Pokémon: Equestrian Champions

by Banshee531

Gathering Lights

The whole of Equestria were glued to their TV screens, watching as a battle raged. The competitors were the recently revealed leader of the evil Team Shadow, Sombra, who was facing off against Flash Sentry and his entire team of Pokémon. And if Flash didn't win, then Sombra might get his hands on the Legendaries of Equestria.

"Let's go guys!" Flash yelled, Springer letting out a howl as he charged with Riptide, Prongs and Viper behind him. Skyler and Astro took to the air, the pair quickly flying behind Tyrandark. The Shadow Tyrant didn't even look at them, instead just staring at the Pokémon charging at him, "Drain Punch!"

"Ri!" Springer roared as he leapt with a glowing fist.

"Haze." Tyrandark's cape came alive and wrapped around it, Springer's fist making contact, only for the Dark-type to explode into a cloud of black mist.

"Ri?" Springer asked, the black cloud flying past him and his teammates before forming again just as Sombra gave another order.

"Shadow Claw!" Tyrandark's hands glowed as a cloak of dark energy wrapped around them, the armored figure then suddenly flying past the four Pokémon.

"RI/TIDE/STAG/VI!" They yelped as they felt a sudden slashing sensation, knocking them all back.

"Guys!" Flash cried, only to hear Skyler's squawking as the Flying-type shot down. "Alright! Steel Wing!" The Tornavian's wings glowed as he prepared to slash at his opponent, but Tyrandark just glared up at the bird.

"Sucker Punch!" As Skyler reached him, he then found his wing somehow phased through its body.

"Tore?" He asked, only for the shadowy body to reconfigure and smack him in the back, "NAY!" He yelped as he thrown into the dirt, Tyrandark pulling his fist back to hit him a second time till-

"Gal!" Astro roared.

"Dragon Rage!" Astro opened his mouth, a blue flame now illuminating the chamber as it shot down at Tyrandark. The Pokémon leapt back at this, only for the flames to singe its shoulder, making it flinch. "It didn't pass through..." Flash whispered as he watched the scene, "That's it!"

"Phantom Force!" Sombra yelled, Tyrandark landing on the ground before its body melted into a shadow.

Astro glanced around as the others picked themselves up, the shadow vanishing into the cracks of the ground. "Stay sharp!" Flash told them, "It's still here." In that moment, he saw his Reptidal's shadow begin to move, "Riptide!" The Water Lizard heard this and jumped away, only for Tyrandark to shoot out and slash him.

"REP!" He flinched while Tyrandark leapt back.

"Springer, look at me!" The Riolu turned to him and saw Flash thrust his arm forward, "Use Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the orb before charging at Tyrandark. The Pokémon just stared at the attack, standing its ground as Springer got close. But as this happened, Flash called out another command, "Viper, use Flamethrower into the air!"

Tyrandark's eyes went wide as Viper took a deep breath before shooting a stream of fire upward. This illuminated the chamber, chasing away the shadows just as Springer thrust the Aura Sphere into Tyrandark's chest.

"TIE!" It roared as the orb exploded, throwing it back.

"What happened?" Doom asked from the side.

Flash smirked at Sombra, who raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I didn't remember about your Tyrandark's Shadow Cloak. In a dark area like this, hitting it's almost impossible...unless you light it up."

Sombra just shrugged at this, "Not bad." As he said that, he stared at his gauntlet's projections, now seeing the Infinity Energy levels building up. "But one shot isn't going to be enough to beat me."

"Maybe not, but this is far from over! Riptide, Prongs!" The two charged as Astro took to the air. "Dragon Rage, Rock Smash and Horn Leech!" Astro breathed the blue fire, once again illuminating the cavern as the two starters began their attacks.

"Rep/Stag!" They roared as they launched their attacks, Riptide swinging his leg into Tyrandark, who blocked it with its arm while Prongs thrust his glowing antlers into its stomach.

"Haze!" As Prongs tried to stab him, Tyrandark exploded into smoke that flew passed through the pair. "Shadow Claw!" As he reformed behind them, the Pokémon slashed them with ease, knocking both back.

"Dragon Claw, Aerial Ace and Extreme Speed!" Astro flew down with glowing claws while Skyler went low as Springer's body started to form lightning around it. "Flamethrower!" Once again, Viper unleashed the fire that kept the chamber lit up, preventing Shadow Cloak from activating.

"Haze!" Tyrandark's cape wrapped around it before it exploded into mist, the three's attacks going right through.

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs neighing as he fired the green sphere at the cloud, but it simply flew through it as well, "Oh, come on!"

"Flash!" Twilight exclaimed, Flash turning to her, "Gas is the least stable form of matter. There's no way that thing can keep that form up!" She then cried out as the Skullvoc holding her tightened its claws. "You can outlast him!"

Flash turned back to the fight at this, Tyrandark reforming at the moment. But before Flash could do anything, Sombra let out a command, "Phantom Force!" The Dark-type melted into the ground, going straight for Viper this time.

However, Springer's aura made him turn to the snake, locking onto it as he yelped, "RIOLU!"

Viper heard this, about to slither away just as another voice called out, "Ran!" The Shadow Tyrant leapt out of the darkness, grabbing Viper around the neck. But as he did this, Viper just smiled before wrapping his body around Tyrandark's arm.

"Pyro Coil!" Viper pulled its tail end up to his head and bit onto the tube before breathing in, causing him to explode in flames.

"DARK!" It roared in pain before melting into the shadows to escape, Sombra just staring at his gauntlets.

"That's it..." He whispered as the energy levels rose, "Keep going...don't hold back!"

Tyrandark rematerialized at this, only to find Springer, Astro and Prongs standing in a triangle around it. "Energy Ball, Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball!"

The three formed the orbs and quickly shot them at the Shadow Tyrant, "Haze!" The Dark-type swung its cloak around itself before turning into smoke, the attacks flying through. But as they did this, the cloud twitched, forcing Tyrandark to re-assemble itself. And as it did this, Skyler and Riptide leapt at the Pokémon.

