The Human World. Prismatic Mansion. Afternoon.
Unexpectedly. Sci-Twi found herself in a Pokemon Battle against the Guardian of the House. A follower of Prisma by the name of Scione. For the sake of her freedom and well-being, she would have to emerge victorious. Failure would result in her being an experiment. A test subject for Scione. All the while, Ash's group have just sown up and were in a luxurious setting compared to what Sci-Twi was about to face.
"I take it you're a decent enough Pokemon Trainer, right?" Scione asked, pointing at Twilight's Human Counterpart. "You're already smart since you're Twilight's counterpart. So, you should know that I am objectively a better trainer than you since I come from a lost world."
"I still feel confident that I can beat you." But Twilight's confidence didn't waver after that comment.
"If you say so. I haven't gotten to do much ever since I showed up in this boring world. This'll be fun." Excited about this battle, Scione held her hand out, suddenly summoning a Poke Ball out of thin air. In this case, it was an Ultra Ball. With the snap of her fingers, she added some extra flair to the stadium.
Sci-Twi looked around her to see advertisements being placed up by Scione. These advertisements featured products that Sci-Twi has never heard or seen before, even with context from the Pokemon World. "Ah! Now this feels more like home! Now it's starting to look like one of the stadiums Prisma battled in. A bit longer and I might be able to replicate a crowd. Let's make it a 3-on-3 battle. I mean, I only have 3 so, that's only natural."
"I'll let you go first, Munchlax." Sci-Twi looked down at her gluttonous friend. "I'm counting on you to try and win this for us."
"Munchlax!" Running up was Alpha Munchlax, who would be her first Pokemon.
"Now that I'm getting a closer look at your Pokemon, you seem to have Alpha Pokemon. An Alpha Munchlax and Pikachu. Interesting." Scione observed. "That means these Pokemon won't be total pushovers. Enter the stage Grimmsnarl!"
"Grimmsnarl!" Her first Pokemon ended up being something that Sci-Twi has never seen before in her life.
"W-What is that?" She was just about to take out her Pokedex.
"No need." But Scione promptly stopped her, holding one finger out. "You'll get everything you need to know with this." By using her mysterious and fascinating power, she suddenly created a holographic projection that showed all the details about Grimmsnarl. This involved images, biology, evolution charts, habitats and more.
"Grimmsnarl. The Bulk Up Pokemon. With the hair wrapped around its body helping to enhance its muscles, this Pokémon can overwhelm even Machamp. Its hairs work like muscle fibres. When its hairs unfurl, they latch on to opponents, ensnaring them as tentacles would. It lives deep within the forest. Even after evolving into this splendid form, it hasn’t given up on its petty misdeeds and pranks.
"Nifty, right? Where I come from, something like this is natural. Pokedexes are practically useless to me. If only your world had access to something like this but it's clear it's years behind or lacking it entirely." Scione laughed, essentially calling Sci-Twi and everything related to her primitive.
"I'll show you...!" Sci-Twi grumbled as Scione was already getting on her nerves. Spike would grizzle her teeth at this woman from another universe, finding her irritating as well.
"Now then'! Let the battle begin!" She was her own referee, beginning the Pokemon Battle.
"Here goes! Munchlax, use Body Slam!"
"Munch-Munch!" With a huge puff that made him stick his chest out, the Big Eater Pokemon rushed in, approaching Grimmsnarl. But it was a rather slow approach since Munchlax was disgustingly slow. He lacked a lot of speed due to how his species was.
"How cute." Scione snickered due to Munchlax's slow speed. "I have plenty of time to retaliate against this. Grimmsnarl, use Drain Punch!"
"Grimm!" By pulling its vigorous arms back, Grimmsnarl was already going for a super-effective glow as an orange glow appeared around its fist. Against an opponent as slow as Munchlax, this looked like it would be a sure-fire hit.
"Launch yourself!"
"Munch...Lax!" However, Munchlax and especially Sci-Twi were ready for this. Right as the fist was pulled back, Munchlax threw his entire body forward. Grimmsnarl threw the punch, meeting with Munchlax's body. As an Alpha Munchlax, he was bigger than the average Munchlax, allowing his entire gut to be a shield. But that wasn't the vital part here. What mattered was the fact that Munchlax used a different version of Body Slam.
By unleashing his full body weight, he entered a clash with the Bulk Up Pokemon which seemed highly unlikely in the eyes of Scione. "Oh?" Scione raised an eyebrow. That was an odd tactic, but it was rather clever since it was managing to form a clash. "Well, how did you manage this? Launching Munchlax forward instead of from above?
