My Little Pokémon: Badges Are Magic

Chapters

2 - Championship Dreams
3 - Route 109
1 - Critical Capture

2 - Championship Dreams

"That is the craziest thing I have ever heard, no offense," Rarity said, stunned, as she took a sip of her tea. "Who knew that Bidoof could mega-evolve? He's not even the final evolution in his line," Rarity added.

Fluttershy shrugged. "Poison joke can do strange things," she reminded.

"Hm," Rarity nodded. "True enough, I suppose, but I doubt anypony has seen this sort of effect."

"It is pretty funny from a certain point of view," Fluttershy reasoned.

"Except when he was going to hurt my sister," Rarity clarified.

"Of course," Fluttershy said.

"Could I see the Bidoof?" Rarity asked.

"Sure," Fluttershy said, dipping under the table to reach for her bag, and placing the ball on the table. Rarity's eyes went wide and she leaned forward, jaw open.

"What an exquisite pokéball," Rarity said, turning it gently around with her magic. "It is absolutely fabulous – where did you get this?"

"It's, um," Fluttershy bit her lip. "It's the same one you gave me a few years ago."

"Eh?" Rarity raised an eyebrow, and looked at the shiny Bunnelby outside, who was animatedly arguing with the three-headed Dodrio and pointing at each of its heads. "Didn't you use it to catch Angel?"

"I, um, couldn't bear to do it," Fluttershy admitted.

Rarity pursed her lips. "I really don't see the problem, it's not like he has to live in the pokéball all the time. It'll just stop a poacher stealing him, is all..."

"I still don't feel comfortable catching pokémon," Fluttershy said.

Rarity sighed, and waved her hoof around in a rolling motion. "Okay, Fluttershy. One of these days..." she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I suppose in retrospect it's not a surprise the ball is this fabulous – I did pick it, after all. Let's see what the fuss was about..."

Rarity toggled the switch on the front of the ball, and it split open, unleashing a torrent of red light that splashed onto the ground and formed into a Bidoof, who looked up at them in a manner not dissimilar to any other Bidoof. Perfectly ordinary.

"Hmm, that's it?" Rarity asked, gesturing at the Bidoof, looking at Fluttershy before examining the pokémon closer. "Looks normal to me." Rarity turned the Bidoof around. "Hmm, yes, not to belittle your fight, dear, but this is a rather ordinary looking Bidoof. Even for a Bidoof, it's potential seems to be distinctly below average overall."

"Who you calling 'below average', you makeup-slathered tramp?" the Bidoof asked, turning around angrily and glaring at Rarity, who turned purple at the insult.

"Excuse you," Rarity said, "Mind your manners!"

"What is this shit?" The Bidoof sat up and gestured at Rarity, looking to Fluttershy for guidance. "Toots, what is this? Why are you presenting me to this whore?"

"Well, he certainly talks," Rarity said, a heavy edge of offense in her tone as she pulled her own bag from across the room, removing a small wallet, which she flipped open and all but shoved in the pokémon's face. "Perhaps he can recognize my badges?"

Bidoof backed up from the wallet a little, and nodded grudgingly. "Yeah, I see those shiny bits o' metal. Don't mean shit to me."

"Why you-" Rarity composed herself quickly. "These are official Equestrian Pokémon League badges, and you will respect my mastery of pokémon!"

"Yeah, and you ain't my trainer," Bidoof countered. "She is, and she don't have diddly."

Rarity opened her mouth and closed it numbly. She sat back down and folded her wallet closed again, nodding.

"Hmm, the foul mouthed Bidoof has a point," she admitted. "You don't have any badges, Fluttershy."

"Exactly," Bidoof said, turning around and running for the door. "So screw you whores, I'm outta here."

"No, you aren't," Rarity said, picking up the Luxury Ball and tagging Bidoof with a beam of red light, which sucked him up and back into the pokéball.

"Oh, come on," Fluttershy said. "That's cruel, can't we just let him go?"

"Let a pokémon like that go?" Rarity asked. "He's an utter monster, he's too dangerous to be let loose!"

"He's only angry because he lives in the ball," Fluttershy argued.

"He was angry before he got in the ball, by all accounts," Rarity pointed out. "All you need is a pokémon league badge or two and you can work on reforming him or something, then let him go."

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy said nervously. "That would be... I mean... I'd have to challenge at least two pokémon gyms, wouldn't I?"

"Well, yeah," Rarity agreed. "You're no pushover when it comes to pokémon battles, darling, take it from me – you just need some strong friends to help you. What about when Gogoat helped you battle Nightmare Moon? Hm?"

"That- that was different," Fluttershy countered. "We were fighting to save the world."

"So?" Rarity shrugged. "Now you're fighting for smaller stakes, to save yourself some trips and these pokémon you look after," Rarity explained, gesturing out the window at the field of wild pokémon outside.

All sorts of sizes and types, Fluttershy's cottage was home to a great deal of stray pokémon who had been driven from their homes or released for trivial reasons; unable to acclimatize to the wild again, they had returned here, where they had equine companionship from Fluttershy to keep them content until somepony who wanted them found them.

"I don't really..."

"Seriously," Rarity said, leaning forward. "If you had some more badges, you'd have better access to medicines at the Pokémon Centre that you won't have to practically force-feed to sick pokémon." Rarity sat back. "And on that note, why do you insist on going all the way out to Zecora's yourself? You do know that there's plenty of fillies and colts capable of making the trip with nothing better to do than fight amongst themselves, right?"

"Okay, okay," Fluttershy said. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"There's my girl," Rarity said, patting Fluttershy on the hoof. "Anyway, thank you for looking out for my sister and her friends."

"It's no trouble at all, honestly," Fluttershy reassured.

"I should probably get the girls home," Rarity said, looking at the clock. "I'm sure their parents will want to talk to them, I know mine will. Thank you for the tea."

"No, no, it's no trouble," Fluttershy said. "Thank you for coming and having that talk with me, I think I needed it."

The back-and-forth went on for a few minutes as Rarity continued to give thanks for things and Fluttershy attempted to find something to thank Rarity back for, too shy to just accept the thanks in the first place, in a strange game of gratitude hot potato. But all games, no matter how strange, end eventually, and Fluttershy found herself alone in her house as the sun began to set.

Angel bounded through the door, a small flap swinging shut in his wake, and he jumped up on the dinner table, gesturing to Fluttershy.

The yellow pegasus shook her head gently. "Angel, I appreciate the concern, but I don't think becoming a proper pokémon trainer is right for me."

Angel rolled his eyes, and picked up Bidoof's pokéball. Fluttershy held out a hoof gently.

"Angel, dear, please don't break that, mummy needs it to keep-"

Angel pushed the release button, and in a flash of red light, Bidoof jumped out again, shaking his head.

"Oy vey," Bidoof grunted. "Hate that feeling."

Angel hopped forward, and chittered at Bidoof, who looked up in mild surprise and with clear disgust.

"And why should I translate for you?" Bidoof asked levelly.

Angel held up a clenched paw, and shook it vigorously. Bidoof blanched, and looked at Fluttershy.

"You wouldn't dare," he said quickly. "Toots, is this guy serious?"

"Angel is, um, special," Fluttershy said. "He's waiting for a family that is a little more accommodating of his... willpower?"

"So basically, he's a trouble pokémon because he beats stuff up if he doesn't get his way, okay, I get it," Bidoof said, rolling his eyes. "Alright, Toots. Listen good, I'll only repeat what he says once, no matter what he threatens to do with a Pinap Berry. Ahem."

Angel nodded, and began to semaphore again, chittering to Bidoof. Bidoof nodded and looked at Fluttershy.

"What this little prick is saying is that if you had a few pokémon badges, then the strays would have to listen to you a little more, maybe take your advice to heart. There might be less in-fighting, and ponies might be more eager to pick up strays from a trainer with a few badges."

"That's, uh," Fluttershy bit her lip. "That's a good point, but... I don't want to go out and force pokémon to fight for me."

Angel semaphored again, and Bidoof sighed.

"If you asked some of the guys outside," Bidoof relayed, "I'm sure they would gladly fight for you. God, that is some cheesy shit."

"No," Fluttershy said firmly. "EqPL rules say my pokémon need to be registered to me, either by trade or capture." Fluttershy gestured out the window. "They all have trainers they're waiting for. Sometimes the record of their trainer is all they have left. I can't take that away from them, even if it means we get badges."

Angel shrugged. Bidoof mimicked him. "In that case," Bidoof said, "You're going to have to go out and capture a team."

"I know," Fluttershy said. "And that's partially why I don't want to become a trainer."

Bidoof looked at Fluttershy, eyes narrowed. "There's more to this than you're letting on, isn't there, toots?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Fluttershy said, suddenly closing up. "I'm just afraid, is all."

"Uh huh," Bidoof said. "Whatever." Angel waved his arms and chittered, and Bidoof sighed. "The twat says you should start by going to Town Hall tomorrow morning, registering as a new trainer, and picking up a starter pokémon so you have at least one member of your team who isn't total garb- hey!"

"Now, Angel," Fluttershy said sternly. "That is not nice, apologize to Bidoof."

Angel sniggered and chittered at Bidoof, who raised a paw and showed him the back of a middle digit.

"Same to you, asshole."

"Well, he has a point," Fluttershy said, picking up Bidoof's ball. "I do need to register as a trainer anyway..." Fluttershy looked at Bidoof. "Would you like to go back in?"

"Hell no," Bidoof said. "I wanna go home to the forest, missin' out on some serious poon-tang, y'know whadda mean."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "I can't let you do that, you're registered to me, if the Pokémon Patrol caught you, I'd get fined."

"Then I won't get caught, c'mon," Bidoof put on a cutsey face. "Whaddya say, toots?"

"I say compromise," Fluttershy said, walking over to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?"

"Aw, come on," Bidoof cursed. "You want me outta your pink hair, I wanna go home before I go soft."

"I have Persim and Pecha pokéblocks."

"Aw snap," Bidoof perked up. "You got Pecha? Gimme some o' dat."

"There you go," Fluttershy said, as she poured a generous helping of pokéblocks into a dish for Bidoof, and placed his ball next to it. "Return to the ball when you're ready, okay? I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, seeya," Bidoof mumbled through a mouthful of pokéblocks. "Oh shit, this is the good stuff. Oh yeah."

Fluttershy smiled and walked away, Angel riding on her back and rolling his eyes at Bidoof as they went.

