My Little Pokémon: Grander World

by Amarvax

Celestia vs Dimstar

Equestria. Magehold. Entertainment Commune. The Pokemon Festival. Day.

Here at Magehold, Celestia's group found themselves at the Entertainment Commune. Viewing how Magehlod has changed ever since the defeat of Rosa Maledicta and Opal Vivacity, they were about to enjoy themselves here and in Celestia's case, she would partake in her first official Pokemon Battle without needing to worry about the fate of Equestria. Or the entire world.

In the meantime, Rarity was checking out Magehold's fashion trends. To think that all of this would've been sheltered for all of eternity if Opal was never defeated. Rarity spotted a dress that was meant to replicate Fantina's clothes and its purpose was not just to get ponies to wear the clothes of their Queen, but to also remind them all of how their nation was free from the cruel Lich Cycle. "Hm. They really grew attached to Fantina, didn't they?"

"Yeah." Pinkie Pie pressed her face against the windows. "Lucky Fantina. She gets all of this and gets to be a Gym Leader still? Her and Ash have it so good."

"Mew-Mew."

Fluttershy was more interested in something else. This was her first time exploring Magehold which made her gain some familiarity. Not because she was captured previously, but because of that semblance of a Vampire Pony within her. But that part of Fluttershy was long gone.

They weren't the only visitors here at Magehold. Now that the nation was open and Fantina's status here was known, others could show up. Such as regular ponies from across Equestria and a few Humans.

"Here you go. An Authentic Magehold Delicary!" The vampires presented their food to their visitors which wasn't exactly pleasant to look at. The vampires here had their own tastes, such as food that was seemingly alive and moving. The ponies looked down, witnessing the soup staring back at them with an abyss-like colouring. Some of them could even hear the food whispering back to them.

"Don't worry about that. Just ignore their temptatious whispers and it'll taste great." The vampires explained, acknowledging the fact that the food was somewhat sentient.

"Mmm..." But while some were intimidated by the delicacies, others would take the risk just to see what Magehold had to offer. Berry Punch was currently looking down at a Magehold drink which was almost as clear as the air. Unsure of what to make of this, she would drink it either way. "Not bad!" Lo and behold, she actually enjoyed it.

"Why, thank you! It's made from the remains of a corrupted air." The vampire explained. "Only way it can be made~"

"Oh..." Berry Punch froze for a moment after learning about the origin of this drink. But she shrugged it off, enjoying it either way. It didn't matter where it came from.

"Look at this! Is it really you?" Noticing the CMC was another filly. The only one here aside from Dimstar who actually recognized them and once appeared in Canterlot during the Junior Cup.

"Night Sprout!" The fillies recognized their fellow filly. And thankfully, there were no ill intentions here. Night Sprout would approach them with nothing to fear.

"Hm. No Premium Polish? That's a shame." Night Sprout noticed a lack of Premium Polish. The one pony she talked to the most and formed a small and brief bond.

"We didn't see you during the whole Black Crusade. Where were you?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Me? I stayed out of it." Night Sprout surprisingly exempted herself from the Black Crusade. "Most of us kids stayed out of that. No way we were gonna go into that."

"Hm. I didn't think that would happen..." Scootaloo scratched her mane. Based on what she saw, she expected even the children to get involved, but it seemed as if they were all exempt from the Black Crusade, perhaps to keep the future generation around as a backup. "So where were you the whole time? Everything got out of hoof so fast."

"We all took part in that contest Queen Fantina made. I mean, I didn't care for it. I only wanted to battle. Speaking of battle...isn't your Princess about to battle? She doesn't look like the type to do that." Night Sprout referred to how Celestia wasn't sure how to deal with this young vampire. "I got away from her, easy peasy.

"That was a one-time thing!!" Sweetie Belle argued. "Plus you blew yourself up!"

"Either way, Dimstar's going to win this without any issue. She's technically the heir to the Lich Throne. She's got this in the bag." Night Sprout grinned before side-eyeing the other fillies. Naturally, the two sides had their own winners in their eyes, creating sparks between them. They would have to see it settled once the battle begins.

Celestia, meanwhile, gazed at a table looking at her Poke Balls. She certainly came a long way from just having a timid Ralts on her side. Now she had fearsome Dragons, a brave-hearted dog and an adorable body of cream. For her very first official battle, she didn't have to think about which Pokemon to team up with. However, she was thinking of keeping Reshiram out of it.

"I'm counting on you all." She smiled when speaking to her Pokemon. Placing her hand on Celestia's back was Gardevoir, who would be there for her.

"Voir."

"Dimstar might not have a good enough response to Reshiram. He might be too strong for whatever Pokemon she has. But that's the thing...I don't know what Pokemon she has."

