Midnight escapades
Deerling Forest, late night.
Ash and Pikachu were currently on their own this time.
They had been exploring Deerling Forest for themselves since they planned to visit it eventually. And they had a good time there as always. So much so that they spent most of the day there with just the Deerling and Sawsbuck.
"Exhausted, huh pal?" Ash held Pikachu in his hands.
"Pika...chu..." The Electric Mouse Pokemon stretched his arms out, feeling relaxed in his best buddy's arms.
"I wanna visit that one place with a ton of Dark-Types. What was it called again?"
"Pikapi. Pikachu."
"Ah, you're right. Best get home before I fall asleep on the ground. Wish we got the chance to visit Pikachu Highlands again. Guess we got too distracted, huh?" Ash chuckled.
The duo made their way back home, waving goodbye to the Deerling and Sawsbuck who resided here. They had all fallen asleep as well since they're fairly standard Pokemon with standard sleep patterns.
With brand new sounds filling the air that only appear at night, nocturnal Pokemon reveal themselves, basking in the moonlight and darkness.
At night, mystical enigmas occur the most, especially deep in Equestria. But the ongoings now are more Pokemon based rather than Equestrian based.
And one pony in particular who stays up at night the most is none other than the Princess of the Night, Luna. Her presence had arrived near Ash and Pikachu in the form of a swirling magic sphere. Out of that sphere, Luna had emerged, alone this time. Usually, Darkrai is always with her.
"Hm? Luna?" Ash and his buddy snapped their attention to the alicorn.
"Pika?"
"Ash Ketchum? Are you pursuing them too?"
"Pursuing what?"
"Ah...So you're unaware. It might be wise to take caution at this very moment." Luna walked up to Ash.
"Why? Is there something attacking Equestria?"
"Well...It actually has to do with what occurred many months ago. Back in the earlier days of our worlds crossing over. It involves the Munna from months ago."
"Munna? You mean that same Munna that was affected by the Rift?"
"Pikachu?"
"That's right. Even though we ended up preventing the Dream Eater Pokemon from devouring everypony's dreams, leaving them lost forever, it turns out, the effect the Rift put on the Munna never left. Instead, all that cosmic energy within it has been building up to form something completely new."
"Is it eating dreams again?!" Ash gasped.
"Not anymore. While it has ceased its natural instinct of devouring dreams, it has spawned something far worse. The mist around it usually turns pink when it is having a good dream but...it seems as if there is a black mist releasing instead."
"Black mist...Hm..." Ash thought for a moment, remembering what that meant. "That's when Munna has a nightmare. Something's bothering it."
"I wouldn't say that. You see...I believe that its dreams have entered reality." Luna responded, giving the full explanation finally which caused the duo to gasp.
"The dreams have entered reality?"
"Pikachu?!"
"Mhm. But it isn't similar to that of the Tantabus. Instead, it seems to be the cause of Munna being unable to control its power due to how overwhelming the cosmic energy is. As a result, its nightmares have been taking form, rampaging late at night with the intent of adding on their nightmares to ponies and Pokemon alike. Darkrai and I have been pursuing them recently for the past few days, only when the energy within Munna reached a certain point."
"So there's living nightmares walking around Equestria? How many are there?"
"It's very little. Around 10 since Munna isn't too powerful. So far, Darkrai and I have managed to find three of them, however, they've constantly managed to escape at every turn. If we don't stop these Nightmares or find Munna's current location, the energy within it will continue to grow. And the nightmares will only become stronger later on. I also plan on catching Munna...since...it is a bit cute actually." She scrunched her face.
"Hm. Okay! How about we help out?"
"Help out? You'll actually assist us in this?"
"Yeah. It sounds like a big deal that could get out hand very soon. So Pikachu and I are gonna help you and Darkrai find Munna and save her as well."
"Ah. I appreciate the help, Ash Ketchum. Alright. But just be careful. The Nightmares are capable of putting you to sleep instantly with the right amount of energy exerted. I've brought along my Xatu who knowns Sleep Talk to combat this." Luna held out Xatu's Poke Ball, sending the Mystic Pokemon out.
"Xatu..."
"Alright. Where do we start?"
"Darkrai and I made our way here since he detected that the Nightmares are reaching Deerling Forest soon. So somewhere around this large forest, we'll find them. Hurry. Before the situation worsens."
The hunt for the Nightmares was on. An objective that involved the uncontrollable will of a Munna was capable of forming walking entities that cause nothing but horrible dreams were on the loose. But what did these Nightmares even look like, actually? Ash and Pikachu were about to find out.
Around Deerling Forest's deeper parts, the group came across some Deerling that were evading the Nightmares by leaving their territory.
