Crystal War
Team Shadow had seized control of the Crystal Empire, using a virus to make the Androrg and Guardroid attack those they were meant to be guarding. Flash and his friend were now on the defensive, protecting themselves while trying to keep the Crystal Heart Fragment out of Team Shadow's reach. But now, Team Shadow had breached the Crystal Temple, Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon now stuck outside with Androrg and Guardroid with only Shining and Cadance standing between commander Chrysalis and their objective.
"Now now, champion," Chrysalis giggled, "We really have no desire for excessive violence. Just give us the Heart Fragment and we'll be on our way."
"Not on your life!" Shining took out a pair of Pokeballs, "You're not getting any more of Equestria's treasures!" With that, he threw the balls, a mighty flash of red making two new Pokémon appear.
"Lock!" The River Dwelling Pokémon Lokelpie neighed as it tapped its hooves on the ground.
"Oak!" The Grand Tree Pokémon Oaking roared as it punched its wooden fists together. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow as her Queensect and the Skullvoc moved in front of her while Cadance's Crystardian floated down.
"Last chance to surrender!" Shining called out.
"I don't think so," Chrysalis replied, "Queensect, Bug Buzz! Skullvoc, Shadow Ball!" The group leapt up, Queensect firing the annoying soundwaves from its horn while the skeletal Pokémon created the orbs of dark energy.
"Protect!" Cadance countered while hiding behind the altar and continuing to type away at the computer she was on. Crystardian used its gems to create a shield, blocking the multiple attacks.
"Leaf Storm and Ice Beam!" Oaking swung its head, causing a powerful gust of wind to explode and send a barrage of leaves while Lokelpie opened its mouth and fired a blast of blue lightning. The lightning struck the Skullvoc, causing them to slowly freeze over while the Leaf Storm struck Queensect, pushing it back.
Chrysalis growled at this, the Skullvoc all falling due to their frozen wings while Queensect was pushed into the ceiling. The insect quickly pulled itself out of the crystal roof and flew down, the Skullvoc trying to free their frozen parts just as Shining gave his next command.
"Tsunami Surge!" Lokelpie's eyes glowed before it put its fins to the ground, causing a wall of water to appear between it and their opponents.
"Lock!" It roared before waving its wing-like fins, causing the wall to turn into a wave. Chrysalis gasped as she braced herself, the grunts now trying to run away, only for the wave to catch them, washing them out the doorway.
Outside, Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon were all battling against the Guardroid. Galladin and Androrg were facing off, the knight blocking its Electro Blade and Flash Cannons with his shields before trying to slash at it with his blades.
"Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball and Steel Wing!" Springer and Astro fired their differently colored orbs while Skyler flew down and slashed at a Guardroid.
"Mystical Fire and Mind Force!" Shine shot a flaming rocket while Owlicious' body glowed before he beat his wings, the light hitting one of the Guardroid. The attacks collided, pushing the Guardroid back, only for several more to charge at them.
In that moment, a wave of water shot out of the temple. Cries were following as everyone turned to see Chrysalis and the rest of the Shadow Grunts being thrown out of the building, the group slamming into the ground with a loud splash. "Augh!" Chrysalis yelped as she picked herself up, waving her arms around to try to get the water off.
The others turned to see Shining and his Pokémon step out of the temple, carrying the cases holding the relics in his hands. "Shining!" Twilight gasped, only to jump back as a Guardroid attacked her with a Bullet Punch. Shine leapt in front of her before spinning around to buck the machine away.
Shining glanced around and nodded while one of the Skullvoc took to the air, creating a Shadow Ball. He then turned to Lokelpie, "Use Starlight Flurry!" Lokelpie leapt up, avoiding the Shadow Ball as its body began to glow. The light flew off and formed star shapes, which Lokelpie sent flying with a beat of its fins.
The stars morphed into lasers that rained down on the Skullvoc, striking it several times. It was here that Lokelpie landed as Shining gave it its next command. "Ice Beam!"
"Lock!" It exclaimed as it opened its mouth, unleashing a burst of blue lightning that struck several Guardroid, freezing them into place. Queensect then picked itself up and charged at Lokelpie, ready to use Giga Drain. But before it could, Oaking leapt in front of it.
"Wood Hammer!" Oaking raised its arm before its fist was surrounded by a green aura, which then morphed into the shape of a hammer.
"Oak!" He roared as he swung it down, Queensect barely managing to leap back as the hammer struck the ground with enough force to make the area shake. "Oaking!" It stood tall and glared at Queensect.
As this happened, Shining turned to Sombra. The man had managed to stay out of the Guardroid's sight, Shining running over to him as Lokelpie used Tsunami Surge to push the Guardroid away. "Here!" He held out the cases, "You need to get these away from here!"
"What?!" Sombra yelped, "Why me?!"
"We need to keep them away from the temple," he replied, "Cadance needs time to try and undo what Team Shadow did to Androrg, and she can't do that whilst a battle's happening outside." A Skullvoc then appeared in front of them, charging as it crossed its claws to use X-Scissor. "Aqua Jet!"
"LOCK!" Lokelpie surrounded itself with water as it tackled the Skullvoc head on. The collision caused them both to separate, Lokelpie exploding out of the water while spinning like a top to smack the Skullvoc in the face with its seashell-shaped tail.
Shining turned back to Sombra, "RUN!" Sombra didn't need to be told twice and took the cases, running off as Chrysalis smirked at the sight.
"After him!" She yelled at the grunts, who summoned their Skullvoc back to grab and fly them over the battle. But before they could-
"Leaf Storm!" Shining ordered, causing Oaking to swing its head around and create a powerful gale of wind. The gust struck the Skullvoc, knocking them back as Shining added, "Ice Beam!" Lokelpie fired the blue lightning and struck all the Skullvoc again, freezing many of them.
