My Little Pokémon

by Amarvax

Unwavering Friendship

The Human World. Out in the Big City. Juvenile Detention Centre. Nightfall.

"Cloyster!"

Attacking the centre was Cloyster. Already, it had frozen many of the guards here, placing them in icy prisons. This was just one problem among many. But much like every problem, there were those who were present to stop it. Along with their Pokemon.

One of which being Warden Tempest Shadow and her two Pokemon. Noctowl and Dartrix. But making her way to the scene, she already felt the harsh chill that Cloyster had made. Not just her, but the inmates too. They were currently in their cells, minding their own business. That was until the chill of Cloyster's ice came through, waking some of them up from their sleep.

"W-Why is it so cold all of a sudden?!" An inmate shuddered as a nearby guard also fell over from this overwhelming chill. Very soon, they could be put in ice prisons if Cloyster continues. "We live near a desert south from here! It shouldn't be this cold!"

Feeling this as well was Sunset Shimmer as she shivered upon this chill. She held Shuppet close to her, trying to stay warm. Shuppet was freezing too despite being a ghost. Sunset Shimmer felt the need to find somewhere warm, so she went to ask the guard standing outside.

But the moment she opened the door, she found out that the guard was too cold to move. He had sat down in the corner, trying to stay warm but it was no use. "This chill...It has to be an Ice-Type," uttered Sunset Shimmer as an icy breath could be seen the moment she spoke, showing how cold it was.

"S-S-Shuppet..."

"Stay in here, Shuppet." To give Shuppet some warmth, Sunset Shimmer had placed the Puppet Pokemon inside of her inmate shirt. The Ghost-Type's head then popped out of the shirt, right near Sunset's shoulder and neck. "

"Shupp..." Shuppet did feel a bit warmer. But it was still unforgivably cold. Sunset Shimmer didn't have much to go with at the moment as she decided to try and find the Pokemon responsible for this.

Almost all of the guards were being put out of commission thanks to Cloyster. The ice that it had summoned also alerted the weather a bit, causing snowflakes to emerge. Tempest Shadow had eventually found Cloyster thanks to Dartrix's detection. They had come across the Bivalve Pokemon, witnessing the lunch lady being frozen.

"Cloyster!"

"There you are!" Warden Tempest Shadow cried out, facing the Water-Ice-Type. "I don't know who or what you are, but if you think you can come to my centre and cause this mess, you've picked a horrible time. I've already had to deal with one mess today, so I'm not in the best mood."

"Cloy. Cloy-Cloyster." Cloyster wasn't intimidated. All it did was laugh at the warden instead. Tempest looked outside the windows to see falling snowflakes drop from outside as the ceiling had also been frozen over. One good hit and the ceiling along with the roof could suffer some damage.

Sunset Shimmer, who was currently the only inmate walking around the centre, had spotted Warden Tempest and Cloyster nearby. She gasped before hiding behind a corner as to not alert them. But right now, Tempest wasn't thinking about her. The only thing on her mind was dealing with the Cloyster issue.

"Shuppet?" Shuppet took a peek before having Sunset Shimmer hide her.

"Sssh...Keep it down, Shuppet." Sunset hushed her, spectating this scenario without drawing any attention. Sunset didn't want to get involved in this to avoid the risk of Tempest Shadow dealing with her. Or worse, Cloyster would deal with her instead.

"Perhaps I can try and catch you. I could use some icy prisons for out of line inmates." Tempest revealed in her hands a Great Ball. She was one of the few people in this world that had gained Poke Balls after they had been made public. "But first, weakening you is what I need to do. Noctowl, Dartrix! Go!"

"Noctowl!" Noctowl and Darxtrix went on the offensive. Noctowl went for Pluck while Dartrix chose Razor Leaf. Noctowl's beak started growing and emanating a bright light while Dartrix summoned sharp leaves around its body. Noctowl flew ahead with Dartrix allowing the leaves to fly alongside its fellow owl.

