//------------------------------// // Blessings of Phione // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Inside Phione. Upon the venture of undergoing Phione Watching, many people had found themselves inside of a Phione that had been affected by Rift Energy. Within, a realm made up of a labyrinth, sanctuary and quadrant could be found. And across this realm these strange orbs could b seen floating around, each of them holding wishes from other people of the past and people of today. This Rift Phione managed to hold them all. And upon touching them, the people suddenly found themselves being granted some of these wishes. One person had touched an orb that had the wish of having a scientific breakthrough, gaining science clothes out of thin air. Others received different things due to which orbs they had touched. But aside from that, only four individuals have yet to touch them. Mainly Fantina and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Fantina held the fillies back from touching it, wondering where an exit could be. "Hm. No exit here." Fantina wondered as the three ponies stayed close to her. They have been walking through this strange realm within a Mythical Pokemon for minutes, finding no exit. "But it has to exist somewhere." "Yeah um...while we're looking for that, do you think it's okay for us to touch those bubble things now?" Scootaloo asked. "Hmmm..." Fantina pondered, gazing at everyone else here. Many of the people were confused about all of this but they had grown to like this. There was the wish of having every bottle cap in the world as it was given to someone else who seemingly never had this wish in mind. All wishes were frantic with many of the people sometimes coming close to finding their wishes. Someone had touched the wish of having a massive collection of Tarot Cards. Before she knew it, Tarot Cards had overwhelmed her, causing a sea of them to appear. She then held up one of the Tarot Cards, taking some interest. "Ooh." She gawked at a card that had the image of a Swanna on it. "These aren't too bad. Whoever wished for this has great taste!" "Let me see." Someone else walked over, grabbing one of the Tarot Cards to take a gander. He ended up getting a Delphox Card, liking the way it looked. "Oh, there's are pretty good." Fantina kept looking, seeing how everyone was starting to get used to these wishes. Even though most of them weren't theirs, it was clear that each wish had some value that others could appreciate. And this was made clearer with the current event. Everything seemed harmless with more and more people touching the orbs. "It's safe," said Fantina. "But. We cannot stay here forever. There has to be something to free us, otherwise, we could be here for perhaps eternity. How terrifiant.." She shuddered. "Uh...Maybe we should ask that! Look at that orb!" Apple Bloom's tone changed from neutral to absolutely stunned as her trembling hoof had pointed to the sky. Soon, everyone, not just her friends, but all those who had been pulled in here had looked to the sky as well And right there, they could see the instant visage of the Rift Phione that had pulled them in. Phione had appeared before them, watching over the guests. Everyone held their breath, unsure of what this all meant. The CMC and Fantina have had their fair share of giants and realms as of recently. The 18 Realms was the biggest example of that. And currently, Phione was sitting on one orb in particular. An orb that seemed to have a wish that was far greater than anyone else's. Everyone had seen the orb as that was what made them all so shocked. Not Phione's appearance but the wish within the orb. The wish for Jirachi. "Oh! That's ours!" Scootaloo pointed out. And it wasn't just her, everyone else saw this wish and the importance of it. In both worlds, they knew the importance of Jirachi more than anything. Jirachi was the sole Pokemon that could keep their universes connected forever, retaining brand new friendships made by humans, ponies, dragons, changelings, Pokemon and more. For this reason, Jirachi had become the most important Pokemon to all of them. Even more so than Arceus. Even the Phione enjoyers saw Jirachi as the one to truly bring wishes that will be guaranteed more than anything. And upon seeing this orb and witnessing how the other ones could bring about blessings from Phione, there was only one thing on their mind. They needed that orb. "Phione..." Phione then vanished, seemingly hiding behind the orb. After doing so, the orb started moving, unlike the others that stayed perfectly still. It started distancing itself away from everyone. "If we touch that, we could have everything stay together!" Sweetie Belle shouted as everyone heard her and had the same idea as her. "Come on!" In