//------------------------------//
// The Fourth Visitor 
// Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Equestria. Canterlot. The Pokemon School. Afternoon.

The third day of the Pokemon School had come to an end. And it was a smashing success. With its first official lesson day completed, the students were heading home greatly satisfied. The students will most definitely come back tomorrow after the enjoyment they were given.

However, some stayed behind. Mainly to talk with each other since their homes weren't that far. But one student stayed behind since he was facing an issue that existed since yesterday. That would be Gallus and his stubborn Tailow. The stubbornness of Tailow was more than what they expected as he was sitting in the corner.

"Wow. This is harder than it looks..." Twilight sighed as Gallus and Tailow were not getting anywhere with this. "School's over and Tailow still hasn't done much at all.

"This blows," Gallus said with very visible disappointment. "How come I'm the one who got the stubborn Pokemon out of everyone here? Seems rigged and unfair if you ask me."

"Try again tomorrow then, Gallus. You can get somewhere with Tailow. My Human Counterpart had plenty of trouble with her Rapidash so it's proof there's a way to bond with Tailow. There will always be a way and that's a fact."

"Yeah. Tomorrow..." Galls grumbled. "Wish it was soon. Plus, I haven't eaten yet because of this." Itching for a meal, Gallus would dig into his bag, choosing to eat while still in the school. A majority of the students have left by now while he stuck around solely out of disappointment and exhaustion. And hunger. From his bag, he had some seeds that he could snack on. Small but efficient for a griffin.

"Tail?" At that moment, Tailow suddenly perked up. The scent of the seeds caught his attention. His eyes widened as he was instantly attracted to those seeds. The TinySwallow Pokemon would take flight, approaching his Trainer who he has been ignoring this entire time.

"Hm?" Gallus looked over as Tailow pressed his face against the bag of seeds. He was fully locked in. His only goal was to devour the food from within. Instantly, Gallus knew what to do and why Tailow was suddenly getting close to him. "Ooh...You want some of this?"

"Low! Tailow!"

"Well then..." Gallus smirked, ready to take advantage of this. He raised the bag, prompting Tailow to jump around rapidly, wanting those seeds more than anything right now. "Use Quick Attack on that Training Dummy!"

"Low" Tailow would turn around, facing a Training Dummy that resembled a Snorlax. Without hesitating, the Normal-FLying-Type would move at lightning speeds, tacking the dummy at full force. He didn't make it move all that much. It barely budged.

"Nice! Now here's some!" Gallus would take out a few seeds, throwing them into the air.

"Tailow!" Tailow responded to the seeds being thrown, using Quick Attack once more. He managed to snag the seeds, feeding himself. Just like that, Gallus found his method. A method of interacting with Tailow and it was one that wasn't exactly what most Pokemon Trainers do.

"Yes! This'll work!" Gallus laughed after finding his method. "You were right, Princess Twilight! There'll always be a way and I found my way!"

"B-But...But that's now how..." Twilight stuttered and stammered as this was not the outcome she was expecting. Gallus would then walk off with his Tailow, calling it a day as he finally found a method to bond with Tailow. And that was by using the seeds. Tailow wasn't listening because of any bonds, he was listening because of the seeds. And in his defence, those seeds were rather enamouring to the senses. Twilight looked befuddled before lowering her head. "Alright...Tomorrow. What a day this has been."

"Espeon" Just then, her partner Espeon would nudge her, wanting some food as well after seeing Tailow receive some.

"I know Eve. I'll get you your food." Twilight felt defeated, going on with her day. It was high-time she got home right now and prepared for tomorrow. While today was a success, she was robbed from adventuring with her friends thanks to her new position. However, what Twilight didn't know, was that the chance to experience what they have experienced was coming sooner than she thought.



The Human World.

Meanwhile, the other Twilight was getting that chance. After what had been shared by Sunset Shimmer, Sci-Twi would investigate this closer. In her bag, she had the Travel Sphere, which she was working on earlier. Still keeping it in mind, she brought it along with her as Hisuian Zoru was currently playing around with the sphere. 

Twilight headed straight for the Time Leaks as she now learned that different views can come from it depending on who looks through them. But it had to be from someone who has lived a long time or has travelled through time. She already checked out the closest one which Ash and the others previously viewed, having Dusknoir carry her towards it. And of course, she saw nothing.

"Nothing there. Just white, like the others said." Sci-Twi pulled her head away. "Alright then, Zorua. Your turn."