"Aqua Break and Steel Wing!" The two slashed at the monster, making it cry out as it slumped over. "YES!"

But as Flash cheered, Sombra shined a huge grin on his face. That last move had caused a serious spike in the readings. "Excellent." He turned back to the battle, "Haze again!" Tyrandark wrapped its cloak around itself before it spun on the spot, morphing into a cloud that kept spinning, forming a black tornado that Flash's team all backpedaled from.

Springer tried to sense the Pokémon's aura, but the whole tornado brimmed with it. And the next thing they knew, the tornado's sucking force began to pull them in, "Ri!" Springer yelped as he tried to run, only to feel it pull at him.

"Guys!" Flash cried seconds before the six were pulled into the darkness. "NO!" He heard their cries of pain as they were thrown around and around, Flash running at the tornado at this.

"FLASH NO!" Twilight and the others screamed as he got close to it, only for the tornado to explode. He gasped as Springer suddenly slammed into him, he and his Pokémon all being thrown back. Everyone watching, his friends and all of Equestria flinched at the sight as the seven of them were all laid out.

And as this happened, Tyrandark reformed at the base of the pyramid. It was panting, but Sombra just shook his head as he stared at his gauntlets. "How disappointing. I suppose that Lightning Blitz that beat you at the tournament was right. You are nothing, a weakling unworthy of being chosen by the heralds." He tapped a few buttons on the gauntlet, "I had hoped you'd last long enough to get me the energy I needed...but it seems I miscalculated."

A low growl came next, making Sombra glance up to see Flash now standing, "You miscalculated nothing. My Pokémon and I aren't gonna let you win!" His team all groaned as they began to push themselves up, "We're not gonna lose, and we're not gonna let you capture the Legendaries." He glanced over at the heralds, all still trapped within the energy traps. "I swear it! You're going down!"

"Oh please," Sombra waved his hand at this, "Like I'd let a boy who knows nothing about the world stop me. I have seen your strength, and its nothing. Just another ignorant child who thinks they can play hero. It's time you woke up and realized the truth. The world isn't some fairy tale place where the good guys always win. In this world, only the strong survive, and that's why I'll capture the strongest Pokémon in the world. With them, no one will challenge me and all of Equestria will bow to me. For I, am truly strong."

Almost everyone watching all went wide-eyed at this, only for Flash to speak up, "You're pathetic." Sombra's eyes narrowed at this, "You only want to be strong to force people to do what you want."

Sombra chuckled as he watched Flash stumble on the spot, "Oh? And what other reason is there to be strong? If power isn't meant to be used to make things go the way you want it, then what's the point of it? What other reason is there to be strong?"

As he said that, those words echoed through Flash's head. "A reason...to be strong." His mind flashed back to when he had lost to Thorax and what Doc had told him. About how chasing strength without a reason was meaningless. Since then, he had thought about the reason he had wanted to be strong whenever he had a spare moment. But as Sombra asked this, a click went off in his head, "There's...lot of reasons."

"Oh?" Sombra asked, "And tell me...what would that be?"

Flash stood tall at this, meeting Sombra's gaze with a hard stare. "I've been all over this region, and I've met lots of different trainers, each of them strong in their own unique way. And you wanna know something?! The strongest of all those trainers were the ones trying to be strong for others."

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, Flash now thinking back to his friends. Applejack and Grand, "Trainers who grew strong so that they could keep their families safe." Trixie and Pinkie, "Trainers who grew strong to spread cheer and joy to those who have none." Rainbow and Rarity, "Trainers that grew strong so they can test themselves and help others reach their best." Fluttershy and Shining, "And trainers who grew strong because they wanted to protect those that can't protect themselves."

Many other trainers filled his mind, all strong in so many ways. All for those they cared about. All over the region, the people that had met Flash smiled, knowing who he was talking about. And as this happened, Flash then pointed at Sombra, "That's what true strength is! And that's why your strength is completely hollow. Because as long as you only care about yourself, you can never grow strong enough to beat those with actually good intentions. That's why villains like you always lose. Because when you go up against people with true strength, your power will crumble to dust!"

Sombra's smile faded, now replaced with an annoyed glare. "That's a nice sentiment kid, but stuff like that is only true in children's shows. And the last I checked, this is no children's show." Tyrandark raised its claws at this, both now glowing with energy. "This is the real world. And in the real world, strength is only earned by those willing to do whatever it takes to acquire it!" He then snapped his fingers, "Destroy him!"

The Dark-type charged at the teen, Flash going wide-eyed at the sight. But just as the claw came for him, a familiar blue canine appeared, blocking it with an energy bone. "RI!" Springer roared, feeling himself getting pushed back a few inches, but managing to stand firm. "RIOLU!" He called to the others, Tyrandark now sensing an oncoming attack.

Actually, he sensed several attacks. He pulled away from Springer, only to be greeted by the sight of Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro leaping at him with Steel Wing, Aqua Break, Horn Leech, Poison Fang and Dragon Claw.

"Haze!" Sombra yelled, Tyrandark exploding into smoke again and spinning into a tornado. But before it could pull them in-

"Tornado Burst!" Skyler shot straight up and started spinning, morphing into his own tornado that struck the black one. The smoke was soon sucked into the vortex, pulling Skyler as he flew around the tornado. The winds then exploded at this, making the smoke fly out everywhere.

The other Pokémon stared at the sight, Springer reaching out his aura, only to point at one of the clouds, "Ri!" Riptide followed his paw and leapt at the cloud.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide pulled his fist back as the cloud began to form the body of Tyrandark, its arms and legs not there. The Shadow Tyrant tried to summon the other clouds to it, but Riptide's teammates were ready.

"Tore/Stag/Con/Vern!" The four used Aerial Ace, Energy Ball, Flamethrower and Dragon Claw on the other clouds, ripping them apart and stopping them from reaching Tyrandark.

"REP!" Riptide hit the Dark-type, causing it to cry out as it was thrown back, its chest now beginning to freeze over. It was here that the clouds reached it, reshaping its arms and legs. As it did this, Sombra looked back at the gauntlets, seeing another spike.

