Pokémon Eclipse

by moviemaster8510

Chapter 56 – Static in the Air

Sun, his friends, and the Equestrians took up virtually every seat and table of the café inside the Pokémon Center. Alice’s seat remained empty, as she was petting her Raichu on the nurse’s counter in the back center. Carefully examining and stroking the back of its head, she was relieved to see that there didn’t seem to ever be a wound there at all.

“Yeah, you’re all better now?” she asked in cutesy sing-song.

Raichu let out a high-pitched squeal devoid of any hurt or suffering, smiling from spotted cheek to spotted cheek.

Alice directed her attention to the nurse. “How much longer until the rest are healed?”

The nurse looked to the machine behind her where six Poké Balls were sitting and getting continually scanned. “Just another couple minutes.”

“Perfect.”

As Alice continued snuggling her Raichu, Sun sipped his coffee, Gladion and Hau talking amongst the others. No one seemed to be paying him any attention, and he felt all the better for it. Even with the chatter of his friends all around him, the oft sip of sweet black coffee was peaceful enough for him.

Twilight, however, didn’t intend on letting him stay alone. “Sun, do you have a second?”

Glancing from the corner of his eyes, he saw her approach him, and with a short sigh, he put his cup down, turning his entire body to face her. “Of course. What’s up?”

“Last night, you had said something about hearing from someone. Who is this ‘someone?’”

Sun took a moment to compose his thoughts. “I have been in contact with the Mossdeep Space Center in the Hoenn region. They also have the ability to create wormholes, but their research and capabilities aren’t nearly as advanced as ours.”

“I… don’t understand. What are they supposed to do then?”

“They won’t have to do much of anything. We possess the proper coordinates and data that can allow them to direct you to your home world. Once we gather that data and hand that to them, they will be able to return you to Equestria. Solgaleo and Lunala won’t even have to play a part in it. Everything will work out this time. No more accidents, no more friends and family torn from their homes.”

Twilight could see and hear a slight twinge of pain escape from Sun’s voice, and her ears flattened in melancholy fascination.

“I know I messed up, Twilight,” he continued, “and you have every right to be upset with me, and if what Luna fears about Chrysalis is true, then I accept responsibility for that as well. It’s just that I’ve known Solgaleo and Lunala for nearly half my life, and I never thought they’d be capable of doing what they have done. I fear for them as much as I fear for you and your world, and I want you to believe that, even if everything that’s happened so far says the opposite.”

“Sun, listen, I know that this is the very last thing you wanted for any of us, and I don’t want you to feel like I hate you for what’s happened. Hau talked to me yesterday and helped me see that it wasn’t right of me to lash out at all of you yesterday.”

Sun scoffed in shame. “That doesn’t excuse anything.”

“I know it doesn’t, and yes, I’m still quite mad about this entire situation, but I need you to know that this isn’t as much of your fault as you think this is. I know how much effort you, Lillie, and Gladion have put in to trying to help us, and I don’t want what you think I feel about you to be another weight on your shoulders.”

Sun looked back to his coffee, staring at it for several seconds. As Twilight continued staring at him, expecting a response, she saw Sun’s eyes glisten before a tear ran down his cheek. Feeling it run, Sun sniffed hard as he dried his cheek with the top of his wrist.

“I’m so sorry, Twilight.” Sun weakly shook his head. “I’m going to make this better. I promise.”

“I know you will.” Twilight rested her hoof on his thigh.

Turning back to face her, he leaned toward her, and she stood up to put her arms around his neck, allowing his arms to gently wrap over her upper back. Meanwhile, Lillie was examining the skin beneath Discord’s fur, noting the redness of the ring left by the collar and its shocks as well as the miniscule dot of a scab where a needle had been inserted.

As she massaged the fur away, Discord hummed in a mixture of relief and discomfort. “Yeah… a little to the left, if you please.”

“So what did they do to him?” Fluttershy concernedly asked. “Why can’t he use magic?”

“From what I remember the Prism leader saying,” Shining Armor groaned, straining to clearly recall, “that collar used Psychic and Electric… Terrain Extension?”

“Psychic Terrain, Electric Terrain and Terrain Extender?” Lillie wondered. “Discord, can you perform some kind of magic for me? It doesn’t have to be that big.”

Discord winced at the thought, only for Shining Armor to speak. “Come on, you were willing to use magic to pull a gag on our way down the mountain this morning.”

“Precisely!” he defended. “Magic’s always worth it for a gag!”

“Discord, please!” Lillie exclaimed.

“Okay, okay!” With a trembling of his right paw, Discord brought the fingers together to snap.