"I always knew Munchlax's speed would be a problem, so I had Ash teach me! He doesn't just help me on my journeys! He gives me pointers on how to grow as a trainer and I take those pointers to heart!" Sci-Twi said as this was something that Ash shared. "With Munchlax's full body weight being heavier than Grimmsnarl's it's only natural that something like this would happen!"
"It is?!" Scione gasped, bringing up Munchlax's Dex Entry immediately. Lo and behold, Munchlax was way heavier than Grimmsnarl. Despite being the smaller Pokemon, due to his species, he had the weight advantage. And as a bonus, since he was an Alpha Munchlax, his weight was even greater. "Oh, my! He really is!"
"So much for whatever you have that's supposed to be better than a Pokedex!" Sci-Twi smiled. "I wasn't going to let you dominate me in the beginning. After my battle against Hunter J, I promised myself I'd grow and this is my chance to show that growth. Push, Munchlax!"
"Munchlax!" Possessing the greater weight, Munchlax used it to move forward. It was like a hammer pushing against a box. Grimmsnarl was still hanging in there, trying its best to keep Munchlax away. But it was an absolute failure. Munchlax won, pushing through Grimmsnarl's Drain Punch and talking the Dark-Fairy-Type.
"S-Snarl!" Grimmsnarl was staggered, even moving back a bit. It just barely managed to keep itself as steady as possible.
"Yes! I got the first hit!" Sci-Twi jumped for joy. "Now, use Ice Punch!"
"Munch....Lax!" Munchlax would try and follow it up with Ice Punch, covering its had in ice. It would then sock the Bulk Up Pokemon's face with a chilling blow. It didn't hit as hard as Body Slam, but it definitely racked up some damage.
"Darn. I didn't get the freeze effect off..." Sci-Twi uttered. She was hoping that Ice Punch would freeze Grimmsnarl, giving Munchlax more opportunities to attack.
"Hm. Body Slam and Ice Punch? If I had to guess, Munchlax has these moves to make up for its miniscule speed, correct?" Scione questioned, wondering if that's why Munchlax has those moves on him. "One for paralysis and one for freezing. Not a bad approach."
"Well...yeah," Sci-Twi uttered. That was indeed her plan. When it comes to Pokemon Battles, Sci-Twi was about thinking strategically, much like her Equestrian Counterpart.
"Unfortunately, that's never going to happen. Use Spirit Break, Grimmsnarl!"
"Grim!" Rays of pink light suddenly came out of Grimmsnarl's torso. These lights immediately reached Munchlax, striking him repeatedly.
"M-Munch!" Munclax cried out after these pink rays struck him. This was then followed up by Grimmsnarl suddenly throwing its fist out which would extend thanks to the hair around its body. It couldn't just bulk it up, but it could also manipulate it as stated by its entry. Munchlax was hit with a powerful blow from Grimmsnarl which sent him flying.
"We're not done here! Grab him!"
"Grimmsnarl!" But Grimmsnarl wasn't done just yet. By extending the hair around its arm, it used it to grab onto Munchlax while he was flying off. Munchlax felt his body being wrapped around by the thick hair.
"Oh, no! Munclax!" Sci-Twi screamed.
"Now, you can't escape. Grimmsnarl will make sure of it. Squeeze him!"
"Grim!" Tightening its grip, Grimmsnarl would use its brute strength to squeeze Munchlax, dealing continuous damage to him with no chance of escaping. Munchlax groaned with his eyes bulging out. Sci-Twi had a worried grimace on her face. She was hoping she wasn't outmatched here and this was just a simple slip-up, but it wasn't looking that way right about now.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in this mansion, Ash and his group were just exploring the place while the battle was ongoing. The further they went, the more it appeared as just a fancy mansion as opposed to what Sci-Twi was shown. Ash was too busy looking for Sci-Twi to really take in the scenery, but he would still glance at it here and there. The CMC were currently moving on a massive cart that was found here at the mansion with Sceptile pulling along it. The girls went speeding across the mansion, having the time of their lives.
"Say, Ash..." Lucas, who was definitely taking time to take in the mansion, squinted his eyes while having a judgemental look on his face.
"Yeah?"
"Does this place feel familiar to you? 'Cause it feels like we've been here before. I'm not sure how to put it."
"I was thinking the same thing too. But I was really thinking of reaching Twilight." Ash agreed. "It does feel like we've been here before. Doesn't feel like the first time we've been in a mansion like this. I mean, I've been in my fair share of mansions but not one like this. What about everyone else?"
"Hm? Sorry. Can't say." Rarity shrugged along with her Human Counterpart. There was no familiarity with this place.
"Nope." Neither did Pinkie Pie feel any familiarity. It was just Ash and Lucas. "Maybe there's just some electricity in the air. I wonder if Twilight's feeling it too. Wherever she is."