perfect unity, everyone stopped what they were doing to touch that orb. The lady with the Tarot Cards quickly pushed them all away, ignoring them as they were certainly not important right now. A man dressed up in what seemed to be a ninja outfit followed suit along with others who have had their appearances changed. Such as businessmen, movie stars, models and more. Wishes of all different categories. All the cards, bottle caps and other objects of great value were dropped as they all pursued the orb. Fantina as well. At first cautious, she also saw the importance of that orb. Touching it might cause an effect that many have wanted on a universal scale. Immediately, the platforms and area started shifting in response to these movements. "Chase it down, Staraptor!" A young cyclist girl shouted out, throwing her Poke Ball into the air. Out of it came the Predator Pokemon Staraptor. A speedy Pokemon indeed. "Staraptor!" "Oh! She's got the right idea!" Scootaloo gasped before holding out her Poke Ball. She knew of a Pokemon that was fast. Her Ponyta. "Ponyta, come out!" "Ponyta!" Upon emerging, he had neighed as Scootaloo took a quick jump on the back of her partner. "Follow that orb, Ponyta!" Scootaloo commanded as other trainers had sent out their Pokemon for the sole purpose of touching the orb. At least once. Sweetie Belle had sent out her Meowstic while Apple Bloom chose her Emolga, allowing her to carry the earth pony. Soon, everyone was after the orb, wanting to touch it so desperately and put an end to this looming threat. Ponyta galloped, running across the platforms as Staraptor was the first Pokemon to move ahead of everyone else. The Normal-Flying-Type had used Sky Attack for extra speed, hoping to catch up with the orb. And it did. Staraptor successfully caught up with, ready to make contact. Until the orb had suddenly morphed itself, using the flow of water to do so. This caused Staraptor to promptly miss once the orb morphed its upper section into something akin to an upside-down C. "Star?!" Staraptor gasped before crashing into one of the walls with Sky Attack. "Oh! Staraptor! Are you okay?!" The cyclist was gasped as Staraptor removed its head from the wall. The orb got away, leaving Staraptor in the dust. "Blast it out of the air with Sludge Bomb, Dragalge!" A punk girl shouted, commanding her Dragalge. "Dragal!" The Poison-Water-Type spat ut devasting sludges that could explode upon contact. The goal was to put the orb to a halt so that it can be easier to approach. However, once the sludges approached, the orb transformed once more, making a hole within it. The sludges had then passed through the hole as another attack had missed. "Dra?" "Oh, seriously?!" The punk girl groaned. "Clearly, this requires a team effort!" The captain of the submarine that originally was pulled in by the Rift Phione had spoken, stepped forward with some of his helpers. "Lanturn! Thunderbolt!" "Chinchou, Thundershock!" "Lanturn!" A Lanturn and a school of Chimecho had focused their efforts onto the orb with a collection of lightning. The lightning travelled rapidly, having superior speed due to being a property of light itself. However, even that wasn't enough as the orb separated itself in half, causing Thunderbolt and Thundershock to miss. It was too good at adapting as it had reformed itself afterwards. "That didn't work either?!" The captain pulled back. "Is there no way of catching it?" "Should we even try?" Scootaloo asked. "If they couldn't hit it, I don't know any of my Pokemon that could catch that thing." "Yeah. Can you, Emolga?" Apple Bloom looked at her partner. "Emol." Emolga shook her head. Even she knew when she had a little chance. If other Pokemon who could also fly and shoot lightning like her failed, she wouldn't have much better luck anyway, let alone finding a way past its morphing capabilities. "That little thing keeps changing depending on what comes its way." Fantina was the calmest in all of this. "But it can't evade everything forever. Nothing can." Just then, the alluring and soulful dancer of Sinnoh had a glint in her eyes along with a sly grin. She was ahead of the curve. "No shame in trying the same tricks as before." "Same tricks?" The cyclist turned to her. "Uh, it can just do what it did before. Transform its body in weird ways to mess with us." "Précisément!" Fantina snapped her fingers. She then spoke in a lower tone, witnessing the orb zip around, waiting for the Pokemon Trainers and their partners to make their next move, just for it to evade in the long run. "It will continue to do the same actions each time. Catching it off guard with something new in the middle of it is always a good choice. May all of you do what you think is best? My Pokemon and I will