"Yes..."

"Ri!" Springer charged, leaping at the recovering Tyrandark.

"Phantom Force!" Tyrandark melted into the ground, disappearing into the shadows.

But as he did this, Riolu closed his eyes and reached out with his aura. And as he did this, his eyes turned to a section of the ground, "Ri!" Viper unleashed a Flamethrower at this, illuminating that spot and chased all but a single shadow circle away. "RIOLU!" He yelled as the shadow tried to escape.

"Get him!" Flash cheered, "Extreme Speed!" Springer charged with lightning around his body, illuminating the area even more. He chased after the shadow as it tried to run away, everyone barely managing to follow them. Whenever Springer got close, the shadow changed direction, but Springer kept up with it.

And just as Tyrandark was about to change direction for the fifth time, Springer shot off to the spot it was about to turn to. As this happened, it ran into Springer. "RAN!" It yelped from within its shadow, trying to turn away again, only for Springer to thrust his paw into the shadow...and it went through, making everyone go wide-eyed.

"Rio!" Springer pulled his arm back, the paw being pulled out of the shadows along with Tyrandark's cape. "Rio...LU!" With one great yank, Springer threw Tyrandark out of the shadows and into the air.

"NOW GUYS!" Flash exclaimed, both Viper and Astro unleashing their fire attacks while Riptide, Skyler and Prongs leapt up. Tyrandark tried to use Haze, but was struck by the Flamethrower and Dragon Rage before he could, only to then be hit by a Rock Smash, Steel Wing and Bounce attack.

"TYRAN!" He screamed while Springer swung his arms around as they glowed blue. He then brought them together and the light formed an Aura Sphere, which he shot at Tyrandark. It exploded into the air, filling the chamber with a bright light that blinded everyone.

"Raaah!" Sombra cried at the light, but then heard a beeping noise. He glanced down at his gauntlets, forcing his eyes open through the light. And as the light faded, everyone in the chamber saw Tyrandark fall over. There were no spirals in his eyes, but he was close as Flash's Pokémon prepared for another round.

But as they did this, laughter filled the chamber. Everyone looked up at Sombra, the man cackling as he raised both arms up, "Good! Very good!" He then pointed at Tyrandark, the Pokémon turning to him. "Excellent work my friend." A section of his gauntlet opened up and fired a mist that struck Tyrandark. "You got me exactly what I needed."

"Ran..." When the mist faded, Tyrandark turned back to them full grin, Doc now gasping as he realized the mist must have been a Super Potion. They then looked up and saw Sombra turn to the Crystal Heart.

"Finally," he laughed as he raised his arms again, "Finally, I have what I need!" Flash's eyes went wide at this, only for Tyrandark to shoot past his team, knocking them all down before reaching Flash, punching the teen in the gut.

"GYAH!" He cried as he was thrown across the area.

"FLASH!" His friends screamed, Sombra laughing before raising his hands, both now glowing from the collected Infinity Energy. He then slammed them into the Crystal Heart, the energy now repairing the relic again. And as this happened, it unleashed a bright light, the podium under him now glowing as well.

The light then spread to the water flowing out, causing the channel around the edges to glow, followed by the markings along the wall. "Yes!" Doom cheered, "That's it!"

Flash groaned as he sat up, his Pokémon all getting up again before they charged at Tyrandark. As they did, the markings finished glowing before the entire chamber started shaking, everyone glancing around before the skylight began to slowly open, all now realizing what was going to happen next.

And as this happened, Sombra released the Crystal Heart, showing it was now completely repaired. It continued to fill the room with light, making Tyrandark unable to use his ability as the skylight continued to open.

"LEGENDARIEIS OF EQUESTRIA!" Sombra chanted, "COME TO ME AND FULFILL THE PURPOSE YOU WERE GIVEN LIFE FOR!"

In that moment, the skylight completely opened, the light now sucked out of the wall, out of the water and out of the monument. As the chamber was again dropped into darkness, making Tyrandark able to avoid the attacks again, the Crystal Heart absorbed it all before it started floating above the podium. Then, it started spinning around, picking up speed.

"What's happening?" Spike asked, Twilight and Doc grimacing at the sight. The light coming off the relic grew brighter, soon reaching its peak and exploding off the Crystal Heart. It shot through the skylight, hitting the clouds and exploding, the light then illuminating the sky above the mountain.

All over Equestria, people watched as the light began to spiral into a purple cloud that slowly grew larger by the second.

---

Back in the Crystal Empire, Shining and the others continued to frown as they watched this happen.

"We have to do something!" Cadance exclaimed.

"We're hundreds of miles away from them." Shining growl in frustration, only for a noise to ring out. They turned to see the warp tiles suddenly activate, the energy spiralling as a figure appeared.

"Sister!" Luna yelled as Celestia walked off the tile, "Where have you been?!"

"Gathering some friends that should help us," she responded before taking out several Pokeballs. "But if we want to help them, we're gonna need reinforcements." In that moment, the phone started beeping, Grand taking it before seeing several messages.

"Reinforcements are on the way."

---

Back in the altar, everyone continued to watch as the cloud grew larger before splitting in two, slowly morphing into a new form. And as this happened, a pair of portals could now be seen floating above the mountain. Sombra smiled at this, all soon seeing something begin to appear within.

The first was Alicormony, the celestial equine Pokémon gracefully appearing, only for Dischaos to come next, slithering through the sky. Both Pokémon noticed one another and looked like they were about to do battle, only to stare down at the mountain.

"YES!" Sombra cheered as the two flew down, "COME TO ME!"

"NO!" Flash screamed, "FLY AWAY! Get out of-blaugh!"

He was stopped by Doom, the man punching him in the face. The teen fell over before Doom slammed his foot into Flash's face, "Shut up, you pathetic brat!" He then turned to the grunts wearing the metal backpacks, "DO IT!" The grunts nodded and activated the machines, causing shockwaves to explode out and fill the chamber. This caused Flash's Pokémon, Tyrandark and the Legendaries to all scream in pain, most falling over at this.

