My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Waltzing The Danse Macabre

“You know, darling, all things considered this really isn’t so bad,” Rarity said as she forced a smile. “The accommodations are quite comfortable, we didn’t have to worry about getting soaked in the storm last night and this breakfast is one of the most scrumptious things I’ve had since we’ve been here.”

“I’m so delighted that you’re enjoying it,” Wraithsworth said as he materialized next to Rarity holding a teapot. “It’s always a particular pleasure to entertain a guest who appreciate all the effort we put into our hospitality. Why, my pancake recipe alone took me practically a lifetime to perfect!” This last statement triggered a chorus of cackling laughter from the myriad Ghost Pokémon flitting about the roof of the dining hall. “Sorry, that was just a bit of spectral humor there. Miss Applejack, can I offer you anything? Another cup of tea, perhaps?”

“Ah’m. Fine.” Applejack replied tersely as she glared at Wraithsworth. “Y’all do realize that y’all can’t keep us here forever.”

“Oh come now, there’s no need for such dramatics,” Wraithsworth replied. “You’re talking as though we’re planning on holding you prisoner forever. You’re simply our guests, and we at the chateau take great pride in ensuring proper treatment of our guests. I know, why don’t I fetch you another apple danish, I’m sure that will help improve your mood.” With that, Wraithsworth floated off into the shadows while cheerfully humming to himself.

“Dang it, Rarity, we have got to figure some way of gettin’ out of this crazy place,” Applejack said in a harsh whisper the moment Wraithsworth disappeared from view.

“You think I don’t know that? I woke up this morning with a floating skull…thing starting directly at me,” Rarity hissed back. “But, unless you think we can somehow fight our way out of here I don’t see how antagonizing our hosts is going to help matters. At least for the time being they’re not trying to do something horrible to us, unlike a certain other duo I could mention.”

“Nothin’ horrible to us aside from keepin’ us locked up in here, y’all mean,” Applejack replied tersely.

“I rather doubt that’s the worst thing that could happen to us here, and it’s a far cry from what Chrysalis and Sombra tried to do. Don’t forget, those two are still likely chasing us, and I rather prefer having a small army of Ghost Pokémon between us and them for the time being.” Rarity said.

Applejack closed her eyes and sighed. “Ah hear what y’all are sayin’, and Ah can’t rightly argue with y’all on that point. Even so, we can’t just sit around here hopin’ that somethin’s gonna walk through those doors that’ll let us get the hay out of here.”

Mere moments after those words had left Applejack’s mouth, the outer doors of the dining room swung open as an odd-looking, barefoot woman stepped inside. Between her long, uncombed hair and simple, frayed gown, one might have at first assumed she was some manner of vagrant. The way she held herself, however, gave the impression of someone completely in control of themselves and their surroundings. “Hello, everyone, I’m – oh, the chateau has visitors I see.”

“Visitors nothin’, y’all might wanna clear outta here fast or else y’all might not be able to leave at all!” Applejack yelled in a frantic attempt to warn the newcomer.

“What are you…oh no, not again,” the woman said before letting out an exasperated groan. “Wraithsworth! Would you come here please?”

Seconds later, Wraithsworth popped out from a nearby wall and rushed over to great the woman. “Lady Spectra! You’ve returned, oh how wonderful! Have you eaten yet, as you can see over there our other guests are just finishing up breakfast, but if you’d like I’d be more than happy to –”

“Wraithsworth,” Spectra interrupted testily. “I received the distinct impression from these ladies that they were concerned for my safety when I walked in here. Almost as though they thought I might wind up getting imprisoned here. You wouldn’t happen to have any idea why they might have thought something like that, would you?”

Wraithsworth began nervously kneading his hands together as he seemed to shrink from Spectra’s withering stare. “I…well…none of us meant any real harm, and we made certain they were very well cared for…”

“Wraithsworth, what have I told you about how you are treat the chateau’s guests?” Spectra said.

“We’re not to prevent guests from leaving the chateau if they wish to do so,” Wraithsworth said dejectedly, as if this was a phrase he had been forced to recite repeatedly in the past.

“And what have you been doing?” Spectra continued.

“To be fair, there was an absolutely dreadful storm last night,” Wraithsworth protested feebly. “I couldn’t very well let our guests put themselves in danger like that.”