contribute! Étincelle, Drifblim! Gengar!" "Drifblim!" Fantina had revealed two of her Pokemon to have them assist. Her Drifblim and Gengar. "Gengar!" "Well...you're a Gym Leader, so you might know what you're doing." The cyclist shrugged, going along with it. "Alright, Staraptor! Keep chasing that orb down! Go!" "Sludge Bomb again, Dragalge!" "Emolga! Try Acrobatics!" "Emol!" They all continued their same patterns with Emolga chiming in. Staraptor dashed through the air with Sky Attack's aura enveloping its body. The orb had used the same tactic to allow Staraptor to miss. But this time, Staraptor wouldn't crash into anything. It would just turn around, charging back in with greater velocity. At the same time, the bombs from Sludge Bomb were incoming. The orb made the holes, allowing the sludge to pass through as it had also hit Staraptor in the process. "Star!" "Emolga!" Emolga moved from wall to wall with Acrobatics while still holding onto her Trainer. Afterwards, she had tossed Apple Bloom directly at the orb to try and have her touch it. "Here I come!" She shouted with her hooves out. She was hoping to touch the orb with anything. Even the strand of her hair. But that failed once the orb had shrunk, making itself smaller than Apple Bloom herself, causing every part of her to miss. "Oh, come on!" She groaned before seeing her partner Emolga rush in. Emolga tried using the speed of Acrobatics right after the orb finished avoiding Apple Bloom. Even small targets are not safe from hyper-fast flyers. Except for this one as it moved in the motion of a boomerang, flying past Emolga and evading her. "Emol?" Emolga gasped, swivelling to see the orb swish away. It had then used the boomerang motion, allowing it to evade the Thunderbolt and Thundershock from Lanturn and Chinchou. Apple Bloom had been caught by Scootaloo's Ponyta, being saved from crashing. "Ponyta! Let's put those legs to good use. Jump and use Fire Spin!" Scootaloo bellowed. "Ponyta!" He would do just that. He galloped first, picking up some speed in the process. At the same time, the trainers had their Pokemon perform the same actions on the orb as ordered by Fantina. The orb kept using the same tactics in the same pattern. However, the moment Ponyta arrived, he had used Fire Spin. And by doing so, the orb had a slightly delayed reaction. With this delayed reaction, it had swiftly transformed its body to squish, just barely evading the flames. "Oh! Did you see that?!" Scootaloo gawked as Ponyta had then landed. "I saw it alright! Fantina was on to something!" The captain shouted. They were soon understanding Fantina's approach and what she meant by using the same patterns. "Okay, Lanturn! Again!" "More Sludge! More!" The punk girl roared with ferocity as the Pokemon continued using the same attacks with seemingly no end. And right after just barely evading Ponyta's flames, it struggled to find its footing, just managing to use the same patterns against the same attacks. But the orb was showing its weaknesses. Speed was key in this. The timing was everything. "Fire Spin again!" Ponyta had used the same flames again while jumping once more as the pressure on the orb was being put on it. And once a new attack pattern had been made for it to try and adapt to, that was when it was switched up once more. "Now, little Sweetie Belle!" Fantina shouted. "Right! This is gonna be the last time we use Wonder Room! No more of it at the Pokemon Contests...but let's make it count, Meowstic! Wonder Room!" "Meowstic!" Meowstic purred before expelling Psychic power from her body. She had then summoned a massive box room made out of Psychic energy that had been placed around the orb. The orb had been placed within the box, right after it had evaded the recent pattern. "Maintenant! Gengar, Drifblim!" Fantina shouted as Sweetie Belle suddenly felt something from below grab her hoof. And that something was Gengar. "Drif!" Drifblim had then entered the room, approaching the orb. The Ghost-Flying-Type had used Hypnosis, shooting it in the orb's direction as the orb acted accordingly. However, Drifblim had promptly ended Hypnosis, not pulling it off. It was pointless against this sort of entity anyway. The real approach was from Gengar. Once the orb was too focused on the incoming moves and Drifblim's Hypnosis, right from below the room and phasing through it was Gengar. The orb had a delay, reacting as quickly as it could, only for Gengar to dupe it out with Hypnosis as well. "Gen...Gar!" Gengar cackled as it had then suddenly tossed Sweetie Belle at the orb. The orb's guard was down as Sweetie Belle was the one to touch the orb. "Gotcha!" She cried out before making a direct collision with it. A success. Everyone cheered the moment they saw Sweetie Belle touch the orb. And with this