With their only means of getting past now gone, Team Shadow found themselves blocked off from Sombra as Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon ran over to Shining and stood by him. "No matter what, we need them to keep them from getting past us."
The others nodded, but as they did this, a shattering sound filled the air and they saw that the Guardroid had broken free. A bunch were using their jet-packs to fly, shooting past them. "Oh great!" Flash growled, "So much for that!"
Chrysalis's grin increased as she ran up to her Queensect, the commander dodging Oaking's attack as it tried to grab her. She leapt back as its hand slammed into the ground, then ran straight up its arm before leaping off its shoulder. "Bye, bye!" She laughed as Queensect flew up and grabbed her, "Bug Buzz!" The Bug Dark-type fired soundwaves from its horn, hitting Skyler and Owlicious. This made them flinch, allowing Chrysalis to fly past them.
"NO!" Shining yelled.
Twilight turned to the Guardroid now marching up to them, as the Skullvoc were beginning to break free, only to glance over to her brother, "Shining, go help Sombra!"
"She's right! Twilight and I will hold these guys back!" Flash added, Shining turning to them for a second. He showed a grimace, only to nod as he ran off, Lokelpie and Oaking following him while Galladin stayed behind as it continued to hold Androrg off.
"Ha!" A Shadow Grunt laughed, "Big mistake! Without the Champion to save you, this is gonna end really badly."
"Yeah..." Flash nodded before taking out three Pokeballs, "For you! Riptide, Prongs, Viper...I CHOOSE YOU!" He threw the balls upward, the Reptidal, Stagrowth and Vipeacon now appearing in front of him. The three quickly got into a battle stance as they saw the outfits their opponents were wearing. "Alright guys! Let's take 'em down!" They all roared in agreement and charged, Twilight taking them moment to glance back at Shining before looking at the direction where Spike and Doc would be in the city.
"Incinerate!" Spike ordered as Peewee shot his flaming bullet at the Guardroid, knocking the machine back. At the same time, Higear used Gear Grind on another Guardroid while Flitanium used Drill Peck and Lairon hit another with Body Slam.
The trainers stared at the Pokémon, seeing them try to pick themselves up, only to fall back down. "I think they've finally hit their limit," Doc sighed as he saw how badly their metal bodies were dented. "I just hope the damage they took wasn't too extreme."
"Let's just get out of here before they try and pick themselves back up," Spike replied, Doc nodding as the two turned to leave, only to go wide-eyed.
"Look out!" He tackled Spike to the ground, seconds before a flurry of Shadow Balls shot over their heads and hit the ground behind them. The two rolled away, only to now see some Shadow Grunts flying down.
"You're not going anywhere," one yelled before his Skullvoc fired another Shadow Ball.
"Gear Grind and Zap Cannon!" Higear and Tockwork fired their attacks, the Gear Grind cutting through the Shadow Ball before the orb flew at Skullvoc. The skeletal Pokémon avoided the attack as they flew down, dropping their trainers while Doc and Spike's Pokémon stood around them.
"Let's do this," the grunt laughed as he cracked his knuckles. Spike and Doc shared a glance, nodding as the Guardroid also began to come back online and try to pick themselves up.
"That's not good."
"Don't worry Spike, we can do this." Doc responded as he stared at the enemies, "We just have to preserve."
In another section of the city...
Celestia and Luna now found themselves surrounded by Shadow Grunts along with the Guardroids. "Air Cutter!" One of them yelled as several Skullvoc beat their wings, sending air blades at Champagoon, the Fighting Dragon-type flinching at the blows.
"Extrasensory and Dark Pulse!" Luna added as both Slumberam and Tantabagot floated up and fired their attacks, hitting the Ghost Flying-types.
As this happened, Celestia saw her Suncess having trouble fighting against the Guardroid. "Suncess!" The Fairy-type turned to her as she took out a marble sized orb, "Catch!" She threw it, Suncess grabbing it as the Sun Pokémon suddenly started glowing as it grew taller. The light then faded to reveal her in her Solar Flare Forme, complete with new clothes and armor.
"Sun!" It roared as a Guardroid charged at her.
"Mach Punch!" Suncess dodged the Bullet Punch and threw her own super speed punch, her added Fighting-type now powering it up.
"Guard!" It cried as it was thrown back.
"Primoon!" Luna took out her own marble and threw it, the Moon Pokémon catching it and transforming in a flash of dark light. Entering her Full Moon Forme, the Dark and now Fighting-type leapt up to avoid a Flash Cannon. "Foul Play!" She flew down and slashed her foot into the Guardroid.
"Prim!" She yelled as she jumped away before turning to the other Guardroid. But before Luna could call out the next order, a portal appeared in the sky, now unleashing a blast of light that struck the Guardroid. The Future Sight she had fired earlier knocked the machine back, freeing Primoon to focus on the opponents above them.
"We won't let you get away with the crimes you've committed!" Luna exclaimed.
"And even if you do beat us," Celestia continued, "Our friends will make you pay." The grunts just laughed as they saw the sisters stand side by side.
"You won't beat us!" the grunts barked back, "Just give up!"
"We'll never give up!" Luna replied, Celestia nodding in agreement.
"Twilight..." Celestia whispered, "I hope you and the others are okay."
"Aqua Break!" Flash ordered as Riptide formed a water blade, slashing into a Guardroid instantly. The machine cried out as it staggered back, only for another Guardroid to appear. "Pyro Coil!"