With a single flaring out of his fur and clench of his fist, he hissed over the unpleasantness of the shock that ran through his arm.

Fluttershy gasped, horrified by her friend’s pain. “Discord! Are you alright?”

With a couple flexes of his arm, Discord’s breathing returned to normal. “Like she said, not that big.”

After petting his neck, Lillie faced Fluttershy and Shining Armor. “So, it’s not so much that he can’t use magic, it’s that it causes him great pain if he tries to do so.”

“What about that juice that Molayne gave us before we left?” Shining Armor asked. “Is that not doing anything?”

Lillie turned to the table, seeing two empty bottles, one full one, and a third-full one beside Sam and Alice’s backpacks. “That Payapa juice is helping your friends with restoring their magic, but it doesn’t seem to be helping him at all.”

“Is there anything you can do?” Discord whined, grabbing both of her shoulders desperately. “I just want to ride a unicycle made of some silly-sounding cheese on the ceiling or turn into a three-headed salmon in the worst way right now!”

Lillie slid Discord’s lion paw and eagle’s talon off of her and clasped her hands over them, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything right now.”

“B- But… that leader wanted to use me against you and your friends! If he wanted me to use my magic like I’m sure he would’ve, that collar he had would have been able to fix me, right?”

Lillie’s eyes widened, a breakthrough on the horizon. “Do you have the collar with you?”

Discord opened his mouth to speak, but quickly realized that he had no answer, letting his mouth hang open.

“We left it in the desert when Starlight’s Pokémon broke it off,” Shining Armor explained. “We only just had enough time to run away after that.”

Fluttershy’s lips trembled. “Does that mean Discord can never use magic again?”

“That shouldn’t be the case,” Lillie said. “Typically, in battle, Psychic Terrain and Electric Terrain wear off on their own, but with the Terrain Extender, that may prolong it even further. Until I can get a much closer look and find a way to reverse it, the only thing I can say to do is wait for it to go away on its own. I don’t know when it will, but you will be able to use magic again.”

“Just not right now,” Discord moped.

“I’m so sorry, Discord.”

Discord bowed his head and closed his eyes, two tears rolling down his cheeks. Lillie was quick to wipe his face with her thumbs before hugging his muzzle, caressing her face into the top of his head. Fluttershy put her arms around his body, nuzzling her face into his lower torso. Sam looked upon the sight across the table, feeling too guilty to take another sip of his tea.

Alice and Raichu approached his table with a tray containing the six Poké Balls inside. “Sam, healing station is all yours. Fluttershy, your Comfey’s better.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy let go of her friend. “Discord, I don’t think I ever formally introduced you to Comfey! Hopefully that will cheer you up!”

Alice lobbed the Poké Ball up, Comfey popping out from it. Discord’s eyes tracked it as it happily flipped about in a couple of figure-eights above his snout. Once it finally stopped and stared into Discord’s eyes, Comfey's lips were now pursed with awe at the creature its trainer considered her friend.

Discord was too charmed not to smile. “And are you the cute little thing that’s been keeping my dear Fluttershy safe?”

Comfey, happy to have so quickly earned Discord’s approval, twirled once again around it’s snout and wrapped itself around his blue, bulby horn. Sam and Alice smiled upon the act as Starlight began to approach herself.

“Did you say that Lady was all better?” she asked.

“Mmhm.” Sam removed another ball from the tray. “Her too.”

Letting the ball roll off his finger, the ball hit the ground before opening and letting the Sylveon out. With Lady full of energy, it wrapped its feelings around the back of Starlight’s head and neck for a hug.

“Sam,” Alice said, picking her own Poké Balls from the tray and putting them on her belt, “you should go heal your Pokémon before someone else gets to first.”

“Alright, alright.” With his tea in one hand and the tray in the other, he briskly walked over to the counter.

Alice took his seat just as Trixie and Thorax joined Starlight’s side. “Oh, hey, sorry,” Thorax said, “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Thorax.”

“Thorax?” As Alice shook his hoof, she placed her other hand on it, admiring its smooth, hard feel. “What exactly are you?”

“I’m a… a changeling.” Thorax sounded very nervous on the last two words.

Alice blinked several times, processing what he said. “Changel– You mean like–”

“Not at all!” Trixie brashly interrupted. “He’s no longer affiliated with that evil hag Chrysalis, and I will not allow you to believe such a horrible thing about Trixie’s dear friend.”

Thorax sheepishly smiled as Alice glanced between him and Trixie. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

As Sam returned to his table, Starlight acknowledged him too. “Guys, this is another very close friend of mine, Trixie.”

