Pokémon Eclipse

by moviemaster8510

Chapter 35 – Southside

Gladion and his Lucario rode on his Charizard’s back as they flew west over the seas along the southeastern coast of the island. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew alongside each other with Comfey clung to the former’s neck. Lady rode on Starlight’s back as she kept herself, along with Alice, Sam, and Pinkie Pie beside her airborne with her magic. Sam's arms shook fearfully as his body was carried high over the rocks and trees far below him, a contrast to his sister, who calmly felt the winds roll over and underneath her as they both followed Gladion to the entrance to the Ruins of Life just a little more to the east.

“This sure beats walking!” Pinkie Pie corkscrewed around as she let out a jubilant “woohoo.”

“If you say so!” Sam screamed out.

“What’s the matter, Sam?” Rainbow Dash flew to his side, nudging him in his tensed-tight stomach. “Haven’t you ever flown before?”

“Not like this I haven’t!”

“Well, don’t worry. We’re almost there!” Gladion and his Charizard descended down over the water and arced back up alongside the cliffs.

As the ponies and their friends followed in the same path, Sam yelled in terror while Alice and Pinkie Pie did so in glee. Going above the edge of the cliff, Gladion’s Charizard threw its wings open, stopping their ascent and making a short glide to the ground to allow him and Lucario to dismount. The ponies and their friends followed suit and landed beside the red dragon in roughly the same fashion before Gladion returned it into its ball and returned it to his Ride Pager.

Upon being set back on his feet and having Starlight remove her magic from him, Sam bent over, his hands supported on his knees, taking in deep breaths through his mouth, getting Fluttershy’s attention. “Oh, Sam! You’re not having a heart attack, are you?”

“No… no, no…” Sam’s exhales were hard, making his speech short. “Just never… experienced… something like that… before.” He began standing straight. “It was actually… pretty neat.”

“Pretty neat?” Rainbow Dash sounded offended. “That was flight camp stuff compared to what I like to do, ya’ lightweight!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Starlight barked. “Quit teasing him already!”

“Sheesh! Can’t these humans take a joke?”

“Everyone except my brother,” Alice quickly quipped.

“Save your jokes,” Gladion interrupted. “We’re here.”

The humans, ponies, and Pokémon alike looked up to see the entrance to the Ruins of Life before them in sudden reverence and respect, the presence of the guardian palpable from where they stood.

“Wow…” Rainbow Dash stepped forward, looking into the dark cavernous tunnel leading inside but finding no sign of her friends. “Applejack! Rarity!”

Alice ran up to join the pegasus. “Starlight and Fluttershy are here too! Come on out, already!”

There was no response from inside, prompting Lucario to press its paw into the horn in its chest, the appendages on its head raising up to sense the area. The only thing it could observe other than the other humans, ponies, and Pokémon around it was a large shape floating inside towards the exit, making it gasp and drop its arms in fear.

Gladion turned to look to his Pokémon, but then quickly noticed the shape of Tapu Lele emerge outside, forcing him to take a step back. Rainbow Dash and Alice both yelped and leapt back as the island guardian became more defined in the sunlight. Sam and Pinkie Pie, alerted by their scream, turned to face Tapu Lele as it came inquisitively to them, its very appearance freezing their nerves and muscles solid.

Starlight and Fluttershy however, felt compelled to walk towards it, their Pokémon following alongside them.

“Another Tapu?” Alice hushed to herself and only herself.

The guardian and two ponies stopped a foot or so from each other, each one transfixed on each other’s eyes. Alice and Rainbow Dash crept back beside Gladion.

“What is that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked him as quietly as possible.

“Tapu Lele,” he answered. “The guardian of Akala Island.”

“Guardian? So does that mean…”

Tapu Lele's eyes closed in happiness as it dove forward and grabbed the ponies before it, placing them in a tight hug that left Fluttershy as paralyzed as Sam was.

“It’s friendly!” Pinkie Pie left Sam’s side and hopped excitedly over to the strange new creature.

