we were gone for a moment there!"
"Princess Celestia wasn't kidding about that pearl. Ash was completely different. He felt new." Pinkie Pie swam over, looking at the pearl. It lived up to its hype without a doubt as it turned Ash into a Cosmic Being.
"Twilight!" But Ash would quickly focus back on the other important matter. Twilight's capture. "Sorry, Novo! But we gotta go before Twilight gets taken away!"
"You won't be doing it alone, your majesty." Novo shook her head. "Well, not with your numbers at least. I didn't think we'd ever have to leave the sea ever again but...that might have to change."
"Does that mean...We're going back to the surface?!" Skystar gasped as her eyes lit up. Many of the Hippogriffs heard exactly what Novo said as their ears did not deceive them. The opportunity to return to the surface had come and it just so happened to be at a time when they were being attacked yet again.
"It means, we're helping the King of the Sea." Novo turned to her daughter. "I can see why he's so confident in beating the Storm King. You're all pretty confident by the looks of it. We want our original home back after this and that can only happen if we stop living in fear of the Storm King."
"Thanks, Novo." Ash grinned, loving the support he and his friends were about to get. But he couldn't stand around for much longer. Not when Twilight was up there. Not wasting any time, Ash took off with his friends. But they were too late to reach Twilight as her capture had been made.
Queen Novo would have to tend to her subjects before she can get out there and help Ash. And of course, the pearl was coming with her. It was valuable and had to be protected but it could be of such help as seen by how it changed Ash, granting him the method of blocking the powerful air currents that flew in.
The moment they return to the surface, it will be an immediate rescue mission for Twilight Sparkle. First the Crystals, then Twilight. And if something wasn't done soon, potentially, the power of the other princesses and the Legendary Pokemon that challenged the Storm King would be taken as well. All of them.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 210 End.