“And you didn’t tell them they were free to go this morning because…” Spectra replied.

“I…didn’t want them to skip breakfast? It is the most important meal of the day, after all,” Wraithsworth offered halfheartedly before slumping forward in defeat.

Satisfied, Spectra turned from Wraithsworth back to Applejack and Rarity. “On behalf of the Chateau Fantome, I’d like to both of you for our butler’s behavior,” Spectra said as she strode past a still desperately apologizing Wraithsworth. “Wraithsworth means well, but he’s compelled to serve, and sometimes that compulsion can drive him to –”

“Keep any folks who happen to wander into this place from leavin’?” Applejack asked.

“It’s a terrible habit, and I do my best to get him to behave, but ghosts are creatures of habit and getting them to changes is almost impossible. I hope all this wasn’t too much trouble for you,” Spectra said.

“Well, now that’s all said and done I suppose it wasn’t really that bad,” Rarity said, earning an incredulous look from Applejack. “What? We had a dry, comfortable place to stay where we didn’t have to worry about either the storm or Sombra and Chrysalis, and now that Miss Spectra is here we can finally leave.”

“Pardon me for asking, but what are Sombra and Chrysalis?” Spectra asked.

“They’re more of a who type of problem than a what,” Applejack replied. “To be more specific, they’re a couple of real nasty villain-types who attacked us while we were headed up the mountains. That’s how we wound up in this place, we were runnin’ from ‘em and when a storm started up, we needed a place to hide and take shelter.”

“I see,” Spectra replied as she pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it into the air, releasing a Pokémon that resembled a demented dark gray doll with a zipper for a mouth. “Banette, it would seem that in addition to our guests, we may have a pair of troublemakers lurking in the area. Take a look around and see if you can find them.” Banette immediately flew off into the shadows, cackling evilly as it went.

“You know, if it were anyone else, I might actually feel sorry for them,” Rarity remarked. “As its Sombra and Chrysalis, however, I’d say they rightly deserve whatever it is they’re about to get.”

“It’s my pleasure, especially after all the trouble Wraithsworth must have put you through. I’m just curious, though, what exactly brought the two of you up the mountain in the first place? This part of the island isn’t exactly a draw for tourists,” Spectra said.

“Well, to tell the truth, we’re actually tryin’ to get to Aquarius City,” Applejack explained. “A couple of our friends are headed out that way and we were hopin’ to catch up with them, but with that swamp between us and there we figured goin’ up and around would be faster. Didn’t really figure on gettin’ chased into a haunted Pokémon Center. Speakin’ of which, if ya’ll don’t mind mah askin’, why exactly do y’all have a Pokémon Center built next to yer house, anyway?”

“Oh, that thing,” Spectra said rolling her eyes. “League regulations require that every gym have a Pokémon Center within a certain distance. I wouldn’t really mind except for the fact that I just can’t find a Nurse Joy to stay way out her, so the stupid thing ended up empty and abandoned. Which, admittedly, does match our general sensibilities just fine, but it still feels like the League could have found at least a little room to compromise. As things stand now we just have a few of our residents drop off medicine if anyone wanders in and looks like they need the help.”

“Hang on just a second there, are y’all sayin’ that there’s a gym around these parts too?” Applejack asked.

“Of course, in addition to being a Ghost Pokémon sanctuary the Chateau Fantome serves as one of the Javik League’s gyms,” Spectra said proudly.

“Well, how about that,” Applejack mused.

“Applejack, what are you thinking?” Rarity asked cautiously.

“Ah wasn’t plannin’ on goin’ after any more gyms, at least not until we got to Aquarius City. But, on the other hand, if we’re here anyway…” Applejack turned to Spectra. “Ah don’t mean to impose or nothin’, but if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”

“You’re looking to squeeze in a gym battle before you leave? How delightful!” Spectra exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. “I’ll have Wraithsworth make the preparations at once!”

*********

“Are you sure we’re even going the right way?” Chrysalis hissed as she trudged behind Sombra. After spending an entire night unable to sleep due to being rained on, Chrysalis’ mood was even fouler than usual. “For all we know they might have doubled back and slipped back through the graveyard.”