"Deerling!" The Season Pokemon cried out as they all barely managed to escape these horrific entities. Ash and Luna watched as the Deerling had retreated from their territory, absolutely horrified with what their eyes had graced.
"Stay alert, Ash Ketchum! They're near!" Luna suddenly stopped her movements, narrowing her eyes forward. She could hear the eerie cries of these Nightmares closing in since she's dealt with them before.
"Huh? Where are they?" Ash moved his head around, wondering where the Nightmares could be. Once he looked towards the direction where Luna was facing, that's when he and Pikachu saw them for the first time.
The Nightmares were creatures that were unexplainable. In both look and feel. Their bodies were strange black blobs that continuously flew about in spot, rising up or even growing or shrinking in size. Their shapes were identical to that of humans and ponies but some of them even resembled that of Deerlings and other Pokemon. Meaning that some Pokemon were unfortunately caught by the Nightmares.
What's more bizarre is that it seemed like their obscure form was just merely what Ash and Luna were capable of seeing. Which meant that their actual forms were much more horrifying than this. Something akin to Mimikyu in a way. Xatu was the only one who could see this thanks to its mystic eyes.
The Mystic Pokemon could see that their true form was something that could perplex the mind if revealed to eyes that were not as potent as Xatu's. Truly, they were abstract and mortifying entities.
The feeling they gave was just horrible. They had an aura that just sent a chill down anyone's spine as that was where the sources of their eerie howls originated from. Their nightmarish aura was capable of turning the entire area around them into a much darker variant of itself. Even darker than that of the night.
What didn't help was that they even give off a sort of larger than life feel. As if, they were beings that were way above others on a higher scale. And to think, this is formed by the black mist of a suffering Munna.
"That's them...?" Ash uttered.
"Pikachu..."
"Right. They're as horrifying as they are disturbing. Be on your guard. They are highly hostile." Luna's horn glowed with magic, preparing for the right opportunity.
The Nightmares had spotted Princess Luna, Ash and their Pokemon, finding new prey to spread their nightmares on. Like the actions of a Deerling, the Nightmare shaped like the Season Pokemon galloped towards the direction of the trainers and their Pokemon with a trail of black orbs coming out.
"Here they come! Xatu! Psychic!"
"Xa..." The Mystic Pokemon became outlined in an enchanting blue light, releasing a blast of invisible energy that forced the Deerling-Shaped Nightmare back, separating the black orbs from its body.
The other Nightmares took action, making their way towards Ash and Luna with horrifying movements involved.
"Ash Ketchum! Subdue them if you can!"
"Got it! Pikachu Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon hopped of his buddy's shoulder, spinning around in the air. 100,000 volts of electricity filled Pikachu's body as the aura from Thunderbolt created a golden light that shined across the forest, causing the Nightmares to halt their movements. It seems that they are sensitive to light sources. "CHU!" Pikachu raised his arms up, unleashing the bolt of 100,000 volts as it tore through the air at high speeds.
Each of the Nightmares were struck by the Thunderbolt, feeling the destructive volts shock their ominous and unexplainable bodies. Despite how powerful Thunderbolt was, these Nightmares weren't exactly that easy to take down since they've managed to evade Luna and Darkrai after all.
The Thunderbolt definitely left a mark on them, separating the black orbs from their body. A humanoid-shaped Nightmare held its hand out towards Pikachu's direction. All of a sudden, its hands had extended out of nowhere, as if was stretching.
"Pika?!" Pikachu gasped as he saw an elongated hand racing towards him.
"Pikachu! Dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, realizing how sudden that action from the Nightmare was.
"Pikachu!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon curled his body up, forcing himself to move at blinding speeds in the downwards direction. Quick Attack was thankfully fast enough to avoid the hand as Pikachu returned safely to the ground, unharmed.
"What was up with that arm-stretching?!"
"These Nightmares take on the traits of the ones they have infected! Perhaps, a human must've been dreaming of something like this and the nightmares must've found them! If we can defeat these Nightmares and stop Munna, the infected ponies, humans and Pokemon will be freed from their curse!"
"Got it! Pikachu! Electroweb!"
"Chu-Pika!" Pikachu summoned a spark around his tail, flinging a net of lightning towards the Nightmares.
A pony-shaped Nightmare had cut the Electroweb in half with a butcher knife. The pony this Nightmare was based off was on must be a chef somewhere in Equestria.
The other nightmares who were attempting to get closer had been pushed back by Luna's magic and Xatu's Psychic which lifted them in the air. Xatu's Psychic couldn't contain the Nightmares in one spot forever, unfortunately. They were powerful enough to break free from the Mystic Pokemon's mental grasp, causing Xatu to take damage as well.