contact, it looked like it would finally happen. The day that both worlds forever stay together. However, right after the contact, the orb had expanded, bringing out an enveloping light. Sweetie Belle froze there as her eyes met with the light. Out of it, Phione could be seen emerging as Sweetie Belle ended up being pulled inside of the orb via the Rift Phione, vanishing right before the eyes of Gengar, Drifblim and everyone. "Sweetie Belle?!" Her friends and Fantina promptly screamed with their faces becoming aghast. From how it seemed, Sweetie Belle was now inside the orb. Inside the orb. However, there was no danger. Upon entering it, Sweetie Belle was met with only two things. The white empty void and the Pokemon responsible for this. Phione. She tumbled on what seemed to be a surface, rolling for a bit. "Ow..." She groaned before sitting up. Her mane was a mess as she quickly readjusted it to this natural shape. Then, the little unicorn took notice of her surroundings before spotting the Sea Drifter Pokemon. "Wait...D-Did I do it? Did the wish come through! Is everything gonna stay forever!" "No." Phione shook her head, suddenly using telepathy to speak to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle was startled, but only briefly. She's used to Telepathy from Pokemon. Especially the Legendaries and Mythicals. "W-Wait...I-It didn't work..." Upon processing this response from Phione, Sweetie Belle stammered as her heart sank. All that hard work and teamwork amounted to nothing. "But...the other ones worked when they were touched...Why didn't this one work?" "That's because..." Phione floated over. "The Rift won't let it happen. Even if it's here." "W-What?" She looked up, having tears in her eyes once Phione was close to her. "What do you mean?" "Every other wish can happen here, but the RIft made it so that yours wouldn't. It stopped anything that had Jirachi involved." Phione then held Sweetie Belle's face. "I know a lot of wishes since I'm a Phione. And all the ones that have Jirachi, the Rift has done something." "S-So you're saying that..." Sweetie Belle paused, realizing what this could mean. "It's stopping us from finding Jirachi? But it promised that it would wait and see if Ash and everyone could find Jirachi before everything ends and...T-That cheater! It lied and cheated!" Sweetie Belle was respectively furious about this. The Rift had been taking action this whole time. SInce it knew how important Jirachi was, it had done some meddling. One of which was preventing that one orb from granting a wish. Sweetie Belle then calmed down afterwards. "What now...? Do we just g back to being lucky to find Jirachi?" She whimpered. "No. That's not why I pulled you in here." Phione shook her head. "It put Rift Magic in me to lure anyone in that would go Phione Watching this year. But someone saved my friends and helped me have some strength left inside of me." "Who?" "Arceus." 9 months ago. Out in the seas of Sinnoh. Early morning. During that certain day, the Rift had shown up. It boomed as always, hovering over the sea. Since it was far out in the sea, not many could see it except for Water-Type Pokemon. But the Rift was here for one reason. A reason concerning Jirachi. It appeared at an area where many Phione had gathered. The Phione were swimming gracefully with joy before noticing the Rift appearing. The sound it made upon its entry alerted them all. "Phione? Phione." They uttered, unsure of what they were looking at. "Phione aren't exactly on the same level as Jirachi when it comes to giving out their blessings via wishes. But they pose too much of a threat that could end this soon. Especially since much like their sister species Manaphy, they have amazing homing instincts. I cannot let Ash Ketchum use this to their advantage." "Phione?" "Much like what I did to Hoopa, I will prevent all chances of Jirachi's discovery." That was when the RIft took action upon the Phione. The Phione watched as the skies were being altered. Black clouds that were flowing with Rift energy could be seen, covering the beautiful sun with its bleakness. The Phione all had the same idea. Fleeing. They knew this was not a good sign as they swam as fast they could to escape from whatever was coming their way. And straight from the clouds, a multitude of Rift rays came raining down in insurmountable numbers. Numbers that were so large they could fill most of the sea. The sea had been given a blue and purple tint from the incoming Rift rays. The goal was to shut off any chances of them finding Jirachi. Much like Manaphy, their homing instincts were immaculate. Although, Manaphy did hold a bit of an edge despite only having homing instincts on the temple. The Phione not only had homing instincts to their home to the