//------------------------------// // Team Players all Around // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Alola. Akala Island. Afternoon. The Fire Shard's location has been found and it was in the worst place possible. Inside Akala Island's Volcano. Many Equestrians were attempting to enter the volcano which would put them at a colossal risk. However, attempting to stop them were the people of Alola. Mallow, Kukui and everyone else were tasked with keeping the ponies as far away from the volcano as possible. The People of Alola would try their very best, doing what they could to distance them from it. "Y-You don't want to go in there!" Lana tried to reason with some of the ponies. Each resident of Alola used their best qualities and skills to try and stop them, whether it be strength, speed or agility. Sophocles would use his robotics to create a barricade to keep them back. Lillie would use her Beast Killer to keep them at bay. And Kiawe would use his Fire-Type Pokemon to scare them off. But scaring them off wouldn't do since they weren't in their right minds right now. Charizard would fly over the volcano, gazing down at the lava below. It was a sight that he was used to seeing, being a Fire-Type and all. He would then dive down, heading straight for the lava. "Char...!" Charizard would then submerge into the lava, diving deeper and deeper until he reached the bottom. There, he would see the Fire Shard, glowing brightly. "Char!" Charizard would reach out to grab it, only to feel the intense heat of the lava. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it was hot enough to make him flinch. However, the deeper he went, he noticed the Fire Shard would start reacting to his presence. The Flame Pokemon gasped as the Fire Shard had a violent reaction to Charizard nearing it. The shard's power was starting to grow. "Char...?" Charizard was confused as to why the shard was acting like this. The shard then unleashed a tremendous amount of flames that would push him back, causing him to hit the wall of the volcano's insides. "Z-Zard!" The shard was growing more and more volatile by the second. The lava around it started to rise, bubbling as if something was about to emerge from it. Charizard would look around, trying to find out what was happening. A ferocious firestorm was summoned from it as if the shard was directly trying to reject Charizard. "Char...!" Charizard would try to fight against the storm, pushing through it as he approached the Fire Shard once more. The closer he got, the more the shard reacted. It was almost as if the shard was alive. "Zard...!" Charizard would reach out to grab the shard, only for the shard to release another burst of flames, knocking him back again. This time, it was much stronger than before. "Zard!" Charizard would fall onto the ground, feeling the impact of the attack. He would try to get back up, but the shard was still releasing a powerful storm. It was so strong that it was starting to affect the volcano itself. The lava was rising even higher, reaching the top of the volcano. He couldn't understand why it was suddenly acting up. But there was one possibility that Charizard went to. Could it be the ponies and Pokemon outside that were affected by the Mind Plate? Outside, the people of Alola were doing a good job keeping them all at bay, so far. They made sure not to harm any one of them, only stopping them through harmless means. But the longer they kept this up, the greater the pressure. After all, they weren't going to relent until they get that shard. Burnet and Wicke were seen using a large heater to try and heat the ponies up so that they would be too hot to move. Alola was already a hot region, so surely, this would keep them at bay even with their minds being influenced. "Hoh...I hope Charizard can get it out soon enough. I'm getting hot here as well." Wicke would tug at her shirt before being sprayed by Lana's Primarina. She made sure to keep Wicke and Burnet cool. The people of Alola even tried pulling them in with food, attempting to use the delicious scents to distract them. An array of food select from across Alola could be seen, some being store-brought while others being homemade. From Malasadas to Pancakes, they were plentiful. "Come on, everyone! We have some tasty treats for you!" Mallow would call out. "An Alola special! Please?!" Try as they might, even the scent of their food had no effect. Not even the Pokemon found themselves attracted. "It's not working..." An Alolan would grumble. "Is my food not good enough?!" "Hm. If this scent isn't working then there's one other option." Kukui chimed in with a