Continuing their journey to Canterot City, our heroes stopped at another Battle Chauteua. Sky and Applejack took this opportunity to gather more experience to prepare for their upcoming challenges.
"Noctowl, Air Slash!" shouted Sky.
The small owl heard the command as he put his wings together to create a huge sphere of air before thrusting it downward; it made contact with its foe as a smoke explosion occurred.
"Buizel, Aqua Jet!"
"Bui!" shouted the weasel as he surrounded himself in a stream of water and rocketed forward. He collided with his foe and knocked him back.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pikachu!" yelled the small mouse as he landed on his feet from being flung in the air before charging himself up and unleashing all the voltage.
"Turtwig, Razor Leaf!"
"Turtwig!" shouted the small green creature as he was rotated backward while throwing out his leaves as they made contact with his opponent before he fell back-first on the ground.
"And the winner is Sky and Turtwig. And as a result, that's his tenth win. Which means his noble title will change. He goes from Baron to Viscount." said the maid in charge of this specific Battle Chateau as she exchanged Sky's white robe for a blue one and put it on the boy.
"We did it!" said Sky as Turtwig also responded happily.
Rarity was sipping away at some tea as she sat on the patio. Twilight and Aj were also with her; the former was looking at the map she had while the latter was busy shining up her hat. Soon their male companion appeared as he ran up the stairs.
"Hey, girls," said Sky.
"Finished, darling?" asked Rarity as she set her teacup on her plate.
"Yup. Also got promoted," said the boy as he could rank up in titles.
"That's nice, sugar," stated Applejack as she put on her hat. "Well, I'm ready to hit the road. Twilight, how much longer till we reach your home?"
"Not that much farther. About a day or two, give or take," stated the bookworm.
"Then let's get a move on," said Sky as he recalled his Turtwig back into his ball.
The group left the Chauteau as they thanked the caretaker for all she did. She waved them goodbye as the pair ventured into the woods and continued on the trail. A few hours in and the group had stopped for a small break. They all sat on some stumps as their Pokémon were out and about.
"Hey, guys! Check this out!" said Twilight.
The girl pulled out her touchpad and turned it to the other three. A news broadcast was being aired as the person came on the screen.
"And as indicated by last night's events. The Champion has secured their title. Take a look at this final battle." said the woman, turning to the screen behind her as the video played.
"To think the Champion was able to take out most of her opponent's Pokémon with just her Milotic," said the woman as the video played.
"And in a surprising twist, the Champion has lost their first Pokémon. Now the question is, which one will they choose next?" said the announcer in the video.
The person on the screen was shown as they wore a robe covering their body. An arm extended as the person pulled out a Pokéball to recall her Pokémon. The camera panned upward to reveal the person as they wore a masquerade mask that covered most of their face except for their eyes. And their hair was tied in a ponytail, as that alone confirmed that the person in question was a female.
"Thank you, my friend," said the woman as she spoke to her Pokémon before putting it away and reaching for a different one. "Now... Talonflame! Rise from the ashes!"
The woman threw her Pokéball as out came a burst of fire. It soon disbursed as it revealed a large bird that gave a shriek. It was a large hawk-like bird Pokémon. It had flame-red feathers covering its head and wings and specks of orange, resembling embers, on its underbelly and legs. The lower part of its body was gray in color. Its large orange wings were tipped with black feathers. Its tail was black with yellow stripes. It had powerful legs and sharp yellow, clawed talons. Its eyes were narrowed and yellow in color, and it had a short, sharp black beak.
"And Talonflame is her next Pokémon! One of her heavy hitters of her team!" said the MC.
"Battle begin!" shouted the ref.
"Talonflame, Steel Wing!" instructed the Champion.
The large hawk shrieked as it zoomed ahead in the blink of an eye. Its wings glowed in a metal coating as it made contact with its foe, who was pushed back and held on but felt the damage.
"Samurott, Aqua Jet!" called out the opponent.
The quadrupedal, aquatic mammalian Pokémon that resembled a sea lion heard the command as he surrounded himself in a stream of water. He propelled himself upward to where the hawk was in the air as he looked to make contact.
"Dodge it!" instructed the Champion as Talonflame moved out of the way easily.
"Huh?" said both Samurott and his trainer.
"Flame Charge!"
Talonflame turned around and encompassed itself in a burst of flame. It charged forward and collided with Samurott, knocking the sea lion to the ground with a thud.
