Pokemon: Earth and Sky

Chapters

The Farmer and The Seamstress
At the Beginning
On the Road to Viridian City
The City of Evergreen
Who We Were

The Farmer and The Seamstress

The plow tore through the dirt, sending the topsoil off to one side and exposing the rich dark earth underneath. The plow's driver was a young girl named Applejack. An attractive and well-built young belle, she had golden yellow hair tied off at the end, with a collection of freckles on the edges of her cheeks. Her muscled arms, bare under the Kanto sun, had picked up a slight tan over the years. Her top was protected by the orange tank top which ended just below her ribcage. A pair of grey overalls protected her legs and front from the manure, mulch and mud which was found on her family's farm. Said farm was located in the village known as Pallet Town. A quiet hamlet in the Southwest of the Kanto Region. It wasn't much to look at, but to Applejack, it was home.

As the plow reached the end of the field, Applejack called the beast of burden to a halt. Said beast was a massive creature, built low to the ground, with rock hard armor covering it's hide. Its head was crowned with a thick frill, and a short blunt horn protruded from its beaked snout.

"That'll be all Rhyhorn." She gave the fearsome creature a pat on the back and unhitched the plow, it nuzzled against her leg in return. "You almost finished Apple Bloom?" She called behind her.

“Just about, Sis!” Apple Bloom, like her big sister, wore a pair of overalls to protect her legs from the freshly churned earth. Over her top she wore a yellow button down short sleeved shirt. Being the youngest of the Apple family, her skin hadn’t gained a tan yet, but she was still stronger than the average girl her age. Currently, she was planting barley seeds in the new furrows. By the time she reached the end of the row, her bag was empty.

Applejack ruffled her sister’s scarlet hair up a bit. “Nice work sis. Now, let’s all head on back home. Granny’s making pot roast fer dinner.” The two sisters and Pokemon began the short walk back to the homestead.

The building itself was a classic red barn design, except instead of stables and a hayloft inside; there was a cozy living room, kitchen, and a high number of bedrooms. The rest of the Apple family were gathered outside the home, setting up a table with several of their neighbors.

“What’s all this?” Applejack asked.

“Well,” She was approached by the elderly matron of the Apple family, Granny Smith. “Since today is your birthday, and tomorrow you will be leaving on your Pokemon journey. I figured to make your last night in Pallet Town a memorable one.”

When a person comes of age, ten years old, they leave home on a journey. On this journey, they visit new cities, meet new people, and most importantly, learn to deal with Pokemon. Many trainers end up capturing Pokemon to use as partners in battle, or simply become their friends. Applejack, however, didn’t care about catching a bunch of Pokemon, or studying under a Gym Leader, or even competing in the Pokemon League. She just wanted to go out into the wild and broaden her horizons.

Before long the festivities began: food was served and eaten, stories were told and retold, Pokemon scampered about, Apple Bloom played with her classmates, and Applejack was given advice from many neighbors.

“I wish you luck Miss Applejack.” Said Filthy Rich, one of the wealthier denizens of the town. “If you find yourself near Saffron City, drop in their Gym and tell them you’re a friend of mine.”

“I’ll do that Mista’ Rich.” She said.

“Do you know what kinds of Pokemon you will be catching?” asked his daughter, Diamond Tiara.

“Not fer certain, but I’ll probably end up catching something that will help us out here on the farm, like Big Mac did.” Big Mac being her older brother, who was the owner of the Rhyhorn who had been helping her plow the field earlier.

“Ha ha! That’s what I like about you Apples, always so practical.” After that he and his daughter left to go grab some dinner. Applejack, already holding a full plate, left to find herself an empty table so she could eat in peace. Instead she found one with an occupant she wanted to talk to. A girl about her age with long purple hair who worked as a seamstress at her parent’s store.

“Some party, eh Rare’s?” At first glance, Applejack and Rarity were as different as day and night. One was tanned and hardened, the other was pale and delicate. One wore work clothes covered in dirt, the other a white dress that looked like it was just made that morning.

“Absolutely, sorry if I end up stealing some of the attention away from you.” If one took the time to get to know the girls though, one would find the other’s influence on each other. Rarity had taught her how to clean her clothes and how to dress in a more fashionable (and secretly attractive) manner. While Applejack had convinced her to get dirty enough times that she could tolerate it.

They also bore a number of similarities. Both were hard working individuals, in their own ways. And they both loved their respective families. So, a better analogy would be that they were like dawn and dusk; different, but also undeniably similar.