smile, having one idea that could work out. By digging into his bag that he brought along, the Alolan Professor would whip out a Sweet Scent. He figured that this would at least attract the Pokemon and take their attention off the shard for the time being. It obviously wouldn't work on the ponies but if it can distract the Pokemon, it'll put less pressure on everyone else. "Alright. Here we go!" With the Sweet Scent in hand, Kukui would spread it on the food, making sure to cover it. "Now, let's see how this goes." Kukui would then place the food down, waiting for something to happen. Everyone would watch, seeing if anything would come out of it. It would take a few seconds, but eventually, a small flock of Wingull would fly over, drawn to the scent. They would land near the food, looking at it with curiosity. "Wingull!" The Wingull would chirp, sniffing at the food. Their attention was drawn away from the Fire Shard for a while, just as Kukui thought would happen. Even though the Mind Plate had the power to affect their minds, the Sweet Scent was still an item tailored specifically towards the Pokemon as well, giving it the power to do such a thing. Other Pokemon would pick up on the scent, their movements slowing and their directions changing as they locked onto the collection of food in the distance. Kukui made sure to spread the Sweet Scent on everything, emptying out the entire bottle. But he didn't come with just one. Olivia would take out two more Sweet Scent bottles in his bag, revealing that he had extra bottles just in case. It would take a few seconds, but eventually, the Pokemon would start swarming the area, drawn to the scent. More and more Pokemon would arrive, from Wingull to Crabrawler. They would gather around the food, looking at it with curiosity. "It works!" Mallow uttered with glee as many of the Alolans were glad to see the Sweet Scent's effectiveness work its magic. "I knew it would work. Sweet Scent never fails." Kukui said. "This should keep them occupied for a while." "But what about the ponies? They're still trying to get to the volcano." Sophocles pointed out. "We'll just have to keep doing what we're doing." Olivia answered. "And hope that Charizard gets the shard soon enough." "Alright! Let's stock up on more Sweet Scents~!" Wicke would say to the Aether Foundation Employees who would set out as fast as possible to buy as much Sweet Scents as possible. They had their ticket to keeping the Pokemon occupied for the time being. "Charizard...You can do this..." Kiawae faced the volcano, hoping for his Pokemon's success before it's too late. Speaking of Charizard, the poor fellow was being overwhelmed by the very element he represents. This level of fire was unlike anything he's felt before. The Fire-Flying-Type would grip onto a rock that was not yet submerged in the lava, gazing at the Fire Shard and its intensity. It was if it was saying no to Charizard, but he didn't have a clue as to why. Even so, Charizard wouldn't stop trying. Sinnoh. Mt Coronet. Afternoon. Over at Sinnoh, right near Mt. Coronet, Volo was currently approaching, using the Flying Shard to soar through the air. Higher and higher he ascended, trying to get there in time now that he was aware that Cynthia was distracting him this whole time. "Even if they've managed to beat me there, they lack the shards and Life Plates. As soon as I get up there, I'll use what I have to-" Before he could finish, Volo would notice that the direction of the wind would start changing. He squinted his eyes, wondering why it was changing all of a sudden. Could it be cause of how massive Mt Coronet was and the fact that he was getting higher and higher? That could be a possibility, however, Volo would start noticing how drastically the winds were changing. Just then, he felt the wind elevate to a powerful level, sending a strong force that would disrupt his balance in the air. "W-What is this...?!" Volo would grunt at this sudden change. "This change in the winds...Is this a Pokemon's doing?!" Indeed it was. And the culprit was none other than Rainbow Dash's Braviary, Castform and her Altaria. In unison, the three of them were changing the direction of the wind while also intensifying it. They were making sure that Volo's flight path was completely off. Even though they were out of Volo's view, he could tell that Ash's friends were behind this. "It's those brats!" Volo growled as he tried to keep his balance, but the winds were too strong. He would start descending, losing altitude. "They're trying to stop me from reaching Mt. Coronet! But I won't let them!" Volo would try to fly straight, only for the