"Ooh! What a hit! Normally Fire-type moves aren't effective against Water-type Pokémon, but no doubt that was some serious damage. Samurott felt that one!" said the MC as Talonflame spread its wings and screeched as its body glowed in a red light before disappearing.
"And by using Flame Charge, Talonflame has boosted its speed!"
"Samurott!" called the trainer.
The dust cleared as there stood the Pokémon. After suffering damage, it could stand up as it looked at the hawk soaring above it.
"Use Hydro Pump!"
"Flamethrower!"
Both Pokémon opened their mouths and fired their respective attacks. Both beams of water and fire were shot toward the other as they collided. The display of power was shown as, despite being opposites, they were equal in strength. The beams held for quite a while as both Pokémon applied more power behind their attacks; soon, it became too much as the middle resulted in a smoke screen of vapor appearing.
"Talonflame, Steel Wing!"
The hawk then took off into the vapor as its wings were covered in a metal coating.
"Samurott, Razor Shell!"
Samurott pulled out the shells on its side and brought them down just as Talonflame made contact with its wings. Another stalemate occurred as the vapor cleared out to show both Pokémon in another strength test.
"Don't let up!" shouted both trainers.
Talonflame and Samurott pulled back and made contact again as they repeated their actions. Back and forth, the two trying to stand their ground. Talonflame came in for its latest attack as Samurott blocked it and could direct the bird and spin around to throw it away.
"Aqua Jet!"
Samurott took its opening as it surrounded itself in water. It took off the ground into the air as it made contact. Talonflame felt the attack as it was pushed back but remained airborne. However, a small smile on both it and its trainer's faces appeared. Samurott landed on the ground as it stood tall and proud, knowing it made its attack meet. Soon a flame surrounded Samurott as it was in a blaze. The Pokémon released a painful cry as the fire ceased, leaving the sea lion with some smoke coming off its body.
"And Talonflame's Flame Body has taken effect. Leaving Samurott with a serious burn!" stated the MC.
"Samurott!" shouted the trainer to his Pokémon.
Samurott gave a painful response as the burn it suffered was still in effect.
"Flamethrower!"
"Hydro Pump!"
Both attacks met in the middle again as the chain reaction occurred much quicker this time. A veil of vapor occurred as it blinded the view of the trainers and everyone in the stadium.
"Steel Wing!"
Talonflame took off into the smoke with its wings glowing before having its metal coating. Samurott was too slow with his reaction time as Talonflame appeared and did an uppercut to Samurott's chin with its wings.
"Megahorn!"
"Bravebird!"
Samurott growled as he aimed the horn on its head upward. Another burn happened at that moment as Samurott felt it. He pushed past it as he fired his horn upward. At that same time, Talonflame tucked his wings in as it dove through the air. The hawk had its body enveloped in flames as it soon turned into a white light. Talonflame made contact with Samurott as both tried for another test of strength. The hawk had the fire in its eyes burn brighter than ever as it overpowered the weakened Samurott, and a huge explosion occurred. The hawk emerged from the attack, flying back into the air. The cloud cleared out as there laid Samurott as it was defeated.
"Samurott is unable to battle. Which means the winner is Talonflame. And the victor and still Champion!" said the ref, pointing toward his right.
"And there you have it, folks! Once again, the Champion secures their title and remains undefeated!" stated the MC.
The Champion smiled as Talonflame landed on their shoulder. They did a quick wave of their robe as it fluttered in the breeze as a spotlight shined down on them.
"The Champion Solaris continues their reign at the top!"
The video ended.
"Wowee! Talk about strong!" stated Applejack.
"Now the question stands is there anybody who can defeat the Champion?" asked the female broadcaster.
"Yeah! Me!" declared Sky as he stood up from his stump and had a face of determination.
The others all looked at him with surprised looks.
"Wow, that came out of nowhere," said Twilight.
"Heh. Sorry. Guess I got carried away. It's just... that battle got me fired up. One of my dreams is not only to win the League but to be Champion." said Sky as he seemed to let his excitement of wanting to be the best take over his brain and didn't think through what he blurted out.
"Well, in order to challenge the Champion, you need to win the League. And in order to enter the League, you need eight badges," said Twilight.
"Then let's get a move on!" said Sky as he recalled his Pokémon. "The sooner we get to Canterlot City, the sooner we can get on the right path to my next gym challenge."
