As the sun slowly dipped towards the horizon, the forest was all but silent. No insects were chirping, no birds were singing. Even the grunts of Team Flare were in a sober, nervous mood as they looked out into the lengthening shadows. Only a slight breeze was blowing, rustling the leaves and causing most humans to cling ever tighter to one another and their Pokémon. Eyes darted this way and that, searching uneasily for the slightest sign of the enemy or indeed anyone at all. But, at that moment, the woodlands seemed to them to be entirely lifeless.
Celosia sat atop her vehicle with her arms folded, a sour expression on her face. Right then she wished for all the world that she had brought perfume, or at least a Pokémon that knew Sweet Scent. The rancid fumes of the Stunky refused to leave her clothing or her skin, and she knew she would have to scrub herself for hours after her return to headquarters. The outfit, she sulkily noted, would probably have to be burned. Nothing ruined a triumphant return quite like reeking to high heaven.
When the sun was almost halfway over the world’s edge, the scientist was roused from her bitter musings by an intruding noise. The leaves above her rustled, far more insistently than before, and she instantly looked up. Switching her visor to seek body heat, she peered through the branches and smirked triumphantly.
A dark equine shape emerged from amidst the green, standing tall and proud atop a thick oak limb. She gazed down at the mixed humans and Pokémon with an expression so hard it might as well have been carved from granite. Several of both flinched away as her gaze swept over them, not daring to meet her hateful blue eyes. For her part Celosia only grinned, stepping easily down from where she sat and striding forwards without an apparent care in the world.
“Princess!” she called up with a friendly wave. “How good of you to grace us lowly commoners with your presence! I’m Celosia, your humble host for the evening. Won’t you come down and join us?”
Luna said nothing in response to the taunts, though if anything her grimace seemed to grow even more intense.
“Not one for pleasantries, eh?” Celosia shrugged. “Fine, if you insist. Straight to business.” She reached into a pouch on her belt, extracting a Dark Ball. “Tell you what. Before we begin, I’m prepared to make you an offer. These Pokémon I’ve caught from the wild, from amidst your friends, they don’t mean anything to Team Flare. The only reason we’re here at all is for you. So, I’ll offer you a deal. Allow me to catch you with one of these right now, and you have my word on the honor of Team Flare that I’ll release every single other Pokémon we have in a Dark Ball right here this very instant.” She put a hand to her heart. “And just because I’m a such a sweetheart, we’ll leave this forest and never return. You saw how little we’re suited for it.” She smiled. “So, what do you say?”
The dark alicorn stared down at her with an utterly unchanged expression, not a single word passing from her lips. Blue eyes stared down purple visor, but in the end neither flinched. Instead, the princess leapt from the branch, gliding smoothly to the forest floor. She kept her gaze firmly locked on the purple haired woman, flared her wings, and pawed meaningfully at the earth.
“You’re choosing to resist?” Celosia grinned, then reached for two Poke Balls. “Go, Drapion and Manectric!”
Both red and white orbs burst open in her hands, releasing two Pokémon in bursts of silvery light. One was a purple scorpion with a pincered tail that came up to the scientist’s chest, the other her ever-faithful blue and yellow hound. Both stared down their foe fearlessly, Drapion flexing its claws, Manectric showing her fangs. For her part, Luna seemed to be undaunted.
“Now Manectric,” Celosia pulled back her sleeve and touched the rainbow gem with two fingers, “unleash your Mega Evolution energy!”
Manectric threw back her head and howled to the sky, exposing the silver collar with a gemstone now blazing bright. An orb of rainbow energy enveloped her, and for the first time the alicorn’s expression changed. Her eyes widened as the sphere shattered a moment later, revealing a Pokémon transformed. Now considerably larger, Manectric’s yellow fur enveloped the whole of her back, jutting up in great spikes so charged with electricity one could spot sparks dancing across them. A pair of yellow horns framed her head, and she pawed at the ground and snarled right back at the princess.
A tense moment passed as both sides stared one another down across the forest floor. Luna’s eyes drifted from Manectric to Drapion and back again, her ears twitching. The Flare grunts spoke to one another in awed whispers, pointing alternatively to their leader and her Pokémon. For her part Celosia had her hands on her hips and a genuine smile on her face, very pleased to have gotten it just right on her very first try.