winds to push him back. He would then try to ascend, only for the winds to push him down. It was like he was being thrown around by an invisible force. "Yeah-haha! Keep it up you three!" Rainbow Dash cheered as she could spot Volo in the distance. "He's not getting anywhere with those winds!" "Braviary!" Braviary would flap his wings, creating even stronger winds by using Superpower each time. "Altaria!" Altaria would flap her wings as well, creating even more powerful winds "Castform!" Castform would use Hurricane, causing the winds to grow even stronger. The three of them were working together, combining their powers to create such a force. The winds were so strong that they were able to affect the clouds, changing their shape and direction. Volo found himself losing balance, unable to properly control his flight. He utilized the power of the Flying Shard while being pushed back, summoning his own tremendous aerial force to combat theirs. A mighty pressure that rivalled three tornados was felt, moving across the air. Thankfully, it was mainly in the air and no part of it reached the ground, keeping any Pokemon safe and sound. However, those in the air were at great risk, especially with tons of energy crackling from this clash. Volo would grit his teeth before managing to cling onto the mountain, seeing that the wind pressures were getting too wild for him to stay airborne. "Tch...Crafty little folks. This won't be enough to stop me though." Using the Ground Shard, he would enhance his grip strength, digging his hand into the walls of the mountain as he started scaling it with excellent efficiency as if he were a Ground-Type himself. However, Rainbow Dash and her Pokemon were only the first obstacles in all of this. Using a pair of binoculars, Pinkie Pie would spot Volo scaling from this distance, knowing they had to throw more at him. "Okie-Dokie! It's all you, Applejack!" "Hm." Applejack smiled as she would take it from here. She currently had her Sceptile and all 10 of her Golett out, ready to play their part. "Sceptile! Frenzy Plant! Golett, use Shadow Punch!" "Gol!" The 10 Golett would start first. They smashed their hands into the ground, sending spectral energy in the shape of fists. The fists would rapidly travel across the mountain, going through all the areas in it before reaching Volo's position. Volo gasped as he saw 20 Shadow Arms emerge from the mountain, grabbing onto him. "What?!" Volo would struggle against them, trying to break free. The Shadows held tight as the strength of all these Golett matched that of a Golurk. The shadowy embrace would even try constricting Volo, making sure he wouldn't move for even a second. "Looks like we got him!" Pinkie Pie cheered, her voice echoing so much it even reached Volo all the way down there. "You're not stopping me!" With the power of the Ground Shard, Volo would use the power of Earthquake, causing the mountain to shake violently. A golden shockwave travelled across the arms and the mountain, splitting bits of it off in the process. The arms would release their hold on him, allowing Volo to escape. "Tile!" Sceptile dug his hands into the ground, sending massive roots through Mount Coronet. The roots would then reach Volo, attempting to grab onto him. "Not again!" Volo would dodge the roots, only for more to emerge from the ground. The roots were relentless, trying to grab onto him. Volo didn't have time to use the Ground Shard as the roots had fully wrapped around him, being too large to avoid. "Argh!" "That'll do it! Okay, Rainbow Dash! Go and get those shards and plates!" Pinkie Pie alerted her, using a Megaphone that would rattle Rainbow Dash's head. "Right, right.!" Rainbow Dash and her Pokemon would start descending, zooming through the air. They were heading straight for Volo, who was still trapped by the roots. He raised his head to see Rainbow Dash and her Pokemon approaching, narrowing his eyes at them. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had the biggest grin on her face, seeing that Volo couldn't do anything here. Or so she thought. "Oh, yeah! Victory's ours!" She declared. "Hoh? You think I'm done yet?" Volo questioned before his body started glowing. In a flash, he would transform into a Pokemon, one that Rainbow Dash wasn't expecting at all. It was a Metagross, which shocked the pegasus. All thanks to the Shift Stone. By taking the form of a Metagross, he would break through the powerful roots that Sceptile had summoned, causing them to fly everywhere. Rainbow Dash gasped, narrowly avoiding the massive roots that flew by. "Whoa!" She cried out. "A clever strategy on your part. That sequence