Alola. Out in the Wild. Nightfall.
Knowing that Absol could now sense disasters once more, a troubled Malamar has no choice but to do everything in his current power to keep all obstacles away. Far off in the Alola Region, his plans were still ongoing, attempting to find traces of Solaleo and Lunala.
"This is pointless." Malamar scoffed, moving over a tall hill where the rest of his subordinates could be seen, digging their tendrils in the earth to try and find clues to Solgaleo and Lunala. Try as they might, no clues came their way. The only thing they could go off were the Altars but even those proved to be useless right now.
"Even if Equestria is far from Alola, those gateways have been revived. That blasted Absol can track me down." Malamar commented. "I have no choice but to rely on the Ultra Wormholes. The plan to force those Ultra Beasts here to bring Solageleo and Lunala is foolish, but my options are incredibly slim now."
Heading over to his own pod, which was larger than his minions, he slid his tentacles on it, activating hidden buttons that were perfectly concealed on this bizarre vehicle. From it, a holographic projection of Team Plasma was shown. Specifically, of the Shadow Triad.
"Team Plasma. I need an Ultra Wormhole immediately. Those Equestrians are heading my direction." The Overturning Pokemon said, requiring an Ultra Wormhole immediately.
"At that moment, we can't." The middle member of the Shadow Triad said. "Right now, we're dealing with an Angel Problem, so we can't open an Ultra Wormhole at the moment. You'll have to contact the rest in Universe 11."
"That will take too long. And I need the Ultra Wormholes as a way to further reach Solagelo and Lunala." Malamar groaned.
"That's what we're all trying to do. Force them out with the Ultra Wormholes. Based on your reaction, you've failed to keep Abslo from sensing what you're planning, right? So much for that. Plus if you open up an Ultra Wormhole here, you'll just get more eyes on you, especially in Alola."
"I have to stall them somehow. But it is only those two. Two ponies should not be able to stop me. I plan to make sure it is not a repeat of the past." Malamar's eyes narrowed. "At least try and pass on more Rift Energy. A bucket of it just won't do, especially if I use all of it up."
"I wouldn't use too much of it. Recently, Lord Ghetsis's body suddenly went elsewhere because of how much power he was using. Rift Energy, Dark Magic and now Divine Magic. All of that was too much for even him. Use too much and you could suffer a similar fate." He warned Malamar.
"Are you saying I can't handle it?"
"We know you can't handle all of it. For a while, we won't be able to help you all with our Angel Predicament. Call for help from someone else." With that, the Shadow Triad ended the call.
"Useless. Angel Predicament he says. So be it." An irritated Malamar said, raising his tendrils as he turned his attention to the bucket of Rift Energy. Relying on the cosmic power once more, he would drop his tendrils in, feeding on it to draw out greater capabilities.
The cosmic power surged through him, infusing him with newfound strength and determination. With each passing moment, he felt the energy coursing through his veins, empowering him with the ability to manipulate reality some more.
With a sinister grin, Malamar focused his thoughts on his next move. Absol's newfound ability to sense disasters had thrown a wrench in his plans, but he refused to be deterred. If he couldn't open an Ultra Wormhole himself, he would find another way to achieve his goals.
The last of the Malamar had been defeated. With that, Darkrai used Dark Void on them all, immediately putting them to rest. As for who would take them all in, Nightmare Moon would take that role, using her shadows to summon Canterlot Guards from below.
"That's that. You three should get home right now." Twilight said to her students, leaving it up to the Canterlot Guards to escort Sandbar, Gallus and Silverstream home.
"Many thanks, Principal!" Silverstream waved farewell whilst being carried by one of the Golurk.
"Now then. Where is the nearest gateway to Alola again?" Luna asked.
"I think Lucas opened one up somewhere around Hill Top. If we get there, we'll reach Malamar quicker." Twilight said, recalling the last place Lucas left a gateway. "He left some other gateways leading to Alola. But that's the nearest-" However, Twilight was promptly cut off.
With his newfound cosmic capabilities enhanced by the Rift Energy, Malamar extended his psychic tendrils across the vast expanse, reaching out towards Twilight's group with an unseen presence.
