The Human World. Prismatic Mansion. Afternoon.
Here at the Prismatic Mansion, Sci-Twi and everyone behind her were hit with a stunning revelation. The Four Twilights that exist are in a similar situation as the 10 Pokemon Trainers such as Ash and Red. Just like how all 10 of them are related to Prisma, Sci-Twi, Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Wish and Twilight Moonlight are all related to a pony by the name of Twilight Luminaria.
With that in mind, Sci-Twi's battle against Scione continued with her friends watching her this time. If she loses, she would be experimented on and there was no way she was going to allow that to ever happen. And considering that Scione possessed natural magic due to the world she comes from, defeating her was vital.
"Munch...Munchlax!" Munchlax was still stuck in the grasp of Scione's Grimmsnarl, struggling to break free.
"Well, I'm sure Grimmsnarl's tired of holding onto Munchlax, so I think it's time to finish one of your Pokemon off.
"I don't think so! Bite!"
"Munch...Lax!" Munchlax had a response and it was his most-known trait. Opening his mouth, Munchlax would dig his fangs into the hands of Grimmsnarl. And no matter how powerful they were, even if they could overwhelm a Machamp, the fangs of the Munchlax managed to pierce through.
"S-Snarl! Grimmsnarl!" Grimmsnarl cried out in pain. Even if the attack was not very effective, it left an impact. Its grip was severely weakened, causing it to back away, flinching from the attack.
"Nice one!" Ash cheered. "That's always a great strategy!"
"This isn't over yet for Munchlax! Use Body Slam, now!"
"Lax!" With this golden opportunity, Munchlax would spring himself up, ready to drop all of his body weight on the Bulk Up Pokemon. Grimmsnarl had no time to look up and react at all but when it tried to do so, all it saw was a small yet wide figure crashing down towards it.
"G-Grim!" Struck by Alpha Munchlax, the full body weight of the Big Eater Pokemon made Grimmsnarl's eyes bulge out. It was almost enough to force Grimmsnarl down to the floor with how much force was dropped on the Bulk Up Pokemon. It made its body vibrate, sending ripples repeatedly.
"Not bad...But that's as far as Munchlax goes. Drain Punch!"
"Grim! Snarl!" After recovering, Grimmsnarl cloaked its hands in a flaring energy before swinging its fist at the Normal-Type. A super-effective blow was dealt. Munchlax not only took a heavy hit but his energy was absorbed by Grimmsnarl. All that damage Grimmsnarl took was promptly erased. Grimmsnarl's body would glow green while Munchlax fell on his back, unable to recover.
"Munchlax..." Munchlax had fainted, making Grimmsnarl the winner of this scuffle.
"That's a wrap for your Munchlax!" Scione exclaimed.
"Munchlax! Are you alright?!" Sci-Twi rushed to her Pokemon instead of just using the Poke Ball to return him. She helped him up, seeing his swirly eyes as he was unable to continue. Plus, he was rather hungry which certainly didn't help. "Oh, I'm sorry, Munchlax. I wanted you to take down her first Pokemon."
"Lax..."
"Is this her first Pokemon Battle?" Scootaloo asked after seeing Munchlax faint, worried that Sci-Twi might be too much for a rookie for this.
"In a stadium, yeah. She's not battling someone like Hunter J. This is Twilight's first official Pokemon Battle." Ash answered. Sci-Twi herself vowed to win this battle after her previous battle with Hunter J. She couldn't afford to lose for that sole reason. In her eyes, losing to Scione meant that she would never have a chance to beat Hunter J.
"Ah! Finally! I've found a way to make a crowd!" Scione clapped her hands. With a flick of two of her fingers, she used her magic once more. This time, it was on the empty seats in this stadium. To make a crowd, she managed to create magical projections of spectators, filling the seats up. Ash and the others watched as these deep blue magical energies emerged repeatedly. This was just another showcase of Scione's natural magic and how impressive it was. The fact that te universe she once came from had humans with natural magic was outstanding.
Soon, this stadium was becoming lively, even if they were just projections and not actually real. Scione was doing it for the flair and style, wanting this to feel like a legit Pokemon Battle. Where she comes from, everything was settled with battling but it seems everything was a spectacle too.
Noticeably, the crowd that she summoned weren't just Humans, but also Pokemon, ponies, griffons, dragons, changelings, yaks and other species known across Equestria and beyond. Scione replicated them all perfectly.
"How's this, Prisma?! Now it definitely feels a lot more like the stadiums you used to be in!" Scione showed it off to Ash and Lucas. "Surely the memories are all coming back to you now!"