you came up with might have stopped me, if not for my advantages." He would compliment them briefly before taking his original form. "A shame you didn't succeed." "Whatever! I've still got you right where I want you I'm taking those shards off you, Volo, got it?! Braviary, use Aerial Ace!" "Vi!" Braviary would try and reach Volo as soon as possible with a hyper-fast Aerial Ace. But of course, Volo anticipated that as well. Using the Spooky Plate, he would make himself intangible, causing Braviary to phase through him. "Brav?!" "Oh, come on!" Rainbow Dash bellowed as she saw this happen. Volo smirked, phasing through Mount Coronet and entering it that way. "Hey! Get back here! Break through with Superpower!" "Bravi!" Braviary would then smash his talons against the wall that Volo passed through, causing a large hole to form immediately. Once it formed, Braviary and the others flew right through, pursuing Volo. Once inside, they saw that Volo had easily switched plates once more. He was incredibly swift when it came to using a different plate or shard, always opting for the decision. This time, it was the Insect Plate, as once he harnessed it, a horrific sound was unleashed. A terrible, awful buzzing sound would emerge, having a disgusting frequency that would be enough to make anyone go mad. The sound would echo throughout the entire mountain, causing Rainbow Dash and her Pokemon to cover their ears. "Ugh! What is that?!" Rainbow Dash winced at the sound, feeling like her eardrums were about to burst. "The power of the Insect Plate. It's a sound that will drive you crazy. And I'll keep using it until you're all out of commission." Volo boasted as the sound was easily travelling across the mountain, reaching many sections of it and affecting many Pokemon living here Rainbow Dash would get on the ground along with her Pokemon, writhing in the presence of such a terrible buzzing sound. "I...can't take it...!" Volo made himself immune to such a sound, casually walking away while Rainbow Dash and the others were left to withstand this awful sound from every direction. They were technically out of commission at the moment. "A-Audino!" The buzzing sound managed to reach Audino all the way up at the peak of Mount Coronet, damaging her sensitive ears as she got on her knees. Fluttershy went over to her partner after seeing her writhe. They haven't heard the sound yet but once Volo gets closer, eventually, they will. Meanwhile, Sciwi was still holding onto the Arceus Pendant, focusing her mind on only the pendant. She wasn't going to try and fight the pendant since it was so mysterious to her. Sci-Twi believed that it would be best for her to let it do its own thing for the most part since it clearly had a reaction to certain instances. And right now would be an excellent time for it to act up. Rarity and Sunset nodded at each other as they would start making their way to the lower parts of Mount Coronet, ready to confront Volo. The Arceus Pendant would start letting out a light glow, actually responding to TSci-Twi who was letting her mind go. "If I do this...I can unleash it. I don't understand it at all yet...so I'll just let it work on its own for now." That was her logic at the moment and so far, it looked to be working. As Volo continued higher and higher on Mount Coronet, passing by many Pokemon with this horrendous sound, he was getting closer and closer to the top. He knew that Ash and the others were waiting for him and he couldn't wait to see their faces when he arrives. But just then, the sound of his buzzing was soon cancelled out and overpowered by an even louder sound. The sound of party music. Blaring music would echo across the mountain, startling Volo and catching him off guard with how energetic and hyperactive it was. It was so loud that it completely drowned out the buzzing sound. "What is this?!" Volo questioned as he didn't expect such a thing to happen. The music would continue to play, echoing throughout the entire mountain. It was so powerful that it reached its peak, reaching everyone's ears. Even the Pokemon were affected by it, raising their heads. The music was so catchy that they found themselves wanting to dance to it. Who else but Pinkie Pie was responsible for this? She was seen nearby, playing the loudest music she could possibly make just to disorient Volo. "This horrible sound...!" Volo clearly wasn't a fan. Whether it was because of the era he comes from or his taste in music, this sound was abhorrent to his ears. "This is more like it!" Pinkie Pie cheered while blaring this music. "Let's get rid of all those worries and party!" Her approach was