The standoff was broken in a fraction of a second, when the princess reared up, flared her wings, and fired a beam of black-purple energy from her horn straight at Manectric.
“Quick Manectric,” Celosia ordered with a smile, “you use Light Screen!”
Manectric’s eyes shone bright, enveloping itself, Drapion, and their trainer in a thin rainbow-colored aura. It didn’t stop the Dark Pulse, though. Luna’s move swept over the hound, detonating in an explosion of dark energy that momentarily consumed the scientist’s Pokémon. Yet, when the smoke cleared away a moment later, Manectric appeared to be all but unharmed.
“Sorry,” her smile widened, the rainbow sheen enveloping her causing her to glow in the fading light, “but Light Screen cuts the power of all Special moves by half against my team. Hope that’s not going to be a problem for you.”
Luna tensed and bared her teeth.
“Alright, enough playing around!” Celosia put her hands on her hips. “Manectric, use Thunderbolt! Drapion, use Sludge Bomb!”
Immediately, without having to charge at all, Manectric unleashed a lightning bolt just as thick as she herself was. Drapion reared back its head and spat globs of toxic goo. The alicorn sprang into the air just before the attacks struck home. They seared the back, while Luna pulled back her head and fired off a white-pink ball of energy at the scorpion.
“Leap into the air and use Cross Poison!” Celosia pointed.
Drapion jumped with surprising speed for its size, dodging the attack, which struck the earth with the force of a meteor. It flew at Luna, pincers dripping with purple venom. In response she only flew higher towards the forest canopy, far above Drapion’s snapping claws. As Celosia’s Pokémon back descending, she suddenly stopped flapping her wings. Luna plummeted almost directly on top of Drapion, all four hooves aglow. The scorpion landed on its feet, only to be immediately crushed into the dirt by the force of her impact.
“Throw her off!” its mistress clenched a fist. “Cross Poison!”
Drapion wasn’t done, not by a mile. Its pincered tail grabbed for the alicorn, who scrambled hurriedly off its back. The claw caught her own tail, ripping out a chunk of the glittering starlight hair. The scorpion surged to its feet and slashed with both claws. Luna backpedaled, but not fast enough, and took a twin strike across the chest. She made her first sound that battle as she cried out in pain. She staggered back a step, but as Drapion lunged for her neck brought up a shining silver hoof. The move struck the Flare Pokémon right between the eyes, the sheer force throwing it onto its back several yards distant.
“Get in there, Manectric! Thunder Wave!”
Luna leapt again as a trio of electrical rings struck out for her position, gaining altitude quickly.
“Drapion, Sludge Bomb!”
The scorpion winced but rose to its feet again and launched another round of poisonous projectiles skywards. The princess’ wings carried her swiftly ahead of the toxic sludge, but it was a close thing. Manectric stared skywards with orange eyes narrowed, settled into a hunting crouch.
“Thunderbolt, now!” Celosia suddenly snapped.
Manectric hurled another lightning bolt up, aimed just a fraction ahead of the alicorn. This time it caught her perfectly, lighting up the darkening forest with flashes of her skeleton. After a few seconds it was over, but Luna was already falling to the ground. She impacted with a painful-sounding thud, kicking up dirt and dead leaves.
“Lock her down with Thunder Wave!”
A soothing silvery light was already enveloping the dark alicorn’s body as she rose to her hooves, cuts across her chest quickly closing up. But she wasn’t back up quickly enough to dodge the electrical rings this time. Her body crackled with electricity and, though her expression showed no pain, her muscles were visibly seizing up. She tried to open her wings again, but they sparkled and froze up barely an inch from her flanks.
“No flying away now,” Celosia wagged a finger. “You’re stuck on the ground just like us mere mortals. Manectric, finish her off with another Thunderbolt!”
“Triiic!” Manectric howled, as she immediately launched another rapid-fire lightning strike at her foe.