"Vip!" Viper slithered up and wrapped its body around the machine's body before biting down on his tail and breathing fire into it. His entire body exploded, consuming the Guardroid in flames.
"Shadow Ball!" The grunts ordered as their Skullvoc fired the dark energy orbs. But Astro quickly breathed blue fire in a line, causing the balls to explode before they made contact.
"Energy Ball, rapid fire!" Prongs began firing nature spheres, knocking all the Skullvoc back.
As this happened, several Guardroid roared, "Guard!" Their arms opening up to unleash their gears.
"Psychic!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious using his mental abilities to stop the gears.
"Drain Punch, Aerial Ace, Rock Smash, Body Slam, Flamethrower and Shadow Ball!" Viper and Astro exhaled their differently colored flames at the Guardroid, stopping them from countering as Springer, Skyler, Riptide and Prongs got in close.
"RI/TORE/REP/STAG!" They roared as they smashed into the Guardroid, the machines flying over the Skullvoc as they charged at the group, only for Owlicious to throw the gears at them.
"Yes!" Twilight cheered as the Skullvoc were hit, only for one to dodge the gears and tried to use X-Scissor on the girl, but before it could hit, Shine pushed Twilight out of the way.
"DASH!" She neighed in pain as the blow hit.
"SHINE!" Twilight cried as she ran over to her Rapidash, only for the Skullvoc to try another X-Scissor. It was here that Shine's horn began to glow a strange blue light, "Shine?" She asked her Rapidash, who was now facing the approaching Skullvoc.
"Dash!" She neighed before leaping to the side, pushing Twilight while also avoiding the attack. She then charged as the light coming from her horn formed a forcefield around her head, using this to smash into the Skullvoc, sending it flying back.
"Wow," Twilight whispered, "That was...Zen Headbutt!"
As this happened, Flash pointed at an approaching Guardroid, "Aura Sphere!" Springer thrust the blue orb into the Guardroid, knocking it back, only for a Skullvoc to charge at him.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Twilight commanded, Shine firing a shining laser at the Skullvoc. The blow knocked it into three more Skullvoc, all falling back just as several Guardroid marched up at the same time. "Grr...enough of this! Owlicious, use Psychic!"
"Owl!" The Owlolar hooted as it grabbed the robots in its mental energy and lifted them up.
"Steel Wing, Rock Smash, Bounce, Flamethrower and Dragon Rage!" Viper and Astro breathed their differently colored flames at two of the Guardroid while Skyler, Riptide and Prongs shot toward the other three.
"TORE/REP/STAG!" They roared as they slashed, kicked and stomped the machines, Owlicious then throwing them away.
"Nice one guys!" Flash cheered as the Skullvoc picked themselves up. "Let's finish this!" Skyler took that as his cue, the Tornavian flying down as his trainer ordered, "Giga Impact!"
"TORE!" He squawked, dashing as purple and yellow energy appeared around him to form a meteor. The Skullvoc glanced up at this, now seeing oncoming super move, "TORNAVIAN!" The meteor ripped through the Skullvoc, sending them all flying.
"SKULL!" They all cried as they smashed into the crystal buildings around them, the light of the Giga Impact beginning to fade to reveal an exhausted Skyler.
"Nice work bud," Flash told his Tornavian before turning to the others, only to see the Shadow Grunts charging themselves at Twilight, "Twilight, watch out!"
"Psychic!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious grabbing the criminals and lifting them up. The grunts all cried out as they tried to squirm, "Throw 'em!" She yelled as they were sent hurtling, crashing into some buildings as well.
"Yes!" Flash cheered as they all slumped over, the Skullvoc and Guardroid with them. "Alright, let's go help Shining and Sombra."
"But what about Galladin?" Twilight asked, turning to Shining's ace as he battled against Androrg.
"Gall!" The knight yelled as he leapt back, avoiding another Electro Blade before jumping up and slamming its foot into Androrg's chest. As the cyborg staggered back, Galladin turned back to them, "Galladin!"
"He can handle himself!" Flash replied, "Come on. Before they all wake up and we're back to square one." He ran off, Twilight and the Pokémon following after him.
And as they left, Androrg charged and tried to punch Galladin. He raised his shield, blocking the attack before leaping back. Androrg charged again, Galladin hopping back more and more, now slowly leading Androrg away from the temple.
Inside the temple...
Cadance was now typing away, hiding under the temple's altar. Crystardian continued to protect her, planning to warn her if it saw the Guardroid or Team Shadow appear. "Come on," she whispered as she looked through the coding. "There has to be someway to undo what they did. If I can't, we'll never be able to stop Androrg."
"Star!" She heard her Pokémon call out, making her gasp and quickly zip behind one of the pillars.
"Where'd they go?" She heard a Shadow Grunt call out.
"Who knows," another yelled. "But they're obviously not here. We need to go find commander Chrysalis and help her out." The others all gave calls of agreement and she soon heard footsteps, followed by heavy metal footsteps of the Guardroid. After a minute or so, the sound disappeared, Cadance peeking out with her laptop.
"Shining," she whispered, "Twilight...everyone...please be safe."
Meanwhile...
Shining was still chasing down Chrysalis as she went after Sombra. Despite running as fast as he could, he was barely keeping up with her as she flew on her Queensect. "Ice Beam!" Lokelpie fired the blue lightning from its mouth, finally striking the Bug-type's wing.
"Queen!" It flinched before flailing, Chrysalis growling as she leapt off and rolled on the ground as her Pokémon crashed.
"Augh!" She groaned before pushing herself back to her feet, now seeing Shining and his Pokémon staring at her, "You don't know when to quit, do you? If you weren't married, I'd think you'd had a thing for me."