* * *

Day broke over Ponyville, and the country air was filled with the trills of various flying-type pokémon as the town woke up and got to work.

Colts and fillies old enough to be trainers ran through the streets, pokéballs bouncing around their necks on carrying straps, sometimes with their pokémon starter running alongside them as they played with others of their age. Older ponies went about their work, their pokémon helping them with the day to day labours.

Fluttershy walked past them all, trying not to make eye contact with any of them; with the official capture of her first pokémon, she was now officially a pokémon trainer and available to be challenged by anypony; meet the eyes of the wrong pony, and she might find herself in a fight.

Town Hall stood in the middle of Ponyville – in times since past, it had just been that, a town hall. But with the rise of pokémon training in Equestria, Town Hall had become the first destination for many fillies and colts looking to start an adventure and aim for the stars.

Fluttershy stepped through the doors, and into a very upscale interior; tiled floors, aesthetically pleasing minimalist architecture and furniture and advanced screens displaying pokémon news and advertisements. No matter where you were, every Pokémon Centre was the same, providing free pokémon medical care and selling pokémon paraphernalia to anypony with a pokémon license.

Fluttershy nodded to Nurse Tenderheart, who was standing behind the main desk, but did not approach – her destination was not the main desk, but a set of double-doors in the back of the Centre that lead to the registration centre. This was a much quieter room, filled with only a kiosk and a wall of pamphlets and other informational materials.

Fluttershy stepped up to the kiosk, and heard a small camera in the middle of it come to life, adjusting itself with a whirr.

"Hello there!" a recorded voice greeted warmly. The screen in front of Fluttershy came to life, revealing Princess Celestia standing there against a blank backdrop. "I am Princess Celestia," Celestia said, "And I will be your guide on your first steps into the world of pokémon!"

Fluttershy bobbed her head to the left and right anxiously. She already knew this, having met Celestia a few years prior. And from, well, leaving her registration a little late.

"First," Celestia said, "I need to ask a few questions. What is your name?"

"Fluttershy," Fluttershy said. The kiosk took a moment to think about it, and blinked a green light.

"So your name is DOUCHEBAG," Celestia asked, without a trace of irony. "Is that correct?"

Fluttershy made alarmed noises, and shook her head. "No, it's Fluttershy."

"So your name is FLUTTERSHY," Celestia repeated, without breaking stride. "Is that correct?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes."

"Excellent!" Celestia nodded. "I sense that you already have a pokémon! Please place any pokémon you may have already caught into the tray so that we can link them to your Trainer ID!"

Fluttershy took Bidoof out of her bag, and placed his pokéball on a tray that was sliding out of the Kiosk, in a convenient depression. The tray waited a moment, and glowed, causing green lights and lines to flash over the surface of the luxury ball as it was registered.

"One Bidoof," Celestia said. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Fluttershy said.

"Fantastic!" Celestia said. "You can now take your pokémon back. Please stand still for the camera so we can take the picture that will be on your ID!"

Fluttershy stood stock still, and tried not to hide behind her mane as she waited for the camera to click before reaching out and taking Bidoof back, letting the tray return to the Kiosk. The tray had barely vanished before a new, smaller tray came out again, this time bearing a small rectangle of plastic, still warm from the machinery inside the kiosk. On it, next to a picture of Fluttershy (performing a pose that Photo Finish had referred to as "the deer in headlights") were two large words: Pokémon Trainer.

Beneath that, additional personal details like date of registration and town of origin were listed, and eight blank squares intended to be marked in future.

Bidoof's pokéball quivered, and popped open with a flash, releasing Bidoof onto the ground. The plump mouse pokémon looked around, and up at the card that Fluttershy was now signing, whistling impressively.

"That's it, eh, toots?" He said. "One little bit of plastic and you're officially my boss."

"One more thing, FLUTTERSHY," Celestia said brightly. "Before you go, I would like you to choose a starter pokémon to help you begin your pokémon journey!"

"Oh, here we go," Bidoof said. "My meal ticket outta here. Once you got this guy, I am gone."

The image of Celestia faded, replaced by three icons, a flame, a water droplet and a leaf, and silhouettes in front of each symbol.

"Will you take: Cyndaquil, the fire type?" The pokémon in front of the fire icon was revealed, a cute-looking fire hedgehog that tensed its body eagerly, causing flames to flare out from its back. "Totodile, the water type?" Celestia went on, as the water type was revealed, an eager-looking blue crocodile, "or Chikorita, the grass type?" Celestia finished, as a stumpy looking bean of a pokémon was revealed in front of the leaf symbol, swirling the leaf around on its head eagerly.

"Oh gosh," Fluttershy said. "I don't know, they all seem so nice..."

"Cyndaquil looks cute now," Bidoof said, "But just wait until he's proper evolved. Hoo. Mean looking bastard."

Fluttershy looked at Bidoof, worried. "Um. What about Totodile?"

"Feraligatrs are easy twice as mean and half as subtle," Bidoof assessed. "They bite on, they don't let go."

"What about... Chikorita?" Fluttershy asked.

"Turn into some giant plant motherfucker," Bidoof said. "Pretty chill, all the ones I ever met just want to blaze it."

"I think," Fluttershy said, turning back to the kiosk, "I will choose Chikorita."

"Excellent choice!" Celestia said. "Chikorita will be an excellent partner. Is this your choice?"

"Yes," Fluttershy said, nodding.

"Alright," Celestia said. "We're preparing your starter now. Please also take and enjoy a complimentary gift of five pokéballs, so you can get started and make some more friends as soon as you like!"

The kiosk whirred, and the pokéball tray returned; this time, it had one pokéball with a green leaf symbol stencilled on the lid, and five unmarked pokéballs around it. Fluttershy touched the pokéball, and it burst open.

With a gentle tap of feet on the tiled floor, Chikorita stood there, looking up at Fluttershy before chirruping eagerly.

"Would you like to name the male Chikorita you just received?" Celestia asked.

Fluttershy looked at Bidoof. "What would Chikorita like to be called?"

Chikorita chirruped at Bidoof and he grinned. "I like his style," Bidoof remarked. "He wants to be called "Killfuck Soulshitter". Or "Chico", if you feel you must," he added.

"That's, um," Fluttershy grimaced. "That's a bit... a bit long. I think we'll stick with "Chico"."

"He says that's trite as hell, but whatever, at least you picked one of his preferred names."

"Very good!" Celestia said, smiling. "FLUTTERSHY, a world of adventure awaits! I look forward to seeing you at the Pokémon League one day! Good luck!"

The kiosk began to play triumphant music, and the screen faded to black. Fluttershy took all the pokéballs, and added them to her saddlebags before stepping out of the room and back into the Pokémon Centre at large, pokémon at her side and looking around in wonder.

"Daaaamn," Bidoof said, looking around in astonishment. "Never been inside one of these before, swanky."

Chico agreed with the sentiment, nodding as he swirled his leaf around and adjusted it rakishly.

"Fluttershy, darling!" Rarity called out. Fluttershy looked up to see the fashionista trotting towards her, a smile plastered across her face.

"Rarity," Fluttershy said by way of greeting. "How are you?"

"I am absolutely fabulous, as usual," Rarity said, "And I see you've gotten an early start on the day. Picked Chikorita, as I guessed you would..." Rarity pursed her lips when she looked at Bidoof. "… and you've let him out of his ball. Charming."

"Bitch, I do what I want," Bidoof countered. "And the moment we step outside, I am getting released."

Rarity shook her head. "Fluttershy, I implore you to try and hold onto Bidoof, teach him some manners?"

Bidoof stood up on his hind legs, which were spread wide. "And I implore you to try and hold onto these nuts," Bidoof taunted, gesturing to his groin.

Rarity gritted her teeth. "Fluttershy, I am so sorry, but I think if I put up with this any longer, I will have to challenge you to a battle just so I can have Elusive teach this Bidoof some manners, and it would not be a fair fight." Rarity patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. "You have your HoloCaster on you, right?

"Of course," Fluttershy said.

"Oh good," Rarity said. "If you ever need some tips, don't hesitate to give me a call. My door is always open to you, metaphorically speaking."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like some advice now," Fluttershy said.

"Sure, shoot," Rarity said brightly.

"What gym should I challenge first?" Fluttershy asked.

"Tough question," Rarity said, blowing air out of her mouth as she thought. "Well, at this point, you really only have two choices – Ponyville Gym, or Manehattan Gym. They're the lowest-levelled gyms around." Rarity rolled a hoof. "Problem is, it'd be harder to challenge Ponyville Gym, since the only decent place to get any practice in is the Everfree forest, the castle of the pony sisters, and right now..." Rarity looked at the two pokémon at Fluttershy's sides. "You're not ready, you need a gentler gradient."

Rarity led Fluttershy and her pokémon over to a map of Equestria on the wall, and pointed at one of the orange lines that ran along the foot of Foal Mountain and up to the North-East, where Manehattan sat.

"This, Route 109," she said. "It's a nice, long road, plenty of opportunity to get some practice in, train up. Maybe add some more pokémon to your team. By the time you get to Manehattan, you should be all set to tackle the gym."

"That sounds good," Fluttershy said, nodding.

"Oh, I have a good idea, actually," Rarity said, smiling. "While you're out there, could you deliver something for me?"

"Sure, I'd be glad to," Fluttershy said, nodding.

"I'll just go get it ready," Rarity said, reaching into her pocket and fishing out a hoofful of bits. "Here, take these, buy yourself some supplies for the journey – the hardest leg is from Ponyville outskirts, through the Foal Mountain foothills, to Hollow Shades."

Fluttershy nodded. "Okay."

"And if they have something here you need but they won't let you have, tell them I sent you," Rarity said. "That should get you a decent selection."

"Thank you, Rarity," Fluttershy nodded. "Really."

"Think nothing of it," Rarity said. "It is my pleasure, and I would be remiss if I did not, especially after yesterday." Rarity indicated the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go. Package to pack."

"Right, of course," Fluttershy said, nodding.

"See you in ten minutes, darling!" Rarity said, slipping through the sliding glass doors and running off into Ponyville. Fluttershy nodded and looked at the main desk of the Pokémon Centre, which she approached.

"Hi Fluttershy," Nurse Tenderheart said, smiling warmly. "Finally did it, huh?"

"Yeah," Fluttershy blushed and smiled, digging at the tile floor reflexively. "Could I get a check-up on my pokémon? I want to make sure they're in good shape."

"Of course. If you return them to their balls, I can put them through the machine," Tenderheart said.

