"Spiritomb!"
The Forbidden Pokemon bellowed at Princess Celestia with a bone-chilling cry.
But Celestia was not phased by it in the slightest.
After her encounter with Ghetsis, The Storm Behemoth and even the near destruction of both worlds due to her own Pokemon, Spiritomb isn't that terrifying to her. Not even a bit. She stood in the face of imminent danger that could also result in her own spirit being taken away from her.
"Passion! Fire off some plasma once more! Arcanine! Add Flamethrower onto it!"
"Kirlia!" Passion put both Thunderbolt and Mystical Fire into one, creating the unison of plasma whilst Arcanine held his breath in. Both Pokemon sent out ranged attacks full of blazing heat that roared their way towards Spiritomb.
"Spirit! Spiritomb had put a Protect, shielding itself from a devastating combination of moves such as that with a purple and green shield. Placing the shield away, Spiritomb had then sent black tendrils in the form of Lash Out that roared through the sky.
"Burn it away! Use Flare Blitz, Arcanine!"
"Arcanine!" Arcanine surrounded himself in a raging sphere of fire, forcefully rocketing himself forward as if he was being launched from the ground itself. The flames of Flare Blitz were strong enough to burn away the black tendrils, causing the Legendary Pokemon to smash its blazing body into Spiritomb.
"Tomb!" Returning the favour, the Forbidden Pokemon caused a mighty shockwave with the move Frustration. Its body puffed up a deep red, causing Arcanine to be sent back, giving it time to gain some space.
If there wasn't a second Pokemon present here. Passion had been ordered by Celestia to throw repeated plasma bolts at Spiritomb, continuously shocking and burning it at the same time.
With each throw, Passion had dealt heavy damage to the Forbidden Pokemon over time. Plasma was proving to be much more effective then Fire and Electric. But then again, it is both of them combined into one.
Spiritomb, feeling obviously irritated, used its surroundings to its advantage. The Forbidden Pokemon sent itself into the shadows, throwing Celestia off guard for a bit.
Keyword being a bit.
Celestia knew how to handle shadows. She concentrated her magic into her horn, letting out a golden flash of light that was bright enough to affect even Spirtomb. The Dark-Ghost-Type was forced out of the ground, revealing itself to Celestia.
"Right where I want you!" Celestia had a go in attacking next, shooting a dazzling beam of magic towards Spiritomb.
The Forbidden Pokemon contorted its body, causing Celestia's magic to just simply pass by it. Spiritomb had used the shadows once more, this time, hiding in shadows that are further away from Celestia. Mostly tight spaces of Canterlot buildings.
This time, Celestia's magic couldn't really reach it since it was in such a tight space. But that didn't stop her from tracking Spiritomb down. She saw the Forbidden Pokemon sneak itself in Canterlot Castle, knowing that it was off to absorb more spirits in order to reach its full potential. Celestia knows that if she can flash a golden light powerful enough, it'll bring the Forbidden Pokemon out.
"Arcanine. Head inside Canterlot. Passion. Come with me."
"Canine!"
"Princess Celestia's so cool!" Sunrise squeed.
"But, where'd Spiritomb go?" Sapphire Flash shifted her eyes across the area, unable to spot the Forbidden Pokemon.
Just then, Celestia had sent herself inside of the classroom, here to warn Hollow and the students.
"It's not safe to be indoors right now. Everypony out!" Celestia ordered as the foals rightfully made a run for it, not wanting to be apart of a Ghost-Types spirit count at all. "Hollow. Do you have a Fairy-Type with you at the moment by any chance?"
"Right here in the form of my Mimikyu." Hollow held up the Disguise Pokemon.
"Mikyu! The Ghost-Fairy responded.
"Excellent. Now, cover your eyes!" Celestia said that due to the fact that she was about to let out a blinding flash of light. Hollow covered both his Mimikyu and his own eyes in order to avoid being blinded by the flash.
A golden flash spread across the indoors of Canterlot, moving across the castle as if it was wildfire spreading. The light even shined through the windows, reflecting off every window present. At least, the ones that were still intact.