This time Luna’s horn came alive with more dark energies, and a beam of purple-black rings rushed out. The two attacks met in the middle, contending with one another for a brief instant, before exploding in a spectacular fashion. Luna and Manectric alike flinched away from the blast with eyes slammed shut, Drapion and Celosia covered their faces with their arms. A moment later the flash was gone, and the forest returned to the dim dusk light.
“Drapion, she’s not going anywhere now!” Celosia made a fist again. “Tear her apart with Cross Poison!”
The purple scorpion snarled and barreled right at the alicorn, razor-sharp claws once more coated with venom. Luna reared back her head and fired off another pink-white sphere, which burst into a blinding flare across the rainbow energy on Drapion’s chest. The great scorpion flinched momentarily, but the very next second continued its headlong charge. There was no way for the princess to dodge this time, and before she could take more than a handful of steps Celosia’s Pokémon was on her. Seizing Luna by her neck and her belly, Drapion lifted her high above its own head, poison-drenched pincers squeezing hard on dark flesh.
“That’s it!” Celosia cheered. “Take her down!”
Drapion roared its approval and clamped down all the harder, drawing deep red blood. Luna’s face was a mask of pain and fury, but she didn’t cry out. Instead, while the scorpion was doing its best to squeeze the life from her, she smashed it in the face with a glowing silver forehoof. Drapion staggered, eyes shut tight, and the pressure loosened marginally.
Luna didn’t stop there, hitting Celosia’s Pokémon in the head again with her other front hoof. And then she hit it a third time, then a fourth. Drapion lost its grip on the princess and toppled over sideways with her still atop it. The alicorn didn’t let up for a moment, pounding mercilessly on the downed scorpion with two glowing hooves and a naked expression of pure hatred.
Quietly, without saying a word, Celosia reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a small black-grey orb. She hit a button and it doubled in size. While the princess was occupied whaling on Drapion, the scientist tossed a Dark Ball straight at her. But Luna’s ears pricked up all the same, and her head whirled about with a surprising speed. A Dark Pulse all but vaporized the sinister ball before it could get anywhere near her.
“You’re annoyingly persistent,” Celosia grumbled before holding out a normal Poke Ball. “Drapion, return!”
The purple scorpion disappeared back into its ball in a stream of red light, leaving Luna to hit the ground roughly. More silver light encased her body, healing some of her wounds and lending her fresh vigor. She took a few steps forward but winced and froze up as more electricity danced across her fur.
“You did well, Drapion.” Celosia said to the Poke Ball in her hand. “Take it easy now, and we’ll make sure you get fixed up when we get back to base.” She looked away. “Manectric?”
“Manectric!” her Pokémon barked, pawing the ground eagerly.
“It’s all up to you now!” Celosia pointed. “Take her highness down a peg with Thunderbolt!”
Manectric howled and fired off yet another bolt of lightning. Luna raised her head again, horn surrounded with dark energy, but sparks crackled on her body and she found herself entirely frozen for a critical sound. The full force of the attack took her head on, and she was flung backwards into tree hard enough to put a noticeable indent into the wood. Smoking and sparking, she tumbled down to the ground.
Celosia grinned for a moment, but the smile faded when still more silver energy encased Luna. The smoke faded away and charred flesh mended once again, and the alicorn stood back up to face the hound.
“How many times can you even use Moonlight?” the scientist grumbled, before shaking her head. “But you’re only prolonging the inevitable! Manectric!”
“Tric!”
“Use your-”
Another pink-white sphere took shape before Luna and launched itself immediately at the hound.
“Scratch that, jump over it and use Thunderbolt!”
Manectric leapt nimbly into the air, allowing Moonblast to destroy the patch of dirt where she had been standing instead. Mid-leap she unleashed more electricity, which shot down to be met with dark energy. Both attacks exploded against one another once again, and Manectric landed smoothly on her paws.
“Just give up!” Celosia told her. “You can’t run and Manectric is safe behind Light Screen! You’re done!”
“Na,” Luna spat.
“Have it your own way. Manectric, use Flamethrower on that tree!”