"Stop it!" Twilight cried as several grunts ran over and placed energy traps down near the Legendaries.

"NO!" Doc added as the devices activated, striking the two and wrapping them up with bursts of energy.

Flash moaned as he squinted his eyes open at this, only to see the Legendary Pokémon trapped while the grunts continued to fire the energy waves. "NO! You can't-"

"I said shut up!" Doom yelled as he pushed his foot down on Flash's face, "We've won! So shut up and watch us conquer your worthless region!"

Flash squirmed as he tried to move, now feeling it was close to begging them to stop. But before he could do anything, a bright flash of light suddenly appear in the middle of area...only for nothing to come out of it. The light just faded after this, only for one of the grunts to turn to the pack of the one next to him. A small round device was flashing, the others turning to it before realizing what was happening as all their packs all began to flash.

BOOM!

All the backpacks exploded, knocking them all off their feet. The soundwaves stopped at this, allowing the Pokémon to recover. "What's happening?!" Chrysalis yelped, only to see Flash's Pokémon start to pick themselves up. "No!"

Tyrandark also recovered, quickly charging at Springer with a Shadow Claw. Springer saw this and gasped, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as the claw came for him...only for the sound of clanging metal to fill the air.

"Ri?" Springer opened his eyes, only to now see the back of Shining's ace Pokémon.

"Din!" Galladin roared as he blocked the Shadow Claw with his shield, then pushing Tyrandark back.

"Galladin?!" Flash asked, "How did-"

POW!

"Blaugh!" Doom yelped as Shining appeared, punching the man off the teen.

"Nice work Galladin." Shining commented before helping Flash up, "Sorry I'm late."

"Shining!" Twilight exclaimed, only to choke as the Skullvoc tightened its grip on her. But before they could do anything, there was another flash of light that appeared around her, Doc and Spike. And when it faded, the three were gone.

"GUYS!" Flash gasped, only for Shining to pat his shoulder.

"Relax. They're fine."

"But-"

"You!" Sombra suddenly yelled, making them both turn to the glaring tyrant, "You destroyed the soundwave generators!"

"Not exactly." Shining chuckled as another flash of light occurred, this one happening in front of the grunts holding the other Pokeball cases. Before they could do anything, the cases were magically pulled from their grasp.

"HEY!" They yelped as the cases flew into the light, which faded away as Shining laughed.

"What's happening?" Flash asked, only to see Shining shine the biggest grin.

"Oh, its quite simple. Well, Celestia's a pretty accomplished trainer. And in her time, she's caught a bunch of Pokémon. Many of which-" There were several more flashes of light, this time fading to reveal Twilight, Spike and Doc, along with Cadance, Celestia, Luna, Sunset and Grand...and a bunch of Psychic-types, such as Abra, Natu, Ralts and Elgyem. "Know the move Teleport."

"Oh please, like that matters..." Sombra waved his hand, "You're too late champion. I've already captured the Legendaries, and you're all outnumbered." The grunts, Doom and Chrysalis took out their Pokeballs, ready to do battle.

"We might be outnumbered," Shining replied as the others took out their Pokeballs. "But you're outmatched! Besides, we're not as outnumbered as you think. NOW!"

Suddenly, a red shockwave and orange energy sphere shot down from the sky, striking the energy traps holding Alicormony and Dischaos. The machines exploded, the Legendaries now free. "WHAT?!" Sombra screamed as he glanced up, now seeing three Pokémon flying in from the skylight.

"Ember!" Spike cheered, "Thorax!"

"Spitfire!" Flash added as he saw the three Gym Leaders flew down.

"Sup," Spitfire smirked back while Thorax glared at his mother. And before anyone could do anything, several more flashes shined out around them, three more Pokémon and their trainers appearing.

"Hola!" Tidal called out as he stood next to his Lokelpie.

"Sorry to barge in!" Granny Smith added as her Timbark growled.

"But we'll be freeing these Pokémon now," Maud finished while her Spikorn dug its feet into the ground. Seconds later, it charged with Rock Rush and struck one of the energy traps. Lokelpie and Timbark fired an Ice Beam and Dark Pulse at the other two, destroying them to free the Heralds.

The Shadow Grunts all growled at this, some now running for the doors, only to be met by a charging Stampalo. "YEEEEE-HAA!" Braeburn cheered while riding atop it, shattering through the doors. He then skidded to a stop and locked eyes with the others. The two groups of individuals all leapt to one side of the chamber each, with only Alicormony and Dischaos remaining on the ground.

"How the heck did these guys get here?!" Flash asked.

"Grand sent out a message to all the gym leaders and they responded."

"Seein' yah kids in trouble got use kickin' it in-ta high gear," Granny laughed.

Tidal nodded at this, "We got our transporters fixed up to send us to the Crystal Empire, and here we are."

"Hey!" Ember cracked her knuckles, "We gonna stand around here all day, or are we gonna crack some heads?!"

Spitfire grinned and pumped her fists together, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Let's take these guys down," Maud deadpanned.

"Chrysalis is mine," Thorax added.

"I'll lend you a hand," Twilight responded as she let her Pokémon out of their balls.

"I got Doom!" Doc threw his Pokeballs into the air and unleashed all but Aggron. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Sunset and Grand all let out their Pokémon, Suncess, Primoon, Crystardian, Ray and Hariyama appearing side by side.

Flash and his Pokémon stared at Sombra, the grunts and commanders unleashing their Pokémon. He then turned to Shining, "Let's end this." Shining nodded back before the pair pointed at the criminals, "ATTACK!" With that, the two army of Pokémon charged.

Skyler, Astro, Peewee, Owlicious, Flitanium, Champagoon, Wondor and Pegasoar all took to the air, all battling against the many Skullvoc filling the chamber. Back on the ground, Riptide, Prongs, Viper, Higear, Spikorn, Timbark, Stampelo and Lokelpie dealt with the many Shadusk, Frillace and Scrapound that met them.