A Sawsbuck-shaped Nightmare had replicated the move Energy Ball by summoning a ball of black and purple energy instead of the natural green that Energy Ball always comes with.
The distorted Energy Ball was sent towards Luna, aiming to knock her out in the process whilst she was distracted with other Nightmares.
"Iron Tail!" Ash caught notice of this, commanding his buddy to save Luna from being hit.
"Chu-Pika!" Pikachu cut the corrupt Energy Ball in half with a hardened tail of steel. Luna gasped as she had just realized that she could've been taken out without her even noticing.
"Many thanks, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu!"
"Pikachu!"
"Now! Pikachu! Spin with Thunderbolt!"
"PIKA!" Pikachu got on his back, rapidly spinning around whilst unleashing Thunderbolt out of his body, performing the always effective Counter Shield tactic.
The rapid spinning barrier of volts was enough to push back any incoming Nightmares that even attempted to get close to Pikachu. They felt their horrifying bodies being whipped by 100,000 volts each time, forcing the Nightmares to pull back. They were actually smart enough to know when something was difficult to overcome. The ponies, Pokemon and humans that they were based on didn't really have a response for the Counter Shield at all.
As a result, the Nightmares retreated for the moment, making their leave by scattering their blob-like bodies across the forest, disappearing into the darkness.
Luna attempted to chase after them, but the darkness they left behind was too difficult to see in. They had become perfectly camouflaged in it. Even with the magic light that Luna emanated from her horn, it still couldn't cast a light bright enough to see through the Nightmare's Darkness."They're gone!"
"Are they gone from Deerling Forest now?!" Ash ran up to Luna.
"I'm not sure. Their movements are erratic and unpredictable when searching for prey to infect. However, one thing is for sure, Munna isn't hard to find. Each time Darkrai and I have tracked it down, it exhibits a high amount of dream mist that both of us can easily find. And at this moment, it's somewhere here in Deerling Forest."
"It is?" Ash looked around, realizing that he and Pikachu hadn't seen Munna in the time they've been in Deerling Forest since early morning. "I guess Munna's not a Pokemon that shows up in the day that much anyways..."
"Pikachu."
"Quickly, Ash Ketchum. If we can find Munna and save it, the Nightmares shall vanish forever. Darkrai will also be able to find them faster than us!" Luna and Ash got a move on, searching for the Dream Eater Pokemon. Wherever it may be.
With Darkrai, he had managed to find many Nightmares with ease. Being a Pokemon that knows a lot about nightmares and wields the power to cause them, it wasn't a challenge for the Pitch Black Pokemon.
Darkrai managed to easily overwhelm the Nightmares with the moves he had at his disposal, however, the Nightmares were too elusive. Just like Luna said, they continuously managed to find a way to escape every single time. They weren't exactly insanely-powerful, just tricky and slippery to deal with.
"Got away again..." Darkrai spoke, shifting his eyes across the forest. As he hovered about, searching for both the Nightmares and Munna, he spotted some Caterpie's that had been infected by the Nightmares sadly. He watched as their little bodies were squirming in their sleep, unable to rid themselves of these horrible nightmares, even if they dreamt hard enough.
Darkrai especially felt powerless. It was times like this where he wished that he wasn't a Pokemon that caused nightmares and nothing else. But then again, it was a curse that he couldn't free himself of. Such is the horrible fate of many Dark-Type Pokemon.
However, after spending time with Luna, Ash and the others over the past months that he's been in this world as Luna's partner, he now knows that he can still protect and save others, despite his curse.
Darkrai picked up the tiny Worm Pokemon, placing them up in tiny little holes filled with comfortable snow, where they can squirm less and take in the warm soft snow around them.
Just then, the Pitch Black Pokemon picked up on more eerie sounds. Obviously, they came from the Nightmares. Darkrai had the advantage in this scenario thanks to him being a Dark-Type. The Pitch Black Pokemon was able to see perfectly in the darkness as if it wasn't an issue. And of course, he can blend in with the darkness, making himself hidden.
Heading into the darkness, Darkrai came across an area where a pink light was blooming all of a sudden. Not just any pink light. Psychic light.
"Munna's near," Darkrai said, making his way towards the pink light. The further he went, he noticed that destructive psychic bolts were shooting out of the darkness. Wherever Munna was, it couldn't contain all that energy any longer as its power was going out of control every passing minute. The psychic bolts had struck the trees, causing them to distort due to the mental force exhibited from the bolts.
However, since he was a Dark-Type, it had no effect on him as he simply phased through them as if he was a Ghost-Type Pokemon as well.
What caught Darkrai's eyes next took him by surprise. Up ahead in the deepest part of the darkness, Munna's body was undergoing something horrible. It looked like the Dream Eater Pokemon's body was being mangled apart with the space around it warping about.