effective, helping pump the Pokemon up since this was far better than the buzzing sound. And now that they were active and energetic, they were encouraged by Pinkie Pie to do one thing. Stop Volo. It was a clever move on Pinkie Pie's part. Have the Pokemon in Mount Coronet assist her in taking down Volo. And they were more than ready to do just that since he was responsible for the buzzing sound. Volo would witness multiple Pokemon coming his way, all infuriated at the man from the past. A horde of Pokemon were approaching him, ready to attack. However, all it took was the usage of the Water Shard as Volo would summon a powerful tidal wave that materialized in here, washing away the Pokemon. "Wha...?!" Pinkie Pie gasped as she saw this happen. "You're not going to stop me with something as simple as that." Volo said before using the Water Shard again, summoning another wave that would wash away the Pokemon once more. He would then use the Water Shard to create a water barrier around himself, protecting him from any attacks that the Pokemon would throw at him. "Not cool! You can't just do that!" Pinkie Pie cried out, puffing her cheeks. "I can and I will." Volo would say as he continued making his way up, passing by many sections of Mount Coronet. The Pokemon would try to attack him, but their efforts were futile as the Water Barrier would protect him from everything. The Water Barrier would also allow him to breathe underwater, giving him the ability to swim through the parts of Mount Coronet that were flooded. "Ugh...He's so annoying!" Pinkie Pie grumbled as she couldn't believe how difficult Volo was being. She wanted to help out Ash and the others, but she didn't know what to do. That's when she spotted Rarity and Sunset, who were about to confront Volo. " "String Shot!" Rarity already had her 12 Leavanny out, having them all collectively use String Shot. The strings would merge together to increase their thickness, breaking through the water barrier and latching onto Volo's chest. "Got you!" "Kh?!" Volo was caught off guard by this as he was pulled back, being dragged across the water. He would then use the Water Shard to counter this, creating a large burst of water that would push him forward, causing the strings to break. "Delphox! Psyshock!" Sunset said, having her Delphox out. "Phox! Del...!" Raising her stick, Delphox generated three thick masses of Psychic Energy before unleashing them as powerful beams. This forced Volo to put up another barrier, promptly blocking the attack. "I'm gonna pay you back for all you've done, tenfold!" Sunset declared, swearing on it. "You tried that before but failed. I don't have time for weaklings, Sunset Shimer." Volo scoffed at her. "The gap between us will always be too high. The same goes for your friend over there." "Hmph! We don't need to be stronger than you. We just need to take those shards off you or just keep you busy!" Rarity stated, aiming her hoof at Volo. "And I'd say we're doing an excellent job at stalling for time!" "You are blocking me yes...But not for long. Not with Team Galactic on the way. The shards that I've taken from Lena will soon be stored into Life Plates, reaching their maximum power. Even then, the shards plus the already restored Life Plates can do such amazing things." He smirked. "This whole time, I've been holding multiple of them back. I wouldn't want to destroy something as sacred as Mount Coronet." "Just keep him talking..." Pinkie Pie bit her nails, needing them to keep up this chatter, even though Volo was doing this himself. "Witness!" Volo would hold out three shards and four Life Plates, unleashing their power to create a violent reaction. And inside of a space this small, the risk was even larger, especially since it would be inside a mountain. A maelstrom of Infinity Energy roared out, tearing through the walls and ground while approaching Rarity, Sunset and Pinkie. However, instead of running from it, they would try and stop it. "Delphox Use Mystical Fire!" "Leavanny! Energy Ball! Bug Buzz! Leaf Storm and Air Slash!" Rarity had all 12 of her Leavanny use different moves that each of them possessed. "Slurpuff! Fairy Wind!" Throwing a Poke Ball out, Pinkie Pie had her Slurpuff immediately use Faiy Wind the second he emerged. Altogether, the Pokemon released their ranged attacks. A spiralling flame, sharp blades of air, a whirlwind of leaves, a gust of magical wind, a sphere of nature itself and a ringing sphere were all thrown at the Infinity Malestrom. However, right as they were about to clash, Volo snuck in one more shard to give it extra power, just in case. The maelstrom grew in