Trixie allowed Sam to shake her hoof, looking suspicious and bemused. “And you have been taking good care of Starlight while she’s been stuck here?”

“Uh, very,” Sam muttered.

“Then I do believe that you and I shall be fine companions.”

“And I don’t think you’ve met Thorax?” Starlight asked.

Sam and Thorax greeted each other as Trixie greeted Alice as the door to the Pokémon Center opened up. Walking inside was a well-toned man a few years older than Sam wearing an orange sweater partially concealed by a white trench coat and yellow-and-grey scarf, along with black slacks with orange bottom cuffs. His short, disheveled hair seemed to be the only improper thing about him.

His eyes couldn’t help but stay on the Equestrians and their completely alien appearance, stuck almost in a trance. Upon spotting Sam and Alice, he snapped back into concentration, slipping his hands into his pockets and darting toward them.

“Excuse me?” he said, breaking the siblings’ attentions from their new friends. “You’re Sam and Alice, right?”

“Who’s asking?” Alice curtly replied.

“Oh, I’m, uh… Sophocles!” Upon giving his name, Sophocles nearly jabbed his open hand into Sam face, reeling it back upon seeing him dodge it. “Oh, sorry, still working on that… anyways, in case you were wondering, I’m, uh, actually the captain of the trial site up here.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Sam slapped his hands in excitement. “The next trial site is up here, isn’t it?”

“Wait, hold on!” Alice pushed him aside, approaching Sophocles with crossed arms. “What’s this all about? Is this some kind of invitation? How’d you know we’d even be up here?”

Cornered, Sophocles loosened his scarf. “I just, it’s… Nanu figured you’d be here by now!”

“Nanu?” Alice questioned more softly, taking a step back. “How’d he–”

“I guess he found out about your detour from Sun or Lillie or somebody. He called me just a bit ago to see if we were here, and since you are, I thought you may want to take my Island Trial. I mean, if you’re not too busy…”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Starlight said, walking up to him, “but we’re just here to rest our Pokémon after our… yeah, detour, and then we were probably going to leave right away.”

“Oh my good– Looks like Mo really was telling the truth.” Sophocles dropped to a knee with his hands upon it for support. “I wasn’t sure I’d get the chance to meet one of you. I’m Sophocles, pleased to meet you, uh…”

“Starlight.” The unicorn reached her hoof out first, Sophocles carefully gripping the edges and giving it a gentle shake. “I’m sorry we can’t stay longer, but we just don’t really have the time.”

“Are you sure?” Sam wondered aloud. “As far as I know, only Alice and I have had their Pokémon healed so far, and I’ve got at least five minutes before mine are done. Alice, do you think we can get one attempt in?”

Sophocles shot his gaze to Alice, awaiting her answer. “Well, I’m not exactly the one in charge here. We’d have to ask Sun or Gladion or someone like that.”

“I understand,” Sophocles responded, standing back up. “If you could come, that would be great, but I suppose your priorities take… priorities.”

“Where exactly is the site?” Sam asked. “You know, just in case.”

“It’s actually, uh, right here inside the Hokulani Observatory. I’ll meet you in the lobby if you decide to come.”

“Thank you, Sophocles,” Alice said. “We shouldn’t be long if we can make it.”

“That’s wonderful! If I don’t see you, I wish you and your friends the best!”

With a bow, Sophocles turned on his heels and quickly walked out the door, leaving Sam and Alice a bit helplessly concerned. Hau and Gladion both approached them.

“Darn!” Hau exclaimed, jolting the two. “I was hoping to say hi to him.”

“Hau!” Thorax tore from Sam’s grasp to join Hau’s side. “Guys, you haven’t met Marshadow yet! Hau, you need to show them!”

“Marshadow?” the siblings both asked.

“Yeah, give me a moment.” Without hesitation, Hau focused his energy as the shadow beneath him from the flourescents darkened.

Sam and Alice took a fearful step away as Hau’s shadow shifted out beneath it and rose up to form into Marshadow. Starlight, also frightened, slipped between the two and peered in the spaces between their legs.

Upon opening its eyes, it immediately spotted Sam and Alice. “Oh, you must be those two trainers Hau was talking about. Sam and Alice, was it?”

“Yeah…” Sam gulped, “yep.”

It then gazed to Starlight, who slowly grew less fearful and more fascinated by its docile appearance. “And you must be Starlight. You really don’t need to be afraid of me, honestly.”

