> A Little Adventure in Alola > by CommanderX5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Adventure in Alola - Prologue “Just a bit longer… stay still please,” Nica murmured as she gently moved a brush up and down the fur on Pikachu’s back. His eyes were closed and a satisfied smile was present on his face as his tail twitched from side to side. A bucket of dirty water, a damp towel, a used comb and a few other products were scattered around the pair as Nica continued to groom the Pikachu. Translating collars crafted by combined effort of Rarity, Twilight and Starlight decorated their necks. “Our fur sure got messy from our training, but a few more touches and yours will be presentable once more.” Pikachu didn’t answer, instead choosing to respond by dropping his ears to the side and exposing his head for additional rubbing, one look at his face being enough to know he pleaded for more. With a follow up from the electric mouse’s puppy dog eyes, Nica relented with a sigh and continued to brush. Starlight and Twilight’s horns were lit, sparking with powerful magic as they sent strong surges into a star-shaped rune before them, eventually charging it. A few open books supported against a stone lay by their side, as well as a large, pony-sized bag with Twilight’s cutie-mark inscribed on it. They were in the post-tirek battlefield, surrounded by daunting walls of stone and numerous craters deep into the ground. Rainbow Dash kept staring at the rune in anticipation, her shining teeth displayed in a wide smile. Unable to contain her excitement, she darted into the sky and launched back down, creating a huge gust of wind and earning an annoyed, “Hey!” from the princess. Ace was sitting on his levitating tail, staring at both pokemon with crossed arms. ”He is getting this ‘special treatment’ because I volunteered to be his guardian during his stay in Equestria. It’s my responsibility to look after him, protect him and ensure that his stay is enjoyable.” Nica closed her eyes and raised her head in pride as she kept pressing her brush against back of Pikachu’s head, her tone serious. “I take my responsibilities very seriously. When he returns to our world and reunites with the heroic Ash Ketchum, I want his fur to be clean and look presentable. What kind of first impression would it be if we returned looking like a mess?” She opened her eyes, grabbing the comb with her tail and rubbing Pikachu near his ears with it. “Besides, you have psychic powers. You can levitate a brush and help yourself.” Ace pouted before levitating forward, rounding Nica and stopping in front of Pikachu’s face. “Don’t worry, I enjoy every second of it,” Pikachu said, peeking open one eye. “I’ve had lots of great fun at the riverside with all my new and old friends, witnessed an amazing spectacle, and I even got to train with Nica! I cherish every moment.” He stretched his little limbs, starting with his tiny rear legs and finishing with his forepaws like a cat. “I’m clean and in great shape, and soon I’ll reunite with Ash and show him what I’ve learned. I can’t wait!” Ace exclaimed with a toothy grin. A second later, a silver aura coated his ears as a clean towel and white bottle came floating over from the collected supplies directly into his paws. At Nica and Pikachu’s confused looks, Ace explained, With several drops of the white liquid sinking into the wet towel, Ace proceeded with rubbing Pikachu from top to bottom, levitating the pokemon up as he finished up by quickly cleaning the bottom of his tiny feet. It wasn’t long before the sun began to reflect off of Pikachu’s shiny fur, causing the pokemon to quite literally sparkle. Ace levitated the bottle and towel back to their respective spots before getting a colorful box with Pinkie’s face drawn on it. “And something from Pinkie’s party supplies,” he said as he unleashed a tiny bit of glitter onto Pikachu’s fur. he shouted before placing his black glasses on Pikachu’s eyes. “I think glasses are a bit overdoing it,” Nica said, pulling the shades off. Ignoring Ace’s complaints she carefully brushed Pikachu’s cheeks, not daring to touch his sensitive dots, before giving a paws up in approval. “And done. I must say, you look great.” Pikachu examined himself. His limbs, tail, back and belly were all clean and shining. “Thanks.” He looked at Nica. “You’ve really outdone yourself. I don’t deserve any of this.” “Think of it as my own way of repaying you for all the pokemon and people you saved alongside your trainer,” Nica said with a small blush, wholeheartedly believing in every word she said. Pikachu snached the brush from Nica’s forepaws and pointed at her. “Nope, none of that!” he called, before stalking forward and attempting to brush the Raichu in return. “Please, just let me repay you for the amazing job you did!” Nica took two steps backward and shook her forepaws dismissively. “You really don’t have to.” Ace chanted as he bumped into his sister, pushing her out of the way. He held his forepaws together in a pleading gesture. Nica rolled her eyes. “Uh, I don’t know. I was going to brush Nica…” he began, though stopped when he saw the Raichu’s frown. “Fine, alright.” Ace cried, allowing Pikachu to climb onto his tail and brush against his white belly. Nica chuckled before curiously walking towards the large bag with Twilight’s cutie-mark, poking it with a bronze tipped paw. “Are you planning to live in our world or something?” She asked, turning to face the alicorn. “Why did you pack so much?” Twilight didn’t dare to look away from the rune she charged. “While I’m working on a two-way portal, there’s still a three percent chance something may go wrong. I simply packed the essentials in case of an emergency.” “Essentials?” Nica questioned, giving the mare a confused glance. “Like what?” “Well, according to what you and the others have told me, it seems your world doesn’t contain any of the magic ours does. I simply packed a couple of enchanted gems used to refill my reserves in case of a worst case scenario.” Twilight paused and gave a low grunt, powering the rune with an extra burst of magic before continuing. “Oh, I also have several tomes of literature and stacks of notes I can use to make a portal spell leading back to Equestria.” Twilight took a quick breath. “Bottles of water. Hay sandwiches.” She smiled. “And most importantly: Empty notepads for notes and scrolls filled with questions I want to ask the first scholar I encounter! Who knows what mystery your world holds, just waiting to be discovered.” “Of course you do,” Nica said with a giggle, holding a forepaw in front of her mouth. Playfully rolling her eyes, Twilight turned her full attention back to the rune before her, exclaiming, “And it’s done!” She jumped back as a portal twice Big Mac’s size grew in front of them. A black and white aura of magic was swirling in a circle, seemingly powering the portal. “So, what’s the plan, Twi?” Dash asked as she trotted in place, more than eager to fly in as her tail flickered back and forth in excitement. Twilight walked towards the portal and turned around, addressing pokemon and ponies gathered around it. “Alright, here’s the plan. First, we will use this portal and see if it actually leads into the pokemon world.” She pointed at the regular Raichu. “At this stage of research, I can only open portals to locations where pokemon have already been summoned from in the past. When I consulted it with Nica, she plead for it to be opened at the place where Pikachu was summoned from.” Pikachu turned to Nica, giving her a grateful smile. “You know you didn’t have to… Actually, nevermind. Thank you,” Pikachu said while sitting on Ace’s tail, their sides pressed against each other. “And thank you Princess Twilight for working so hard on getting us home.” He lowered his head respectfully. “I really appreciate it.” Ace added. “As I was saying…” Twilight interrupted, giving the two pokemon who spoke up an annoyed glance. When all eyes were on her, she continued, “After we ensure that the portal leads to Alola, we will test if it allows us to return to Equestria and then assess the portal’s stability. If everything seems to be working, we’ll gather all of Ash, Emily and Astra’s pokemon from Ponyville and start to explore Alola until we reunite them with their trainers.” “And Lillie's Vulpix,” Pikachu cut in. "Not to mention how much Lana must be missing her Popplio." Twilight sat and clapped her forehooves in excitement. “And I shall make diplomatic contact with the citizens of Alola, and most importantly, research your world!” She spread her wings. “Oh, I just can’t wait.” Landing next to the group, Dash jumped in and added, “I want to see some cool pokemon battles.” With everyone’s attention on her, she flew up next to the portal and began to punch the air, throwing in a few kicks for variety. “I betcha I could fight them myself. Those pokemon are no match for this Wonderbolt!” Starlight rubbed her foreleg, glancing at the Raichu with a smile. “And I want to explore that world alongside Nica.” I visit all the islands of Alola quite often and still remember most of its attractions, Ace said in Starlight’s mind before patting his chest. I can be your guide. “Appreciated,” Starlight said. Ace looked at Pikachu and asked, “They won’t be coming with us this time.” Ace asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice, his ears drooping to the side of his head. Pikachu cleared his throat and explained, “Well… Don’t take it the wrong way, but when I mentioned that you would be part of the exploration team, Litten backed off. Then Ninetales offered Litten a whole day of harsh training, claiming that he could try and teach him the move ‘Flare Blitz.’ As soon as Litten heard that, he took the offer in an instant.” Pikachu nodded. “Yea, I asked the same thing but Ninetales said he would improvise. He mentioned that since Litten is his pupil, his performance will reflect on his teaching, so he’s putting in extra work to help Litten improve as much as possible.” Pikachu chuckled. “Saying that my fire buddy is happy with this would be an understatement. This is probably the happiest I’ve seen him since Stoutland.” Nica held her forepaws on the sides of her head, a dreamy smile present on her face. “So Ninetales finally made a friend outside of the team. That’s so touching!! I thought it would never happen.” Ace said before gesturing for Pikachu to let him borrow his collar. Looking at the portal and pressing collar against his neck, he said, "So, it looks like only the elite, magical pony duo and the adventurous chu brigade will jump in on this mission." Dash frowned. “Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone?” "Am I?" Ace asked in a teasing tone, much to her annoyance, and looked at Pikachu. "This makes me wonder. While in Alola, have you and your trainer had to fight any big threats, defend against any criminals or face a large crisis?" Pikachu tapped his chin as Ace gently attached the collar back onto his neck. “There were some great dangers we faced.” Everyone turned to stare at him, startled by how casually he spoke of great danger. Ace said. Nica looked at Pikachu in concern. “Team Rocket has been trying to capture me and the rest of Ash’s pokemon for years. Lately, a really strong Mimikyu has joined their ranks, and I’ve failed to defeat him in one versus one fight ever since.” Ace gulped, covering his face with his forepaws. the Alolan Raichu asked in worry. “Hmm, I think ‘Shadow Claw’ is a ghost type attack,” Pikachu said as Ace broke into a nervous sweat. “He’s really strong with this move and uses it quite often to hurt me whenever he gets the chance. Why do you ask?” Ace bit his bottom lip and then gave a small sigh. He held his forepaws together in a pleading gesture and said, “Hide behind me?” Pikachu asked, caught off guard. He stood up, placed his forepaws on his hips and said, “I thought you were braver than that.” Ace dropped his forepaws and anxiously rubbed his neck. He pointed at Pikachu. He blushed. “Fair enough,” Pikachu said with a nod. “As for the other threat; a few days before I was summoned here, we faced and defeated an Ultra Beast to save a woman named Lusamine. It was an all out battle in another dimension and stuff.” Dash stomped. “You had such an amazing fight and didn’t tell us? Booo!” “Ultra Beast? Are they dangerous?” Twilight’s questioned, her notebook and quill hovering beside her. “Very. So far I have met only one, and it gave us a hard fight. I heard about stuff like Ultra Space, but to be honest,” he shrugged, “it was too complicated for me to understand.” Twilight smiled. “I see. Hopefully we won’t encounter any of them.” Pikachu waved his forepaw dismissively. “There’s no need to worry. It has been a week and a half since we rescued Lusamine. There’s no way another Ultra Beast could arrive in Alola already, more or less many of them to cause chaos over the four islands. Besides, if anything does happen, the island guardians can surely take care of it.” Ace facepawed. “What?” Pikachu asked. Ace gave Pikachu a stern glance. He massaged his forehead. “You worry too much,” Pikachu teased before pointing ahead. “Let’s not waste any more time and get going already. I can’t wait to introduce you all to Ash. It’s going to be so amazing!” Twilight nodded, calling out, “Okay everybody! Next stop, the Alolan Islands.” The alicorn made her way forward before being cut off by Rainbow Dash, who barreled past the mare and flew into the portal with reckless abandon. Rolling her eyes, Twilight followed, her giant bags swinging at her sides. Starlight and Nica both grinned and went through together, matching each other’s steps as the Raichu’s tail was encircled around the unicorn’s hoof. Ace balanced himself on his rear paws, levitating towards the portal with his VIP passenger sitting right behind him. Stepping, or in this case floating into another world was certainly a unique experience. Squinting his eyes, he could barely make out his destination, struggling to make out what seemed like a beach covered in miles of sand. So far so good. Doesn’t seem different from diving into water or climbing up a waterfall. His movement slowed down as he had to put more and more power into pushing forwards his levitating tail. Ugh, I would have been there already if it didn't feel like I was floating through a pool of jello… As he got closer, the image became clearer and sharper, and soon enough he was able to make out the finer details. The spacious beach covered most of the island while further down were rows and rows of comfortable huts and buildings with water being just underneath his tail. He looked at his companions. Nica kept walking towards the beach while water covered more than half of her belly, eagerly jumping towards her chin. Starlight and Twilight had water reaching up to their knees, while Rainbow Dash flew towards the beach immediately and started scouting the area, on the lookout for anybody who seemed important. A few seconds later he felt his tail become lighter as his passenger stepped onto the sand. “Uh, guys,” Twilight said, drawing their attention away from the vast beach. She pointed at the multiple holes and scorch marks covering the buildings on the horizon. “Shouldn’t this be a popular tourist spot? Why is the beach abandoned and some of those tall buildings in ruin?” Dash flew over and pointed at a floating, white jelly-like creature with numerous tentacles sticking from it. “Is this a pokemon? He’s the only living thing on this beach.” The creature released a piercing screech and shot a tentacle towards the pony. Dash dodged it in the nick of time and added, “And it doesn’t seem friendly!” Pikachu took a step back as his rear foot sank into the sand. “It’s… Nihilego! The Ultra Beast we faced before… though a little smaller.” A few riveting explosions came from the deeper part of the town as smoke started to float towards the sky. Ace placed forepaws on his hips and looked at Pikachu with a sassy smile. “Time to pick up the phone, Pikachu,” he exclaimed, earning him a confused look of the smaller pokemon. “Because I totally called it!” > Ch.1 - Ultra Battle - Pt.1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Adventure in Alola - Chapter 1 - Ultra Battle - Pt.1 “Sooo… does anyone know what to do? Because I certainly don’t,” Twilight exclaimed as she slipped out of her bags and tossed them onto the sand. She shook sand from her hooves in annoyance before glancing at Pikachu. “You’ve faced this creature before. If you have any valuable information that can help us, please, share it now.” Pikachu looked up at the tall alicorn while pointing at the floating, jelly-like creature. “All I know is that it’s from a different world and that it can control others. It seemed to merge with Lusamine, making her go insane, and when Lusamine commanded her pokemon to attack us, they were surrounded by an aura that made them stronger.” “Aura? Was it similar to the one that Totem Pokemon have?” Nica asked, glancing at the Pikachu curiously. “Oh, right. You’ve challenged Totem Pokemon as well. And to answer your question, yes.” Pikachu nodded. “Those auras were very similar.” “So in other words,” Starlight said, “this creature can take control of others and give an aura that makes them stronger?” “Um-maaaybeee,” Pikachu responded, the uncertainty clear in his voice. “So you’re even unsure of that? Great, just great,” Starlight muttered as she lowered her head and shook it in disbelief. “So rule number one; keep your distance from this creature and avoid physical contact.” “What about its types?” Twilight asked. “According to Nica’s weekly reports, pokemon types play an important role in your world. What type would this creature be classified as?” “I…” Pikachu took a step backwards while giving the princess a sheepish smile. “I don’t remember.” “You don’t, but how? You were fighting it,” Twilight pointed out. Her wings spread in aggravation. She stomped as sand flew up, accidentally coating the pokemon. “How could you forget?!” “Ash is the one who always pays attention to this kind of stuff,” Pikachu responded, quickly wiping the stray sand from his fur. “Give me a break.” Twilight mumbled under her breath for a moment before taking a few calming breaths. She forced a smile and exclaimed, “Well, let’s look on the bright side. This creature don’t seem to be too aggressive. Maybe we can still salvage the situation with some good old fashioned diplomacy.” “Watch out!” Dash shouted. Turning their heads, the gathered group stared in shock at a bubbling stream of violet poison flying towards them. Ace and Pikachu’s instincts kicked in and they dropped to their paws. Nica threw herself before the ponies, raising her metallic tail in preparation for the attack. At the same, Twilight’s horn sparked to life, summoning a protective dome around the group. The poison struck the protective dome, melting away at the alicorn’s shield before finally piercing the bubble. Nica responded accordingly and swung her ‘Iron Tail,’ using the move to block the toxins that burst through, before shuffling back as a few stray drops of venom fell to the ground and incinerated the sand below her paws. “Forget what I said. Certainly aggressive,” Twilight concluded as she examined the toxins scattered amongst the sand. Shaking her head, she muttered, “Looks like a diplomatic approach is out of the question.” “It attacked with ‘Venoshock!’” Pikachu shouted, catching everyone’s attention. “I remember one of Team Rocket’s pokemon using the same move against me. Uh, Mareanie I believe? This one was identical and much, much stronger.” “So… a poison type…?” Nica whispered to herself. As the group conversed, the ultra beast prepared another attack, freezing as a little, violet gem appeared on the beast’s head. A moment later, a destructive beam shot forwards, aim straight for the collection of ponies and pokemon. Nica jumped up to interpret the blow, slightly wincing as the beam made contact with her tail. Twilight looked to the side. She raised her left foreleg and spread her right wing, holding them both protectively over her face. Squinting, she attempted to watch the battle, yet every time she tried, the blinding light between the clash of Nica’s ‘Iron Tail’ and the beam left her turning away. The creature screeched, sending more power into the attack. Nica grit her teeth as she landed, struggling to contain the beam. The bronze tips of her rear paws sank into the sand as her rear legs trembled. Through pure determination, she kept the attack at bay, refusing to budge backwards an inch. Starlight answered the creature’s calls by shooting a beam of magic at the aggressor while Pikachu assisted with a ‘Thunderbolt.’ Nihilego ceased its attack, floating left and right while bending its body in a display of great flexibility, evading both beams of magic and bolts of electricity. Both Pikachu and Starlight gasped, watching as their attacks flew past harmlessly. Narrowing his eyes, Pikachu hopped on top of the mare and called, “You’re not going to get away that easily!” With his cheeks sparking in annoyance, he added, “You messed with the wrong group, pal.” “I couldn’t agree more,” Starlight responded before charging towards the beast, Pikachu in tow. Floating above the battlefield, Ace watched as Pikachu and Starlight charged towards the beast. He grinned and flew beside them, his own cheeks sparking, before noticing a certain rainbow-haired mare darting towards Nihilego. Upon realizing that she was attempting to kick the creature he narrowed his eyes and his ears flashed with power. He surrounded the Ultra Beast in a silvery aura and threw it against the stairs connecting the beach with the city. Sharpened stone fragments scattered on the sand as Nihilego ended up trapped inside the crater in the middle of the stairs. No touching or kicking, Dash. No buddy of mine gets brainwashed on my watch, he explained telepathically while immobilizing Rainbow Dash in his telekinetic field. “Brainwashed? This thing does that?” Dash asked before giving the trapped creature an angered glare. “Wow, thanks for the save. Bullet dodged.” “Great job, Ace, that was a close one,” Starlight called, wiping sweat from her forehead. She pulled up beside them, catching her breath. With a small jump, Pikachu leapt off her back and sent another ‘Thunderbolt’ towards the ultra beast. He grinned as it made contact, electrifying the stunned Nihilego. As the noise of wayward explosions reached the group and wandering smoke coming from the deeper part of the city became visible among the local buildings, Ace levitated towards Nica and tried to snatch her collar. Nica leaped backward, evading his paws. “What are you doing?” Need to borrow your collar, sis. Hurry! Ace said in his sister’s mind before taking the offered collar and putting it on his neck. Nihilego flew from inside of the crater before attacking once again. A ‘Venoshock’ came flying at the group before the creature followed up with another ‘Power Gem.’ Starlight and Twilight teleported out of the way while counter attacking with beams of magic, missing the flexible opponent. Pikachu jumped into the air and swung his tail against the stream of poison before attacking with ‘Thunderbolt.’ His electricity ended up in a stalemate against the beam for a few seconds before being overpowered. He was thrown to the side as the poison scalded his side. With the translating collar on his neck, Ace said, “Leave this pokemon to me.” He pointed at the smoke coming from the ruined city. “Something bad is going on. I’m sure whoever is there needs your help. Go and check it out while I take care of Nihilego.” Twilight looked away from the hostile creature and glanced at Ace instead. “While I admit that investigating the cause of those explosions and checking if anypony… anyone needs our help is important, we can’t leave you alone. What kind of friends would we be?” Pikachu nodded in agreement. “Even with Type Null’s help we couldn’t stop Nihilego from capturing Lusamine. How can you stand against it alone?” He leaped to the side, evading another stream of toxins. Ace rolled his eyes before pointing at the Ultra Beasts. “Poison and rock type attacks.” He pointed at himself. “Psychic type.” He pointed at the sea behind him. “My loveable water surface field and my ‘Surf’ attack.” He pointed at himself and raised his head proudly. “I got this.” “Rock type attacks?” Twilight asked before intercepting one of the Ultra Beast’s beams. She was locked in and one on one struggle against the Nihilego, slowly overpowering it. Her raw power proved superior as the beast was forced to evade. “That beam you just overpowered, it is called ‘Power Gem,’ a rock type attack,” Ace explained. Twilight teleported closer, now staring at him in confusion. “How can its beam be a rock type attack? There were no earth elements to incorporate into the attack and it wasn’t as simple as throwing a rock, so what makes it a rock type? What’s the logic behind it?” Ace pointed at his own forehead. “A small gem appears on its forehead and unleashes a destructive beam. The gem shoots the beam and a gem is a rock, so it is a rock type move. Simple.” “Oh… I see. The more you know...” Twilight mumbled before giving Ace a confident look. “If you’re sure you can handle this creature, go right ahead.” She pointed at the portal which was still open in the sky, resting high above the water. “But keep guarding this portal. Pokemon are way stronger than the usual monsters that live in Equestria.” She pointed at Nihilego. “So we certainly don’t want a powerful creature loose in it. Especially with two of the Elements of Harmony stuck over here.” “Got it! I won’t let you down,” Ace called, saluting before levitating towards the pegasus. “Hey, Dash.” “Yes?” “Pegasi can control weather. Can you make it rain?” Rainbow Dash looked up before flying towards the closest white cloud. She pulled it into the water for a short moment before pulling it out. She punched the cloud lightly, turning its color to black in a matter of moments. “Sure can.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Though I’m not sure how much that’s gonna help.” “Trust me, it will help a lot.” Ace turned towards the rest of the group. “With Dash’s help, I’ll defend this portal and defeat the Ultra Beast.” He patted his chest while standing proudly on his tail. “We got this!” His ears flashed with a silver aura as an incoming stream of toxins ended up neutralized by his psychic powers. He glanced at Nica and added, “Also, sis, you really need to get rid of that electricity-absorbing feature from your collar. You can keep your electricity in check better than anyone I know and it just gets in the way.” He untied the collar from his neck before levitating it into Twilight’s large bag. Nica responded before looking at him with a confident smile. Ace shouted before his attention focused on the floating Ultra Beast. From the corner of his eye, he watched as the princess and the gang gathered together, moments later disappearing in a large, lavender flash. The massive bags accompanying Twilight were gone as well. He grinned as rain began to fall, soaking the floating Alolan Raichu in water as the raindrops slid down his cheeks and arms. “Here’s your rain, Ace,” Dash said from her new spot atop a stockpile of clouds. “Still no clue how it’s going to help.” The moment his opponent summoned a gem for another rock-type attack, Ace concentrated and levitated towards the water before using ‘Surf.’ A massive wave formed protectively in front of him while intercepting the beam, absorbing some of its power as well. He levitated to the very top of his massive wave, as if riding a wild and ferocious creature and shouted, Dash gave an approving nod and clapped. Nihilego, not seeming to appreciate the Alolan Raichu’s humor, flew up towards him, both to escape the oncoming wave of water and to grab him in its constrictive grasp. With a grin still present on Ace’s face, he concentrated, grabbing and pushing Nihilego towards the sand with extreme force from his ‘Psychic’ attack. A large cloud of airborne sand quickly ended up covered by rushing water as part of the beach turned muddy. “And that’s for good measure!” Dash shouted before kicking a few clouds. A small barrage of lightning bolts began to assault the beach, casting the sand and waves in an eerie light. Not wasting a moment, she flew closer to Ace, now hovering next to him. “That wave you attacked with… it was massive! Way bigger than your previous ones.” She spread her forelegs in excitement. “Even that rock beam couldn’t pierce it. It was awesome!” Ace raised his chin and rubbed his nose, speaking telepathically, Told you rain would help. Not only does having the sea behind me boost my ‘Surf’ attack, rain makes it even stronger. That’s an extreme combo. Dash rubbed top of her head. “I still don’t get it. How does rain make your attack so much stronger? It was only a little bit of rain, and it didn’t magically charge you like Twilight or Starlight powered up Pikachu that one time, so how the hay did that happen?” Ace shrugged. Beats me. I’m not making the rules, just following them. He closed his eyes the moment pegasus tackled him. “Huh, that was a close one,” Dash said before pointing at their doused opponent. Upon seeing a stream of toxins that would’ve hit him if not for his pegasus friend, Ace’s attention focused on the bruised and wet Nihilego before him. He narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth. If his theory was correct, his opponent was a rock/poison type, making it weak to ‘Psychic’ and “Surf.’ As a dedicated attacker, his moves had a lot force behind it while rain and the presence of water boosted his water attacks. To still have the will to fight him after being hit so hard meant his opponent wasn’t a pushover. Time to get serious, Ace thought before levitating towards the surface of water, surfing on a small wave in the rain. Turning left, turning up, surfing into the sky while performing a triple spin in mid-air, he evaded numerous beams and streams of poison, using his favorite field for extra agility. With a sharp turn, he surfed towards his opponent, every moment making the wave bigger and bigger. He yelped in pain as a stray ‘Power Gem’ took him by surprise and struck him in the belly, launching him into his own wave and pushing him into the water. Nihilego ended up swept away by the powerful wave as well a moment later. Both Ace and Nihilego emerged from the water at the same time, unleashing another round of devastating attacks. Ace felt the sting of ‘Venoshock’ cover his body as he struggled to keep balance on his tail, grumbling as his trembling rear legs refused to move an inch. He grit his teeth and tensed his muscles, preparing for the next exchange of moves. In response his ears flashed with power as he pushed Nihilego away, harshly throwing the Ultra Beast against the water from his own ‘Surf’ attack before smashing it into an abandoned shop. After a quick dive into the water to get rid of the poisonous substance, Ace flew closer to the ruined shore front and stared at the third large hole, this one of his own creation. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing Nihilego float outside while covered in ice-cream and what was looked like leftovers of a big malasada. With a warcry, he unleashed powerful ‘Thunderbolt,’ his opponent too injured and exhausted to evade. Nihilego screeched before collapsing onto the street, now lying flat against it in an exhausted heap. Ace displayed a toothy smile before dancing cheerfully on his own tail, ignoring the big bruise on his belly and post-poison burns covering his fur. He lowered himself to the ground, mentally patting himself on the back as he chanted, He looked to the side. He lowered his head as some of his enthusiasm vanished in an instant. “If this is how pokemon battles look in this world, sign me up!” Dash shouted as she flew closer to the levitating Raichu. She hovered in mid-air with forehooves on her hips. “Dash, the best like no one ever was. I like the sound of that.” Ace chuckled at his friend’s remark before looking at the collecting smoke in the distance. I hope the others are doing well. His ears drooped at the sudden realization and a sad whimper escaped his mouth. Now I really regret that Pikachu wasn’t here to see me in action. It would totally have impressed him. He sat on his tail and frowned, lightly hitting his forehead in aggravation. Stupid, stupid, stupid… “I don’t know what I was expecting,” Twilight said to herself while staring at the source of the commotion. Two lines of damaged buildings flanked everyone from both sides, creating a very uneasy atmosphere. The mixed architecture on this island reminded her both of Las Pegasus and Manehattan. The city was stunning, from tall residential buildings to recreation spots, shopping mails, fashion shops, and smaller hotels, though the area’s damage ruined the view. The creatures ahead of her looked like two large bugs. One was absolutely massive, reminding the ponies of Bulk Biceps in so many ways. The Alolan sun shone down on the beast, illuminating the creature’s transparent, crimson muscles. It stalked closer with its four, sharpened legs, oblivious the the ponies as it examined multiple damaged vehicles. Small cracks rippled underneath the beasts steps as its two antennas twitched, highlighting the enlarged, metallic proboscis sticking out of the ultra beast’s face. Twilight stared in shock, her jaw hanging open. “How… how… fascinating!” “Fascinating... are you crazy?” Starlight gulped as a few drops of sweat fell down her face. She stumbled backwards, taking a deep breath and preparing a protective dome incase the creature became aggressive. “Wow, it seems as though its very muscles are made from some sort of liquid,” Twilight observed, ignoring Starlight’s concerns. “It’s almost as if this creature is a mixture between Big Mac, Bulk Biceps and a mosquito. I’ll have to tell them!” The unicorn shook her head, calling, “Twilight, what is wrong with you!? This thing looks ready to suck every last drop of blood from our bodies, and all you can talk about is how interesting it is?” Twilight blinked at the large creature who started flexing its muscles while taking different poses, one of said poses having one hand raised towards the sky while another as if ready to throw something heavy. “To be fair, it’s hard to be intimidated if all it’s doing is showing off.” Growing bored with a variety of poses, the creature bent down and snatched a four-wheeled device from the road, oblivious as it’s grip nearly crushed the car in half. Twilight bit her bottom lip as what seemed to weigh about half a ton was lifted towards the sky with a single finger. She approached Nica, who was maintaining a defensive stance next to Starlight, and asked, “Hey, Nica, what was your lifting strength limit… the one you reached without the help of your ‘Iron Tail?’” Nica answered, refusing to take her gaze away from the Ultra Beast before them. Her tail remained raised and at the ready, in case of an attack. “She said over four hundred kilograms,” Pikachu translated while staring at Nica in admiration. “That’s nearly four times my limit. I’m impressed.” Twilight pointed ahead. “I believe that this Ultra Beast beat your record with a single finger.” As if handling a toy, the creature threw the vehicle into the air and caught it moments later, before ripping it in two. The metal shrieked as it was torn, revealing a small complex device hidden in the front hood. “Alright, now I’m intimidated,” Twilight commented before looking at the second creature. This creature was painted in pure white, walking on thin, skinny legs that looked ready to snap at a moment’s notice. Two antennas sprouted from its head and curved down in a sloped descent, ending with rounded golden tips. They rested just above the ground, bouncing as the creature strutted on an invisible runway. The beast’s feet were cut into thin points, reflecting the image of high heels. Dark eyes stared back as its hair fell down like a waterfall, seemingly larger than the actual beast itself. Starlight sighed, muttering, “So, one of them is a bodybuilder while the other looks like a model? Who are we even fighting?” “I know, right!” Twilight shouted, misinterpreting Starlight’s sarcasm with genuine glee. “It’s times like these where I wish I could conduct my studies and ask questions rather than fight.” “I don’t think you understood,” Starlight began, but froze as the beautiful Ultra Beast zipped towards a nearby vehicle with unrivaled speed before sinking its arm into it. It pulled a metallic device identical to the other one. “What are they doing?” Starlight asked. “I think they’re pulling out engines for some reasons,” Pikachu said, scratching his head in confusion. “Those cars won’t be driving anytime soon.” “Engines? Like the steam engines that our train uses, or rather engines running on magic and magical gems that our zeppelins are equipped with?” Twilight asked with a growing curiosity. She was twitching with unanswered questions, only growing more fidgety as she spotted more odd looking devices trapped inside the building’s ruins. “I have sooo many questions.” “Save them for after we beat those two creatures into submission,” Starlight commented as she lit her horn, taking a fighting stance. “Right Nica?” The Raichu rubbed her chin before hesitantly lowering her tail. she joked, attempting to keep her voice steady. With slow steps, she walked on her two rear feet while approaching the Ultra Beasts. “Nica, what are you doing? It’s dangerous!” Starlight yelled, instinctively powering her horn. “She’s going to talk with them,” Pikachu said before grabbing Starlight’s rear leg and pulling it, stopping the pony from following Nica or grabbing her with her magic. “Let’s give her a chance.” Twilight nodded in agreement. “I approve. Diplomacy should always take priority.” At the same time though, the alicorn flared her wings and charged her horn, whispering, “Though we should be prepared if things turn south.” Starlight gazed at the demolished homes and buildings around her, gulping as she truly took in the damage around her. “Please be safe,” she murmured, charging a protective shield as Nica walked before the massive Ultra Beast. > Ch.1 - Ultra Battle - Pt.2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Adventure in Alola - Chapter 1 - Ultra Battle - Pt.2 Nica cautiously moved closer, taking small steps as she observed the beasts from afar. Clearing her throat, she gave a cheerful smile and called, Both of the Ultra Beast’s heads snapped in her direction, before tilting to the side in curiosity. She stopped in the shadow of the bulky creature and stood on the tips of her rear paws. She held her forepaws together in a pleading gesture. The bulky creature knelt to take a closer look, ending with its long, sharp proboscis only a few centimeters away from her face. Nica gulped, feeling antsy at having the deadly point so close, but quickly overcame it, reminding herself how much rested on this peaceful negotiation. Now’s not the time to feel intimidated, she thought before asking out loud, the bulky creature mumbled before poking its own chest. Nica said before stretching her little forepaw towards the massive creature. The large creature grabbed Nica’s forepaw and squeezed it with a powerful grip before crushing it against the street. Nica grit her teeth, struggling to stay standing as a few tears dripped down her face. She forced a smile. She sighed in relief the moment her forepaw was released, shaking it out before cradling the limb against her chest. She pointed at the numerous destroyed cars that were littered across the street, each having its engine torn out. Buzz said before poking one of Nica’s yellow dots, causing her to whimper and unleash a few stray bolts of electricity. Nica took a few steps back and pointed at herself. The muscular pokemon lifted himself back up, returning to his full height before cracking his knuckles. Buzz gave a greedy grin, looking like a mob boss preparing to give a merciless beating to the poor chap who failed to pay the monthly fee. Nica took a few more steps back as the Ultra Beast began to descend towards her. The bug gave a feral grin, stalking closer. Buzz spread his large hands out wide before slapping them together in attempt to grab Nica. In response, she backflipped, evading the powerful grab. She followed her action with quick leaps to the side as the thin-looking creature charged at her, trying to grab her with its long and graceful fingers. Nica felt drops of sweat fall down her forehead, while her heartbeat and breathing substantially increased in speed. Despite her great speed and reflexes, she barely dodged the near-instant grabbing attempts from the taller creature. Nica attempted to fall back to the group, seeking the aid of the ponies and other pokemon, but before she could make her move, she was snatched up by the thin creature. It let her dangle by her tail, ignoring her struggles to escape as it leaned closer. the model-like pokemon sneered, raising her up to face level. Nica narrowed her eyes, sending a large surge of power into her tail. With a precise swipe of the lightning bolt part of her tail, she struck the thin hand of the hostile creature before jumping towards the group. “I take it the negotiations failed?” Starlight deadpanned. Pikachu nodded before taking a fighting stance next to Nica. “Those Ultra Beasts are looking for electricity. They want to catch Nica and bring her to someone they call Bzzzz.” He moved from beside the Raichu to before her, exclaiming, “And I’m- I mean, we’re not going to let that happen!” “Bzzzz…? That’s a terrible name,” Starlight complained. “Whatever, it’s not gonna matter once we take these brutes down.” Her horn sparked, small bits of magic flying out. Both Ultra Beasts took a fighting stance in response. The bulky one bent its four legs simultaneously and flexed its muscles, allowing the sunlight to shine through while the thin one lowered its hands to the street, as if preparing for a race it knew it would win. Twilight’s ears drooped and a disappointed whimper escaped her mouth. “Awww… so much for my opportunity to do some field research.” She spread her wings and lowered her horn, adopting an angered glare. “I don’t like doing things the hard way, but it seems we have no choice. No one messes with my friends!” Nica stared at the Ultra Beasts before her with narrowed eyes, examining the situation. Since the Raichu had no idea what types her opponents were and what they were capable off, there was little strategy to come up with. One of them is extremely strong, while