"That is if the rain doesn't stop us," said Aj.
"Excuse, darling... but rain?" said Rarity as she looked up at the sky to see the sun out and not a single cloud.
"Yup. A south wind... and the scent of water," said the farm girl as she sniffed the air and held her finger up high to feel the direction of the breeze.
"You sure, Aj?" asked Sky.
"Positive."
"That's funny 'cause I checked the forecast before we left and..."
BOOM
Just as Twilight was about to finish her sentence, thunder was heard. Soon it began to pour down within seconds as Twilight's hair got wet and covered her eyes.
"What I'd tell you," said Aj with a smile as her hat and hair were also wet.
"My hair!" yelled Rarity, seeing how messed up it was getting from the rain.
"Don't just sit there! Run!" said Sky as he began to book it.
The girls all did the same, calling back their Pokémon as they ran after their friend. The group runs along the forest, hoping to find shelter from this storm. In the distance, a building was shown as it was illuminated by lightning. It didn't take long as the teens reached the front of the building as Sky pounded on the door.
"Hello? Anybody in there?" shouted the boy.
"May we please come in?" shouted Rarity, as she was about to have a mental breakdown at how wet her hair had gotten.
Sky pounded the door some more in the hope of someone answering. A few more knocks and the doors moved as they opened themselves. The teens looked on as they saw the mansion's main entrance; lightning went off behind them, illuminating it in white light and giving off a creepy vibe.
The four entered the mansion as they took their surroundings.
"Uhm, is anybody here?" called out Sky.
"We just need shelter until it stops raining!" said Rarity.
"If you don't mind!" shouted Twilight.
The teens got no answer as they continued to look around.
"Guess, no one's home," stated Applejack.
"Hello?" said Sky as he opened the door to a room, expecting to find someone but nothing.
"This place is deserted," said Aj.
"True, but we've got to stay here until the rain stops. We can explain everything later," said Twilight.
The rain continued to come down as the windows caught multiple droplets. The teens were all seated in the main entrance as they sat on the floor in a circle.
"Man, what a downpour," said Sky.
"What'd I tell you?" stated Applejack with a smug smile, feeling proud that she called that it was going to rain.
"With your natural senses, I'm not surprised," responded Twilight as she figured that since Aj had worked on a farm her whole life, she had picked up a thing or two about weather conditions.
"And I finally got my hair back to normal," said Rarity, reaching into her backpack and pulling out a small hand mirror to see herself.
Just then, a window burst open as the wind entered. It affected Rarity's hair as it blew in her face, and soon it was all frizzled again.
"My hair!" cried the fashionista after just fixing it.
"Guess it's picked up," said Twilight as they all turned to the open window.
Applejack got up and approached the window. She closed it and applied the latch as it shut the window.
"There we go," said the farm girl as she turned and dusted her hands.
As she turned, the latch came undone, and the window burst again.
"What was that?" said Sky.
Soon a nearby table with a vase on it began to shake as everyone looked at it shaking. The table shot forward as Sky, and the girls barely managed to get out of its way as it hit and landed on the other side of the room.
"Are y'all okay?" asked Aj as she ran to her friends.
"What the hell is going on?" retorted Sky, looking at the table.
"Something about this place gives me the creeps," said Rarity, now frightened.
"What are you talking about?" asked Twilight.
"I feel like... we're being watched," said the fashionista as she hugged her backpack tightly, looking around.
"By who?" asked Aj, looking around.
"I'm not sure."
Above, watching from a balcony, were some figures. They made a sound before disappearing.
"That was probably just the wind," said Twilight.
"Can the wind move a heavy object like that?!" retorted Rarity as she stood up to address her friend.
"Calm down. I'm pretty sure there's a logical explan-" said Sky as he stood up to defuse the situation between the girls when he looked up past Rarity, and his face dropped. He wasn't the only one, as Aj and Twilight did the same.
Coming down the stairs were some objects as they walked down. The teens continued to look at them as Rarity saw their faces and was confused.
"Sky, what were you about to say?" asked the fashionista.
"Uh... Rarity... don't freak out, but... there's something behind you," said Twilight, a bit scared.
The fashionista felt the air turn cold as she gave a gulp. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself. The girl slowly began to turn and look up; at the top of the stairs was a collection of objects, including a bust of a statue, some pots, and kettles, as they all moved on their own. The lightning flashed as it added more to the items.