"Cloy!" But Cloyster was prepared. It had used Razor Shell, utilizing the spikes that were hidden within its hard shell and allowing them to be revealed. They had been shot out of Cloyster's shell, having veils of water surrounding them as they went in different directions instead of a consistent one.

"Owl?!" Noctowl gasped as it had used Pluck on the spikes, knocking one away. But the rest of them had bombarded the Owl Pokemon, knocking it away. The spikes had also met with Razor Leaf, matching the leaves in sharpness with its spikes. They cancelled each other out due to equal strength.

The rest of the spikes hit the walls and the ceiling, shattering parts of them with their brute force alone as the top of the juvenile detention centre had been exposed.

"Cloyster!" After using Razor Shell, Cloyster was the one approaching its opponents with a high-speed Tackle.

"Noctowl! Use that attack that comes from your eyes!"

"Noctowl!" With the Human World still being new to Pokemon, certain moves and their names were unknown. The attack in question was Night Shade. Noctowl's eyes radiated black as it ejected a black beam streaked with dark red lines from its eyes at the Water-Ice-Type.

Cloyster had tackled right into the beam, stopping in place. "Cloy?!" Once coming into contact and being within the beam, rings formed around it. Those rings had crashed into Cloyster's body as the energy of Night Shade had combusted, dealing some good damage to Cloyster. "Cloy!"

"Dartrix, Go!"

"Dar!" Dartrix went next, using Double Team. Multiple Dartrix clones had appeared from above as each of them had used Round, attacking with soundwaves. The soundwaves met with Cloyster, causing it to stagger and crash against the wall.

"Excellent! Now!" Tempest saw this as a chance to catch Cloyster. She held the Great Ball, aiming it carefully at the Bivalve Pokemon. Immediately, she had thrown the Great Ball at full force as Cloyster had no time to react as the ball struck it.

However, instead of opening up and shrinking Cloyster down to fit within the catching device, the Great Ball did nothing. It had just fallen to the floor, revealing to be ineffective. "Cloy?"

"What?!" Tempest pulled back as she was thrown back by the Great Ball's failure. So was Sunset Shimmer. However, Sunset Shimmer deduced the easiest answer for this.

"Cloyster already has a trainer..." She said to herself.

"Cloy. Cloyster." Cloyster grinned, knowing that Poke Balls were ineffective against it. And because of this, it had managed to catch Tempest and her Pokemon off guard by using Ice Beam. Out of its mouth, a massive and rampant beam of ice was shot.

It was wide enough to catch Warden Tempest and her Pokemon. This was a bad sign for both Noctowl and Dartrix since they were both vulnerable to ice. Dartrix and Noctowl had quicker reaction times than Tempest. Both of them had flown in front of Tempest, protecting their trainer.

But at the cost of them being frozen. They both cried out as their bodies were being taken over by the chilling icy prison that Ice Beam can grant. Tempest watched as her partners had been placed in massive ice blocks before falling to the floor. She also fell, sitting down uncontrollably.

"Dartrix...Noctowl..." She was stunned to see her Pokemon within these icy prisons. But soon, she could end up being within one as Cloyster started ascending. The Bivalve Pokemon chuckled after freezing Tempest's Pokemon, knowing that she was its next target.

The seemingly unphased Warden Tempest was showing signs of fear. And why wouldn't she? She didn't have many defences at her disposal. Her Pokemon were frozen and Poke Balls were ineffective against a Pokemon that already had a trainer.

Sunset Shimmer's fear of being caught had been tossed out of the window and instead, much like with what happened at the Equestria Games, she had the instinct to help. Despite the circumstances, Warden Tempest was only doing her job, thus, Sunset could show no resentment to her.

Acting on her own volition, Sunset bolted off, grabbing Tempest by the arm. Tempest felt her heart skip a beat before swivelling her head to see Sunset Shimmer. "Sunset Shimmer?!"

"Cloyster!" Cloyster pulled its head back before using Ice Beam. Sunset Shimmer managed to pull Tempest out of the way in time as the beam struck the floor, causing a flash-freeze. Sunset Shimmer could feel herself almost losing her balance with her legs slipping on the ice. She was still holding onto Tempest as well, making it harder.