the other is really fast. The quick one will be harder to counter, I can’t lower my guard. She glanced at the Pikachu beside her. My hero may have talent, skills and experience, but the difference in power between these Ultra Beasts and an unevolved pokemon must be big. If we’re going to perform as frontline fighters, I need to keep him safe from harm no matter what. She glanced at the alicorn and unicorn stationed behind her before turning to whisper to Pikachu, Pikachu nodded. With the help of his translating collar, he relayed the pokemon’s message and watched as the ponies nodded their heads in agreement. Twilight grabbed Starlight by her forelegs and flew towards the roof of the nearby tallest building, both standing ready. As Nica was distracted making sure her friends were situated and prepared, the thin-looking creature charged at her. Out of reflex she raised her ‘Iron Tail’ defensively, only for it to shatter like glass from a quick collage of three rapid kicks. Nica yelped in pain and withdrew her tail, taking a few steps backward. Pikachu leaped at the Ultra Beast while swinging his ‘Iron Tail,’ only for the beast to round him and grab him by fur lining his back in mid-air. Bolts of electricity began to sporaticaly spark from the pokemon’s cheeks, though before he could deliver a painful ‘Thunderbolt,’ he was interrupted by a ‘Silver Wind’ unleashed from his opponents mouth. Nica leapt to the side, catching Pikachu with her forepaws before shielding him from the damaging wind with her back. The moment her rear legs pressed into the street, she released Pikachu and took a fighting stance. A moment of distraction and we’re already pushed back. No more. Focus Nica! Twilight and Starlight saw an opening and took it, shooting beams of magic from the higher ground. Somehow, the agile beast zipped in between them with little to no effort, a grin present on its face as it watched the ponies attacks harmlessly fly past. While the others were busy, Buzz took the opportunity, using ‘Bulk Up’ as its muscles shone brightly with power. It flew at its opponents and then dived into the fray while recklessly swinging its fists. Nica and Pikachu leapt backwards in time to evade the attack as Buzz’s fist sank into the street, creating a crater while spreading numerous cracks in a wide range. An aura of power surrounded a beast’s fist before spreading around the rest of the body. W-wait… I recognize this attack. It’s a ‘Power Up Punch.’ Oh no… Nica bit her bottom lip the moment Pikachu charged at the Ultra Beast with ‘Quick Attack’ and ‘Iron tail.’ Nica shouted, stretching her forepaw towards her hero who fearlessly charged into his demise. Pikachu first struck Buzz’s chin with his head, and then followed it up with a firm swing of his ‘Iron Tail’ against this creature’s cheek. His eyes became wide as the Ultra Beast refused to flinch and grabbed his metallic tail with its massive fist, crushing it with its powerful grip. Buzz rubbed the little bruise on its head before raising its massive arm as Pikachu struggled fruitlessly to escape. Nica jumped to her hero’s rescue, only to feel a ‘Triple Kick’ strike her from the side. She raised her ‘Iron Tail’ defensively in time to reflect the ‘Silver Wind,’ only for her ‘Iron Tail’ to be broken by another ‘Triple Kick.’ Pikachu screamed in pain as Buzz slammed him deeply into the street with a ‘Hammer Arm.’ Buzz pressed his arm into the hole, preventing Pikachu’s escape attempts while keeping him pinned. Unable to use her tail for defense, Nica raised her forepaw, summoning ‘Light Screen’ to weaken the ‘Silver Wind’ which was used against her. Ignoring a few bruises on her fur, she charged at the agile beast while repeating ‘Rai, Rai, Rai...’ over and over, surrounding herself with a field of sparking and crackling electricity. The flexible beast evaded her strike with ‘Agility,’ only to do the same against a rain of fireballs and a freezing beam shot from the sky as the surface of the street partially melted into tar and partially became crystallized. Using its boosted speed, it charged towards the ponies on the roof, climbing up the tall building with ease. Each beam was evaded and each levitation field was dispelled with the use of ‘Silver Wind.’ Nica looked between the ponies and the trapped Pikachu, ultimately deciding to charge at Buzz who slowly lowered its metallic proboscis. Pikachu struggled and shouted, unleashing ‘Thunderbolt’ against the bulky creature. Buzz yelped in pain, yet didn’t back down. He squeezed Pikachu in his unrelenting grasp with even greater force as his proboscis was but millimeters away from sucking the life-force from the electric mouse. With a desperate jump, Nica slammed herself into Buzz’s chest, managing to push him away with the full force of her ‘Volt Tackle,’ yet Pikachu was still held tightly in its grip. Seeing as psychical strikes barely scratched the creature, Nica followed up with a quick ‘Thunderbolt’ while charging power into her damaged tail at the same time. Buzz yelped in pain, yet still refused to release Pikachu. Instead, he aimed his proboscis at him, ready to press it into his flesh. Thinking fast, Nica slammed her ‘Iron Tail’ against side of Buzz’s proboscis, causing ‘Leech Life’ to hit the street instead. Nica shouted as she leaped onto Buzz’s arm. She managed to strike its hand with ‘Iron Tail’ in an attempt to free Pikachu, yet its grip still held strong. Pikachu opened his eyes and grit his teeth, ignoring the massive force squeezing his belly. With a loud scream, he attacked with the strongest ‘Thunderbolt’ he could muster, causing a pillar of electricity to shoot into the sky. Nica attacked with her own ‘Thunderbolt,’ aiding her hero as the electric pillar became even wider. Upon seeing the metallic proboscis once again aimed at Pikachu, she wrapped her tail around it before pulling it into one of Buzz’s muscles, causing ‘Leech Life’ to hit the very pokemon who was using it. Thanks to the combined force of their electricity, Buzz’s hand finally opened, freeing Pikachu. Not wasting a moment, Nica wrapped her tail around Pikachu’s belly before running away to safety and increasing the distance from the bulky foe. “O-o-on it-t,” Pikachu responded with a nod, pain clear in his voice. The moment her tail withdrew from his hurting belly, he repeated his name, summing an orb of electricity. With a firm swing, he threw it at the bulky Ultra Beast. Nica ran with all her speed, bypassing the orb of electricity. Using her own tail and magnetic electricity, she took control of the orb while continuously powering it up with her own small shocks. As she expected, Buzz flew to the side in attempt to evade, but it wasn’t enough. With a very quick movement of her paws, she followed the beast, then circled around it. Buzz’s eyes started to roll in confusion as it failed to keep up with Nica. It raised its hand, attacking her with ‘Hammer Arm.’ Nica leaped to the side and grinned as Buzz’s hand ended up stuck in the street. As powerful as ‘Hammer Arm’ was, it was known for temporarily lowering the speed of the pokemon using it. With a quick jump and a firm swing of her tail, she slammed the powered up orb of electricity into Buzz’s face, causing a massive lightning explosion. As the beast flew through the air towards Pikachu, both pokemon jumped, delivering another ‘Thunderbolt’ form both sides. Pikachu smirked before charging another ‘Electro Ball,’ more than happy to have a little revenge for all the agonizing squeezing and crushing he experienced a moment ago. He eagerly threw this inaccurate but powerful attack against the large foe. Nica leaped towards the beast, wrapping her tail around one of its legs. She slammed it into the street, making sure it wouldn’t avoid the incoming sphere. As the smoke of yet another explosion descended, both Pikachu and Nica looked at the bulky beast lying in a crater, unconscious. With a swing of their paws, they paw-bumped each other while smiling at each other cheerfully. Their happiness over their victory proved short-lived as a noise of crashing reached their ears. After turning around, their eyes became wide as the thin-looking Ultra Beast held Starlight and Twilight by their necks. “R-release… us!” Twilight choked out before her horn sparked into life, creating a forcefield which pushed the creature away. With help of her levitation she pulled the injured Straight to her side. Nica and Pikachu jumped in front of the ponies, ready to defend them if needed. Their tails were raised threateningly while bolts of electricity escaped from the dots on their cheeks. “This creature… was… too fast… Nothing could hit it,” Twilight commented between her fast breathing as numerous bruises covered her wings and body. She helped Starlight stand on her trembling legs. “Even our levitation couldn’t hold it in place.” Starlight raised her injured foreleg before sending bits of healing magic into it, wincing as the injury stung. Nica glanced at the princess and her student. While Starlight’s raw power could rival the one of Articuno, and Twilight wasn’t far behind the ruler of time Dialga, the gap in combat skills between ponies and pokemon was massive. Even her training sessions to improve Twilight’s skills were nothing when compared to the years of fighting each pokemon endured daily. With her attention on the remaining Ultra Beast, Nica narrowed her eyes. Her senses sharp and muscles tense. If only… if only I could deal with that speed. I can give the princess and her student an opening to attack… Nica’s eyes shined at realisation. She bent her legs and charged at the agile opponent while using ‘Volt Tackle,’ repeating ‘Rai, Rai, Rai...’ over and over. “Go Nica, show this beast what you’re capable off!” Pikachu cheered before looking back at his opponent and maintaining his defensive stance. As Nica expected, the Ultra Beast used ‘Agility,’ rounding her at extreme speed while hitting her back with ‘Stomp.’ She felt her belly and chin demolish the asphalt below her. With a quick movement of her tail, she wrapped half of it a few times around beasts’ thin leg, like a snake wrapping around its prey. The feminine-looking beast tried to pull its leg away, yet Nica refused to release it. Pikachu attacked with a ‘Thunderbolt,’ missing. The Ultra Beast leaped to the side in time to evade his attack. But then, Nica pulled her tail, causing the beast to trip over. With growing aggravation, the beast delivered ‘Triple Kick’ against Nica’s belly, only for the pokemon to unleash paralyzing electricity upon direct contact with the help of her ‘Static’ ability. Now, with Nica holding it down and the slowing properties of ‘Static,’ the pokemon was at the mercy of the group. Taking this opportunity, Nica wrapped the other half of her tail around the beast’s second leg before sinking her ‘Iron Tail’ deeply into the street. Pikachu nodded before looking at the ponies. “Attack with everything you have!” The Ultra Beast struggled against the strong grip, yet failed to free itself in time to dodge the incoming barrage. Pikachu’s ‘Thunderbolt’ alongside two powerful beams of magic struck it with great force, causing its body to bounce several times through the street, reaching a hundred meter distance away from the group. With her tail no longer wrapped around the beast’s legs, Nica regrouped with Pikachu, who looked back at her with respect. In a flash of teleportation, Twilight and Starlight appeared in front of the Ultra Beast and aimed their horns. “Please, surrender! We don’t want to fight you,” Twilight said, trying to negotiate with the creature. Starlight glanced at the injury on her foreleg and frowned. “Speak for yourself. I’m up for another round.” The Ultra Beast leaped backward and then ran away, leaping from one roof to another with a great display of speed and agility despite the numerous burns and bruises present on its body. Nica ran towards the ponies with Pikachu by their side, yet the Ultra Beast was nowhere to be seen. She sat and wiped sweat from her forehead, sighing in relief. She yelped in surprise before realising that Pikachu wrapped his forepaws around her neck while nuzzling her cheeks. “Thank you!” Nica asked and blushed, finding herself in an unexpected, yet very pleasant predicament. Hugs were nice after all, and a hug from a hero she respected was even more precious and special. In fact, she wouldn’t mind if it lasted a bit longer. “For being a great partner and friend!” Pikachu released her and looked at her with his sparkling eyes. “No matter what kind of challenge we face, you always keep me safe and step up with great teamwork and strategy.” He raised a forepaw up to his mouth and chuckled. “I’m even starting to wonder if you may have what it takes to be a pokemon trainer. When you tell me what to do, I feel as if I was with Ash.” He winked. “You’re certainly someone I trust and would listen to.” Nica smiled sheepishly, her cheeks becoming red and her ears flattened against her head. She closed her eyes and covered her head with her forepaws. Suddenly, she sensed a warm aura growing in strength. They weren’t alone, and whoever was nearby was getting closer. Pikachu and Nica started looking around in confusion, searching for the owner of the mysterious voice. “I think I heard something,” Starlight said before unleashing a scanning spell over the nearby building. A ruin of a shop. A tapestry with pink pokemon like Clefairy and Jigglypuff inscribed to it was barely recognizable. “Someone’s coming.” The ponies and Pikachu took aggressive stance, but Nica didn’t feel threatened in the least. As the totem-like pokemon emerged from behind the ruined shop, Pikachu shouted, “Tapu Koko!” “Tapu what now?” Starlight asked before aiming her horn at the intruder. Pikachu turned towards the ponies and shook his forepaws. “Calm down everyone. He’s a friend and guardian of this island. He can help us.” Nica’s ears drooped upon noticing the numerous injuries covering the proud guardian. His large, yellow hand-shields were bent in multiple spots, far from their former glory. Even large orange feathers on the upper and lower part of Tapu’s body were creased. When compared to bruises covering Pikachu after the recent beating, guardian’s injuries were a lot more severe. Without hesitation she ran towards the injured guardian and looked up at him with pity in her eyes. Tapu answered while shaking its black head. Nica lowered her head and whimpered sadly. Pikachu, Twilight and Starlight approached the guardian, their faces filled with questions. Tapu examined each of the pokemon with a growing curiosity. The friendly faces greeting him, ones recognized from the now abandoned islands, filled him with hope as he neared the Pikachu. Observing the battle from a distance, he recognized the pokemon as the loyal partner of a trainer named Ash Ketchum, the same one in which he generously gifted with his blessing. Tapu questioned, quirking his head to the side in confusion. Pikachu rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at the island’s protector. “Hehe, it’s a long story. Let’s just say that I somehow ended up in another world because of… unexpected circumstances.” He pointed at the Raichu. “But I was in very nice company.” He looked away from the blushing Nica and pointed at the creature with both wings and a horn. “But thankfully, princess Twilight here discovered the means to bring me back, and here we are now.” The Tapu immediately lowered its head and performed a polite bow. It may be known as prankster among the population of island he swore to protect, but showing respect to royalty was something he took somewhat seriously. Twilight shook her forehoof dismissively. “There’s no need for bowing. My name’s Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you… ummm…” “Tapu Koko. He’s the deity guardian of this island,” Pikachu quickly explained. “Guardian Deity? The honor’s all mine then,” Twilight said, performing a polite bow of her own. Starlight looked around at the ruined buildings. “Being a guardian at a time like this. You really had it rough.” She looked at Pikachu and asked, “I take it you are both great pals or something, am I right?” Pikachu chuckled nervously. “Well… great pals is a strong word, but we’re getting there. Tapu helped Ash and I learn how to use our Z-moves and he challenged me to a duel a few times.” Tapu observed the exchange between Pikachu and the pokemon with a horn. Their way of speech seemed to be the one of a human, which only added fuel to his flames of curiosity. Nica asked. Pikachu nodded. “I lost every time, even when using Z-moves to my advantage. Tapu’s are very strong and tough.” Tapu said before gently patting Pikachu’s head with its injured limb, careful not to poke the tiny pokemon with its damaged shield. Pikachu walked closer to Nica and pointed at her. “I may not be a match for you...yet, but I bet Nica would defeat you. She’s that amazing.” Nica glanced at Pikachu with a sheepish smile before shaking her forepaws in panic. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. It narrowed its eyes, giving the Raichu a challenging glare. Nica smiled back. “Wait a moment…When I challenged you, you didn’t want to fight me because our fight wouldn’t be fair, yet you don’t seem hesitant to fight Tapu Koko.” Pikachu crossed his arms and frowned. “Nica… I would lie if I said I didn’t feel a bit cheated here.” Starlight gave the Raichu a questioned glance. Nica simply rubbed the back of her neck. Pikachu shrugged. “You got a point there.” Tapu lowered its head, taking a closer look. Nica confirmed with a nod. Nica stood on the tips of her rear paws and gestured at their surroundings. Tapu looked at the ponies once again. If they indeed came from a different world, one that Pikachu was allegadly trapped in for the past week, would this mean they are no different than Ultra Beasts? Tapu shook its head. Now wasn’t the time for doubts, especially ones about his only allies. “Who’re you talking too?” The group looked towards two newcomers. One being a pony with wings, sporting a spectrum of colors on her mane while another surfed in on his tail, throwing a cheeky smile to everyone in the area. Tapu chuckled as the memories of Emily and her enthusiastic Raichu surfaced in its mind. It was one thing to challenge a Pikachu to a fight as the electric field he summoned boosted both of their electric attacks equally. It was a completely different story when a surfing Raichu used its field for a massive boost in speed while also using ‘Psychic’ to go around guardian’s resistances. The enthusiastic and playful personality of Ace and his advantages in battle were inscribed deeply in its memories. Ace pointed at each pony individually before adding, Turning, he flew closer to Tapu and exclaimed it. Tapu felt his hope for salvation growing. If Emily’s pokemon are here, as well as the Pokemon Master, there might just be a chance of victory after all. Tapu levitated into the restaurant through a hole, perching its damaged body on the closest, undamaged dining table while waiting for the group to go inside. A story-telling was certainly in order. > Ch.2 - Ultra Giant - Pt.1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Adventure in Alola - Chapter 2 - Ultra Giant - Pt.1 Tapu Koko sat in silence atop a nearby dining table, watching as his newfound allies picked comfortable spots around him. Beside the table rested a demolished laptop and a T.V, both useless as a result of the Ultra Beast’s search for electricity. Though many items were trashed, some were still intact, such as a few lone chairs and the table he was currently stationed on. Nica jumped up beside the guardian while keeping a respective distance. Perching herself on the white table cloth, she settled down in between a vase housing a red rose and an abandoned meal, worry clearly visible in her eyes. Ace, as usual, was settled on his levitating tail, an uneasy expression gracing his normally confident features. What Tapu found odd however was Ace’s attempt of polishing a side of his tail. He watched as the Alolan Raichu rubbed three wet napkins back and forth. With half of his tail now clean and shining, he patted it, motioning for the pokemon at his right to hop on. Pikachu quickly took the invitation, perching himself beside Ace. They both floated next to Nica, gazing at Tapu Koko with unrestrained curiosity. On the roof sat a sky blue pegasus, her wings twitching in anticipation as she scanned her surroundings for any intruders looking to cause trouble. Her rainbow mane fluttered in the slight breeze as she listened for any conversation in the building below her. Using a hole blown into the top of the shop, she occasionally peeked inside, gazing down at the creatures gathered below. Twilight and Starlight were huddled together, sharing hushed whispers as they examined the inside of a damaged TV screen before taking a seat on chairs of their own. Tapu looked at the ponies curiously, imagining them with flames engulfing their manes. A mental image of a tourist riding a Rapidash came to mind, though he couldn’t think of one for the pegasus. He scoffed, picturing one of the majestic horses with wings. Twilight opened her large bag and plucked out a few notepads and a quill with her magic, eager to take notes. She displayed a toothy smile and urged the guardian to begin, staring back with knowledge-hungry