Kingsect and Shine galloped toward Queensect, ready to take her down while Tockwork and Scrapummel clashed. And at the same time, Springer created a Bone Rush as he stood next to Galladin, both staring Tyrandark down.

"Tie!" It roared before melting into a shadow.

"Flash!" Shining called out, Flash nodding back.

"Springer, use your aura and track it down!" Springer closed his eyes, only to form an aura sphere.

"RI!" He turned to his right and fired, hitting the Tyrandark as it appeared out of the darkness. The orb struck the Pokémon in the chest, slowing it down just as Galladin charged at the monster.

"Sacred Sword!" The knight summoned its blades, slashing Tyrandark twice. The blow made it cry out with pain, Springer then leaping over Galladin.

"Drain Punch!" Springer pulled its fist back, ready to hit it with a green glowing punch.

"Haze!" Tyrandark's cape wrapped around it before the Dark-type exploded into its shadow cloud form, Springer going right through the fog. The cloud then shot for Galladin, reforming as Sombra ordered, "Shadow Claw!"

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised his shield, Tyrandark's claws slashing against them, but doing no damage. "Now, Slash!" Galladin pushed Tyrandark off, the slicing the Shadow Tyrant Pokémon three times with his blade before it phased into the darkness.

"You..." Sombra growled as he saw his Pokémon retreat back before glaring at the duo. "You will pay for doing this."

"Thunder Punch!" Doom roared, his Scrapummel tightening a fist as it sparked.

"Overclock!" Tockwork's gears on its arms spun around, speeding it up as it dodged thee punch. "Now, Zap Cannon!" The electro sphere appeared on the tip of his gun, which he quickly fired. However, the un-accurate attack shot pass it and instead hit a nearby Skullvoc.

"Giga Drain!" Chrysalis yelled as her Queensect fired a blast of green energy, which struck Shine and made her neigh in pain as her energy was siphoned away. But as this happened, Kingsect flew down and used its horns to cut the energy rope.

"Horn Charge!" Kingsect charged with glowing horns, stabbing them into Queensect. He then threw the bug back, the attack's secondary effect now happening as the bug landed. Queensect was now stumbling, its eyes closing as it began to fall asleep.

"Dang it!" Chrysalis barked, "Snap out of it!"

"Shine!" Twilight yelped as the Rapidash picked itself up, "You okay?" Shine neighed back before turning back at Queensect. "Alright, then use Mystical Fire!"

"Rapid..." Shine's horn exploded with fire, "DASH!" The flames struck the bug, the flames spreading across its entire body. Twilight smiled at this, only to notice Mysticorn blast several Frillace back with a Luster Purge before turning to Queensect.

"Mist!" She neighed before her eyes began to glow, then firing off beams of energy that struck Queensect the second the flames extinguished. As Queensect was hit by this, Mysticorn turned to Scrapummel and Tockwork as the Fighting-type grabbed the clock and used Circle Throw to slam it into the ground.

"That's the way!" Doom cheered as Scrapummel prepared to use Beat Up, only to be struck by the same Miracle Eye that Queensect had been struck by.

And when this happened, Tockwork got up and pointed its gun at its chest, "Psywave!" Psychic immunity gone, Tockwork's gun charged with energy before striking the street fighter in the chest. Scrapummel screamed out in pain as it staggered back. And as this happened, Mysticorn turned away to watch the other fights, smiling at the sight before her.

"Shockwave!" Maud told Spikorn, its entire body sparking with lightning before exploding off and hitting several Shadusk.

"Wood Hammer!" Granny added as Timbark leapt and brought its tail down into the head of a Scrapound.

"Flame Charge!" Braeburn commanded Stampalo, the bison exploding in flames before smashing through a bunch of Shadusk, sending them all flying.

"Shadow Ball!" Several grunts ordered their Skullvoc, the Ghost Flying-types firing the spheres at Champagoon. But before they could reach him, Wondor flew around and tackled every orb. They exploded against him, but the Normal-type was unphased.

"Brave Bird!" Spitfire yelled, the Wonder Pokémon's body igniting into blue flames before shooting through the Ghost-types.

"Ice Beam!" Tidal exclaimed as Lokelpie fired the blue lightning at some Shadusk and Frillace, hitting their lower halves and freezing them in place. "Now, Brine!"

"Lock!" It neighed before unleashing a blast of water that struck the trapped Pokémon, blasting them out of the ice.

Tidal smirked as he watched them fall into some nearby water, "Agradecido that I couldn't fit Leviapent in here. It would have been much worse for you." As he said that, several more Skullvoc appeared behind him, about to use X-Scissor-

"Wyvern Wing!" A Champagoon slammed into them, knocking them away as Ember cheered, "Nice!"

And as the Skullvoc tried to recover, they were then struck by a Tornado Burst, Sky Attack, Incinerate, Dragon Claw and Steel Wing courtesy of Skyler, Owlicious, Peewee, Astro and Flitanium. The attacks slammed into them, only for Horsearth to fire its Smack Down attacks to finish them off.

Meanwhile, Pegasoar flew over to the still downed Legendaries. "Master," he spoke in his own language, "You must be okay."

"Pegasoar," the Harmony Pokémon whispered, "I'm sorry. That device stole much of my strength." They turned to Dischaos and saw it was in the same shape, "We haven't been able to recover much since the last time we were here in the human world."

Pegasoar thought back to the time they were talking about, the situation with that scientist months ago. "Hey!" Pegasoar turned to see several grunts and the Scrapound charging at them, "Get away from our weapons!" This made Pegasoar growl before spreading his wings, then beat them fast enough to unleash a blast of wind that knocked all the criminals and Pokémon back.

"Don't worry," Pegasoar turned back to them, "We'll save you. I promise."

At this, he took to the air and continued to battle against the Skullvoc in the air. And back on the ground, the others continued to battle as well, "Rep!" Riptide roared as he used Rock Smash to smack several Shadusk back.

"Stag!" Prongs slammed his horns into the Scrapound, pushing it into another, then another and another before instantly stopping and sending them all flying.