“It’s fine, I’m glad for the rest.” She took a bite out of her roast. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, why did ya do it?”

“Did what?”

“Stayed behind. You turned ten two months ago. Everyone else in our class has already left, heck Cheerilee’s already back! So why did you wait for me?”

Rarity paused in cutting up her watermelon slice. She looked the young farmer in the eyes. “Do you remember that day we all went to the beach. You, Coloratura and Carrot Top were building sand castles, the boys went swimming and I went looking for seashells?”

“I remember you got lost looking for seashells.”

“And you found me, all alone and with a scraped knee. The smart thing to do was to go and get the teacher.” She looked the young farmer in the eyes. “Instead you tried to carry me back to the group by yourself.”

Applejack scratched the back of her head, “The tide was coming in and those Krabby looked really hungry.”

The purple haired girl smiled, “You couldn’t leave me behind then, and I’m not going to leave you behind now.” She took a bite of her now deseeded watermelon. “Besides, it will be more fun to travel together.”

Applejack smiled, “That it will be Sugarcube, that it will be.”

Author's Note

I've been wanting to write a Pokémon crossover for awhile now. Hopefully this is satisfactory.

At the Beginning

As dawn broke over the small town of Pallet, it's inhabitants rose with excitement in their hearts. None more so than the two young girls about to set out on their grand journey.

Applejack had packed her bags with food and camping gear last night, so all that was left was for her to shower and dress, and she would be on her way. She wore her usual orange top and overalls, though these were denim and much cleaner that the pair she wore yesterday. After she tied her hair off she grabbed her bag and raced out the door.

“Hold your Horsea there youngin’.” Or would have if Granny Smith hadn’t stopped her.

“Sorry Granny.” She gave her grandmother a firm hug. “I love you. I’ll write you every chance I get.”

“I know you will.” The elderly woman broke the hug, “But before you go racing off.” She grabbed something off the table, “Your Pa wanted you to have these.” Applejack stared at the items she was holding; one was a leather-bound old book, and the other-

“Pa’s Stetson?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I- I can’t- “

“Oh nonsense.” She placed the hat and book in the young girl’s hands, “He left these for you. And don’t you worry none about Big Mac and Apple Bloom, your Pa and Ma left something for them as well.”

“Thank you, Granny.” She pulled her into another hug. “I’ll miss you.”

“Not so hard. These bones aren’t as tough as they used to be.” She said through the tears.

They broke the hug and Applejack put the hat on her head. It was a little big on her, but she didn’t care. She put the book in her bag and ran out the door, waving goodbye to her Grandmother as she ran.

The place she was running to was the windmill just outside town. Otherwise known as the lab of Professor Oak. Oak was a Pokemon researcher and was generally regarded as the leading expert on all things Pokemon. He was also responsible for the registration of new trainers.

She reached the gate leading up to the windmill and was greeted by the professor’s two assistants, Daisy and Blue Oak, his grandchildren. The older of the two, Daisy, wore a turtleneck sweater and white lab coat. Blue on the other hand wore a black jacket over a green shirt.

“Miss Applejack, welcome.” Daisy said, smiling, “We are still waiting for Miss Rarity. Would you like to sign the paperwork now or wait for her?”

Applejack heard footsteps hurrying down the path, “Ah don’t think waitin’ will be a problem.”

A panting Rarity came to a stop just in front of the others. She had chosen to wear a mid-length purple skirt paired with a white V-neck short sleeved shirt. Around her neck was a silver chain with three diamond shaped blue gemstones arranged in a harlequin fashion. She carried a large suitcase at her side, and an embroidered blue purse hung off her shoulder.

“I apologize for the delay.” She said, short of breath, “It took longer than I thought to pack everything into one bag.”

“I see.” Daisy said, sweating slightly. Blue just turned his head and scoffed. “Well, let’s get you two set up.” The party made their way up the small hill and into the laboratory. Inside the two girls presented their Pokemon Handlers licenses, then sat down to fill out the necessary paperwork. It wasn’t too difficult: name, parent’s names, date of birth, hometown, blood type, name of overseer (Professor Oak). After the papers had been filled out, Daisy had taken their pictures, and the two of them waited as their trainer cards were printed.

“So, Rarity, where are we heading first?” Since the two of them were to be traveling together, Applejack decided to let the aspiring fashionista choose their road.