Fluttershy nodded, and before Bidoof could comment, she zapped her pokémon with the pokéballs, returning them to their respective balls, and passed them to the nurse, who put them in the tray and started the machine.

"It's so good to see you finally get out there," Tenderheart remarked. "You've got a talent for it, you know, and I personally felt that it was a bit of a pity you spent it all looking after strays."

"They don't have anypony else," Fluttershy countered. "Too wild for town, too trained for the wilderness."

"Didn't say it was a bad thing," Tenderheart said. "You do good work, and help everyone. But a talent like you... anypony can look after pokémon," Tenderheart said, gesturing to herself. "But not everypony has what it takes to be a proper trainer, you know?"

"Mmm," Fluttershy nodded, as the machine dinged, and the tray was returned.

"Here you are," Tenderheart said. "No problems at all, they're in tip-top shape!" Tenderheart bowed. "Here's hoping you don't need to make too many visits to a Pokémon Centre, if that doesn't sound rude."

Fluttershy giggled. "I'll try not to need it."

"That's the spirit," Tenderheart said. "Hey, I was overhearing your chat with Rarity – taking a trip out to Hollow Shades?"

"And then to Manehattan," Fluttershy said.

"Oh, swell," Tenderheart said. "Say hi to my cousins for me, would you? Nurse Softheart in Hollow Shades and Nurse Heartthrob in Manehattan?"

"Sure," Fluttershy said. "I'll do that. Are there any items you recommend I get for the journey?"

"Naturally," Tenderheart said. "Definitely get some antidote and paralyze heal, your pokémon will love you for it. A spare burn heal, just in case... plenty of potions..."

Fluttershy watched as Tenderheart placed more items on the counter, talking about the merits of each, and eventually there was a small pile of items that Tenderheart judged to be essential for any trainer starting out.

"I'll take the lot," Fluttershy said, passing Tenderheart a sum of money. Tenderheart took it, and started putting the money away in the cash register, as Fluttershy began to pack her bag.

"All set?" Tenderheart asked, as Fluttershy put her distinctly heavier bags on.

"All set," Fluttershy agreed.

"Alright, good luck," Tenderheart nodded. Fluttershy nodded back, and turned around, heading for the main doors. She stepped outside into the open sun, and took a deep breath. Fluttershy couldn't place it, but she felt so good for some reason.

Her ears twitched, and she heard an animated voice bragging to an unseen listener. It drew nearer, and she saw the source when the speaker finally walked around the side of Town Hall, and into view.

Two small fillies, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. If memory served, Diamond Tiara was Filthy Rich's daughter. Some added "spoilt rotten" as an adjective before "daughter", but Fluttershy preferred "doted on".

"Daddy brought me this pokémon," Diamond Tiara bragged, holding up a pokéball that looked not unlike Bidoof's luxury ball. "Apparently it's supposed to be ultra-rare."

"Oh wow, DT," Silver Spoon gushed. "That is just the best. Can I see it?"

"Well, I suppose you could," Diamond Tiara admitted, smiling smugly. "Hey, what's she doing?"

Fluttershy realized she was being rude when she realized that Diamond Tiara was talking about her. She'd been staring. Fluttershy shook her head and looked away.

"I'm sorry," she called out, "That was rude of me, I shouldn't have been staring."

"Hey, I have an idea," Diamond said as an aside to Silver Spoon, sneering at Fluttershy. "Hey, you. I challenge you to a pokémon battle!"

"Oh, this is so cool," Silver praised.

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy said quietly. "I don't really w-"

"You can't say no," Diamond said haughtily. "You're an official Pokémon Trainer and so are we," – The two fillies flashed their own trainer cards – "So you have to accept."

"I, um," Fluttershy sagged. "Okay."

"It's a double battle!" Diamond shouted gleefully. "Come on, Silver! Back me up!"

"Oh, right!" Silver Spoon fumbled her own pokéball, a more ordinary white and red, out of her mane, and onto the ground, where it split open to reveal a taller pokémon. Standing on two hind legs, and with huge eyes, it was a Patrat.

Fluttershy bit her lip, and held out her own pokéballs. "Oh, um, go, Chico. If you want. And Bidoof."

The two pokémon jumped out of their pokéballs, and landed on the ground. Bidoof flexed, standing on his hind legs and throwing his forearms back and forth energetically.

"Aw yeah, feelin' good. Almost makes me wanna- wait," Bidoof looked around. "This is a battle! You can't release me during a battle!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "I got challenged first."

"This is such bullshit," Bidoof said.

"That Bidoof is talking," Diamond Tiara observed.

"No shit," Bidoof responded. "Nobody asked your opinion, shortstack."

Diamond Tiara gasped in shock, but then regained her composure and sneered. "You're lucky, you know," she said to Fluttershy. "You get to see this ultra-rare pokémon first. Go, Tyranitar!"

"Tyranitar?!" Bidoof exclaimed, astonished. "Where in hell did this little shit find a T-Tar?"

Diamond Tiara's luxury ball sailed into the air, and burst open, revealing a shape that was a bit smaller than everypony expected. It landed on the ground triumphantly, and there was a silence between everyone.

"That's a Tyranitar?" Silver Spoon asked first, breaking the silence.

"O-of course it is!" Diamond exclaimed. "Haven't you ever seen one?"

"I dunno," Bidoof observed. "Looks more to me like a Magikarp with "TYRANITER" written on his side in sharpie."

"S-shut up!" Diamond blurted out. "A-are we going to do this or what?"

"Um," Fluttershy nodded. "Chico, can you use tackle? And Bidoof, can you use tackle as well?"

"Tyranitar," Diamond Tiara said hesitantly. "Use, um... use ultra slam!"

"Patrat," Silver Spoon said, "Use quick attack!"

Silver Spoon's Patrat nodded, and darted forward, vanishing briefly before reappearing in front of Bidoof, and tackling him in the chest. Bidoof grunted in pain, winded, as he collapsed onto one knee, holding his gut with a forepaw as Patrat backed off, trying to avoid a tackle from Chico, and failing as Chico connected just as well, catching Patrat in the leg and sending him spinning back across the cobblestones.

"Agh," Bidoof grunted, staggering upright, and gasping. "You asshole, goddamn. Right in the solar plexus..." Bidoof stumbled forward, pointing at Patrat. "You're gonna get it, asshole, swear to Arceus," he vowed. Patrat tried to scrabble away, but Bidoof lunged out, and grabbed him by the leg, pulling his victim closer and mercilessly punching Patrat in the groin. Patrat let out a squeak of agony and curled up as Bidoof threw him back towards Silver Spoon, who was horrified and knelt down to help her pokémon.

"Patrat!" she exclaimed, holding her fainted pokémon. "Speak to me!"

"That'll teach him," Bidoof said, pointing at Patrat as he walked back towards Fluttershy and Chico. "What a cunt."

There was a wet slapping sound, and everyone looked at a furiously blushing Diamond Tiara and her "Tyranitar", who was using an "ultra slam" that looked an awful lot like a run-of-the-mill splash attack, achieving...

"Sweet fuck all," Bidoof assessed. "Why am I not surprised? Dumbass doesn't even know tackle, probably." There was silence for a bit, and Bidoof looked at Fluttershy. "Well, toots? Y' gonna give us orders, or are we enjoying the ambience here?"

"Oh," Fluttershy said, nodding. "Um, tackle, again? Both of you target Tyranitar?"

Chico and Bidoof walked towards the Magikarp floundering in a small puddle. They exchanged a look – it wasn't even of malice, more concern at such a one-sided fight.

"This doesn't feel right," Bidoof finally said, rolling his neck. "But I'm sure I'll get over it."

Fluttershy's two pokémon hit "Tyranitar" with moderate force; more akin to a firm rebuke than an actual attack, but it was enough, the Magikarp sensing a way out and performing a dramatic back flip to land on the ground – this time, completely still, and making "dead" sounds.

"I think that's the end," Fluttershy guessed, "Unless you have more pokémon."

Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth and shook her head, returning "Tyranitar" to his pokéball. She walked forward, and pulled out a wallet, grudgingly handing over a couple of bits to Fluttershy.

"Here, take it," she said. "Your prize money."

Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you. Good battle."

"Good battle..." Diamond muttered darkly. "Stupid Magikarp. I'm going to complain to daddy and tell him to get me a real Tyranitar..."

"Now, hold on a moment," Fluttershy said quickly. "Magikarp did his best."

"And he fucking sucked," sniggered Bidoof. Fluttershy glared at him, and he had enough time to grunt "aw man" before being returned to his ball.

"Magikarp did his best for you," Fluttershy repeated. "He's not a Tyranitar. He didn't ask to have "TYRANITER" written on his side. But he tried his best anyway to be like the Tyranitar you expected."

"But that Bidoof was right," Diamond said. "He sucked. He wasn't good enough."

"Yet," Fluttershy countered. "He just needs practice, trust me."

"How can he practice when all he can do is flop in a puddle?" Diamond asked. "That's lame."

"What if your friend helps you?" Fluttershy asked, pointing at Silver Spoon, who had stood up and was waiting for Diamond Tiara to finish, holding her own pokéball. "She's got a Patrat," Fluttershy went on. "If you two team up again, and try working together properly, Magikarp can get experience and grow. And you never know," Fluttershy added. "He might just surprise you."

Diamond Tiara nodded sullenly. "Yeah, alright, I'll think about it."

"Just don't throw him away, okay?" Fluttershy asked. "Magikarp loves you. Treat him well, and one day, he'll have the chance to show you how much that means to him."

Diamond nodded again, and gestured with her head at Town Hall. "Alright, come on, Silver. Let's go."

The pink filly walked past Fluttershy slowly, thinking over the elder mare's words as she stared at her pokéball. Silver Spoon walked past, and paused briefly next to Fluttershy.

"Thanks, Ma'am," she whispered. "One day, we'll have a rematch, I promise." before cantering to catch up with her friend. The two fillies vanished inside, and Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief, re-releasing Bidoof from the ball.

"Ugh, finally," Bidoof said, noticing no battle or any other event going on. "Freedom awaits. Well, let's have at it, then."

"Bidoof," Fluttershy said. "You don't have to leave. You can stay with me, you know."

Bidoof kicked at the ground and turned around. "No way, toots. I'm a free spirit and stuff. Got shit to do."

Chico chirruped at Bidoof and he blushed.