eyes. Tapu Koko poked at the collar which Nica generously shared with him, with the group being lucky that it was big enough for his neck. A device with mystical power capable of translating pokemon speech to the human language. Such a marvel. I wonder if they would be willing to share their creations? Not that he needed such a device when choosing or guiding Kahunas, but when sharing a story with a group, it was going to be most helpful. “Tell me everything!” Twilight exclaimed, unable to refrain from flapping her wings in excitement. It was only when the group gave her a blank stare that she froze and gave a sheepish smile. “Or, uh, maybe you can you start your story from when things started to go wrong?” He opened his mouth to begin, but she cut him off, adding at the last second, “The more details, the better!” The group merely rolled their eyes, giggling as she displayed an undying grin. Tapu nodded before speaking, “A week after some brave trainers and their pokemon rescued a fellow human from the clutches of an Ultra Beast, Pikachu and a couple others of Ash’s pokemon vanished without a trace. A few days later numerous portals opened across Alola, inviting the invaders into our land.” Pikachu’s ears drooped. “I wonder… i-if we stayed, could we have made a difference?” Ace patted Pikachu on the back before placing a reassuring forepaw on his shoulder. He shot him a compassionate smile, attempting to cheer up the saddened pokemon. Tapu continued, “The Guardian and Kahuna on each island worked together, fending off the invaders from their respective islands while catching them into ‘beast balls.’ The fights were glorious and tiring, but nothing we couldn’t handle.” “Beast balls?” Twilight asked. At the inquiry, Tapu took out three rounded objects he was hiding in a damaged hand-shield. Each orb was a deep, dark-violet coated with vibrant light blue rings circling the pokeballs. Four claw-like, yellow strips were curved around the ball, casting the illusion of a creature with sharpened talons gripping it. He presented them to the group before lowering to the table. “These were created by the Aether Foundation. From much trial and error, we’ve found that so far, only these can contain the invaders.” “Really?” Twilight asked. “Nica’s reports mentioned these ‘pokeballs’ quite often. You throw them at weakened pokemon to capture and contain them, correct?” Tapu nodded. Starlight grinned before levitating one beast ball over. “Say no more.” Her horn lit with a blue aura before she vanished in a flash of teleportation. Silence overtook the room, lasting several seconds. In yet another flash, Starlight returned with the beast ball by her side, a cocky grin present on her face. “Looks like the big, bad Buzz has been captured.” Pikachu’s mouth hung open in shock as the Alolan Raichu beside him gave an amused grin. Ace said, giving the unicorn a paw up. Starlight smiled in response at the pokemon’s friendly gesture before gazing at the beast ball. After a moment, she looked up at Tapu and asked, “Does this mean he’s on our side now?” The island guardian shook its head and then shrugged. “It is difficult to predict. Ultra Beasts are dangerous and independent, very different from the pokemon of this world. Allying with trainers is unheard of for them, but they also respect strength and determination, each having their own unique personalities.” He pointed at the regular Raichu. “It may obey Nica, seeing as she bested it in battle,” and then pointed at Starlight, “but it will most likely rebel against you, since you didn’t earn its respect in battle.” Tapu continued. “Not to mention it’s been weakened. I don’t think Buzz will be battle-ready any time soon.” Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully before speaking up, “Portals… beast balls… I assume that you all tried to find a way to send the captured beasts home; ether by opening portals or finding new ones. Am I correct?” Tapu clapped its shielded hands together while gifting the alicorn with a proud smile. “You’re not wrong, wise Princess.” Twilight blushed, hiding her flushed cheeks behind her left wing. Ace placed his forepaws on his hips and raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t wrong.” Tapu sighed while his shielded hands dropped. “The next day, a large portal opened and with it came a gigantic monster that wielded devastatingly powerful electricity. It was surrounded by a furious red aura, that made it extremely aggressive and dangerous. It challenged any Ultra Beast that it came across simply to show its dominance. Each defeated beast started to listen to it out of fear and respect.” Starlight raised her foreleg. “So this giant beat other beasts into submission, turning solo creatures into a powerful and nearly unstoppable, organized army? No wonder this city is abandoned. I’d get the heck outta dodge as well.” “Correct, a sad truth we had to face in our struggles. This creature hungered for the taste of electricity, absorbing everything this city had to offer and more. It ordered any defeated beast to aid it in its quest,” Tapu explained. “It sought my electricity as well.” “What happened next?” Twilight asked, eagerly writing down notes in her overfilling notebook. Her ears perked up, listening with full attention. “Did you try to defeat this creature?” Tapu nodded. “I, several other fellow guardians, their chosen kahunas, and a group of brave trainers; we gathered on this island to challenge the giant and their army.” He sighed, placing his head into his shielded limbs. “A colossal mistake we made.” “Meaning?” Twilight questioned, sensing the negative, underlying tone in his voice. “How could an attack with such high numbers fail?” Pikachu looked at Tapu with worry clearly visible in his eyes. “These beasts possess a powerful ability. Each time they defeat their foes, they grow temporarily stronger. A dangerous boost of power. The giant we tried to defeat… one of its limbs glowed brightly before spreading a spark of overwhelming electricity. It covered a massive range, defeating numerous pokemon at once, both wild ones and those serving their trainers.” His words became lodged in his throat. “I’ve n-never seen such high casualties before.” “Casualties?” Nica murmured, hugging her tail close. Pikachu raised forepaw up to his mouth as he quietly murmured name of his trainer, his ears drooped. “Yes. It didn’t just defeat them… but killed those that weren’t durable enough to survive. The beast’s power only grew and soon, we could only escape with our lives from its might.” Tapu glanced at Pikachu and reassured, "I can tell what you wish to learn, and I assure you, you can put your worries at ease. Your trainer is fine." Seeing as Pikachu sighed in relief, he added, "Sadly, I know not of his whereabouts. I know only that he's no longer on this island." A sad whimper escaped from Pikachu's mouth. It became obvious that his expected reunion was going to be delayed again. Ace’s mouth opened in shock before he shouted, Pikachu’s ears collapsed in on themselves, the pokemon wincing from Ace’s outburst. As everyone turned their attention to the levitating Raichu, Ace snatched the translating collar from Pikachu’s neck and continued. “I have faced my fair share of bug-type pokemon that were sent against me. Some of them know a move called ‘Tail Glow.’ It’s like a stronger version of ‘Nasty Plot’ and it powers up special attacks temporarily to an extreme level.” At the group’s blank expressions, he added, “I believe that’s the same move this super powerful Ultra Beast used, explaining how he was able to take out so many pokemon at once.” “That would also explain why the ‘Discharge’ it used was so powerful,” Tapu said in a sorrowful tone. Ace gulped before muttering, “So let me get this straight. This Ultra Beast is way bigger than others and is probably ancient, meaning it is among the most powerful of its kind.” Ace tapped his forepaws. “It is surrounded by an aura that boosts its power.” Another tap. “It seems to be very aggressive and merciless.” Another tap. “It knows the move ‘Tail Glow’ which boosts its special attacks.” Another tap. “It can use ‘Discharge,’ which hits all pokemon in a wide area.” Another tap. “And each pokemon it defeats or kills, makes it temporarily stronger.” He closed with a final tap, causing the group’s heads to hang in defeat. “Correct.” “Great… just great…” Ace mumbled with a roll of his eyes. “Forget about Tapus from Alola or legendary rulers of elements from kanto or any other low tier legendary pokemon from each region.” He spread his forepaws in aggravation. “Call in Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Palkia, Dialga or even Giratina. The size and aura alone makes that beast strong enough to defeat even the most powerful legendary pokemon in a one vs one battle, and it's a walking army slayer. Good luck beating that.” Nica tapped her chin, thinking in silence. “Why can’t we just get reinforcements?” Starlight asked. “We have a lot of strong pokemon in Equestria. Elites that belong to the pokemon master Astra and some of Emily’s veterans. I’m sure they can help us.” Ace was about to respond, but Pikachu beat him to it by seizing the translating collar for himself. “You forgot to mention Ash’s Lycanroc, Litten, and Rowlet. They’re strong! They can help too.” “Right… sureee…” Starlight fibbed before shaking her head, disregarding Pikachu’s feelings. “Actually, no. Someone needs to be honest with you about this.” The unicorn pointed at Pikachu and said firmly, “Your friends have only a few months of experience and are mediocre at best. Rowlet is lazy and sleeps the day away, Lycanroc has anger issues and frankly, needs to see a therapist and Litten is a tiny, cat that hacks up fire hairballs…” She paused, rubbing her chin. “Well… maybe I’m being a bit too harsh on Litten. He seems very eager to improve under Ninetales guidance, but I would rather put my faith in a battle-hardened pokemon like you than your friends.” The unicorn took a deep calming breath. “Astra and Emily’s pokemon have years of experience, so no doubt they possess a lot of raw power and sharpened skills. Not to mention that when facing a gigantic beast that grows stronger with each victory and can hit numerous opponents at once, we can’t risk the lives of weaker pokemon while letting him grow stronger.” Pikachu crossed his forepaws and shot Starlight a cheeky raspberry. While his trainer had a big share of strong pokemon in the past, some even stronger than himself, his current team was still small and far from competent. Ace smiled sheepishly, speaking in Starlight’s mind. About that… I fear we won’t get any reinforcements from Equestria anytime