"Well, this mansion's nice and all, but we're getting nowhere, so far," said Rainbow Dash, currently playing a video game due to the items that were summoned here at the mansion. Scione showed greater kindness to the rest of Ash's friends compared to Sci-Twi, who received kindness in the beginning but was soon hit with an unexpected Pokemon Battle, among other things.
"Let me take a swing at it next, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed as Sceptile moved the cart back.
"Well, we've been moving for a while and so far, there's no sign of her. But that can be fixed in a jiffy." Digging into his pocket, Lucas held out a Poke Ball, knowing he could count on a Pokemon for this. "I need your help, Luxray!"
"Ah! I was gonna do the same!" Quickly passing the game to Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash swiftly threw out her own Poke Ball. Out of it, her own Luxray was summoned.
"Luxray!"
"Okay, Luxray. I need you to find Twilight for us. She's somewhere in this mansion, but we don't know where." Rainbow Dash kneeled, having to face Luxray at this level since she was much taller as a Human. "I'm counting on you. Oh, and the other Luxray.
With both Luxrays out, they both had the same thing in mind. X-Ray Vision. In unison, both Luxrays unleashed their X-Ray vision, attempting to find Sci-Twi since walking around wasn't doing any good. Their eyes flashed blue as they both locked onto the walls of this strange mansion.
When focusing on the mansion, they noticed something off. Very off. Instead of just seeing other rooms, there was something around this mansion that looked very familiar. It was magic. Magical auras were seen by the Luxray, floating everywhere, embedded in every nook and cranny.
"You see magic?" Fluttershy translated for both of them. "Oh, then it's probably just Equestrian Magic."
"Ray..." But this didn't feel like Equestrian Magic. At least, one Luxray could tell. Rainbow Dash's Luxray to be exact. He knows what Equestrian Magic was like and this was certainly not it.
"It's not Equestrian Magic?" Fluttershy gasped after translating once more. "Then...what is it?"
"Not Equestrian Magic? But this place has that kind of magic, even if it's not called Equestria. At least, I don't think it's called that." Rainbow Dash curiously scratched her mane
"What other magic is there? Chaos Magic?" Ash wondered, thinking about the different forms of magic. Was it Chaos Magic? Was it Pokemon Magic? He wasn't sure just yet. But Magic was definitely involved.
"Ray! Luxray!" Just then, Lucas's Luxray ended up finding Sci-Twi, seeing through a veil of magic. There, she saw her partaking in a Pokemon Battle with Scione and she was currently in a rough position with Grimmsnarl holding onto Munchlax with a tight grip. As for the spot she was the closest to, it was past a wall that was also surrounded by magic.
"Aha! Looks like we found her! She's past that wall right there!" Lucas clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Good going, Luxray! Now we just have to reach her."
"I know how to handle that. Luxray, use Wild Charge!" Brute force was Rainbow Dash's approach. She was going to bust through the walls.
"Lux...!" By eclipsing his entire body in a burst of lightning, the Gleam Eyes Pokemon launched himself at the spot where his fellow Luxray aimed at. Moving at high speeds, the Electric-Type became a bolt of lightning, crashing into the walls and going straight through them. "Ray!"
Flawless destruction. Luxray's fierce attack not only blew a hole in the wall but it also blew away some of the magic around this part of the mansion, obliterating it with destructive volts. By doing that, the stadium was revealed as the magical illusion that hid it was gone.
"Oh my!" Scione gasped, startled by the sudden intrusion from Luxray.
"Twilight! There you are!" Ash rushed in, coming to a screeching halt when moving past Luxray.
"Ash! You're here!" The brightest smile met her face once she saw Ash.
"Who is that?" Applejack squinted, locking onto Scione. And speaking of locking on, as soon as Ash and his friends showed up, Scione's attention drifted away from the Pokemon Battle and onto Ash and Lucas specifically. Only those two and no one else. And that was for a good reason. These two resembled Prisma after all. Especially Ash.
"Oh...my...Stars!" She squealed, suddenly getting all giddy. Her eyes lit up as Grimmsnarl as now just awkwardly holding onto Munchlax. It still had a strong grip but it was slightly weakened due to Scione's avertion to something else "You're here! You're finally here!"
"W-We are?" Lucas stammered. "She's talking to us, right?"
"Of course I am! I knew you were here from the beginning but I wanted to make sure you were comfortable in the beginning. After all, this mansion is honouring you! Pokemon Master Prisma! And you're appearing as two people!"
"Aw, it's another Prisma thing!" Rainbow Dash groaned.
"I was hoping to meet you in a more orderly and grandiose fashion but, oh well~ This works for me. At last, I get to see you again in the flesh, Prisma! You may not remember me, but I am Scione! One of your biggest supporters during your rising stardom!"