As for Dimstar, she knew what to expect from Celestia since she was aware of some of her Pokemon. The Half Lich already had her own Poke Balls out on the table. Five of them to be exact. Perfectly matching Celestia's total. But Dimstar wasn't doing this just for the sake of agreeing to a battle. There was something else to it.

Using her invisible tendrils, Dimstar held up her Five Poke Balls, thinking about the outcome of this battle. "I needed a battle like this. Even after Rosa and Opal's defeat, there's still something missing." Being locked up in a cube for centuries until the time to appear was right didn't exactly create a satisfied pony. While she had a naturally long lifespan, Dimstar still missed out on a lot.

But now that it was over, Dimstar was beginning to experience the things she missed out on in her life. She was now the guard and servant of Rosa Maledicta while also getting her family life somewhat back on track Her father was still around and her mother Vivace was present too, albeit elsewhere in the world. But that wasn't enough for Dimstar, who was a bit jaded from things.

At a young age, she was sealed and was entrusted to be the final trump card for saving Magehold from this Great Evil, AKA Opal Vivacity. While she did assist in stopping the Black Crusade, Dimstar wanted to do more. Why? Her encounter with Ash's group during the Black Crusade spoke volumes as to why.

"Prepare yourself, Princess Celestia," Dimstar said to herself, carrying all the Poke Balls with her as the invisibility made it seem like they were floating. "I'm going to enjoy myself. You'd better do the same as well."

---

The time for them to face off had come. They made their way to the arena, taking center stage. The two ponies of nobility stepped forward. Many would come to watch this battle. This would be a battle against the Ruler of Equestria and the First Daughter of the First Lich King. That can be considered a headliner battle. All other battles in the stadium were ignored or halted just for this one.

Gardevoir stood there with a confident expression on her face, not even being a bit nervous about her first official battle. The way she pumped her fists up showed that she was going to take this as seriously as possible but she would also have to remember to have fun.

There was no referee. Not yet at least. Magehold has yet to really adjusted to the usual staples of Pokemon Battles, so there was seemingly no one to determine the rules. That is until someone did show up. Walking over here was Applejack, who would act as the referee.

Seated were Luna and Diancie, who showed up alongside the CMC and Night Sprout. They made themselves comfortable by getting the best seats possible since Pokemon Battles do tend to unleash some spectacular sights. But for this battle, due to the fact that vampires were weak to light, a majority of that spectacle would have to be held back for their own safety.

"Well, let's enjoy ourselves, Dimstar. Alright?" Celestia spoke to the Half Lich, just wanting a battle that she would remember. Those were the best kind of battles and Ash certainly has an entire catalogue of them.

"That's what I intend to do. I was hoping you'd say that. And you should hope that you don't lose miserably here."

"Believe me, I won't." Celestia chuckled.

"It's gonna 5 Pokemon, right?" Applejack asked. "And once all Pokemon from one side go down, that's it.

"Well...I haven't decided yet. There's one Pokemon I'm not sure I should bring out just yet but I'll wait and see. For now, I'm going to count on 4 Pokemon instead.

"Alright then, your majesty. Both of ya'll can send your Pokemon out now!"

"Appear! Toxicroak!"

"Toxicroak!"

"Eeee! I don't usually get to do this but I can finally get this chance! Call out my Pokemon in an official battle!" Inside, Celestia was geeking out. The childish energy within her was glad to experience this. "Now! Flash in, Arcanine!"

"Arcanine!" The Legendary Pokemon was her first Pokemon to appear. And he certainly flashed in, creating a burst of fire around his body when he appeared.

"Go, Dimstar!" Dimstar would have those that would cheer her on. And in this case, Spectrum Shade was one of those ponies. She could be seen in the crowd, yelling as loud as she could while also holding up a flag with Dimstar's face on it. Clearly, Dimstar's battle prowess has been noticed by Magehold to warrant these flags.

"Don't lose, Princess!" Rainbow Dash would shout back. She didn't have any flags to wave but she would throw all of her support to Celestia. Naturally, Dimstar had home-field advantage and since she was the daughter of the first Lich King, that gave her even more prestige and respect. Prior to Fantina showing up, the first Lich King was the only one who wanted true peace and harmony for Magehold.

"Alright...Go!" Applejack would begin the battle.

"Excellent. Toxicroak! Poison Jab!"

"Tox!" Toxicroak would make the first move. Covering its arms in a poisonous aura, the Fighting-Poison-Type would immediately leap into the air.

"Arcanine! Use Extreme Speed!"

"Canine!" However, Poison Job was promptly intercepted by an attack of blistering speeds. For a split second, Arcanine's body lit up, emanating a beautiful white glow. His body also left the ground but at a faster rate, leaving behind white afterimages. And in an instant, Arcanine tackled Toxicroak, interrupting Poison Jab.

