Capture the Shiny Victini! V1 - Fleeting Victory

[TouyaShiro]

"Hm?" With a confused look on his face, Ryotachu turns towards Megapod's group, finally acknowledging their existence.
"Yeah, I'm the doctor that had a Lunala... Or at least, I was up until we got trapped in this world. Now... who are you?"
The mouse doctor looks on at the group, not realising that outside of the instance where they were brought together under dire circumstances, he had only encountered Megapod once - Ryota didn't have the faintest idea of knowing what he looked like as a human, having been lost in his own thoughts back during his first encounter with the plumber at the remains of the SS Libra instead of giving chase.
"I'm... hmm. How do I put this... Achoo!" The Fennekin takes a moment to sniff its embers before it replies. "I was the one who found that Victini you have with you."
Ryotachu's ears perk up upon hearing this revelation. "Wait... If that's true, then you're the guy I've been looking for this entire time! Where did you find this thing? Where did you come from? Why is it so stoic and emotionless--Hrk!?"
Pidgeot picks up his partner by the neck and settles him down next to himself. "My apologies for all the questions. He gets... terribly excited at discoveries like this."
Braixen and Megapod look at each other with a puzzled look on their face before turning back towards the duo, where Braixen speaks up. "Is it always like this with you two?"
"Probably," says Ryotachu in reply.

[---]

Further into the "dungeon" of sorts, the two groups headed by Ryota and Megapod reach a room with stairs leading down into B4F. However, the Victini is distracted by a gem of some sort in the distance.
"Hey, it's more of those shiny things!"
"Hm...? Hopefully this one doesn't shatter on us..." With careful steps, Ryota attempts to reach the Emera. "Just a bit closer... Got it!"
The Pikachu holds the Emera in his hands before rushing back, but before he can exit, his group is onset by a horde of Bouffalant blocking the end of the hallway...
"This... could be an issue. Any bright ideas, doc?"
"I may be a scientist, but I'm not an innovator!" The mouse doctor uses Discharge in an attempt to clear the way, but finds that he could only hit one of the three Bouffalant at his current distance.
"Well, that's good to know, at least. Pidgeot, you're up!"
Moving in front of the Bouffalant, Pidgeot uses Air Slash, causing it to fall. The next Bouffalant then moves in and uses Leer, continuing to block the way forward.
"Urgh! It's gonna be a bit sluggish at this rate. We might want to make haste if we want to get out alive, doc!"
Following Pidgeot's advice, Pikachu once again uses Agility, increasing their speed and enabling them to perform more actions against the enemy in a single turn - Ryota uses Discharge once again and Pidgeot uses Air Slash, clearing the way forward. Things are going well when they reach the third Bouffalant, until...
"Agh! That... was surprising..." The Pidgeot falls to the ground by means of a well-aimed Thrash.
"Pidgeot! Crap... Do we have anything that could help?" Ryotachu hurriedly scans his bag for anything that could help, but could not find what he was looking for. Looking around in a panic, he decides to attempt to call for help before he makes his next move.
"Hey, you two with the fox ears! I'm in a bit of a bind over here! A little assistance, if you please?"

 

[MegaPod]

After finally being acknowledged by the Pikachu and Pidgeot, my short introduction is met with a flurry of questions from the former before being interrupted by the latter. Not too much further into our trek, the "sort of just there" Victini begins to lift its finger and purse its lips as though ready to spill some huge story to the group, before letting it all slip its mind as a sparkly gemstone of sorts distracts it. After Ryota retrieves the stone, a trio of stubborn Bouffalant create a blockage ahead, and he and Pidgeot fight valiantly against them. Two Bouffalant fall, but Pidgeot does as well, prompting a frantic Ryota to call on me and Braixen for assistance.

"Uh, yeah, we're on it!" I hastily reply. Planting my four paws in the ground, I concentrate on the Bouffalant and shoot a Psybeam right at his face. Braixen waves her flaming stick, expertly launching a Flamethrower across the hall and at the stunned creature.
"Th-that the best you got?!" coughs the Bouffalant, clearly weakened. He stamps his foot, gathering strength for a final attack.
Braixen bounds to the front line, preparing to retaliate with Psychic. "We can finish this together," she asserts to Ryota. In silent agreement, I prepare a blazing Flamethrower attack from behind my teammates.

 

[Chidamari Sketch]

Arriving at the Mist Continent, the group traveled a rather long and tiring distance until they met with a Foongus who asked the group if they wanted to purchase some DLC. After a long conversation of nothing but complaints, the plumber begrudgingly gave the Foongus some Poke and head out to the trail leading to the Kecleon Bazaar, only to find his Shiny Black Kyurem on the floor, badly bruised in every part of his body, to the point that a tooth was nearly chipped off. In a look of genuine horror, the plumber quickly gave the unconscious dragon a Reviver Seed, quickly saving the dragon. However, as soon as the dragon awoken, it was traumatized by the mere sight of the entrance of the bazaar, and quickly flew away from the Mist Continent using its green radiator to speed up. "..........Well, that was just some pointless bullshit." said the plumber, disappointed.