"Uh...Thanks?" Ash and Lucas said in unison, looking at each other afterwards.
"You'll have to excuse me though. I'm currently in the midst of battling against this world's Twilight Sparkle. I just need to make sure that if she's related to her in any way. That face is rather familiar."
"You're not really telling me who it is at all." Sci-Twi grumbled. "And you want to experiment on me too?!"
"Relax. It's not like I'm going to dissect your body or anything. That would be insane." Scione shrugged. "But you and Twilight Sparkle look a lot like her. And since Prisma is here, I'll gladly say her name. The one I'm referring to is Twilight Luminaria."
"Twilight Luminaria?" Sci-Twi, Ash, Lucas and everyone else repeated. There was now a fifth Twilight that has been brought up. First, it was Twilight Sparkle, then Sci-Twi, then Twilight Moonlight, following that up was Twilight who now went by Twilight Wish and now the fifth Twilight.
"Another counterpart?" Fluttershy wondered.
"Oh, no, no. Don't be mistaken." Scione wagged her finger. "She isn't a counterpart at all. Far from it. In fact, she is very similar to Prisma, in which she was once one being but soon split into multiple incarnations of herself."
"W-Wait! Are you saying that I'm..." Sci-Twi gasped.
"That's right. There's a chance you're one of those incarnations. The one pony who was an absolute thorn in Prisma's side. The only one to really challenge him. Twilight Luminaria!" Scione finally revealed her name but only because Ash and Lucas were here. She was holding out the entire time since it was Sci-Twi after all.
"So Twilight's got her own Prisma? No way." Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped as now Twilight was in a similar situation as Ash and his counterparts.
"I'd say she's a bit harder to distinguish compared to Prisma and those who look like her." Scione continued. "I mean, you're greatly lacking in magic too, but that's only natural for this world."
"Then what about you?! How come you have magic?! You're the one who put it everywhere!" Vigorously pointing at Scione was Rainbow Dash.
"How? I'm not from here, duh." Scione laughed before raising her finger. "Because back in my universe, the Lost Universe, Magic is natural. Even for us Humans."
"Humans have Equestrian Magic!" A shocking revelation was made, prompting the CMC to shoot out. Scione was in possession of magic and it was all natural instead of gifted.
"Pfft. It's not called Equestria Magic, but it's relatively close. In your universe, Equestria is a Magic Heavy place compared to every other region. Everyone is born with magic there. But from the world I once came from, it's equally natural for a human to be born with magic. Neat, huh?"
"That explains the weirdness of the mansion," said Sci-Twi. It all made sense. It wasn't a function or anything related to that. It was all magic from Scione.
"But never mind that. Us meeting is destined, Prisma!" Scione continued to fangirl over Prisma. "After all, you willed it to happen."
"We did? How?" Lucas wasn't following.
"Simple. Jirachi. It's because of Jirachi that everything from the lost world is finally returning! The world I used to live in and where you used to exist as one is making a comeback gradually with no signs of slowing down! It was destiny because you wanted this to happen. You wished for this revival."
"No way! I wished for both worlds to become one!" Ash rejected it immediately. He remembered what his wish was. But of course, because of the Jirachis, it had some insane side effects.
"No way. It was Prisma's will to bring everything back." But Scione was in full belief that Prisma wanted this to happen. "In his final words before our world was erased when confronting Twilight Luminaria, he said this. I have the voice, but not the image. He made sure to elevate his voice so everyone would hear it." Scione would try and prove it, using her magic to reveal what Prisma said before the utopic world was erased. Everyone would stop to listen carefully as this would be the first time they hear Prisma's voice.
"It isn't over yet! Even if this world is destroyed, I will be everlasting! I'll come back one day. Whatever shape or form it ends up being, I'll be back, Twilight. It's my will, my desire and my wish!"
"Hah...What a majestic voice!" Scione gushed. "And now it's all coming to fruition. It's a bit slower than I would like but, oh well. I can wait."
"That can't be. Are you saying that Ash and I...used to be enemies?" But Sci-Twi had a different takeaway. Taking everything in, she realized that Prisma and Twilight Luminary sounded more like enemies compared to the friendly bond Ash and Twilight had formed.
"That's right. The only one to really trouble Prisma. But just to make sure you're here, I need to win this Pokemon Battle." Scione's eyes would suddenly intensify as she was focusing on the Pokemon Battle once more. "Finish him, Grimmsnarl!"
The battle would continue but with spectators available. Sci-Twi shook her head, getting back into the battle. She was still battling for her freedom but now she had quite a lot to think about. And so did Ash and the others after hearing all of this. This all took quite a turn as the journey continues.
Chapter 292 End.