My Little Pokémon: Grander World

by Amarvax

Conflict in the Halls

Equestria. Canterlot. The Royal Phantasy. Afternoon.

While the Kings and Queens discuss important matters, everyone else was left in the Dining Room. This includes Ash who was the King of the Sea, but had Alo speak in his place. Ash could be seen hanging around Raleigh, Flurry Heart, Skystar and Shooting Star. All young individuals with royal status, but some were higher than others.

"Must we be left behind with him?" One of the guests commented as they were continuing to gossip about Ash. Now that they were actually seeing him in person, he was not what they expected.

"Such a glutton...How did he become King?"

"Ah...That felt good." Satisfied by his meal, Ash would pat his belly, completely full. He could be seen on the floor, feeling true paradise and bliss. "Alright. Now that I've finished with that, I know what I wanna do next."

"What can you do? I'm surprised you didn't head into the meeting room." Skystar spoke. "Aren't you a big name?"

"Alo's taking my place." Ash stood back up, even more energized now that he was full. "I've got full faith in him. By the way...How come Twilight's not here?"

"I was thinking the same thing. Auntie Twilight's a Princess too. Wasn't she invited?" Flurry Heart asked.

"Oh, for sure. I guess she hasn't shown up yet. For sure, Twilight would have something to say in that meeting." Ash said with confidence, knowing his friend well. If only she was her. She could count on Twilight come up with something.

"What do you think they're gonna talk about in there?" A curious Skystar wondered.

"I do! If I was in there, I'd understand everything clearly." Raleigh crossed his arms. "But of course, my sister gets to go because she's older than me. So unfair. All that reading for nothing."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll get your chance one day. This is just the first one. If you get lucky, maybe your sister won't know what to say in there." Skystar tried reassuring him. "Maybe. I don't know. One thing's for sure, my mom would rather be doing something else."

"Doesn't she wanna be there?" Flurry Heart looked over. "I mean, my mom and dad might be cool with it."

"Nope. She's got something else in mind." Skystar smiled, rubbing her hooves together. "Mom's been getting a bit too interested in someting called Pokemon Contests Not sure what those are, but she saw them after some news came to her from Equestria. I bet she can't wait to get out of that meeting and do those contests."

"So, she's interested in Pokemon Contests huh? Well, she doesn't have to hide it. It's all good." Ash replied.

"Isn't she a bit too old for Pokemon Contests though?

"Nonsense!" Twirling over here and appearing in a flash was none other than the Lich Queen, Fantina. Much like Ash, the King of the Sea, Fantina stayed behind, having someone else talk in her place. "You're never too old for fun and especially not Pokemon Contests!"

"Queen Fantina?! I thought you were at the meeting!" Flurry Heart's face stretched out.

"What do I know about any of that?" Fantina was still here for the same reason Ash was here. This was out of her expertise. Of course, someone else took her place. "Fractured Note is taking my place. He has all the knowledge for that since he was the first Lich King."

"My father has everything under control." Staying beside Fantina as her bodyguard was Dimstar and her serious tone.

"As for the contest, why shouldn't your mother try it?! It's free and available for anyone of any age! Even my grandmother could join it."

"Really? Do you know a lot about Pokemon Contests, Queen Fantina?" The Hippogriff Princess asked.

"She sure does!" Ash put his arms to the side right next to Fantina. "Fantina's a Pokemon Contest Expert. A Top Coordinator! Not just a Gym Leader! She knows everything about Pokemon Contests. And I've got even more friends that all about Pokemon Contests."

"Oh, so you definitely know a lot about Pokemon Contests too, Ash." The older Flurry Heart said to Ash.

"Well, kinda. I know the rules and I've tried it out before. But I stuck to Pokemon Battles." Ash chuckled as his knowledge wasn't as advanced as Fantina's. "If Novo wants to get into it, she can ask Fantina. Or maybe even Dawn. Or even Zoey if she's around."

"Mother will be so happy to hear this." Skystar put on a peaceful smile with her eyes closed. "I bet you her Primarina will love this. She's always looked like the type to do more than just swim around. A lot like me. But I got Dondozo and Tatsugiri instead."

"You can come by to the Crystal Empire!" Flurry Heart suggested. "We have a Contest Hall! Plus, we'd get to hang out while watching your mom participate."

"Or, maybe you can visit Magehold's Contest Hall I made it myself~" Fantina winked as Skystar's mother had plenty of options.

"Your majesty. It might be unwise to instantly let others into Magehold so soon." Dimstar advised. "Everything after the Black Crusade is still healing."

"I'm sure it's fine, Dimstar. We brought many vampires to Magehold, haven't we?" Fantina replied, pointing out the many vampires currently present in this room.

"It's most definitely not fine." One of the guests commented. "Honestly, you all are so loud and rowdy, storming into such an esteemed place."

"Indeed. And besides, we still haven't forgotten what happened with the Black Crusade and all the vampires that attacked us. It may have been brief but our lives were lost and were thankfully brought back by Xerneas."

"Hey. Not every vampire was in the Dread League." One of the guests, Merry Dread would point out.