“Hau,” Alice breathed, “where did you…”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Hau suddenly realized. “I never told you about yesterday! So I was visiting my grandfather’s grave when–”

“Hau,” Gladion interrupted, “I’m sorry, but that can wait for another time. Sam, Alice, what did Sophocles have to say to you?”

“He…” Sam tried to speak, “invited us to challenge his Island Trial. I told him we would if we weren’t too busy, but since you’re here–”

“You’re asking for my permission then, is that it?”

“We know we’re on a tight schedule,” Alice said, “and we figured that once everyone’s Pokémon are all healed, we should–”

“You don’t really need to concern yourselves about that. For all intents and purposes, we’re all safe here. If you want to go and do your next trial, we can wait a little longer for the both of you.”

“If nothing else,” Hau said, “this is as much an R&R for all of us as it is for our Pokémon.”

“Though, I want to know. What’s the hurry? You just faced Prism’s leader and now you want to do a trial already?”

Sam grimaced. “Earlier yesterday, Acerola told me that there are Dusk Stones inside the Abandoned Megamart on this island. Nanu has the place guarded by a bunch of wild Pokémon; apparently wants me to beat him in the Grand Trial before he can let me in. Once I beat him, I can get a Dusk Stone and evolve Doublade into an Aegislash.”

“Hmm, I see. And after that, what do you plan to do?”

“That’s just it. I wanted to get a Dusk Stone as early as possible so my Pokémon can be at their strongest when fighting Team Prism. I don’t know what new tricks they all have planned, but I need to ensure my Pokémon can defend themselves against them.”

Hau nodded and smiled. “And I can’t think of a better motivation. So yeah, once your Pokémon are all better, go and do it! I support you 100%.”

“And I wish you two the best of luck as well,” Marshadow agreed.

Starlight smiled, feeling emboldened. “Hey, Fluttershy, Discord!”

Turning around, she walked up to Discord and Fluttershy, leaving Trixie and Thorax confused.

“Hey,” he asked. “Where’s she going?”

“Probably to see if they want to come along,” Alice answered. “Other than our last trial, Starlight and Fluttershy have been alongside us every step of the way. If you want, you’re more than welcome to come too!”

“R– Really? Well, if you insist…”

“I accept your invitation!” Trixie proudly responded. “I’d be more than happy to see how strong the friends of my friend are!”

Joining Starlight’s side, Fluttershy and Discord approached the two siblings. “You’re going to do another trial?” she asked. “Already?”

“If you’re up for it!” Alice jeered. “I know Sam and I are!”

“Ooh, this will be so exciting!” Discord giggled. “If I could, I’d make the popcorn!”

“Sam!” the nurse called, sliding a nearly full tray of Poké Balls up onto the counter. “Your Pokémon!”

Sam looked to Alice and rotated himself to look into the faces of his friends. “Are we ready to go then?”

“After you!” Trixie motioned her arm to the counter where Sam’s healed Pokémon awaited him.

With a nod, Sam walked up to the counter and grabbed the tray from it.

The door to the observatory slid open, Sam and Alice stepping inside the atrium lobby first, followed by Fluttershy, Starlight, Lady, Discord, Thorax, and Trixie. They all gazed up and marveled at the height of the ceiling above and the ornate and intricately designed solar system that hung from it.

“Are you sure we didn’t want to invite Twilight?” Alice wondered.

“Pfft, please!” Discord flicked his hand down in dismissal. “We’d probably waste all of our time here having someone explain the history of time and space or whatever suits her nerdy little fancy.”

“Excuse me?” A male receptionist from the desk to the left waved his hand. “Are you looking for Sophocles?”

“We are, actually!” Sam called. “He invited us here to take his tri–”

The center back door slid open, Sophocles appearing from it with only his white coat off. “There you are! I’m very glad you could make it!” Upon noticing Discord, Thorax, Fluttershy, and Trixie, he had a hard time finding one to focus on. “And it looks like you brought friends.”

“We’re just here to watch Sam and Alice,” the changeling explained. “I’m Thorax. And you’re Sophocles?”

“I am.”

As the two shook hands and hooves, Starlight motioned her hoof to her other friends. “And these are my other friends Fluttershy, Trixie, and Discord.”

“Very good.” Sophocles quickly made salutations with each of the creatures, smiling widely with each appendage he shook. “Such diversity as well. Well, I know you’re all busy, so let’s head right to the back, okay?”

With a beckoning wave of his hand, Sophocles led Sam, Alice, and their friends toward the still open door. Turning right into it, they were all led into a much more dimly lit and shorter hallway. Heading down a small flight of stairs, a single doorway, the borders painted like the totems of a trial site entrance, awaited them.