"What in the..." Darkrai gasped.
The distorted Munna, who was currently crying out in pain had summoned more Nightmares that appeared right in front of Darkrai. This time, the Nightmares resembled that of Fairy-Type and Fighting-Type Pokemon.
Munna had summoned them as a defensive force. It was in so much pain and so confused that it thought that everything around it was a threat. So as such, it created Nightmares that are based around Pokemon capable of taking out certain Pokemon via Type-matchups. Even Pokemon that aren't in Deerling Forest.
One Nightmare shaped like a Breeloom had attacked Darkrai with a move resembling that of Focus Blast. A black orb of energy opened up from its gaping void mouth, shooting it directly at the Pitch Black Pokemon.
Darkrai shifted his body to the side, avoiding the devastating Fighting-Type move. In response, he gave the Nightmare Breeloom a hard-hitting Ice Beam that shot right out of the Dark-Types hands. Once Breeloom had been hit by this Ice-Type attack, that prompted the other Nightmares to attack. Now Darkrai was in this particular situation, right next to the source of all of this. Munna.
"This way." Luna pointed her hoof North, guiding Ash and Pikachu. Her Xatu acted as a radar, tracking down the movements of Darkrai with the move Miracle Eye and outlining its body with Psychic's blue light.
Normally, this would be impossible for Xatu since it was a part Psychic-Type, however, Miracle Eye is a move that allows Psychic-Types to interact with Dark-Type Pokemon. It also helps Normal-Types and Fighting-Types hit Ghost-Types. Truly a useful move to have.
"It's getting darker up ahead..." Ash squinted his eyes as it was difficult to focus with all this darkness filling the deeper parts of the forest.
"As expected." Luna rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit of an eye-strain due to all of this. Even with Xatu being her radar, she had trouble keeping her eyes sturdy and static on the Mystic Pokemon. "The Nightmares and their dark aura darken areas after all. This means that they are the most prominent here at the moment. Let's hu-" Luna's words were halted when she had been dragged inside of a pitch-black covered Lake that had been affected by a Nightmare Tentacruel, who was also the Pokemon that grabbed Luna.
"Luna!" Ash gasped.
"Pika!"
Luna held her breath, quickly flapping her wings upwards. However, the tentacle of the Nightmare Tentacruel had latched onto her hoof. Her eyes widened as she looked down to see the Jellyfish Pokemon latching the rest of its tentacles onto her. More and more Tentacruels had surrounded her, surrounded in a nightmarish aura. Due to them being Nightmare Pokemon, they had the power to grant a nightmare state to the alicorn princess. And since one had already grabbed onto her hooves, the nightmares were bound to flow through her.
Thankfully, Luna was strong enough to resist this. But she definitely wasn't strong enough to hold her breath for long whilst the horrific tentacles of Tentacruel dragged her further down. She attempted to use her magic, however, the Tentacruel's had wrapped their tentacles around her horn, preventing Luna from teleporting out of the lake.
The tentacles from Tentacruel could deliver venomous stings to their preys whenever they grab a hold of them.
Ash and Pikachu quickly jumped into the lake, seeing how Luna was being restrained by the Nightmare Tentacruel's. He held his breath in, commanding Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on all of them.
The Electric Mouse Pokemon gathered electricity underwater, preparing to initiate a risky action in the process. The lightning shot out of him, with all 100,000 volts conducting with the entire lake. The power of Thunderbolt had been amplified thanks to the lake as one strike on a single Tentacruel caused a chain reaction that travelled through the rest of the Nightmare Tentacruel's causing them all to go down in one hit.
This one action from Pikachu actually managed to destroy the Nightmare Tentacruel's, freeing the originals from their horrible nightmare state.
Luna had been freed as Ash grabbed a hold of her, swimming up from the lake at fairly high speeds. It seems that a bit of Manaphy's energy still laid within him when it came to underwater interactions.
Once they went back to the surface, catching their breath. Ash climbed out of the lake, holding a slightly injured Luna who had been hurt by Tentacruel's stings.
"You okay, Luna?" Ash breathed in and out.
"I-I'm fine...Many thanks once more." Luna gasped with her hooves feeling a bit weak.
However, A final Nightmare Tentacruel emerged from the lake, aiming to grab a hold of both Luna and Ash.
"Xatu!" The Mystic Pokemon flew to her trainer, seeing how she had been injured. It quickly defended her by using Psychic to blast the Nightmare Pokemon away. And as a bonus, it freed the Tentacruel who had been affected, saving it from its nightmare state.
"Thank you, Xatu." Luna stood up, shaking the water off of her. "These Nightmare Pokemon are much more prominent than they were the first time Darkrai and I encountered them. I fear that Deerling Forest might become overpopulated with them. And eventually, all of Equestria."