Though Gladion reached out to Pinkie Pie to call her back, Tapu Lele already pulled its arms out to make a space for Pinkie Pie to jump into and fit in with their embrace.

Alice couldn’t help but notice the stunned look on Rainbow Dash’s face as her other three friends were lovingly received by this “guardian.” “I’m guessing you didn’t meet the guardian of the island you landed on?”

“N– No!” Rainbow Dash’s squawk came out unintentionally loud. “I mean, Pinkie Pie and I woke up on a beach and we both flew away the second we got our bearings.”

“Hmmm.” Gladion watched as Tapu Lele put all three ponies down to face it. “Poor Fini…”

Fluttershy, looking far more comfortable with her new friend, looked up into its eyes. “Excuse me, Ms.…”

Rainbow Dash cupped a hoof around the corner of her mouth. “Tapu Lele, I guess!”

“Oh… Tapu Lele! My apologies.” It threw its arms open as a sign of forgiveness. “Our friends and I believe that two of our other friends are in that cavern you just came out of. If we could go in to see them, that would be most wonderful!”

Tapu Lele hugged its chest with one arm and stroked its chin with the hand on the other, figuring out how to answer this request.

The light in Gladion’s eyes dimmed. “They aren’t here, are they?”

“What?” Sam and Alice cried out in unison.

Not paying attention to them, Tapu Lele turned to the west and pointed her arm in that direction, looking back at them with hope that it was enough of an explanation.

“Are you saying our friends are… that way?” Starlight’s question was met with enthusiastic nodding from the guardian. “And… what is that way?”

Gladion put his hand to his forehead and supported his elbow with the other arm in thought. “My guess is that Olivia brought them both back to Konikoni City sometime between now and yesterday afternoon.”

Tapu Lele clapped, both confirming and congratulating his deduction.

“So…” Pinkie Pie wondered. “Does that mean…?”

“Yep!” Sam loudly spat with sarcastic gusto. “More flying!”

“Yippee!”

Tapu Lele quickly waved its hands with as much of a distressed expression as its eyes could muster, redirecting all attention towards it. It then swung its arms out and clasped its hands before swinging her joined hands up and then down in an arc to the right and letting them go at the end of the point.

“What do you think that meant?” Rainbow Dash looked to her other three friends.

Gladion stepped forward. “I appreciate the offer, Tapu Lele, but I must respectfully decline for the safety of these ponies, namely the unicorn.”

Tapu Lele leaned back in surprise, the other ponies turning to him. “Huh?” Fluttershy spoke up. “Why’s that?”

“Promise not to freak out, but Tapu Lele is a Psychic-type Pokémon.” Though this news was a shock to everyone, the ponies, as well as Sam and Alice, all kept silent. “It was probably offering to teleport us to Konikoni to save us the journey there, but doing so could have disastrous effects on Starlight here.”

“That does make sense…” Starlight looked away with slight shame.

“No matter. A flight to Konikoni should take no more than twenty minutes. Let’s get moving.”

Starlight bit her lip as she watched Gladion pull out his Ride Pager and scroll through it. As his Charizard’s ball was warped into the top slot, she ran to face him before he could toss the ball out. “No, wait! I… I think I can handle it.”

Gladion set his arm with the Poké Ball down. “Handle what? You’re seriously not considering teleporting to Konikoni, are you?”

“I’ve been training myself to withstand a Psychic-type move’s influence on my magic. Even in the worst case scenario, I’ll be without my magic, but we’ll be close enough to a city where Team Prism wouldn’t attack us. Not to mention, Sam won’t have to fly there.” Starlight’s cheeky glance back to him elicited snickering from Rainbow Dash, Sam merely rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Gladion sighed. “If you’re really up to it…”

“I think we’ll be fine. Now come on! Let’s find more of our friends!”

“Okay… Everyone, gather close.”

Everyone moved into a snug grouping, Pinkie Pie holding Alice and Gladion’s hands excitedly as she awaited their fast travels.

“Tapu Lele, whenever you’re ready.”

Tapu Lele floated to face the group and held her hands out which began to glow brightly. Starlight began charging her horn as the area surrounding her and her friends became bright.