Zorua was an easy answer. She came from the past too, much like all the other Alpha Pokemon, even if she wasn't an Alpha Pokemon. The Hisuian Variant leapt out of the bag, landing perfectly on Sci-Twi's head. And with just a peep, she looked through the portal.

Lo and behold, Zorua saw her home once more. It was a specific area of Hisui. The same area that Froslass used to reside in. Those icy lands were familiar to her eyes. And technically, it hasn't even been that long since she's left it since she passed through the time leaks a year or two ago. "It is my home..."

"Well, that confirms it. I thought it would be the same location but guess not." Sci-Twi pondered for a moment. It was just this single Time Leak that everyone's been looking through to see what they can gaze at. But that was the thing. It was only this Time Leak. "But what about the others? No one's looked through them just yet."

That's when it hit Twilight. The other Time Leaks haven't been looked through yet. Just this one. She wondered what would happen if the others were looked through. Only one way to find out and Twilight already knew where to find the others. An excited Sci-Twi strolled off to investigate the other Time Leaks.

Thanks to Professor Oak, she knew where these Time Leaks were located. Some of them reside in this world but others could only be found in the Pokemon World.

She took a bus, which would lead her to one Time Leak that spat out some Alpha Pokemon. Along the way, Twilight would glance at the scenery to see if anything has changed with the Pokemon being present here. And so far, from what she could see, not much has changed.

There were still Pokemon wandering this other world but the people here kept their distance. Some Pokemon were easily approachable but unfortunately, it was only the adorable ones that were easy to approach. Pokemon like Herdier, Poochyena, Skitty and a few others reminded them of everyday house pets which were self-explanatory. Generally speaking, the friendlier Pokemon made it simple for the people. Whether it was how they helped them in certain scenarios with some just coming to their aid or the aura they gave off.

Even some Flying-Types were easy to approach. Of course, it was the ones that were less aggressive, which was hard to come across sometimes. There was still a lot that needed to happen for this world as it was very much behind, compared to the other world which caught up with the Pokemon and went through some of the wildest things.

"I've slowed down when it comes to finding Alpha Pokemon but it seems like not many of them are showing up that much as usual. Maybe it's because of Lena or those Space-Time Distortions." Sci-Twi said to herself. "Anyway, it helps prevent Hunter J from getting more of them, so that's good. But I wonder if Lena and those from the past caught wind of it and stopped more of them from passing through."



Out in a lake.

Sci-Twi reached her destination. She already left the bus a while ago and had to walk there. Her destination was a lake which had a sign showing its name. Waterburns Expanse. And here, a Time Leak could be found. As always, it was nestled in the sky while still being large enough to see from afar.

"What do you think you'll see through this Time Leak, Zorua? Will be it somewhere you notice?" Sci-Twi asked the Hisuian Variant.

"I hope so. I went through a ton of places until I finally reached Hisui. But I never got the chance to spend that much time on them. I was always on the run."

"If I had to guess, it might be one of those places. We could see Unova in the past. We've already seen the town that Raine used t live in so this might be a good chance to see what it looked like back then." Sci-Twi uttered with a giddy smile. It was always fun to look into the past and this was the perfect way to gather anything about history. Most historical information comes in the form of drawings, paintings or ruins. But the Time Leaks change everything, allowing anyone to see what a certain place looked like before it changed.

"What about someone who could come through it? Do you think anyone new will show up?"

"Not sure honestly...And if they have, they've probably gone home by now. I'm guessing it's because of Lena. They're looking for her because of what's happening back in their time. But judging by what I heard, we can't see what's wrong." The counterpart to Princess Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "I'd love to help Ash and the others find Lena but if I had to guess, she's probably far from our reach."

"Because she likes to explore just as much as Ash?"

"That's right. And we-" Before Sci-Twi could finish her sentence, while approaching the Time Leak up ahead, something caught her attention. The brightness it gave off was alluring, catching her eye. On the ground, covered by the blades of grass, appeared to be a shard of some sort.

A shard that had a similar material to what Akari showed Ash and the others. It was stabbed into the ground, having a purple appearance to it. Twilight froze when looking at it as it had truly captivated her. But Zorua wasn't sure why as she wasn't captivated by it.

Just then, the Arceus Pendant around her neck started glowing. It let out small flashes that were weak and went on and off each passing second. But they were visible. Something was up the second she saw this shard. Compelled, Twilight picked up the shard at last.

