//------------------------------// // The Diamond Domain // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Kalos. Allearth Forest. The Pokemon Festival. Nightfall. Arriving here was Daybreaker's alliance. Right behind Ash's group, they were fixated on the Diamond Domain as to be expected. A place that was brimming with Light and Aura, perfect for Necrozma and Gardevoir. In the sky, they were appearing on a chariot made by the Unown and pulled by Salamence. "They're actually here?! Okay, this is good time to-" Rainbow Dash already had an approach to this, but was quickly cut off by Princess Celestia. "We'll warn the residents of the Diamond Domain instead. We don't want them to get caught up in all of this." Celestia ordered. "Ash! Lead the way!" "Alright!" Ash agreed. They would not engage with Daybreaker's group, but instead, they would warn the Pokemon within the Diamond Domain since their home was being threatened. But so was the Allearth Forest. There was a high chance it could see some harm done to it, which is why they had to be quick. Right as they all started following Ash, Zeraora stayed behind, growling at those who once captured her and forced her to be a power source. She was truly vengeful towards Daybreaker, who had Necrozma absorb the light from her world. "Ze...!" "Zeraora! Come on!" Rainbow Dash bellowed. She knew that Zeraora would try and lash out against Daybreaker and rightfully so, but now was not the time. Zeraora could potentially end up caught once more. It could just be a repeat of the past. "I know your mad but now's not the time to take them on! I'd love to do the same but we gotta go!" "Rrrr!" Zeraora grizzled as she was really eager to take action. But with Rainbow Dash pulling on her arm, she was forced away from her enemies. Zeraora had to leave before things spiral out of control. Daybreaker's group had not yet noticed Ash's group at all and they were planning to keep it that way, staying hidden under the beautiful trees with plenty of leaves. The Unown were already gazing upon the land with their eyes, attempting to spot the Diamond Domain in any way. They even used Hidden Power to scope out the area. By using Hidden Power, they create a holographic map of Allearth Forest for everyone to see. "Right here. This is where it should be." Daybreaker aimed her hoof at a purple glowing spot on this holographic map. That's where we need to be. Once we're in there, we'll have Necrozma target the diamond there. It's known as the Heart Diamond and it is absolutely brimming with Light and Aura." "Mmm..." Gardevoir grumbled, still irritated by the fact that she couldn't absorb Aura for a while now. This will essentially be the last time she does it until she's ready. "The Carbink that live there will try and fight back, but they won't succeed." Hunter J added. "They aren't strong enough." "We won't need to. Necrozma is going straight to the source. But, I can trust you all to deal with anyone that will get in our way." Daybreaker shrugged. "The real challenge is Diance. I know how powerful of a Pokemon it can be. J. Do you wish to catch it?" "Of course I do. Do you have an idea how fortunate it would be to have a Diance?" Hunter J did not hesitate. "Diamonds are incredibly valuable and to have a Pokemon that can casually generate them is an absolute steal." "In that case, Necrozma won't go for Diance at all. Very soon, the Diamond Domain's Light and Aura will be ours." With a devious smile, Daybreaker was already prepared to call it a day, thinking that this will go by smoothly. Little did she know, her alternate self was also present here, intercepting her plans. The Pokemon living here were not disturbed as of yet, but that wouldn't stop Hunter J from eyeing some of them down. She would glance at the kind of Pokemon that could be found here at the Allearth Forest just so they can be taken to the Pokemon Black Market. Quietly, Ash and his group stayed hidden from Daybreaker's sight, moving under the trees mainly. When following Ash, they noticed how they were moving down a sloped area, indicating that Diamond Domain was somewhere in the lower regions of the Allearth Forest. Up ahead was a cave, but this was not where the Allearth Forest was, however, it would help in getting them there. "Since it's a neighbour to the Allearth Forest, there's a secret underground route that gets you there faster. The Diamond Domain is near a nice looking mountain area." Ash instructed. Noticeably, the cave was rather tight, having a very limited space instead of the usual wide appearances caves usually have. Ash entered by kneeling down, forcing himself through it. "Why is this cave so tight...?" Luna groaned when trying to squeeze herself through this cave. Celestia struggled too as well as Absol and Zeraora. Those who were rather tall had trouble getting through this cave and had to really push through. But for Twilight, Pikachu, Espeon and Rainbow Dash, they were completely fine. They were small enough to perfectly move through this cave. On the bright side, they wouldn't have to worry about bumping into any hostile Pokemon since this cave was so uncomfortable. No Pokemon that prefers to live in caves would reside here, which is why this made it such an excellent