Rarity pulled a map out of her purse, “I’m afraid I’m not quite sure. I had been hoping to visit Cerulean City first, but it appears to be on the other side of Kanto. I have no idea how long it would take us to get there.”

Applejack looked at the map, “Well, why don’t we start with Viridian City. We see how long it takes to get there and plan the rest of our route after that.”

At that time, Daisy, Blue, and Professor Oak himself entered the room. The Professor was an elderly man with sandy grey hair and a very kind smile. He wore a large white lab coat over a red shirt. “Miss Rarity, Miss Applejack, please stand up.” The two girls did.

“You have both shown great skill at handling Pokemon, and your families speak very highly of you.” He pulled two blue cards out of his pocket. “Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I declare you: Rarity, daughter of Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumble, and Applejack, daughter of Bright Mac and Pear Butter, official Pokemon trainers.”

Applejack looked at her new trainer ID. Her face smiled back from under her Pa’s hat. She moved her free hand up to grab the rim of the Stetson. ‘I promise, I’ll make you proud.’

The Professor called Blue forward “And as new trainers, it is my privilege to present you both with your first Pokemon.” Blue pulled three red and white spheres off his belt. The first of these was decorated with an orange flame symbol, the second with a green leaf shape and the third had a blue raindrop printed on it. He threw all three pokeballs into the air, where they split in half, releasing the Pokemon inside.

The first of these was a reddish orange reptile with a yellow stomach that stood on two legs. Its most striking feature was its tail, which sported a small blaze at the tip. “This is Charmander, a fire Pokemon,”

The second was a much shorter creature with turquoise skin and darker green patches. It stood as the shortest of the three on all fours. On the Pokemon’s back was a large plant blub. “Bulbasaur, a sturdy grass-type Pokemon,”

The third Pokemon was very similar to Charmander, in that it stood on two legs, had scales and a large tail. Unlike the fiery Pokemon, this one was slightly shorter, blue, and wore a large brown shell on its back. It’s tail also wasn’t on fire, instead being rather curly. “And Squirtle, the water Pokemon.”

The Professor looked at the two trainers, “Would either of you like to choose first?” Rarity wanted to go first but checked with her friend before doing so. Upon seeing a nod of approval, she stepped forward and crouched down in front of the Pokemon.

She looked between the three, the Charmander seemed to be puffing out it’s chest, while the other two were just standing there, waiting for her to make a choice. She looked the Pokemon over, taking in every detail about them. Suddenly she stood up. “I choose Squirtle.”

“Any particular reason?” Professor Oak asked.

“It’s shell and tail seem particularly well cleaned. I like a Pokemon that appreciates good grooming.” The Squirtle beamed with pride. Weather for being chosen or for someone noticing its hard work, no one but Squirtle knew.

“And I’ll choose Bulbasaur.” Applejack stepped forward and picked up the green Pokemon, “He looks like the humble sort.” The quadruped blushed at her remark.

“Then it’s decided.” The Professor declared as his grandson gave the blue and green marked pokeballs to Rarity and Applejack respectfully. “These are your Pokemon’s pokeballs.” His granddaughter gave them each six plain red and white pokeballs. “And these empty pokeballs are yours if you desire to catch any more Pokemon on your journey. You can only carry six Pokemon at a time, any others will be sent to me. A quick call from any Pokemon Center and you can swap out the Pokemon in your party with the ones I’ll be caring for here.” He looked at the two young girls, “You are now both ready to begin your Pokemon journeys.”

Both girls thanked the Professor and his grandchildren and made to leave the lab, only for Rarity to pause and turn around. “Excuse me but, quick question?” she asked, “What will happen to Charmander here?” The orange reptile had turned away from the humans and looked downright dejected.

“There is a third trainer coming in later today,” Blue said, speaking up for the first time, “they will receive Charmander as their Pokemon.” Rarity seemed satisfied with that answer and followed her friend out the door.

Waiting outside for them was a large crowd of people, ready to see the girls off on their adventure.

“Our little princess. All alone and unprotected.” Said a large man in a straw hat, hugging Rarity close to him, and totally not crying.

“Father, I will be quite alright.” Rarity said, trying to break free of her father’s iron hug.

“Please look after her, Applejack.” Asked a slightly overweight woman in white pants, otherwise known as Rarity’s mother.

“Don’t worry Miss, I’ll keep her safe.”

Big Macintosh walked up to his little sister, “You jus’ make sure you keep yourself safe as well. Okay sis?”

“Don't you worry yourself none. Jus' make sure the farm stays running.”