"VI!" Viper yelled, unleashing a blast of fire that struck the Frillace, pushing them back into Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Sunset, the three battling back to back against their opponents.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Suncess leapt and formed a rainbow energy blast, firing it at some Shadusk.

"Moon Burst!" Primoon threw a sphere of dark energy, which struck some lone Frillace.

"Power Gem!" Cadance added as Crystardian fired beams of light from its floating gems, hitting a collection of Scrapound, Shadusk and Frillace, all getting blasted back by the triple attacks.

"Fire Punch!" Sunset exclaimed as her Alpha Solarmander thrust a blazing first into a Scrapound, then leaping back and landing in front of Sunset. "Nice one." She smiled before turning to the others.

"Zen Headbutt!" Twilight yelled, Shine's horn glowing before she charged to smash her head into Queensect.

"Copycat!" Queensect focused on Shine, its horn then glowing the same color before it shot ahead. Both formed a force-field around their heads before they slammed into one another, trying to overpower the other. But as they locked horns, Kingsect flew above them.

"Slam!" Kingsect slammed its front hooves into Queensect's back, making it cry out, causing the Zen Headbutt to stop as Shine pushed through and headbutted Queensect.

"Yes!" Twilight cheered, "Now, Mystical Fire!" Shine swung her horn around and fired a blazing missile, striking Queensect for even more damage.

"Use Bullet Punch!" Doc said as Tockwork shot ahead, moving faster thanks to using Overclock. And before Scrapummel could react, the Steel-type thrust a fist into its stomach, making it cry out.

"Circle Throw!" Scrapummel fought through the pain and grabbed Tockwork's arm, then fell back to throw him over. Tockwork cried as he went flying, crashing into Owlicious. But as the bird was hit, it turned and suddenly grabbed Tockwork in his Psychic attack.

He expected Tockwork to thank him, but instead Tockwork pointed his gun at Owlicious before firing a Psywave. That attack then shot over his shoulder and Owlicious heard a cry of pain, making him turn to see a Skullvoc get struck by it. "Owl," he thanked him before throwing the Tockwork at Scrapummel.

As he fell, Tockwork turned to the Fighting-type before pointing the gun at him. "Zap Cannon!" The Clockwork Pokémon created the electro sphere and fired it, the Pokémon crossing its arms and braced itself as the attack struck.

"Scrap!" It yelped, feeling the lightning sparking through it as it staggered back just as Tockwork landed. Doc smirked at this before turning to the rest of the area, now seeing the Team Shadow's numbers dwindling.

"This is it." Doc commented as he glared back at Doc, "Just a little more..."

Meanwhile, Flash and Shining continued to battle against Tyrandark, who just couldn't handle fighting both Springer and Galladin. "Extreme Speed!" Flash ordered, Springer zipping around the room as he struck Tyrandark several times.

"Tie!" It melted into a shadow and Springer flew through it, only for Galladin to appear as soon as it reconfigured itself.

"Sacred Sword!" Shining commanded, the knight swinging the blade with a downward slash, striking Tyrandark before it could become a shadow again. It cried out in pain before falling over, only for Springer to fire an Aura Sphere, hitting the Pokémon in the back.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, only for something to shine in the corner of his eye. It was the Shadow Spear, still leaning against the side of the pyramid. The teen turned to Shining, "Can you take care of this fight?"

"Sure. Why?" Shining replied, only for Flash to suddenly run off. The teen headed straight for the spear, only for several Skullvoc, Shadusk and Frillace to appear. They all fired several attacks, Flash jumping to the side before a barrage of attacks from the gym leader Pokémon to appear. And as the grunts' Pokémon where struck, the grunts then ran up to the teen, but Flash was one step ahead.

"Got it!" He yelled as got to the spear, holding it up.

Sombra saw this and growled, "STOP HIM!" Three more Skullvoc flew down to try and attack him, but Flash then swung the spear.

"I don't think so!" He roared as the weapon's head knocked their claws away. "Guys!" Skyler, Astro and Owlicious shot down at the trio and struck them with a Steel Wing, Dragon Claw and Peck attack, knocking them down as Flash run back to Shining.

Sombra glared at the sight, only for the sound of his Tyrandark falling thanks to the two Fighting-types filled the air. He then noticed the Legendaries were almost back up, making him hiss before turning back to the others.

"Ri/Gall!" Springer and Galladin both roared as they struck Tyrandark with a Drain Punch and Slash attack.

"Gah," he growled as he saw his Pokémon stagger back, now falling to its knees. HE turned to Flash and yelled, "Don't think you've won!" he then began to march down the stairs. "Even if you beat me, I'll find a way to get what I want! My pursuit of the ultimate power will not be stopped!"

"I don't think so," Flash barked back, "I told you, your strength is hollow! And until you realize that, you'll never have any true power!"

"Yes yes," Sombra replied while rolling his eyes while Tyrandark used Phantom Force. "The power that can only be attained for others. How quaint...and naive. Tell me, what's your reason for being strong? You talk a big game, but how can you be sure your strength isn't just as hollow?"

Shining turned to Flash, wondering what he was gonna say back, only to see Flash shine a giant grin as he responded, "You know, if you had asked me that before now, I wouldn't have been able to answer. But seeing all this and thinking back to everything I've seen and learned on my journey, I know exactly what my reason to be strong is."

"Oh?" Sombra asked, Flash nodding.

"This world is full of so many kind people, all with dreams and ambitions they want to fulfil. Many of those dreams are great and will help Equestria when fulfilled." His eyes then turned hard, "But then there are dreams like yours. Ones that are selfish and will only harm this great region. And you know what?!" He pointed the spear at Sombra, "I'M GONNA MAKE SURE IT NEVER COMES TRUE!" His Pokémon all cheered in agreement, each knocking down the opponent they were battling.

"Ri!" Springer spun around and used a Bone Rush to block Tyrandark as it came out of the shadows, only to form an Aura Sphere and slammed it into the shadow tyrant's stomach.