shortcut. "You're pushing against me, sister!" Luna bellowed as Celestia was squeezing Luna up against Ash's back. Ash grimaced as Celestia's horn poked his back. The tip of it was rather strong since it belonged to the Ruler of Equestria and Ash had to feel it for the very first time. "Sorry...I figured you should go first since you're smaller." Celesti apologized, making Luna grumble out of embarrassment. Darkrai had it easy as well by simply travelling through the shadows. His body was completely flat in this state, ignoring the tightness of the cave. When advancing through the cave, Absol's horn would cause some damage to it. It was still shaking after all since the disaster has yet to happen. This made some pebbles and small rubble drop on everyone's head, making this whole experience rather uncomfortable. But it had to be done. Absol could feel his horn shake even faster, confirming that things were about to escalate fairly soon. He wishes he could be outside, trying to prevent it, but he had to keep moving. As for what was happening outside, the chariot was already lowering itself. Once Daybreaker's group spotted the diamonds flashing from the waterfalls, they knew they had to take advantage of this. Hunter J hopped out of the chariot, fixating on the Pokemon and some of the diamonds that were dropping. It was the best of both worlds for Daybreaker and J while Second Wind would simply watch. Hunter J took out a scanner, observing the number of Pokemon in this area. Obviously, there were dozen, but she was only focused on the rarest of Pokemon. Luckily for J, there were some rare Pokemon to be found that the Pokemon Black Market would take and the diamonds over at the waterfalls spoke of themselves. After moving through the tight cave for around an hour, Ash and his friends came across a wider area. No longer were they confined to the tight space as the cave finally opened up, appearing spacious this time. But right as they were about to advance further and enjoy the wide area of this cave, that was when they finally ran into some Pokemon Specifically, two Pokemon of one type. "Halt!" In their way were Carbink. Using telepathy, two of these Rock-Fairy-Types halted Ash's group the second they spotted him. With serious eyes on such a cute Pokemon, they were practically guarding the rest of the cave. "Who goes there?!" "Oh, my." Celestia peered over Ash's shoulder, spotting the Jewel Pokemon. "Are those guardian Pokemon I see and hear?" "Hey, Carbink. Sorry for showing up so soon." Ash apologized before finally pushing through and getting some space. His shoulders were aching and his clothes were now dirty from being so close to the cave walls and ceiling. "You..." At that moment, the two Carbink recognized Ash and Pikachu with a single glance. They knew those faces from anywhere. "It's you two! Ash and Pikachu, isn't it?" "Yep! Good to see you all again...Uh, two of you." "Pika-Pika!" "Of course you'd know about them..." Luna wasn't surprised at all. Ash had connections by the dozen it seems. "Who do you not know, Ash?" "And you've brought...ponies with you?" The Carbink Guards spotted Twilight, Rainbow, Celestia and Luna. They said it as if they haven't seen ponies all that much in this new united world. Even prior to that. "You sound surprised to see us. What's up with that?" Rainbow Dash asked, rapidly shaking her body to let out all of the dust that had been gathered in one tight spot. "Ze..." Zeraora grumbled as she would immediately let out a powerful sneeze due to the dust on her nose. Her sneeze was so strong, it let out a burst of lightning that almost hit the ground but fizzled in the air afterwards. "Ora..." "I'm here with my friends to warn you about something. It's pretty urgent." Ash got straight to the point. "Unless you already know about what's coming." "Not at all. Did something happen?" "Well, someone's coming your way. Straight for the Diamond Domain so we had to head there as soon as possible. They're bad news. Really bad news..." Ash answered. "If they show up, the Diamond Domain could come down in no time." "What?! If so, we must warn Princess Diancie!" The two Carbink looked at each other in unison. "I'm sorry. Princess? Diancie is a Princess?" Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised by this. She thought that Diancie was just an an average Pokemon of myth of legend, not a princess. Usually, when a Pokemon has a role, it is either a Guardian or Keeper of something. Or even one that shares certain gifts. "Manaphy's a prince so it's not too surprising for a Pokemon to be a ruler," Celestia answered. "Makes you wonder how many of them there are..." "You'll have to excuse but you might not see Princess Diancie immediately." The two Carbink lowered their heads. Apparently, Diancie wouldn't be ready to speak with just to avoid the incoming disaster. "Why? Did something happen?" Ash let out a small gasp, worried that another serious situation has come up for Diancie. "Pika?" "Well...This Pokemon Festival of yours caught her interest." One of the Carbink grumbled. "I believe it started 3 years ago and the Princess has been rather active in partaking in them each year." "Oh. She's at the Pokemon Festival?" Twilight answered. "Guess she