The flash of light had obviously reached Spiritomb since it was large enough to catch every shadow there was. Didn't matter if Spiritomb hid in the darkest corners. Celestia's magic was just that bright. Once it hit the shadow of Spiritomb, the Forbidden Pokemon let out an eerie yell, giving out its location to Celestia.
And just like she suspected, since the students were the most prominent in Canterlot, even outnumbering the number of guards that were here today, Spiritomb would obviously go for the ones that had the most spirits to steal. The Forbidden Pokemon was seen right outside the door of the classroom, perplexed from the bright flash that came from Celestia's horn.
"Found you! Passion! Paralyze it with Thunderbolt!"
"Kirlia!" The Emotion Pokemon with all her might sent a concentrated Thunderbolt that was focused on both damaging and paralyzing the Forbidden Pokemon.
Spiritomb, who was still recovering from the light, had been hit with 100,000 volts of electricity, causing yet another scream with the sound of multiple spirits echoing out.
"Now, Hollow! Subdue it!" Celestia pointed her hoof at Spiritomb.
"Oh, right! Mimikyu! Play Rough!" Hollow commanded.
"Mimi!" The Disguise Pokemon, in all its terrifying glory, jumped towards Spiritomb with its black claw sticking out of its dirty rag. Spiritomb had been cloaked with a heavy and thick white smoke surrounded by stars as it had been pulled into Mimikyu's body.
Mimikyu had grabbed Spiritomb with a fierce grip, hitting it multiple times with the mysterious claw it had inside of its even more mysterious body that is still a mystery to this day. The sounds of struggling could be heard as Mimikyu was doing its very best to keep the Forbidden Pokemon contained.
"Kyu!" Mimikyu had succeeded as its claw had finished pummeling Spiritomb, tossing it aside like a ragdoll.
"Yes! Nice work, Mimikyu! Now use Play Rough once more!"
"Mimikyu!" A second go was made. If Play Rough it a second time, then it'll surely deal wonderful damage to Spiritomb.
However, one thing they should take into consideration is that this particular Spiritomb is cunning and a bit of a genius actually. To avoid a second Play Rough, the Forbidden Pokemon once again made itself one with the shadows by using Shadow Sneak this time.
One advantage that Spiritomb had over Mimikyu, which was also an ironic fate, is that Ghost-Types, like Dragon-Types, are Super-effective against each other. The shadow of Spiritomb appeared behind Mimikyu, attacking the Disguise Pokemon.
"Mimi!" Mimikyu's disguise had been broken with its neck breaking and flopping to the side, having itself be launched up into the air by Spiritomb's shadow.
"Mimikyu! Recover and use Play Rough!"
"Passion! Fire Plasma towards it!"
From both sides, Spiritomb had been attacked. But this was an opportunity. A good old fashioned juke will do the trick. Spiritomb had tricked them both by not only twisting its eerie body to avoid the attacks, but at the exact same time, it even used Smokescreen to cause confusion.
Mimikyu couldn't see where Spiritomb was thanks to the Smokescreen as it swung its claw around frantically, hoping to hit something. And it did hit something. But not Spiritomb. Instead, Passion had been hit repeatedly by Mimikyu, taking the force of Play Rough. It's a good thing she's part Fairy or else it would've hurt like crazy.
"Kir!" Passion had been hit out of the Smokescreen, rolling across the floor.
"Mim?" Mimikyu took a moment to realize that it got the wrong Pokemon as Spiritomb was nowhere to be found.
"It got away again?!" Celestia gasped.
"That Spiritomb is unusually crafty... If we just keep chasing it down, it'll continue to find a way to escape." Hollow spoke, placing his hand over his face. "Guess that keystone was keeping it restrained for a good reason."
"There has to be a way to keep it from escaping..." Celestia thought to herself. She quickly shook her head, realizing that Spiritomb was now roaming Canterlot free as a bird. So this wasn't the proper time to stand around thinking. "Hollow. Please help me search for Spiritomb. I'll let out a flashing light every now and then. Make sure you cover your eyes constantly."
"You got it, princess!"
"Mimikyu!"