As Malamar's psychic influence washed over them, Twilight and her companions felt a chill run down their spines, a sense of foreboding hanging heavy in the air. They knew that their adversary was closing in, his dark presence looming ever closer with each passing moment.
"Already?!" Twilight looked up as her Rift Magic picked up on this. As they gazed up into the night sky, Twilight and her companions spotted a single cosmic tendril streaking across the heavens, its ethereal form cutting through the darkness like a beacon of ominous light.
With Malamar's chuckle echoing in the night sky. The Cosmic Tendril would come flying down at alarming speeds, attempting to crush them. "Eve, use Psychic to create a barrier!" Twilight called out, her voice firm and commanding. Espeon responded with agility, conjuring a shimmering barrier of psychic energy to shield them from the cosmic tendril's crushing force.
"Esp!" Quickly putting up a shield, Espeon would block the incoming Cosmic Tendril as the impact was absolutely titanic. The moment it hit her shield, it immediately shattered it, sending a shockwave that pushed Twilight's group back. "Eon!" Espeon cried out, receiving the brunt of it.
As the shockwave from the cosmic tendril's impact surged outward, Twilight and her companions were forcefully thrown back, their bodies tumbling and rolling across the rugged terrain. Rocks and debris were sent flying as they skidded across the ground, the sheer force of the blast propelling them with tremendous momentum.
Twilight gritted her teeth against the pain, feeling the rough ground scrape against her skin as she struggled to regain her bearings. Beside her, Luna and their Pokémon likewise fought to recover, their forms battered by this single hit.
"Ngh..." As Twilight and her companions struggled to recover from the devastating impact of the cosmic tendril, a palpable sense of dread hung heavy in the air. The atmosphere crackled with an otherworldly energy, tinged with an ominous foreboding that sent shivers down their spines.
The very essence of the cosmic tendril seemed to defy comprehension, its form twisting and contorting in unnatural ways that defied the laws of reality. "What in the..." Luna was stunned by what she was seeing.
By using the power of the Rift, Malamar was performing some truly unorthodox things, manipulating how his tentacles usually work. Each movement of the tendril sent ripples through the fabric of space itself, distorting the landscape around them in surreal and unsettling ways. Rocks and debris danced in erratic patterns, suspended in mid-air by unseen forces that defied explanation.
The cosmic tendril loomed menacingly over Twilight and her companions, its ethereal form pulsating with malevolent energy.
"Absol! Cut it apart with Night Slash! Togekiss, use Sky Attack! Eve, use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Florges, use Petal Dance! Darkrai, Thunderbolt!" Luna bellowed.
Twilight and Luna's Pokémon sprang into action, unleashing a barrage of powerful attacks against the cosmic tendril.
Absol, his horn gleaming with a razor-sharp edge, surged forward with blinding speed, slashing through the tendril with his Night Slash. Each swipe cut deep into the ethereal mass, causing it to writhe and recoil in agony as sparks of dark energy erupted from the wounds.
Togekiss soared gracefully through the air, surrounded by a swirling vortex of energy as she charged up her Sky Attack. With a deafening roar, she plummeted towards the tendril like a comet, her dazzling wings leaving a trail of sparkling stardust in her wake. The impact of her attack sent shockwaves rippling through the tendril, causing it to shudder and falter under the onslaught.
Meanwhile, Espeon unleashed a brilliant burst of light with her Dazzling Gleam, showering the tendril with cascades of shimmering energy. Each beam struck with pinpoint accuracy, searing through the tendril's shadowy form and illuminating the darkness with radiant brilliance.
Florges pirouetted gracefully amidst a storm of swirling petals, her Petal Dance forming a whirlwind of colour and fragrance that engulfed the tendril in a mesmerizing dance of destruction. The petals sliced through the tendrils with razor-sharp precision, leaving behind a trail of devastation in their wake.
Darkrai unleashed a crackling bolt of lightning with his Thunderbolt, channelling the raw power of the storm into a devastating blast of electricity that surged through the tendril like a tidal wave. The tendrils convulsed and spasmed as the lightning arced through its form, sending tendrils of crackling energy snaking through its ethereal mass.
"No good..." Darkrai commented.