"C-Croak!" Toxicroak gasped as it was forced back to the ground. The first successful hit went to Arcanine but that was only thanks to the swiftness of Extreme Speed. Everything else would have to be done while keeping up with Toxicroak. The Toxic Mouth Pokemon recovered by flipping off the ground, regaining its balance.

"Toxicroak! Stone Edge, now!"

"Croak!" Toxicroak retaliated by summoning massive glowing crystals from the ground itself, causing to rise up with aggression and speed.

"Look out, Arcanine! Close Combat!"

"Canine!" But Arcanine was equipped to deal with Rock-Type attacks. His eyes lit up as he smashed his head against the incoming stones, breaking one of them apart with brute strength. Afterwards, Arcanine would rapidly swing his front paws against the stones.

"Hm." Dimstar put on a smile after seeing Arcanine's performance. It looks like things were going just the way she wanted. This was looking to be a satisfying challenge, but she obviously has to land some hits in as well.

"So far so good. Now it's our turn to go on the offensive. Flare Blitz!"

"Ar!" The Legendary Pokemon would unleash a mighty flare of fire that enveloped his entire body. But he obviously had to keep it at a minimum just so he doesn't harm any vampires. Arcanine ran as fast as he could, leaving behind a trail of fire as he was coming in at full-force.

"Toxicroak! Slice the ground with Cross Chop!"

"Croak!" At that moment, Dimstar went for something daring. With both of its arms crossed, Toxicroak let its fighting spirit burn, prompting it to attack the ground instead of Arcanine. Once Arcanine got close enough, Toxicroak would cut a surface of the arena floor apart.

"Canine?!" Arcanine found himself being launched into the air thanks to the shockwave Toxicroak created. It also interrupted his Flare Blitz, completely shutting it down.

"I should've let you in on this, Princess Celestia." Dimstar smirked as there was something she was keeping from the Sun Princess. "Here at Magehold, we still like to do things our own way, especially when it comes to Pokemon Battles. You're about to see why."

"Ah!" The Ruler of Equestria gasped once her eyes gazed at Arcanine.

Magehold was known for many things. And one of those things was Dark Magic. This entire arena was not exempt from it as there was Dark Magic in the air which would immediately surround itself around Arcanine.

"That's Dark Magic!" Luna bellowed when standing up. "Is that even allowed!"

"Here at Magehold, it is! Come on, Toxicroak!" Spectrum Shade cackled. All the vampires were fine with this. They still had the instinct to indulge in surprising, crafty and dark tricks. That much will never change no matter who is in charge.

"Don't worry about it, Princess! It's a lot like a Frontier Battle!" Rainbow Dash warned.

"Easy for you to say. I haven't seen a Frontier Battle..." Celestia said, narrowing her eyes when seeing Arcanine undergo a Dark Magic affliction. Magehold had their own unique status effect.

In this case, Arcanine's flames were darkened. They gained a darker appearance than usual, now appearing as pitch black. Arcanine groaned as these Pitch Black Flames were negative instead of positive. Once Arcanine dropped to the ground, the flames were weighing him down. It felt as if there were restraints around his body.

"This is fine." The Sun Princess closed her eyes, not minding this at all. "If this is how Magehold does it, then that'll give me a larger reason to win. You already knew the Dark Magic was up there and used it to your advantage. That means you're still using the best of your abilities, Dimstar."

"That's right. I expect you to do the same, Princess. Now, Toxicroak! Poison Jab!"

"It's not time to panic yet, Arcanine! Extreme Speed!"

"Arcanine!" Arcanine could still use Extreme Speed, prompting him to move as fast as he could, becoming a blur once again when approaching Toxicroak. This time, he would duck underneath Toxicroak's poisonous swing, avoiding the attack. However, this was where the Dark Flames came into play.

Acting as a rope, they would pull Arcanine back once he avoided the attack, sending him towards Toxicroak. All part of the plan as Toxicroak would strike Arcanine's back with Poison Jab. Arcanine finally took a hit and it was a poisonous one too. "A-Ar!"

"Croak!" After delivering the hit, Toxicroak would deliver a second one which would launch Arcanine away. Once the Legendary Pokemon was pushed back, the flames would once again pull him in. This gave Toxicroak the opportunity to repeat the process. Back and forth, Toxicroak would land Poison Jab, knocking Arcanine away, only for the flames to pull him back for another hit. Rinse and repeat.

"Those flames are like slingshots! He can't stay away!" Scootaloo bit her hoof. Naturally, Arcanine was poisoned by this. Getting hit with enough Poison Jabs would obviously do this.

"Yes!" Meanwhile, Night Sprout was elated by this. "Keep hitting him until he faints!"