The champion cringed at this, shaking his head before asking, "What do you plan to do with the Heart Fragments? What does the combined Crystal Heart do?"
"Let me get that case and I'll show you," Chrysalis chuckled as Queensect picked itself up. It quickly ran in front of Chrysalis, its trainer about to run as the bug stared Shining down. But before she could move, Shining returned Oaking and threw the ball over her, the Pokémon appearing in front of the woman. Now stuck with an opponent on both sides, Chrysalis let out a long sigh, "Alright...seems we'll have to do this the hard way." She turned to Shining with a big smirk, "Let's brawl. Time to see what kind of champion you really are."
In another part of the city...
Sombra had jumped into a house, now staring at the cases in his hand. "Blast it. I need to find one of my teammates and hand this over now. Then we'll have everything we need..."
But as he said that, a stomping sound made him turn to a nearby window, now seeing a trio of Guardroid marching down the street. They then turned to him, getting into a battle stance.
"You really wanna get between me and my goal?" He asked before taking out a Pokeball. The Guardroid all fired their Flash Cannons, Sombra quickly leaping to the side before throwing the ball. In a flash, the Pokémon known as Tyrandark appeared. "Big mistake."
"TIE!" The Dark-type yelled before charging at them.
"Din!" Galladin screamed as he was thrown out of an alleyway into the wall of a building, Androrg walking out next. He had lead the machine two streets away now, the Pokémon panting as it did this.
"Drorg," the machine said as it opened its chest and charged up a Flash Cannon. Galladin pushed itself back up, staring at the incoming attack as it let out a sigh.
BOOM!
The laser struck the building behind Galladin, kicking up a bunch of dust...and settling to show a hole in the wall. But Galladin was nowhere in sight. Androrg then glaned down, now seeing a bunch of metal armor laying on the floor.
"Galar!" The cyborg spun around, only to suddenly find something slam into its chest, Androrg crying out as it was knocked off its feet. When it hit the ground, it then saw Galladin now wearing only its thinnest armor, a smirk on its lips as it raised its Sacred Sword.
But before he could do anything, lasers rained down from the sky and blasted the knight away. "GALL!" He cried as he knocked away, Androrg picking itself up as a pair of Guardroid flew down. They grabbed the bigger machine by the shoulders before lifting it into the air. "Galladin!" The knight yelled, telling them to get back here, but the three Steel-types vanished above the buildings. "Din..." he swore before running off, now knowing it would retrieve it's armor later.
Meanwhile again...
"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled as his Pokémon unleashed a torrent of fire that struck three Guardroids. "Now, Drain Punch, Rock Smash and Bounce!" Springer, Riptide and Prongs charged, slamming into the three as they were unable to defend thanks to the Flamethrower.
And as they fell, Twilight turned to Flash, "There's no end of these things and we still need to find Sombra!"
"I know." Flash grumbled, only to turn to one of his Pokémon, "I got an idea. Springer, can you locate Sombra?" Springer nodded and closed his eyes, letting his aura extend. After a few seconds, he located an aura he recognized as Sombra's...and another aura that disappeared a moment later.
"Ri?" He opened his eyes, blinking.
"Find something?" Springer nodded and lead them down one of the alleyways, the group vanishing as the Guardroid tried to get up.
"Starlight Flurry!" Shining ordered as Lokelpie leapt up and fired a star barrage at Queensect.
"Dodge it, then use Copycat!" Queensect leapt back as light formed around it, which exploded off as stars came for Lokelpie. The Water-type cried out as it was blasted back, only for Oaking to use Hammer Arm. "Bug Buzz!" Queensect spun around and fired the soundwave from its horn, hitting Oaking and making it freeze in place.
Chrysalis smirked at this, only to see the Pokémon barely flinching from the attacks. "Not enough..." she grumbled before turning and going wide-eyed as she saw something: A Warp Tile. "Perfect." She turned to Queensect and held up her Pokeball, "Return!"
"What are you-HEY!" Shining yelped as he saw her run away, only for Chrysalis to reach the tile and throw something behind her. Shining saw it and hit the floor, just as he saw Chrysalis wave goodbye.
"Later handsome!" she laughed as she vanished just as Shining leapt back as the device she threw hit zero and exploded.
KABOOM!
The explosion caused the buildings on either side of the tile to break apart, burying the transporter as Shining felt himself be flung out of the alleyway. Letting out a groan next, he glanced back up and whispered, "Damn it..."
In yet another part of the city...
Sombra continued down a street, having disposed of the Guardroid and now trying to find someone to 'lose' the cases too. And just as he turned a corner, he suddenly found the ground in front of him exploding as a Shadow Ball struck it. He then glanced up, now seeing a trio of Shadow Grunts flying down.
"Alright gramps," whoever was under the hood yelled, "Just hand over the cases and nobody gets hurt."
Sombra gripped the case, spinning around before seeing a few more grunts now appear behind him, all now surrounding him. He let out a long sigh at this, "Alright..." he held up the cases, "Take 'em." The lead grunt smirked and flew down, grabbing the cases.
"We've got them!" The grunt cheered, "We did it!" The others grunts cheered as well, Sombra holding back from yelling at them until-
"Flamethrower!" A blast of fire struck the Skullvoc's back, making the grunt scream as the cases flew out of his hands. Sombra's eyes went wide as he turned to see Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon running up, both teens managing to catch the cases before they hit the ground.
"You okay Sombra?" Twilight asked, Sombra quickly running up to them.
"Yes." he replied, "Thank goodness you got here in time."
"Thank Springer," Flash chuckled, "He's the one that managed to track you down." Springer barked with a thumbs up, Sombra giving a smile back.