On the other side of the spectrum, Ash, Twilight and Goh had made their way to Canterlot via Pewter City. Canterlot and Pewter City have connected gateways after all.
The trio gazed their eyes across the streets of Canterlot, noticing that there was a giant crater, shattered windows and small bits of roofs that been blown apart.
"What happened here?" Goh gasped in awe.
"Spiritomb must've done this. Everypony's still indoors, though," said Twilight.
"Pikapi...Pikachu!" Pikachu nudged Ash's shoulder, pointing his tiny little mouse hands over the area where the rest of their friends were resting up. They noticed that Darkrai had the fainted Pokemon safe whilst the ponies tended to their partners. The Shrine Maiden's weren't holding up any better as well.
"Guys!" Ash called out, waving over at them.
"Hm? Ash! You made it! Oh, thank Celestia." Rarity let out a deep sigh.
"What happened? You all look so beat up." Ash asked as he ran over.
"Spiritomb happened...That thing's stupid strong!" Starlight fell on her back.
"Stupid strong is an understatement. That Spiritomb was much more powerful than an ordinary Spiritomb." A Shrine Maiden replied to Starlight.
"My sister's currently giving chase to the Spiritomb at this moment," said Luna. "But I'm not sure that even she can stop Spiritomb. It's far too elusive."
"Well, don't worry! We can still seal it up at the end of the day, right girls?" Twilight squeed.
"About that..." Applejack held her fainted Treecko, knowing the unfortunate truth. "Spiritomb destroyed the keystone."
"It did what?!" Twilight screeched.
"It took it out with the move Explosion. Then it must have used its Ghost-Type traits to phase through its own attack, causing everything but itself to be hit." A maiden explained. "The one thing that could restrain Spiritomb's power and seal it away has been destroyed."
"H-Hey uh...this sounds like a pretty dangerous situation," Goh whispered. "Are we sure that we should be involved in this? I mean...I don't want my spirit to be stolen, ya know."
"Have some faith, Goh. It isn't over yet." Ash crossed his arms, thinking for a moment.
"Right. We have an Aura Guardian here after all. You can seal away Spiritomb, right?" The maiden stood up, looking at Ash.
"Ah, about that. I didn't even know that Aura could do that. I mean, I knew of the tale of an Aura Guardian who sealed away a Spiritomb with his own Pikachu. But they did that by placing Spiritomb's keystone at the tower...which is what Pikachu and I also did."
"Pika."
"What do you mean you don't know how!" Starlight screeched.
"I'm not really a super expert on Aura. I know I have it and I know a little bit about how it works. But other than that, I've got limited knowledge on it."
"Pikachu..."
"That's fine." The maiden shook her head. "As long as you have Aura, we can still overcome this. There is a reason why Aura is considered to be more effective than Fairy magic."
"Why is that?" Twilight asked.
"The travellers who sealed away many Spiritomb in the past all across the world were all Aura Guardians. It was around the time when Aura Guardians were still prominent with a sizable amount of them across every region. They are the ones sealed away most of every Spiritomb that terrorized the land."
"Oooh...These Aura Guardians continue to sound even more impressive the more we learn about them." Twilight gawked.
"If there's one thing most Spiritomb's share in common...they despise wielders of Aura. It's why they have vengeful spirits in the first place. If they even sense a single trainer who was a high amount of Aura, they will not hesitate to attack, even if they are outmatched."
"Oh. Wait a sec..." Ash squinted his eyes, realizing that everypony was staring right at him. "You're gonna use me as bait?!"
"Right you are on that. You're the only one here with an overflowing amount of latent Aura. It must be you that attracts Spiritomb."
"And if we bring it here, we can still separate the spirits from it. Even if we can no longer seal it away. Let's just hope that it hasn't reached 108 yet." Another maiden explained.
"Hmm...I got it. Wouldn't be the first time I've been used as bait."
"Wouldn't be the first time?" Rarity shifted her eyes at Ash, squinting.
"I'll do it! I just have to get close to Spiritomb, right?"
"Right. It can sense who exactly has high amounts of Aura. The Spiritomb seems to have retreated indoors." The maiden pointed up at Canterlot Castle.