soon. “What?” Starlight stomped, turning to face the Alolan Raichu. “What?!” Huffing in aggravation, she muttered, “Let me guess, something has gone wrong with the portal.” Dash peeked into the restaurant and added, “It shrank and shrank until it was gone.” The unicorn merely shook her head. “So my portal only remains stable for a limited time. That’s… unfortunate. Good thing I prepared for this possibility.” Twilight glanced into her bag with supplies, weighing her options as she dug through the items stored inside. Nica kept staring at her own feet while rubbing her chin. Starlight shot Tapu an annoyed glare and asked, “Anything else that has gone wrong that you forgot to mention?” “Yes… there was that one issue with the first beast balls we were given…” Tapu started, but was cut off. “On second thought, I don’t want to know. We already have way too many issues at hoof as it is.” She stepped from her seat and approached Nica, poking her shoulder. “You seem deep in thought. Did you think of something? Anything?” Nica looked at Starlight and nodded. She glanced at Tapu. “It is, but make no mistake, it knows one powerful grass type move it can use to counter any ground type pokemon it come across,” Tapu warned. Nica pointed out. “And how can we defeat it?” Pikachu asked. “You heard it yourself, it can stand on an equal ground against even the most powerful legendary pokemon.” His ears drooped, his voice lacking of the usual confidence. “We are separated from our friends. What can we do on our own?” Nica looked at Pikachu with a firm stare. “Y-yes… that’s true… but I was rarely alone when fighting against them. Ash, his friends, and his pokemon fought beside me and cheered me on.” He flattened his ears against the side of his head. “And this Ultra Beast defeated four Tapu’s and pokemon that belong to Kahunas… And it even managed to kill...” Nica pointed at herself, and then at everyone gathered in the room, before pointing p at the roof where Rainbow was stationed. Pikachu tapped his forepaws together, his smile still hesitant. Nica raised her head proudly and pointed at herself. Pikachu smiled lighty, both at her praising herself and the added boost of confidence it gave him. “I suppose your logic is sound… You may even be more efficient in combat then Solgaleo, and your brother’s techniques have a lot of raw power.> Nica placed her forepaws on her hips and smiled encouragingly. She placed forepaw on Pikachu’s shoulder. “You’re absolutely right.” Pikachu smiled and clenched his forepaws in determination before punching the air. “Bring them on!” Nica stood on the tips of her rear paws and pointed at Twilight and Starlight. She pointed at Ace. Ace said. He smiled at Pikachu and pointed at his collar. Pikachu nodded, giving him the translating collar. Ace pointed at Tapu and said, “I believe the guardian should keep his distance. Not only is he in no condition to fight, but we don’t want ‘Electric Terrain’ to be summoned anywhere near that Ultra Beast. I would prefer its giant discharges to not lay waste to half of the island, thank you very much.” Tapu groaned in aggravation. “As much as I hate to admit it, Ace is correct. But if these ponies’ mystical force can indeed empower you all, you may actually win.” “Excuse me,” Twilight coughed, catching everyone’s attention. “Can some pokemon translate what Nica said? I fear I’m missing a big portion of the plan.” She stepped onto the floor, before looking down at her own hooves. “Has anyone felt that?” Starlight stood up and looked at the floor. “I felt a weak trembling.” Nica jumped from the dining table and started tapping at the floor. “Girls!” Dash shouted while peeking into the restaurant from the higher ground. “You should totally see this!” Ace levitated towards the roof with Pikachu perched on his tail. Twilight left her notes and quill before flying onto the roof with slow flaps of her wings, as to not disturb the papers lying on the table. Starlight arrived at the roof with the help of a quick teleportation. Nica jumped towards the roof with a weak leap. Tapu flew towards the roof, joining the gathered group. Twilight’s eyes become wide and her wings drooped. Starlight gulped as sweat fell down her face. Ace and Pikachu’s jaws and ears drooped. Dash kept staring with a firm glare, putting on a war-face in an attempt to hide any sign of fear. Nica looked at the rest of the group in worry. Their attention was now focused on a titanic being on top of the mountain. Twilight examined the topography. It quickly became obvious to her that the city was built at the edge of a mountain, which was completely swamped by a sea of trees. One kilometer height, give or take a hundred meters. A few odd areas made of crushed trees caught her attention, while the top of the mountain was bare and devoid of life, no doubt a result of the fight between the Tapus and the Ultra Beast. She gazed up, spotting the hunched over Ultra Beast at the top of the mountain. Gasping, she watched as it rose to its full height. Its head was similar to a 3-D white, star and it seemed to have a bunch of cables attached to it. The cords snaked down and formed legs, arms and a tail, that were held together by white bands, each taller than a skyscraper. No, taller than that. Sweet Celestia, this creature is over a hundred meters tall… It’s even bigger than an Ursa Major! We’re royally screwed. She couldn’t help but think back to the Ursa Minor she barely managed to subdue, when she first moved to Ponyville. If I couldn’t even take care of a creature like that with ease, what chance to I have against a massive threat like this? I can’t be the weak link, the creatures of this world need me! Taking deep breaths, she calmed herself. No. That was years ago, when I was fresh out of Celestia’s school. I’ve learned and grown stronger, even managing to defeat Tirek and Discord. Her wings fluttered at her sides. I’ve earned my place as an alicorn and a princess and with my friends by my side, I know… She froze, when she recalled she was alone. There was no Applejack, no Pinkie, no Rarity, and no Fluttershy by her side. Even Rainbow Dash was busy fluttering around behind her, eyes locked on the massive creature before them. Her wings began to droop until she really observed her surroundings and spotted the creatures’ around her. She had the kind and ever loving Nica, who wouldn’t hurt a fly along with her eager brother. She had Pikachu, determined to never give up and the mysterious guardian, who was willing to point them in the right direction. Even Starlight and Rainbow Dash were still here, right by her side. Even if they weren’t her first, she still had friends that would work with her until the end. She grinned, until a massive tremor shook her out of her daydreaming. The gigantic creature took its first step down the mountain after half a minute, crushing several trees with a single stomp. Twilight’s ears drooped while sweat fell down her face. There’s no way I can open another portal before it reaches us. She gulped while her face began to show signs of the panic she was working so hard to restrain. She turned around and pressed her muzzle against Ace’s nose. “If Nica’s plan can get us out of this mess, translate it to me immediately!” Pikachu closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the empowering rush of magic. The last time I was enhanced with magic, it was meant to help me fight Nica on an equal footing, but this time it will be different. He felt Nica’s bigger left forepaw wrap around his right paw and give a loving squeeze as they held each other, both seeking comfort, trust and courage in the other’s company. This time I will fight alongside her, facing what seems to be the greatest and largest challenge of my life. Peeking open his eyes, he snuck a glance to the side, smiling at Nica’s determined expression. Thank goodness Nica’s on my side. He felt Ace’s forepaw hold his left paw with a way stronger grip. Feeling his tight hold alone told him that Nica’s brother was scared, not looking forward to the battle ahead. Ace is certainly less brave and experienced than Nica and I, often relying on terrain and type advantages in battle. Even with that though, he’s nice, creative and fun to be around. I trust he’ll pull his weight. In fact, he has what it takes to do the greatest damage to the Ultra Beast of all of us. Pikachu grit his teeth and his ears drooped as the two ponies magic rushed over him. He tightened his grip over the forepaws of the two friendly Raichu while the spell bolted through him, sending an exhilarating spark through his blood and bones. As the magic was established, he opened his eyes and smiled, once again feeling a great sense of strength as his body was coated by a mix of a blue and lavender aura. Turning his determined gaze to the forest before him, he watched the gigantic creature stalk towards the city, only a few steps away as it neared its destination. The earth trembled from the beast’s massive steps. Feeling something poke his right leg, Pikachu looked down and noticed a cracked brick which fell from a nearby damaged building. Curious, he raised his rear leg before descending his tiny foot against the brick, crushing it with a single stomp. Yep, way stronger. Pikachu glanced to both sides, nodding at the befriended Raichu who were coated in a layer of the magical aura as well. He released their forepaws and said, “I have trust in your plan, Nica. It will be hard, but we’ll overcome it, together!” He stepped onto a free space on Ace’s tail, who in turn grabbed Nica by wrapping his paws around her belly. “Let’s do this!” > Ch.2 - Ultra Giant - Pt.2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Little Adventure in Alola - Chapter 2 - Ultra Giant - Pt.2 Ace darted up into the sky, causing both Pikachu and Nica to gasp as they were thrust upwards. Narrowing his eyes, the Alolan Raichu pushed himself forwards and was forced to travel at an angle to match the mountain’s slope. Pikachu held the sides of Ace’s belly. He grit his teeth, struggling to maintain balance, before turning his gaze back to the massive Ultra Beast. Fighting against a larger opponent wasn’t new to him due to how small he was, even in comparison to his trainer, but this time the size difference was like nothing he had ever experienced. One mere look at the Ultra Beast he was about to fight made him feel insignificant, like he was nothing more than a tiny bug to the massive creature. They hadn’t even reached their opponent and it already hogged most of his field of view. He glanced at the crumbling city behind him for a moment. In order to save what was left of it, they needed to lure the beast away and towards the sea.