When everything became blinding white, the light quickly dimmed down, revealing themselves at the edge of another coast but now facing more land to the east and a northward bend just up ahead of them. Everyone took several looks around at their new surroundings, with Gladion being the first to walk to the northern bend. The others were quick to follow him turning up to see a large seaside town just up ahead past an oriental gate separating the dirt path from the brick roads.

“Oooh!” Pinkie Pie stepped beside Gladion to get a better look. “That’s where this Olivia lives?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t think she’s hiding them somewhere here, do you?” Starlight asked.

Gladion shook his head. “Not exactly. Come.”

Gladion walked towards the city, leading Pinkie Pie and the others to follow. As he reached the city limits, he returned his Lucario into its ball, having served its purpose.

Gladion and his group came up to Olivia’s jewelry shop, the ponies unable shake off the interested stares they received from the mercifully few locals and tourists alike that were out.

“Oh, wow!” A little girl pointed at them as she passed them sitting on her father’s shoulders. “There’s more of them!”

While the others tried to brush the attention off, Pinkie Pie snuck a cheerful wave to the girl, which she was happy to return.

“Why do they keep talking about us like that?” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

“I’m not sure, but we’ll be safer here.” Gladion stepped up to the door and gave the handle a tug, but it wouldn’t budge. Looking at his Pokédex and booting it up, he saw that it was just before 8:00 in the morning. “Figures…”

“Closed?” Sam asked, walking up.

“Most stores this time of day are.” Alice reached forward and began tugging on the handle, producing a series of soft, but repetitive bangs against the door jamb. “What are you doing?”

“If Applejack and Rarity are in here,” she explained, “there’s no way anyone would leave them home alone like that, even if they are in a populated area. So let’s just…”

It only took a few more seconds of repeated pullings before Carly’s voice snapped behind the door. “I’m sorry, but we don’t open for another couple of hours!”

“Are Applejack and Rarity home?” Alice asked in her most cloying and saccharine voice she could make.

“I don’t have to answer that! Now please leave!”

Sam stepped so close to the door his lips grazed against the wood as he talked. “But what if we have their friends with us?”

A period of silence. Sam and Gladion stepped back as they heard footsteps behind the door coming toward them and the sound of a deadbolt turning and the chainlock running off the slider. Finally, Carly opened the door a crack, forcing Alice to step back as well.

“Listen here, you better not be ly…” Her voice trailed off and her peevish frown melted into one of calm and pleasant surprise as Starlight, Fluttershy, Lady, Comfey, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all looked to her inquisitively behind their human friends.

Carly stood halfway concealed by the doorway in awkward silence as she looked over the four equine visitors standing outside the shop. At one point, Sam leaned forwards and put his arms up as if asking the shopkeeper what the holdup was.

Rarity and Applejack slept soundly in Olivia’s bed when they were both stirred awake by the sound of knocking at the door to the flat. The first to sit up was Applejack, whose mane was a mess that waved in random directions.

“Olivia,” she moaned, “I thought I told you we wanted to sleep in.”

“How can you be sleeping in when your friends are here to see you!” Applejack’s voice caught in her throat to hear Pinkie Pie behind the door while an equally messy-haired Rarity, also having heard it, shot awake and yanked her sleep mask off her eyes, both turning to face the door.

“Uh… come in?”

The door came open, followed by a gallop of hooves as Pinkie Pie rounded the corner and to the two ponies she recognized. “APPLEJACK!”

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack caught her ecstatic friend as she dove into her arms. “It’s really you!”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Rainbow Dash zipped through the door and threw her arms around both Applejack and Rarity’s necks! “I still can’t believe you’re here!”

Rarity coughed out a couple of laughs as she was strangled by her friend’s embrace. “The feelings… mutual, darling!”

Fluttershy and Starlight came in next, both darting for the orange earth pony and white unicorn as they continued to be smothered by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. “Applejack! Rarity!”