"Not really," said Lucas, instantly shaking his head.
"You did what you could, Munchlax. Get some rest and I'll feed you as much as you want afterwards." Sci-Twi soon sent Munchlax back into his Poke Ball before standing up. She wasn't going to let this loss get to her. She still had a chance to win. "Alright...I'm counting on you, Dusknoir!"
"Dusknoir!" Dusknoir was her next pick. Scione saw this as a mistake considering the type disadvantage. Dusknoir was already outmatched in her eyes.
"Dusknoir? Alright." Scione shrugged. "If that's your next pick then so be it. With this crowd present, they'll watch you lose and it'll be so satisfying for me!"
"You can do it, Raine!" Cheering for Dusknoir who used to be Human once was Hisuian Zorua. She wasn't afraid to raise her voice in this instance.
"Dusknoir! Use Dynamic Punch!"
"Dusk!" By clenching his fists, Dusknoir gathered up a dynamic energy before soon approaching Grimmsnarl, who could easily resist it since it was Fairy-Type.
"Grimmsnarl, use Throat Chop!"
"Grim!" Grimmsnarl responded by using Throat Chop, cloaking its hand in darkness. It would also approach Dusknoir, focusing on his throat. However, Sci-Twi wouldn't just send Dusknoir out for no reason. She did have a reason and by holding onto her glasses, she was waiting for that right moment.
But then, something amazing happened. The Body Slam from Munchlax left an impact indeed. And that impact was the paralysis effect. Grimmsnarl's body could be seen shaking, still feeling the effects of that airborne Body Slam. This made the Bulk Up Pokemon slower than usual but it did not deter its strength.
The two attacks met, beginning a clash. They equalized immediately, forcing each other back. Dusknoir also possessed brute strength thanks to those grippers he has. And since he was an Alpha Pokemon, his strength was greater than an average Dusknoir, allowing him to match Grimmsnarl's strength.
"Once more, Grimmsnarl!"
"Snarl!" Grimmsnarl lunged in for another Throat Chop, this time going straight for the head.
"Use Dynamic Punch again and extend your arms!"
"Dusk!" Dusknoir suddenly extended his arms as they flew forward with shadows trailing out of them. He stayed where he was this time, allowing his arms to do all the movement. Grimmsnarl gasped as he failed to get in close to Dusknoir in time, all thanks to that extension. The Bulk Up Pokemon was struck in the air, receiving a double blow to the face.
"S-Snarl!" Grimmsnarl fell down after receiving that fierce aerial blow. But before it could touch the ground, Dusknoir snuck in another Dynamic Punch. He quickly moved his right arm, causing his fist to follow Grimmsnarl to the floor. The Dark-Fairy-Type received a third strike.
Grimmsnarl would tumble across the floor after receiving a triple whammy with the crowd cheering. Scione perfectly replicated crowd reactions, but she didn't intend for some of them to cheer for Sci-Twi. The woman from a lost world gasped after hearing the cheers and praises.
"You're doing great, Twilight! Keep it up!" Rainbow Dash cheered along with Ash and the others. Hearing support from her friends was greatly heartwarming.
"Don't get too confident...!" Scione's eye would twitch while she kept up a smile.
"I can do this. I can win. And I'm going to follow up with this! Ice Beam!"
"Dusk...!" Putting his hands together, Dusknoir gathered up an aura of ice which he would then unleash with a mighty thrust. "Noir!"
"Quick! Use Spirit Break!"
"Grim...!" Grimmsnarl, who was still on the floor, tried recovering as fast as it could. It held its hand out, attempting to use Spirit Break. It just barely managed to unleash the pink rays from its hands, meeting with the Ice Beam. The two attacks collided, resulting in an icy blue and pink explosion, a majority of which struck Grimmsnarl, dealing further damage to it. Grimmsnarl rolled on the floor once more but it at least managed to recover by jumping up and getting back on its feet.
"Now, Grimmsnarl! Use Earthquake at once!"
"Grim...!" But that's when the paralysis kicked in. Grimmsnarl was unable to pull off the attack, twitching on the spot. This was Twilight's chance to strike.
"Dynamic Punch!"
"Dusk...!" Dusknoir quickly rushed in with his glowing fists while Grimmsnarl was stunned. And with no way to retaliate, the Bulk Up Pokemon could only take this attack. A fierce blow to the chest from Dusknoir which was so great, it managed to dig a bit into Grimmsnarl, making its eyes open. Grimmsnarl was then launched by the force of Dusknoir's strike, flying out of the field.