---
Background music

The Ralts woke up to find himself in a strange, mountainous region covered in dark red and purplish hues. His sight was blurry and thus he couldn't quite grasp where he was or what is happening, but he was both confused and frightened by this sudden change in scenery. Moments afterwards, he went unconscious once more. This time, he saw nothing but pure black, with no light or any other semblance of sight. The voice then called out to the astral child once more. "YoU sEe, aLL wE Wish Is tO retUrN sOMeThING back. We wERe rEalLY cLoSE tO aChIeViNg tHIS goal, bUT tHere were soME peoPLE WhO FoIlEd oUR DeaREST DreAMs. THAt's alL yOu NEed tO KNow aBOUt Us. WoRRy not, we will BESTow uPOn YOu a teChniqUe thAt no oTHer POKeMon haS. ThiS AbILIty wIll SUreLy giVE yOu eNouGh sTrEnGth To HeLP yOu achiEVe bOTh yoUR gOal anD oUrS. WE'll explAin latEr...." The Ralts felt a sudden dizziness as he felt some force pulsing through his body, until he fell asleep yet again.

 

[Max1996]

Before Max or Lucario could react, Gabite fired a Dragon Pulse at the Froakie. Despite taking the full force of the attack, he stands up, with a bit of difficulty.
"Huh..." the Gabite said. "You're tougher than you look, I must say. Very few have taken a Dragon Pulse from me head-on and still be able to stand. Hmph, regardless, you and your little thief friend Luxray will pay for trying to steal the stones of this mine!"
"Will. You. Be. Quiet!" Max said, angrily. "I don't care what you think. Luxray is one of my friends and I know he'd never even consider stealing. You may not know him, but I know him well enough to believe in him, no matter what!"
As Max said this, his Harmony Scarf glowed once again, turning him into a Greninja.
Surprised, the Gabite took a step back. "Wh-what!?"
"You dare doubt my friends? Time to pay for that!" Max exclaimed, as he ran towards Gabite while activating his Double Team, creating several identical copies of himself. While running, he and all copies drew out a Night Slash, before jumping up, ready to strike Gabite. A split second before the attack hit, all copies vanished. A few seconds passed, after which Gabite fell to the floor, dropping two rainbow-colored gems and two bracelets with three similarly shaped notches.
"...Woah. That's some power..." Max muttered, before turning back into a Froakie. Just as he turned back, he ran over to the unconscious Gabite and picked up the items, taking one of the gems and putting it onto one of the bracelets, before putting it on his wrist. The instant he put the bracelet on, he feels more powerful. Ignoring the feeling, he rushed over to Luxray's side, putting a Reviver Seed in his mouth. The next moment, Luxray opens his eyes slowly.
"...Max, that you? Didn't...think...you'd be a Froakie now..." Luxray muttered, slowly getting up on his legs, before he looked around. "Oh, hey, Lucario. Where are the others?"
After Max and Lucario explain their situation, Luxray nodded. "So now you guys are getting us back together, eh? I'd have to be crazy not to help with that! Anyway, let's hope Typhlosion and Sceptile did well in rescuing whoever it is that's trapped in Nectar Meadow. Hop on, you two, we're going to Lively Town!"

---

As the three arrive in Lively Town, they notice most of the Pokemon are in what seems to be a panic. Quickly spotting Typhlosion, Sceptile and Greninja in the crowd, Max called out to them.
Greninja chuckled upon seeing Max. "Didn't think you'd turn into a Froakie, of all Pokemon. Anyway, Max, it's good to see you're doing well, despite that. However, now's not the time."
"What's going on?" Max asked. The answer Greninja gave him, however, was one he'd never expected to hear.
"Nearly all of the Pokemon in Serene Village...have been petrified."

 

[TouyaShiro]

With all three Pokémon moving in to surround the Bouffalant, suddenly power flows through them - Ryotachu then unleashes its Discharge, followed by the Fennekin with Flamethrower and Braixen with Psychic, and the Bash Buffalo Pokémon falls. All three Pokémon are visibly exasperated after the conclusion of the battle.
"Huff... Oh, man, where did that come from? That was quite the experience..."
"You tell me. I don't think I'd forgive you if you left Victini all helpless like that! Geez!"
"Er, guys... I don't mean to be a party pooper, but we still have to find our way out of here, so I think we might want to get a move on? Just a hunch." Fennepod nods his head towards the stairs, and with a giant bird on his back, Ryotachu starts walking on all fours as they descend to the deepest floor of the forest.