“You too!?” Applejack threw her arms out as wide as her body could allow, leaving room for the other two to come in, Rarity leaning in and hugging tight to Fluttershy as they all wept and laughed at their safe reunion. “I can’t believe this!”

Sam, Alice, Lady, Comfey, and Gladion all entered the room, followed shortly after by Carly, who couldn’t believe her eyes to see six of the ponies reunited under one roof.

“I…” She couldn’t look away from the heartwarming sight. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much!”

“It was a pleasure,” Alice said.

“Really,” Sam added, “nothing makes us happier to do this than when we get to see this.”

Starlight broke her glances with her friends to peer at the humans standing near the doorway, pulling away off the bed and motioning her hoof to them. “Applejack, Rarity, I’d really like you to meet our close friends who helped bring us here. This is Sam, Alice, and Gladion.”

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pinkie Pie all got off the bed to let Applejack and Rarity both approach the three humans.

Applejack reached her hooves up to shake Sam’s hand with him. “Howdy, Sam. I’m mighty grateful for you helping find all our friends. Any friend to them is sure as sugar a friend of mine!”

“Well, I mean, I wasn’t alone…”

Rarity placed her hoof in Alice’s palm, allowing her to gently shake it. “I do wish I could have bathed before our introductions, but I’m charmed nonetheless. Thank you for all you’ve done for them, darling.”

“You’re very welcome, milady.” Alice’s remark and small curtsy made Rarity giggle into forgetting her bed-disheveled appearance.

Both Lady and Comfey went around Gladion and took a close and inquisitive look at the new ponies greeting their human companions, Rarity audibly gasping once she noticed them. “Oh! Are these your Pokémon? How delightful!”

“Thanks,” Starlight spoke in, “but those are mine and Fluttershy’s.”

“Yours and…” Rarity’s mouth widened in realization.

Starlight stood beside Lady and slung her arm over her back and stroked her with her hoof. “Rarity this is Lady. I, well… I found her a couple days ago and she decided to come along with me.”

“Oh yes!” Fluttershy was quick to join Comfey’s side, getting Rarity’s attention. “Rarity. This is Comfey. She joined along with us yesterday and has been a tremendous help so far!”

Rarity reached her hoof forwards and gently scratched the side of Comfey’s head with her hoof, its clamped shut eyes and the chirps that came from its open mouth indicating its enjoyment. “Other than looking like a parasprite, she’s certainly quite adorable.”

As Lady came forward to receive similar affection from Rarity, Applejack faced Gladion as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie joined her sides. “And I assume this tall drink of water is Gladion?” Applejack asked her friends.

“Yep!” Rainbow Dash flew beside Gladion and put her hoof on his shoulder. “We kind of had a rocky start when we first met, but he’s proven himself to be a totally awesome friend to us!”

“I really wish you wouldn’t mention that…” Gladion softly muttered, his head nervously sinking toward his chest.

“Oh, come on, Gladion, put ‘er there!” Applejack reached forward and grabbed his hand with both hooves, making him wince with the pressure she applied to it. “I certainly can’t properly thank you for helping out our friends with you acting all aloof and all!”

Unable to tolerate the crushing feeling in his hand, Gladion quickly pulled it away and gave it a few flexes. “Strong grip. And you have no need to thank me. I’m simply doing my job.”

“Job?” Applejack asked with minor suspicion. “What kind of job would that be?”

Alice and Sam came up to them with the other three ponies and Pokémon beside them. “We have some time to catch you guys up to speed,” Alice said. “Where is Olivia right now?”

“She’s shopping for grub right now,” Applejack replied, her face slowly softening into a smile. “She hasn’t been out for long, so yeah, I’d like to hear about all y’all and your travels.”

“Well, I mean, let’s find somewhere to sit.” Sam made his way to the couch where the Stufful walked across the cushions and let out a loud-pitched yawn at it, throwing Sam up in the air as he shouted in shock.

“Oh yes!” Rarity chortled. “Let me introduce you to Stufful.”

Fluttershy passed Sam as she trotted up to the bear first, letting it sniff her before she gave it a loving, gentle hug to her face. Carly seeing as the group started getting settled, let out a sigh and nod and returned downstairs, closing the door behind her.