"There's no way we're letting that happen. Xatu. Can you keep searching for Darkrai?"
"Xatu..." The Mystic Pokemon nodded, continuing the guide them towards the location of Luna's Darkrai. This was no time to take a small break. The more Munna becomes influenced by cosmic energy, the more Nightmares are summoned.
Back with Darkrai, he was currently in a tough situation. His weakness involving both types was really showing. A Nightmare Throh had grabbed a hold of the Pitch Black Pokemon, using the move Circle Throw on him. Darkrai had been tossed in the air, spinning about.
As a follow-up, a Nightmare Clefable had shot Darkrai out of the air with Moonblast, causing the Dark-Type to be hit by the power of the moon itself.
Darkrai grunted as he fell to the ground whilst Munna continuously grew stronger with more and more Nightmares being summoned. The Pitch Black Pokemon had hidden in the shadows, aiming to recover for a bit. However, even that wouldn't save him.
A Nightmare Conkeldurr had slammed both of its concrete pillars down on the ground with Superpower surrounding them, forcing Darkrai to arise from the shadows. It wasn't looking too good for Darkrai. He attempted to freeze the Nightmares with Ice Beam in order to immobilize them.
It actually ended up working. Darkrai's Ice Beam froze the targeted Pokemon solid. However, not all of them were caught by the Ice Beam. Some managed to evade. And the ones that did escape broke the other Nightmare Pokemon out of the ice with Fighting-Type moves.
"No good..." Darkrai groaned, flying back. "And Dark Void won't affect them at all. If I can just free Munna..." Darkrai knew that Munna was the main objective. The Nightmare Pokemon weren't the biggest problem here. If they made physical contact with Darkrai, their nightmares wouldn't affect Darkrai since he practically is a walking Nightmare. But their moves will definitely hurt.
The Psychic Bolts that flew out of Munna were only getting more and more aggressive with each passing second. So aggressive that they even hit Munna's own Nightmare creations. The Fighting-Type creations had been taken out by the frantic bolts, giving Darkrai an opportunity.
However, this wasn't just the act of Munna losing control. It was almost as if Munna was actually doing this to help Darkrai. It ended up viewing him as an ally after hearing how he was only here to free Munna from her pain. As a result, Munna managed to gain control for a small bit, allowing the bolts to hit the Nightmares instead. Not only that, Munna actually remembered this Darkrai from when it had been influenced by the Rift for the very first time. It definitely recalled how Darkrai and everypony saved it from causing any more harm.
The Dream Eater Pokemon spoke to Darkrai telepathically, telling him to help her since she can't take it anymore. Darkrai understood thoroughly. After hearing Munna's plea, he decided to put in 200% effort this time. A silly notion created by Ash but it managed to stick with him.
Darkrai decided to get creative. If he can't hide in the shadows, then he'll just control the shadows. The Pitch Black Pokemon dug his claws on the ground, looking up at the Nightmares.
The Nightmare Pokemon, cautious of Darkrai's actions had decided to continue attacking the Mythical Pokemon. Whether it be a Fighting-Type running towards him for an up-close hit or a Fairy-Type hitting from afar with magic.
Before any of them could get the opportunity to do so, Darkrai's creative plan had already been revealed. Black shadowy tendrils rose up from the ground, whipping the Nightmares aggressively. Darkrai had then manipulated the shadows to grab a hold of the Nightmares with a huge black claw grabbing every last one of them.
With Darkrai's command, he performed a crushing hand motion with his own claws, prompting the summoned claws to do the same. The Dark Claws had crushed the Nightmares into nothing but black stardust as they had been defeated.
"Munna..." Munna whimpered in pain. The energy was finally reaching a critical point. The sight of Munna's body being separated was only getting worse. Now it looked like it was trying to fit each part in as if it was a puzzle piece.
With haste, Darkrai flew towards Munna, attempting to save her. He outstretched his arms, trying to grab Munna in the process. However, it was too late. The cosmic energy had erupted with fury, causing a cosmic shockwave that forced Darkrai back. Darkrai grunted as he tumbled on the ground. He surely didn't see that sudden eruption coming.
Ash, Pikachu and Luna had finally arrived with Xatu being one helpful searcher. They reached their destination, hoping that they weren't too late.
"Darkrai!" Luna exclaimed as she saw her partner down on the ground.
"What's happening to Munna?!" Ash noticed how Munna's body was freaking out, moving all over the place at light speed.
"PIKA?!"
"Stay back!" Darkrai got up, putting his hand out so that the others don't try and get in close. Whatever was happening was something that could rip them apart at any moment.