Flash smiled at this as he turned back to Sombra. "That's my reason. I'll become strong so I can make sure only good dreams come true. And anyone who tries to harm Equestria in order to live out some kind of mad power fantasy, WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO ME!"

As he said that, Kingsect unleashed a Bug Buzz that struck Queensect, distracting it long enough for Shine to fire a Dazzling Gleam that caused incredible damage. Meanwhile, Tockwork dodges a Close Combat using Overclock before pointing its gun arm at Scrapummel.

"Zap Cannon!" Tockwork created the lightning sphere and thrust the gun barrel into the Fighting-type before launching it point blank, the sphere exploding upon impact and sending Scrapummel flying back. Both Scrapummel and Queensect hit the ground at this, spirals now appearing in their eyes.

"Springer/Galladin!" Flash and Shining yelled as their Pokémon charged, "AURA SPHERE/SACRED SWORD!" The two summoned their weapons while Tyrandark tried to melt into the shadows, but Springer used his aura to lock onto his physical form.

"RI!" He roared, reaching into the shadow and yanking Tyrandark back out as Galladin then slashed them.

"RAN!" It screamed as it was thrown back, Springer letting go and leaping back. As he did this, he increased the size of the Aura Sphere to its maximum before thrusting it down.

KABOOM!

The sphere struck Tyrandark and exploded, filling the room with light, making everyone turn to the battle. They saw Springer land next to Tyrandark, the light fading to reveal the Tyrandark. The Shadow Tyrant Pokémon stood there, bruises and blows all over his body. He began to try to summon a claw, only for his legs to give out before falling onto its back upon the crystal stairs of the pyramid.

"NOOOOO!" Sombra yelled, seeing the spirals now appear in his Pokémon's eyes. He then glanced around and saw all his other grunts surrendering, their spirits broken the minute they saw their three strongest members lose.

"It's over Sombra," he turned back to Shining as he and Flash moved up with their Pokémon. "Give up and come with us, or we'll be forced to make you stop."

Sombra growled as the other trainers turned to him, the heralds and legendaries glaring at the one that tried to make them his puppets. "No...NO!" he roared, "I...I AM WORTHY!" With that, he turned to run back up the pyramid. Flash and Shining tried to run after him, only for Sombra to get to the Crystal Heart. "No...I refuse to lose. As long as I have this, I can start again." With that, he grabbed onto the Crystal Heart and picked it up. But as soon as his hands touched the relic...something happened.

The crystal suddenly changed color, its light blue slowly changing to a reddish black color. The crystal then unleashed a wave of cold sensation, one that filled the entire cave and filled everyone with a deep sense of dread. But for Sombra, he didn't feel anything except joy. And as he raised it up, he went wide-eyed as he saw something new. The Crystal Heart started firing out blasts of red and black lightning, hitting the walls and ground, making them explode. Everyone started screaming at the sight, including Sombra.

"What is..." Sombra grumbled as he tried to let the Crystal Heart go, but it was like his hands were glued to it. And every second, he felt the energy it was unleashing flow into him. He spun around and turned to everyone, "What...is...happening to-"

And in that moment, the energy struck two things in the chamber. Everyone turned to see Alicormony and Dischaos had both been struck, the energy beginning to wrap around them and suspended the Legendaries into the air. The Heralds gasped at this, only for more lightning to rain down around them, forcing the three back. And as this happened, another bolt struck Sombra's Tyrandark and lifted it up as well.

As this happened, the energy completely enveloped them and the Pokémon found themselves de-materializing before the energy was sucked back into the relic from once it came.

"What just happened?" Spike asked.

"They were absorbed," Twilight whispered, "Just like a Pokeball." It was here that Sombra let out another scream, causing them to look back at him as the energy stopped exploding outward. Instead, it began to squarely assault Sombra. The Crystal Heart then started growing crystals around his hands, the same darkly colored crystals that the Heart now looked like, which completely encased his hands and started growing up his arms. Within seconds, his entire form was sealed inside a human-shaped crystal statue.

"SOMBRA!" Chrysalis and Doom screamed, both trying to run up to the pyramid. But before they could reach him, the statue began to glow and the light exploded off of it. The two were blinded and forced to step back, all covering their eyes along with everyone else.

Only Flash was able to see through, the teen using the Shadow Spear to block it. This cause the weapon to become transparent and let him look to the altar through the light like a pair of sunglasses. It was here that he saw the Sombra statue start growing more and more crystals from it. Eventually, the humanoid shape gave shape for a round sphere of crystals that were growing larger by the second. It grew more by the second, Flash eventually seeing the sides growing close to the walls and roof.

"Everybody out!" Flash yelled, the others gasping and doing as they were told. They ran for the doorway, all rushing out of the chamber, the last person leaving seconds before the crystal cluster began to push against the walls and make them break apart. The chamber and tunnel began to collapse, those running to escape barely managing to keep ahead of the cave-in without getting crushed. And when they reached the exit, most managed to escape with only the last few people and Pokémon needing to jump for it.

"What happened?" Spike asked as they got out of the cave, only for the light to radiate again, this time above them, "Oh, come on!" He exclaimed while covering his eyes, Flash using the Shadow Spear again as he then saw the gem cluster find its way out of the mountain before floating above it.

The item flew over their heads next, Flash following it as the cluster stopped several feet away from the side of the mountain and remained there. Then, the crystals started growing again, becoming larger and larger every second. And when it came to a stop, the sphere began to take shape.

Flash blinked at the sight, only to see the crystals began to make something he recognized as a human chest and torso. It was followed by shoulders forming on the sides and legs growing out of the bottom before a head began to form, though it was more like a helmet. And as it formed, Flash's gasped out, "Tyrandark?"

The giant crystal version of Sombra's ace monster appeared in the air, though it had a few major differences to it. First was that in its chest was the Crystal Heart, still glowing its darkish color. The second noticeable change were its arms, which formed to something different to Tyrandark's arms. Instead, the crystal arms took the shape of the Legendaries, Flash now being reminded of those old robot combiner shows, as it was like the bodies of the Legendaries had been glued to the sides of Tyrandark. Its right arm was Alicormony, who was missing its mane, tail and legs but still had its wings. Dischaos was the left arm, with its arms and legs missing as well. Their heads were forming a pair of claw-like hands with their horns still visible.