won't be here for that very reason." "It's great that she gets to go out now, especially when it comes to enjoying this festival, but at times, she's never available when something serious occurs." "Well, guess she's the same even after getting a new resolve!" Ash laughed as he wasn't too surprised by that. After all, he's surrounded by Princesses who would much rather get out there and explore new things than constantly sit around. He's standing behind three of them right now too. "Mhm." The three alicorns nodded in agreement, instantly getting where Diancie was coming from, even if they've never met her yet. "Come this way to the Diamond Domain and speak with the servants of the Diamond Domain. Merrick, Bort, Allotrope and Dace will take the Princesses's place while she is away." The Carbink Guards already allowed entry for Ash and his group. Ash and Pikachu had full access after helping Diancie in the past. Now it was truly off to the Diamond Domain while also enjoying the open area of this cave. The Carbink Guards being out here away from their domain indicated that they were not that far from it at all. As soon by the extended tunnel in this cave that was less tight and far more forging, they might be closing in on the Diamond Domain. The Diamond Domain. The Diamond Domain. At last, they arrived, moving through the final tunnel from that part of the cave. Ash and Pikachu already knew what to expect but for Twilight and the others, it would be a new experience. A beautiful underground domain with shimmering diamond pillars and towering stalactites. The air is filled with a delicate, floral fragrance that seems to seep from the very stones. There were lakes that unleashed beautiful shimmers that matched the glorious shine of the diamond pillars. Present here were the many Carbink that call this place home. Twilight gawked at these lakes as there were even diamond stairways. Platforms of diamonds fare and wide. This was more than just a cave. Not much has changed since Ash has last been here but that was fine. Sometimes, the best things stay the exact same and the Diamond Domain was one of them. But, there was indeed the addition of crystal slides that some of the Carbink went down on as a form of entertainment, so that was certainly new. "Excellent." Speaking through Ash was King Sombra, who loved what he was seeing. Being a fan of crystals since he once ruled the Crystal Empire, he rather enjoyed the Diamond Aesthetic. "Yeah..." Twilight and Rainbow collectively agreed with Sombra. Darkrai would stay in the shadows with all of this light. It was a bit too much for him in all honesty. Zeraora glanced at the Diamond Lake, seeing her reflection which already blinded her. Looking at this place the wrong way was prime for continuous blindings. "Bink! Carbink!" Noticing Ash and Pikachu, some of the Carbink swarmed over to meet with them once more. "Carbink!" "Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted them, glad to see that they were all well and fine to this day. Ash would pat some of them on the head as a way of greeting them. Some of them gathered around Celestia and Luna, admiring their ethereal manes. They weren't exactly diamonds but ethereal aesthetics were on par with them. They had their own unique shine and sparkle. And speaking of sparkle, poor Twilight still didn't have her own ethereal mane to warrant any of the Carbink coming up to her. If only she was older. Celestia giggled when around these Carbink, rather enjoying their presence. Some of them even went inside her ethereal mane to feel it for themselves. Celestia's mane didn't feel like ordinary hair. It had its own unique feeling and by extension, so did Luna. "Well...To think we'd see you again at this time." Showing up here were the four servants of Princess Diancie. The four Carbink weree rather high position among every other Carbink. Merrick, who ranked rather high and could be seen as the head Carbink in charge. He was also rather small. Smaller than most Carbink. Bort, the Carbink who followed Merrick's orders and was larger than him while also being a rather stout Carbink. There was also Joke, who was around Bort's size and also followed Merrick's orders. And finally, there was Dace, who was the one who spoke to Ash after recognising him. He was the eldest of the Carbink. His tuft was also vastly different from the rest, truly showing his age. "Ash. Pikachu. What a pleasure it is to see you again. And some new faces." "So...These Pokemon evolve into Diance, right? How come there's only one then?