The cosmic energy within Munna had manifested itself around the Dream Eater Pokemon's body as the psychic bolts had retracted, returning inside of her body. "NNA!" With a horrifying scream, Munna's body had suddenly imploded on itself with a purple flash popping out afterwards.
Ash and the others closed their eyes from the purple flash as the light managed to reach beyond Deerling Forest. The trees around them had been torn apart from the flash along with the lake being split in half.
The Deerling and Sawsbuck's who were asleep had been woken up from this sudden flash. The light didn't affect them surprisingly. It only seemed to affect nature and nothing else.
The flash had finally died down, allowing Ash and the group to uncover their eyes. Once they opened their eyes, they had been graced with the unexpected.
Munna had evolved.
Into Musharna. The Drowsing Pokemon.
"Evolution?" Luna gasped. She quickly took out her Pokedex to see what this Musharna Pokemon was all about.
"Musharna. The Drowsing Pokemon. The mist emanating from their foreheads is packed with the dreams of people and Pokémon, including many different colours depending on the dream that was eaten. When dark mists emanate from its body, don’t get too near. If you do, your nightmares will become reality. It’s best to leave it be if it’s just woken up, as it’s a terrible grump when freshly roused from sleep."
"Oh, right. Because the magic's so different in Equestria and this world, the evolution process looks different." Ash said.
"Hold on...Look." Darkrai noticed that something wasn't right. Even though it was an evolved form, the situation hadn't been solved still. Musharna was still in pain.
And now that it has reached its final evolution, the power it exhibits is much greater.
"So that's what was happening..." Ash finally realized. "Munna was feeling the power of Musharna deep within. But she couldn't handle it since she was still a Munna. That's why she was capable of creating living Nightmares before."
"Really now? If that's the case, then doesn't that mean it should have perfect control now?" Luna replied.
"Not quite. The cosmic energy is still hurting her from within." Darkrai pointed out. "If we don't get it out of her, she'll still continue to lose control, even as a Musharna."
"Ash Ketchum. You and your Riolu wield the one thing that can combat against cosmic energy and negate it. Aura. Please. Free Musharna from it." Luna requested. "We shall assist you." She faced forward alongside Darkrai and Xatu.
"You got it! Come out, Riolu!" Ash tossed his Poke Ball up, sending the Emanation Pokemon out.
"Riolu!"
"This isn't gonna be easy with cosmic energy involved. So you guys are gonna need to help out too." He sent out the rest of his Pokemon to help out. Gengar, Dragonite and Farfetch'd would provide support alongside Darkrai and the others.
"Musha..." Musharna wailed, summoning Nightmare Pokemon of different types in order to combat the other Pokemon.
They ranged from Psychics, Fairies, Ground and other Dark-Type Pokemon. Each of them was specifically made to exploit the weaknesses of Pikachu and the other Pokemon.
"Riolu! Get in close and use your Aura on Musharna!" Ash pointed forward. "Everyone else! Make sure Riolu doesn't get hurt!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu and the others got it clear as day.
A Nightmare Piloswine had used a move resembling that of Earth Power. A black and purple outline surrounded its body as glowing purple cracks travelled through the ground, preparing to explode with power.
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up, avoiding the exploding force of Earth Power while the others scattered with Riolu heading forward, only having sights on Musharna.
"Darkrai! Freeze them with Ice Beam!" Luna commanded.
Darkrai had frozen some of the Ground-Types in place with a quick-acting Ice Beam. Dragonite and Gengar flew forward with both of them attacking the types that would prove a bit of a threat to them both, but with a swap. Gengar went for the Fairies whilst Dragonite had gone after the Ground and Psychics.
"Gengar!" The Shadow Pokemon had used Ice Punch on a Nightmare Togetic, forcing it to freeze completely.
Dragonite had blown away any opposing Ground-Types with Hurricane, causing them to scatter into black blobs. The Dragon Pokemon had made quick work of any Psychic-Types with Hyper Beam, easily defeating them with one single fire of it.
Both Darkrai and Farfetch'd had fended off the Psychic-Types with either Night Slash or Dark Pulse, clearing a way for Riolu to pass through.
Riolu, who was closing in on Munna, had been chased down by a Nightmare Solrock and Lunatone but had been saved by both Xatu and Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu had hit Lunatone with Iron Tail whilst Xatu took out Solrock with Steel Wing. Two hard-hitting Steel moves that saved the soon to be part Steel-Type Pokemon.
"Riolu!" Riolu had finally reached Musharna who was squirming about, just wanting the pain to end already. He knew what he had to do. Exert his Aura and free Musharna from the cosmic energy. Trying to get close to Musharna was actually a bad idea since Musharna had been forced to respond violently due to having little control of herself. The Psychic Bolts from before had returned, making direct contact with Riolu as they flew across the entire area. "Lu!"