An elder woman with gray hair stepped forward. She was Mayor Mare, Mayor of Pallet Town and teacher of their class. “I want to say how proud I am of the two of you. You have both succeeded greatly in my class and I expect to continue to hear about your successes in the coming weeks.”

Both girls gave their teacher a respectful bow. Then they turned to their most difficult goodbye, their little sisters.

Apple Bloom hugged her big sis with all her might, “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m goin’ ta miss you too.” Applejack let a few tears run down her face.

Sweetie Belle, a lavender and pink haired girl the same age as Apple Bloom, buried her crying eyes in her sister’s bosom. “Remember to write as often as you can. And bring me back something from your trip.”

“I will, Sweetie Belle. I will.” Rarity did not cry, but she did kiss her little sister on the head before leaving.

And so, the two girls left their home, their friends and family waving farewell. “Firs’ stop: Viridian City. After that: who knows.” Applejack said, slinging her camping pack onto her back.

“I can hardly believe that this is happening.” Rarity pulled her Squirtle’s pokeball out of her purse. The shelled Pokemon looked back at her through the transparent red container. “Our own journey. Traveling, excitement, romance, exotic foods.”

“I highly doubt you’re going to find romance on a cross country road trip, Princess.” Applejack teased.

Rarity smirked, “We shall see, cowgirl. We shall see.”

Stretching out before them was a large field. Just off the side of the road, a furry Pokemon ran into the grass. Off in the distance a large number of feathered Pokemon took to the sky.

“Race you to that boulder!” Applejack challenged, running ahead.

“Hey! No fair!” Rarity yelled, laughing. “Do you know how hard it is to run carrying a suitcase!”
= = =
Back at Professor Oak’s lab, Blue was standing outside, leaning against a wall. A large winged Pokemon landed next to him, letting him know that their guest had arrived.

A flurry of wing-beats indicated that another large flying Pokemon was touching down. “Hey!” said a rough girl’s voice. “Is this Professor Oak’s Research place?”

“It is.” Blue answered.

“Sweet! I’m here to begin my quest to become the most awesome Pokemon trainer in the world!”

On the Road to Viridian City

“Since when has Route 1 gone uphill?” Rarity asked. After roughly two hours of walking, the girls had arrived at a large hill, with the road they had been following winding its way up towards, what they hoped would be, Viridian city at the top.

Applejack looked behind them, Pallet town was no longer visible on the horizon, and the morning sun had climbed quite high in the sky. “You reckon we should take a break and eat lunch now, or wait until later?”

“Wait until later.” Rarity started climbing the hill, “It’s too dusty down here, and a hillside picnic sounds lovely.”

And so, they began climbing the hill; slowly, thanks to Rarity’s suitcase. After about ten minutes of walking in silence, Rarity saw that her friend was reading something as she walked.

“What’s that?”

Applejack handed the book over, “My Ma’s journal from her and Pa’s Pokémon journey.”

The book’s pages were filled with different drawings of Pokémon and plant-life. Neat paragraphs of text filled in the spaces between the drawings, describing the organism in question. “Your mother was certainly a diligent woman.” She said, reading her entry on Seaking, “That journey was how your parents met each other, wasn’t it?”

“Yep! A young farm boy looking for some new crops to help out his mother’s farm, and a young girl from Johto, out to see the world.”

“And instead she married him and settled down in that little bit of nowhere we call home.” Rarity handed back the book. “And you said you couldn’t find romance on a cross country tour.”

Applejack just blushed, “Well, maybe I was wrong.” She looked ahead at the road, “Looks like there’s a nice grassy spot a little-ways up. Ready for lunch now?”

“Yes, I am.”

The two of them sat down with a large rock between them and the wind. Rarity pulled a beach towel out of her suitcase which they used as a picnic blanket. Applejack opened her bag and removed a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese, while Rarity pulled two thermoses out of her purse. “Complements of my father. Tomato or mushroom?”

“I’ll take the mushroom.” She removed the pokeball from her belt, “Soup’s on, Bulbasaur!”

“You too, Squirtle!” Both Pokémon greeted their trainers with a quick chirp before they joined them for lunch. Rarity poured out her soup into two wooden bowls, one she gave to Squirtle, along with part of her loaf of bread; while she ate out of the other bowl. Applejack also poured out some soup into a metal tin for Bulbasaur, while she drank the rest right out of the thermos. “Really, Applejack? You can’t even eat soup like a civilized person?” Rarity said as she took a spoonful of red soup.