Her hound Pokémon opened her jaws wide and spat red-hot flames. Luna froze momentarily again as Thunder Wave’s effects were felt, and the fire caught the old redwood all across the trunk. Smoke began to rise almost immediately, still-living wood blackening rapidly.
“That’s the way! Now box her in with a Flamethrower on the ground around her!”
Manectric opened her jaws again, more fire dancing at the back of her throat.
“Are you crazy?!” one of the previously quiet Flare grunts worked up the courage to say. “If you start a forest fire this deep we’ll all go up in smoke!”
Celosia paused for a moment, seemingly torn. Then she shook her head and waved a hand.
“Alright, forget the Flamethrower! Use another Thunderbolt instead!”
Manectric’s fire died away and instead she shot at Luna with more electricity. This time the alicorn managed to throw herself to the side, and the lightning struck the earth in a titanic explosion. Dirt and pieces of root rained down across the battlefield. The alicorn immediately followed up with another beam of dark energy, which raked across Manectric before she had time to dodge. While the explosion was suitably impressive, when the smoke cleared once again little real harm appeared to have been done.
“You can’t beat Manectric through Light Screen with special attacks,” Celosia smirked. “And we know better than to get close to you again.”
“Manec!” the Pokémon nodded.
“So just give up already,” she continued as the still-burning redwood began to sag slightly. “Because I’m so nice I’ll even offer you the same deal as at the start. Let yourself be captured and I’ll let all your little friends go.”
Luna’s only reply was a strangled hiss, cut off halfway as paralysis again froze her for a moment.
“Alright,” Celosia beckoned to her grunts. “You idiots make yourselves useful and contain the blaze. Manectric, light her up with Thunderbolt!”
Flare grunts rushed forward, giving the princess an extremely wide berth, as Manectric continued her electrical assault. Luna ignored the humans and returned fire with an energy sphere. Both attacks clashed, but this time the sheer magnitude of the lightning dispersed Moonblast and forced its way through. The princess’ bones were once again momentarily visible, and even the struggling humans winced at her anguished wail.
Smoking, yellow electricity leaping across her fur, the dark alicorn swayed for a moment, then collapsed.
Manectric howled triumphantly, and Celosia allowed herself a brief chuckle. She pulled another Dark Ball from her belt and spun it nimbly on one finger. Behind her, those men and women not engaged in amateur firefighting cheered. Manectric raised her muzzle to the heavens and gave another howl.
That was when Moonblast took her in the face.
The impact of the fey energy was immense and, Light Screen or no, the hound Pokémon was thrown backwards. She hit her trainer hard, bowling both over. As they lay there in a sprawled heap, Luna’s horn unleashed another Dark Pulse almost directly away from them. It raked across the base of the flaming redwood, pulverizing the earth and all but disintegrating many of its remaining roots. With a tremendous groan, the towering tree finally gave in and toppled.
Manectric shook her head, far more used to taking a beating than her trainer, and stood back up. She looked behind her, and orange eyes widened at the sight of several thousand pounds of burning wood crashing down on them like a mace from the heavens. Celosia was just managing to sit up when she was tackled roughly by her own Pokémon and sent flying. Manectric immediately darted towards her mistress with all her own not inconsiderable speed. She was a fraction of a second too slow.
While the titanic, half-black trunk missed the yellow-blue canine, she was treated to a flaming, falling branch twice as thick as her own body. The once-majestic redwood crashed into the forest floor with all the force of an earthquake, knocking several humans and Pokémon from their feet. Leaves and ash rained down throughout the area, while those with the presence of mind to do so rushed to prevent the smoldering fire from spreading any further.
“Manectric!” Celosia cried out, crawling straight for the collapsed tree despite the heat. “Are you alright?!”
“Manec…” Manetric’s head and front paws were sticking out from beneath the burning branch. “Triiic…”
As her trainer got closer, the Pokémon’s eyes screwed up against the pain. Before Celosia could reach her, Manectric gave a low moan and her head slumped over. Rainbow energy encased her once again, only to disperse a moment later. She lay there unmoving, breaths ragged, in her normal form as Celosia hurriedly fumbled for a Poke Ball.
“Return right now!” the purple haired woman called, a beam of red energy dissolving her Pokémon’s body.
