Galar. On the Ghost Train. The Pokemon Festival. Late Afternoon.
On the Ghost Train, the spectral power this mode of transportation possessed targeted four individuals. Ash, Lucas, Twilight and Sci-Twi specifically. Both Prisma and Twilight Luminaria's souls were targeted as the train tried pulling them out. While Twilight and Sci-Twi managed to protect their souls thanks to Sombra, his magic couldn't full keep Prisma's soul back. At this moment, Ash and Lucas had a part of Prisma's soul active as seen by the green glow in their pupils.
"Hm." Suddenly a smile met Ash's face, which put everyone on high alert. Was that Prisma smiling or Ash smiling? The mysterious boy with the mask knew the answer and he didn't like it one bit.
"Ash If that's you, this isn't funny..." Twilight grumbled.
"Ash Ketchum isn't in full control right now. Instead, we the Creation Trio are taking the helm."
"The Creation Trio? You mean Dialga, Palkia and Giratina?" said Rarity.
"Those are the names you mortals gave us, so we'll be using them." Ash continued. "I am the one you call Dialga, currently in control of Ash Ketchum."
"Dialga?! No way! I thought that was Prisma!" Rainbow Dash had so many questions. For starters, why were the Creation Trio here and speaking through Ash and Lucas? She figured that Prisma was speaking through them, but apparently not.
"Prisma is not active just yet," Lucas added, also having a tone change. "I am the one you refer to as Palkia. We have been waiting for the chance to awaken in some way and this train has tampered with our souls."
"We are not the Dialga and Palkia of your world. We come from that Lost Universe that is only now making a return. But even with these returns, it cannot happen soon enough." Ash-Dialga grumbled. "The Sooner we can reunite with our Trainer Prisma, the better. Our souls are currently resonating with each other now that they have been tampered with and soon, all the souls of our teammates will resonate."
"Your goal is to bring back Prisma? You picked an awful time to show up when you're this outnumbered." Celestia pointed out immediately, knowing that her good friend Ash wasn't at the helm right now. It wasn't even the Dialga and Palkia that everyone knew. They come from a lost universe and were the Pokemon of Prisma, further solidifying how powerful of a Pokemon Trainer he was to have these two on his team.
"Under all circumstances, we refuse to harm you even with such words being thrown our way. But force our hands and we might have to be rather drastic. The souls of Prisma's incarnations do not wish to see you harmed, so tread carefully." Despite the intimidating and formal voice, a sense of respect came from them. They wished no harm on Celestia and the others if they didn't push themselves. This was thanks to the souls of Ash and Lucas not wishing any harm on them whatsoever.
"Hold on! Does that mean that Red and everyone else have Legendary Pokemon inside of them?" Pinkie Pie had to wonder if the same went for Red, Brendan, Ethan and Hilbert.
"All 10. Our Trainer Prisma infused his soul with ours, making us more connected than ever. But we don't have time to waste on your questions. It's been our goal to revive Prisma. We have been trying to call each other even after Prisma's incarnations encountered one another. Now is our chance." Lucas glanced over at Ash as the two of them nodded.
"We cannot waste this opportunity. With parts of our souls being awakened, we can finally accomplish our main goal. Become one. All incarnations must merge and return as Prisma." Ash and Lucas said in unison.
"Uh, if you've been around this entire time, then you'll at least know that we've been trying to avoid bringing back Prisma!"
"You can't do that..." Suddenly, the mysterious boy with the mask spoke, refusing to let something like that happen. "If you leave the train, your souls will go back into hiding..."
"Then we will do what we can to keep our souls active for as long as possible until all are one." Ash and Lucas immediately went on the move, focusing on bringing Prisma back. It wasn't actually them talking. It was really Dialga and Palkia.
And the way they left was by using the power of space. Lucas, who now had a stronger hold on Palkia's abilities, would snap his fingers, opening a portal beneath him and Ash. Everyone gasped as Ash and Lucas were pulled in by the gravitational force this portal had, sending them to another carriage in this train. But just before they left, Sombra was suddenly ejected out of Ash's body, failing to stick around. He tumbled on the floor after being forced out by Dialga, who took control this time.
