Breaking Down

The girls had arrived on Route 210 roughly halfway to Celestic Town, just south of a small, abandoned cabin. According to their map the road was surrounded by tall grass and trees, which eventually gave way to a canyon. Once barren, this canyon had recently been flattened and improved. More trees had been planted along the path, turning the landscape into a densely wooded area.

“The news app on my Pokédex mentions this forest springing up overnight,” Twilight Sparkle said as the girls looked down into the canyon. All they could see was the tops of trees. “Apparently, Pokémon are responsible for the geographic changes in this area. They lined the river with trees and grass when they widened the canyon, but no one knows why.”

“I bet they did it to make the whole place prettier,” Pinkie Pie said, cheerfully. “The path leads closer to the river. Maybe the fog will lift enough that we can see how all of their hard work paid off.”

Despite her optimism, the fog never lifted. It only deepened, engulfing them in an eerie half-light. Thanks to their Pokémon, the girls were able to make it through the tall grass without a battle. The little creatures formed a protective circle around their human friends, alerting them with growls and hisses whenever they sensed another Pokémon nearby. The girls thought this made them even more adorable, though the young starters thought they looked tough.

Their flashlights were barely enough to keep them walking in a straight line. Soft rustles and the occasional growl from outside of their circle told the girls that they were being watched, even after the first grassy field. At first they thought it was Korish. They had steeled themselves and called out to her, but only creaking branches and heavy footfalls responded. They waited five full minutes, whispering battle strategies to one another as their partners tensed in anticipation. Then they heard soft laughter, so faint they had to struggle to make it out. After more discussion, they had decided it had been Korish laughing at their fear, but she wasn’t alone. Frustrated and scared, they continued their journey.

“Weren’t there were supposed to be trainers around here?” Applejack said as she and Rainbow Dash led their friends across a wooden bridge. “We haven’t seen another soul since we started. It’s creepier than my apple cellar in a thunderstorm with the lights turned out.”

“The people of this world have a solution for this,” Twilight said as she read through the page on her Pokédex. Her Rowlet bumped into her from time to time, trying to get her to watch where she walked while nudging her in the right direction when she got too close to either side of the bridge. “It’s called ‘Defog’ and it’s a Pokémon move.”

“Do any of you know Defog?” Fluttershy asked her Litten. Ashley looked to the other Pokémon, who shook their heads apologetically.

“Litten,” the fire cat said as she shook her head, too. “None of us know it.”

After a few minutes of slow, careful travel they came to a river. They could hear a waterfall nearby, and several loud splashes as something big dived in and out of the water.

“Chimchar,” Nara said as he took a defensive stance near the water’s edge and flames ignited on his tiny fists. The light was bright enough to illuminate the path around them. On their right was the river, lapping slightly against the shore as the waves caused by whatever had dived a moment ago subsided. As the girls took in their surroundings, they shared a collective gasp.

Several feet in front of them was a wall of webbing. It connected to the tree line on their left, which had been formed into a barrier of spider silk that stretched off into the fog behind them. Ashley blew a small spurt of fire from her mouth to reveal another freshly woven web at their backs.

“We’re blocked in,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice a mixture of fear and excitement. “Nara, use Ember on that web in front of us.”

The Chimchar took a deep breath, but a String Shot wrapped around his legs before he could launch his attack. He fell over with a painful thud and Rainbow Dash ran to his side to unwrap him.

“It came from the fog!” Rarity said as she pointed to their left. Something skittered through the treetops. She pulled her Pokédex from her bag and scanned the creature just as it ran back into hiding. “It’s an Ariados!”

“There’s more than one,” Pinkie Pie said as she pointed back the way they had come. Several Ariados were walking along the ground now, spinning webs in synch as they reinforced their trap. “Leon, use Water Gun and get rid of those nasty webs!”

“Right O’,” Leon barked as he obeyed the command. His attack struck the web, bending it backward but not breaking it. Fluttershy asked Ashley to add her firepower to the attack, and the wall of webbing was soon destroyed. The approaching Ariados kept their distance, stopping their spinning to dodge another series of attacks as they deftly rebuilt the walls.

“We can’t let them keep us trapped!” Twilight Sparkle said as her Rowlet launched a Leafage attack at the webs. Several strands of webbing broke, but the Ariados quickly replaced them as they layered their new wall. “Try it again, Poe! We have to get through!”

The tiny owl Pokémon let loose another wave of leaves, but they were struck down by a blast of poison from the treetops. Poe dodged the Sludge Bomb, but was caught off guard by a well-placed String Shot. The Ariados in the trees began pulling the Rowlet in. Poe cried in desperation as he struggled against his bindings. Twilight Sparkle ran to her partner’s side and pulled with all her might, but the Ariados easily dragged her along with Poe.