“If you want to turn around and try wandering aimlessly through these mountains then feel free to do so,” Sombra snapped back. “Then, after I’ve accomplished our goal myself I’ll be sure to let Grogar know that you abandoned our mission.” Chrysalis growled in frustration at this, but soon slunk back in temporary defeat. “Having my Sableye track the scent of the gems that purple-haired one has on her is still the best option we have to find them, so unless you’ve been hiding some secret way of tracking them all this time I suggest you –”

“Hey, it looks like – neHaw! – Sableye found something!” Bray yelled from further up the path. Leaving off excoriating each other for the moment, Sombra and Chrysalis hurried up over the next rise to see a pair of buildings nestled in a wide valley.

“Congratulations, it would appear your Sableye isn’t completely blind,” Chrysalis said acidly.

“Oh shut up,” Sombra snapped. “We wouldn’t have found this place without it, and those two were almost certainly sheltering here last night. Now hurry up, if we move quickly then we should be able to catch them off guard.”

*********

“This will be your second gym battle, if I’m not mistaken,” Spectra said as she walked over to the head of the dining table before frowning. “Wraithsworth, would you please clear this up for us?”

“Of course, madam,” Wraithsworth said was he appeared near the top of one of the pillars lining the sides of the room. “I apologize for the delay, I just had some last minute housekeeping to oversee.” As Wraithsworth spoke, one of his hands disappeared behind the pillar and appeared to pull a hidden lever of some kind. As soon as he did so, the room was filled with an earsplitting grinding sound as the floor began to slide back into the walls, the banquet table splitting apart down the middle as it was pulled to either side. Mercifully, the noise lasted less than a minute (though to Applejack and Rarity it felt much longer) and by the end the room had been transformed into a battling arena.

“Alright, this will be a two on two battle, I’m sure you know the process, so let’s get started. Go Mimikyu!” Spectra tossed out her Poké Ball, releasing what at first looked like an odd, rabbit-like creature with a long, stiff tail. Upon closer inspection, however, Applejack realized that the ‘head’ of the creature was just a poorly painted facsimile on top of what she presumed was her real opponent. “Isn’t he just the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?” Spectra gushed.

“Not exactly sure cute is the word Ah’d use,” Applejack muttered as she pulled out her own Poké Ball. “Go Aron!” Spectra raised an eyebrow as Applejack’s Aron hit the floor of the arena with an audible thud, though she said nothing. “Alright then, let’s get this shindig started.”

“Yes, let’s,” Spectra replied as a strange calm seemed to settle over her. “Mimikyu, begin with Swords Dance.” Spectra’s Mimikyu let out a gurgling hiss as several glowing, light-blue swords appeared in the air around it, clashing their blades together several times before vanishing. As the swords disappeared, Applejack could see Mimikyu surrounded in a sinister red aura.

“Ah’m not too sure what the hay yer up to, but Ah sure as hay ain’t takin’ any chances,” Applejack said as she flexed her arm, revealing her Z-ring already glowing with power. “Whatever trick y’all may have been plannin’ ain’t gonna mean a hill of beans in a second. Aron, let’s hit this thing with everythin’ we’ve got. Y’all ready?” Aron grunted as it nodded its head, its body already suffused with golden light. Grinning broadly, Applejack stuck her arms out in front of her as she struck the poses she had learned from her battle with Profess Amber. As Applejack did so, wisps of light began to trail off from the aura surrounding Aron, gathering together in a glowing ball hovering in front of it. Then, just as Applejack finished the last of her movements the ball seemed to explode in a flash of light, leaving a massive boulder in its place. “Alright then! Continental Crush!” As Applejack yelled out her command, Aron jerked its head towards Mimikyu, sending the boulder crashing down onto its opponent with an explosion that shook the entire building. “Hoowee! Now that’s how we do it!” Applejack cheered.

“I realize that this is a gym battle and all that, but that still seemed just a tad excessive,” Rarity said as she watched the dust settle over the rubble left over from Applejack’s attack.

“You really think so?” Wraithsworth asked as he appeared beside her. “It seems to me that both you and your friend have gravely underestimated dear Mimikyu. Just watch.” Sure enough, even as Wraithsworth spoke the rubble shifted and Mimikyu plodded out into view. Impossibly, it first appeared that Mimikyu was completely unharmed, until its ‘head’ lolled over and flopped to one side.