“Okay, right this way.” Sophocles banked right, the door quickly parting the way for him.

Sam, Alice, and their friends all stopped on the other side of the doorway, and looking inside, it appeared just as marvelous as the lobby. While the front half was mostly empty save for a couple of impressive computer setups with several towers, monitors, and other machinery in the back corners, the back half appeared to be a gym with a glass ceiling that brought a beautiful illumination to the entire room.

Sitting in the center of the front half appeared to be a large table with its tiles arranged in a 3x3 square, four blue buttons on a small console on each corner of its edges. The consoles were connected to cables that were fed into the floor, visible beneath a Plexiglas display. The wires led themselves into the gym, where they then formed the outline of the doublewide gym in the back of the room as well as the outline of an apparent doorway in the center of the back wall.

As Trixie stepped inside, getting a better view, her hoof collided with a green box-shaped insect that warbled at her touch. Looking down and seeing it wiggle threateningly at her, she yelped and scurried back into the hallway.

“What on earth is that thing?” she cried, pointing a trembling hoof at her.

“Oh, looks like you found a Charjabug!” Sophocles scooped the Pokémon up and held it to his chest like a child would hold a fat cat. “Come in, please, they don’t bite, unless provoked of course!”

Trixie grimaced, already sensing an omen. As they walked in and looked further around, the group could see that several more Charjabugs wandered the floor, conspicuously keeping clear of the gym half of the room.

Sam squatted down to get closer to ones level, and it eyed him curiously. “I’m going to take a wild guess that these guys are going to be part of our trial?”

“Mmhm.” Sophocles nodded. “You won’t be battling them, but they’ll still be of use to you. From what I heard, you’ve been taking all of your Island Trials together, correct?”

“Yeah?” Alice answered.

“Interesting. I’ve never done a trial with two trainers going at the same time. Give me a moment to think how to do this.”

Sophocles turned away from the trainers and Equestrians as he put his fingers to his chin, pinching them in contemplation. The others stared at each other, awkwardly awaiting Sophocles to arrive at a solution.

With a snap of his fingers, he ran to the right computer. “I got it!”

Logging on, his fingers flew across the keyboard, windows of commands and programs opening up all over both monitors. Even Starlight had trouble reading off the screens, a new window appearing over the one she was on.

“And… done!” Pressing the Enter key, all windows closed except for one with a green checkmark on it.

“And what exactly did you do?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Okay,” Sophocles began looking at Sam and Alice, “here’s how I’m going to make this work. Come here.” Leading the two to the tile panel, three Charjabugs hopped onto it, two on the left and right tiles of the center and the last on the bottom center. “I suppose a good place to start would be to teach you how to use this. Each button will shift the Charjabugs in a counterclockwise pattern, like so.”

Sophocles walked to the upper-left button and pressed it, the center-left Charjabug shifting to the right as arrows flashed on the tiles pointing in a counterclockwise arrangement. He then went to the lower-right button and pressed it. The Charjabug now in the center panel was shifted to the left while the one beneath it was now shifted to the center. All three Charjabugs were now aligned.

Sam nodded and huffed, admiring the novelty behind it. “Seems easy enough.”

“You would think that wouldn’t you?” Sophocles pointed to the back wall of the gym. “Once the trial begins, that door in the center’s going to open up and a whole bunch of Pokémon are going to start pouring out of it! What you’ll need to do is to arrange the Charjabugs to how the tiles want them. Once you do that, the Pokémon will stop coming, but all that energy that the Charjabugs create once they’re all connected is going to call the Totem Pokémon and its allys, got it?”

“I think we get the gist,” Alice said. “Are we both supposed to work the machine, or…”

Sophocles shrugged. “I mean, you could do that, but I don’t think you’ll do it in time before… oh, that’s the other thing! If any of the Pokémon reach the panel before you align the Charjabugs, you fail the trial. So, you guys ready for this?”

“Oh yeah!” Alice punched her fist into her hand, pumped and ready.

Sam studied the panel for a bit longer before looking up to his sister. “Okay, I like puzzles, so I’ll take the panel. Alice, you don’t mind fending off the horde, do you?”

“With pleasure!” Alice walked toward the gym, stepping onto its vinyl flooring. “Okay, you got it, Sam?”

He stood along the bottom row, watching as the Charjabugs rearranged themselves. “Yep!”

“Good luck, guys!” Starlight cheered, receiving more well-wishes from the other Equestrians.