The minute she showed Ash the location where Spiritomb could be at, a beam of plasma broke through the walls of the castle, startling them all. That's a pretty good sign that Celestia and Passion found Spiritomb.
Along with the plasma beams came golden flashes that obviously originated from Celestia's horn. And after that, more plasma beams flew out of the castle. The ponies from Hollow's class had run out, safely escaping from the destruction that was gracing Canterlot Castle.
"Oh, I wanna keep watching!" Sunrise lagged behind, desperate to see the action play out.
"Later!" Sapphire used her magic to grab Sunrise dragging him with the foals.
"Looks like Princess Celestia's really hard at work right now." Starlight said. "She's gonna destroy Canterlot before Spiritomb does!"
"Alright! If Celestia's working hard then we'll work hard too! I'll make sure to lure Spiritomb in!"
"Alright. But be careful. That Spiritomb's crafty." Fluttershy warned him.
"I'll say. It's pulled off tricks and stunts that keep on throwing our guard off." Rarity shook her head. She and the others watched as Ash made his way to the scene were the Spiritomb scuffle took place.
The last thing they all saw was Ash turning to the corner whilst a golden flash of light flashed across Canterlot, along with the screams of Spiritomb and the spirits it had stolen. You could even hear some of the royal guards screaming, indicating that their spirits had been stolen by Spiritomb recently.
And what about Spiritomb?
Well, even with Celestia's proving to be much more tenacious than the others along with the help of Hollow, even she was having a hard time dealing with the Forbidden Pokemon's cheap and crafty tactics. Despite how many attacks were thrown at it, Spiritomb just wouldn't go down. That just further shows how much the keystone was holding back this Dark-Ghost-Type. If it wasn't free, a few Fairy-Type hits would've sealed the deal.
"Kirli...Kirlia..." Passion was running out of breath from constantly firing Mystical Fire and Thunderbolt. Not to mention that plasma burns through her magic must faster than anything else.
"Passion. Rest up for now." Celestia could see that her partner was exhausting herself. Attacking any further would just cause her to faint automatically. It was up to Celestia and Arcanine now. And speaking of Arcanine, he had just caught up to his trainer, attacking Spiritomb from behind with a quick and effective Flare Blitz, forcing the Forbidden Pokemon to fly back. However, Flare Blitz being a hard-hitting move meant that it did some recoil to Arcanine himself.
"Arcanine!" Arcanine snarled at Spiritomb, pacing around the Forbidden Pokemon.
"Are you still healthy, Arcanine?"
"Canine!"
"Spiritomb..." Spiritomb was obviously feeling agitated with Celestia. She was proving to be a difficult foe to overcome. Mostly because her golden light could reveal it instantly. And that plasma from Passion really leaves a mark on you. If you could see it on a ghost.
"It feels like this is never-ending." Hollow sighed as his Mimikyu was getting a bit exhausted as well. "Why is this one Spiritomb so persistent?"
"Mimikyu..."
"It isn't over yet. There's still a way we have to defeat it. There has to be." Celestia narrowed her eyes at Spiritomb.
However, like every other Pokemon, minus a few exceptions here and there, Spiritomb was actually running out of steam itself. Despite it being a Ghost, it relies on Infinity Energy like every other Pokemon in existence. As a result, Spiritomb could actually be heard breathing in and out, mostly due to the spirits within it that caused it to perform that.
"It's...getting tired?" Celestia noticed.
"Spiritomb's reaching a fatigued state. Just like every other Pokemon. But our Pokemon are a bit tired too." Hollow explained. "Mimikyu. Can you still continue?"
"Kyu..." Mimikyu was obviously exhausted itself, but it could put in a bit more effort. Arcanine clearly wasn't exhausted at all. Even with all that running and attacking he still had a good amount of energy left within.
"Tomb..." Spiritomb had some tricks in hiding that it would perform just in case things got hairy. Even though it was close to being fatigued, the situation was looking pretty hairy for the Forbidden Pokemon. And yet, it just gave off a smirk, knowing that no matter what, it will always have a move that will guarantee its escape. Plus, it was desperate to get to 108 already. The royal guards it absorbed were so close to achieving that goal.