"Shu!" Out came Shuppet, using her body weight to catch and hold Sunset Shimmer. She did this by headbutting Sunset Shimmer's back directly, preventing her from falling.

"T-Thanks, Shuppet!" She thanked the Puppet Pokemon before skating away with Warden Tempest. Cloyster would soon follow, initiating a chase. Sunset Shimmer used the ice floor as a means of quicker transportation as Closter had used Razor Shell, shooting out water-veiled spikes from its body.

Sunset Shimmer slid to the other side of the area, making a hard turn. Tempest eventually found her footing, taking the lead. She was now the one dragging Sunset Shimmer along, moving at a quicker pace.

"Uh, you're not gonna put me back in that room again, are you?!" Sunset questioned, looking up at Tempest.

"You're exempt from that for the meantime!" Tempest turned back to her as the spikes from Razor Shell struck the floor, shattering some of the ice while also flying through the windows. "But...why didn't that Great Ball work?" She wondered, speaking to herself.

"It's because Cloyster already has a trainer!" Sunset Shimmer answered before ducking from an incoming spike. "Poke Balls don't work on Pokemon that have Pokemon Trainers. They're ineffective!"

"So that's the reason, eh?" Tempest slid to the side as Cloyster used Tackle, approaching at high speeds. The Bivalve Pokemon had just missed Sunset Shimmer, Warden Tempest Shadow and Shuppet, crashing into the walls and leaving a dent with its shape.

"I know this because I'm not the Sunset Shimmer you know! I'm her counterpart!" Sunset Shimmer, while knowing that the counterpart argument wouldn't be as effective, went for it anyway. She surprised Tempest with her Poke Ball knowledge, so she had to try.

"Counterpart?"

"I look like her, but I'm not her! I know now's not the best time but I really shouldn't be here! Since my counterparts been here a few times from what I've learned, you've gotta at least know that something's up!"

"Cloy!" Cloyster then changed attacks, using Rock Blast. Rocks had been shot out, flying through the air and casting shadows over their targets. Tempest Shadow and Sunset Shimmer soon noticed the rocks as they were as large as the windows.

"Shuppet!" That was when Shuppet took action. The Puppet Pokemon flew out of Sunset Shimmer's shirt, using Shadow Sneak. She had manipulated her shadow, moving it towards Sunset and Tempest's shadows. She struggled a bit due to her size, but Shuppet managed to pull Tempest and Sunset away from the rocks by manipulating their shadows.

The rocks hit the ground, trembling the area. Shuppet wasn't done yet. There was one thing left to do. Lose Cloyster. After pulling them away, Shuppet ascended, facing Cloyster. "Shu!"

"Shuppet!" A startled Sunset Shimmer gasped, worried that Shuppet could be in danger.

"Shup...pet!" But instead, Shuppet knew what she was doing as she had used another move she had in hiding. Flash. Her body let out a bright flashing expanse light that went in Cloyster's general direction. The hallway was lit up with light flying through the windows, making the centre a temporary light show.

"Cloyster!" Cloyster cried out as it had been blinded by this Flash. That's what they needed to get some distance as Cloyster, in the midst of its temporary blindness, was flying aimlessly. And with this lack of control, the Bivalve Pokemon fell through one of the destroyed windows, entering another room.

"Wow! Great job, Shuppet!" Sunset Shimmer congratulated Shuppet as they managed to get away from Cloyster for now.

"Shu-Shuppet!" Shuppet enjoyed the compliment, having her face blush red a bit.

"In here!" Tempest found a good place to be in for the moment. Her office. They had arrived as Tempest quickly allowed Sunset and Shuppet indoors. She then turned around, hoping that Cloyster hadn't caught up. Thankfully, it hadn't. It was still befuddled from Shuppet's Flash. Seeing that the coast was clear, she had entered her office, closing and shutting the door afterwards.