point where no matter how far they go, they will return there but other Pokemon in case they want to find them. The rays struck the Phione, hitting them directly and causing them to freeze in place for a moment. The Phione then staggered, feeling nothing much. But something had definitely happened to them as more rays kept coming. Try as they might, no matter how hard they swam, the rays would come crashing down. One Phione, in particular, refused to allow this to happen any further. This one Phione had used Protect, shielding its kin from any more rays. However, the rays were then targeted at it, rapidly beating on the shield that Phione had made. It didn't last very long as the shield broke. "Phi? Phione!" Phione gasped before crying out once a ray hit it. Multiple rays. Multiple Rift Rays started bombarding it as more kept coming for its species. It looked like all of them would inevitably be affected by the Rift, just to have little chances of Jirachi being found. But that was when he arrived. From the heavens, came the Alpha Pokemon. The mighty creator of the Pokemon World and the one who is known as the Hallowed God. Arceus. The dark clouds had been overpowered by a bright golden light that shined through. That wasn't the sun. That was Arceus' light. The Rift felt Arceus approaching as the Alpha Pokemon galloped downwards, appearing before the Phione and the Rift with a radiant light as always. "Arceus!" The Rift sounded somewhat nervous upon Arceus's arrival. Once the Alpha Pokemon showed up, he had immediately frozen time. Time stood still from Arceus' power as everything in existence was motionless. All except for Arceus and the Rift. After stopping time, Arceus had used his unyielding power to obliterate the rays. Arceus had removed them from existence with his light, preventing them from hitting any more Phione. Just like that, the rays had vanished as Arceus stood before the Rift. The Phione that had been hit with the most rays then dropped to the sea. "Arceus. Why are you here?" "I know about your approach. You know well that Jirachi is the Be All End All in this. The promise that you made with Ash. One that can change the flow of not just this universe, but the other universe. And potentially more with how current events have played out. I cannot allow you to do so. Free Will is the right of every being in existence. You cannot take that away from them." "Hoh. But you're the one who mainly never does anything with Free Will. You're Arceus. You're not allowed to partake in mortal actions." "That was then. Times have changed. You should know as you have such an extensive history of this world. Thus, I will not allow you to take away the natural power of the Phione. For it is their amazing instincts that they can continue onwards and thrive." "Fair enough. But...you're far too late, Arceus. The Rift Energy is still within them. Especially that one that had decided to take all of the hits directly. Their instincts have been morphed to my will. And you and I both know that you cannot use the full extent of your power on Earth. It is far too staggering. Then again, this might be the first time I might get to see what you can truly do." "Never. No realm aside from my own can handle the true power I possess. I am merely an avatar sent by my true form. A form that is powerful enough for the likes of you. And not even you are allowed to see what I am truly holding deep within." Arceus then gave an intensive stare to the Rift, intimidating it. "Now begone." "Tch. You're only here because of how important the Mythicals and Legendaries are to you...I'll leave. But, that one Phione with all the energy I put in it might be a cut above the rest, even for you." The Rift had the last say before deciding to fade away. It didn't want any trouble with Arceus, so the best option was to leave right now. Arceus then turned to the sea, looking at all of the Phione. Other Water-Types had spotted Arceus in the process, especially the single Phione who had taken all of those rays. Arceus then descended with his hooves slightly touching the sea, making a wondrous ripple. Arceus had then lifted the singular Phione, bringing it to his face. "P-Phi..." Phione groaned as its body was twitching. Taking that many Rift Energy was not safe. No one has been hit by that much either way. "Little one. Using any more of my power could rip apart the planet. This Rift Magic within you is the largest so far. I can weaken it, but not remove all of it. Otherwise, there will be no world for Jirachi's wish to work on." Arceus then interacted with the Rift Energy within, only using a fraction of his power. Too much would spell a horrible demise for the Earth. "Phione..." Phione sighed as it could feel parts of its body being restored. Some