"Let's finish it! Stone Edge!"

"Toxic...!" Toxicroak switched moves, building up Stone Edge. By striking the ground, the stones would erupt, ready to deal a super-effective blow to the poisoned Arcanine.

"I think not!" Celestia roared. "Combust yourself with Flare Blitz!"

"Arc!" But Arcanine wasn't going down so easily. With his eyes flashing red, he would generate his own original flames. Naturally, his other attacks haven't been shut down but these black flames would make it impossible for him to avoid a hit. But he didn't have to avoid the next hit. He just had to overpower it.

From his own body, Arcanine would unleash a powerful outburst of fire, transforming Flare Blitz into something else entirely. Toxicroak's eyes widened as all it saw as a bright crimson energy coming its way. The flaming explosion engulfed its body as well as the stones, breaking them apart.

Dimstar closed her eyes, using her tendrils to block the force and light of the explosion. She certainly didn't see that coming. Meanwhile, Celestia put on a smile when looking at the explosion. A bold play on her part but she didn't mind at all.

Out of the smoke, Aracnine managed to jump out of it, landing on his feet. And yet, the black flames were still around his body. That Dark Magic wasn't leaving anytime soon it seemed.

"T-Toxi...Toxicroak..." Lo and behold, Toxicroak was the first to faint. After wobbling and stumbling around, the Fighting-Poison-Type fell over.

"Toxicroak's down! Arcanine wins!" Applejack declared.

"Hmph. Well done, Toxicroak. Return, please." Dimstar closed her eyes, bringing Toxicroak back. She suffered the first loss of this battle.

"Phew." The Sun Princess sighed, using her wings to wipe some sweat off her head. "That could've turned out disastrous, Arcanine. But we did it."

"Arca!"

"That's one point for Team Equestria!" Rainbow Dash raised both her hooves into the air as her and other Equestrians would cheer for their Princess.

"It isn't over yet! Come on, Dimstar!" Spectrum Shade would lean forward, barking as loud as she could. "She was unstoppable not too long ago. She did a ton of battles the second she got her first Pokemon so she can totally win this."

"Whatever Pokemon she has next, I can't risk it with Arcanine. Those flames won't let him avoid a single hit. Return, for now, Arcanine." Celestia decided to give Arcanine a bit of a break, letting her next Pokemon take the helm. Someone else would have to head out without worrying about the Dark Magic, so as long as they don't touch the air.

"It's your turn! My lovely Alcremie!" Throwing the Poke Ball forward, Celestia's Alcremie entered the stage.

"Alcremie!"

"The next one for the job is you. Indeedee!"

"Indeedee." An Indeedee was summoned. In this case, it was a Male Indeedee as seen by its serious face, which perfectly matched with Dimstar's.

"Normally, Indeedee works better with another Pokemon. But I've made sure to train my Indeedee to be powerful on his own."

"Wow. You really worked hard for the following days you've had the Pokemon by your side. Actually...It hasn't even been that long since the Black Crusade has it?" Celestia was rather impressed. Dimstar certainly showed impressive signs of growth thanks to her Lich Heritage.

"What about you? You're the Ruler of Equestria. Obviously, you would grow just as fast, wouldn't you?"

"I am considered a prodigy. But only in magic. Even so, when it comes to Pokemon Battling it brings something that I've always wanted. This and everything else I've done ever since we met these creatures has brought me excitement after all these years."

"I see. So it's similar to mine. I was always destined to ensure that Magehold would be led in the right direction. As the first born of the Lich King and one of the few remaining descendant of the Lich Species, I had something large ahead of me. I was willing to make my father proud and realize his goals. But now that it's all over, I wondered what I would do next. But I've already found my purpose and it's not limited to protecting Queen Fantina."

"That's wonderful to hear, Dimstar! We princesses do have to deal with this. But the best part is finding others who can expand our horizons. I know it happened the day you met Ash and the others."

"Indeed." Dimstar had to admit it. The two Princesses were bonding with each other this way. It was only natural. Princesses in this world tend to get along rather well, whether it was with common interests or something else entirely. The same went for the Ruler of Equestria and the First Lich Princess. "But enough talk. You haven't seen anything yet. Indeedee."

"Dee." The Emotion Pokemon nodded before holding his hand out. At that moment, the Psychic-Normal-Type would harness the Dark Magic for himself. Celestia gasped, witnessing Indeedee effortlessly holding Dark Magic by pulling it out of the air itself.

This did not spell any good signs. It was one thing for Dimstar's Pokemon to knock Celestia's Pokemon into the Dark Magic. Having one of them grab a hold of it and not suffer anything would certainly make things harder. But the Sun Princess was all for it.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 345 End.