After walking for a while, the group comes across a Kecleon Shop.
"Welcome to the Kecleon Shop! ♪
How may I help you? ♪"
"Uh... Do you have anything that could help us with this-grk! This situation?" Having walked for a while trying to find their way out, Ryotachu is visibly exhausted and struggling to hold up the giant bird on his back.
Braixen, after having walked around for a while and browsing all the goods, brings a seed back to them. "Maybe this would help?"
The mouse doctor, curious as to why it would help, brings it over to the Kecleon to ask about it.
"Oh, that? That's a Tiny Reviver Seed! Just stick it in your bag and anyone who falls can get up immediately! If you want one, that'll be 180 Poké, thanks."
"Poké? Um..." Scampering through the bag, the Pikachu finds a bunch of coins with a P. "Is this it?"
"Yes! Now, if you would kindly."
Handing over that amount of coins somehow kept in that tiny bag, Pidgeot awakens with full vitality.
"Ow... That Head Charge still stings." Noticing that they were in a Kecleon Shop, Pidgeot offers a solid whisper of advice... "If I were you, I'd advise against stealing from these places."
"Why is that?"
"Bad things happen. That's all you need to know."
The duo decide that they're finished up for now with their shopping, alerting Megapod and Braixen that they would be going on ahead while they tried to figure out what they might get...

Spoiler

For the reason why I linked the above website where I did, it's to do with a mechanic from SMD called Alliance Attacks - chain moves together for massive damage and ignoring negative type matchups. Consumes a bunch of your belly but will do massive damage as a result.

 

[Max1996]

"Wh-What!?" Max, Lucario and Luxray said in unison.
"I wish I was making it up..." Greninja, Typhlosion and Sceptile stared at the ground, visibly shaken. "However, one of the Pokemon from Serene Village managed to avoid getting petrified and spread the news to Lively Town."
"...I didn't think the threat to the world was this close," Lucario muttered. "We need to hurry and get back our last team member if we want to put an end to all this!"
Max and the other Pokemon of his team voiced their agreement, before Max yawned.
"Sorry, but could we get a little rest before we go to Rolling Pass? I bet we're all rather tired right now..."
After all the other Pokemon nodded, Lucario sighed. "Fine. We'll rest in a soft field of grass just outside Lively Town."

---

As the group falls asleep, a voice echoes across the area, heard by none but one.
"NoW, mY sErvAnt. ArIse aNd dElivEr thE EneRgY oF tHosE thAt dwElL wIthiN LivElY TowN tO mE."
"Yes, master..." it muttered.

---

Hours later, as the sun rises, a scream coming from Lively Town wakes up Max and his team.
"Ngh...what's going on?" Typhlosion muttered, as everyone slowly opened their eyes.
"Let's check it out, guys!"
Quickly rushing over, they're horrified by the scene before them: Many more Pokemon in Lively Town have been petrified.

 

[MegaPod]

I continue browsing through the Kecleon Shop with Braixen, my stomach starting to growl. I sniff at a delicious-looking display of bananas. "Mmmm... How much for one of these?" I ask the scaly shopkeeper.
"A Banana?" he replies. "9,000 Poké apiece!"
I recoil in stunned disbelief. "9,000-- you're kidding me! For ONE BANANA?!?" I settle down a bit, realizing that I didn't even have a single Poké to begin with. Then, out of nowhere, the shiny Victini plops a bag full of the gold coins down in front of us.
"Here, this should cover it!" Victini blurts.
My face lights up, and I nuzzle my snout through the pack of loot. I pull my head out, instantly requesting to Kecleon, "Three, please!"
As my companions and I each munch on a Banana on our way to catch up with Ryota and Pidgeot, Braixen asks through a full mouth, "So, where did you get that pack full of money, Victini?"
"Oh, that thing?" Victini responds, indicating the pack now slung over my back. "One of those Bouffalant was wearing it."
"Oh," Braixen responds, holding my banana down for me so I can take a bite without having to stop.
Pretty soon, a ghostly echo like the one before catches my attention, as well as Braixen's. "Help me..." it seems to say. The voice is followed by the sound of Ryota's voice and the rattling of a chain.
"Let's go," I say. The three of us each wolf down the last of our Bananas, tossing the peels to the dirt. "You gotta love biodegradable packaging!" I quip as we rush off. Braixen, Victini and I arrive at the source of the noises to see Ryota struggling to untangle a chain wrapped around some trees; the chain belongs to none other than a familiar Dhelmise. Pidgeot tries with no luck to free the massive anchor dangling from the canopy.
"Good, you're here!" Ryotachu exclaims. "This guy is really stuck. He says the Bouffalant did it. Wanna give us a hand?"
"Dhelmise!" I shout excitedly. "It's me!"
"C...could it be?" the ghostly voice calls from the ship wheel tightly lodged in the branches. "That voice...MegaPod! It's you!"
"Hang on, I'm gonna get you down!" I assure Dhelmise. I inhale deeply, then roast the tree trunk Dhelmise's chain is wrapped around with Flamethrower. Once the chain is loose, Dhelmise retracts it, pulling the rest of himself free.
"I knew you'd come through for me, Captain," says Dhelmise. "And I see you've taken my advice on possessing a host body, Miss Braixen. And you thought there would be drawbacks!"
"Wait, you two have talked about that before?" I ask.
"Of course! You just couldn't hear it," Dhelmise replies. "And Braixen here was worried that she would end up like... Oh, what was the exact term she used? Ah, right, a 'clump of wet grass clinging to sea junk!'"
"What?? I wasn't that harsh!" Braixen almost laughs in embarrassment.