power dramatically the second it clashed with the attacks, resulting in an overwhelming pushback. A tremendous shockwave would cause Sunset, Rarity and Pinkie Pie to screech once they felt it as their attacks were beginning to wain dramatically. "Delphox...!" And yet, their Pokemon were doing their best to hang in there. They kept using their attacks, trying to overpower the maelstrom. Their persistence was so great that they were still managing to hold it back even with this stark difference. Volo had to applaud such a feat. He figured much since Ash and his friends are not easy to stop forever. "It's honestly incredible how much you'll push just to stop me. I'm annoyed but also impressed." He commented. "However, it seems you're finally reaching your limit. All of you." "Says you!" Sunset growled while trying to keep her balance. Pinkie Pie held onto a pillar of rocks, doing her best to stay still but that was an immensely tall task right now. "As long as we trust in our friends and do what's right, we'll never lose That's a fact! Even if you beat us here, you still have the rest of our friends to deal with. No way you're ever reaching your goal. Not even for a moment" "Confident in that, are we?" Volo rubbed his chin. He would pause for a moment, actually believing Sunset Shimer for a while. That was a strong possibility, no doubt about it. Even if he reached the peak, Ash and the others have had enough time to stand up there, preparing something. That's when Volo decided on one thing. "Fine then. I suppose I can unleash it from here." "Huh?" The girls collectively said. Holding nothing back, Volo would raise all of the shards and Life Plates that he has, planning to use every single one of them right here, right now. But that wasn't all. From his large bag, he whipped out all the magical items he's gathered here and there, deciding to use them as well. Sunset had to wonder what he was going to do with all those magical items in this scenario. "I'm only missing three shards right now...So to make up for those missing three, I'll combine the power of the Shards and Life Plates with these magical items and draw out even greater power than before. To open up space itself!" "What did you say?!" Sunset bellowed at the top of her lungs. She was then startled by the booming sound that came from the items, shards and Life Plates Volo held as a beam of light would shoot upwards, piercing all the ceilings in Mount Coronet and heading straight for the sky. The light would reach the very top beyond Mount Coronet, hitting the clouds themselves. The moment it reached the top, from it, a cosmic-like texture overtook the skies. Ash and everyone looked up as a titanic amount of Divine Energy had been unleashed, gathering into one spot. Volo was going for it. He was attempting to reach Arceus from here. And if he couldn't, there was an alternative figure he aimed to reach as well. The cosmic skies that were lit with Divine Energy would hum menacingly, giving the whole area gold and dark blue colouring. Volo would then started ascending with the energy surrounding, causing him to move through the hols that the light had made due to that powerful pierce. Above, space itself was beginning to be affected as a small tear was formed. "He's really doing it..." Sci-Twi uttered, feeling the pendant react to this. "Arceus...or Giratina...Either one will do." Volo said to himself. "If I can't get to Arceus, then I'll settle for the next best thing. The Renegade Pokemon, Giratina." "D-Did you say Giratina?!" Sunset couldn't believe her ears. "That's right. I figured that if I'm to reach Arceus, I will also reach the one who could rival Dialga and Palkia. The one that is considered Arceus's Shadow! You're about to witness the penultimate path to true power, my little ponies." He stated before finally reaching the very top of Mount Coronet. Ash and the others saw him ascend to the top by levitating, exiting out of the massive hole before hovering there, gazing at the group. "Volo..." Sci-Twi held onto the pendant tightly. "Twilight. You and I both know what's coming next. Most likely, it's Giratina more than Arceus. But I don't mind." Volo said with a cold tone when speaking to Sci-Twi. "I'll make do with just 15 of these. Now, get a good look at what happens next." Volo was now at the nigh-peak of his goal. He had tampered with space and had unleashed the power of the Life Plates and Shards he currently held, resulting in this reaction. As Divine and Cosmic energy radiated from them, it was clear that something massive was about to emerge from that tear in space. As the journey continues. Chapter 532 End.