The objects began to move as the teens turned to run. The many things combined into one thing as it chased the kids, had an umbrella and swung it like a sword.
"Let's get out of here!" said Twilight as they headed for the door.
A cabinet then rolled in front of the door as it blocked the way of the teens, and stopped them in their tracks.
"Great!" said Sky as he turned and saw the thing chasing them flinging itself forward.
The teens dove out of the way as it collided with the cabinet and sent all the stuff it gathered in several directions. Rarity was on the ground when the statue bust landed near her and was in her face. The fashionista screamed as she began booking it, as the others followed her.
They managed to find Rarity as they were now in a dining room. Seated at the table with Sky being at the head of it.
"Alright, what's up with this place?" said the boy as he leaned over the table, breathless.
"This table is fully set and ready," said Twilight as she got up and looked at it.
"Which means someone must be here," stated Aj.
At that moment, the silverware and plates began to levitate. They had a glowing outline on them as soon as the teens' chairs were levitated. All four felt their chairs lifting into the air as they let out some surprised screams.
The silverware followed behind them as their chairs split to the side one by one as the forks, knives, and plates all crashed into the door. The forks and knives stuck into the wooden structure as the plates shattered upon impact. After that, all four teens were dumped out of their chairs outside the dining room as the girls were all on top of Sky. The boy groaned as he was at the bottom of the girl pile.
Sky opened his eye as he saw a glove in front of him. It was also glowing as it was connected to a suit, as if an invisible person was offering their hand to help him up. The girls saw this and screamed as soon the pieces of clothing all lunged at the teens. The teens were now in the pieces of clothing as they were spinning about, without control of their movements. The teens were moving about the dance floor as Sky's outfit made him dance with each girl.
As the boy moved, one of his Pokéballs fell out as it expanded and rolled on the floor. Soon it opened its lid, and a bright white light appeared. Out came Sky's Pikachu; the small yellow mouse was confused as he saw his trainer moving about with the girls.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" said Sky as he spun with Twilight.
"Pika?" said the mouse, tilting his head in confusion.
"Just do it, bud!" said Sky as he grabbed Twilight's hand and dipped her.
The yellow mouse agreed to what his trainer said as he charged and let loose some voltage. The teens felt the power of Sky's Pokémon as he shocked them all. It caused the clothing to lose its glow as they all dropped to the floor. The teens slowly stirred as a piece of clothing began to move. It dropped as it revealed several lit candles. However, these candles were white and cylindrical in shape with small yellow eyes, one of which is hidden by what appears to be a flap of melted wax.
"Pika?" said Pikachu as he saw the Pokémon.
They all began to book it.
"Hey, wait up!" shouted Sky as he caught the Pokémon leaving out of the corner of his eye.
The small candles began to book it as fast as they could. One of the candles was way behind the other as he tried to catch up with his pals. He soon tripped and fell face-first into the carpet. The candle turned as a shadow loomed over it as it was Sky.
"So you're the one who's doing this?!" scowled Sky as he looked to strangle the strange Pokémon before him as the candle was now scared of the boy.
"Wow, that's a Litwick?" said Twilight as she and the others got up and surrounded the Pokémon in a circle as they bent over to examine it.
"A Litwick?" said Aj with some confusion as Sky pulled out his Pokédex.
"Litwick, the Candle Pokémon. Litwick pretends to guide people and Pokémon with its light, but..."
The Pokédex suddenly stopped speaking as it chirped, and the female voice shut off.
"That's weird. Nicole, Nicole, Nicole!" stated Sky as he addressed the name he'd given his Pokédex. But got no response.
"Applejack, try yours?" said Twilight.
The farm girl pulled out her Pokédex, but it didn't even turn on or speak.
"Mines ain't working either," said the farm girl.
"Probably the wind and rain have affected its circuits," concluded Twilight with a hand on her chin.
"To think these little things have been causing all of this," interrupted Rarity as she bent down and looked closer at Pokémon, even poking its body gently.
"So, Litwick. Does your trainer own this place?" asked Sky.
"Lit, Litwick!" responded the Pokémon.
"Really?" said Twilight.
"Lit, Litwick."
"No?" said Rarity.
"Lit, Litwick."
"Well, which is it?" stated Applejack, wondering what the Pokémon was trying to say.