Another String Shot launched from above, streaking through the air to capture Twilight. It was intercepted and destroyed by a Bubblebeam and two Ember attacks, which were quickly redirected at the wall. The wall was destroyed, and Leon’s Bubblebeam was used to free Poe. The Rowlet chirped his thanks, and the group darted for the exit.

A flash of light came from out of the fog, and the girls halted at the sound of a Pokéball releasing its occupant.

“Get in there and use Explosion, Weezing!” yelled a rough, human voice.

“Weezing!” came the reply.

“Scatter!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she grabbed her Chimchar and ran. “Get away!”

Applejack was the second fastest, but her Rowlett froze in place. She turned to save her friend, dodging strands of webbing as she went. A Weezing emerged from the fog, its body bloated with toxic fumes as it prepared to detonate itself. More webs were shot from above, tripping Twilight Sparkle and Rarity as they tried to run for cover. The other girls turned back to help them, but they couldn’t get the webbing off in time. They were still within blast range when the Weezing began to glow.

A moment before the poison-type’s detonation, a Hydro Pump tore through the fog and struck the Weezing in its largest face. The Pokémon was thrown backward into the webbing between the trees where it exploded. Wooden splinters flew everywhere as trees were destroyed. A fire lit up the fog for a brief moment as the foliage ignited, but another Hydro Pump came from the riverside to douse the flames. The girls turned to see a full-grown Gyarados sitting halfway up the shoreline. They called out to it in gratitude. The Gyarados returned their greeting by directing its third Hydro Pump at them.

“What the heck is that thing doin’?” Applejack yelled as she ran out of the way of the attack. “We ain’t bothered it none!”

“The Pokédex says that Gyarados are vicious and easily angered!” Twilight Sparkle said as she helped Fluttershy to her feet. “Our battle must have disturbed it. We need to get out of here as fast as we can!”

Two more Gyarados appeared behind the first as fighting erupted in the forest. Teams of Machoke, Medicham and their pre-evolutions were chasing the Ariados out of the tree line. Another Weezing crashed into the largest team and used Explosion, shaking the ground and sending the wild Pokémon flying through the air. As it fainted, a bright light from a Pokéball pulled it back into the trees. The Ariados were soon withdrawn in the same fashion and suddenly there were only two sides on the battlefield.

“A-are we going to have to fight our way out?” Twilight Sparkle said as her Rowlet puffed up his feathers.

“Please, friends,” Fluttershy pleaded. “We can get along! We’re not here to hurt you, we want to understand you!”

“Humans are all the same, Machoke,” said one of the largest fighting-types. “No matter where you’re from, you’re all the same. That’s all we need to understand.”

Shouts from human voices could be heard further down the road amid cries from the furious Pokémon in pursuit. A new battle was beginning elsewhere, yet this was just background noise for the girls.

“We’re outnumbered and outgunned,” Applejack said through gritted teeth. “It’s not gonna get much worse than this.”

Just as the words left her mouth, cruel laughter began to rise above the din. It was soft at first, but grew in intensity.

“You jinxed it,” Pinkie Pie told her friend disapprovingly.

“Well?” Korish said, as she materialized from out of the fog. The wild Pokémon of Route 210 backed off slightly, bowing their heads in deference to the tiny Gourgeist. “Where’s your Rainbow Power now?”

“I’ll show you Rainbow Power!” Rainbow Dash said in defiance.

“Is that a challenge?” Korish sneered. “A Pokémon battle, perhaps? Or will you bring out this lauded magic to defeat me? I’ll admit, I’m curious to see if all the hype is true.”

The girls looked to one another. Rainbow Power had specific terms to its activation. They had to exhibit the personal traits that united them with the Elements of Harmony. Though these traits came naturally to them, and they had improved their control over their magic, they had agreed before coming that Rainbow Power should be used only when absolutely necessary. They weren’t fighting supervillians, or monsters that wanted to enslave their friends. Their world wasn’t even at risk. They were fighting an idea based on the words of creatures that had suffered at the hands of humans.

“Rainbow Power isn’t the answer,” Rainbow Dash said, more calmly than before. “That’s why I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!”

“Chimchar?” Nara said, nervously. He looked up to see that Rainbow Dash’s face was completely serious. He gulped down his fear and took a battle stance.

“We’re not letting you and Nara fight alone,” Rarity said as she and her Litten walked forward. Gem hissed at Korish as she came to stand next to Nara. The other Pokémon followed suit alongside their human partners.

Korish smiled cruelly as she looked her opponents over.

“Good, good,” she said. “I want to fight all of them at once. Hold nothing back! I’ll destroy all of your Pokémon single handedly. Then, I’ll destroy you, too.”