"Hey!" They turned to the grunts, all landing as one yelled, "Those cases belong to us!"
"Come and take 'em then," Flash barked back as their Pokémon got ready to battle. "We're not gonna let you take these relics."
"Do you really think you can stop us?" a new voice said, making them turn to see Chrysalis. "You kids might be strong, but you can't possibly stop all of us." As she said that, more and more Shadow Grunts stepped out from the alleyways or flew down.
"We're surrounded," Twilight whispered. "What do we do?"
Flash grimaced at this, "I got an idea...but we'll have to fight for a bit."
"Alright. What's the idea?"
"This." He glanced down at his Pokémon, "Springer, Astro, Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball, straight up!" The two nodded and fired their attacks into the air, the orbs smashing into each other and causing a large firework-like explosion. An explosion that would catch the attention of almost everyone in the city as Flash turned to Chrysalis, "Now we don't have to stop you. We just have to hold you back until Shining and the others get here."
Chrysalis growled at this, only to hold her fingers up. "Seems you don't know your place." She snapped her fingers, only for a scream to ring out. They all turned to see another Skullvoc, this one having phased through the ground and grabbing Sombra.
"Ahhh!" Sombra screamed as Skullvoc gripped him before floating upward.
"Sombra!" Flash gasped, Skyler about to charge in to save him. But before he could, the Skullvoc brought a claw up to Sombra's neck. "Skyler, stand down!" His Tornavian came to a stop, the Skullvoc chuckling as it kept Sombra tightly held.
Chrysalis let out a roaring laugh, "See? There really is no point in fighting us. Either give us the case, or Mr. Business up there will be cut into enough pieces to fit into a doggy bag."
"You're despicable!" Twilight barked back, holding the case close to her chest.
"Call me what you like, it doesn't matter to me. As long as we get results, our leader doesn't care what actions we take. Now..." she held out her hand, "Give me the relics."
The teens shared a glance, only for Sombra to let out another scream of pain. Turning to him, seeing Skullvoc clench its grip on him, they both let out a sigh. "Alright...you win." He held up the case, "Let him go and you can have these stupid relics."
"Give them to me first," Chrysalis told him. "Then we'll let him go." They sighed and moved up, inching closer as slowly as possible. And as they reached Chrysalis and held out their hands, the woman was about to grab the case and-
"Ice Beam!" A blue bolt of lightning shot out from between two of the buildings, striking the Skullvoc holding Sombra in the back. The freezing chill it felt caused it to drop Sombra, the man now falling as the voice called out again. "Leaf Storm!"
A gust of wind blew out and hit Sombra, slowing him down until he reached the ground. Chrysalis gasped at this and tried to grab the cases, but Flash and Twilight pulled away. They hopped back as Shining and his Pokémon ran out from the two houses and stood next to them. "Great timing BBBFF."
"Just glad I made it," Shining replied before glaring at Chrysalis. "It's over." Their Pokémon all got into a battle stance, the champion doing a count and realizing their Pokémon outnumbered Team Shadows. "We have you outnumbered and outgunned."
Chrysalis shook her head in response, "Oh, I don't think so." In that moment, an Electro Blade flew at them, all barely managing to duck under the sword. Turning back, they saw Androrg and some Guardroid.
"Oh, come on!" Flash barked back, "What's it gonna take to stop these things?!" Androrg opened its chest and fired Flash Cannon, the Guardroid doing the same. Flash and Twilight both flinched at this oncoming attack, but it never came.
"GALL!" They saw Galladin land between, using his blades to block the attack. But in his unarmored state, the Steel Fighting-type found himself skidding back, soon pushing him as the attack came to an end.
"Galladin!" Twilight gasped as she watched the Pokémon fall over, only for something to shoot out of the ground right in front of her. "Ahhh!" She yelped as a Skullvoc tried to swipe at her, making her lose her grip on the case.
"Twilight!" Flash yelped as he saw the Skullvoc hook the case's hand with its leg and fly away, not noticing a Guardroid fire a Flash Cannon at him.
"RIOLU!" Springer yelled as he leapt at Flash and pushed him down, the Flash Cannon flying over them. But the jolt caused Flash to lose his grip on the case, causing it to go flying...right into Chrysalis's hands.
"Oh?" she giggled as she caught the case just as the Skullvoc dropped the other one into her other hand. "How thoughtful." She spun around as the teens picked themselves up. "Well, this has been fun, but I should really get going. Have fun dealing with your little metal friends."
With that, she ran off, the Shadow Grunts around her following suit. "STOP!" Flash yelled, only for some Guardroid to appear in front of them. "Get out of our way! She's the intruder! She's gonna get away with the relics!" But the Guardroid refused to listen, now launching their Gear Grind attacks in response.
And as this happened, Chrysalis simply laughed as she ran up to the holes they had made in the ice mountain. She then spoke into her watch, "All units, targets acquired! Begin escape phase!" All over the city, the goons heard this and followed suit.
"Hey!" Spike yelled as the grunts suddenly ran away, their Pokémon following them. "Get back here!" But he as said this, the Guardroid continued to attack them. "Oh, come on!"
"Cowards!" Luna added as she and Celestia watched their opponents leave. "That's right! Run when you realize you're beat!"
"They're hardly beaten," Celestia reminded her as Champagoon took down another Guardroid. "They could almost keep this up indefinitely." She then saw the Guardroid she had just beaten pick itself up, "They must have what they're after."
Luna nodded as Primoon knocked down another Guardroid. "If we can't find a way to stop these things, we're in trouble."
Meanwhile, at that exact same moment...