"Well, that's true," he admitted. "The food is pretty sweet, I suppose the digs are better than living in the forest, and I do like winning fights..." Bidoof turned around and grinned. "Ah, what the hell. You assholes would be lost without me, and we make an alright kinda team. I could hang around for a bit, I guess."

"Thank you, Bidoof," Fluttershy said. "It's good to have you on board."

"Alright," Bidoof nodded. "Now put me away before I come to my senses."

With two flashes of light, Fluttershy's pokémon returned to their balls and she clipped them to her belt.

"Fluttershy," Rarity called out. Fluttershy looked up to see Rarity cantering back towards her, with three orbiting Crusaders in tow.

"Oh, hi girls," Fluttershy said, smiling. "What's up?"

"We're going pokémon hunting with Rarity!" Sweetie Belle cheered.

"We are so gonna catch a Darkrai," Scootaloo added. "Got plenty of balls this time."

"Hey, we heard y'all gonna be a pokémon trainer now!" Applebloom exclaimed, pointing.

"Well, yes, I am," Fluttershy said, smiling.

"That's great!" Applebloom exclaimed. "Hey, Rarity said Ah should ask you – Applejack's bin away for ages now, workin' in Manehattan, and Ah gotta care package Ah wanna send to her, and that's where y' goin, so Ah guess..." Applebloom twisted a hoof on the ground and looked up at Fluttershy. "Couldya do me another solid and take it out to her? Pretty please?"

"It wouldn't be a problem," Fluttershy said.

"Here you go, then," Rarity said, floating two modest parcels over to Fluttershy. "One package for Applejack from me, and one from her family. It's cold up in Manehattan, and apparently Applejack didn't pack a scarf, so I made two for her, in case she wants to mix it up and not wear the same thing day after day." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Although I'm not holding out a lot of hope on that front."

"Got it," Fluttershy said, stowing the parcels away.

"At the risk of sounding like an eccentric Neighponese curio salespony," Rarity added, "One more thing – Route 109 can get a bit brisk, so I'm giving you these, too," she said, passing Fluttershy a small bundle of clothes and a hat. "Nothing fancy," she added. "Just a nice cap and a jacket."

Fluttershy put the cap on her head, and unfolded the jacket. It was a tracksuit jacket made of a thin, but insulating material, which made it light and easy to wear. The majority of it was a dark shade of pink, almost salmon, with white trim that formed subtle pokéball designs, and vertical stripes down the sleeves.

"It's lovely," Fluttershy said, putting it on.

"It keeps you cold when it's warm," Rarity said, "And helps you stay warm when it's cold. A wonderful little thing."

"I don't know how I can repay you," Fluttershy said. "This is too much, it really is."

"Nonsense," Rarity said. "I want to make sure you're well-equipped for this journey, and it would be rude to make you carry our parcels without some sort of reward. If it makes you feel better, that's how you're earning it."

"Okay," Fluttershy nodded. "I can do that."

"Fantastique," Rarity sang. "Alright, I really can't think of anything else to force on you now, so I guess I'd better take the Crusaders pokémon hunting. They want to go to the Castle of the Pony Sisters, can you believe it?"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER POKEMON RANGERS!" The crusaders cheered as one.

"Good luck," Fluttershy said, smiling.

"Yeah, we'll need it," Rarity said. "Same to you, good travels and all that."

And with that, Rarity moved away, the Crusaders resuming a high-speed orbit of the older pony as they moved towards the edge of town and the forest beyond. Fluttershy watched them go, smiled, and turned in the opposite direction, starting to walk.

Maybe pokémon training wouldn't be so bad after all...

3 - Route 109

Route 109 sprawled out over the Equestrian landscape. Standing at the top of the hill just outside Ponyville, next to the sign indicating the official start of the route, you could see it winding through the countryside, running alongside a river and into the foothills surrounding Foal Mountain.

Bidoof's pokéball wriggled, and popped open, allowing the plump mouse pokémon to jump onto the ground and take a deep breath of fresh air as he surveyed the journey ahead.

"This is fucking weak," he declared bluntly. "Why can't we take the train?" he asked, pointing to the right, where they could both clearly see the monorail line standing high above the ground, running around the edge of the Everfree.

"Because that defeats the purpose of going to Manehattan," Fluttershy pointed out. "By taking the road less travelled, we have more time to practice and prepare for the pokémon gym there."

Bidoof rolled his eyes. "You mean you have to practice and prepare."

"We're a team," Fluttershy pointed out.

"And right now, I think I'm carrying it," Bidoof fired back. "I was a god, remember? Lemme know when Chico mega evolves."

"I'd like you to be a little more agreeable," Fluttershy said tersely.

"Or what?" Bidoof challenged.

The ground rumbled between them, and they looked down to see a familiar eye patched head poke itself out of the ground and look at Fluttershy.

"Look, Angel!" Fluttershy reached inside her jacket and pulled out her trainer card. "I'm a pokémon trainer now!"

Angel clapped enthusiastically, before jumping out of his hole and onto Fluttershy's back.

"Is everyone at home going to be okay while I'm away?" Fluttershy asked.

Angel nodded.

"So, uh, like I was saying," Bidoof backtracked, eyeing Angel warily, "I was thinking maybe we could start training now. Make sure we're prepared for the gym. Team effort and all. Gotta get Chico ready for the big leagues."

"Hmm, yes," Fluttershy nodded, noting Bidoof's sudden change of heart. "How do we do this? Do we walk and deal with fights as they arise, or...?"

"Well, we could spend a little bit of time drawing 'em out," Bidoof suggested. "Up to you, I guess. You in a hurry, toots?"

"I think we should walk and battle as we go," Fluttershy said.

* * *

The heavy music throbbed through the air of the countryside cottage, a sound system cranked up to maximum responsible for the tunes. It was being managed by an Exploud, who had a set of headphones clamped half around his head, and was bobbing his head up and down as he rifled through Fluttershy's surprisingly extensive collection of fresh beats.

Dodrio stood behind the breakfast bar, squawking excitedly at Hitmonchan with one head as the other two manipulated a drinks shaker with expert skill, decanting fresh martinis into two waiting glasses.

Outside, in the pool, Floatzel lounged with his paws around the shoulders of a Jinx and a Froslass, a set of sunglasses firmly affixed to his face.

There was a squawking sound from the main gate, and he raised them as he sat up to look; standing outside, a Delibird was waiting, with a large wagon full of cargo such as bags of ice, and a sizable metal keg complete with pump.

Floatzel chittered and waved at a nearby Machoke, who nodded and approached the wagon, wallet in hand and ready to unload the delivery.

These next few days were gonna be off the chain.

* * *

"Do yourself a favour – stay down," Bidoof suggested, grinding his paw into the stunned Ratatta's chest as the purple mouse passed out. He looked back at Fluttershy, who was gently feeding Chico a potion. "He alright?"

"Chico's fine," Fluttershy said, as Chico got to his feet and nodded ashamedly.

"Can't let them just fuckin' charge into you like that, Chico," Bidoof pointed out. "You ain't a Skarmory, deal with it."

Chico nodded, and turned his attention to Angel, who chittered as he bounced left and right and started jabbing the air furiously, waiting to see if Chico was getting it.

"He's a grass type, dumbass," Bidoof chipped in. "Doesn't work like that."

"You seem very knowledgeable," Fluttershy pointed out.

"I got around, alright?" Bidoof said. "Anyway, how far now?"

"We're fairly close to Foal Mountain," Fluttershy said, using her height advantage to see more of the land ahead.

"Great," Bidoof said. "Well, Chico, I hope you're ready, here comes trouble."

The grass nearest the party rustled, and right on cue, a rocky ball rolled out, uncurling two arms to reveal a granite, stern face.

"A Geodude, this should be easy," Bidoof remarked.

"Okay, Chico, are you ready?" Fluttershy asked. Chico nodded determinedly, and Fluttershy smiled. "Alright, Chico. Use vine whip!"

Chico frowned, and extended two vine-like tentacles from the small nodules on his neck. Waving them threateningly, he proceeded to leap forward and drape them over the top of the Geodude.

There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to find the words to describe the situation. Geodude wasn't so keen on describing it, though, and responded by grabbing the vines, and roughly pulling Chico forward. In itself, not a damaging move, but running into Geodude's other fist going the other way did hurt, and Chico fell over backwards, crying out in pain.

"Oh, come on," Bidoof shouted from the safety of Fluttershy's side. "You're trying to vine whip him, not fucking vine tickle him. Hit him like you mean it!"

Chico looked back at Bidoof and gestured pointedly at Geodude.

"Reason?!" Bidoof exclaimed, stepping away and towards Chico. "Who needs a reason? Your trainer asked you to hit this asshole, so you need to hit this asshole."

Chico chittered and Bidoof facepawed, groaning.

"It's all part of the plan," Bidoof explained. "And at the end, you both learn something; but it's better for you to be on the side that gets to learn things without getting knocked the fuck out, yeah?"

Chico chittered uncertainly.

"Alright, look," Bidoof said, waddling over to Geodude, who looked at him sideways, a little worried. "See this guy?"

Chico nodded.

"This guy is an asshole," Bidoof said flatly. "He's a motherfucker. Look at those eyes. He's out to fuck you, your sister and everyone you ever loved. He's the reason fire types cross the fucking street. He makes level one bug types cry. Get me?"

Chico nodded, slower this time.

"But that's not gonna happen," Bidoof went on, "because you have what we call "the type advantage", and you're going to vine whip this toolbox so hard he's gonna go gay for grass types, got it? He came here looking for a fight, you're gonna give him a fucking thrashing."

Chico nodded more firmly, brow creasing in determination.

"Alright, now let him have it!" Bidoof shouted, running away from a confused Geodude.

Chico roared defiance into the air – such as it was – and much quicker than last time, attempted a second vine whip. The tentacles extended, and with vicious speed, slammed into Geodude. The ground-rock type pokémon was engulfed in a cloud of dirt and dust, and Chico pulled his vines away. The dust cleared, and Geodude wasn't moving, embedded in the dirt and unconscious.

"Good shot, kid," Bidoof said. "Now take a deep breath, let it out. Fight's over. Good sportsmanship and all that shit."

Fluttershy blinked. "Bidoof, I-"

"Sorry, undermining you," Bidoof said. "Sorry, toots. But Chico needs to get his fucking act together."

"I should just start calling you coach," Fluttershy remarked, giggling.

"Hey, no," Bidoof said, turning around and pointing. "No. I ain't getting called "Coach". Not now, not ever."