With that, there was no time for them to breathe. Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, sitting down as she was already tired. It was nightfall and that didn't help at all. "So tired...Need sleep."

"Okay..." Tempest took a deep breath. "As long as we don't draw any attention to this room, we should be fine. But...Dartrix and Noctowl." She then thought about her partners and how they were still out there, frozen. "But what's this I hear about a counterpart? Are you serious?"

"100% serious. I didn't think anyone would believe me, but I've got your attention. I'm not your Sunset Shimmer. Don't you think it's pretty weird how I've been acting? I mean, I don't know she acted, but I had to guess it was pretty bad, right?"

"Hmm..." Tempest was judgemental. Greatly judgemental. She turned to face Sunset Shimmer, walking towards her while she was still on the floor. Sunset Shimmer felt just as intimidated by Tempest as she was with Cloyster. "How can I be so sure you're a counterpart? I've had my fair share of tricks."

"I...Don't have much to go off of." Sunset Shimmer was spread thin. Her proof was lacking greatly.

"But...your actions are certainly new. You're usually so brash and hot-headed. You and I have been at odds for months now each time you came back here. Not so much now."

"Right?! Cause I'd never do that! I mean...I am a teensy-bit hot-headed." She pinched her fingers, giggling. "But I can't imagine it's more than my counterpart."

"And you saved me back there...From being frozen by the ice." Tempest thought for a moment. She was putting this into deep thought instead of dismissing it instantly. The possibility of Sunset Shimmer having a counterpart didn't seem too impossible. "Did you tell them the judge this at the courtroom? About you having a counterpart?"

"I was a bit too late on that...Plus, there was no one to defend me. It was just me cause it all happened so fast..."

"No one." Tempest nodded before, once again, taking a deep breath. She then went over to her table, going straight for the phone. "When you got out did you have anywhere else to go? Besides wherever you ad your delinquent friends hang around at?"

"Um...I've got my apartment. But there's also Canterlot High."

"You go to Canterlot High? Since when?" Tempest raised an eyebrow before getting ready to utilize the phone, most likely choosing to call someone for Sunset Shimmer.

"My counterpart doesn't but I do. You can ask Principal Celestia. I'm sure she would've been there for me if I didn't get sent to court so instantly."

"Principal Celestia...Canterlot High." Tempest nodded before dialling the number for Canterlot High. Sunset Shimmer held her breath as this could be a major relief. But while anticipating this ray of hope, the sound of ice being sprouted could be heard. Cloyster had recovered from Flash.

Tempest made sure to hold the phone close to her while keeping the volume down. Sunset Shimmer got up, standing next to Tempest as she made light footsteps. The telephone rang before reaching the school.

"Good evening. This is Canterlot High School. This is Raven Inkwell How may I help you?" The voice of this world's counterpart to Raven Inkwell, Celestia's secretary in both worlds, spoke to Tempest Shadow.

"Good. It's not too late to call you. This is Warden Tempest Shadow from the City's Juvenile Detention Centre. I'm calling to ask about someone who might be your student from what she's said. Sunset Shimmer."

"Oh yes, Sunset Shimmer. She is a student here."

"Okay..." Tempest muttered, facing Sunset Shimmer. "So if she is a student then, how long has she been in Canterlot High."

"Oh, she's been here quite a while. Been through multiple Fall Formals for years now."

"Years you say..." Tempest's beliefs were starting to alter with her eyes visibly widening. She then pulled the phone away from her head before speaking to herself. "She was never a student anywhere in any school...And she's certainly been in here even before summer or any holiday..." Warden Tempest brought the phone back to her head before asking the question that truly mattered. "Alright then. Do you know anything about counterparts?"

"Do we? Oh, we've had our experience. Just one, however. Twilight Sparkle, our newest student, had a counterpart that showed up here once. It wasn't until just 3 months ago that our world's Twilight Sparkle started attending. So, yes, we do know about them. Is there another?"

"Yes..." Tempest then looked at Sunset once more, leaning towards the possibility of the counterpart. "Right here with me. Is Principal Celestia there?"