“How in the name of Celestia…?” Applejack sputtered before stopping to catch her breath. “Dang it, Ah’d hoped that attack wouldn’t have taken so much out of me. Ah just Aron can hold up.” A glance at her Pokémon, however, revealed to Applejack that although Aron was still able to fight, it was definitely winded. A fact which didn’t appear to have been lost on Spectra, either.

“Mimikyu, Feint Attack,” Spectra said, her blank expression not having betrayed even a hint of emotion even in the face of Applejack’s attack. The same could not be said of her Pokémon, however, as Mimikyu let out a distinctly angry-sounding hiss as it bolted across the floor towards Aron. As it changed ahead, Mimikyu angled the stick it used for a tail forward and viciously thrust it at Aron’s face. Even in its tired state, though, Aron was easily able to avoid the clumsy attack.

“Hah, and here Ah was worried fer a second there,” Applejack crowed. “Y’all couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with an attack like –” Suddenly, a shadowy appendage burst out from the ground beneath Aron, hitting it in the stomach with enough force to knock it into the air. As Aron hit the floor of the arena, audibly cracking the stones underneath it as it landed, Applejack say the shadowy appendage that had struck it slide back underneath Mimikyu’s rag. “Of all the low-down, dirty…Aron! Time to show this varmint that we ain’t gonna go down without a fight! Use Iron Head!” Shouting its acknowledgement, Aron started pawing the ground as its head began glowing with a white glow. Aron then charged at Mimikyu slamming its forehead into its opponent and sending it bouncing along the arena floor.

“Mimikyu, Shadow Sneak,” Spectra said before Mimikyu even came to a complete stop. Hearing its master’s order, Mimikyu righted itself midair as a long, pitch dark claw stretched out from underneath the rag concealing its form and slashed at Aron’s face.

“Wraithsworth,” Rarity said as she watched the battle continue. “Is there something wrong with Miss Spectra? She’s seemed to be a bit, how should I put this, different ever since the battle started.”

“Ah yes, well that is to be expected. Lady Spectra is what’s known as a medium, able to channel the spirits of those from beyond the veil. And, when Lady Spectra participates in a Pokémon battle, she can draw on those spirits to guide her, which has the side effect of leaving her seeming a bit off-putting,” Wraithsworth explained. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, though. Lady Spectra will be back to her old self once her battle concludes.”

“That’s certainly good to hear,” Rarity said.

“Your concerns are understandable. It takes a great deal of skill to freely control a connection like that. But, Lady Spectra is quite exceptional in that regard, not only can she reliably regain her faculties, but she can maintain the connection through nearly anything short of a momentous shock,” Wraithsworth said.

Applejack, meanwhile, had more pressing concerns than her opponent’s skill at channeling spirits. “Dang it, that slippery little varmint might be small, but it hits like a runaway applecart. We’ll have to try takin’ it down from a distance. Hit it with yer Rock Slide!” As Applejack spoke, Aron fixed its gaze on Mimikyu while white rings began floating out the openings on its back into the air, expanding as they went. Once the rings were high above the floor of the battlefield they froze in place and each began to disgorge a torrent of rocks and debris towards Mimikyu. Despite Mimikyu’s best efforts to avoid the barrage by darting back forth across the arena floor, it still wound up pelted by several large rocks, and by the end it had collapsed to the ground unconscious.

“I’m afraid it would appear that Mimikyu has been rendered unable to battle,” Wraithsworth said, prompting Spectra to silently raise her Poké Ball and recall Mimikyu.

“Ah think Ah better do the same fer y’all, Aron,” Applejack said. “Y’all put up one heck of a fight, but Ah ain’t so sure yer in any shape to keep goin’.”

*********

“Keep going!” Sombra yelled as she desperately ran down the halls of the chateau, Bray and Chrysalis close behind.

"This is all your fault!” Chrysalis shrieked. “’We need to hurry and catch them off-guard’. If I hadn’t listened to you –”

“Then you’d have blundered in here on your own!” Sombra snapped. “Or are you trying to claim that you somehow knew that this infernal place was haunted? I might actually be inclined to believe that since it would mean you were stupid and spiteful enough to keep silent and come in here, anyway.”