Celosia stared blankly at the red and white orb, while all around her her subordinates were scurrying to dampen the blaze with their own Pokémon or whatever else was to hand. Her gaze slowly swept out to fall on Luna, now back on her hooves but still sparking and sweating. The princess returned her gaze, and for a little while blue eyes and purple visor smet one another in silence. The scientist’s expression was unreadable as she stared back and forth between Manectric’s ball and the panting, paralyzed princess. Slowly, she climbed back onto her feet.
“Ma’am?” one of her grunts asked quietly. “Now what?”
“We are so lame…” Celosia muttered under her breath.
“Ma’am?” another said.
“Now…” Celosia sighed, then turned to her grunts and waved a hand. “Now we live up to our end.”
Luna let out a slight gasp.
“I’m a woman of my word,” she continued. “Open every Dark Ball we have and let out the Pokémon stored inside.”
The men and women of Team Flare looked shocked and disconcerted by the order, muttering to one another in hushed tones. But when Celosia crossed her arms and began impatiently tapping one foot, old instincts took over. Flashes of dark energy flared up throughout the surrounding woods, numerous species of dead-eyed Pokémon appearing on the scene. The scientist stared at them, the same impassive expression on her face, then turned back around to face the alicorn.
“As I promised, they’ll all be free to go,” she sighed. “I don’t like it but I won’t violate our agreement.”
“Lu luna?”
“Yes, I really mean it.”
A moment passed. The dying flames crackled.
“Psych!” a cruel smile appeared on Celosia’s face. “Did you really think I’d let you spit in Team Flare’s face like that? All of you!” she leveled her finger at Luna. “Avenge my Pokémon’s pain! Take her down right now!”
Saw that one coming a mile away. Hopefully Luna's army was watching "in case" Celosia broke her side of the deal.
That guy is panicked enough to repeat himself.
I don't know why, but I think it would be hilarious if Celosia glanced over at the grunts only to see them smashing their dark balls.
Sigh...God Dammit, Celosia. Your ONE CHANCE at decency, and you throw it away.
Don’t feel sorry for her now, no matter what happens.
Hopefully Luna wasn’t foolish enough to actually expect them to honor the deal and she has a plan
9078274
When you truly believe you are saving the world, you don't care about keeping to your words. Its not ¨not being decent¨, its being smart.
Edit: One way she could be ¨more decent¨ thought, is by still releasing them and returning to the base with just Luna, still it would be risky.
9078278
It’s just too bad that her ‘smartness’ will KILL any mercy that Luna or the others could’ve felt for her if/when she’s defeated.
Yeah I saw a mile away she wouldn't respect her words. Well at least not by twisting them a notch as she did.
I hope Luna has some Backup nearby, I would think that some Legendary Pokemon should have sensed her and the other Alicorns arrive in Poke-Earth and should be watching her, heck it would be cool if Mewtwo, the first one Ash met when he was 10 years old, would show up to rescue Luna from Team Flare, AKA Team Bad-Fashion.
9078287
What other choice did she have? Surrender? If she did, All it would do is open Team Flare's base to an attack by Luna's army (she woudn't just tell herself ¨well she is nice¨ and let her organisation continue their plans would she?), strategically suicidal.
Better fight now, than lose an entire battalion worth of pokemons, let the enemy gain said bataillon, and then let their powerful leader heal, and to top all that, make the next fight happen at their main base, wich, even if they (Team Flare) win, could damage the Ultimate Weapon.
And even all that is assuming Luna would let the Flare Grunts go instead of taking them prisoners or worse.
Manectric’s eyes shown bright, enveloping itself
and forced its way through The princess’ bones were once
Manectric shook her, far more used to taking a beating than her trainer
1. Shone.
2. Forgot your fullstop.
3. Shook her... Head?
C'mon... expecting a Big Damn Hero moment anytime now... Or maybe an ambush.
Damn, I actually thought she was smart for a second. If she actually lived up to her bargain, she would have conceivably been able to use the same trick again. Meanwhile, we have no idea where the rest of Luna's army is. My money is on them running amuck in Flares HQ.