"Oh, that's right. Sunset Shimmer was sent to juvie. Sorry, but the Principal has gone home at this time. But she was doing what she could to help Sunset Shimmer for a retrial. Should I call you back tomorrow to have you talk to her?"

"No need. I think I can take things from here. A retrial won't be needed." Tempest smiled and so did Sunset Shimmer. This meant only one thing. Proof of her innocence had increased greatly. "Goodnight. And thank you." Afterwards, she put the telephone away before gazing at the hopeful Sunset. "Well...looks like you're an innocent counterpart, aren't you?"

"S-So I'm free? Ye-" Sunset Shimmer was about to jump up with absolute excitement before Tempest rushed over, grabbing and putting her hand over Sunset Shimmer's mouth. This was because Cloyster was nearby. Sunset's words had been muffled as Cloyster kept using Ice Beam to freeze everything it saw.

"Cloy!" Its cry could be heard outside as it had frozen the door to Tempest's room. But it did not enter. Instead, it continued moving, freezing the rest of the centre along the way. The trio stayed silent. And once Cloyster was far away enough, Tempest released her hold.

"It's gone for now. Again."

"Hoh...Yes!" Sunset Shimmer pumped her fists. "I knew it would work out somehow!"

"Shu! Shuppet!"

"I'm terribly sorry. The fact that you were brought in here because of the fault of your counterpart is dismal. And my centre is to blame as well. Please, accept my apology." Tempest apologized for this massive mishap.

"I-It's fine. It's not too farfetched to think something like this would happen. One of the downsides to having a counterpart, huh?

"If you were truly her, I would've put you through a horrible regime. Little sleep, unfavourable food choices and body-limiting exercises." Tempest then put on a devious smirk, making Sunset Shimmer gulp as she had then grabbed her shoulder. "I would've made it special for you."

"Uhh..."

"But that won't be the case anymore." She joked, having a laugh. "At least not for you. You should be out of this place as soon as possible. Away from the Cloyster. I can try and drive you away and-"

"Without helping everyone else?" Sunset interrupted, thinking about the others. "And your Pokemon too?"

"As much as I want to help them, there isn't much I can do. And I doubt you can do much either. Not without any further help." She grabbed Sunset Shimmer by the shoulders, looking her deep in the eyes. "There has to be a better approach to all of this."

"I've got a good approach." Sunset had a solution that she hoped would pan out. "We can still stop Cloyster while being here. But we need to be clever about it. Shuppet. This is where you shine."

"Shuppet!"

---

Out in the big city. Nightfall.

Meanwhile, things were being sorted out in the city as well. Ash had just defeated the group Magneton and Weezing before heading for the police station. Upon arriving there, Ash had witnessed the result of multiple scenarios that had happened.

Some officers were asleep because of Adagio and Vivace's singing. But he also saw how there was a massive array of webs everywhere, made by Ariados. Ash followed the trail of destruction with Dragonite and Pikachu before coming across some familiar faces.

Sunset's Pokemon, the Dazzlings and the mother Vivace along with the Ariados in question. Vivace had managed to free herself before freeing her daughters and Sunset's Pokemon. "Oh! You guys are here?!" Ash cried out.

"Your majesty!" Vivace gasped before bowing her head, showing respect to Ash. The moment she bowed her head, an incoming web from Ariados had missed completely. "Mind the scene. But a lot has happened."

"Ariados!" Ariados lunged at them, having Poison Jab within its legs, ready to stab right through them all.

"Brai...Xen!" Braixen came along, using Fire Spin. She aimed her stick carefully, going straight for Ariados' underbelly. Out of her stick, a spiral of flames came out, hitting Ariados' underbelly.

"A-Ariados!" Ariados' eyes expanded as it was a clear-cut super-effective hit. And to top things off, along came Talonflame, using Aerial Ace to strike Ariados right after Fire Spin had struck it, pushing it higher into the air. Talonflame finished things off with a swift Aerial Ace.

"Talon!"