-

In the outskirts of the forest, Mike talks with his cronies. "Rachel's alive, guys," the male Braixen grumbles, "and she'll tell the first townsfolk she can about what we did. We have to get rid of her." The Dewott and Diggersby listen silently. "What really annoys me is she wouldn't have GOTTEN that far without that little ankle-biting runt she's toting around now. I wanna kill him, too. Dig, you and I are gonna wait here and ambush those two when they come out of the dungeon. Dewey, you keep lookout at the edge of town."
Not long after the three take their positions, Dewott pipes up.
"Hey, Mike. Serene Village isn't gonna give us any crap. Look." Mike and Diggersby follow their buddy out of the shadows to see the citizens all petrified.
"Nice..." Mike chuckles evilly. However, the trio suddenly black out, succumbing to the Dark Matter's influence...

 

[Max1996]

"What...What is going on!?" Max said, as he and his team looked around Lively Town. Before he could ask around, however, Lucario stopped him.
"I hate to say it, but this isn't the time to dawdle, Max. Considering how this happened sooner than even I expected, this just means we need to hurry with getting Hydreigon back into our team even more."
After thinking it over, Max agreed. "So, to Rolling Pass we go, then."

---

Several hours later, the group arrives at Rolling Pass, quickly entering the dungeon. Before they knew it, a group of various hostile Pokemon, charged at them.
"Everyone, attack them all together!" Max ordered, as all the Pokemon on his team fired attacks at the hostile group, defeating it quickly.
"Heh...Even if I'm a Pokemon now, I still act like a Trainer sometimes..." he muttered, as he and his team moved further into the dungeon, defeating more enemies along the way.

---

Eventually, they reached what looks like an entrance to another room. Being certain a much tougher opponent is waiting behind it, Max turned to his team.
"Everyone ready?"
When all the Pokemon in the team nodded, Max pushed upon the entrance. Just then, they heard a voice.
"If you value your life, obey me!"
Before he could react, something came flying out of the room, hitting Max and knocking him backwards.
"Ow..." he muttered, getting up, before taking a look at what hit him. "Hydreigon! Are you okay!?"
Upon seeing the numerous injuries on the unconscious Pokemon, Max quickly reached into his bag and took out a Reviver Seed, holding it over the Brutal Pokemon. When the glow faded, his eyes shot open in an instant. Right away, he pulls the Froakie into a very tight hug.
"Max! Great to see you're doing all right!"
"Can't...breathe..." Max said weakly, making Hydreigon let go. "Sorry..."
Before anyone could say anything else, a Garchomp walked up to them.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting a sappy reunion of sorts, but you're going to pay for defying me, Hydreigon!"
"What do you mean by that!?"
The Garchomp looked at the group. "I'm the strongest Dragon-type around, so it's only natural that everyone here obey me. If they dare defy me, like this little punk Hydreigon did, I don't hold back in proving my strength."
As he said this, he noticed the hostile glares from Max, Hydreigon and the entire team, not being fazed one bit by it. "So, you think you're going to fight me? I can't wait to see you beg for mercy once I'm through with all of you!"

 

[Chidamari Sketch]

As the plumber's gang wandered around a forest teeming with sleeping Pokemon, they see a familiar Aggron sleeping among the Pokemon The Picnicker awoke this Aggron by using Bonemerang on its head, causing it to wake up. Angered, the Aggron, barely surviving the potential OHKO, roared at the group, until it took a closer look at the Picnicker/Cubone. After she whispered to the dinosaur, it then nodded and apparently joined the plumber's side. "Huh, guess there's more than just my master's minions around..." said Mercurius in an observant tone.