Despite their combined efforts, the cosmic tendril continued to resist their attacks, its otherworldly form twisting and contorting as it fought to maintain its grip on reality.
With every movement, the tendril seemed to warp and distort the very fabric of reality, making it difficult for Twilight and her allies to anticipate its next attack. Each time they attempted to mount a defence, the tendril would lash out with blinding speed, forcing them to dodge and weave to avoid its devastating blows.
Twilight summoned shimmering barriers and conjured bolts of arcane energy to fend off the relentless assault, only for the cosmic energy to tear some of them up. Twilight gasped as Malamar was stripping away her barriers and taking these hits without slowing down for even a second.
For every blow they landed, the tendril seemed to keep going, its form shifting and morphing with eerie fluidity. It was as if they were fighting against an ever-changing nightmare, a relentless force of cosmic horror that defied their every attempt to subdue it.
"If that's how it's going to be, then I'll use my own Rift Energy!" Twilight would slide back, lighting her eyes up. She would tap into the Rift Magic that she possessed, using it as a way to retaliate. Right as the Cosmic Tendril came swinging down, moving the clouds themselves, Twilight's Rift Magic would be unleashed.
Twilight's Rift Magic exploded, forming a fearsome and mighty vortex of bodacious light that enveloped the Cosmic Tendril in its radiant embrace. The tendrils of energy writhed and convulsed as they collided with the raw power of Twilight's Rift Magic, their otherworldly forms warping and distorting under the intense pressure.
With a resounding boom, the two opposing forces clashed in a spectacular display of cosmic energy, sending shockwaves rippling through the fabric of reality itself. The very ground trembled beneath their feet as the sheer force of their clash threatened to tear the area apart.
"Impossible!" Back at Alola, Malamar sensed the other Rift Energy, stunned to find out that Twilight was in possession of it. "She got a hold of it as well! Troublesome little mare...!"
Luna gritted her teeth against the force of the chaos, her wings beating furiously to maintain her balance amidst the tempestuous onslaught. With a swift motion, she summoned forth a protective barrier of shimmering energy, using her magic to shield herself and her companions from the brunt of the cataclysmic forces at play.
The barrier quivered and strained against the titanic clash of energies, each pulse of Twilight's Rift Magic and the Cosmic Tendril's otherworldly power threatening to breach its defences.
"You will not stop me a second time!" Malamar refused to let them get anywhere near close to defeating him. The Overturning Pokemon did not want to suffer another loss at the hooves of Equestria. "You all! Fuel me!"
As Malamar's minions converged around him, their dark auras intertwining with his own, a sinister energy pulsed through the air, suffusing the atmosphere with an ominous presence. The Overturning Pokemon's eyes gleamed with a malevolent light as he tapped into the combined power of his loyal followers, drawing upon their collective strength to bolster his own.
With a surge of dark energy coursing through his tentacles, Malamar's form seemed to swell and contort, his silhouette growing more imposing with each passing moment. The air crackled with arcane power as he absorbed the essence of his minions, channelling their dark energies into his own being with ruthless efficiency.
As the power of his minions flowed into him, Malamar's psychic tendrils writhed and flexed with newfound strength, extending outward like the limbs of some monstrous aberration. His eyes burned with an unholy fervor as he prepared to unleash the full extent of his newfound power upon his adversaries, determined to crush them beneath his heel and claim victory for himself.
With a triumphant roar that echoed across the battlefield, Malamar unleashed a devastating barrage of psychic energy, the sheer force of his attack threatening to tear the area asunder. As the titanic clash between Malamar's overwhelming psychic assault and Twilight's Rift Magic reached its crescendo, the area buckled and fractured under the immense strain.
With a deafening roar, a colossal rift tore open beneath Twilight's group, its yawning maw swallowing them whole with a gravitational pull so powerful it felt as though the very earth itself was being rent asunder.
"What is that?!" Luna gasped at the sight below her. Twilight's focus was broken once the hole also opened up beneath her. Thanks to this, she lost the clash, just as Malamar intended.