That's when Spiritomb sensed something. A force that it hoped it would never sense again. "Spirit?!" This familiar force caused the Forbidden Pokemon to shake in fear. From where it hovered, its entire wisp-like body was trembling. Celestia and Hollow raised their eyebrows, wondering what could possibly terrify Spiritomb. Not even Darkrai could terrify it with Dark Void.
What else can terrify a Spiritomb than the one thing that sealed them all away in the first place?
An Aura user.
There stood Ash alongside his partner Pikachu, reaching their destination.
"Found you." Ash spoke.
"Pikachu!"
"Ash! You're here!" Celestia exclaimed. "Wait...is it terrified of Ash?"
"Spirit...Spiritomb..." Spiritomb turned around to see Ash, already sensing the Aura that flowed within its body. The Spiritomb recognized this Aura. In fact, it was similar to the Aura Guardian who sealed it up many years ago, much earlier than 500 years. Precisely 1,000 years ago.
Sir Aaron.
The Hero of Legends who has accomplished many feats that transcend what a human can do, including stopping an entire war.
So Spiritomb was definitely mortified when it recognized that Ash's Aura was strikingly similar to Sir Aaron's. Practically the exact same, just inhabiting a younger body.
"So that's what the rest of Spiritomb looks like without its keystone?" Ash noticed how the lower part of Spiritomb was as sharp as a blade. Much sharper than the sides of Spiritomb.
"Pika..."
"Ash. Do you perhaps know of a way to stop this thing?" Celestia asked.
"I do." Ash held out a Pokeball. "But I'm gonna need the help of this little guy. Come out, Riolu!" Tossing the Pokeball forward had sent out the Emanation Pokemon.
"Rio!"
And there it was. The pre-evolution to the Pokemon that Sir Aaron had beside him. It wasn't a Lucario obviously...yet, but it still brought back memories to Spiritomb that it would rather not remember.
So what shall Spiritomb do know? Will it decide to give up and admit defeat since it was running out of steam and was in the presence of Aura. Or...will it continue to steal spirits and make its getaway?
Obviously, for a Pokemon such as Spiritomb, the second option is the only option that matters. As a result, Spiritomb was about to perform yet another insane stunt. In the form of Explosion once more. And this time, it was indoors.
Ash, Hollow and Celestia gasped, noticing that it was about to perform Explosion once more. And there was nothing they could do to stop it from going off. Well... except for one thing.
Hollow realized that there was one way to stop the move from playing out. He held out a Pokeball, hoping that capturing it would not only stop the Explosion but even put an end to this Spiritomb situation.
"Here goes...Go, Pokeball!" He tossed the Pokeball forward with all his might as it made direct contact with Spiritomb. The red light from the Pokeball pulled the Forbidden Pokemon inside, falling to the floor afterwards. Now for the result.
1...2...
No good.
Spiritomb had broken out of the Pokeball, shattering it into pieces. But the fact that it shook two times was a good sign to them.
"Curses! I thought it would work!" Hollow chided.
"But it almost did! Try again!" Celestia replied.
"Spiritomb!" Hearing that made Spiritomb change up its strategy. The Forbidden Pokemon had used Lash Out to attack them all, scattering black tendrils across the hallway.
"Riolu! Knock them back with Force Palm!"
"Rio!" The baby Pokemon had pulled its palm back as a blue light surrounded it. The Emanation Pokemon thrust its palm forward, connecting it against the Dark-Type move. With a bit of a struggle behind the clash, Riolu managed to knock back one of the black tendrils, causing Spiritomb to take damage from its own attack.
"Arcanine! Flamethrower! Pour it on!"
"Arc!" The Legendary Pokemon breathed down a continuous wave of flames on Spiritomb, forcing the Forbidden Pokemon to stay put in one spot as the flames were obviously keeping it there due to their intense heat.
"Hollow! Try catching it once more!" Celestia exclaimed.
"Right!" Hollow pulled out a Great Ball this time, tossing it directly at Spiritomb. Once Flamethrower had ended, Spiritomb was once again placed inside the ball. The shaking began as they all hoped for a better outcome this time.