"Come on," Cadance told herself as the steams of number scrolled across the screen. Her fingers ached from all the typing, only to hear a Guardroid suddenly march into the temple. "Oh no," she whispered as her Crystardian flew down and blocked the machine's view of her. "No...I just need a few more seconds!"
"Star!" her Pokémon yelled as Guardroid fired a Flash Cannon, hitting its Protect.
"Almost..." She whispered before a string of code suddenly flashed green, "GOT IT!" She exclaimed, quickly hitting the enter key. The computer then sent a wireless signal out to Androrg. The signal flew out of the temple and travelled at light-speed, soon reaching the Bio-Mech Pokémon.
And as it was locked in battle with Galladin, trying to use Electro Blade on the knight, the signal hit its drives. "An?" It stopped as the decoded virus began to eat away at the one currently infesting its hard drive, its eyes slowly changing from red to their normal color. As this happened, its organic parts began to synchronize with its inorganic parts, allowing it to see its security system was wrong. "Androrg!" It called out, making everyone turn to it. It glanced around, seeing the Guardroid attacking the people it remembered scanning into the system.
"Star!" Astro cried as a Flash Cannon knocked him into a Guardroid as it pulled its fists back. "Vern!" He flinched as the machine threw the punch, but that attack never came. "Star?" He opened his eyes to see Guardroid had stopped its attack inches from him.
The same was true for the other Guardroid all over the city.
"What's going on?" Spike asked as the Guardroid stopped attacking.
"The others must have found a way to undo what Team Shadow did," Celestia added as the Guardroid started to walk away.
"Did Androrg do this?" Twilight asked as they all turned to the Pokémon in question, the machine smiling back and using its robot hand to give a thumbs up. It had used the security list showing Team Shadow and changed its title, asking the Guardroid to now attack only that list.
"Nice work Androrg," Shining chuckled, "Glad to see you're back to normal."
"An." Androrg nodded back.
"Let's go get Team Shadow!" Flash yelled, quickly running off with his Pokémon behind him. Twilight and her team followed suit, along with the Guardroid and Sombra.
"Wait!" Shining called out, but he was ignored as they ran away.
Chrysalis ran as fast as she could, her grunts not far behind. A giant grin graced her face as she stared down at her prizes, knowing their leader would reward her for a job well done. But as several more of her grunts joined her, they spotted a group of Guardroid standing in their way. "Out of the way!" She called out, "We have to get these priceless artifacts someplace safe before those intruders catch up!"
She glared at the machines, ready to see them move...only for their shoulders cannons to begin to glow. "Guard!" They all roared.
"What?!" She yelped, skidding to a stop, "What are you-" The Guardroid fired a Flash Cannon before she could finish, forcing the criminals to duck down to avoid the attack. "What the heck?!" Again, the Guardroid fired, forcing her to evade as she whispered, "Don't tell me..." She stood up as Queensect jumped in front of her, "Did the virus get removed?!"
"That's right!" They all spun around at this, now seeing Flash, Twilight and all but Shining's Pokémon running up to them. "Now you're definitely outnumbered." He came to a stop as Androrg ordered the Guardroid the fan out, circling the criminals.
"We can take 'em!" A grunt told Chrysalis, "We'll hold them off and you make a run for it."
"Oh, I don't think so!" They turned to see Champagoon fly up from behind a building, Celestia and Luna hanging from its feet. A squawk then made them turn to see Flitanium carrying Doc, Spike hanging from Higear as their Pokémon floated down, along with more Guardroid appearing.
"Hand over the cases," Flash demanded as Springer formed an Aura Sphere.
"I don't think so," she held the cases up. "You wouldn't dare attack us. If you do, you'd risk damaging these relics."
"They've survived everything you've thrown at us," Twilight replied, "I'm sure they'll survive a few more bumps." Everyone else nodded and all took a step forward, Chrysalis grimacing as she then saw Shining and his Pokémon arrive with Sombra.
But before she could even think of surrendering, the Skullvoc suddenly all phased out of the ground, all grabbing Team Shadow in their legs and lifted them upward. "HEY!" Flash yelled as Springer threw his Aura Sphere, but Queensect flew in front of Chrysalis, using Bug Buzz to destroy the orb.
The Guardroid all fired their Flash Cannons next, but the Skullvoc used Shadow Ball to block them. "Stop them!" Celestia added as Champagoon flew after them, Skyler, Flitanium, Owlicious and Peewee flying off as well. They quickly closed the gap, but more Skullvoc appeared, all firing Shadow Balls or X-Scissors to stop them. The Pokémon were all forced back by the barrage, allowing Team Shadow to get to the hole in the ice mountain they had originally come through, the helicopters still hovering in place with the ropes.
Chrysalis passed one of the cases to a Shadow Grunt and used her free hand to grab the rope, which was retracted back up into the flying vehicle. Once she and the other grunt were safely aboard, she returned her Skullvoc and Queensect. This repeated several times until all the Shadow Grunts were back on their helicopters, returning their Pokémon before the chopper flew off.
With Team Shadow gone, Flash growled before falling to the ground. "I can't believe this!" He punched the ground, "I can't believe we let them get away again!"
"It's not your fault," Twilight chimed in, "We all failed to stop them."
Sombra turned to Shining, a look of shame on his face. "Forgive me. You trusted me to keep the cases safe, but in the end, I was the reason they were taken."
But then he saw the look on Shining's face, one of confidence as the last member of Team Shadow disappeared through the holes in the roof. "Don't worry about it. They may think they won, but they're far from victorious." Sombra, Flash and the others all raised an eyebrow at this, only for Shining to continue talking.
Up in the helicopter, Chrysalis and her goons were sitting back as the vehicle sent them away from the city.