Celosia, keep going like this and you won't see the sunrise... Yes, all of you and Team Flare goons, keep your eyes centered on Luna...
Goddammit. That Celosia wouldn't keep to her word was predictable as hell. Hopefully Luna saw it was for ruse it was as well, and intructed her flyers/diggers to be waiting just out of sight and sound of Team Flare. Nice chapter.
The princesses are seriously hampered being stuck to their typings, if they had the full width of their power, they'd be incredibly strong, flying, electric (pegasi), ground (earth), psychic, and then further typings based on magical abilities. Still, good to see Luna can still put down when she needs too.
9078293
Ash is still 10 years old
“So, I’ll offer you a deal. Allow me to catch you with one of these right now, and you have my word on the honor of Team Flare that I’ll release every single other Pokémon we have in a Dark Ball right here this very instant.”
Celosia never said she would release them if Luna won, she said she'd release them if Luna came willingly.
You might want to correct that.
9078311
What trick?
9078454
Last chapter, she had told a Spearow to have Luna meet her, woman to alien, and if Luna won, she'd release all the pokemon they had captured in dark balls.
And here I thought Luna was gonna be captured.
This was a much better outcome. That is, until I read the ending. Looks like Round 2's about to begin
9078439
I call Bullshit on that, each region takes a year while the Orange Islands and the Kanto Battle Frontier took 6 months each to finish, so by Kalos then Ash should be 16 or 17 years old.
9078454
Yes she did. Last chapter:
9078311
It's not like she can just turn around and slink back to base. As Lysandre said, it's her last chance to prove her competence in this important matter or else be stripped of rank and status and be reduced to the lowliest of grunt work. Not to mention she doesn't want to in the first place - her pride has been wounded too badly.
9078539
Yeah, i know. He looks older as the show progressed through a couple styles
The show still puts him as like 10 or 11 for some reason and I couldnt resist saying that "joke"
You know something I am curious about, we seen the Legendary of Life in this story and all that. But I wonder if the Legendary of Destruction ,or Death depending on how you want to interpret it, is gonna show up. Generally when you mess with one part of a Legendary group the other parts react, since the whole `balance is broken` thing happens.
Just a random thought in my head now, now regarding Celosia breaking her word. Well I'm going to let Iago take this one....
tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.-Qrjw1SGAmkcEKUviGc5bgAAAA&pid=Api
9078539
9078564
Ash has been ten years old for the last twenty years...for as long as Pokemon has been a thing, Ash has been ten years old...
9077700 well since this is the anime and not the games dodging comes into play as does terrain advantages and objects at the location, and if Luna attacks Celesoia instead of manectric. Also indirect attacks, remember Twilight beat a dark pokemon by using psybeam to drop a heavy branch on it. I also expect a lot of physical moves don't require knowing it, like horn attack, stomp, bite and tackle.
9078623
Thanks to the show never committing to a real reboot he's some kind of freakish immortal thing, or in the pokemon world the "humans" really are some kind of pokemon that don't age like us and measure years differently.
9078742
Well, you could argue that being petrified and revived in the first movie has had some sort of effect on his aging process.
Alternatively, Poke-years are just really fucking long.
9078755
I always liked the Ho-oh theory, that in episode 1 Ho-oh granted Ash eternal happiness in the form of a never ending pokemon journey. If he ages his journey ends the wish keeps people from noticing that wile they age he doesn't. A creepy kind of immortality when you think of it.
Man she's dumb concentrating on luna so much she hasn't been checking for heat signatures and with that she will become the houndoom alphas tasty vittles. But catching Luna in a darkball might see the reamergance of nightmare moon which could be interesting. The thought of her summoning Luna in front of her boss then Luna smiling at them with razor teeth and destroying her ...... trainer ... and securing her ball so as not to change back to Luna would be quite entertaining. You want a new world you'll get one bathed in eternal night.
9078562
Good point, I forgot she was kind of on her last chance. Really then this was the only thing she could do.
Met
Can't say that ending was unexpected. Nice way to get all the corrupted pokemon out...