"What just happened...?" Apple Bloom blinked for a moment as she was flabbergasted.
"I-I thought it was just Prisma? Why were Dialga and Palkia in there?! A confused Rainbow Dash vigorously pointed her hoof to where Ash and Lucas once stood.
"Scione never brought this up. Did she even know? She said she knew a lot about Prisma but not everything." Scratching her hair in confusion was Sci-Twi.
"Well...At least it ain't Prisma?" Applejack saw the only positive to this. But if something wasn't done, then soon, Prisma could return.
"Are their souls okay?!" Pinkie Pie screeched.
"They aren't fully lost. Only a part of their soul has been overtaken," said Sombra, getting off the floor. "I didn't see it coming though. Here I thought Prisma's soul is what I had to look out for, but being surprised by one of the Creation Trio was unexpected.
"Not only that, but Prisma infused his soul with the Legendary Pokemon? How? Is it similar to how you and Passion merge, sister?" Luna wondered.
"No clue. But let's find them both and leave this train. Most likely, they're going to use this train as their way to keep their souls active and find the others." Celestia ordered.
"Don't go through it aimlessly..." said the masked boy, keeping his voice down once more. "You'll get lost at this rate. They won't though..." He warned them about potentially getting lost in this train. That much was to be expected since anything related to Ghosts would result in someone getting lost.
"Could you please help us? You saw Prisma's soul and were already pretty cautious." Fluttershy requested, approaching him.
"It's just a feeling I get. Sometimes, I can see the souls of Ghost-Types. And those two aren't that different. I just want to get their souls away from the train." He said, holding onto the seats of the train while still speaking nervously.
"We can do that. We'll make our way to Wegdehurst our way." Fluttershy added. "What's your name?"
"Allister." He at least revealed his name. And now that they were taking a closer look at him, they saw the Galar Gym Leader outfit, just like Nessa, Raihan, Gordie and Melony. He looked rather young to be a Gym Leader, but it wouldn't be the first time someone young was a Gym Leader or any other powerful class of trainer.
"Well, if we're gonna get lost on this train, how do we move through it without any of that stuff happening?" Rainbow Dash wondered.
"Follow me." Allister would lead the way. As long as they stick by him, they won't have to worry about getting lost, especially since Lucas could now open up portals through space, travelling at a quicker rate.
"Now that I'm thinking about it...Dialga and Palkia have been showing up a lot recently." While moving through the train, something was brewing in Twilight's mind. "First it was Rift-Dialga and then, it was Palkia. Rift-Dialga only targeted Ash because of the Rift's will, but now I'm wondering if Prisma's involved somehow."
As for where Ash and Lucas were, they were currently moving through the train, planning to use it as a means to reunite with their other counterparts. Dialga and Palkia were taking charge, working in unison. With his hand up, Dialga used the power of time to slow down the movement of the train for a while. This led Palkia to use the power of space.
He enveloped the entire train in an aura of space, planning to keep it away from the track. The duo were planning to use the train as their means of transportation as predicted by Celestia. This train seemed to be the only thing so far that had managed to interact with their souls. Not even the scuffle at Magehold did that. As long as they have this train's mystical power, they could continue to work towards bringing Prisma back.
All the Ghost-Types nearby watched as this duo got to work, aware that their souls were currently replaced by two others. If anyone can understand the complexity of souls, it would be the Ghost-Types.
"There they are!" Chrysalis bellowed, grabbing the attention of the Time-Space Duo. Allister led them to where Ash and Lucas were, making sure they didn't end up elsewhere.
"Mmmrgh...!" Ash slowly turned his head, scrunching his face as the glow around his pupils had vanished. He regained some control since a part of his soul was still free."H-Hey guys!"
"Ash! Lucas! Are you alright now?!" Luna asked, wondering if Ash managed to fend off Dialga. Lucas came to a halt too as he was trying his best to stay in control.
"Man...Trying to keep your soul is pretty tough, huh! Guess I should've asked Sheena for help on this one!" Ash chuckled before being overtaken by Dialga once more.