"Dos!" And that was the finishing blow. Ariados had fainted from that combination of attacks, dropping to the floor afterwards. "Ariados..."

"There. That takes care of that issue." Vivace said. "Just a few more exist. It's wonderful that you are here, your excellence. We could use the support."

"Did something happen?" Ash asked.

"A lot happened. We were trying to get Sunset Shimmer's Pokemon back and get her out of juvie...but then everything kinda went wrong." Aria shrugged as the Aipom on her back was still there, waving at Ash.

"Aipom!"

"So you're trying to help Sunset Shimmer too, huh? Not sure if this was the best way to do it." Ash chuckled. "But I've dealt with the problems outside. Looks like you've done the same here."

"But there's still more of them." Aria walked over. "I think there's a Loudred and Graveler maybe and a Crawdaunt? Not sure where they are right now. But since we've got Sunset's Pokemon, we were thinking of heading to juvie right now. Just hoping that our van hasn't been messed up."

"There's more Pokemon. And one of them's gone after Sunset's counterpart..." Ash turned his head to the south.

"I'm sorry, did you say counterpart?" Adagio's interest had been peaked as she and her sisters leaned in.

"Yeah. It's kind of a mess. The Sunset that comes from Equestria gt blamed for what this world's Sunset does. That's kinda how all of this spiralled out of control." Ash explained it in the simplest way yet without having to speak for too long.

"That explains it..." The Dazzlings now understood why this was happening and how it all made sense as they nodded together.

"Speaking of which...I gotta get to her and see she and Pyroar are okay. You guys are gonna head for juvie right?" Ash was ready to depart and return to the forest.

"We just said so. But you don't have to worry. We'll bust her out without even needing to overboard." A confident Aria shrugged before shifting her eyes to the side. "Maybe. Probably not. This has all gone overboard anyway."

"Your majesty. I recommend bringing in the counterpart if that is the case." Vivace raised her finger. "That way, most of this can simmer down."

"I'm working on that." Ash nodded before looking ahead, lowering his hat. Vivace bringing up that suggestion matched well with the chat Ash and Sunset Shimmer had earlier. "There's just something I gotta do first."

Dragonite took flight with Lucario also climbing on with Ash. Pikachu stayed close to his best buddy as they had flown through one of the broken parts of the building. As for the sirens, next was juvie. They rushed to their van, hoping that it was still in one piece or that any of the Magneton hadn't ruined it.

---

A forest near a small town. Nightfall.

Speaking of Sunset Shimmer, she was still passed out, lying near a tree with Ash's jacket and a campfire keeping her warm. Normally, Pyroar would be keeping her warm, but Pyroar was occupied at the moment. And with the current noise happening around this area, they had woken Sunset Shimmer up, granting her the sight of her Pyroar going up against two of the escaped Pokemon.

Mainly Crawdaunt and Graveler.

"Pyroar...?" Sunset Shimmer groaned.

"Pyroar!" Pyroar roared as she had used Incinerate, only for it to be overpowered by Crawdaunt's Bubble Beam. The bubbles obliterated Incinerate, soon bombarding Pyroar with an array of bubbles. "P-Py!"

"Graveler!" Graveler went next, using Rollout. The Rock Pokemon rolled to the side, performing a drift before boosting ahead. Graveler had then crashed into Pyroar from the side, staggering the Royal Pokemon.

"R-Roar!" Pyroar cried out as she had visible scratches and tatter on her. She had been defending Sunset Shimmer vigorously the moment these Pokemon had arrived.

"Ah! Pyroar!" Sunset Shimmer stood up, gasping at her partner being injured.

"Py!" But Pyroar immediately roared, telling her to stay back. Sunset Shimmer froze in place as Pyroar didn't want her trainer to be harmed. She wanted to deal with these opposing Pokemon to prove that she can protect her trainer. "Pyroar!" Pyroar still had some fight left in her, using Noble Roar.