Olivia kicked the bottom of the door, prompting Carly to run from around the counter and push the door open just enough for Olivia to open it all the way with her foot. Two large paper bags of groceries were clutched in her arms as she struggled to get herself and her food inside.

Carly stood beside the stairs as Olivia made her way to them. “Do you need any help with that?”

“As much as I do,” she grunted, already taking her first steps up, “I just need you to keep an eye on the store until I put these all away. I sure hope they’re still not sleeping.”

“The ponies?” Carly asked. “They shouldn’t be. Some visitors came to see them and– ”

“Visitors? You… you didn’t let them in, did you?”

Carly kept a brave face as she tried to explain herself. “Olivia, it was–”

“God dammit!” Olivia ran up the stairs two at a time, panting in sheer anxiety over Applejack and Rarity’s fates and safety.

Reaching the top, she dropped both bags and threw the door open, quickly scanning the room for the intruders. Her eyes suddenly spotted Applejack and Rarity turning to her from in front of the couch, only to be met with the eyes of the other four ponies sitting beside them, not even paying any mind to Sam, Alice, Gladion, Lady, and Comfey on the couch as they also looked to her.

Olivia, her breathing slowing, hung her head down and put a hand over her eyes, sobbing loudly into them. “Oh, thank God…”

“Olivia, darling?” Rarity wondered as she and Applejack approached her. “Are you alright?”

She picked her head back up and wiped both eyes with her thumb, both ponies relieved to see a wide smile stretch across her face. “Yes, Rarity. I’m quite more than alright.”

The other ponies got up from their spots and walked up to Olivia, who sunk to her knees to look at them from eye level, her grin quivering back into pure disbelief.

Pinkie Pie approached her closer. “You’re Olivia? You’re the human who’s been looking out after my Applejack and Rarity?” Olivia mustered a couple of nods, permitting Pinkie Pie to ram onto her and throw her arms around her neck, resting her head on her shoulder. “Then you shouldn’t be sad! You should be happy for what you’ve done. Thank you so much, Olivia! Thank you!”

“Oh, sweetie…” Olivia slid her arms over Pinkie Pie’s back and pulled her closer to her, soaking her coat with her tears. “You have no idea how happy I am right now!”

“Oh, good! That’s what I like to hear.”

Applejack then turned to face her other friends. “Gals, this is Olivia. She’s been… keeping us safe here since we got here.”

Olivia pulled herself from Pinkie Pie to get a good look at her face. “I’m sorry, I’m so wrapped up in myself and I didn’t even get your name.”

“Oh, me?” she giggled. “Well, I’m Pinkie Pie! And my other friends are Fluttershy, Starlight Glimmer, and Rainbow Dash!”

Olivia stood and got herself a good look at the six ponies surrounding her. “Yes. I’m so very glad to meet all of you.” She then looked to the humans sitting at the couch with Starlight and Fluttershy’s Pokémon. “And please forgive me, who do I have the pleasure of talking to… except Gladion, of course. How are you, sweetie?”

“Doing peachy…” Gladion stayed in his seat while Alice and Sam walked up to greet her.

“Hey,” Alice reached forward to shake her hand. “I’m Alice.”

“And I’m her brother Sam,” he quickly said. “We found Starlight and Fluttershy there.”

Olivia turned to shake Sam’s hand. “Well, what an interesting bonding experience for the two of you then.”

“You can sure say that,” Alice responded with a single-shoulder shrug.

After a small length of time, Olivia pulled her hand away and crossed her arms. “And I suppose you’re here to take them off my hands?”

“Not exactly,” Gladion stood up from the couch. “There’s two more of these guys that we need, and they’re being held at the Aether House as we speak.”

“Well, at least they’re in good hands.”

Gladion huffed ruefully. “I thought they were at least.” All eyes were on him now, unsure what he meant with his ominous statement. “I heard last night that Aether House was under attack by Team Prism.” Gladion’s eyes went to Rarity and Applejack, who erupted into the same gasps of fear and worry that befell her other four friends. He then looked to Olivia, having seen enough. “Though it seems you’ve already run into them, haven’t you?”