“Both of you stop – neeHaw! – arguing and keep running!” Bray demanded. “Or do you want those things to catch up to us?” A sudden burst of maniacal laughter compounded Bray’s point.

“Oh, I don’t need to outrun those things,” Chrysalis countered as she put on an extra burst of speed. “I only need to outrun you two idiots!”

As Chrysalis passed by Sombra, however, he took the opportunity to grab a handful of her hair and yank backwards with enough force to send her tumbling backwards to the ground. “That’s not a bad idea, actually. Give my regards to the – Argh!” Sombra fell face-first onto the ground as Chrysalis reached out and grabbed onto his leg. “What are you doing? Let go of me!” Sombra yelled as he kicked out, narrowly missing Chrysalis’ head.

“And let you leave me behind to those things? Never!” Chrysalis snarled as she tried to sink her teeth into Sombra’s leg.

“Would you both stop bickering like foals and – neeHaw! – get up? Those ghosts or whatever they are are still after us!” Bray yelled.

“I’m trying to get up, the problem is this disgusting parasite won’t let go!”

“If I’m going to die here then I’m going to make sure I take you with me!”

By this point, Chrysalis and Sombra were rolling around together on the floor in a veritable ball of violence, mutual hatred overriding fear of their pursuers. Sombra was briefly able to gain the upper hand, putting Chrysalis into a headlock, only for her to bite down on his forearm as hard as she could. As Sombra thrashed about in pain, the two collided with a nearby bookcase which abruptly swung inwards, depositing both villains into a dark tunnel. A panicking Bray leapt in after them just before the bookcase swung back closed.

“Wonderful, now we’re being hunted by ghosts in a haunted mansion and its pitch black,” Chrysalis said as she struggled to untangle herself from Sombra.

“Would you shut up for just one second!” Sombra hissed. “Listen.”

“I don’t hear anything,” Chrysalis snapped.

“Exactly. It sounds as though we’ve somehow managed to lose our pursuers,” Sombra said.

“Hmph, well at least something’s gone right then. So, how are we supposed to get out of here?” Chrysalis asked as she felt her way to the back of the bookcase and pushed. “It’s stuck, it must have locked itself somehow when it closed. Bray, get over here and smash through this thing.”

“No, you idiot!” Sombra snarled in a horse whisper. “If you try smashing through it the ghosts will hear and come after us. Here, it looks like this passageway leads somewhere, our best option would be to follow it and see where it goes. Unless you’d rather resume running for your life,” Sombra sneered. “You do look like you could use the exercise.”

Snarling, Chrysalis was about to respond before a faint voice caught her attention. “Did you hear that? It sounded like rocks falling.”

“With our lack it’s the sound of this blasted mansion collapsing,” Sombra grumbled. “It sounded like it was coming from further down the passageway. We should probably investigate; the last thing we need is to be caught off guard by a rockslide.”

“Maybe if we’re – neeHaw! – lucky, the two we’re chasing got buried in rubble,” Bray said as he followed Sombra into the shadows.

“Shut up, Bray,” Chrysalis growled. It called the former changeling queen to follow along with anything Sombra suggested, but a lack of alternatives compelled her to bring up the rear.

It wasn’t long before the group discovered the source of the noise they had heard earlier. An ornate grate was set into the wall at the end of the passageway which looked out over a large room, inside of which Applejack appeared to be having some sort of duel with another woman none of the trio recognized.

“There’s the apple farmer!” Chrysalis hissed excitedly. “The other one’s probably in there as well. We should strike now while they’re distracted.”

“And alert those creatures to our location? I’m all for making a sneak attack, but now’s not the time. Besides,” Sombra said
with an evil grin. “Why not let the little bumpkin wear herself out on whoever that is she’s fighting first?”

“I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but that actually doesn’t sound like a bad plan,” Chrysalis begrudgingly admitted. “From what it looks like, her creatures have already been badly weakened.”

*********

“Aron, return,” Applejack said as she recalled her Aron to its Poké Ball. “Alright, then, let’s see what else y’all –”

“Shuppet,” Spectra said a she lifted up a new Poké Ball which split open to reveal a Pokémon that resembled a floating ball draped in a dark grey cloth with a horn or point jutting up from the top of its head.