Twilight, Luna, and their allies found themselves hurtling uncontrollably into the gaping void, their bodies buffeted by the chaotic energies swirling around them. The world around them dissolved into a maelstrom of swirling colours and incomprehensible shapes, the boundaries of space and time twisting and warping in the wake of the cataclysmic forces at play.
With each passing moment, they were drawn deeper and deeper into the heart of the rift, the overwhelming pull threatening to tear them apart at the seams. Despite their best efforts to fly against the pull, they were inexorably drawn closer and closer to the bottomless abyss below.
The darkness closed in around them, swallowing them whole as they plummeted deeper into the unknown depths. And just like a maw, the hole would close, sealed by Malamar's Darkness.
Alola.
Malamar's body pulsed with the strain of wielding such immense power, the tendrils of Rift Energy pulsating and writhing around him like living shadows. Despite his success in trapping his adversaries in the abyss, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at the edges of his consciousness.
"I won...!" The Overturning Pokemon panted his eyes narrowed in frustration and determination. Despite his momentary triumph, he knew that his victory was far from assured. The threat posed by Twilight, Luna, and their allies could still return since he only locked them in a massive hole. "That hole should keep them occupied for hours. Hopefully weeks or more. But..."
Malamar's movements were unsteady as he leaned heavily on his minions for support, the strain of using that much Rift Energy evident in every trembling tentacle. His vision blurred as cosmic sparkles danced before his eyes, obscuring his surroundings and making it difficult to focus.
"Make sure they stay down there. Keep that hole sealed up as long as possible and stay out of sight." Malamar ordered while also needing time to recover. Malamar's minions nodded in silent obedience, their loyalty unwavering despite the strain of their master's commands.
Equestria. A Colossal Hole.
As Twilight, Luna, and their Pokémon companions regained their bearings, they found themselves in a desolate and cavernous expanse. The walls of the hole stretched impossibly high above them, disappearing into darkness, while the ground beneath their feet was rough and uneven, littered with jagged rocks and debris.
Present here was Rift Energy too, all thanks to Malamar's actions. This was now an abyss of Rift Energy just violently shaking in every possible way, levitating some of the debris.
The air hung heavy with an oppressive silence, broken only by the faint echoes of their own movements reverberating through the chamber. Despite the dim lighting, the darkness seemed to press in from all sides, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls.
Twilight's body trembled with fatigue, the strain of exerting herself to such extremes taking its toll. Every step felt like a struggle, her limbs heavy and sluggish as she pressed forward, determination warring with exhaustion.
The lingering effects of channelling Rift Magic coursed through her veins, leaving her feeling drained and weakened. Each movement sent sharp jolts of pain radiating through her body, a stark reminder of the price she had paid to unleash such formidable power.
"Twilight! Are you alright?!" Luna rushed over.
"I've never had to use that much before..." Twilight grunted. Her Pokémon gathered around her, their expressions mirroring Luna's concern as they offered their support.
Just like Malamar, Twilight was struggling to walk, but since she's been with Rift Energy longer than he has, she could still make some movements. Despite her exertion and the strain on her body, Twilight pushed herself to move forward, albeit with difficulty. Her steps were unsteady, her movements laboured and supported by her Pokemon.
Darkrai would ascend, going straight for the exit which was covered by a horrific darkness. Darkrai believed that he could get past this since he was in tune with the Darkness as well. However, he was met with an unfortunate outcome.
Darkrai's attempt to navigate through the darkness laced with Rift Energy proved futile, as the powerful cosmic forces within the abyss pushed him back with an unseen strength. Despite his formidable abilities, even Darkrai found himself unable to penetrate the barrier of Rift Energy that surrounded them, thwarting his efforts to break free from the confines of the abyss.
"Rift Energy...I can't pass through this either." Darkrai grunted when descending to Luna. "There has to be another way out of this place."
"At this rate, we might not reach Alola." Luna grit her teeth. Malamar was successfully stalling for time by doing this and Twilight was currently feeling heavy effects on her body.
Trapped within the abyss, their only recourse was to come up with anything to save themselves, seeking any opportunity to overcome the dark obstacle that stood between them and their goal. Yet, as the darkness loomed ever closer, threatening to engulf them entirely, the other Malamar were currently on their way to make sure they would stay down there.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 411 End.