Scione gasped as Grimmsnarl flew right past her, creating a wind pressure. Grimmsnarl then hit the walls of the stadium, falling over right afterwards. That attack certainly did the trick. Grimmsnarl had fainted, giving this victory to Dusknoir. "Grimmsnarl..."
"Yes! Way to go, Dusknoir!" She ran up to her partner, immediately hugging his round body. Doing the same was Zorua, who hopped out of Sci-Twi's bag just to hug her old friend.
"Dusk."
"Well, I suppose she isn't a pushover like I thought she was." Scione scoffed, returning Grimmsnarl to its Poke Ball. "Unbelievable. My years of experience, outdone by her? 4 years isn't enough to match my skills, especially from someone who resides in this world." Scione glanced over at Sci-Twi, stunned that she was showing such promise. The more she looked at her, the more she was reminded of Twilight Luminaria.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Lucas approved of this impressive showcase of skill from Sci-Twi. She was relatively new to Pokemon Battling, but thanks to her smarts, she could quickly catch up.
"We just have to get past her last two Pokemon and we win. Then we can see if those shards are really here." said the Helper of Professor Oak.
"Change of plans!" Scione announced. "I'm switching up the rules! It will still be a 3-on-3 battle, but now it will become a double battle! Down to our last two Pokemon."
"A Double Battle?!" Sci-Twi repeated.
"That's right! Pick Dusknoir's Teammate carefully, because I know who I'm picking! Go, Claydol! Salazzle!" The next and last two Pokemon ended up being Salazzle and Claydol.
"Switching up the type of battle?! Is she even allowed to do that!" Lucas leaned forward, finding this preposterous.
"Indeed. Where I come from, this is common. The format can be changed freely depending on the situation." Scione boasted. "Now, hurry up and bring out your last Pokemon!"
"Alright...To back up Dusknoir, I'm choosing you, Rapidash!" Her choice was her ace and very first Alpha Pokemon. Rapidash.
"Rapidash!"
"Her Rapidash seems awfully huge. Bigger than most Rapidash I've ever seen." Lucas noticed the height of Sci-Twi's Rapidash, plus her Dusknoir. Even Munchlax looked bigger than usual and especially the Pikachu right next to her. Ash would answer that immediately.
"That's because most of her Pokemon are Alpha Pokemon. The strongest of their own species."
"Prisma! When I win this, you'll have to see what I have to offer! This mansion will be all yours!" Scione frantically jumped up and down, shouting at them both.
"All this to ourselves? That doesn't sound so bad..." Lucas started considering it before receiving a nudge from Rainbow Dash.
"If I win this, I'll know that I'll be ready for J the next time we meet," Sci-Twi said to herself, seeing this battle as a massive stepping stone. While Hunter J and Scione were two completely different people, especially with the way they battle, Sci-Twi could tell that they were both powerful trainers with years of experience.
"Should I see that as a compliment for my own strength? Because if so, I'm not really flattered. Now prepare yourself! Salazzle! Dragon Pulse! Claydol, use Shadow Ball!"
"Sala! Salazzle!" From her mouth, a fierce burst of Dragon energy was unleashed. Right next to that was Claydol's Shadow Ball which was targeting Dusknoir.
"Dodge them both!" Both Dusknoir and Rapidash had their methods of avoiding the attacks. Rapidash used her speed to swiftly move out of the way as the Dragon Pulse almost grazed her mane. As for Dusknoir, he phased through the floor, causing the Shadow Ball to go over his head. Both attacks missed, hitting the walls instead.
"Now, retaliate with your own Dragon Pulse, Rapidash! Dusknoir, use Ice Beam!"
"Dash!" Stomping her hoof, Rapidash used her own Dragon Pulse, holding her breath in. Meanwhile, Dusknoir put both his hands together, generating another Ice Beam which would be focused on Claydol. The two attacks flew out in unison, crossing streams for a moment.
"Swap! The both of you!"
"Claydol!" Claydol used its Psychic abilities to suddenly switch places with Salazzle, letting her take on the Ice-Type attack. She would most definitely resist it compared to Claydol. And it was the right call as Salazzle took the Ice Beam once it reached her. The Ice Beam barely phased Salazzle as she didn't even fly back or fall over. As for Claydol, not only did it swap positions with Salazzle, it teleported itself above the Dragon Pulse, causing it to miss.
"Ancient Power and Sludge Bomb!"
"Claaay...!" After avoiding the Dragon Pulse, Claydol brought down a rain of rocks that were first ripped from the floor. But to make sure they wouldn't evade them, Claydol summoned one of the rocks right near Rapidash, prompting it to strike her while it was rising. The rocks crashed down while Salazzle built up her attack instead of instantly throwing it out.