"Not even if I take you to a name rater?"

"No name rater will convince me that being called "coach" is the best nickname for me." Bidoof snorted. "Anyway, if we're done here, you have a long road to walk."

"You mean "we"," Fluttershy pointed out.

"No, you," Bidoof said. "I'm not walking, I'm riding."

And with a beam of red, Bidoof returned to his pokéball around Fluttershy's neck and vanished. Angel snorted and hopped up on Fluttershy's back, and after adjusting his leaf, Chico followed Bidoof's lead and vanished as well.

"He's not wrong," Fluttershy mused, and picking up her bag, resumed her journey.

* * *

Fluttershy stood in front of the cave entrance, staring up at Foal Mountain, somewhat in awe.

Here was where Route 109 split into two paths towards Manehattan, one road travelling through the foothills, and one travelling through the mountain itself.

Fluttershy checked her map, unfolding it and holding it in what light remained of the day. Looking between the two routes, she saw that the underground route provided a much quicker and somewhat easier path to Hollow Shades. And yet, here she was, still wondering which was the better route.

As if sensing her indecision, Bidoof's pokéball wobbled, and split open, allowing Bidoof to hop out and stretch.

"Ooh. Hey!" Bidoof looked up at Fluttershy and smiled. "Y' made it to Foal Mountain."

"Yeah," Fluttershy nodded. "But which way do we go?"

"Depends," Bidoof said nonchalantly. "Any preference to when you get to Manehattan?"

"As soon as possible would be nice," Fluttershy mumbled.

"Afraid of the dark? Scared of big, mean pokémon that live in the dark?"

"Yes, and yes," Fluttershy said. "Does that mean we should travel around the mountain?"

"Hell no," Bidoof said. "That means we need to go through it. The pokémon that come out here at night are pretty hardcore." Bidoof paused. "Well, sorta hardcore. A bit tough for ol' Chico, maybe. Inside the mountain, all you have to deal with is Zubat."

"But it's so dark in there," Fluttershy mumbled.

"You have a flashlight, stop whining," Bidoof said. "I heard on the Bluk-vine that there's kids out there who travel through caves and stuff with only a pokémon that knows flash." Bidoof pointed at Fluttershy. "If they can do it, so can you."

"You're right," Fluttershy said, nodding. "This should be easy. I'll just... step in."

Bidoof waited a moment, and opened his mouth, closing it again slowly and quietly as he waited. A minute passed, and he tried again.

"Toots, you haven't moved. At all."

"I'm trying!" Fluttershy squeaked.

Bidoof rolled his eyes, and looked at Angel, who was starting to wake up from his seat in the small of Fluttershy's back.

"Hey, pint-size," Bidoof said. "Any tips?"

Angel nodded sleepily, stretched, and with a bound, hopped clear over Fluttershy's head, and onto the ground in front of her. Like clockwork, Fluttershy's attention was drawn to Angel, and he began hopping backwards, back flipping as he went, retreating just a few steps every time.

"Angel, you shouldn't do that," Fluttershy warned. "It's dark in there, you might hurt yourself- Angel- Please, stop- You keep- You're not-"

Angel proceeded to ignore Fluttershy, hopping one step further into the darkness at a time. Eventually Fluttershy broke out of her paralysis, and fumbled a flashlight out of her bag, switching it on and trotting into the cave, calling out for Angel who had just vanished.

Bidoof snorted, and followed quickly, lest he be left behind.

* * *

The depths of Foal Mountain were dark and slightly cold, with the odd plack of dripping water somewhere in the cave system echoing past them every once in a while. Fluttershy had acclimatized to the dark eventually, and the party was progressing slowly, but carefully and fending off the Zubat that decided to try and get a piece of them.

Chico was doing better now, getting the hang of beating the flying rodents despite the double type disadvantage; such lessons hadn't come easy, though, and more than once he'd hit himself in the face in confusion.

Bidoof felt like he was being subjected to a Sisyphean task in fighting Zubat, the short pokémon having trouble connecting attacks with the Zubat, who frequently flew out of the way at the last minute, and too high for Bidoof to hit them. Bidoof was pretty sure they were just doing it to piss him off.

Angel, for all his experience, wasn't faring much better. More often than not, his ground-based attacks were simply useless, and the Zubat made just as much a mockery of him as they did of Bidoof.

But the party pressed on with Chico's growing strength to support them, and they fell into an easy rhythm, in sync with the environment around them. Which is how they almost simultaneously noticed the shout of alarm that echoed through the dark in the middle of a soda pop break.

"What the fuck was that?" Bidoof asked, putting the cap back on his soda pop and standing up.

"I hope nopony's in trouble," Fluttershy whispered, listening hard.

"I'm in trouble!" a faint voice shouted back.

"That's what I was afraid of..." Fluttershy mumbled. "We should help."

"How do you even get in trouble in here?" Bidoof muttered.

The party quickly put their things away, and prepared to move on, looking for the distressed voice. As Fluttershy picked up her lamp, Angel tugged on her sleeve, holding a strange disc-shaped item.

"What's this?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's a Technical Machine," Bidoof said. "Teaches old pokémon new tricks. Reusable, too."

"Any pokémon?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, if they can learn the move, sure," Bidoof said. "Like, I don't think I could learn flamethrower."

"What's that one?"

"Rock throw," Fluttershy said, squinting at the small printed label on the armature in the light of her flashlight. "I think we should-"

"I could really use some help!"

"Um, maybe later," Fluttershy said, quickly hustling down the tunnel, Angel riding on her back.

"Always with the later," Bidoof sighed, and bounded off after the pegasus trainer.

Eventually he caught up with her at the entrance to a vast chasm, standing at the end of some long bridge. She'd turned off her flashlight, but that was fine, because there was enough light to see by thanks to the lanterns dotted about the bridge. Next to one such pool of light, in the middle of the bridge, there were three ponies and a number of pokémon.

As one of the pokémon turned into red light and retreated to a pokéball, it became clear that it wasn't a fair fight, one of the ponies backing into the railing of the bridge and clinging to it in fear, the voices of his aggressors echoing over to Fluttershy, thanks to the echoes of the chasm.

"Give us the fossils, you nerd," one pony sneered.

"Just give it up," the other said. "You lost, you're lucky we're not bothering with your stupid nerd pokémon."

"Hey," the first thug said. "Somepony's there, at the end of the bridge."

Fluttershy tensed up as she found herself the target of a flashlight, and struggled to not try and hide behind her mane.

"Hey! You!" the second thug shouted, pointing. "Stay out of Team Elysium business if you know what's good for you!"

"I- I-" Fluttershy gritted her teeth and stepped forward, turning her flashlight back on. "No! I won't stay out! You're bullying that poor stallion! Leave him alone!"

"Oh, it's going to be like that, is it?" the first Elysium grunt sneered, turning around and letting Fluttershy get a good look at him.

The orange unicorn was wearing an irritatingly anonymous set of futuristically square silver sunglasses that wrapped around his head like a visor; it matched the silvery-grey jacket he was wearing, with some sort of emblem on the open breast, one Fluttershy couldn't identify from this distance. Under the jacket, a black bodysuit covered the body from the neck down. Judging from the fact that his forest-green pegasus chum was wearing the same getup, Fluttershy guessed it was some sort of gang uniform.

Aside from making it hard to identify the wearer, the uniform also did a spectacular job of concealing how many pokéballs the thug had on the inside of his jacket, and Fluttershy bit her lip as one was fished out. She'd had the odd battle with some kids earlier on the route, closer to Ponyville, but she'd always known how many pokémon they had (usually one) and therefore, how to pace herself. Here, she had no idea how much she'd bitten off, and it was starting to get to her.

She turned around to look at Angel, who looked puzzled when he noticed.

"Angel," Fluttershy said. "You should hide. I don't think these ponies are very nice, they might be one of those poachers Rarity always warned us about."

Angel stamped a paw up and down on Fluttershy's back, and she shook her head.

"No arguments. Hide until it's over."

Angel sighed, nodded resentfully and bounded away into the dark, digging a hole and vanishing. There was a tug on Fluttershy's sleeve, and she looked down at Bidoof, who was trying to get her attention.

"You can draw Chico, or we can follow Angel's example and run like bitches while we still have the opportunity," Bidoof suggested.

Fluttershy shook her head, and tapped Chico's pokéball release button. "It's time to assert myself."

Chico appeared on the ground in a blaze of red light, and swirled his head around to adjust his leaf gamely as he surveyed the situation.

"Let's teach this filly a lesson!" the Elysium unicorn shouted. "Come on, Ekans!"

With an equal flash of red, an Ekans appeared opposite them on the bridge, and Chico adjusted his footing warily, waiting for a command like they'd practiced.

"Um, Chico..." Fluttershy had a moment of thought. "Try a quick attack."

Chico nodded, and leapt forward, all but vanishing as he sped towards the enemy Ekans, leaving Fluttershy to canter forward to catch up. And as she did, she gasped when the Ekans vanished as well, and there was a small crack of sound to herald the incoming object. Fluttershy spread her wings wide, and jumped up to catch Chico mid-flight, and put him back on the ground, where he stumbled about a bit before shaking his head and bounced about on his feet.

"Son of a bitch is fast," Bidoof remarked.

"Chico, can you still fight?" Fluttershy asked. Chico nodded gamely, and Fluttershy smiled. "Okay, try using leech seed."

"Hello, poison type," Bidoof pointed out. "Not very effective."

"Shh," Fluttershy said. "I have a plan."

A plan? Bidoof found his internal image of Fluttershy gaining another level of complexity. When it came to pokémon battling, she seemed more knowledgeable than you'd expect of a new trainer, even one who was a latecomer to the Pokémon League. So very curious.

Chico leapt forward, and cheeks bulging, spat seeds at Ekans as he flew past. He turned to see them take root and stick to Ekans' side, and grinned triumphantly. A grin that was wiped off his face almost instantly when Ekans' tail swung around and swatted him back across the bridge, landing just shy of Fluttershy. Chico coughed, and tried to sit up. His strength failed him, and he flopped back down, exhausted.

"Good work," Fluttershy said, as she pulled Chico back to his ball. "Bidoof, you're up."

"This is gonna suck," Bidoof grunted, waddling forward and taking a stance.

"Bidoof, you need to attack," Fluttershy said.

"And what?" Bidoof asked. "What do you want me to do? Anything? I don't know anything useful, here!"

"Use a bite attack, then. Trust me," Fluttershy implored.