“I’m being practical.” She responded, “The less plates and bowls we use, the less plates and bowls we'll have to wash with all that water we don’t have.”

“You do know we passed a stream not five minutes ago, don’t you?”

Applejack paused in her eating and looked behind the rock. Sure enough, there was a creek a few yards away. “Ah do now.” She said as she took a bite of her cheese. Looking up she found Rarity’s Squirtle smirking at her. “What are you smiling at?” The blue Pokémon just took another sip of soup before wiping its chin on Rarity’s napkin. “I think you made the right choice with that one, Rares. She as neat and proper as you are.”

“She?”

“Squirt!”

Rarity chuckled, “I still don’t know how you all can tell a Pokémon's gender so easily." That was one of the few areas of Pokémon care that Rarity struggled with. One time she spent nearly half-an-hour making the perfect nest to hold her Pidgey's eggs; the Pidgey chased her into the Pallet Town pond. "Is Bulbasaur a girl too?”

“Nope, he’s a he.” She said, Bulbasaur nodding to confirm her statement.

Rarity rubbed her hand on Squirtle’s shell, “Well if you are a lady, then how about I name you, Turquoise?”

The shelled Pokémon took a bite of bread and thought it over as she chewed. “Squirtle!” She said cheerfully.

“Ah take it that’s a yes.” Applejack said finishing off her soup with one last swig.

Rarity smiled at the newly christened Turquoise but paused as she heard an odd nibbling sound. A furry, purple Rattata was chewing on her piece of cheese. “Hey!” Her shout scared it into the grass with the cheese still in its mouth. “Well, there goes the rest of my lunch.” She scoffed.

Bulbasaur made to chase after the thieving Pokémon but was stopped by Applejack’s hand. “Let him go, Bulbasaur. One piece a’ cheese ain’t worth getting into a fight over.”

“Bulb.” Was all the grass-type had to say.

“Squirtle! Squirtle!” Turquoise started calling out to her trainer.

“On your toes, darling. We’ve got company.”

Back in the direction of Pallet Town, a large winged Pokémon was flying towards them. As it got closer, they could see it was a brown bird Pokémon, and big enough to carry a person on its back, which this one was.

The Pokémon landed and its rider jumped off. They were a girl about the same age as Rarity and Applejack but stood about a half-foot shorter than either of them. She wore a sky-blue wind-breaker jacket over a white t-shirt with a picture of a cloud with a red, yellow and blue lightning bolt curving down from it. Her pants were also blue with yellow lightning bolt patterns running down the sides. Most striking of all was the girl’s wild hair; it was all the colors of the rainbow.

“Hey!” She said in a very tom-boyish voice, “Are you two Applejack and Rarity?”

“Yeah, and you are?”

“The name’s Rainbow Dash.” She jabbed her thumb at her chest, “Soon to be the most awesome Pokémon trainer in the world. I just got my trainer’s license from that old Professor Oak. He told me I just missed you guys.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Miss Dash.” Rarity said as she started cleaning up their picnic, “You’re from Viridian City, I take it?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“The Wonderbolts logo on your shirt was a good clue.” The Wonderbolts were a group of Pokémon trainers from Viridian who traveled around the Kanto region performing aerial shows with their Pokémon.

“Oh yeah, they’re the best. Once I’m Champion, they’re going to be begging me to be their captain”

Applejack frowned. “Something tells me you didn’t just drop by to say ‘hi’ now did ’ja?”

“Nope.” She pulled a pokeball out from behind her back, “I came to challenge one of you to a Pokémon battle.”

“Well, Ah hate to disappoint ya, but no one here wants to-“ She was cut off as Bulbasaur jumped in front of her.

“Bulba! Bulbasaur!”

“Ah yeah, looks like I’ve got a challenger.”

Applejack knelt next to Bulbasaur, “You sure you want to do this?” Bulbasaur barked in affirmation, “Alright.” She sighed, “Let’s move over here before we start!” She jogged over to a more open area of hillside.

“Fine by me.” Rainbow Dash said as she calmly took the point opposite the blonde farm girl. “Come on out, Blaze!” Her pokeball opened releasing a familiar red Pokémon with a burning tail.

“Charmander!” the Charmander called, puffing its chest out.

“By the way, thanks for saving me the best starter Pokémon ever!” Rainbow said, squeezing slightly at the end.

“Uh, you’re welcome.” Applejack said, slowly, “But if that’s your starter, then who’s that?” She pointed to the giant bird Rainbow had flow in on.