Sophocles kept his eyes on the Charjarbugs as they rearranged themselves so that they took up the edges of the upper-right corner. “Okay then. Your trial starts…” He ran to his computer and clicked on the green checkmark on the lone window. “…now!”

The top row of tiles lit up orange on the panel, and at the same time, the center part of the wall in the back of the gym slid down, neither Alice or her Equestrian audience able to see inside. As Sam studied the glowing tiles and the Charjabug’s placement on them, a flash of sparks appeared in the passageway. Floating out from the darkness were three metal balls with large, singular eyes and two magnets attached to the corners of their bodies where they weren’t already conjoined.

“The heck is that?” Thorax questioned.

“Magneton!” Alice smirked as she picked a Poké Ball from her belt. “Electric. Steel. Both really weak to Ground. Go, Mudbray!”

Alice’s donkey Pokémon leapt out from the white energy of its ball, facing the Magneton.

Meanwhile, Sam was already quick to work on the panels, running to the left to press the upper-left button and then the upper-right. First, the Charjabug in the top center shifted left into the upper-left corner, followed by the one in the upper-right corner moving to the top-center and the one in the center-left moving to the upper-right corner. With the insects properly placed, the upper row of tiles flickered with yellow before they tilted away, sliding the Charjabugs to the edge. With the yellow horns connecting them end to front, the Charjabugs channeled electricity between both button consoles, making them glow warmly.

“I got the first one!” Sam shouted to Alice.

“Nice going, bro!” She was too concentrated on the Magneton to sound impressed. “Mudbray, hit Magneton with Double Kick!”

Mudbray rushed over and leapt up, kicking the bottom head of the Magneton with its back hoof first before leaping higher and hitting the upper two with both hooves, sending it flying back a little. Once the Magneton got its bearings and balance back, it pointed all six magnets at Mudbray, letting out a single silent blast that seemed to warp the air where it traveled. The blast struck Mudbray and threw it off its feet, accompanied by an explosion like a loud gunshot that forced Alice to cover her ears.

Sam had his ears covered too as three more Charjabugs hopped onto the panels, this time taking the left and right sides of the center row, as well as the bottom center one. With the bottom row glowing orange, he calculated the movements of the insects with this pointed fingers before looking up to Alice and her Mudbray, who got back to its hooves.

“How you holding up!?” he shouted to them.

Alice leaned back and glared at her brother from the corners of her eyes. “Just do the damned puzzle, boy!” Alice refocused back to the battle. “Mudbray, finish it off with Bulldoze!”

Mudbray charged forwards, pushing a wave of mud that crashed into Magneton, throwing it to the ground and grinding it along until it was thrown back into the hallway from whence it came. Disoriented and dizzy, the Magneton levitated back inside the darkness, ready to tag out with the upcoming Pokémon.

On the panels Sam pressed the lower-right button twice, the Charjabugs on the center and left panels of the middle row rotating until they aligned with the one in the lower-left corner. With the flashing of the yellow on the panels, the Charjarbugs were slid off to the bottom edge, where they lit up the bottom two button's consoles.

“Next puzzle done!” Sam called out.

As another electric buzz erupted from the hallway, Alice and Mudbray turned back to Sam. “Hey, you want a turn up here?”

“You sure? I’m kind of in the zone here!”

“Just switch with me!”

“Okay, fine!”

The Equestrians watched as Sam ran around the panel and into the gym to face the Pokémon walking out from it. Once Alice sprayed Mudbray with a potion, she quickly put it back into its ball, clapping Sam’s hand as she ran back to the panel.

“It’s pretty amazing how well they work together,” Starlight commented, “isn’t it?”

Trixie let out a loud scoff. “Not as amazing as infiltrating Chrysalis’s castle!”

“I don’t think anyone’s arguing that,” Discord purred.

“They’re almost done, I think,” Thorax commented, his attention fully on the events of the trial.

As Alice observed Sam’s progress, the last three Charjabugs hopped on. Alice seemed confused as they faced the upper right corners of their panels, two of them taking the top and middle panels of the left column and the right panel of the center row.

“Okay, so they go counterclockwise, so…” She walked to the upper-left button and pressed it. The two Charjabugs turned so that all three were connected in the center row, only for them to do nothing. The lack of any glowing panels provided no extra hints to her. “Um…”

The Pokémon coming out from the hallway to face Sam was a hulking humanoid creature with yellow-and-black fur. Its wide head had two short antennae atop it, and two large, black wire-like appendages with red tips coming from its back. It looked into Sam’s eyes, the redness of them making Sam fearful. “Um…”

“Come on, you two!” Sophocles shouted. “They won’t stop until you do!”