And as the creation of this behemoth completed itself, the light began to die down, allowing everyone else to see what had been created. They were all completely horrified by the sight of the giant, which stood at around twenty to twenty-five meters in height, floating in the air next to the mountain. And as the light fully vanished, the eye-sections on the head and arms all lit up to reveal it was awake.

"What...is that?!" Ember asked, the smartest members of the group now connecting the dots.

"I don't know how," Celestia replied, "But the Crystal Heart created that using the Pokémon it absorbed as a template."

"What about Sombra?" Chrysalis asked next.

And in that moment, the giant began to move, only to stare down at Flash. The Alicormony arm raised up at this, pointing itself at the teen before a ball of light appeared in its mouth. And before anyone could do anything, it exploded and sent the energy straight for the teen.

Flash held up the spear at this, flinching as the beam came for him until-

"FLASH!" He heard Shining's voice before the champion tackled him out of the way of the blast, seconds before the laser struck the ground and made a large chunk of the mountain explode. "AHHHHH!"

Flash hit the ground, his hands barely holding onto the spear. And as he tried to recover, a scream of pain rang out, "SHINING!" He turned to see Twilight and Spike running over to Shining, the champion now covered in rocks. The blast had sent them smashing into him, half burying him.

"Oh no..." he whispered before picking himself up and running over to him. "SHINING!" He then saw Shining was unconscious, his head bleeding. "NO!" He then turned back to the titan, glaring at the sight.

"We have to get out of here!" Celestia screamed before the teleporting Pokémon began to grab hold of large groups of people and started teleporting them. Even Doom and Chrysalis, who Thorax had tied up using his Starider's webbing, were forced to be teleported away alongside their grunts.

And as the titan pointed its Alicormony arm at Flash again, an Abra appeared beside them and teleported the group away. Eventually, the entire mountain was abandoned and all that was left was the floating titan. It remained there for a minute or so, as if contemplating something. Then it turned away from the mountain and focused to the far-off mountain that held the Crystal Empire. The behemoth started heading for the ancient city, only to find it couldn't float more than a few meters off the ground, heading down the mountain until it reached the base and began floating for the city.

Team Shadow's objectives might have been stopped, but now Equestria faces an even deadly threat. One that may not be stoppable. Only time would tell whether or not Equestria had a future, or if nothing but destruction and conquest awaited it. As the journey continues

Author's Note:

And thus, the final battle is upon the horizon. How will Flash and his friends overcome something so unbelievably strong? Only time will tell.

Comments

[MechaTomX]

Wow this was so epic, like that moment in Pokemon Black and White in the final part of the game before facing N, all the leaders come to help you, or maybe like the final episodes of the anime Pokemon XYZ when Ash and Alan fights against Lysandre.

[Foxhelm]

Gas is the least stable form of matter.

Sorry Twilight, but Plasma is far less stable, just saying

Just two critiques
1) Sombra should have had a line pointing out that while Flash seems to have a noble reason, he in the end still seeking power for the sake of imposing his will on the world, sure it's more lietent to the wills of others, but it's his will he's imposing.
2) One of the gym leaders should have joined Team Shadow, if for no other reason then the fact that the Gym Leader needs Sombra's donations to keep the gym aflot, you know pay off Grand's express fear of the loyalty of the Gym Leaders

Over all a great fight chapter. now Sombra's true wish has come true and while Flash will win in the end.

And thus, the final battle is upon the horizon. How will Flash and his friends overcome something so unbelievably strong? Only time will tell.

Not sound sadonic, but Flash is going to win this fight, the real question is at what cost? Because this win is going to cost Flash something in order to win, but with how Sombra is presented now, Flash can't win without a sacrifice.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

That was intense! I was expecting Flash and Sombra’s battle to be the big highlight of the chapter, but it turns out it was just the prologue.

All the Gym Leaders joining the battle, as well as Shining, Celestia, and Luna, was a great moment since it was just like from the Black and White games and XYZ anime. Plus, after so long, Flash finally has a reason to be strong, to stop people like Sombra from getting their way.

I was really surprised when Sombra, Tyrandark, Alicormony, and Dischaos were all combined together by the Crystal Heart. I am sure we will get an explanation of why that happened later, but I am guessing for now Sombra corrupted the heart somehow. I am excited to see how they will beat this monstrosity, but maybe it will involve the Shadow Spear Flash grabbed somehow.

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, Flash now thinking back to his friends. Applejack and Grand, "Trainers who grew strong so that they could keep their families safe." Trixie and Pinkie, "Trainers who grew strong to spread cheer and joy to those who have none." Rainbow and Rarity, "Trainers that grew strong so they can test themselves and help others reach their best." Fluttershy and Shining, "And trainers who grew strong because they wanted to protect those that can't protect themselves."

This was another great moment, since it not only showed the friends Flash made on his journey but how their goals and desires relate to each other. It also says something that Fluttershy’s goal is most similar to Shining Armor’s.

[Vakama95096]

How can they stop that giant…? It seems almost impossible…!

[WarriorofFaith18]

Great work . They ain’t out of the woods yet

[Godslittleprincess]

Gosh, I suppose simply beating Sombra and halting his plans was simply too easy. Well, I guess we'll get another chance for Flash and his friends to show off their true strength.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Still love how this chapter keeps building up the action. You think Flash facing off against the Big Bad of the series would be the coolest it can get, but their battle ends pretty early to focus on other stuff, like the calvary of Shining, Celestia, Luna, and the Gym Leaders arriving to help and Flash finally realizing his reason for being strong thanks to confronting Sombra.

The moment where the Crystal Heart transforms Sombra by combining him with Tyrandark and the two Legendaries still disturbs me, partly because I never would have thought an artifact like the Crystal Heart could creat an abomination like that, and because the reason it did this was never explained, leaving it to our imagination.