1...2...
Still no good.
Spiritomb had broken free once again.
What a stubborn Pokemon it was. It's no wonder why Sir Aaron was the one who managed to seal it away.
"We're still gonna have to free everyone from Spiritomb's body. In that case...Riolu! Head in and exert your energy! Pikachu! Assist Riolu and use Electroweb!"
"Riolu!" Ash realised that freeing everypony from Spiritomb would be the better option at the moment before they caught the Forbidden Pokemon. With a jolt of speed, both Riolu and Pikachu dashed towards Spiritomb, easily moving at blinding speeds due to their lightweight bodies.
"Chu-Pika!" Pikachu had sent an Electroweb forward in order to pin Spiritomb down.
The Forbidden Pokemon used the always useful Protect to shield itself from the web of electricity, taking no damage whatsoever, leaving behind a smoke cloud afterwards. However, Riolu used this opportunity to get behind Spiritomb, catching it off guard. The Emanation Pokemon hopped up, extending his palm out towards the Dark-Ghost-Type.
"Spirit?!" Spiritomb gasped, realizing that Riolu had just snuck up behind it by using the smoke as camouflage. Before it could react, Riolu's palm had made contact with its pulsating blue energy surrounding it.
The moment of truth had come. And just like the stories say, Spiritomb truly did fear Aura Guardians for a reason and Aura in general.
The Aura that Riolu exhibited had spread around Spiritomb's body as some sort of outline. The Forbidden Pokemon was absolutely petrified at this. It was almost as if the Aura had immobilized it in place. With a burst of energy, the best possible outcome had occurred. Five ponies had been shot out of Spiritomb's body.
Those five being Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash and even two ponies from the Crystal Empire. Aura truly was an effective way to free spirits.
"It worked!" Ash jumped up for joy.
"Pika-Pikachu!"
"So Aura is capable of freeing the spirits... Incredible." Celestia gawked.
"Right..." Hollow nodded in awe. He realized that he could still catch Spiritomb after all of the stolen spirits are freed from it. But he would need a much more effective Pokeball for a Pokemon as tenacious as Spiritomb. "I'll be right back! I've got a few things that could work!" He told Celestia as he and Mimikyu ran back to the direction where the classroom was.
"Ugh..." Rainbow Dash groaned as her eyes were slowly opening along with the freed ponies. Their bodies felt odd once they woke up. As if they had been trapped in an endless space with nothing else around them. She raised her head to see Ash and Celestia facing off against Spiritomb, causing her to shake her head. "Wha...?"
"Glad you're back, Dash. Everyone." Ash turned to her. "You might wanna head back outside."
"...W-Wha...Right!" Rainbow Dash smacked her own head with her hoof, remembering the Spiritomb situation. All five ponies made a run for it, leaving the scene safely.
"Now that we know that Aura really can separate spirits, let's free them all! Riolu! Keep exerting your energy and use Double Team! Pikachu! Keep on assisting Riolu with Thunderbolt! Don't drop it for a second!"
"Pikachu!"
"Riolu!"
"Arcanine. Assist them both by distracting it with Extreme Speed."
"Canine!"
All three Pokemon closed in on a worn-out Spiritomb, surrounding it on all sides. Spiritomb looked to see multiple Riolu's facing its direction, unable to tell which was the real one. Arcanine zigzagged around Spiritomb as he left afterimages, only confusing the Forbidden Pokemon further.
A bolt of thunder had shocked Spiritomb thanks to Pikachu catching it off guard. The Thunderbolt had paralyzed Spiritomb, cutting a bit of its already slow speed. Riolu saw an opportunity as all of its clones rushed forward, placing each of their palms on a paralyzed Spiritomb. Pikachu kept Thunderbolt active, pouring all the energy it had within him to make sure that it wouldn't move an inch.
The Forbidden Pokemon felt the Aura engulf it as it let out a bloodcurdling scream in the process. Thanks to Riolu, more and more ponies were being freed from the Spiritomb's body. From the royal guards, citizens of Ponyville, to the citizens of the Crystal Empire. Pinkie Pie rolled on the ground, landing face first.