“Just do it, Sam!” Starlight yelled. “You’ve fought stronger today already!”

“Pinkie Pie would have solved that puzzle on accident by now!” Trixie heckled to Alice, Discord turning away to hide his uncontrollable chuckle.

Alice cocked her head before studing the panel, impressed with the taunt. “Ouch.”

“Okay, then,” Sam breathed, taking out his Poké Ball. “Go, Archen!”

Sam’s rocky bird flew out of its ball before landing on the floor to face the enemy Pokémon.

“Okay, buddy, hit the Electrivire with Bulldoze!”

With a couple upward flaps of its wings, Archen swooped down to gain speed, creating its own ripples of mud beneath it. The Electivire reeled its sparking right arm back for a punch. As Archen neared it, Electivire threw its fist forward. Swooping up, Archen brought its mud up in a thick sheet that was about to crash into the Electivire, only for it to punch through it and land a direct hit into Archen’s stomach. The rest of the mud still washed into the Electivire, knocking it onto its back. As Archen tumbled back to Sam, Electvire tore pieces of mud stuck to its fur, thrashing its way back onto its feet.

“You alright, Archen!” Sam asked it.

With its stomach hurting, it whined and cradled it with one of its wings.

He glanced back to his sister. “How’s it going over there!?”

“Yeah, still thinking!” Alice twirled her fingers about, trying to track the movements of the Charjabugs in her head.

“For Pete’s sake!” Discord hissed. “We can’t give them any hints?”

“Afraid not,” Starlight responded. “Found that out the hard way.”

“She’s right, you know,” Sophocles said. “Any conscious outside help isn’t allowed. I’m sure she’ll figure it out. The answer’s practically staring right at her.”

Alice continued looking over, her eyes widening as she realized the direction each insect faced. Tracing a Z with her head and eyes, her mouth hung open, finally getting it.

“Archen!” Sam shouted. “Don’t let him get into your head! Hit him with Ancient Power!”

Archen took flight once again, yowling over the pain it still felt in its stomach. Keeping flight, it let out a more controlled yell that left its body glowing slightly, bringing up several fossils from the mud of the Bulldoze attacks. Flapping its wings out, Archen let the fossils sling into the Electivire one by one, knocking it back several paces.

Alice pressed the lower-left button, bringing the Charjabug in the center panel left and the one previously in that space to the one below. Alice then ran to the upper-left button and pressed it twice, shifting the insect back to the center and then one panel up.

“That’s it!” Sam cheered on. “Now, finish it off with Dragon Claw!”

Archen flew out at the Electivire, who was already preparing for another electrified punch. Archen, squinting in concentration, tracked the Electivire’s fist as it made its way at its head. Archen barrel-rolled around its arm and pulled back to slash. With its blue, fiery claw already close to its chest, Archen’s attack both cut and threw Electivire into the hallway, where it tumbled to a rough stop.

Alice then ran to the upper-right button and pressed it, bringing the top-center Charjabug down and the left-center Charjabug up. With the Charjabugs between the top and bottom consoles, along with the remaining three connecting the bottom-left and top-right ones, their bodies formed a Z.

“Sam, I think I got it!” she called.

“Nice work, sis!”

To her delight, the diagonal Charjabugs lit up, forming a bright Z with its other six brethren. The whole console began to light up, followed by the cables connected to it. As the light traveled along toward the gym, Alice followed them until she was standing by Sam’s side.

He watched as the outline of the gym became lit up, along with the borders of the center door. “I’ll be damned. You actually did do it.”

“Sam, shut the fu–”

The lights on the ceiling of the hallway closest to the entrance loudly turned on, the rest of them coming on and lighting the way up. When it appeared that all the lights inside were lit, several Pokémon cries were heard coming from inside.

“That sounds like the Totem Pokémon and their allies!” Sophocles called. “Hope you’re both ready for them!”

With an electric whirring getting louder with its approach, Sam and Alice looked to see two Pokémon emerging out. The first appeared to be a large, plump blue fish with a streak of yellow over its eyes like a mask and a glowing yellow angler at the top of its head. Attached to its underside were a pair of metallic plates whose borders glowed with yellow energy that kept it floating as if the air was water.

Riding it was a spherical white mouse with yellow cheeks, a lightning-bolt shaped tail, and retracted yellow and brown spikes. As the fish moved to its right, the mouse hopped off and ran to the left, leaving an open space for what was sure to be the totem Pokémon.