"But you were. We know about you from the Manehattan attack." Another guest replied ina heartbeat, making Merry Dread freeze.

"Oh...You found out?" Merry Dread gulped before backing away. "Well uh...Just following orders! Hehe!"

"So many lives were put in jeopardy because you and Magehold supported the thought of wiping out all life except your own. How can we possibly ignore that now that you're all in here?"

"It doesn't help that Fantina is still around that place. After capturing her, even with the Black Crusade over and the Dread League disbanded, she is still present in such an eerie land. What a shame that she is now their Queen and an insult."

"Disrespect to the Lich Queen will not be tolerated." Hearing this, Dimstar was about take action, manipulating her tendrils. So did the other vampires in the room. There were still Magehold Guests and they certainly weren't fond of Fantina being slandered. Especially since it was Fantina who brought life back to Magehold. But now, Fantina could see the invisible tendrils thanks to her new status.

"Hold on, Dimstar." The Lich Queen prevented Dimstar from making any brash actions. "I don't live in Magehold anymore. Now I can visit it anytime I want while still being a Gym Leader."

"I feared something like this would happen." The cousin of Shooting Star, Cloudflare commented on this. She expected a scenario like this to take place as soon as she saw Magehold appearing at the Royal Phantasy.

"And as for the King of the Sea, it's hard to imagine how he became a King at all. Or even Equestria's Hero."

"Wait, me?" Ash pointed at himself as now they were starting to talk to him. All the Samiyans in the room would pay attention to this as it looked like their King was the next target.

"The next Royal Phantasy should avoid inviting people like you. He isn't even of Royal Blood."

"And those clothes he's wearing." They would then target his clothes. "I have seen some tacky human clothes but this absolutely soars over all of them. Nothing about it screams royalty."

"I'm my own King though." Ash grinned, completely unphased by the insults. "I don't even have any Royal Blood but I'm a royal, I guess."

"If this is what it takes to become royalty for a Human, then the standards are completely low. He isn't even in the same room as the rest of our Kings and Queens. The same goes for the Lich Queen. Ruling is completely out of the realm of possibility for both of them."

"Hey!" Speaking up was one other than Flurry Heart who made the Crystal Empire Guards gulp. "If it wasn't for Ash and everyone around him, we wouldn't even be here!"

"Uh...Princess..." Flash Sentry gulped as he did not wish for the Crystal Empire to get involved in any way. But it was too late for that. The discussion was only elevating from here.

"That's right!" Raleigh would do the same. "I owe a lot to Ash and his friends!"

"We will have to agree on that notion." Suddenly, ponies from Saddle Arabia suddenly spoke. "It was thanks to him, Hollow and their Pokemon that our kingdom of Saddle Arabia was freed from the clutches of Ghetsis and his Team Plasma."

"We owe a lot to him." Another Saddle Arabian said. All the Saddle Arabians were in agreement. They were forever grateful to Ash who freed them from that sudden takeover. With the existence of Pokemon being so new at the time, Saddle Arabia had no way to defend itself against Team Plasma. Having someone like Ash and Hollow around was the most hopeful thing they could hope for.

"Agreed." Adding to this was Pegalysium. And the one to speak was Prince Shooting Star. "His friends did a lot for us. Saving our nation in the sky twice. Plus, it was Ash who helped me get into Pokemon."

"Not you too..." Garnet put her hoof on her face, fearful of what could happen next.

"Look on the bright side. At least Second Wind and her group aren't here. It could be way worse with them around." Kaleidoscope nudged, bringing up a worse possible outcome.

"Wasn't it your nation that also attacked us? Those Unown could have ended us all had it not been for Arceus saving our lives. That was the first time our lives have been threatened by the Pokemon who end up in the wrong hooves."

"It does seem to be a running trend, doesn't it? Even for the older Princess Flurry Heart who as involved with Empress Twilight Sparkle. How convenient. The existence of Pokemon is a dangerous one. But also beneficial, I must admit. We have some of our own and yet they have also put our lives in danger. Especially from two nations we were never aware of."

"Doesn't Ash Ketchum also have the spirit and soul of King Sombra within him? Honestly, he's full of the most horrid surprises." A noble would scoff. There was immediate tension in the room. Those against Ash and Fantina plus those with them. The nobles were now against each other with some seeing others in different lights.

"It's fine, you guys," said Ash, throwing his two cents into this. "I don't mind what someone has to say about me. But when it involves my friends, I can't just say nothing."

"Is that so?" A noble from one of the many pony kingdoms snickered. "At least you aren't sensitive about yourself. You have quite an unpleasant friend group, honestly. And it's fitting that a majority of them are rather unworthy. Either as future rulers or even being in here in the first place. Perhaps you should get going to avoid further embarrassment.

"I'm grateful for the friends I have and what I've made with them. You can insult me all you want but don't come after my friends. Who cares if we're worthy or not? As if I'd run from anyone. If anyone's got a problem, we can have a Pokemon Battle right now! I'm ready!" Ash exclaimed, ready for a Pokemon Battle to settle things if anyone wished to.