"You're the boss," Bidoof sighed, gallumphing forward. He'd barely closed half the distance when a vile blob of green goop went flying the other way, an acid attack that splashed off of Bidoof's shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain but not stopping him. He pounced, and sank his teeth into Ekans' body tightly. The purple snake coiled and writhed enough to loosen his grip, and flicked him off, back towards Fluttershy.

Bidoof landed on his paws, and felt a refreshing surge of energy flow through him, easing the pain of his acid burn, even as Ekans seemed to sag a little more, and the plan suddenly made sense to him.

"Oh, I see," Bidoof said.

"...Bidoof, defence curl," Fluttershy said.

Bidoof did as he was told, curling tightly into a ball, and not a moment too soon, as Ekans lunged forward and slammed him with its tail. He bounced a little and skidded backwards, but was able to uncurl a moment later, wincing but still standing.

Bidoof felt a surge of energy flow through him, and his bruises hurt less, as Ekans drooped lower, feeling the pain of phantom injuries. By this point, Ekans was aware of what was causing it – the seeds had dug deep into the scales on his neck and were pulsing a virulent green as they filled nodules with glowing energy, preparing to transmit it to Ekans' opponent – Bidoof.

"Okay, Bidoof," Fluttershy said. "You know what to do."

"Time to put you away," Bidoof grunted, rearing up and flexing his stubby arm as he gallumphed forward, and pounced into the air; a glob of acid flew at him again, but this time it missed, unable to hit the airborne Bidoof before he touched down, connecting his flying elbow with Ekans' face with a satisfying thwack.

Ekans went out like a light, leaving Bidoof to skip backwards – as Ekans was pulled back into his pokéball by the Elysium goon, he commenced his victory dance, punching the air.

"Aw yeah, who's bad?" Bidoof bounced back to Fluttershy, who was caring for Chico, who was trying to stand up. "We bad, Chico! Yes!"

"That was disgusting," the other Elysium grunt said, leaving the nerd to face Fluttershy, and shoving his defeated comrade aside. "Let me show you how it's really done."

"Another fight?" Fluttershy bit her lip. Two in a row was not something they'd done before. Chico needed more time to recover. Unless...

"I am not liking our chances," Bidoof confessed, sagging a little from his victory pose. "What do we do, toots?"

"We fight," Fluttershy said, putting items away. "I'm a pokémon trainer, and we're a team. We can't back down from challenges."

"I'm pretty sure the law is with us if we say nay," Bidoof pointed out.

"Aye," Fluttershy agreed. "But I'm not going to let these meanies walk all over me. Or that stallion."

The Elysium pegasus flared his wings, causing a pokéball to fall out. It split open, and disgorged a flurry of wings and squeaking.

"It's a Zubat," Bidoof mused, rolling his neck as he waddled forward. "I fucking hate Zubat."

"What's wrong with Zubat?" Fluttershy asked. "They're kinda cute."

"The charm wears off when you realize they're just screaming their own name all the time and like attacking in swarms," Bidoof said.

"Alright," Fluttershy said. "Bidoof, you're gonna have to use tackle."

"Arceus alive," Bidoof grumbled, running forward towards the Zubat flying figure eights while squeaking madly.

"Zubat!" the Elysium pegasus shouted. "Use confuse ray!"

"Confuse ray?!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Fuckin' confuse ray," Bidoof cursed, just as a peculiar flashing of lights began. He tried to avert his gaze, but the lights shot past and around him, managing to stay in his field of view and persisting even when he shut his eyes. They danced about, wove in and out of each other, and despite his common sense, he found himself trying to track them.

An impossible feat. He opened his eyes, and wobbling about, stumbled left and right as he waddled towards Zubat.

"Bidoof!" Fluttershy shouted. "Are you okay?"

"Jus' peachy!" Bidoof slurred, a little greener than usual. "Tryin' ter.... tackle!"

Bidoof launched himself through the air, aiming for the Zubat, which easily avoided the attack, providing zero resistance for Bidoof's parabolic arc, which then ended in the stone wall of the bridge. Bidoof hit the stone face-first, and bounced off, cursing loudly as he clutched his face.

"Nice tackle," sneered the Elysium pegasus, before turning to the unicorn. "How did he beat you, again?" He turned back to Fluttershy. "Zubat, go ahead and take that filly's pokéballs and our prize money. I think we're done here."

"What?" Fluttershy protested. "You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever I want," the Elysium pegasus sneered. "Zubat, sometime today."

Zubat began to advance, flying a tighter figure eight than before, and Fluttershy froze, unable to flee, her nerve finally failing her. She braced for the worst, and-

"I'm not done with you yet, asshole!" Bidoof shouted as he hurtled through the air. The plump mouse pokémon still didn't look like he could see straight, but it wasn't affecting his aim this time as he homed in on, and connected with, the Zubat mid-flight.

The Zubat screeched in terror as Bidoof proceeded to put it in a headlock and grapple with it on the ground, rolling about as he punched it in the face.

"Fuck you and your confuse ray," Bidoof snorted, smacking the ground with Zubat's head. The flying/poison type was annoying, but weak, and on the ground, he had no chance of surviving against the Bidoof trying to feed him his own teeth.

"Z-zubat!" the Elysium pegasus stammered, alarmed. "Return!" As Zubat turned into red light and bounced back to his ball, the grunt looked at Fluttershy. "You can't do that, that's against the rules!"

"Why should we play by rules when you won't?" Bidoof grunted, getting up. "I've got a three-knuckle sandwich right here for your stupid face, stand still."

"That's- uh," The grunt looked at his comrade. "Team Elysium! Away!"

The Elysium unicorn dropped a small purple orb, which promptly exploded into thick, billowing smoke, that rushed to fill the bridge, cascading off the edge like water.

Fluttershy held up her pokéballs. "Chico, Bidoof, return!"

They didn't argue, the exhausted pokémon jumping back into their balls as Fluttershy held them close, wary of the Elysium thugs in the smoke. But as the smoke cleared, it seemed that the goons really had decided to run, and there was nopony else left on the bridge apart from the stallion they'd been harassing, who was doing a similar thing with his pokéballs as Fluttershy was.

Fluttershy put her pokéballs back where they normally sat, and walked forward to the waist coated teal earth pony, who was dusting himself off and coughing as he checked himself and his belongings, pushing round spectacles up the bridge of his snout.

"Are you okay, sir?"

"Okay?" the pony asked. "I'm Fantastic!" The stallion stood up. "Thank you so much for intervening, though – I might not be so fantastic right now if it weren't for you."

"What's your name?" Fluttershy asked. "I'm Fluttershy."

"I'm Fantastic."

"Yes, you said," Fluttershy said, missing the point. "But what is your name?"

"My name is Fantastic," the scientist repeated, breaking it down. "Fantastic Fossil. Archaeologist."

"Oh," Fluttershy said, realizing. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I get that a lot," Fantastic said. "In any case, you saved me and my work from those thugs – I think you've earned the right to call me whatever you like; just don't call me late for dinner, eh?" Fantastic leaned forward and nudged Fluttershy in the shoulder, grinning at the joke.

"What were you doing down here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, work. Here, come, come," Fantastic began walking towards the other end of the bridge. "My dig site is back this way, those goons chased me off... I hope they didn't break anything."

Fluttershy looked behind her, and nodded. With a rustle of dirt, Angel emerged from his hiding place and bounced forward, landing on Fluttershy's back before she started cantering to catch up with Fantastic.

"What were you looking for?" Fluttershy asked, as she got back within talking range.

"Fossils!" Fantastic said. "Did you know Foal Mountain used to be a volcano, so very long ago? It's true! And it also means that under all this rock, there's all sorts of remains of pokémon! Fossils that can tell us so much about the world!"

Fluttershy nodded. "And why did those Team Elysium ponies attack you?"

"Fossils are kinda rare," Fantastic admitted. "Some can be rather strong. I guess they figured I had the bones to an ancient super pokémon or something."

"Well, were they right?"

"Maybe," Fantastic said, as the pair closed in on a well-lit side-tunnel of the cave. "Like any pokémon, it's only as good as the trainer is, really. That said," he went on, "Some fossils are... how would you say..." Fantastic rolled his head as he looked for the word. "Inherently strong? Their strength is more obvious and less subtle. And based on what I can tell of my fossils, I think one of them might be one of the obvious ones."

"I see," Fluttershy said, as they stepped into an obviously-lived-in area; the dead end of the tunnel was fresh, the earth of the walls freshly hewn, and a folding bed sat next to a small desk and a quantity of luggage.

"Here," Fantastic said, leading Fluttershy to the desk, where a book lay open and was lit by the light of a convenient lamp. "I was halfway through cataloguing them."

Fantastic took two lumps of stone out of his waistcoat pockets, and placed them on the table. Fluttershy leaned over and examined them closer, and the book. Fantastic seemed to be comparing the diagram of some gigantic creature to the fossil, and meeting with success, judging by the smile on his face.

"And this would be it," Fantastic said. "Behold, a jaw fossil, a remnant of Tyrantrum." He flipped through some more pages of the book, matching the other fossil with record speed. "And this one was easy," he declared. "It's a helix fossil, which was once an Omastar." Fantastic looked at Fluttershy. "Hey, without you, I wouldn't have either of these, so I think you deserve one."

"Oh no," Fluttershy declined. "I couldn't. I didn't help you for a reward."

"And that's why you're a nice filly and you're getting one," Fantastic said. "Here, pick one. You're going for pokémon badges, right?"

"Yeah," Fluttershy admitted.

"Then you should take the jaw fossil," Fantastic said. "Tyrantrum is a dragon-rock type pokémon, incredibly good at biting things by all accounts. When he's revived, he'll be a Tyrunt, but give him some love and he'll be of great use, I'm sure."

Fluttershy seemed to tense up at the idea, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't think the jaw fossil is for me. I don't need a fossil."

"But I insist," Fantastic said. "Hay, please just take one and give it to somepony who you think would use it, if you want."

"Well..." Fluttershy looked at the other one. "What about that one?"

"The dome fossil was of Omastar, so he'll be an Omanyte when he's revived," Fantastic said. "Rock-water type, so nothing really new there." Fantastic leaned in close. "But if I were you... I'd ditch the fossil ASAP."

"What's wrong with the helix fossil?" Fluttershy asked.