"It might have been harder than we thought, but in the end, we completed our goal." She grabbed the case at her feet and pulled out a small pen-like device, which she pointed at the case's locks before pressing a button on the side. The device shot a laser that melted through the locks, allowing the case to open. "Now we have everything we need to-" She didn't get to finish as she opened the case, her eyes going wide. "No..."
Inside the case...was nothing. The foam out-cut that should have held the Heart Fragment was complete empty, with nothing in it but a piece of paper that showed a cartoon sketch of Shining sticking his tongue out, the words: 'fooled ya' written above it.
"No!" She slammed the case shut and grabbed the other one, melting through it and seeing it to was completely empty as well. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
"The case was empty?!" Celestia gasped, Shining nodding back with crossed arms.
"But...then where are they?!" Luna asked, "Ancient relics don't just disappear."
"They never left the temple," Shining replied before gesturing them to follow. And as they made their way through the now criminal free city, they saw that some of the buildings had been damaged in the attack. The Guardroid were all looking rather worse for wear, and the scientists they had previously attacked now looked exhausted from the situation.
And as they arrived back at the temple, they found Cadance behind the altar with the Heart Fragment and Shadow Spear resting on it. "They're here!" Twilight exclaimed, running over to the relic, seeing they weren't damaged, "But...how did-"
"We removed them from the cases before Chrysalis got into the temple," Cadance replied, "We hid them somewhere else, so there was no way Team Shadow could get away with them."
Spike raised an eyebrow at this, "So we spent all that time protecting the cases even though we didn't need to?! We could have just let them have the cases and they would have left!"
Shining rolled his eyes, "We needed to give Cadance enough time to override the virus Team Shadow had planted on Androrg. If we had just given them the cases, they would have gone but then come back once they realized they were empty. Only this time, they probably would have ripped the city apart looking for the relics and Cadance wouldn't have been able to cure Androrg. Trust me, playing keep away with the cases as long as possible was for the best."
The others nodded, happy they managed to pull off the trick they didn't know they were playing. Team Shadow might have escaped, but at least they left empty handed. And even with all the damage the Guardroid had received, the criminals wouldn't likely be coming back to try and swipe the relics any time soon.
"We shouldn't relax just yet," Celestia added, "We now know Team Shadow is after the Heart Fragment. And now that they know they don't have it, they'll be back."
"Maybe we should move the Heart Fragment someplace more secure," Sombra suggested, "My company has a large vault that's almost impregnable. There's no way they'll get it there."
"Not a bad suggestion, but we can't do that," Cadance responded, shaking her head. "They might know it's here, but for all we know, moving it could put the relic in even more danger."
"She's right," Luna chimed in, "They could attack the train or any of the transports we intend to use. The Heart Fragment is safer here as long as we add some more security levels. They were able to sneak that virus chip onto Androrg before, so they may try and do it again."
Cadance nodded. "At least if that happens, I'll understand the program better and be able to rewrite it faster." The others all nodded back, Sombra doing his best to not growl under his breath.
Everything after that was a slight blur.
The Guardroid started to get fixed up, and the other Pokémon were all looked over and treated. Despite the intense battles they all went through, none had sustained any serious injuries. The holes that Team Shadow had made became a worry, but that worry soon faded when Celestia and Champagoon flew up to examine and find they were already starting to freeze back over. Whether this was a natural cause or something left by Alicormony would probably remain a mystery for a long time.
And as the day came to an end and as the sun began to set, everyone headed over to the train station. Despite the insanity that had occurred, the train and its riders were all unharmed. This meant Sombra could leave, only being able to get away from his company for a day.
"Are you sure you have to go?" Celestia asked him as the train's engine began to warm up. "It could be dangerous."
"Team Shadow might attack and take you hostage," Twilight added, "They did it before and it worked, so they might try it again."
"Don't worry," Sombra assured them. "I'm fairly confident Team Shadow won't do anything to try and hurt me."
"Maybe I should go with you," Shining chimed in, "Just to be safe."
Sombra shook his head as he stepped onto the train's carriage. "No, you're needed here. Until those new security measures are installed, you're the best defense those relics can hope for."
"If you're sure?" Sombra nodded before turning to Flash and his friends.
"Well my friends, you've certainly shown me you're not to be taken likely. Fighting off an evil team is one thing, but your encounters with so many legendaries proves you're something important." The train began to blow, "I look forward to seeing what happens with you in the future."
Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike all nodded as Sombra fully climbed into the train. They all waved goodbye as the train began to pull away, the group seeing Sombra sitting in the carraige with a smile on his face. But no sooner did the train disappear into the tunnel, Sombra's smile vanished as he pulled his sleeve up to reveal his watch. It projected a screen that was static for several seconds, only to change to a grimacing Chrysalis.
"Sir..." she gulped, "I'm afraid things haven't gone...quite to plan. They-"
"Tricked you into thinking you had the relics so that you would waste your time while they found a way to undo our hack of the Androrg," he finished, Chrysalis slowly nodding back. Sombra let out a sigh at this, "Seems we're now at an impasse."
"We'll find a way to fix this. We'll undertake another assault on the city."
"No," Sombra shook his head, "This attack has only made them more alert. They expect another attack and without the Guardroid under our control, we can't guarantee a successful operation."
"So what do we do?" She asked, Sombra leaning back as he rubbed his temple and forehead.
"We'll have to forget about the Heart Fragment for now. Give them time to lower their guard. Until then, we'll focus on finding the alter. Head to Mount Tartarus and help Doom with the expedition. If he's right, we can grab the Heart Fragment once the place is under our full control."
"Understood," Chrysalis nodded. "I promise, I won't fail you again."