“Oh, that’s Pidgeot. I’m just borrowing him for a while. Now, let’s battle! Blaze! Scratch attack!”

The Charmander beat its tail against the ground and rushed forward. It brought its claws down on Bulbasaur leaving faint white scratch marks behind.

“Bulbasaur! Tackle!” Applejack quickly shouted out. Bulbasaur shook his head to clear the pain, then charged across the field plowing his head into Blaze’s gut. He tumbled for a bit then landed on all fours.

“Growl!” both girls ordered simultaneously. Their Pokémon both growled at each other before charging in again. The Charmander jumped over Bulbasaur and, “Scratch!” scratched him on the back of his plant bulb. Bulbasaur turned around, but Blaze quickly moved to stay behind him, continuing to use Scratch. Bulbasaur turned again, only to be met with the same results. Exhausted, he dropped to the ground in defeat.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Applejack said, “Bulbasaur’s plum tuckered out. Ya won.”

“Wohoo!” Rainbow jumped in the air as Blaze ran back to her, “Nice work, little guy!” She picked up her Pokémon and returned him to his pokeball. “Now take a breather.” She looked over at Applejack and Bulbasaur.

“You alright, Bulbasaur?”

“Bulba.” He answered with a slight nod.

“Good, you rest now.” She returned her Pokémon to his ball.

“You two put up a good fight.” Rainbow said, “But you might want to work on that blind-spot he has.”

Applejack didn’t say anything; she just went to clean out their dishes in that stream Rarity pointed out.

“Are you two planning on entering the Pokémon League?”

Rarity cleared her throat, “Applejack is assisting me on my journey: to start my own fashion network.”

“Huh. Never cared much about clothes myself…”

‘I noticed.’

“…But if that’s how you two want to spend your Pokémon journey, I’m not going to stop you.” She walked over to the Pidgeot and climbed on its back, “It was nice meeting you Applejack and Rarity. Hope to see you on the road sometime!” And with that she took off.

Rarity looked over at her friend. “Applejack, darling, are you alright?”

Applejack didn’t move, she just kept washing out their dishes. Rarity knew Applejack had a bit of a competitive streak to her, and to lose to someone like Rainbow Dash, it must have crushed her.

“Darling it was your first Pokémon battle, the world isn’t going to end just because you lost, and Bulbasaur will be fine and healed by tomorrow morning.”

Applejack sighed, “Thanks Rares. I needed that.” Rarity gave her a pat on the back and went to fold up the towels with Turquoise’s help. Applejack looked at Bulbasaur’s pokeball, inside she could see him sleeping off his injuries.

“The next time I see that filly, I’m going to show her what an Apple can really do.”

Author's Note

Does Applejack feel a little too bitter at the end to anyone else?

The City of Evergreen

Viridian City was much larger than Applejack anticipated. She had been expecting a larger version of Pallet town, but this…

“It’s like something out of a Science Fiction comic.” Rarity said in awe, while also putting words to Applejack’s thoughts. All around them were large buildings made of glass and cement, instead of the wood and plaster of their hometown. The streets were lined with concrete sidewalks where unfamiliar faces walked with unfamiliar Pokémon.

“Excuse us.” Rarity said, walking up to a lady with a red furry Pokémon, “Could you tell us where the Pokémon center is?”

“Oh yes. Turn around that corner and follow the street until you reach the big white building with the red roof, that will be the Pokémon center.”

“Thank you.” The two followed her directions until they stopped in front of what seemed to be the right building, except…

“It’s big and it’s white, and it has a bunch of Pokémon trainers walking in and out of it. That’s got to be the Pokémon center.”

“But she said a building with a red roof.” Rarity pointed to the roof, “That is clearly amber, a shade of orange.”

“Ah know that, but do ya see any other buildings that even remotely look like that?”

Rarity didn’t, thus she conceded to Applejack’s wishes and they entered. The inside of the building looked like a hospital, with sandy colored walls and a large open space before the front desk. Above said desk was a large stone plaque. Oddly, there was evidence of tire skids on the linoleum floor. Manning the desk was a young woman in a pink nurse’s outfit with pink hair.

“Hello,” the woman said, “welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon center. I am Nurse Joy. May I help you?”

Applejack spared Rarity the ‘I told ya so.’ And pulled out Bulbasaur’s pokeball. “We’d like a room fer the two of us and mah Bulbasaur got hurt in a Pokémon battle a few hours ago.”