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "They're not that rare of a Pokemon too. I've seen some of them here and there." "I think it's not that simple." Twilight smiled, having an answer for Rainbow Dash. The Pokedex mentions that it's occurring or done quickly and unexpectedly or without warning. This is most likely why Carbink can't evolve into Diancie. It's like how wolves turned out. Some of them isolated their gene pool from that of the wild wolves and ended up as domesticated dogs." "Plus it's mutation." Ash threw his own answer in there, knowing a bit more than Twilight for this one discussion. "Oh..." Twilight paused, caught off guard by Ash's response. "Or that. That too." "I heard from the guards that you're here to warn us about a coming threat." Dace was already caught up. "In the princess's place, we will speak." "Great. Sorry we had to reunite on a serious note. But someone's coming for your domain just to absorb all the light from it." Ash explained. "One of them kinda looks like Celestia over here and she's got a Necrozma with her." "A Necrozma?!" Merrick gasped. So did the other Carbink. The name Necrozma was recognisable and sparked different reactions from the Carbink. "You can't be serious! A Necrozma in this part of the world?" "Well, it doesn't sound that crazy if you know about it. Necrozma's an Alolan Pokemon, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "Hush, girl." Merrick quickly replied. "We may be secluded but we know more than you think." "Ah!" Rainbow Dash pulled back, surprised by Merrick's response. "Mmm...That means the Heart Diamond is once again in danger. This time, it's being threatened." Dace grumbled. "Necrozma is a creature that feeds on light but for the most part, it's always been around the Alola Region. Why would it possibly come here to absorb the light in the Diamond Domain when it has other options?" "There's something different about this Necrozma though." Celestia answered, having more to share. "Apparently, this Necrozma is starving more than any Necrozma out there. No matter how much light it absorbs, even if it's a powerful amount, it still craves more. An alter-ego of mine by the name of Daybreaker has been helping Necrozma absorb as much light as it can to end this ruthless hunger but at the cost of so much harm." "Sounds to me like an ill Necrozma. But that can't be...It was considered a myth." Dace was aware of this type of condition for a Necrozma but it was only considered a myth and never really brought into fruition. Until now. "I've heard about the potential of a Necrozma being so unbelievable ill no amount of light can satisfy it but I thought it to be impossible." "It's real. Very real. And it threatens us all." Twilight stepped forward. "That Necrozma absorbed the light from an entire world. Her world." "Zera..." Zeraora was glanced at by the Carbink, being the first one to truly see what Necrozma was capable of. Her home was lightless and practically impossible to live in. "I thought it was just incredibly hungry. You're telling us that it's an illness?" Luna thought otherwise. "It is. Although it comes from another world, the light found on Earth is impossible to compare. For it to have a condition such as that, it only comes from the world it originally came from." Dace continued, revealing that this condition was something that was rather out of this world. It did not originate on this planet, according to him, and by extension, this went for Necrozma's original universe. Wherever he originally came from, that condition carried over. "So is there a cure if it's an illness?" Ash asked. "Pikachu" "There is." Magical words to hear from Dace. There was indeed a cure. Smiles appeared on Ash and his friends. It sounds like they might void a catastrophic event by finding this cure. "But...It is the most diabolical cure one could think of. This is one that I would never recommend and it involves the absolute absorbing of all things." "N-No way!" Twilight's pupils shrunk. This cure was not as hopeful as it sounds. It had an incrediblely horrifiyng drawback. "If an entire world will not satisfy it, then something beyond that must also satisfy it. And nothing could be better than everything else. Necrozma has enough power to absorb any amount of light with absolutely no limit. It cannot be overfed even if it is full. I've only heard of it as legend but now that you've told me this, it seems that it may no longer be a legend." "It already absorbed the light from Zeraora's world. That means the only thing that can stop it is possibly the consumption of the entire universe..." Celestia shuddered. She knew Necrozma was dangerous but she never knew it could be that dangerous. Anything that threatens the universe is crucial. But judging from Dace's words, it might not stop at this universe at all. "Does Daybreaker know?" "I'd opt to defeat Necrozma more than anything. And that starts by preventing it from ever absorbing the light from the Diamond Domain." Dace declared. "But we are not powerful enough to do so. "We'll take on Necrozma for you!" Ash pumped his fist. "We'll try and stop him in his tracks right here!" "Pika-Pikachu!" "Zeraora!" Zeraora was on the same page. She wanted payback. Immediately. "No. It's far too risky to do so." Dace objected to it. Necrozma can absorb small portions of light passively, making it stronger by the second. Since it's already absorbed the light from an entire world, its strength must be absolutely colossal. We'll do something else to avoid coming into contact with Necrozma. I always thought we would use this one day even if it is relatively new." "Use what? Do you have something to avoid Necrozma? A ship or something?" Ash questioned. "You probably already know about this cosmic power that's interacted with our world once more. It has also shown up here at the Diamond Domain. We shall use the power of the Rift." As the journey continues. Chapter 326 End.