"R-Rapidash!" Rapidash and Dusknoir were both pelted and bombarded by the rocks. It was worse for Rapidash since she was a Fire-Type. And thanks to this rapid bombardment, this allowed Salazzle to get an attack in.
"Lazzle!" From her mouth, a barrage of poison was unleashed, meeting with the rocks.
Not only were they were being pelted by rocks, but they would also receive poisonous attacks. Both Pokemon were knocked back by this hard and poisonous onslaught. Both of them groaned, tumbling and rolling on the floor. They even bumped into each other.
"Are you two alright?!" Sci-Twi gasped.
"Don't start asking them that when this battle is accelerating!" Scione exclaimed. "Earthquake, Claydol! Salazzle, use Flamethrower!"
"Salazzle!" Leaping into the air with flames building up was Salazzle while Claydol would descend. The two of them switched positions once more as Claydol would slam its body down. The force of it prompted a mighty Earthquake to form, which explained why Salazzle took to the skies. This attack was going for everyone. The floor split open with golden shockwaves appearing. And from above, a stream of crimson flames from Salazzle came crashing down.
"Phase through, Dusknoir! Rapidash, use Flare Blitz to move out of the way!" Quick on her feet, Sci-Twi found the best way to avoid these attacks even with her Pokemon on the floor. Dusknoir didn't need to get up to use his intangibility. As soon as the golden shockwaves and flames came crashing down, his body would become immune for a moment.
As for Rapidash, she would envelop her body in a flare of flames, using the speed of Flare Blitz to launch herself even when on the floor sideways. It was rather uncomfortable but she had to do it either way. The Fire Horse Pokemon found herself zooming away from the golden shockwaves of Claydol.
"Great save! Now throw a counterattack in there!" Rainbow Dash hollered, clapping her hands.
"Use Rapidash's mane as a weapon! That's what I've been thinking with my Rapidash!" Scootaloo bellowed, encouraging Twilight to try that approach.
"Claydol's a problem for both my Pokemon. I should take care of it first". While she appreciated the advice, Sci-Twi wanted to figure this out on her own. She glanced at Claydol, seeing how each of its moves would prove to be troublesome for both Rapidash and Claydol. "Get in close, Dusknoir! Bring Claydol to you!"
"Dusk!" Dusknoir ascended, getting to a higher level. Reaching the air, he extended his arms out, going straight for Claydol, who was the biggest threat.
"Uh, I think not, glasses! Salazzle, use-"
"High Horsepower!" But Sci-Twi was prepared for an interruption from Salazzle, so she already had something in mind. As soon as Scione was about to shout her next command, along came Rapidash to intercept the attack. In this case, Salazzle was told to use Fire Lash and as soon as she tried swinging her blazing tongue at Dusknoir's arms, Rapidash arrived.
"Sala?!" Salazzle gasped with her mouth wide open. Her eyes turned to see her fellow Fire-Type right up in her face. Rapidash took off as fast as she could, smashing her front hooves ito Salazzle's face. "Lazzle!" A super-effective blow which staggered and launched Salazzle away, giving Dusknoir enough time to reach Claydol.
"C-Clay?!" Claydol was immediately nabbed by Dusknoir's arms, unable to be protected. After being grabbed, Dusknoir retracted his arms, bringing the Clay Doll Pokemon towards him.
"Your Grimmsnarl's not the only Pokemon with a strong grip! i can count on Dusknoir to do the same! And now I've got Claydol trapped!"
"No, you don't! Break free with Shadow Ball!"
"C-Claydol...!" Claydol still had the power to use Shadow Ball even while being restrained by Dusknoir's grip. A blob of shadows appeared right in front of the Gripper Pokemon, threatening to blast him.
"Now, Dusknoir! Spin Claydol!"
"Dusk! Dusknoir!" Dusknoir was ready for this interaction, unfortunately for Claydol. By extending his arms once more, he moved them back a little bit but still enough to be close to Claydoll. And after moving the Ground-Psychic-Type back, Dusknoir started spinning it around, interrupting its Shadow Ball.
"Dol?! Clay! Clay!" Claydol's Shadow Ball promptly fizzled out.
"Not good! Save Claydol, Salazzle! Dragon Pulse!"
"Sala! Salazzle!" Salazzle got on all fours, quickly rushing to Claydol as fast as she could. But of course, Rapidash was in the way. The Fire Horse Pokemon slid in front of Salazzle, blocking her path. She hissed at her fellow Fire-Type, saving her Dragon Pulse for Dusknoir instead.