"Gh...!" That same noble would flinch after being intimidated by Ash's invitation. So did many others. Despite everything they've said, they at least acknowledged Ash's strength. He was a powerful Pokemon Trainer indeed and challenging him would lead to humiliation.

"Ahem. Ash...Pikachu and the others ran off, remember?" Flurry Heart pointed out.

"Oh, right. Hahaha! Slipped my mind." Ash chuckled after realizing his Pokemon were all playing elsewhere. "But anyway...I don't hate any of you guys. But I can't just let you say all of that to my friends. We're all here because Celestia trusts us. Everyone's got a leader in the meeting room right now wanting to make the world a better place for everyone. That'd be an awesome world when it comes to life and we can all have fun in it."

Ash harboured no ill feelings towards them. There wasn't a shred of hate within him. Only the drive to stand up for his friends. And even after doing so, he wished that everyone in here would get along since they all wanted to have a safer life in this Grander World.

"Well said, Your Majesty...!" One of his biggest fans, Adriel would tear up.

"That's my boy~" Delia clapped, proud of her son. "He was so used to standing up for himself when he was bullied in school. And now he's standing up for others."

"Personally, I would have put them all into a mindscape of fears until they broke down. But this works too, I suppose." Speaking from within Ash was King Sombra.

"Us? Friends? How can that even be possible?" A noble questioned.

"Well, one of the ways I make new friends is with a Pokemon Battle. And now that I brought it up...I kinda wanna battle." Ash laughed, eager for a Pokemon Battle. Sometimes, he psyches himself up just to get into a battle.

"We can skip the battles, Ash." Entering the room was none other than Princess Luna, who has not made an appearance until now. Upon entering, all the nobles would stay quiet, wishing to not stir up any trouble now that the Princess of the Night was here. "I am not sure they are eager for a battle. Neither of them are really Pokemon Battlers."

"We could be if we wanted to..." A noble mumbled. In reality, they only had Pokemon for companions. "But to have our darling Pokemon being injured? The thought of it is dreadful."

"Well, I suppose they do have some heart." Cloudflare sighed, lowering her head.

"The meeting between the Rulers is ongoing. I thought I would show up to share something with you all. They have all agreed to start a new group. And that will prompt all of you to get along."

"What is it, Great Auntie Luna?" asked Flurry Heart.

"From now on, we'll be fully focused on dealing with Dimensional or Universal issues. This involves individuals such as Twilight Moonlight and especially Daybreaker. My sister and everyone in there have agreed to start an organization to confront invaders from other universes beyond our own. Every single nation here that has shown up will have to work together to face such threats. It's very clear that not all of you are equipped to handle the larger-than-life scenarios. But that all changes."

Indeed. Not all of them were prepared for the worst compared to Canterlot, the Crystal Empire and so on. Their kingdoms have mainly been exempt from most issues. Only the world-threatening forces reached them but that was understandable. But now, many forces threatened the world and they were about to receive the support they needed.

"My sister and I will personally see that you get all the support you need to defend your homes. For now, this is all the news I will share with you. The rest will come to you later." Luna finished. "But before that...Ash. I believe you should know this more than anyone. It's your ancestor."

"You mean my super-great grandma?!" Ash exclaimed as Lena Ketchum was finally brought up. Luna was the one to inform Ash first even though Celestia was told about this last night.

"Lena?!" Delia gasped.

"She has been spotted around Vanhoover. You don't have to wonder where she is anymore." Luna was essentially encouraging Ash to go to Vanhoover if he wished to see his ancestor. She knew him well.

"If she's there, I gotta see her!" And indeed, that was Ash's first course of action. Seeing Lena Ketchum. He had plenty of questions for her and it would be interesting to see his ancestor in the flesh. He was free to leave the Royal Phantasy at any time and that was something on his mind as well.

---

The Pokemon School.

"Hah..." As for Twilight Sparkle, she was currently in her room as Principal, having a mountain of paper next to her. She was indeed invited but her work as the principal came up and it was not forgiving. While the Pokemon School was plenty of fun, all the work that came with managing it couldn't be ignored.

But it wasn't the work that Twilight was upset about. She would love to do work. But it was the fact that she missed out on the first-ever Royal Phantasy. The Princess of Friendship looked outside her window, staring at Canterlot Castle and all the chariots, carriages and other forms of transportation next to it She could be in there, discussing important matters and seeing so many important faces.

Instead, she was stuck here, keeping her school steady as she promised to do. Twilight would get back to work, at least grateful that the Pokemon School only lasts until 12:30. Even so, what a waste of an invitation. Tensions at the Dining Hall, the declaration of a group specifically meant to tackle Universal Threats and now the revelation of Lena Ketchum's whereabouts. While the Royal Phantasy wasn't over, a lot surely transpired and this was only the first one.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 259 End.

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

"If she's there, I gotta see her!" And indeed, that was Ash's first course of action. Seeing Lena Ketchum. He had plenty of questions for her and it would be interesting to see his ancestor in the flesh. He was free to leave the Royal Phantasy at any time and that was something on his mind as well.

Hopefully she is still there, and that everything will go smoothly