---

An Ultra Wormhole emerged from the skies of the Water Continent, and from it, a petrified Lunala dropped out of the hole like a meteor. The Lunala in question looked particularly horrific. Its limbs were contorted and had major fractures that gave the already worn out wings a twisted look. There were marks that looked as if the Lunala was punched directly at the torso, especially in the chest, and the head of the Lunala had scars and bruises, especially around the eyes, but the eyes themselves were wide open, and the mouth was gaping open, almost as if it was screaming in agony or terror from an incoming attack. The crescent shaped rock landed on the hill where Pokemon could oversee the Serene Village, not only causing the tree to nearly collapse from the Lunala's impact, but also forming a large crater on what was once a perfect way to find a nice view of the once peaceful Serene Village. What followed was a red, Egg-like crystal that also fell out from said Wormhole. The Egg-shaped icy crystal also caused a crater that further damaged the hill, but it seemed to have survived without even the slightest crack. The suspicious red object also appeared to be covered in a indescribable aura. Lastly, gusts of icy wind blew out from the Wormhole just before it fades away. The bone-chilling winds were brief, but eerily strong, and they gave off a feeling of despair....

 

[Max1996]

The Garchomp stood confidently, certain of his victory, before he realizes the 7 Pokemon have surrounded him, all looking ready to attack.
"Heh..." he smirked, his brief nervousness disappearing. "No matter how many you have, you can't beat me."
"No, that's wrong!" Max shouted. "The main difference between you and us is that we are a team. We fight together, never leaving each other's side in battle. You would never understand any of that, working alone the way you are!"
As with the previous dungeons, Max's Harmony Scarf glowed once again, resulting in him transforming into a Greninja.
Surprised, the Garchomp takes a step back, before Max and his team performed an Alliance Attack together. The Garchomp did not stand a chance against their combined strength.
"Great job, everyone!" Max cheered, as he turned back into a Froakie. "Now we're all back together!"
---
After finding their way out of the Rolling Pass dungeon, the team went back to Lively Town.

 

[MegaPod]

"MegaPod," Dhelmise says to me in his ghostly tone, "I've heard rumors spreading of a 'giant swimming bug' invading a place known as Poliwrath River. I think it could be Golisopod."
"Really?" I respond. "We better check it out, then!"
"From what I gathered, I believe we can follow a nearby stream out of here to reach the river in question." Dhelmise turns to Ryota and Pidgeot. "You two gents might like to take the regular exit out of this here dungeon. Thanks for all you've done for me and my Captain!" The shiny Victini, not speaking a word, gives Dhelmise's wheel a vigorous spin just for the heck of it. "...Don't do that."

 

[Max1996]

Upon getting back to Lively Town, Max and his team split up to ask if anyone saw what happened.
As Max wanders around, an Ampharos approaches him.
"Froakie, my boy, is that a Looplet I see around your wrist?" he asked.
"A what...?" Max answered, puzzled.
"That is a Looplet. The stones you can place in its notches are Emeras. Different Emeras can give the wearer different kinds of boosts, depending on its color. The rainbow-colored one you have now is the Awakening Emera. It allows you to undergo a rare phenomenon called Mega Evolution, if you're capable of it. If you're not, however, it gives you a tremendous boost in power and speed, among other things."
"Awesome..." he muttered, looking at the Looplet and Emera, before turning to Ampharos. "Thanks for the info!"
"Don't mention it."
Continuing with finding information, he spots a Sigilyph, an Axew and a Cubone looking at a petrified Togepi.
"Umm...excuse me?" he asked. "Do any of you know what happened?"
The Axew answered, clearly upset. "Last night...I briefly heard a voice I recognized from earlier. Because I was barely awake, I couldn't do anything but listen to what the other said..."
"Found you at last. Time for you to pay!"
"...is all I heard before the one who said that ran off and I saw this Togepi was petrified."
(Sorry, Chida!)

 

[Chidamari Sketch]

The plumber awakens to find himself in a hellish landscape. Beside him were a few residents of Serene Village and a Lunala who appears to be leading the group. The Lunala in particular briefly stared at the plumber before it then suddenly flew towards the plumber and growled "You....." while giving him a venomous scowl with bared teeth as it recognizes him. This glare made the plumber remember what happened. He gave the Lunala a nervous laugh before asking a question. "Eheheheh.... Uh..... Is this hell?" Before anyone answered, however, a bunch of shadowy creatures emerged. "......There's no time to talk right now. If you have an attack, USE IT NOW." The plumber quickly obliged, using Nasty Plot a few times to boost his SpA as he readies his Extrasensory...