Kinda waiting (read: hoping) for Celestia and company to finally arrive and act as the deus ex machina in this scenario, rescuing Luna from a very unpleasant fate. I mean, it's seemed since the introduction of the Dark Balls in this story that Luna was bound to be captured by one eventually; but honestly, the idea puts me off, and not just because it's highly predictable.
I can also see that I am not the only one who had thoughts of Luna's alliance making their own plans and leaping in at the last minute to save their general and their kin in one fell swoop. Honestly I just want Luna to escape somehow, far removed from the suffering that seems destined to follow her... as long as the alternative isn't Celestia or someone else taking her place in a Dark Ball...
I just want the Princesses and their friends and loved ones to be happy!! Okay I'm done. Carry on; come what may, I'll still be here.
9078740
Yes, it's well-established that the anime will contrive any result it wants by hook or by crook (attack the horn!). But the post I was responding to made gamey assumptions like levels being a thing, so it got a gamey answer.
9078742
Funnily enough, this wasn't the case for a very long time. Best Wishes was the first series after the initial one to actually call Ash ten years old. His age wasn't mentioned at all in Johto, Advanced, DP, or Battle Frontier.
9078293
Mewtwo or the time and space Legendaries Palkia and Dialga and Giratina would most likely be. I like to see and holding unto hope Keldeo and Swords of Justice, but it's highly unlikely.
Hopefully, Luna has a plan and have backup to ambush the Flare goons.
9079470
I think the first Mewtwo would be best to show up and destroy all the Dark Balls those Team Fashion Disasters have, after all that is FORMER Team Rocket Tech and Mewtwo would like to see that kind of Tech destroyed once and for all.
907927 minimum age to become a trainer was and Ash has several birthdays, so really they never told as he hadn't aged. Once said he was ten when he clearly wasn't everything gets all screwy. It is of course the fault of the writers who reference past events that couldn't have happen if Ash was just ten. Comics are notorious for the writer induced plot hole, Ash happens to have got a plot grand canyon in his life.
9079243
This.
And it hasn't happened yet, so hope springs. The constant threat of it makes for some good tension.
9079622
Yeah, as a story device the buildup of suspension ain't half bad. But also, that very sense of suspense is making me anxious, as much as any unpleasant happening in a story is bound to make me...
So yeah, well written, I suppose, but makes me anxious as all hell.
9079790
With the ending as it is, it seems more likely that she'd be killed before getting caught. I mean, a whole bunch of dark balled pokemon just got ordered to "take her down". Will they stop at unconsciousness? ... Ehh, sorry if I made you more anxious. I'm not too worried about that outcome, but it and derivations of it are technically on the table.
9079864
I suppose you aren't wrong, especially given what happened "off-screen" in the chapter before, right at the end! But it seems unlikely at this point.
Also it'd just be really nice to see someone (especially Celestia) rain unholy retribution on the offenders in this situation, to make up for the hells of suffering that they've caused so far.
9079919
I totally agree with that sentiment.
This has been quite a long streak of regular and rapid updates. Also, each chapter steadily advances the plot without getting either overly expositional or trivial. Great going, and I hope you can keep it up.
Looking back over the word counts of the chapters, I'm guessing you really love writing a good fight.
9078834
Luna in a darkball won't necessarily be turned into Nightmare Moon.
And then a scratchy, youthful voice shouted above the din of battle: "I won't let you hurt Luna any longer!"
9080238
Go Pikachu use thunderbolt
9080154
I know but it'd be interesting as a way for the bad guy to learn his actions have consequences in typical Pokemon fashion. Bad guys a bad guy but hes not that bad a guy just got to change his perspective by introducing something truly bad that makes him see he was wrong and nightmare moon getting hold of a device that could change the world would be interesting.
9080325
I'd personally prefer Luna not turning into Nightmare Moon just because it's evil.
9080280
From the show he uses quick attack followed by iron tail and volt tackle alot lately I swear only time he uses thunderbolt nowadays is to make team rocket blast off again scenarios ... in the beggining first few seasons thunderbolt was his goto skill but it seems after season 5-6 he uses those listed but now that he has electroball hes starting to use volt tackle less and less. So he went from long range to close range to medium range throughout the series it fells like.