"We're not here to harm you," stated Sky. "The only reason we came here was to escape the rain."
"Lit, Litwick!"
"It'd help if we knew what it was saying," groaned Aj for all to hear.
"Wick. Lit, Litwick," said the Pokémon as it began to walk away.
"Hold up!" said Sky as he went after the candle.
The girls followed him as the teens walked in a hallway, but Litwick was nowhere to be found.
"Where did Litwick go?" asked Twilight as they continued to walk.
"Guess it must have gone to look for its friends," said Applejack.
"Is it just me, or is anybody else getting a bit heated?" asked Rarity as she pulled the collar of her shirt and fanned herself.
The group entered a room as they looked around, hoping to find their target.
The objects in front of them began to levitate. It got the attention of Pikachu as he signaled for Sky, as everyone looked to where he pointed. Standing there was another Litwick.
"Hey, that must be Litwick's friend!" said Twilight as she pointed.
"Litwick!" shouted the Pokémon as it made the stuff hovering head toward the group.
"Hey, knock it off!" shouted Aj as they all ducked with their hands over their heads. "We don't want to fight."
"Lit, Litwick!" declared the Pokémon with a smug smile as the flame on its head grew. Its eye shined as the overhear chandelier flickered before it began to fall.
The teens saw this and all got out of the way before it came crashing down.
"Let's get out of here!" shouted Twilight as they ran to the exit.
The teens booked it while avoiding the objects falling in their path. As the teens ran, the Litwick appeared behind Rarity, who was at the end of the pack as it smiled, and its eyes glowed before everything went black.
"Glad that's over with," said Twilight as they made it to another room and were seated on the floor, trying to catch their breath.
"Pika," said Pikachu as he clutched Sky's shoulder.
"What the hell did it attack us for?" scoffed Applejack.
"Uh, girls. Where's Rarity?" asked Sky.
The girls blinked when they heard that as they looked around. To their surprise, their fashionista friend wasn't with them.
"She was right behind me when we booked it!" said Applejack, knowing that their friend couldn't have just up and vanished.
"Uh-oh..." said Twilight as the lightning went off, creating a flash.
The three teens and Pikachu were now in the hallways searching for their missing friend.
"Rarity!" shouted Sky.
"Rares, where are you?!" shouted the farm girl.
"Espeon!" shouted Twilight as she threw her Pokéball.
"Espeon," said the Pokémon as she appeared.
"Think you can locate Rarity with your powers?" asked the bookworm to her partner.
"Espeon," nodded the Pokémon as she began to close her eyes and focus.
The tiny gem on its forehead shined as it seemed to pick up a trail. The Pokémon began to walk as its eyes glowed, the teens following it to where Espeon was leading them. As they walked, a sound was heard. Sky's Pikachu turned around to see what made that noise. There was nothing but the hallway. A Litwick appeared behind the yellow mouse with a scary smile as when the Pokémon turned around, everything went black.
Espeon sensed something as its eyes stopped glowing and looked around.
"What is it, Espeon? Do you sense something?" asked Twilight.
"Espeon," responded the Pokémon as if trying to convey some danger.
"Hey, where's Pikachu?" said Sky as Aj and Twilight turned to him.
"What are you talking about, sugarcube?"
"Pikachu was right behind me, and now... he's gone. Just like Rarity!" said the boy.
"We have got to figure out what's going on!" said Twilight.
"Pikachu! Where are you, buddy?!" shouted Sky.
"Rarity!" yelled Applejack, hoping to get a response from their missing friend.
Lightning flashed as the exterior of the mansion was shown. The group continued their search for their missing friend and Pikachu. They eventually ended up back in the main entrance as they continued to call out.
"I don't know y'all. We can't seem to find them anywhere!" stated Aj.
"Anything, Espeon?" asked Twilight to her Pokémon.
"Espeon," said the Pokémon as she shook her head.
"Oh, man! If only we knew where they were!" said Sky as he put his hands behind his head.
"Say, Sky, you remember earlier when you and Aj's Pokédex weren't working, and it stopped while describing Litwick?" asked the bookworm to her friend.
"Yeah, what about it?" responded the teen.
"That's the first time it's happened, correct?"
"That I'm aware of, yeah," stated Sky.
"Try opening it up again?"
"Sure."
The teen reached into his pocket as he pulled out his Pokédex. It came online and continued where it left off when he used it on Litwick.