"Get Rapidash out of the way first!"
"Lazzle!" But it looked like she would have to waste her Dragon Pulse on Rapidash.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Rapidash!" But Rapidash would respond with Dragon Pulse too. And soon, two Dragon Pulses were unleashed, resulting in an immediate clash. The two Pokemon furiously struggled to overpower each other as the radiating draconic energy started raising the rubble and sending sparks. Lo and behold, Sazzle was actually winning the clash, pushing Rapidash's Dragon Pulse back. It looked like Rapidash would lose this struggle.
"Now, throw Claydol into Salazzle!"
"Dusk...Noir!" All it took was Dusknoir finally letting go of Claydol and that was by launching the Clay Doll Pokemon at Salazzle while she was in a beam clash.
"Retreat, Salazzle! Retreat!"
"La?" It was too late. The force that Dusknoir threw Claydol down at was too fast for Salazzle to react to. The moment she looked up, her teammate landed on her. The Toxic Lizard Pokemon was promptly smashed by the Clay Doll Pokemon, ending the Dragon Pulse clash.
Her own Dragon Pulse fizzled out but not Rapidash's. It was still active and with nothing else to stop it, the attack went through, hitting both Salazzle and Claydol. The smoke started clearing after the draconic outburst came and went, the result was shown to everyone. From the magical projections to Ash and his friends.
"Claydol..."
"Salazzle..." Both Claydol and Salazzle had fainted, making Rapidash and Dusknoir the winners. And of course, this also meant that the winner of this battle was Sci-Twi.
"I did it..." She won her first official Pokemon Battle. It was all clicking for her. A smile met her face as she immediately jumped for joy. "I did it! I won! I actually won! I'm not gonna be a test subject!"
"No way!" Scione screeched, holding onto her head and getting on her knees.
"Awesome stuff, Twilight!" Ash applauded, throwing his fists into the air. The CMC jumped for joy as well, prompted by Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodding their heads in approval and respect. She was different from the Twilight Sparkle they knew but it seems the clever traits were shared across universes.
"Thank you so much, Rapidash! Dusknoir!" She approached them both. Rapidash put on a smile, realizing this was also Sci-Twi's first official victory in a Pokemon Battle. She was right to put her trust in her. It took a while, but she showed Rapidash that she was the kind of Trainer to be around without a doubt. Dusknoir, also known as Raine, was glad to be Sci-Twi's Pokemon as well after years of anger and sadness. The two of them received loving hugs from their trainer, who was greatly pleased.
The magical crowd cheered with different cries from different species filling the area. Even though they weren't actually real and were just projections of a lost utopia, it was still impactful to Sci-Twi. All of her friends soon surrounded her, congratulating the not-so-rookie Pokemon Trainer.
"Well, so much for that. Good work you two." Scione shrugged, promptly returning her Pokemon. "Hmph. I suppose I won't know if she is another incarnation of Twilight Luminaria. But the fact that her name is also Twilight Sparkle is leading me to believe that."
"Now, I can find those shards and get out of here." Sci-Twi sighed. "I have a lot I want to do, such as joining the Pokemon Festival.
"I commend you, Twilight Sparkle." Scione approached Sci-Twi. "You have proven me wrong. It seems this universe, even if it isn't as perfect as the one I come from, is not lacking in strength. Well...if Prisma's incarnations are around and assisting you, obviously not. I apologize for my rudeness."
"No problem. My older self would've thought about losing immediately." She giggled, forgiving Scione. "Glad I'm not going to be experimented on.
"But hey. While we're here. What else can you show us? You seem to know a lot about Prisma." Ash requested, wanting to know a bit more about Prisma out of curiosity.
"Alas, my knowledge is limited. There are some things even I don't know about Prisma. I know of his past and rise to fame but that is about it. I can show it to you but that is all." Scione shrugged. "But...I do have one thing in particular that will interest you both. After all, I sense that one of you has possession of Palkia's Energy."
"Uh...Yeah. That's me, actually." Lucas pointed at himself. "What about it?"
"It involves those gateways. You will be glad to hear that I have found one as well that you can use."
"For real?!" A collective shout came from everyone here. Scione had one more surprise in store that sounded beneficial to everyone. Not just in this room, but for the entire universe as well.
This mansion was apparently holding a gateway, which was music to their ears. And the fact that Lucas was brought into the conversation might change everything. This could be their lucky break to solve the gateway issue. With Sci-Twi claiming victory, they were given the opportunity to see this for themselves.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 293 End.