“What?” Olivia was out of breath. “How did–”

“If you haven’t meet them already, I doubt those ponies you’ve been with would have had nearly the same kind of reaction as their friends. Tell me. Was there anything we should know?”

Olivia bit her lip, knowing it had to be said. “It was Dexio.”

Gladion gasped and took a fearful step back. “You must be joking! There’s no way he of all–”

“It was, and it gets worse!”

Pinkie Pie leaned to Applejack’s ear. “Who’s this Dexio guy, and why should we be scared for our lives about him?”

“He was friend of Olivia’s,” she responded. “I reckon he was a friend of your friend too.”

“Wow, that’s like… four layers of betrayal!”

Olivia began talking. “Not only did he have the ability to wield Z-Power, but–”

“He used it with Mega Evolution too, right?” Gladion’s eyes revealed a subtle queasiness to them.

“Mega Evolution?” Sam and Alice both shouted loudly.

“You know about it?” Olivia wondered.

“We’re from Kalos,” Alice explained. “It’s kind of our region’s bread and butter.”

“I see. And you were still planning on taking the ponies with you?”

Gladion nodded. “We had hoped that we could escort the other two from the House to here and we could try and work on sending them back home from there, but in light of the attack over there, it would be safer if the eleven of us made our way there altogether.”

“I’m sorry, but… I can’t let you go!”

“What?!” everyone but Olivia and the Pokémon shouted at once.

“Gladion, I know how strong you are, but do you think that Team Prism won’t pull all the stops against you knowing you’re only two ponies away from being able to send them home?”

“Hey!” Sam yelled, pointing to himself and his sister. “What about us?”

“I don’t know you two! As the Kahuna, I would never live with myself if I sent two young trainers off to a battle that they couldn’t possibly win!”

“Dammit. Gladion, how strong exactly is this Dexio?”

“Enough to beat me at my best!” Olivia interrupted, almost shrieking.

Rarity and Applejack hung their heads down, saddened by the bitter memory.

“Yes,” Olivia breathed in, “Dexio is already a fearsome opponent, but with a Z-Ring to boot…” Olivia turned away and stood by the door. “I’m sorry. I just can’t let you leave yet–”

“We have to!” Sam cried out as he stepped forwards. “We’ve come all this way–”

“Boy, I wasn’t done talking, just wait until I’ve finished.” Sam backed away, leaving the silence for Olivia to break. “The only way I’ll let you all leave for Ula’ula Island is for you and your sister there to defeat me in a Pokémon battle.”

Sam and Alice looked to each other, unable to believe the coincidence. “Are you serious?” Alice replied.

“Deadly. Serious. I lost to Dexio then, and I certainly don’t think I’ll rest easy at night with you and the ponies out there unless I know you can beat me in a battle for certain. So, do you accept?”

The ponies looked to Alice and Sam, who were both surprised to see them rather nonchalant about the challenge set for them. Alice spoke while scratching the back of her neck. “Well, we did already complete all the Akala trials…”

Olivia, realizing what this meant, smirked. “So, this will be a Grand Trial battle for both of you then?”

Sam shrugged. “I suppose so.”

“Very good.” She reached for the door and began to open it. “Go to a Pokémon Center if you need and do what you need to do and meet me at the lighthouse. I don’t want to wait for very long.”

Olivia stepped outside her flat and left the door open as she left the six ponies, three humans, and three Pokémon stunned silent as they contemplated her parting words. Coming down the stairs, she made her way to the exit, not even looking at Carly as she made the final preparations for the next day of sale.

“I’m leaving the store to you for a few hours.” Olivia put her hand on the handle of the door, suddenly turning back to face her shopkeeper. “You can manage, right?”

“Uh, yes!” Carly frantically opened the register. “Just gotta’ count out the cash and we’ll be set!”

Olivia nodded without another word and pushed the door open, briskly walking down the street to the eastern part of the town.