“Fascinating,” Alakazam was saying, several hours later. “You’re saying that friendship and love are such powerful forces in your home dimension that they can actually render a subject immortal?”
“And more,” Celestia confirmed.
“Well, I can’t exactly say that they don’t exist here, but insofar as I know they can’t make one a demigod. They can cause the evolution of certain Pokemon, such as Rioulu, Togepi, or Eevee, for instance, but none of those evolved forms are a species of extremely rare immortal. On the other hand, while the effects seem less powerful here they are orders of magnitude more common. Perhaps that spreads the power out more evenly somehow? Hmmm… Could it be that the differing nature of the transformations induced by friendship across our dimensions is not caused by different inherent properties but by a simple variance in concentration?” he stroked his mustache. “Whatever the case, if the chance ever comes, I should very much like to meet this Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps in the company of my dear friend Espeon – a result of friendship with his master causing an Eevee to evolve. I would like to compare their experiences.”
“I’m afraid that that may be difficult,” Celestia explained. “My old student is still on the other side of the dimensional and – if I know that mare at all – working nonstop to try and bring me back as swiftly as possible. I do not know if you will have a chance to meet. But if one should come, I am certain that Twilight would be very eager to meet with you and have a discussion on your theory.”
“Well, one can always hope, no?”
“Of course,” Celestia nodded.
“Another interesting experiment might be to compare a Mega Stone, also capable of inducing a temporary transformation and providing a boost in power when paired with friendship, to these Elements of Harmony that you’ve described.”
“If they could be safely removed from the tree.”
“Naturally. I wonder what similarities might be found between my Alakazamite and these Elements.”
“That would be-”
“Hello!” a third voice interrupted their conversation. Celestia’s eyes shifted, and she saw James standing at the end of the isle where she and Alakazam sat. “Oh, I see you’ve made a new friend. How nice,” he walked a bit closer. “But I’m afraid it’s about time to go. The sun is starting to set and we really do need to be getting back with Jessie soon.”
Celestia blinked. “Has it really been that long already?”
“Time flies when you get older, it seems,” Alakazam noted.
“You have no idea,” Celestia muttered, getting to her hooves. “I suppose I had better depart for the moment.”
“You’re going to leave so soon?”
“I do feel a little bit of… well, fondness for my so-called trainer,” Celestia admitted.
“Even though he does not believe your story?”
“Yes. Besides, at present I expect us to be here a while,” Lumiose City was some distance, and she didn’t feel prepared to make the trek on her own yet. Besides, a little patience might deliver some more valuable information her. And this Alakazam was the best she’d had – not to mention a pleasant source of conversation. “Might you be interested in continuing our discussion tomorrow?”
“I would.”
“How about we meet at the market square at midmorning?”
“I…” Alakazam scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. “Prefer to sleep in. I actually came here almost first thing after waking today. I’m not as spry as I once was.”
“Midday, then.”
“That sounds reasonable,” he nodded, before looking at James. “Would you like me to try and convince this “Team Rocket” of your story’s veracity? Perhaps an outside source would be enough to change their minds.”
“Are you coming?” James beckoned.
“Just a moment,” Celestia answered. “What can you do that I can’t?” she asked Alakazam.
“I could project images from your memories into their minds,” he said. “Assuming, of course, that you and they allow for it. I would never enter another’s mind without express permission. I can also use telepathy to talk to them directly, if you think that could work.”
Celestia mulled it over briefly. “Hmmm…” she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Not right now at any rate. They’re pretty convinced I’m delusional, and projecting images doesn’t help. You could, so far as they know, be making them up, or they could be simple results of my head injury from that horrible Pikachu.”
“That seems reasonable.”
“As it stands, they simply don’t have a reason to trust you.”
“Do you?” he pointed out. “We’ve just met. For all you know I could be a spy for some outlawed Pokemon poaching organization simply attempting to gain your trust to lure you into a trap at some point in the future.”
“Are you?” the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
Alakazam’s eyes twinkled. “If I was, I wouldn’t tell you, now would I?”
“But if you were, you wouldn’t bring it up in casual conversation.”
“Unless of course I were trying to cause you to subconsciously dismiss that exact possibility as too ridiculous to contemplate.”
“Mmm, you’ve thought this through. Should I be worried?”
“In my experience? Always.”
The two shared a brief laugh.
The trip back through Laverre was pleasant enough. Even though the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon, it still cast enough of its orange light over the city to illuminate the way. The marketplace, though down from its midday peak, was still buzzing with people and dozens of different types of Pokemon following them about. Outdoor restaurants and cafes were hitting their own height as people came out for dinner in the cool evening. Small pink Pokemon Celestia now knew to be called Spritzee floated gently over the diners, spreading their sweet, pleasing scents all through the air. Street performers and other entertainers were out in force, with some acts incorporating Pokemon and some not. Celestia spied jugglers, magicians, singers, and even one odd young woman with a Ditto that kept transforming into miniature Pokemon.
The trio passed hundreds of people on their way back through the city. Most were friendly, giving smiles, nods, or other acknowledgements as they passed. They even passed the same flower stand from earlier in the day, earning a cheerful hello and wave from Ellie and Flabebe. Celestia found the journey rather enjoyable, the warmth around them reminding her somewhat of that found back in Equestria.
And then something else arrived on the scene.
Celestia felt it before she saw it. The air around her seemed to the princess to chill, just ever so slightly. The background noise became dimmer, the fine scents wafting through the air lost a slight bit of the sweetness. In short, everything around her seemed to be losing its better qualities in tiny but perceptible amounts. Glancing at James and Meowth, she saw immediately that they weren’t reacting at all. So this was all in her head.
The princess was no fool – she recognized a premonition when she saw one. How she was having one with her Equestrian magic gone was another question altogether. And, premonition of what? As Celestia looked around, she didn’t anything that seemed to be sinister, openly or otherwise. Yes, there were some oddities, like that off-color Eevee and the man with the strange red hairstyle, but…
Celestia did a double take and looked again at the man passing them by. He was tall and well-built, one of the more physically-imposing humans that she had yet seen. He was also well-dressed, sporting a fine black suit with bright red trimming along its edges and matching fingerless gloves around his hands. Around the neck the man’s suit featured an open collar of fine white fur, while his neck itself was concealed by an artfully-tied red scarf. His bore well-defined, regal features and was a mask of powerful determination. Above all, it was the man’s hairstyle that drew her immediate attention: a full, neatly-trimmed red beard, along with an extremely dramatic flair from all directions of his head. It rather gave off the impression of a mane.
As the man passed by James, Meowth, and Celestia, the latter caught a quick glimpse of the belt underneath his suit. He had several of the by now familiar red and white Poke Balls about it, and… was one of his Poke Balls a striped black orb? Just looking at it for the second that she did gave Celestia the impression of ice water trickling down her spine, and she could sworn that there was the faintest echo of a high-pitched scream bouncing around inside her head. And then the man was swallowed up by the crowds around them, and both sensations faded away as quickly as they had come. In the space of a blink, everything returned to normal all around her.
What, she thought as the trio made their way back to camp, had that been about?