"Do not interfere." With Dialga in control once more, he snapped his fingers instantly reversing the area of time around the others. They gasped as their movements were being walked back as if they never entered this part of the train before. Celestia and Luna managed to avoid the energy of time, avoiding the reversal.
And with their combined magic, they broke the energy apart, blasting it to bits. Twilight and the others did not return to the other carriages, thankfully.
"Release our friends at once!" Celestia bellowed. "Their souls aren't yours to overtake! Not when it'll lead to someone dangerous returning."
"You're one to talk, Princess." Lucas-Palkia pointed at Celestia, knowing about Daybreaker's existence. She also had someone dangerous within her but it wasn't an incarnation. It was an alter-ego, much like Nightmare Moon. "Keep them from interrupting my process."
"Sheena said I can't use Dark Matter on 'em since Prisma's soul ain't like those Despair Plants. But what about you two? Lucario!" Applejack threw her Poke Ball into the air, summoning Delta Lucario, who had a move which could knock souls out of bodies.
"Lucario!" Out came Delta Lucario, at the ready and once again facing an enemy of souls.
"Refrain at once. Even if a part of my soul is active, I am still enough for you." Ash-Dialga warned, wishing not to confront them at a crucial moment.
"Let Ash and Lucas go then," Applejack added. "Cause I really don't wanna hurt his body."
"Ash! If you can take control for a moment, stay totally still for Lucario!" Rainbow Dash yelled, hoping to get Ash's attention. With an eye twitch, Ash tried responding, only for Dialga to keep him from doing do so.
"Not gonna let him go? Fine! Lucario! Use Dark Matter!"
"Rrr!" Putting his paws together, Lucasio gathered power from the dark corners of the universe, manifesting it into the form of a black energy ball.
In response, Ash-Dialga swiped his hand, suddenly summoning a whirlwind of Time Energy that would meet with the Dark Matter. Its intention was to freeze the move, but as soon as both attacks came into contact with each other, it became a struggle instead.
The Power of Dark Matter vs the Power of Time was fierce, creating a ripple in the middle of everyone. This power of time was only half of what Dialga was capable of but it was still powerful. Delta Lucario's Dark Matter barely managed to even out with it.
Ash-Dialga shook his arm for a moment before using his power of time to try and freeze them all. But before he could do so, his arm was frozen. It was Ash. Still in some control, he prevented Dialga from messing with his friends. The arm of Ash started vibrating furiously.
"Great timing, Ash!" Applejack cheered.
"T-Thanks..." Ash grinned. "N-Now might be a good time to use it, Applejack!"
"Right! Dark Matter!"
"Cario!" A second Dark Matter was thrown, this time at a faster pace. With Ash gaining some control, he allowed the Dark Matter to reach him. At that moment, the Dark Matter struck Ash's body, targeting his soul and a part of Dialga's Prisma-infused soul.
Ash was knocked back, crashing into some of the decorations on this train. Ash didn't mind getting hit, as long as his friends were safe. Darkness exuded out of his body after the Dark Matter landed, dealing efficient damage. However, Dialga's soul remained, not going anywhere else. It wasn't seen flying out of Ash's body. Ash got back up as the soul of Dialga kept resonating. Dialga was back in control once more.
"No way! How come it didn't work?!" Apple Bloom gasped.
"I told you. Prisma infused his soul with us. You cannot expunge the soul within Ash Ketfchum's body because this is still a part of his soul." Ash-Dialga explained, revealing why it would be impossible for them to fend him off.
"So Lucario's Dark Matter won't work! Come on!"
"Hmph." But while Lucario's Dark Matter didn't exactly do the trick, it did leave a side-effect that not even Dialga expected. With his body pulsating, an astral projection of Ash appeared behind him. Ash held onto his chest after this projection appeared. "Gh!"
"W-Well...It did something at least." Applejack stuttered as she would take that. It was better than nothing.
Ash was gaining control once more as he was fighting to bring his hand towards his pocket, aiming for his Poke Balls. The Astral Projection appeared to be Dialga's sol in this case as it was trying to prevent Ash from taking action. But with enough strength, Ash managed to grab one of his Poke Balls, throwing it into the air. At that moment, Dialga's soul snapped back inside of Ash's body, retaking control.