Nurse Joy took the pokeball and released Bulbasaur. She looked the grass-type over before smiling. “He just needs a bit of rest. He’ll be fine by tonight.” She hit a few keys on her computer. “Chansey, Come and bring this Pokémon to the resting ward.”

A pink fluffy egg in a hat walking in, picked up Applejack’s Pokémon and walked away.

“I’ll show you two to your room.” Both girls followed the nurse as she led them into the back of the center.
= = =
The room was sparsely decorated. Besides some viridian green curtains, the only décor was a poster for the Pokémon League. Rarity had quickly corrected this by adding some diamond shaped throw pillows to the bunk beds.

“That’s better.” She said with a satisfied smile. “Now, shall we plan our next move?”

AJ sat down and pulled out their map, “Well, it took us right around a day of waking ta get from home,” she put her finger on Pallet Town, “ta here.” She slid her finger along the paper until it hit Viridian City. “So, it looks like the next closest place is Pewter City. Problem is, there’s a great big forest between here an’ there. I reckon it’ll take maybe two days a’ walking. Cerulean City’ll be another two, maybe three days after that.”

“Then I suggest we get a good night’s sleep tonight and set off early tomorrow. We can restock on supplies once we reach Pewter City.” Both stood up and made to leave the room, “For now though, I’m going to go wash up before dinner.”

They parted ways, Rarity towards the bathrooms and Applejack towards the main area. The nurse had said the food court was on the other side of the Pokémon Center. So, Applejack waited in the lobby for Rarity.

As she waited, she got a closer look at the plaque over the main desk. It was divided into four squares, each a different color. The top right one was blue and depicted a Pokémon with large feathery wings. A wide tail fanned out beneath it. To its left was a red carving of another Pokémon. This one also had wings, but they looked to be bare, with the feathers carved in separately. This one also had no tail and was standing as opposed to flying. Underneath the blue carving was a yellow one, the Pokémon here was far more bestial than the other two. It stood on four legs and had a hairy looking mane and tail. Applejack could clearly see stripes on the Pokémon's back and legs. The fourth panel was by far the most confusing one. The green stone almost looked bare if not for the discoloration. The figure was just a mass of jagged lines with a second layer of jagged lines forming something resembling a head or face, except the face was empty save for two narrow cuts that looked like eyes.

“AJ?”

Applejack turned towards the sound of the voice and saw a young girl. She had pale, cream colored skin and dull green eyes. Her hair was a soft red with a floral pink lock on the right side of her face. She wore a green miniskirt and half jacket over a pink blouse with the image of a rose printed on it.

“Rosie!” Applejack said in both surprise and joy. The two girls pulled each other into a tight hug. “Ya left Pallet almost a month ago. What’re ya still doing in Viridian?”

The red-haired girl stepped out of the hug and cringed at her words, “I was going to keep going on to Pewter, but I had an, accident, in the Viridian Forest.”

Applejack looked down, her shapely legs were on full display because of her skirt, but so was the cast on her right foot. “Ah, jeez, I’m sorry Rosie. How come I didn’t hear about it?”

“I only told my parents and Professor Oak. I didn’t want anyone else to know I’d fallen behind.” She began looking around the room. “Hey, is Rarity here?”

“Roseluck, darling!”

“Forget I asked.” She was pulled into her second hug and began reexplaining her situation to the fashionista. The three girls all moved into the food court to have their dinner.

“I’m sorry this happened to you, Roseluck.” Rarity said. Turquoise sat in her lap eating some specialized Pokémon food.

“It hasn’t been a complete loss.” She pulled something out of her jacket, “I’ve had plenty of time to win my Earth Badge.” It was a yellow-green piece of metal shaped like a feather or a leaf.

“You’re challenging the Pokémon League?” Applejack asked. The Pokémon League; an annual tournament where trainers travel across the Kanto Region, challenging Gym Leaders until they have acquired eight Gym Badges. Each Leader specializes in a different Pokémon type, ensuring that trainers can deal with different battle scenarios.

“I thought you were going to study under one of the Gym Leaders?”

She put the badge away, “I was, but…”

“Bulba!” Bulbasaur suddenly ran up to the girls and jumped up on AJ’s lap.

“Hey Bulbasaur, you’re looking well.”

“Ba!”

Roseluck smiled, “So that’s your Pokémon, huh.” She pulled out a pair of pokeballs. “Check out mine.” The first was a red furry Pokémon with sharp triangular ears. A patch of crimson hair sat on its head. Six furry tails fanned out behind it. The second was a sandy feathered Pokémon. Thick black tear stripes marked its face.