Everypony had been trapped inside gasped in shock, unsure of what just happened. Or at least, they forgot about it for a moment but were quickly reminded once they saw Riolu pressing its Aura covered arm on Spiritomb. And with that reminder of what happened to them before, they made a run for it, leaving Canterlot Castle in a hurry.
With each spirit being freed, Spiritomb grew weaker and weaker. Since Spiritomb itself was one vengeful spirit, that meant that Aura would eventually bring Spiritomb back to just a single spirit.
From outside, Twilight and the others noticed that Rainbow Dash and everypony else had filled the streets of Canterlot. Obviously, they were still a bit dizzy in the head. Getting your spirit stolen will do that to you.
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack stood up.
"Sweetie Belle!" so did Rarity.
Both big sisters ran over, giving their little sisters a reunion hug, tearing up a bit. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were still perplexed, however. Their eyes repeatedly blinking, completely at a loss for words.
The same could be said for Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy went over to give her fellow pegasus friend a hug as well. And even she was befuddled.
"The Aura is working! Just a bit more and Spiritomb will return to its single spirit!" A maiden exclaimed.
"But, can Ash really seal it in?" Fluttershy asked.
"He'll have to. Or else Spiritomb will never cease its rampage in the near future." The maiden replied.
Back inside Canterlot, Riolu had spent all of his Aura, tiring himself out.
"Rio..."
"You did an amazing job, Riolu! Rest up!" Ash brought Riolu back to its Pokeball."
"Spirit...Spiritomb..." Spiritomb was finally back to the first spirit. The one human who became the Spiritomb. It was now significantly weaker than ever.
Hollow had returned with a Pokeball he believed would not only sort their Spiritomb issue, but it would even tame Spiritomb in a way. The Luxury Ball. "Here goes. Don't fail me now!" He gave the Pokeball one strong toss as it spun towards the Forbidden Pokemon.
"Tomb?" Spiritomb turned around to see the Luxury Ball headed its way. But it was powerless to do anything at the moment. It didn't have the strength to make a getaway in the shadows or even using Smokescreen. Even contorting its body was useless.
The ball struck the Forbidden Pokemon, sending it inside once more. And this time, the result would prove to be much more effective.
Once the ball placed Spiritomb inside, they leaned forward to see it shaking about.
1...2...3...
There was a brief pause. It had stopped right at 3. They held their breaths in and then...
Gotcha!
Spiritomb was caught!
"Yes! Got it!" Hollow bellowed.
"Phew! Finally." Ash let out a sigh of relief. "It's a good thing it was running out of steam before we got here. Or else it would've tougher to stop it."
"Pikachu..."
"I'll say." Celestia lowered her head, sitting down on the floor.
Hollow went over to pick up the Luxury Ball, looking at it. "Glad that's over with. That was way harder than it should've been for just one Spiritomb."
"What will you do with it now?" Celestia asked him.
"Well...I have it inside the ball. I'll make sure that I can spend some time with Spiritomb and see if I can tame it. It won't be easy, I know that much. But right now...I need a nap." Hollow groaned.
They all needed some form a rest. Especially the freed spirits.
Returning outside, Ash, Hollow and Celestia witnessed everypony standing out in the streets of Canterlot, anticipating the good news.
"So...did you do it? Did you seal it?" Fluttershy asked as everypony leaned in.
"Even better." Hollow held out the Luxury Ball. "I caught it."
"You caught it?!" A few ponies exclaimed.
"You're not thinking of keeping something like that with you!" Rainbow Dash flew towards him. "What happens if you send it out?! It'll go crazy again! Can you even tame that thing?!"
"Actually, you can." Ash answered, prompting them all to utter a collective 'Huh'. "Cynthia owns a Spiritomb if ya didn't know. Among other trainers. At the end of the day, even if it's a Dark-Type, you can still come to an understanding with it like every other Pokemon."
"Pikachu!"
"I guess that's true...Yeesh. Why are Dark-Type Pokemon like this?" Twilight groaned.