By using Noble Roar, she managed to weaken Graveler and Crawdaunt's attacks, causing them to move back a bit. Afterwards, Pyroar lunged, using another one of her moves that she had just revealed to Sunset Shimmer. Dark Pulse. A flow of darkness flew out of her mouth, hitting the ground near Crawdaunt and Graveler. Both Pokemon had been struck by this pitch-black explosion that Dark Pulse had emanated.

However, while Graveler had been pushed back, Crawdaunt was not. it resisted its own secondary typing, jumping out of the black smoke and appearing before the Royal Pokemon. "Crawdaunt!"

"Py?!"

"Craw!" Crawdaunt had then used its pincers to grab Pyroar by her neck before forcing the Fire-Normal-Type to the ground with a hard slam.

"Pyroar, no!"

"P-Py...!"

"You let go of her!" Sunset SHimmer chose to approach either way. Crawdaunt had Pyroar pinned to the ground, keeping its claws there. Its claws started glowing blue, preparing to use Bubble Beam. But amidst that, Sunset Shimmer had put her hands on Crawdaunt, trying to get it off her partner. "Get off!" She smashed his fist repeatedly on Crawdaunt's head as hard as she could, biting and pushing at it.

"P-Pyroar...!" Pyroar growled, noticing how hard Sunset Shimmer was trying. Pyroar wanted to try harder too. But it was hard to do so with this current position. Crawdaunt was getting annoyed with Sunset Shimmer's bashing and constant screaming in its face.

"I said get off right-" But she was cut off the moment Crawdaunt used one of its claws to grab Sunset SHimmer, putting an end to her pointless attacks. "Gh!"

"Craw-Craw-Craw." Crawdaunt cackled after gripping onto Sunset Shimmer. The Rogue Pokemon was now wondering what to do with her. Pyroar bellowed before trying to use Incinerate. But her mouth was being blocked off thanks to the pincers of the Water-Dark-Type. There weren't many escape options and Graveler was still able to continue, walking over.

"Graveler."

"Iron Tail!"

"Chu...Pika!" From the skies above, Pikachu had appeared, using Iron Tail upon appearing. He performed an overhead slam that struck Graveler, dealing super-effective damage. Graveler's eyes bulged before being slammed right into the ground.

"Craw?!"

"Lucario! Force Palm!"

"Rrrr!" Lucario was up next. He had descended, performing a landing right next to the fainted Graveler. Crawdaunt's attention was drawn to these newcomers.

"Ash!" cried Sunset Shimmer.

"Lu...Ca!" Lucario approached Crawdaunt, having his paws glow. Crawdaunt immediately tossed Sunset Shimmer aside, just to have one of its claws be free. Out of that free claw, Bubble Beam had been used as Sunset Shimmer rolled on the ground from this rude toss.

Lucario, with pure aggression, barged his way through the bubbles, allowing them to hit him. "Crawdaunt?!" Crawdaunt gasped as the Aura Pokemon then stopped right in front of it. Afterwards, Lucario released the energy of Force Palm, causing it to expand and connect with Crawdaunt. The Rogue Pokemon was eclipsed by an orange light before being slingshotted away. Its grip on Pyroar had been let go.

Crawdaunt tumbled on the ground, receiving the same treatment that it gave to Sunset Shimmer. With all that tumbling, it eventually came to an end with Crawdaunt hitting the trees.

Sunset Shimmer, feeling overwhelmed, witnessed Crawdaunt faint on the spot. That Force Palm hit just right. These two escaped Pokemon had been dealt with promptly. Rushing to her side was Pyroar, hoping to see if her trainer was doing okay. Crawdaunt's grips can be fairly violent.

"Sunset! Pyroar! You two okay?!" Ash asked.

"W-We're fine." Sunset Shimmer held her head before standing up.

"That's great. I should get those Pokemon back to the station now. Pyroar, you did good defending Sunset."

"Py. Pyroar."

"Return Lucario." Lucario had done his job. Ash recalled the Aura Pokemon to rest up. "Looks like you recovered from fainting, Sunset. Glad to see you're up. But uh...things are kind of a mess right now. Mostly at the city."