"I dunno," Fantastic said. "I just hear rumours in the archaeology community. Ponies digging up helix fossils and just going nuts. Constantly looking to the fossil for guidance, unable to walk in a straight line..." Fantastic waved a hoof. "The moment you get it away from them, they go back to normal, but... This one hasn't done anything like that yet," Fantastic admitted. "But if you hear a voice whispering advice in your ear, don't listen to it," Fantastic said. "You sure you want the helix fossil?"

"Yes," Fluttershy said. "I would like the helix fossil."

"Alright, then – here you go!" Fantastic placed the helix fossil in Fluttershy's hooves and nodded. "Take that to Manehattan Museum, they have a DNA extractor there and can revive your Omanyte for you."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to pack up and get outta here before those Elysium goons come back with buddies," Fantastic said. "Then I'm running home to Baltimare."

"Good luck," Fluttershy said, nodding.

"Thanks," Fantastic said. "And same to you, trainer."

Fluttershy started to turn away, but a thought occurred to her. "Oh, how much further to Hollow Shades?"

"Hollow Shades?" Fantastic asked from under his desk, already dismantling it. "It's just up the tunnel, probably about thirty minutes walk away."

"Okay, thank you," Fluttershy said. "Good bye, Fantastic."

"Good bye, Fluttershy," Fantastic said. "Hey, if you're ever in Baltimare, look me up if you need a helping hoof, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded, waved, and set out once more, leaving Fantastic's dig. She turned her head to look at Angel.

"Do you think there's any truth to that story about the helix fossil?" she asked.

Angel just shrugged, and made a gesture that indicated that maybe Fantastic wasn't quite all there.

Fluttershy shook her head gently, rolled her neck, and kept on walking up the tunnel, and into the moonlight.

1 - Critical Capture

The Everfree Forest. A vast land of tall trees and foreboding darkness, avoided by most ponies and thick with tall grass. Naturally, it was a haven for many varieties of pokémon, from the lowly Rattata to pokémon less common and more rumour. A dangerous place to go if you weren't a seasoned pokémon trainer, which meant at least one badge under your belt before you went in.

It was clear that the three fillies running through the tall grass like Skiddo on steroids hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention to that last point, too busy fantasizing about the rumoured pokémon in the forest as they ploughed a single-file line through the tall grass, Applebloom out in front, the earth pony beating a path through the grass for her friends following behind.

"Do you guys think we have enough pokéballs?" Sweetie Belle asked hesitantly, piping up for the first time in a while. Out of the three, she was easily having the most misgivings as they plunged ever deeper into the forest. Sure, it'd been her idea to catch a pokémon, but when she'd proposed the idea, she'd had something a little more... accessible in mind. Like a Chatot. Maybe a Cricketune. And she'd seen plenty around the outside. But the other Crusaders had set their ambitions a little higher...

"Do we have enough pokéballs?" Scootaloo dismissed. "Of course we have enough, we got one each. That's one pokémon each."

"Don't we need more than one, though? Just in case?" Sweetie asked.

"Only if we suck at throwing the pokéball," Applebloom said. "Ah got a secret that'll help us catch our targets, trust me. We just need to find one..."

The three fillies slowed to a walk as they looked around.

"I heard Terrakion hangs out in the Everfree," Applebloom continued. "Applejack'll be so proud of me if I catch it!"

"Pfft, Terrakion?" Scootaloo snorted. "That's a tall tale, everypony knows Terrakion lives in the Foal Mountain range! You know who does live here, though? Darkrai."

"Bull. Roar," Applebloom countered. "Darkrai don't live here in the forest, no matter how spooky it is."

"Oh yeah?" Scootaloo challenged. "What about that ruined castle in the middle of the forest that everypony keeps talkin' about?"

"It's just a ruined castle, got ghost types in it," Applebloom said, shaking her head. "We ain't goin' there."

"Whassamatter?" Scootaloo goaded. "Chicken?"

"No!" Applebloom said, her pace slowing a bit as she focused on explaining her way out of her predicament. "Ah just don't think it's worth our time to hunt for a pokémon in the old castle... wherever it is."

Scootaloo snorted. "Sure," she said, disbelievingly.

"Guys," Sweetie said, voice rising in alarm. "I saw something moving over there."

"Where?" Applebloom asked eagerly, fear vanishing as she almost tripped over Scootaloo in her haste to get a look.

"There," Sweetie said, pointing at the base of a tree, where leaves were rustling in greater frequency.

"Oh man," Scootaloo said eagerly. "That's gotta be like, Dialgia or something."

"Dialgia's a legendary, chicken butt," Applebloom said. "'sides, I reckon that hollow's a mite small for Dialgia, yeah?"

"...Anything's possible," Scootaloo said defensively. "What if it knows minimize?"

The rustling came to a crescendo as the three fillies drew their pokéballs and prepared to throw. Spheres of red and white banded with a strip of black – the miracle devices that allowed them to coexist with Pokémon, forge alliances and travel the world unmolested. Each ball had taken a bit of saving up to get by the three fillies (a good part of which was frog-greasing to get a ball into their unlicensed hooves), but it was worth it, because here they were, Pokémon Champions in the making, and their legends would start with....

The grass parted, and a squat, plump brown mouse creature waddled out, looking at them cross-eyed.

"That's a Bidoof," Applebloom said as she turned away in disgust, a trace of accusation in her voice. "He ain't no threat."

"I'm not psychic," Sweetie said, sulking a little at the implied rebuke and following Applebloom. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Hey, girls," Scootaloo tapped them on the shoulder, getting their attention. As they turned around, they saw Scootaloo's worried face fixated on the Bidoof, and they followed suit.

Bidoof are not known for a hostile temperament. They're commonly regarded as and found to be dull minded, but pleasant creatures. The biggest threat from a Bidoof migration was that you might have some of your crops eaten as they pass by. Maybe weak pokémon left unattended could somehow pick a fight with five of them and get beat up. They didn't look threatening, they didn't sound it, and by all accounts, were the walking jokes of the pokémon world.

It seemed like this Bidoof didn't get the memo, brow furrowing in anger as it pawed at the ground, baring stubby buck teeth.

"Is... he going to attack us?" Applebloom asked uncertainly.

"We must have upset him somehow," Sweetie mused. "What do we do? Run?"

"We can't run," Scootaloo said. "He'll just chase us."

"Well, what else can we do?" Sweetie asked. "It's not like we have any pokémon on us..."

"We catch it," Applebloom said, hefting her pokéball. "I know it ain't no legendary or ultra-rare pokémon, but my sis started with a Bidoof, and so can I."

Applebloom didn't waste time throwing the ball, and it flew through the air, beaning the Bidoof neatly on the head and with a zap, turning it into red light, which was sucked into the ball like lightning. The ball shuddered, and landed on the ground, rocking gently. Kicking once, twice... and nothing. The Crusaders let out a collective sigh of relief, when the ball kicked a third time, and with a cracking sound, the ball exploded open again, two halves of ball flying away into the air and dissolving into red light as the containment spell failed, instead consuming and destroying the pokéball. The price of a failed capture attempt.

"Weak," Scootaloo said. "What happened to the trick?"

"Hey, you do better then," Applebloom challenged.

"Alright, I will," Scootaloo rolled her neck and bounced the ball up and down in her hoof. "Watch. And. Learn."

The ball zipped through the air, pitched at vicious speed, and nailed the bidoof in the face as he stood upright, recovering from the first attempt. The ball sucked him in again, and landed on the ground. Almost instantly, the ball exploded and Bidoof stood there, angrier than ever.

"Didn't even make it to one bump," Applebloom said smugly. "Ah'm sorry – Ah'm watchin', but Ah don't think Ah'm learnin'."

"The ball musta been busted," Scootaloo argued. "That's it. A defective pokéball."

Sweetie Belle ignored the banter and crept forward, holding the ball out hesitantly to the Bidoof, as it shook it's head and snarled at her.

"Please, Bidoof," she begged. "Please get into the ball, or go away and leave us alone? We won't bother you again, promise."

The Bidoof looked at her, tilting its head. A heartbeat passed, and he sat back on his haunches, forepaws outstretched.

"Really?" Applebloom asked. "He's just going to get in the ball?"

"It's called being polite," Sweetie pointed out, as she placed the ball in Bidoof's paws. "It works sometimes, doesn't it?"

The Bidoof looked at the ball. All he had to do was touch the button on the front and he'd be caught. He wasted no time in raising the ball above his head, and before Sweetie could stop him, he drove it into the ground with a crack, the damaged ball engulfing itself in light and vanishing before you could say "Bisharp".

"Son of a Metapod," Applebloom breathed. "Watch out, Sweetie!"

Sweetie Belle turned around, just in time to get a faceful of tackle from Bidoof, as the runty pokémon tackled Applebloom bodily. She went flying, landing on the ground and sliding across it slightly to fetch up at the hooves of Applebloom.

"Your face!" Scootaloo exclaimed, leaning down and grabbing her friend, pulling the unicorn up quickly. Sweetie touched a hoof to her nose and pulled it away, seeing a large smear of blood to match the tenderized feeling she had in her face.

"We're in trouble," muttered Applebloom warily. "We are gunna get such a bollocking..."

"If that Bidoof doesn't kill us first," Sweetie said dejectedly.

"It's a Bidoof," Scootaloo said, disbelievingly. "Who heard of a Bidoof killing somepony?"

"Who heard of going inter' the Everfree with no pokémon?" Applebloom countered.

Scootaloo grimaced. "Yeah, it was nice knowing you guys." The pegasus stepped forward, pushing her friends behind her with her wings. "Go, run, I'll keep him busy."

"Scootaloo!" Applebloom exclaimed, grabbing the pegasus by the tail and pulling. "This ain't no time for last stands! We gotta run!"

The trio broke into a gallop, fleeing as quick as their little legs could carry them, the Bidoof hot on their heels as it bounded through the undergrowth, snarling aggressively.

The three fillies suddenly came to the edge of a ditch, skidding to a halt and wobbling violently as they struggled not to fall in. The other side was but a hop, skip and a jump away – not hard for a full-grown pony, a bit of a leap for a foal. The real concern was the blue foliage lining the bottom of the ditch, the one plant that everypony knew to stay well away from: poison joke.

"Ah dunno how much more this day could suck," Applebloom said bluntly. "Poison joke, or death by Bidoof?"

"Neither!" Scootaloo said, backing up and sprinting forward. To shouts of alarm from her friends, the orange pegasus soared through the air, wings flapping ineffectually and reflexively, as she cleared the ditch with distance to spare. She skidded to a halt, and turned around to look at her friends.