"Litwick, the Candle Pokémon. Litwick pretends to guide people and Pokémon with its light, but following it is a bad idea. The ghostly flame absorbs life energy for use as fuel."
"Did it just say, absorb life energy?" recalled Applejack.
"That's not all it says," stated Sky as he read some additional information that wasn't said by his Pokédex. "It says that the people they guide lead them to the Ghost World."
"The Ghost World?!" shouted Aj and Twilight in unison as lightning flashed on cue, highlighting the scared expression on the teens' faces.
"The life force they absorb from people and Pokémon are what they use to fuel the flames on the top of their head," said the boy.
"So... does that mean... our lives are in danger?" expressed Applejack as her teeth chattered while looking around.
"So the Litwick cut off your Pokédex because they didn't want us to know that!" said Twilight as she was also scared.
"Then we need to find Rarity and Pikachu fast!" said Sky as he put his device away. "Pikachu!"
"Rarity!"
"Where are y'all!"
The teens began to run as Twilight's Espeon followed them.
"Hey, I found them!" said Sky as he came running from around a corner and halted.
He called out to his friends as up ahead in the hallway were two Litwicks.
"Where's our friends?!" demanded Applejack to the ghost Pokémon as they chuckled and turned.
"Hey, get back here!" yelled Sky as he ran after them, with the others following suit.
The boy followed the hallway the Litwick walked down as he approached a set of doors. He charged and burst through them as the girls came in moments later. They were now in a giant room with brick walls. They looked as if something had caught Twilight's eye.
"Hey, look!" said the girl as she pointed ahead.
There on the ground were Pikachu and Rarity as the pair were unconscious.
"Pikachu!" said Sky as he ran to them. "Pikachu, are you okay?"
The teen picked up the yellow mouse in his arms with a concerned look.
"Pika," responded the Pokémon weakly.
"Rarity, wake up!" said Applejack as she bent down and shook her friend.
"Applejack, darling?" said the girl, feeling slightly worse for wear. "Where... are we?"
"Come on, we're leaving!" said the farm girl as she picked her friend up and flung her shoulder across hers.
Just then... the door then came in through shut tight.
"Uh, guys!" said Twilight.
Soon small flames came alight as they made some sounds. The Litwick appeared before the group as their flames were even larger. However, they weren't alone as they now had a friend with them. It was a Pokémon with a black cone-shaped cap, a pointed tip at the top, and a cylindrical spool-shaped black lower body with two long arms curling from beneath it. Its head appeared to be a glass bulb with a blazing purple flame inside; it had two small glowing yellow eyes outside its glass head and no visible mouth.
"Looks like their flames got bigger," said Twilight as Rarity groaned even more. Her life force being sucked by the Litwick.
"And they got a friend with them, too," said the farm girl.
"Yeah, a Lampent!" said Sky, pulling out his Pokédex.
"Lampent, the Lamp Pokémon and the evolved form of Litwick. Lampent tends to lurk grimly around hospitals, waiting for someone to take a bad turn so it can absorb the departing spirit. The stolen spirits keep its fire burning."
"Well, that's not good!" said Twilight with a scared expression.
"Lampent!" shouted the Pokémon as he fired off an attack.
"Litwick!" shouted all of the Litwick as they touched tips to combine their attacks into one similar to the one Lampent launched.
"Look out! That's Inferno!" shouted Twilight as they ducked to avoid the attack.
The attacks collided with the entrance to which they entered as smoke appeared. It soon died down as the bricks began pulling away, revealing some weird energy portal as it began to suck in.
"What's that?" said Aj.
"Could that be what the Pokédex was talking about? The Ghost World entrance!" said Twilight as the girl was correct.
"Litwick!" shouted the Pokémon; all but one fired Shadow Balls while the other made a simple Inferno attack. The group trying to knock the humans back into the entrance.
They all dodged, but Pikachu and Espeon were hit as they were sent tumbling backward. The yellow mouse managed to hold onto the floor as Espeon bit into his tail as they were now flapping in the wind. Lampent fired another Inferno attack as it made contact with the area above the entrance. Soon, the brick wall began to pull back and break down; the attack also sent the two Pokémon forward. The entire room was now shown to be surrounded by the Ghost World, as only the floor remained.
"Now what?" said Applejack.
"If we don't defeat the Litwick, then we'll be stuck here forever!" said Twilight.