of the Rift Energy had left its body, making it healthier now. No longer did it twitch with Rift sparks continuously crackling. "Phi? Phione!" "I will not only do so, but I will offer you something that no other Phione shall have. Though it is not my right to mettle in free will, I ask of you, Phione. Will you help keep the worlds intact?" "Phione...Phione." Phione nodded in response. It was the least it could do for Arceus after he had saved its life. Then again, there wasn't much considering it was Arceus. "Then, I shall grant you the power to find Jirachi. The Rift assumed all of you could do so, but there are limits that only I, your creator know. Which is why you, Phione, will have that innate ability to guide anyone to Jirachi. Beyond the seas. To the stars." "Phione..." Phione couldn't help but be starstruck. "I will leave you now. The rest of my power that I am containing will shatter everything. But there are those who will help rid the rest of the energy within you. I am counting on you, Phione." With that, Arceus had left. The singular Phione had a mixture of two overpowering forces. The Rift Energy of the Rift and the Majestic Light of Arceus. One had affected its body in an eldritch way and the other an archaic way. But Phione knew what it had to do. The Pokemon that was of top priority more than anything. Jirachi. Present day. Within the orb. "Because of Arceus, I can help you," said Phione. "I'm the only Phione that can find Jirachi." "Say what..." Naturally, Sweetie Belle was blown back by this. So much had been revealed to her. The Rift and its actions on the other Phione, Arceus' divine intervention and the granting of guidance to Jirachi plus the existence of a Pokemon she has never heard before. Hoopa. She then recollected her thoughts. "Uh okay...um...I think I get it now! So are you sure you can help us?" "Yes." "Yes! That's great! So all you have to do is just go somewhere and you'll find Jirachi, right?" "My limits are the sea. Space is another story. But Arceus gave me this power of guidance for a reason. So, I think it goes beyond just moving places. I don't know. I haven't tried it yet." "Either way, it's so lucky for us! So-so lucky!" Sweetie Belle jumped for joy, holding Phione's arms. However, Phione was emotionless as seen by Sweetie Belle. "Hm? What's wrong? Aren't you excited?" "Sorry. But all of that Rift Energy was made to get rid of so much of what made my species unique that I can't feel much. I am happy though. You seem like a nice pony. And I wouldn't want to see your world lose good friends." Phione said with that blank expression. "It's okay, Phione. Just like what Arceus said, there's something that can help get rid of the rest of you." She then held only one of Phione's arm. "Come with me. And you can help us find Jirachi. We'll also get that energy out of you with Aura." "I'll stay with you. I'll help you towards Jirachi. But then, I will have to leave and head home with my friends." Phione nodded. "I gotcha. Just have some faith in us, okay?" Sweetie Belle giggled as the orb of the wish had then faded away. And so did a lot. This realm was starting to fade away as well, most likely from the interaction that Sweetie Belle and Phione had. An exit could finally be seen as well as the unicorn and Sea Drifter Pokemon. "Ooh..." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gawked upon seeing their friend slowly descend with Phione. "Everyone in the submarine. It looks like we're done here." The captain said as everyone made their way back to the submarine. With the exit available, they could leave. It was fun while it lasted. They got to experience some wishes and partake in a short but sweet chase. "Hang on. Kid. Are you...bringing Phione with you?" He pointed at the little unicorn. "You bet. Phione's just going to help us with something. Come on!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, pulling Phione onwards. The captain just dismissed it as everyone couldn't help but look at this Mythical Pokemon. They would be staring at it for a while now. "So uh...what happened in there?" Scootaloo asked. "Girls. I've got a lot to tell you" Sweetie Belle giggled, knowing that she had a story to tell. One that she would certainly add flair to, just to make it longer. A special Phione, blessed by Arceus with the power to help find the Legendary Pokemon Jirachi was now tagging along for a while. Arceus gave his assistance at last. And it was one that proved to be of potentially great help. But now, the knowledge of the Rift aiming to prevent Jirachi from being discovered was prevalent. Aside from that, it was a worthy Phione Watching event this year. Everyone was heading home and they would certainly remember this day as the journey continues. Chapter 689 End.