"Well...thanks for saving us from those two." Sunset sighed, holding Ash's jacket out to him. "Here's your jacket back too."

"Thanks." Ash easily slid back into his jacket It was shocking that he wasn't extremely chilly at the moment. But that was definitely the result and reward of going on such a long journey over the years. He then noticed Sunset Shimmer and Pyroar on the verge of walking away. "Sunset, wait."

"I know what you're gonna say, Ash. And I don't wanna hear it." She faced away from him. "I'm glad you came to my rescue but...I'm still ticked off at you."

"About what I said?"

"About what you're planning to do." She then faced Ash before closing her eyes. "You were there for me in the beginning and now you're practically doing the opposite of it. I can't believe you...I had a lot of faith in you, Ash!"

"And I've got faith in you too, Sunset," Ash spoke with a stern face, causing her to gasp. "You're way better than what you others let you on. You're not a bad person at all, are you?"

"You don't know that! You weren't in juvie!" Once again, her emotions were getting the better of her. "I don't even think you're my friend now after all of this!"

"I am still your friend!" Ash pounded his chest, raising his voice. Saying that he wouldn't be her friend is what got Ash going.

"Then what kind of friend would try and rat me out, huh?!" Sunset Shimmer lashed out once more, storming towards Ash and grabbing him by the shirt. "Isn't it about looking out for each other?! Why?" Flowing with emotions, Sunset Shimmer started tearing up, whimpering in the process. "What gives?!"

"Sunset! Nothing's gonna change!" His shout echoed across the forest as Sunset Shimmer stayed silent. "I wanna see my friends do well. I wanna see them happy and smile more than anything. I hate seeing them down and beat up! But...if I act that something isn't wrong, then how can I be a good friend to anyone? You're both my friends from start to finish. And it's gonna be hard on me to see you go elsewhere, okay?"

"..."

"Sunset. A true friend won't turn your back on you. I know it may look like it, but it's stop others from being hurt. Hurt in ways they don't deserve. If you go back to juvie, then it's gonna suck sure. Not everything's gonna be good from the beginning. But we've gotta work hard to make sure that it turns good. We can't always wait for a chance. We make it ourselves. I don't know what'll happen next, but I know you've got the guts to make it through. I believe in you no matter what."

"How can you be so sure...?" She spoke, stammering on her words before letting go of Ash.

"I can't confirm it. Only you can make it happen. But I can still believe in you. And I can still know that I'd never turn my back on you no matter what. I'm not gonna send you there. That's not why I came here. I only came here to let you know that we'll still have that friendship we made together. No matter how young it is."

"Y-You..." Sunset couldn't help but continue crying. Her vulnerable side continued to show as she tried hiding it. And she did so by putting her arm over her eyes. "You...You...Will you still be my friend after it?"

"I will. I'd never leave my friends behind. And you're no different." Comforting her, Ash then hugged the weeping Sunset Shimmer, allowing her to cry in his arms. At this point, with everything said to her, Sunset Shimmer could do nothing but accept it. She thought that Ash would never be her friend again. But he had proved to her otherwise.

Sunset wailed with Ash patting her in the back. Pyroar, Pikachu and Dragonite came closer to comfort her as well. "Y-You're a pretty awesome friend, Ash..."

"And you're awesome too, Sunset."

They had made peace. Ash had shown his unwavering friendship. Whether they are princesses from two worlds, Spirit of Chaos, dragons, changelings and more, Ash's steadfast heart shined through. All of this pandemonium was starting to come to a close at last.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 685 End.

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

That was a heartwarming ending with the human sunset

And I am REALLY glad pony sunset been provided innocent now and that tempest had confirmed this

[GamePlayer64]

11158855
Agree as well but one thing is still a mystery. Who's the Trainer to Cloyster? Seeing it attack the Juvie might say its Trainer is in there

[BestinDworld]

11158855
possible ash and human sunny shipping?

i mean why not they seem cute together

[PokeFan583]

You know, this entire confrontation reminded me a lot of the season 5 finale with Twilight redeeming Starlight. I love it.