 

[MegaPod]

After saying our farewells to Ryota and Pidgeot, my group takes Victini and follows the stream to Poliwrath River. We are greeted by a hostile Drowzee. "More trespassers? Get outta here!" the Hypnosis Pokémon honks before shooting a Psybeam square at Braixen's chest without warning, knocking her down onto her knees.
"HEY!" I shout. "We're just looking for a friend!"
"You won't find one in me, little guy-YIKES!!" the Drowzee can barely react as I retaliate with a Flamethrower. Drowzee uses Nasty Plot in preparation for his next attack, while Dhelmise turns to speak to me.
"Captain, leave this scurvy snout to me. By the way, you should know that going through the portal seems to have affected my moveset somehow, so I can't use the ones you've taught me." Dhelmise proceeds to fire a Shadow Ball at Drowzee, knocking him down.
"Oof!" Drowzee attacks Dhelmise with Psychic, but Dhelmise takes the hit and finishes off our foe with Whirlpool.
"Nice job!" I tell Dhelmise.
"Yeah," Braixen says as she gets up, clutching her chest from the earlier blow. "We could use your help battling in this area."
Dhelmise makes quick work of many Water types with Energy Ball, and Braixen and I burn a Joltik here and there as we explore the dungeon. Finally, we find our friend Golisopod...cowering behind a rock. "Not enough...health..." Golisopod pants, spotting us. "Help..." Victini unhelpfully climbs on top of Golisopod's back to watch, as the rest of us confront a trio of violent-looking Poliwrath.
"Hey, do we need to teach you what happens to Pokémon who swim in our waters, too?" the apparent leader challenges us. Dhelmise prepares to fight them alone, but Braixen and I step up to fight with him.
"Teach us," I say.
The Poliwrath put up a fierce fight, nearly KO-ing me and Braixen with Water Pulses. Ultimately, however, our attacks of Psychic and Energy Ball overpower them. The Poliwrath give up and relinquish some food and Poké as a prize.
Drenched but relieved, Braixen and I go immediately to share food with Golisopod, while Dhelmise out of nowhere begins sharing sea tales with the group of Poliwrath. "Thank you for coming," Golisopod finally grunts, getting enough strength to shove Victini off of his back. "I do hate for you to see me so weak like this, MegaPod." Golisopod blinks. After a pause, he asks, "Um...are you really a Fennekin?"

 

[Max1996]

After about an hour of asking around Lively Town, Max and his team came back together just outside it.
"Anything you guys found out?" Max asked. Typhlosion was the first to answer.
"Sorry, but no. I guess it was a fast one, from how nobody saw it committing this."
Hearing this, Max looked down to the ground.
"Hmm?" Hydreigon asked. "Something the matter?"
"Oh...I'm just wondering if that kind of opponent is gonna be difficult to fight."
Greninja smiled. "Don't worry. You said it once before, I'll say it again. When we work together, nothing can defeat us."
"Especially with me!" Hydreigon added.
"Thanks, guys..." Max nodded. "Ah, that's right!"
Max walked up to Sceptile, before holding out a Looplet and an Awakening Emera.
"What are those?" Sceptile asked.
As he showed Sceptile the Looplet and Emera, he repeated the explanation given to him by the Ampharos. Hearing it, Sceptile was overjoyed, putting the Looplet and Emera on his wrist right away.
"Thanks a lot, Max! I really missed being able to Mega Evolve!"
"You're welcome. Now, how about we head to Serene Village to look into what happened there?"

 

[MegaPod]