"What an odd-looking shard...This material is so strange too" She also found out how odd the material was. It felt enigmatic. She couldn't figure out what it felt like as it was a feeling never discovered before on Earth. Twilight then looked down at the pendant, wondering why it was reacting to the shard. It almost sounded like the Pendant was trying to speak to Sci-Twi but it was rather weak.

"Ooh. Looks like you found it before I did." Suddenly, someone spoke to Twilight, seeing her pick the shard which had been left alone by seemingly everyone else. No one has touched it until now. Sci-Twi gasped, startled by that voice as Hisuian Zorua would drop down into the bag to conceal herself. By turning around, Sci-TWi saw someone who didn't exactly look like he came from this world. In fact, he didn't look like he came from this era.



"And what a reaction that thing around your neck is giving off." The mysterious man said.

"Oh! Uh...This is! This is new!" Twilight uttered, almost stumbling on her words. "Well, not the glowing part but the flashing. I was just coming over to look at something quickly and-"

"Don't worry about it." He calmed her down. "This isn't out of the ordinary for me. I already know what you're holding and what that is so slow down."

"Y-You do?"

"That's right. I've been around this lake for a little while and that thing hasn't escaped my sight at all." The man with what appeared to be a travelling kit nodded. "No one else has really come here...or really bothered with what's in the air. Strange, isn't it?

"Well...yeah. It is a little strange." Twilight agreed with that since no one else has seemingly interacted with the Time Leaks outside of her Friend Group. Most likely, they were still trying to figure out what to do with the Pokemon and were getting used to them ever so slowly.

"Then again, this era seems rather slow. So I don't blame them. It's a strange era too. Is our fate in the future just gaining new colours on our skins? Fascinating." He rubbed his chin.

"Um, excuse me. Your clothes...and your outfit. They look rather ancient. I mean, as ancient as they can be compared to what I know and have seen."

"Oh, they are. But they're not that ancient. That's because, if you can already tell, I'm not exactly from this era."

"You're from 200 years in the past as well, aren't you?! Or maybe more than that?"

"200? Is that how far this is? That would make sense. And yes, I am a man of the past. My name is Volo." He finally introduced himself, revealing his name to Twilight Sparkle. Indeed, Sci-Twi was facing yet another entity from the past. "I'm just a Merchant. And it looks like you have a Hisuian Pokemon in there. A Zorua, no less."

"So you are from 200 years in the past judging by what you're saying. I can't believe someone else from the past showed up here. It's becoming a little bit more frequent I guess."

"The future isn't exactly what I made it out to be. Everyone still seems so distant of the Pokemon." Volo approached Sci-Twi, pointing out the nature of this world.

"Well, that's because this is not your era. Or I guess, your world's era. This is a parallel world. One where the Humans of this world have no clue what Pokemon are. There's a portal that leads to the world where your timeline is and Pokemon have formed deep bonds with everyone there."

"Interesting..." Volo found that intriguing. "The future and another world. I never would have guessed that when passing through the Space-Time Distortion. I should thank you for clarifying that for me, Girl of the Future."

"Well, my name's Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." She felt confident enough to introduce herself to this man of the past. "Man of the Past." She even threw in a title for him, just like how he did for her. "So, you sounded like you knew about this shard. Did you come along with it?"

"I came through later. But I've seen this shard before. What you're holding is something special." Volo tapped on the mysterious shard. "And that pendant around your neck holds a rather peculiar symbol. You must be the only one in this world that has gotten used to the Pokemon. Am I right?"

"A few of my friends have. It's not many of us." Sci-Twi held the shard close to her. "It's much better in the word opposite to ours. If you want to go there and feel more in your element."

"I can wait on that. Right now, I'm focused on the shards. I should really be getting them back to my era. Same as me. I could return now but, this is just one of many."

"Many?!"

"Oh, yes." Volo winked. "It's a shard for a reason. This shard was once connected to another. And I'd say there are about 17 of them that have been scattered. I saw it myself when they all broke apart and were thrown into the future. Had them all and just like that, they were through the portal."

"Ah, sorry! I didn't know this was yours!" Sci-Twi would quickly try and give it back to him.

"Ah, don't worry, don't worry. You can keep it for now." However, Volo suddenly rejected receiving it even after what he said. "At least until they're all put together, which is something I'm aiming towards and I'll need help."