“Huh, cute little bugger,” Applejack mused. “’Course, that last one didn’t look too nasty either, so Ah better keep mah guard up. Ah sure hope yer up fer this, Grot –” As Applejack reached for her Grottle’s Poké Ball, she suddenly felt another of her balls violently lurch about. “What in tarnation?” Before Applejack could react, she felt the Poké Ball burst open on its own as her Spiritomb emerged.

“What in Celestia’s name is that?” Rarity gasped at the sight of the sinister-looking Pokémon.

“It’s called Spiritomb,” Wraithsworth replied darkly. “A notoriously unpleasant Pokémon variety. Lady Spectra actually tried to seal an especially nasty specimen some years ago.” Wraithsworth’s eyes suddenly widened in fear as a thought struck him. “Wait, do you know where Miss Applejack caught that Spiritomb?”

Without warning, Spectra threw her hands to her face and let out an earsplitting shriek. When she lowered her hands, the empty look in her eyes had been replaced with one of utter bafflement. “Huh-wuh? Is the battle over already? It looks like Shuppet’s alright, what was it –” Spectra’s eyes widened in terror as she spotted Applejack’s Spiritomb leering evilly at her from the other side of the arena. “You! But how, I thought I had sealed you away for at least a hundred years.”

“This fella got lose when the pair Ah told y’all about earlier attacked us. When it started raisin’ a ruckus Ah caught it to keep it from hurtin’ anybody,” Applejack said.

“I see. Well, I’m grateful that you were able to prevent it from causing any more harm. However, Spiritomb’s presence means I won’t be able to take things as easy with you as I’d usually do.” As Spectra spoke, she raised her arms above her head, allowing her sleeves to fall and reveal her Z-ring. “Normally I don’t really like using a Z-move against an opponent who hasn’t even earned their second badge yet, but this time I think I’ll have to make an exception.” With that Spectra thrust her arms forward before crouching down and then slowly rising up again with her arms raised to the level of her face. Despite the strangeness of the sight, Applejack knew better than to let her guard down, a stance that was quickly proven wise when the energy being built up between Spectra and her Shuppet burst forth in a cascade of shadows that swiftly engulfed the entire room.

“If yer fixin’ to scare us y’all’re gonna have to do a lot better than that,” Applejack said. Even as she spoke, however, dozens of shadowy hands emerged from the twisted darkness of the room and reached out towards Spiritomb. Before either Spiritomb or Applejack could react, the hands completely surrounded Spiritomb, effectively cocooning it in their grasp. Moments later, streaks of unearthly, purple light started emitting from the center of the ball before the entire mass detonated. The force of the explosion swept away both the hands and the darkness that had spawned them, leaving a battered Spiritomb floating in the air. “Y’all still got some fight in ya’?” Applejack asked, to which Spiritomb responded by letting out an evil chuckle. “That’s what Ah like to hear. Let’s wrap this rodeo up then. Blow that little sucker away with yer Ominous Wind!” Still chuckling, Spiritomb inhaled deeply before blowing out a torrent of purple-tinged wind at Shuppet. While Shuppet tried bracing itself against the attack, the force of the gust quickly overwhelmed it and sent the unfortunate Pokémon crashing into the wall behind it.

“As much as it pains me to say this given its opponent, it would appear that Shuppet is no longer able to battle,” Wraithsworth said as an unconscious Shuppet slowly slid down the wall. “And, as that was Lady Spectra’ final Pokémon, the winner is the challenger, Miss Applejack!”

Spectra sighed as she recalled her Shuppet back to its ball. “I’ll give you this, you’re clearly a skilled trainer. And, in recognition of that skill, its my duty to present you with the proof of your victory; the Geist Badge, along with a piece of Ghostium-Z.” As Spectra spoke, Wraithsworth appeared next Applejack holding a box containing a skull-shaped pin and a pale lavender gemstone.

“Thanks. Ah’m guessin’ this’ll let me use that shadow hand attack y’all used, right?” Applejack asked as she inspected the crystal, to which Spectra nodded.

“Never-Ending Nightmare. Though I will give you a word of warning. Using that attack with your Spiritomb could be
extremely dangerous,” Spectra said.

“What the hay do y’all mean by that?” Applejack asked.