"In any case, that has solved our problem." A maiden spoke. "I suppose capturing it in a ball is an equally good alternative. The Mother will be pleased to hear of this." She bowed her head along with the others. They decided to take their leave. Since they only came here to subdue and seal Spiritomb, but another good outcome had come from it.
"Hold on...I'm still so confused about one thing." Rainbow Dash scratched her mane. "If Spiritomb has the power to steal spirits...how come it took our bodies along with it?"
"Perhaps the main reason for it might be the fact that it was a Spiritomb that wasn't 108 vengeful spirits, but rather a single vengeful spirit," Twilight answered. If it was 108 vengeful spirits in one, then it would've taken just the spirit and left the body behind."
"Ugh...Creepy." Pinkie Pie shuddered.
"I'm just glad that it's over," Celestia said. "Everypony managed to come out of this alright in the very end. And it all culminated into a safe outcome..."
Except for the massive crater that was still formed in the center of Canterlot along with a few destroyed roofs and windows.
"Well. Almost."
Everypony had either decided to rest up or just carry on with their day. They wanted to leave the Spiritomb scenario out of their minds for good. Hollow had promised to bond with Spiritomb and turn into a less aggressive spirit stealing Pokemon, keeping it with him at all times. As for the citizens of Ponyville and the Crystal Empire, they made their return to their homes. After all of that, they'll need it.
On the train, Twilight was thinking about how the entire Spiritomb problem had gone down. Even though it would've normally felt like a scenario where they were completely powerless to do anything, that wasn't really the case this time. Despite it being a massive struggle, her friends managed to actually put in the right amount of effort that helped Princess Celestia wear down Spiritomb over time. If anything, if they never battled Spiritomb, the Forbidden Pokemon would've never lost energy over time and would've gone on an endless rampage.
Perhaps their training with Ash was possibly paying off. It was slow but it felt like a natural progression.
"You know girls. I've been thinking." Twilight spoke.
"What is it Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.
"I think we can better improve on Pokemon in general...if we spend more time in the other world with humans."
"You think so?" Rainbow Dash flew up.
"Mhm. Humans have obviously bonded with Pokemon much longer than us. They understand them fully. They have possibly even greater friendship than our own. They're just much more versed in Pokemon that we are. So maybe, if we spend more time with them, we'll understand Pokemon even further. We can learn from them."
"We already learn from Ash, don't we? Why don't we just keep doing that?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I know. But it wouldn't hurt to try others who have their own bonds with Pokemon. If we do that, then we'll be ready for whatever comes next."
"You're suggesting that we visit the Pokemon World more often, aren't you?" Starlight leaned forward.
"Precisely. We've only been to it a certain amount of times. But this time, we'll visit it as if it were our own home. What do you say, girls?"
"Hmm..." Applejack thought for a bit. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to do so. The best trainers are obviously in their own world. But we've got a lot to do here in Ponyville still."
"We'll only visit it and stay for a few hours. After that, we can head right home. I just don't want my friends to feel so overwhelmed the next time."
"Twilight. It wasn't your fault." Rarity went up to her. "Nopony could've predicted what happened today. Then again...nopony can predict Pokemon at all. It's better that they're just left a mystery. I suppose that's why they're so fascinating aren't they?"
"If it makes you feel any better, I can just ask Ben if he can bring something over to our world that can help us get better at battling." Rainbow Dash suggested.
"We could even take some lessons from Gym Leaders too. They seem to know what they're doing." Fluttershy nodded.
"Whatever the case and whatever the scenario. We can guarantee that we'll help you along the way. We all want to improve upon Pokemon as well. And we'll do it together. Even if it almost costs us our own life." Rarity squeed.
"Thanks, girls. And I can't wait for Hearth's Warming to come by and the second Pokemon Festival!" Twilight felt satisfied with their responses, glad that she had great friends alongside her to help her along the way.
A perplexing day that resulted in the near loss of many ponies. A vow made by the ponies to improve had been installed within them. Battling Pokemon is difficult enough, but understanding them can prove to be an even greater challenge. But it is a challenge they're willing to tackle. And this time, they'll be seeking help from every other human in the Pokemon World, aiming to improve themselves along the way, like any trainer would as the journey continues!
Chapter 210 End!