“I recognize the Lanturn,” Alice said, fishing her Pokédex out of her bag and pointing to the mouse, “but that rodent thing…”

“Togedemaru,” the device spoke, “the Roly-Poly Pokémon. The long hairs on its back act as lightning rods. The bolts of lightning it attracts are stored as energy in its electric sac.”

A loud buzz was then heard from the hallway. Flying out from it on fan-shaped wings was a massive bug with a black abdomen and dark bluish-green thorax. It also sported a pair of long, golden-bordered pincers with saw-like teeth inside of it.

Sam marveled at the creature as it took its place between the other two Pokémon before getting his own Pokédex out. “And what’s that?”

“Vikavolt,” the Pokédex said, “the Stag Beetle Pokémon. It zips around on sharp lookout for an opening. It concentrates electrical energy within its large jaws and uses it to zap its enemies.”

Sam breathed out as he put his device back in his bag. “Looks like the gang’s all here, then.”

All three Pokémon screeched at Sam, Alice, and Archen, ready to fight.

“Archen, you ready, bud?” His Pokémon cawed loudly, flapping its wings twice in anticipation. “Alice?”

“Like we have a choice at this point.” Alice detached a ball from her waist and let it fall, her Noibat flying out from it and keeping at a steady level in the air, surveying its rivals.

“So this is it?” Trixie asked Starlight. “This is the final battle?”

Starlight nodded. “Yep. If they can beat those three Pokémon, they clear the trial.”

“Come on, they’re facing a bug, a fish, and a rat! I can only expect them not to mess this up!”

“Okay, guys!” Sophocles called to Sam and Alice. “The Totem Vikavolt has arrived! It’s time to–”

He was interrupted by the visible and audible flicker of the lights above him, as faint as it appeared with the sunlight from the gym’s ceiling. They then began to dim and brighten and hum in a much more noticeable repetition. Sam, Alice, and the Pokémon all noticed this as well, the lights on the wires also fading in and out.

Thorax backed into Discord, looking up at the lights. “What’s happening? This is normal, right?”

N– No!” Sophocles looked to the Charjabug panel, which was actually glowing brighter, much to his terror and confusion. “This isn’t normal at all!”

The ground began to rumble, as did the contents on both desks inside the lab, only frightening everyone even further.

Fluttershy flew up, the vibration beneath her too much to bear. “It’s an earthquake!”

“No, look!” Sophocles pointed at the Charjabugs on the panel, their formation glowing even brighter until they vanished beneath the light, replaced now by a solid Z that danced with plasma.

Just then, the light shot down the cables, covering them in the same intense brightness. As they traveled along and into the gym, Sam, Alice, and the Pokémon all watched as the light ran down the wires and converged in the Poké Ball shaped center marking, which exclusively sparked and jolted with electric volts.

Then, to the wonder of everyone and everything inside, the lightning appeared to stitch itself into a solid form. As the color appeared on it, the creature slowly revealed itself as a bipedal feline with yellow fur on its face, torso, thighs, and thick forearms and black fur on its stomach, calves, and upper-arms. As its formation neared completion, a long yellow tail sparkled out from behind its head, finishing with two blue, lightning-shaped whiskers and a crest on its forehead.

“G– G– Guys?” Trixie pointed a trembling hoof at this new creature. “What in the hay is that?”

Alice had her Pokédex pointed at it, though nothing seemed to appear on its holographic screen. “Unknown entry. Please make sure the Pokémon is in focus and try again.”

Alice shot her glance back up, gasping in unbridled fear as it slowly picked its head up to peer into her eyes with its piercing blues.

“I suppose that little trinket wouldn’t have much information on me,” it spoke in a smooth, tenor voice, “so I will tell you everything you need to know. My name is Zeraora, and I shall be the Totem Pokémon for your trial.”

Sliding to turn left, it then widened its stance and put its arms up in an offensive pose, ready to make the first attack. Suddenly heartened, the other three Pokémon also revved up to make an attack. While Zeraora’s completely unanticipated presence drew all eyes to it, none were more petrified in wonder quite as much as Sophocles was.

“Ze…” he could barely whisper. “…raora…”

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

Zeraora made me think of a Luxray if it had its colors inverted and stood on its hindpaws and Star Platinum.

[SonicStreak5344]

The newest Mythical Pokémon from Sun and Moon.

[LucarioFan2066]

8864912
Nope; Ultra S & M. Zeraora, along with two UBs, a Lycanroc form, and three Necrozma forms, do not exist whatsoever in S & M.

Since this ‘fic is now appropriating USUM content (trial and Zeraora), I wonder if Team RR and the Ultra Recon Squad will turn up...