"Gengar!" Out emerged Gengar, who was another great pick in this scenario.
"Gengar...That's a good choice." Allistr had to approve of Gengar being chosen.
"Why must an incarnation of our trainer fight back to prevent his return?" Dialga groaned. "It was his wish and will to return one day, so why?"
"Quick! Passion! Hold him down!"
"Gardevoir!" Flying to Ash-Dialga's side was Gardevoir, who would try and keep him still. Appearing from the shadows to do the same was Darkrai. He emerged from the pitch-black darkness, finally making an appearance. Darkrai already had Dark Void ready to put Ash to sleep.
But with a flash of his eyes, he affected the time of the train once more. This time, he sped it up, making it move faster than before. This speed increase immediately threw Gardevoir and Darkrai off balance, causing them to fly in different directions. Everyone else wasn't holding onto something, resulting in them falling over and hitting parts of the train.
"U-Use Psychic!" Celestia and Twilight both said to their Pokemon. In unison, Gardevoir and Twilight managed to hold everyone else, preventing them from falling elsewhere while this train accelerated.
"Let's move on to the next part of the train," Ash-Dialga said to Lucas-Palkia. At that moment, they would quickly run for it as Palkia would continue to use his power over space on the train even moving.
"Oh, no you don't! Get back here with their souls!" Rarity bellowed, throwing her own Poke Balls into the air. Out of one of them emerged her fastest Pokemon. Pheromosa. And three more summoned her Leavanny into the fray. "String Shot! Stop them from leaving!"
"Leavan!" Her three Leavanny each used String Shot, knowing the assignment already. The strings would latch onto Ash and Lucas's backs right as they were about to enter another train carriage. The two of them growled, looking back to see the strings holding them in the place.
"Mosa!" Pheromosa would then run up to them in an instant, spreading her long arms around them both She would be the one to carry them both.
Not if Lucas had anything to say about it. He ended up pushing space itself, specifically in Pheromosa's direction. The Lissome Pokemon found herself being repulsed as if a giant eject button was used on her. Pheromosa yelped after being repulsed, but she did not suffer any harm whatsoever.
As for the strings, Ash-Dialga sped up their duration with the Power of Time, making them weaken in just a few seconds. The strings grew weak, falling off and releasing Ash and Lucas. After doing so, Palkia created another portal, this time in front of him and Dialga. After making it, the two of them quickly went through, escaping yet again.
With the train still accelerating, the location would suddenly change. The pink fog appeared, changing up where everyone was. Instead of a nice and neat room, they were soon in a jungle-like part of the train, where trees were growing and vines were hanging. Pokemon such as Pumpkaboo and Phantump were immediately found here.
"Drat! They got away again!" Rarity roared. But before she could rant some more, the speed of the train was still something to had to focus on. Even though Gardevoir and Espeon were holding everyone, they needed to temper this speed after what Dialga did.
Appearing from the shadows were the Ghost-Types lurking around here. In this case, Sinistea, Sableye, Drifloon, Lampent and Shuppet. They were simply watching the events playing out, having no reason to intervene. This did not affect them in any way. Allister would use this as an opportunity to get their help.
"Please. I need your help." Speaking to the Ghost-Types was Allister as he requested their assistance. They knew exactly what they had to do.
"Shuppet!" Shuppet and the other Ghost-Types understood clearly. If Allister requested their help, they would see that success would come.
"Geez...This is going to be tricky since they have the power of Time and Space..." Twilight sighed. "Even Rift-Dialga wasn't this troublesome."
"At least they aren't hostile," Chrysalis added. "Because we are such good friends with Ash, Dialga and Palkia recognize that they cannot harm us But I can see we're pushing their limits and testing their patience."
"Maybe we can try sitting down and speaking with the two Dragons," Fluttershy suggested.
"Yeah, like that's going to work with how dedicated they are to bringing back, Prisma." Rainbow Dash scoffed at such a notion. It worked before but it's not effective on everyone.