"Those bolts are gonna be a problem...Farfetch'd! Help Riolu with Brutal Swing!"
"FAR!" Farfetch'd raised his leek up, running alongside his fellow Fighting-Type. Together, they both evaded any bolts of Psychic energy that were being thrown at them. But then again, they were erratic bolts so they were flying everywhere at this point.
"Raise your leek with Brutal Swing!" Ash exclaimed."
Farfetch'd had used Brutal Swing whilst raising his leek at the same time. It was a clever tactic from Ash actually. Once the bolts connected with the leek, the dark aura around it made it so that Farfetch'd wouldn't take any damage whatsoever.
"Now, Riolu! Jump on Farfetch'd's leek! Farfetch'd! Toss it!"
Another one of Ash's ridiculous shenanigans. The Emanation Pokemon jumped into the air whilst the Wild Duck tossed his own leek whilst covering it with Brutal Swing.
And just like that, Riolu was standing on top of a flying Leek covered in Dark-Type energy. What a sight. The leek went straight for Musharna as Riolu braced for impact. The bolts of psychic energy attempted to take out Riolu, but the leek had protected him.
The Nightmare Pokemon could see that Riolu was nearing Musharna, most likely having the high chance of freeing her from the cosmic energy. It wasn't a wise decision to get distracted. Due to them taking their nightmarish eyes off the opponents that were in front of them, they had been taking out by a combined Thunderbolt, Ice Beam and Hyper Beam combination from Pikachu, Darkrai and Dragonite.
"Now! Do it, Riolu!" Ash exclaimed.
"Rio!" Riolu put his hands forward, grabbing onto Musharna's very huge and soft head which was also its entire body. Now that Riolu was on Musharna, all he had to was remove the cosmic energy from within with Aura.
But it wasn't that simple. After all, Musharna's black mist was still coming out, affecting Riolu. The Emanation Pokemon was struggling to keep himself steady on Musharna as his Aura was having trouble coming out due to the mist slowly making his nightmare a reality.
"Rio..." Flares of both blue and black lights emanated from both Pokemon as it was a struggle. Riolu's body had been struck with Psychic waves but he still held on firm.
"Riolu won't be able to do it with that much pressure!" Luna gasped. "Darkrai, help him!"
"On it!" Darkrai hovered forward, assisting the Emanation Pokemon in his struggle. Darkrai had pushed back the Psychic waves by exerting Dark aura from his body.
Both Pokemon had their auras merge, creating a unison from it. This unison of auras was enough to rival the overwhelming force of cosmic and psychic energy that Musharna was producing.
Perhaps it was too strong. In fact, the ground was shaking due to the clash. The entirety of Deerling Forest had been affected with tremors going across the area.
Luna and Ash felt the quaking that filled the forest, almost losing their balance in the process. All of the cosmic energy within Musharna was starting to come out, showing that it was working. However, this caused the energy to go haywire. It looked like it was gonna blow.
"Look out!" Ash bellowed, noticing the imminent eruption. He went in front of Luna as the cosmic energy had finally been freed from Musharna, causing the Drowsing Pokemon to wail. Dragonite protected the other Pokemon whilst both Riolu and Darkrai were knocked back by a pink light that surrounded the Psychic-Type as bright flash engulfed the entire forest in one go.
The light had faded away with pink and purple stardust being left behind. As the dust was clearing, Luna could see that Ash had taken a pretty heavy hit from the flash as he fell on his knees.
"Ash Ketchum!" Luna gasped, seeing the trainer in an almost battered state.
"No need to worry..." Ash breathed in and out. "I've taken heavier hits."
"Musharna..." Musharna's felt dizzy from the result of it being freed finally.
"Now's my chance." Luna held out her Poke Ball, aiming it towards Musharna. "Go!" She launched the ball towards the Drowsing Poke Ball with her magic as it spun around. A direct hit on Musharna's head as the red light pulled the Psychic-Type in. Now for the result.
1...2...3...
Gotcha!
Musharna was caught.
"Yes! A successful capture!" Luna pranced on the spot.
"Finally!" Ash let out a sigh of relief, laying on his back. The rest of his Pokemon gathered around him, helping their trainer up from the ground.
Due to Musharna being freed from the cosmic energy, the Nightmares that were still around the forest had been defeated. Their ominous and distorted bodies had been turned into stardust that flew into the night sky. As a result, the ponies, humans and Pokemon who had originally been infected by the nightmares had been finally free from the curse. The lake had returned to its vibrant azure blue colour as the Deerling's who had been infected originally shook their heads in confusion. They had no idea what just happened.
"Out you come." Luna sent out her newly caught Musharna.