"I'd rather take the joke," Sweetie admitted, wiping her bloody nose with the back of her hoof before following Scootaloo's lead with a running start before she leapt. She didn't fly nearly as far as Scootaloo did, but she landed on the other side, well out of the poison joke.

Applebloom looked at her two friends on the other side of the ditch, and bit her lip nervously.

"You can do it, 'bloom!" Scootaloo cheered. "Just back up, and run for it!"

Applebloom backed up nervously, checking behind her for the Bidoof. The crashing foliage told a story of how it was getting a lot closer. She clenched her jaw, and made her decision, sprinting at the edge of the ditch and jumping. She soared, flew... and fell short, hitting the edge of the other side and sliding down the dirt wall of the ditch before-

A bloodied hoof and an orange hoof lunged down and grabbed hers, and Applebloom opened her eyes to see Scootaloo and Sweetie almost hanging off the edge themselves, teeth gritted as they struggled to hold their heavier friend up.

"What... do you even eat?" Scootaloo grunted. "Bricks?"

"Apples!" Applebloom exclaimed, scrabbling up the side of the ditch and onto the grass at the top with a gasp, the three friends collapsing on their sides and catching their breath hastily.

"Whatever it is," Sweetie said, snorting back a trickle of blood, "You need to eat less. You weigh a ton."

"You callin' me fat?" Applebloom challenged. "It's all muscle, Ah'll have y' know."

"Hah! Look!" Scootaloo exclaimed, sitting up and grinning, pointing.

On the other side of the ditch, the Bidoof had finally caught up, and was glaring at them with the fury of a thousand suns, saving a few for the geographical obstacle standing between him and them.

"Ha ha!" Applebloom jeered, pulling a face. "Come get us now, Bidoof! Y' can't!"

The Bidoof just shot her a look, and jumped. It was a pathetic hop, the sum of Bidoof's acrobatic ability, and it only served to throw him straight into the poison joke. The Crusaders just watched him go, dumbfounded. There was no movement at the bottom of the ditch, and no sign of the Bidoof under the blue flowers.

"What a way to go..." Sweetie said sadly.

"Ah actually feel kinda bad," Applebloom admitted.

The ground shuddered violently, and the girls swayed, alarmed.

"What in the name of Equestria...?" Scootaloo wondered aloud.

There was a crackle of energy, and the sound of rushing power as an immense glow began to form at the bottom of the ditch, lighting up the half-dark forest canopy with a rainbow of colour.

"No way!" Applebloom exclaimed, as an opaque ball of energy rose into the air, rainbows of energy flying around it like a cocoon. "This is not happening!"

The ball exploded into rainbow flames, as a graceful, tall ungulate unfolded in the air, standing in the air as easily as it would stand on the earth, a gold ring about his waist as he held his graceful, buck-toothed head high with pride, looking down with scorn on the Crusaders, the world around him bathed in the light of his power, shimmering as it struggled to conform to his will.

"BEHOLD MY MAJESTY," the beast declared in perfect Equestrian. "I AM RISEN, A BIDOOF WITHOUT PEER. I AM NO BIBARREL, NO – I AM SOMETHING FAR GREATER. I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. I AM... MEGA BIDOOF."

There was a rumbling sound in the ground below the Crusaders, and Mega Bidoof paused, peering at the ground. It split open, and the Crusaders backed off as a Bunnelby poked his head out of the ground. It was grey, a rare colour among his kind, and seemed to be wearing what looked like an eye-patch that wrapped around his head, a vicious scar running vertically down his face and through the covered eye.

"WHO ARE YOU TO CHALLENGE MY GREATNESS?" Mega Bidoof demanded, floating lower and hovering just above the edge of the ditch, still looming over the Crusaders and the shiny Bunnelby defending them.

The Bunnelby didn't say a thing, before leaping into the air with blinding speed, and sinking his teeth into Mega Bidoof's chest, a perfectly executed Super Fang. He hung there for a moment, and Mega Bidoof just laughed at his attempt to hurt a god, a booming voice that echoed through the forest, causing the Crusaders to clutch their ears in pain and the Bunnelby to fall off, crying in pain as the Hyper Voice hurt him.

"I AM A GOD, FOOL," Mega Bidoof declared, stepping onto the earth and causing it to crack under the negligible pressure he put into it. "YOU CAN NEVER HOPE TO HURT MY STEEL-ROCK TYPE FORM WITH WEAK ATTACKS LIKE THAT, MY WONDER GUARD WILL PROTECT ME."

The Bunnelby narrowed his one good eye at Mega Bidoof, and dived backwards, pulling himself underground in a flash. Mega Bidoof laughed again, and gestured at the hole to the Crusaders.

"SEE, EVEN THE LOWLIEST POKÉMON RECOGNIZES MY POWER," he declared, pointing a limb at the cowering Crusaders "COWER BEFORE ME, PONY MORTALS, AND SUBMIT TO MY-"

There was a rumbling sound again, this time from just under Mega Bidoof. Before Mega Bidoof could declare his superiority again, the Bunnelby emerged, delivering a high-speed Dig to Mega Bidoof's underside. The effect was dramatic. With a flash of energy, Bunnelby pierced the god clean through, flying high into the air as Mega Bidoof shrieked in pain, collapsing on the ground.

"MY ONE WEAKNESS!" he shrieked, clutching his gut.

"Girls!" a faint voice shouted. The Crusaders turned to see Fluttershy running towards them, frantic, saddlebags bouncing on her back.

"Fluttershy!" the Crusaders shouted in unison.

"Come on, we have to go!" Fluttershy urged. "Quickly!"

"WE'RE NOT DONE YET!" Mega Bidoof shouted, rising to one hoof, his chubby cheeked visage seething with rage.

"We're done here," Fluttershy countered, more at Bidoof than the girls. "And you're going to leave them alone, got it?"

"NEVER!" Mega Bidoof shrieked.

Fluttershy grimaced. Behind her, the girls stood, cowering and bloodied. Before her, a creature that meant every word it said.

"You leave me no choice, then," she declared, reaching into her saddlebags, and pulling out her own pokéball. It was black, the shell coloured like onyx, with an orange and red band around the middle. An exquisite work of art, a Luxury Ball. Fluttershy hefted it in her hoof, and looking at the suddenly fearful Mega Bidoof, hardened her expression, stepping forward.

The throw was gentle, had little power to it. But it had enough to hit Mega Bidoof, and bounced off the god's forehead as it drew him in a haze of red light. There was a lingering shout of fury as the ball let loose a shower of sparks, and shook violently before landing on the ground. It wobbled once, and sparkled again as it finally sealed, going still.

"Oh my land," Applebloom said, dumbfounded. "She caught it."

Fluttershy closed her eyes and shook her head, picking up the pokéball and carefully putting it into her bag. And then she turned around, and the Crusaders saw an expression of mild outrage. Which for Fluttershy was tantamount to red-faced, spitting fury.

"And what do you girls think you were doing out here?!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Did anypony know you were here?"

"Um, we- that is- uh, no," Sweetie admitted, wiping her nose again with the back of her hoof. Fluttershy tutted, and pulled out a handkerchief, quickly wiping Sweetie's face and getting rid of most of the blood before giving the handkerchief to Sweetie to hold to her nose.

"Don't you girls know this place is dangerous?" she asked. "No pokémon with you... anything could have happened!"

"We had pokéballs!" Scootaloo countered. "We were gonna catch a pokémon!"

"You have to have a pokémon first," Fluttershy chided. "You can't catch a pokémon if you don't weaken it first. I know you aren't old enough to get your own starter from the Mayor, but could you not borrow one from somepony?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Applebloom said sadly. "Make our sisters proud of us."

Fluttershy tutted again, and shook her head. "Well, never mind. You're safe now, that's all that matters. Come on, Angel. Someone's getting a Persim berry..."

The Bunnelby bounced up and down, and jumped onto Fluttershy's back as she began to shepherd the Crusaders back through the forest and onto the path.

"Doesn't Angel ride in his pokéball?" Applebloom asked.

"Hm?" Fluttershy shook her head. "No, Angel isn't mine. I just look after him, he's a wild pokémon."

"Really?" Sweetie asked, surprised. "I always thought you caught him. My sister always goes on about how she gave you the ball you caught him with."

"Oh, she did," Fluttershy nodded. "But I don't like catching pokémon, so I never used it. Until now."

"You mean-" Scootaloo shook her head. "So what were you doing here, anyway?"

"Herbs," Fluttershy said. "I was visiting Zecora, I needed some more herbs for the strays. Dodrio got in a fight with himself again, and managed to rope Floatzel into it."

"Doesn't sound too bad..." Applebloom said slowly.

"Floatzel managed to spray water at Rapidash, who then bumped into Tauros, who pushed Hitmonchan over – didn't think I would see – and-"

"Okay," Sweetie said. "We get it, they started a riot."

"I had some stern words with Mr. Tauros," Fluttershy said, nodding. "He had problems that he wasn't talking over with Hitmonchan."

"How come nopony's adopted Hitmonchan yet?" Scootaloo asked. "He sounds really cool."

"Nopony wants a Hitmonchan that wants to be a Hitmonlee," Fluttershy said sadly. "That's just the way of things, sadly."

The group came to the edge of the forest, and stepped into the sunlight. As their eyes adjusted, a shrill voice broke the air.

"Sweetie Belle!"

"Rarity!" The white unicorn ran forward, and into the white unicorn going the other way, collapsing into her for a hug.

"Sweetie, Sweetie," Rarity said, hugging her sister tightly. "Where have you been? Mum and Dad have been pulling their manes out with worry!" Rarity paused. "Well, Dad would if he still had any..."

"W-we went hunting for pokémon!" Sweetie confessed. "We tried catching a pokémon..."

"Without pokémon? In the Everfree?!" Rarity exclaimed. "Girls! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

"It all turned out okay!" Scootaloo said, pointing at Fluttershy, who raised a hoof and tried to hide behind her pink mane. "Fluttershy saved us from the Bidoof!"

"Fluttershy?" Rarity looked at the yellow pegasus. "You saved them?"

"Um, yes," Fluttershy admitted.

"She caught that Mega Bidoof with the most clutch throw Ah have ever seen!" Applebloom agreed.

Rarity's eyebrow twitched. "Mega... Bidoof?"

"Long story," Fluttershy said. "Probably longer. Would you like to come over for a cup of tea?"