"Alright, I'm done being scared shitless! Buizel, I choose you!" yelled Sky as he had enough of this and threw out a Pokéball to call on his Pokémon.
"Bui, Bui!" said the weasel as he landed.
"Use Water Gun!" instructed the boy.
"Bui!" shouted Buizel as he heard his trainer's command and fired a powerful stream of water forward.
"Lampent!" said the Pokémon as it used Protect to put a barrier over it and the cowering Litwick that gathered around it as it stopped the attack.
"Breloom! Lend me yer strength!" shouted Applejack as she threw her Pokéball.
"Breloom!" said the Pokémon.
"Now, Mach Punch!" instructed the country gal.
"Breloom!" said the Pokémon as he reeled his arm back and thrust it forward; it managed to break through the barrier as the Litwick and Lampent split off.
"Espeon, Zap Cannon!" instructed Twilight.
Espeon opened its mouth, and a ball of electricity formed before shooting forward. The Litwick, however, dodged it as they had smiles. They then used their Psychic attack to lift Breloom and Espeon before flinging them back. They each collided with their trainers and tumbled to the floor. Rarity slipped out of Aj's grip as the girl held onto a piece of the floor to avoid being sucked in.
"Rarity!" shouted the girls.
"Help me!" said the fashionista as she felt sucked in.
Her grip began to loosen as her energy was running low. Her hand let go as Sky appeared before she could be sucked in, as he extended his arm out and grabbed ahold of the girl.
"Sky!" said the teen as she saw her friend grabbing her hand and keeping her from being sucked in.
"Hold on!" said the boy, putting both hands on hers and pulling the girl toward him with one mighty heave.
Rarity landed in his arms as Sky caught and held her.
"Thank you, darling," responded Rarity weakly.
"Aj, Twi! All together!" said the boy while holding the girl.
"Espeon, Zap Cannon!" instructed the bookworm.
Espeon did as Twilight said and fired an electricity orb. Lampent performed Protect again, putting up a barrier over itself, and the Litwick gathered around.
"Applejack!"
"Right! Breloom, Mach Punch!"
Breloom gave a cry as he reeled his arm back and thrust it forward. Like before, it managed to break through the barrier and take out the Litwick as they tumbled from the attack in the air. Lampent did an Inferno attack as it looked to counter.
"Buizel, Water Gun!" said Sky.
The weasel fired a powerful water stream from its mouth. The two attacks met in the middle as they created a vapor veil.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" stated the boy.
Pikachu charged up and used its remaining strength to fire its attack; it collided with Lampent, who couldn't see the attack launched because of the vapor veil as it was hit and tumbled into the Litwick. They all were sent flying while crying out as they vanished into the outer area; soon, the walls of the bricks returned and covered the room up.
"Where did they go?" asked Applejack.
"Back to the Ghost World," stated Twilight.
"Then that means..." said Sky, looking down at his arms.
Rarity was blinking and opening her eyes as all signs of her tiredness were gone. The boy set the girl to her feet; she wobbled a bit before standing upright.
"You good, Rares?" asked the country gal.
"Better than okay, darling," expressed the fashionista as she was full of energy.
"Then I think it's time we leave this house of horrors," suggested Twilight.
The group was now shown running back the way they came. They soon exited the mansion as they arrived back outside. They turned to look at the building but were shocked by what they saw. When they arrived, the mansion looked perfect, but now it was all worn down and rusty.
"Guess the Litwick were using their powers to make the mansion appear nicer than it really was," said Twilight.
"I knew things weren't right when we set foot in there!" expressed Applejack.
"Then let's go!" said Sky.
"Hold on... I sense rain again," said Applejack as she put her finger up and felt the breeze.
"Again!?" said Rarity.
In the background, the sunny day now had clouds rolling in. A flash of lightning, and soon it began to pour. The teens began to book it past the mansion gate as they ran into the forest. They came across a tree with a large hole in it as they entered and decided to spend the time there until the rain passed.
"Now... this is much better than a mansion," said Sky as the girls couldn't help but chuckle.
Author's Note: Seems a slight detour to get out of the rain has resulted in our heroes to seek shelter. Little did they know that this house of horrors was one where your own life is at risk. Thankfully, they were able to save Rarity and Sky's Pikachu before their souls were trapped. And it seems the journey toward making a detour at Canterlot City might be delayed just a bit longer with the additional storm. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.