"Musha!" Out of joy, gratitude and excitement, Musharna had suddenly dashed over to Luna, giving her first-ever trainer a glomp by latching onto her face.
"Wha-" Luna gasped as she had felt Musharna pounce on her. The feeling of the Drowsing Pokemon hugging her face was something she would have to get used to. Because Musharna was going to do this a lot from now on. The mist that came out of Musharna was now a beautiful pink, showing how happy she was now.
"Glad that's finally over with." Darkrai was relieved, sinking himself into the shadows as his head was poking out. All of them were relieved. Ash and his Pokemon definitely didn't expect things to escalate this late at night. They were just expecting a nice long sleep. And well, they'll be getting that now that the Musharna issue had been dealt with.
After a few minutes of relaxation and time to breathe, both trainers had decided to return home. But not before saying their goodbyes.
"Once again, I must thank you for everything, Ash Ketchum. For saving my life twice even." Luna thanked him.
"No problem. Things were getting pretty hairy back there ya know." Ash laughed.
"Say...I heard that there was a way to keep both worlds connected for good. Is that true?"
"Mhm. Jirachi's our ace in the hole in all of this. Twilight's working super hard to find out where Jirachi's most likely to show up.
"Do you think that you'll be able to reach Jirachi before the time comes when both worlds must return? What if we're already reaching a point in time where that fateful day is closing in?" Luna was getting a bit worried.
"I'm positive. I made a promise after all. And I also made a promise to help Pyrestar get her world back. And I plan to keep those promises too. Right, buddy?"
"Pikachu!"
"Hm. I should've expected that answer from you. I suppose that's why everypony seems to look up to you. You inspire them from what I can see."
"Really? Well, I haven't really noticed that one. Guess that explains a few things." Ash chuckled.
"Pika-Pika..."
"Indeed. Since everypony puts their trust in you...then I shall do the same. I trust you fully Ash Ketchum. Actually..." Luna thought for a bit, digging her hoof in the ground. "Would it be fine if I referred to you as Ash?"
"Sounds good to me!" Ash let out a grin.
"Then, I trust you fully, Ash." Luna gave a soft smile.
"Musha!"
Both trainers had actually decided to head home together since they were essentially going the same direction on the same path. Along the way, they talked about various things. Mostly subjects involving Pokemon and how Luna was really feeling the rush of reaching the Equestria League so that she can become Equestria's first and only champion.
On this night, a brand new bond was formed via Musharna who was once a Munna that had a previous interaction with Ponyville. They do say that Pokemon bonds form in the most unlikely situations and unpredictable times and this one scenario certainly proves that. And it'll keep on proving to be unlikely and unpredictable as the journey continues.
Chapter 214 End.
Stats
Page generated in 0.093 seconds
Total duration
996 users online
1,591,968 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
10565935
Although...that Paul part sounds pretty juicy..
Ash and Luna really work well together in battle.
10566223
I made sure to give them a unique chemistry in order to have their battles really pop.
Xatu is part Psychic and Flying-type
10566301
oh, right. Thanks for that.
10566305
No problem. Also about Hydreigon, it's not that hard to beat it. Unless you're using a well train Fighting or Bug-Type Pokémon. Also a place it has mostly Dark-Type Pokémon? Don't remember where it is, in anime or a game.
10566317
Yeah but still that thing is tough to beat. even with a well-trained Bug and Fighting Type. I still remember it steamrolling through my team. That one Hydreigon almost made me quit Pokemon forever. Even in Ultra Sun and Moon, it was a problem.
10566323
Understandable. Hydreigon is the only Pokémon that evolve in the level 60's that I know of. Besides, I always give my Pokémon a move to counter the type they'll lose to. Like Ash did for Pikachu to battle against Roxanne in Hoenn, Iron Tail against Rock and Ground Types
10566332
Yeah. Ghetsis and his Hydreigon are actually why I decided to make them the main villains of this story. That and Ghetsis being the evilest character in Pokemon. I want to portray my experience with his Hydreigon but amplified to the next level. So it's not gonna be pretty for Twilight and her friends later on, unfortunately.
10566131
Great! Since you like it, write that down so you can use it for when you do the chapter with Chikorita's ability revealed for the first time.
10566226
Well, you succeeded.
10566334
Are you still going to have Dawn, Brock, Zoey, and Team Rocket be in the chapter when Chikorita unleashes her ability for the first time?
where
delete the extra "and"
tentacles
hit by
Musharna
Musharna/ had been chased down by a Nightmare Solrock and Lunatone but had been saved by both Xatu and Pikachu
sight?
from within by using his Aura
that were/ had been finally
I thought it was to give Spiritomb a weakness so hackers can’t give it Wonder Guard