“Many Ghost-type attacks draw their power from the resentment felt and grudges held by the Pokémon using them, including Never-Ending Nightmare. And, because Z-moves work by using the connection between a Pokémon and its trainer, using Never-Ending Nightmare opens you up to the worst parts of you Pokémon’s mind.”

“And considerin’ the Ghost type Ah’d be liable to use it with…” Applejack said.

“Don’t get me wrong, you handled Spiritomb well, but that Pokémon can be incredibly malevolent, and if you were to lose control over it…let’s just say there’s a reason I had to seal it away,” Spectra said.

“Ah hear what yer sayin’ and don’t y’all worry. Ah aim to keep a careful eye on –” Applejack turned to Spiritomb, only to find that it had already wandered away. “Aw horseapples. Where the hay did that thing get off to?”

“SpiriTOMB!” Everyone in the room suddenly looked up to see Spiritomb unleashing a blast of its Ominous Wind attack directly into one of the vents near the room’s ceiling.

“What in tarnation does that crazy thing think its doin’?” Applejack said as she raised her Poké Ball. “Spiritomb, return!” As Applejack stowed Spiritomb’s Poké Ball she turned back to Spectra with a sheepish look on her face. “That probably didn’t help mah point too much, but y’all have mah word Ah’ll be careful with that one.”

“Well, if that’s all taken care of, we really should move on,” Rarity said. “We still have a long way to go if we’re to make to Aquarius City.”

“That’s right, you did mention that’s where you were headed, didn’t you,” Spectra said before snapping her fingers. “I know, you should try heading up north to the JLIP!”

“We should head to the what now?” Applejack asked.

“The Javik League Institute of Parapsychology. They’re mostly a bunch of self-impressed stuffed shirts, but there’s a cable car set up there that can take you all the way to the base of the mountain, and from there it would only be a short trip to Aquarius City,” Spectra said.

Applejack and Rarity exchanged looks. “Well, it sure sounds like it beats our alternatives,” Applejack said.

“And I certainly don’t have any objections to taking a cable car instead of trying to hike back down,” Rarity replied. “If you could just point us in the right direction we’ll be off.”

*********

Roughly half an hour later, Applejack and Rarity exited the chateau and began the journey to their next destination. Unbeknownst to the two friends, however, ten minutes earlier a different group had exited the manor as well, albeit in a somewhat less dignified manner.

“What was that thing?” Sombra gasped out once the group was a safe distance from the chateau.

“That ‘thing’ was the reason I wasn’t able to destroy the little hayseed back in the cemetery,” Chrysalis replied. “I didn’t expect her to be able to control it as well as she did. “This might make things more different than I had anticipated. We’ll need to find some way of neutralizing that wind attack it has before –”

“Forget the wind attack!” Sombra yelled. “You say the attack that her opponent used. If Twilight’s simpering friends are able to wield that kind of power now then destroying them might very well be beyond us as we are now.”

“Oh?” Chrysalis smirked. “Is the mighty King Sombra admitting he’s beaten already?”

“I’m ‘admitting’ that we can’t afford to rush into another fight until we have more information about that attack and how it works,” Sombra countered. “Unless, of course, you want to try charging in on your own,” Sombra countered. Chrysalis growled in annoyance at this, but otherwise said nothing. “Good. For the time being we’ll follow them until we can learn how this power works. And then, once we have our chance, we’ll seize the power for ourselves and use it to annihilate them!”

Comments

[Xanderfox]

Spectra was really out matched, Mimikyi is a terrible match against Aron, fairy and ghost aren't great vs rock and fairy is weak to steel, the iron head likely shaved off a ton of HP. And Shuppet vs a High-level Spiritomb, a stomping waiting to happen! But clear Spiritomb is going to be the "problem child" of AJ's team, acting on it's own and being more aggressive than even AJ's straight forward style favors.

[WanderingPony]

Spiritombs are a barely-stable ball of death and resentful afterlife wrapped up into a coldly malicious blob that loves nothing more than reaching into the minds of it's victims to traumatize them- or uses it's trainer's traumas to fuel it's attacks. For a newbie trainer, it's as dangerous as Spectra advertised.

On the other hand. I can think of nothing better than Sombra and Chrysalis being...prey. Evil feeding on evil.