"That's my point. They really want Prisma to come back." Fluttershy continued. "It's not a bad thing to want your Trainer to show up, is it?"
"I guess not...But based on what we heard about Prisma, it sounds like he's the one person who can't come back, no matter what." Even so, Twilight was still cautious about Prisma's existence.
"Let's try and use Dark Matter again, but this time, when that Astral Projection appears, Gengar will have to move in." Celestia ordered. "Ash sent him out for a reason and so we aren't going to waste it. If we cannot remove their souls, we'll keep them dormant, just as Ash wanted."
"I can try re-entering Ash to wrestle with Dialga's soul," said Sombra. "Let's hurry and make this quick."
"Even though they're not Ghosts, you can't force it." said Allister, bringing all the attention back to him. "They're the same soul, so you have to let Ash keep it himself."
"Let Ash keep it in? How so?" Fluttershy asked.
"If any of you try to do it, you could be at this for hours. Since their souls are infused, you need to have Ash and Lucas force Dialga and Palkia back in."
"So it has to be them. Well, Ash did look like he was in some control. But Lucas didn't break free for a moment. It must be those Space Particles within him." Sci-Twi observed. "I can count on Ash to regain some control here and there."
"We'd better hurry before the train completely unlocks their souls. Darkrai." Luna glanced over at her partner. Darkrai already knew what had to be done. By sinking into the shadows, he would follow the Ghost-Types to were Ash and Lucas were while everyone was behind.
It was on yet another part of the train. Lucas was still using the power of space to maintain the soul energy here. Ash-Dialga kept a sharp eye for Twilight and the others, in case they show up again. At the same time, Ash was still fighting for some control back as he would make his body twitch.
"Come on...give me back my body!" Ash groaned, only for Dialga's deeper voice to appear.
"I...Cannot do that!" Dialga refused. "When you are in your Awakened State, I have control over most of your soul, but it is still a part of Prisma. We must become one."
"Well, I don't wanna become one!" Ash refused. "I get you wanna see Prisma again, but not like this! And how long have you been around here?!"
"Ever since the worlds become one, the soul of Trainer returned. We will not rest until all 10 of us return as one to bring back our Trainer, Prisma. We share his pain after all and must be with him."
"His pain?" Ash repeated. What pain was Dialga talking about exactly?"
"We ourselves are furious at the mortals who would only wish to see Prisma in a light that benefits him. For our Trainer's peace, we must return him and right everything."
There was another piece of motivation behind this. They didn't want to bring Prisma back, but they also wished to rectify something. Most likely, it was something that occurred in the lost universe that these two Dragons remember clearly to this day and would not let it fade away until something was done.
At that moment, the Ghost-Types appeared, but that was merely a distraction. They were here to act unassuming, just so Dialga and Palkia don't get suspicious. Thanks to their actions, this allowed Darkrai to sneak up on both of them. Immediately, he used Dark Void by hitting them both in the back.
"Gh!" Ash and Lucas both groaned after being surprised by the Dark Void. It attempted to put them to sleep, but by using the power of time, Dialga managed to just barely keep himself and Palkia awake.
"That didn't work, but this will." Darkrai hovered back, leaving the rest to his friends. Blending in with the shadowy environment was Sombra. Becoming a shadow, the Umbrum entered Ash's body, ready to wrestle with the disrupted soul.
Entering the other carriage were the rest of Ash's friends, who showed up yet again to stop these revival plans. Delta Lucario already had Dark Matter active, ready to fire at the right time. Darkrai manipulated the shadows around their legs, restraining their movements.
"Fire now, Lucario!"
"Caaaa!" Lucario's Dark Matter was used yet again. Unable to move, Ash and Lucas were both hit by the Dark Matter which once again targeted their souls. Once they were hit by the power of Dark Matter, the Astral Projections of the other souls would appear behind them, crying out. Lucas's power of the train was promptly interrupted as well as Ash's. It returned to its normal speed once more.
"Ash! It's up to you and Lucas to force their souls back down!" Sci-Twi bellowed. "Do what you can!"