Golisopod listens to me and Braixen intently as we explain everything we went through so far. When we're finished, he speaks up again. "Wow. I wish I knew where the rest of the team was, but I've been pretty lost myself. I rode the current here, and suddenly got in a tangle with these guys." Golisopod shrugs toward the trio of Poliwrath, who listen to Dhelmise tell his story.
"...I was shackled to the trees with nowhere to go, but I never lost my fighting spirit for a moment. I knew for certain that MegaPod would come through for me, and we're not veering off our course 'til we've got the whole crew back together!"
The Poliwrath blink, and one replies, "So...you're a Ghost and Grass type?"
"...Aye."
Suddenly, the sound of frantic footsteps splashing through the water catches everyone's attention. The Drowzee from earlier runs by us in a panic, wailing at the top of his lungs. "They got everyone!!! RUN FOR IT!!!" We all see Drowzee flat on his face, when suddenly he becomes engulfed by a purplish, amorphous mass. We watch in horror as the substance dissipates, revealing Drowzee's exact likeness in stone.
"What was that?!" I look to the source of the purple mass, who steps into view. It's none other than Mike the Braixen, accompanied by his friends Diggersby and Dewott.
"Did you miss me?" Mike calls out.
"What even happened to you, you creeps?!" Braixen calls back.
"Let's just say that my team got a new sponsor," Mike sneers, then fires a Flamethrower in Dhelmise's direction. The leader Poliwrath quickly intercepts the hit.
"Haven't we told you troublemakers to SCRAM?!" he yells. "And what do you do? You go crying to that Dark Matter freak?! Tough! You don't get to just prance in here and petrify our community!!!"
"Hey, don't look at me, you old toad," Mike talks back, "the guy chose us!" With that, Mike suspends the Poliwrath in the air with Psychic.
Poliwrath and Mike's respective buddies each rush towards each other to duke it out. Poliwrath's team lands several super effective hits, but Mike and company just scoff. Tired of playing games, Mike, Diggersby, and Dewott almost simultaneously conjure up a ball of shadowy stuff each. They hurl the lumps onto the Poliwrath, each one enveloping their target. Dhelmise, Braixen and I try to fire different attacks at the shadowy clumps, but to no avail. "Save yourselves..." the leader chokes out, before he is turned to stone.
"Guys, I really think we should run..." Golisopod moans, hugging the shiny Victini in fright. Dhelmise, Braixen and I try to turn and flee, but a combo of Ice Beam, Mud Shot, and Psychic hinders our escape.
Mike telekinetically drags me towards him. "You'll pay for upsetting me first, furball!" he spits, preparing to petrify me.
"DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY FRIENDS!!!" Golisopod suddenly shouts. He bounds over to the battlefield, knocking back Mike and his goons all at once with some sort of slashing attack.
"How did you learn that one?" I ask.
"I don't know..." Golisopod answers, helping me and Braixen up. "Quick, you and Braixen hop on my back! We'll all ride the river out of here." Braixen and I do as he says, and Golisopod leaps into the water. Dhelmise follows behind us on his own, too busy to notice Victini leap onto him and play with the steering wheel again.
Mike and his cronies get up, and Mike growls angrily. "Well, Dewott? You can swim. Get them!!!"
The corrupted Dewott approaches us fast using Aqua Jet. Dhelmise shoots several Energy Balls back his way, which do nothing to deter him.
"He's gaining on us!!!" I shout.
"Don't make me nervous!!!" Golisopod yells.
"Aha!" Thinking fast, Dhelmise uses Whirlpool behind us, and Dewott is caught in the vortex of water, which buys us plenty of time to escape.
We all wash ashore some distance away, and I shake my fur to dry off. "That...was too close."

 

[Max1996]

On their way to Serene Village to look into the petrifications, Max and his team stop to take a break, when they hear something washing ashore at a nearby river. When they run over to the source of the sound, they see a Fennekin, alongside a Braixen, a Golisopod and a Dhelmise.
"Are you guys all right?" Max asked, running to the Fennekin. "You guys look like you were trying to get away from something."
After completely drying off, the Fennekin explained what just happened.
"I see..." the Froakie mumbled, before he sees something moving in the distance. Right away, he turns to the washed-up group. "It's those three you mentioned. Quickly, run! We'll keep them away, one way or another."
As they run, Greninja turns to Max. "Did you see that? That Shiny Victini was with them."
"I did notice that," Max said. "As I said before, the Shiny Victini isn't important to me anymore. However, I can't shake the feeling I met that Fennekin before somewhere..."
Before he could think about the Fennekin, a voice from behind calls out to them.
"Hey! Have you seen an annoying little furball of a Fennekin around here? I'm pretty sure he and his group of idiotic friends went this way," The Braixen asked.
Max shook his head, followed by the rest of his team. "I'm afraid I haven't seen any around here."
Not asking anything else, the Braixen and his two friends walked off.
---
"Hey...Mike? I thought he was also working for Dark Matter," Diggersby whispered, as they walked.
"Yeah..." Mike nodded. "Perhaps he's resisting it somehow. I'll see if Dark Matter has any ideas on what to do about that."

 

[MegaPod]