"Help? From me?"

"You're looking into these Time Leaks or Space-Time Distortions as I call them. Would you mind helping me find the rest of them? If they went through the portal, even if they have been scattered, their locations can't be too far away from us. I don't think they'll be in different lands. I can't do it alone."

"I was just planning to look through the Time Leaks. Well, Zorua was. She also comes from the past. The same past as you. Hisui." Sci-Twi explained.

"Right, right. She came here with the Alpha Pokemon. They've dropped in numbers recently because of these distortions. Some might say it's a good thing or a bad thing. I wonder where they are, anyway?  Not causing any trouble for this new world? I doubt anyone here can handle an Alpha Pokemon."

"I have them. Well, I caught them. I've been catching Alpha Pokemon for months now." Sci-Twi would reveal some of her Poke Balls which had different Alpha Pokemon inside.

"Y-You caught them?!"

"Mhm!" She said with an innocent smile. "It wasn't easy though. I had a lot of help from my friends, but I've made it my mission to catch every Alpha Pokemon out there. Before Pokemon Hunter J does."

"Wooo..." Volo whistled, impressed that Twilight caught herself a good handful of Alpha Pokemon so far. "Good luck with that. Especially with the stronger Alpha Pokemon that exist in the world. But I hope this isn't a bother. Could you help me find these shards and put them back together? After that, it's back home."

"Hmm...Okay. I'll try and help. Plus, my pendant has been glowing the moment I came across the shard." Sci-Twi held up the pendant. "It must be Arceus speaking to me."

"Arceus? Never heard of that name before. But if it's speaking to you, then there's a connection between the two. I don't exactly think they're made out of the same material."

"Even you don't know what it is?"

"Just a merchant. Truth be told, I stumbled upon these shards in the wild and planned to sell them to whoever wanted them. I could make quite a profit back home. These must be as valuable as diamonds or pearls. There might be more to them thanks to that glowing."

"I'll gladly help you find them all. But I don't know if I can go around the entire world looking for them."

"You don't have to worry about that. You won't need to. I'm not tagging along with you or anything like that. My guess is that...the pendant can help you find them." Volo would point at the Arceus pendant. "Do you think it could find those shards?"

"I'm not sure." Sci-TWi looked at her pendant deeply. "I still haven't gotten used to it yet. It's still new to me but there's obviously a lot that can be done with it. I'll try what I can."

"That's all I needed to hear. I'll be around. I could gain a lot of profit in this era. Maybe something from the past will be valuable to these people and it could be a bonus if it's from another world." Volo was off to work as a merchant once more, leaving everything up to Twilight. "I'll search for my fair share of shards as well. Oh, by the way. One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Have you seen a woman pass by here? She had a rather energetic look on her face. And a serious one when I last saw her." Volo asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Hm. Alright then. I'll be seeing you around, Twilight." Volo raised his arm as this would not be the last time Twilight saw him. After that conversation, Twilight had new things set in her mind. First the Alpha Pokemon, then the Time Leaks, then Lena Ketchum and now the shards.

Twilight Sparkle absolutely loved a good mystery. A wide smile met her face as she got to look into this some more. She met with someone from the past yet again. This time it was a Human, minus Raine who had been reincarnated as a Dusknoir. Her other non-Alpha Pokemon.

"This is great, Zorua! We have a lot that we get to look into!" Sci-Twi expressed. "Oh, I can't wait! I don't know where to start all! Should I start with the shards now that I know about them? The pendant's acting strange too!"

"I don't know. But that Volo guy's voice. Something about it creeps me out..." Zorua shuddered, peering her eyes out of the bag.

"Don't be like that, Zorua. His voice isn't that creepy." But Twilight couldn't see it. "Just smooth. Very smooth. I'll have to go home and see what I can do with the pendant and shard. Ooh, so much to do, so much to do." An excited Twilight Sparkle was about to scurry off before remembering to check through the Time Leaks. She was counting on Zorua to see what she could find.

As for Volo, their paths would cross again now that the goal to find these shards has been set. First Lena, then Arezu and Akari and now Volo. Four humans from the past have entered the present day. But only one of them was a mystery. However, it seems that it would not be a mystery for long.

And those searching for Lena Ketchum were tracking her by scent and their search led them to Hisui in the present day. The Sinnoh Region. Ash and his friends set foot in Sinnoh with two visitors from the past as the journey continues.


Chapter 229 End.