"W-What are they even supposed to do about it? How do you keep a part of your soul back?" Scootaloo wondered as they didn't exactly plan this far ahead. But that's where Sombra came in. He was already in contact with the other soul, using his magic against it.
He was caught off guard in the beginning, but he wouldn't be this time. He knew what to expect. With Sombra helping out, Ash would try forcing his own soul back. As for Lucas, he had to be dealt with by someone else.
"Even if we can't be the ones to force them down, at least let us try something." Fluttershy requested. She knew he was the expert but would like to still give it her best.
"Alright...You can try. Just, don't try and remove their souls or force them down."
"Thank you. Gengar. Please Possess Lucas if you can." Fluttershy said.
"Gengar!" Gengar was on it, he went straight for Lucas, entering his body. It was a Tussle of Souls. Dialga and Palkia were vehemently trying to keep their souls active on this train while Sombra and Gengar tried subduing them. And they were not alone. Ash and Lucas's souls were trying to do the same. Their bodies could be seen frantically moving as the shadows around their legs were being ripped apart.
It was four souls against two, giving them the advantage. Dialga and Palkia could be heard crying out as the deep red aura appeared once more around their bodies. But even with their advantage, Sombra and Gengar were struggling.
"Let's try possessing them again!" Luna held out her own Poke Ball. She ended up summoning her Frillish. But they needed another Ghost-Type to try and possess Ash. Applejack's Golett weren't exactly built for that so another Ghost was needed.
"I'm counting on you again! Dusknoir!" Sci-Twi sent out her Dusknoir in response. He was perfect for this since he also interacts with souls. On top of that, Dusknoir also had the soul of a Human within him.
"Another soul possession?" Allister made a light gasp. "Is that safe?"
"Trust us. We will let anything devastating happen to them. Possess Ash, Frillish!"
"Go, Dusknoir! Possess Lucas!"
"Frill!" Frillish and Dusknoir both joined the Soul Party. Since Allister said that they couldn't force it down, Fluttershy and the others went for the next best thing. They would try and occupy the souls so that Dialga and Palkia's souls were greatly outnumbered Allister finally realized what they were up to and it was rather impressive. That didn't even cross his mind.
With Dusknoir and Frillish entering their bodies, more souls had joined in. And that meant that Dialga and Palkia's control was greatly weakening. They could handle one soul and barely handle two. Now with four more in the mix, that was a different story.
The signature sounds of Dialga and Palkia roaring could be heard as a chromatic energy pulsated from their bodies At that moment, their souls were subdued. Ash and Lucas fell on their backs, free from this bizarre control. At that moment, the train would come to a halt while Sombra, Gengar and Dusknoir left their bodies, shaking their heads. Sombra felt like he went on a trip with that exchange.
"This train is now approaching its final destination. Wedgehurst. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform edge." said the voice. Right on time, they ended up arriving at Wedgehurst. Sooner than they thought, but that was all thanks to Dialga accelerating the train.
"G-Great job you guys..." Ash laughed as he was back in control now. "Man. Keeping that soul in is gonna be way harder than we thought."
"Oooh man..." Lucas groaned. "Just when I got a ton of rest after opening that gateway. Why...?"
"Pika-Pi!" Elated that Ash was back, Pikachu jumped on his chest, causing extra damage to him.
"Hah...That could've gotten out of hand fast." Twilight sighed with relief. It wasn't the first encounter with Prisma but it felt close considering who was at the helm. Everyone else laughed nervously after that shocking event. Meanwhile, Allister just stayed silent.
"Let's leave the train now before it targets their souls again." They couldn't waste time sitting around. Leaving the train was the main thing to do, even if it was at its final destination. They were a bit closer to the Isle of Armor while this whole interaction was a close one.
Ash and Lucas were immediately carried out by Gardevoir and Darkrai, leaving the train once the doors opened. With both of them out, their souls were safe once more. New revelations came their way thanks to Dialga and Palkia's souls taking over, which is something they never thought would happen. So many questions were about to flood in. Questions that Allister may or may not be able to know. As for Ash, he has now further knowledge of why some were willing to bring back Prisma.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 297 End.