My group escapes with Victini to Lively Town, seeing countless petrified Pokémon along the way. "This is awful..." Braixen mutters.
"Poliwrath said that something named Dark Matter is responsible for all this, right?" I say. "I wonder what it's like." Suddenly, one of the few non-petrified Pokémon around catches my eye: the old Delphox from Serene Village somehow managed to escape the miserable fate, and was visible at the water's edge with a Lapras. "Hey, what's he doing over there? Let's go talk to him." I lead Braixen, Dhelmise, Golisopod and Victini over to the Delphox, announcing our presence. "Hello! Where are you going, sir?"
Delphox turns his head to see us approach. "Ah, it's you two, and I see you've got some friends," he responds. "I'm glad you've escaped this disaster...in fact, I was on my way to the Sand Continent to make sure a friend of mine is still okay. I'm not sure how far this plague has spread yet."
"Who's your friend?" I ask.
"Xatu," the Delphox replies. "Actually, he may be able to give me some information that could help me."
"Like bearings on the scoundrel known as Dark Matter?" Dhelmise chimes.
Delphox pauses, then finally replies "Uh, perhaps. ....Say, if you want to get out of here on the Lapras Travel Liner, you could ride with me - if you have the right passes, of course."
"Um..." my entire group exchanges glances and shrugs.
The elderly Delphox fishes a stack of paper slips from his bag, flipping through them to make sure they're all accounted for. He hands a stack of passes to Braixen. "This is yours, I suppose," the Delphox says, a hint of sorrow detectable in his voice.
Braixen looks reluctantly at the passes, feeling noticeable guilt and pity for the Delphox. "I'm sorry if me being around reminds you of..."
"No, please. Take them, and feel free to keep me company as long as you like."
"Okay. Thank you," Braixen sighs as she accepts the gift.
Delphox hands me a near identical stack of passes. "These were my wife's," he explains, nearly choking up. "She would've wanted them put to good use."
"Thank you, sir. Let's go find Xatu."
The Delphox, Braixen and I board Lapras' back, and Dhelmise gets into the water behind Lapras, along with Golisopod, who holds the shiny Victini on his own back. Dhelmise and Golisopod follow in our wake as Lapras ferries us to the Sand Continent.

 

[Max1996]

"This is just horrible..." Max muttered, as he and his team reach Serene Village.
"What happened?"
A Watchog who managed to avoid getting petrified turned around upon hearing them.
"A Ralts came through here and began turning everyone in the village to stone, before heading off to another place."
"What direction did this Ralts head to?" Greninja asked.
The Watchog was lost in thought for a moment, before answering. "I think he headed north from here."
"It can't be..." someone else muttered, behind Watchog.
"What's the matter, Simipour?"
"North of here is Revelation Mountain...If this Ralts is headed there, it'd be a disaster!"
"What's at Revelation Mountain?" Max asked.
"A spring containing Luminous Water, something that could revert the petrification, is on the peak."
"I see..." Max said to himself before turning to his team. "In that case, we're going to have to fight to protect that spring. Ready to go, guys?"
The six voiced their agreement, before they head off.

 

[Chidamari Sketch]

It seems that the one that I'm waiting for is likely not gonna post for a while, so....

After fending off various Void Shadows, the plumber/Togepi had the opportunity to ask Lunala "Seriously, what the fuck are those things? They remind me of those things from Kirby." "Void Shadows, apparently. We have no idea what they are, but all we know is that they can perform mitosis and can shapeshift." Almost immediately after Lunala answers the plumber's question, even more Void Shadows began to manifest; some of them have indeed transformed into various Mega Pokemon. "What the?! Th-They usually don't reappear that quickly!" The group of citizens found themselves cornered by the inexplicably strengthened abominations. "Fucking hell, at this point I'd rather get in a fucking hangover than whatever the shit this is...." As if the situation could not get any more dire, a sudden gust of icy wind then blew around the battlefield. "It.... It can't be....."

---

"THE POWER ARCEUS COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF ARCEUS COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF ARCEUS COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF ARCEUS COMPELS-I give up, this isn't gonna work...." said the Axew!Dentist, who gave up his days long chant in an attempt to resurrect his cousin, the plumber. He shifted his attention towards Mercurius, Aggron, and the picnicker/Cubone, who immediately arrived with a Sableye, a Beheeyem, an Araquanid, and various other Pokemon. "....Damn, you really seem to have a penchant for finding people. Hell, I think you're a far better leader than that son of a bitch who's my cousin, despite how much a generically silent protagonist you could've been; it took my cousin a while for him to remember how many people he had in his gang, he puked at my mattress at one point, and unlike him, you don't drink, but that's merely cause you're just a kid. . ...I'm getting kinda hungry, mind if I ask you to get some apples?" The picnicker obliged and went off to a forest. As soon as she was at the restaurant, however, she heard ....something. "YoU SeEm To HaVE a DIFFerEnt kiND oF HeArT thAN YoUr UNcLE. WhY DoN'T yOu Go bY My SiDE?" the voice asked. Puzzled, she ignored the voice and walked into the forest, albeit dazedly.

---

The Shadow Mewtwo migrated from continent to continent, silently watching over the mysterious events. All it could currently think of is how it attained its godly powers, that one time it got its ass kicked by some scrappy frog, and its brief, former short-time ally Ryota. It inspects the seemingly unharmed Sand Continent, until it feels another presence. Unlike the Ralts and others, however, the voice couldn't reach it, as if the current condition of the Mewtwo appears to hampering the connection. Unfazed, the Mewtwo flew back to the Water Continent to search of a powerful foe.