"Be sure that you don't," he hissed before switching off the device, "I'm surrounded by imbeciles. Doom, you better have some good news for me the next time we talk."
Mount Tartarus...
Doom Raizer stared out at snowy terrain that stood near the base of the mountain, the criminal amazed at the difference in environments that were so close together. Despite it being snow covered on this side of the mountain, the mountain itself and the area beyond it was dry as a bone.
This was mainly due to the large number of volcanoes that could be found on the other side of Mount Tartarus, which heated the land and kept the place completely snow-free. And as he turned away from the snowy wonderland behind him, he saw the multiple Team Shadow grunts working. They had Pokémon like Sandshrew, Excadrill, Diggersby and many of the Rhyhorn line, all cutting through the rock and digging away at the mountain.
Skullvoc and their pre-evolutions were also flying around the place, carrying buckets that were either empty or filled with the rocks that had been dug away from the sight. The ones filled with rocks were being flown down to the base of the mountain, while the empty ones were being dropped so the Shadow Grunts could fill them.
"How's it going?" Doom asked one of the grunt, the hooded figure turning to him.
"I'm sorry to say sir, but we've been unable to find the entrance or anything that might lead us to discovering the entrance."
"Well keep searching!" Doom almost yelled, the grunts all nodding and running off as he turned to the mountain's peak. "You're here somewhere. And I'll find you, no matter what." He continued to stare at the peak, only for his eyes to catch some movement. "What?" He squinted his eyes at this, seeing something fly through the air, only for the figure to vanish.
Blinking at this, he let out a sigh before shrugging, "I need a vacation. All this stress is making me see things." He turned back to his men, his mind going back to the sight one last time before talking to another grunt over the mission.
Up above the mountain, camouflaged within the blue sky, the Legendary Pokémon known as Pegasoar flew down.
As he approached the peak, he saw something standing atop the mountain. It was the Legendary Pokémon Horsearth, who had gotten there before Pegasoar. And as the flying Legendary descended, a flash of light occurred beside the Earth-type, fading to reveal the Psychic-type known as Mysticorn.
Pegasoar landed and the three Legends of Equestria all turned to the base of the mountain. They were done watching as Equestria fell into peril. Now they would take action, ready to stop Team Shadow before it was too late. For this was the duty bestowed upon them by the Legendary that had created them.
Team Shadow's assault on the Crystal Empire had been a perilous event, with luck being the only thing that made it a failure. But now, what will the evil does attempt next for their heinous schemes. And will our heroes be able to stop them. Find out, as the journey continues.
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Well, let's see what happens. At least Sombra's cover has not been blown.
10838904
Well the other two main series have about 52 chapters, we're looking at about another 28 chapters, during which we have one more gym battle and the elite four, that's let's say two to three chapters around each part, that's between 10 to 15 chapters focused on Flash's badges and path to challenge Shining, that leaves at least 13 chapters to cover everything else, there's bound to be about 7 to 8 chapters of Flash and co traveling to the eighth gym and then in between each of the elite four. That leave at least 5 chapters, then there are the final clash between Flash and Lightning, which will take a couple of chapters... and then there's Flash challenging Shining... so there may be one more main series entry. I would hope so because it allows everything to be concluded most thoughly
Well it was a good plan after all, still waiting for the Brave and Glorious
, but also excited for the next chapter, i think team shadow doesnt gonna give up so easily
Wow, that was incredible! I did not expect that turn of events at all. The battles were pretty cool, changing perspectives frequently, even showing Galladin fighting all alone at one point, and we got a preview of a few more members of Shining’s team.
Their plan was clever. All this time they acted like the cases had to be protected since they had the Heart Fragments, only to reveal they were empty the whole time. That was so cool. Chrysalis is going to be humiliated for a long time after this.
I admit, I am a bit surprised the Crystal Empire arc seems over already, especially since it felt like it was built up as a big finale to Team Shadow. But Sombra didn’t need to blow his cover and Team Shadow failed to get the Heart. I’m glad they failed, but curious to see what will happen next.
Speaking of Sombra, I knew he was lying about not having any Pokémon! Nobody in the Pokémon world ever goes anywhere without at least one of their Pokémon with them. I thought for a moment he might have been caught in his lie for a moment, but that never happened. His fake hostage plan was pretty smart too, but too bad for him his “friends” are more persistent than he thought.
I don’t think you need to worry about that. I doubt most people go into anything actively cheering for the bad guys to win, or at least I certainly don’t. I can only think of one reader who actually would want Team Shadow to win, and it isn’t generally a popular opinion.
An amazing chapter to help wrap up the Crystal Empire arc. Loved the plan that Shining made and the fact we see more of his team.
That was intense.
NO! Gosh, I knew that was going to happen, but I wasn't expecting it so soon.
It also doesn't make it any easier to accept.
Oh, thank goodness! That's a relief! You really had me going for a second.
Unless, this is another trick. 
Okay, not another trick. Whew!
Sighs why they never stop. But I'm wanna say that was sm good chapter. Also sombra was their leader the Whole time whatttttt im didn't see that coming at all and what going to happen next when they going to stop them. Sighs im hope they soon im guess
10849396
I’m sorry, but what made you think Sombra isn’t Team Shadow’s leader?
10849411
Hmm. Are you sure about it. At All but idk we have to see or not. Also how your day going so far
I remember how surprised I was by this turn of events. The Crystal Empire initially felt like it was going to be the end of Team Shadow's arc, but it was actually just the beginning of the end. Shining Armor and Cadance's plan was genius, and it was especially cool how they outsmarted Sombra and his own deception without even realizing it.
Chrysalis also took a massive blow to her ego and was forced to grovel to Sombra, begging for his forgiveness.