“It’s so cute!” Rarity immediately grabbed the red Pokémon and began snuggling it. It didn’t resist but was clearly startled by the sudden action.

“That’s my Vulpix, Renarde,” The winged Pokémon fluttered onto her arm. “and this is my Pidgey, Faucon. They’ve been great. Once my foot heals, we’ll be back on the road to Celadon City.” Faucon began preening her hair.

“I trust you will be more careful about where you put your feet?” Rarity jest.

Roseluck took the joke in stride, “Yes, I will.” She took a bite of her meal. “Wha’ about you two?” She said through the mouthful of food. “Where are you going next?”

“We’re leaven’ for Pewter City in the morning. Now, if ya’ll will excuse me.” Applejack picked up her dishes and made for the counter.

“Where are you going?”

“Fer a walk. I want to know what’s so great about this city night life I keep hearing about.”

“Better take your Pokémon with you.” Roseluck said, indicating Bulbasaur. “There’s a lot of young trainers in this town who might be looking for a fight.”

Bulbasaur seemed to perk up at the prospect of a match, and it did seem like sound advice. “Alrighty then. Come on Bulba.”

“Bulba!” The green Pokémon hopped after his trainer.

Rarity scoffed, “Well how do you like that? We spend all day walking and how does she decide to relax? By walking even more.” She let Renarde go as she took another bite of her dinner, “Sometimes I just don’t understand that girl.”

“Then why do you two stick together?”

Rarity laughed a little, “Because for all the times we don’t see eye-to-eye, when we do work together, we always seem to, click. Do you understand?”

Roseluck scratched Renarde behind the ear, “I think I’m starting to.”
= = =
Applejack deposited her dishes at the counter so the staff could wash them, making sure to grab that dinner roll that she had forgotten to eat, then made her way outside, Bulbasaur trotting along beside her. The night air was cool, not uncommon for this time of Spring, but it would probably be the last night like this for a while.

The streetlights cast the world in a yellow glow separated by dark shadows. Not too unlike the streets of Pallet Town at night. But while those nights had a tendency of making Applejack feel small, here she felt absolutely puny. The strangers walking past gave her and her companion little regard, instead solely focused on their own affairs.

She passed by a café, where the sounds of celebration made her pause. A group of boys and girls, all around her age, were enjoying a large meal in the outdoor patio. Each of them was wearing the same uniform. The boys wore a dark green blazer over a white dress shirt and tie, with black pants. The girls wore a green vest over a white shirt with puffed out sleeves, a green and dark green striped skirt and black stockings. A green triangle icon was printed on their left breast and many wore pokeballs on their belts.

A girl stood up from the head of the table, a stem glass filled with a purple/red liquid in her hand, (the bottle of grape soda on the table giving an idea of the glass’s contents). “A toast!” she said in a haughty but soft voice, “To the first class of Viridian Pokémon Academy! To us!”

“To us!” The rest of the group raised their glasses in response.

Applejack was a little confused on what she had witnessed but, recognizing that this was a private affair, moved on.

Bulbasaur, despite his shorter legs, kept up with her well. He seemed to be watching the various Pokémon and trainers more than the city. He caught sight of a group of trainers and trotted off towards them. “Hey! Bulbasaur, come back!” Applejack chased after the Plant Pokémon.

She grabbed him as he started barking at an older man and his Tauros. “Ah’m sorry about that mister. He just ran off on his own.”

“No harm done, lil’ lady.” The man said. “Say, you wouldn’t be from the Safari Zone, would ya?”

“No sir, Pallet Town.”

“Really? Well my apologies to ya then. Are you here to challenge the Viridian Gym?”

“’Fraid not. I’m just passing through with a friend.”

“That’s a real shame, that Bulbasaur a your’s looks like a real fighter.”

“He does?” Applejack looked at her Pokémon. He was still leering at the Tauros and some of the other Pokémon. Then she remembered how eagerly Bulbasaur responded to Rainbow Dash’s challenge earlier. “Heh, I guess he is.”

“Bulba!”

“Oi! Farmgirl. Grandpa.” One of the trainers walked up to them. “If yer looking to challenge the Gym, ye might as well head home. The leaders gone and scarpered off.”

“What?” Applejack asked in total confusion.

“He’s taken a holiday. Ain’t seeing no challengers today, tomorrow, no time.”

“Well ain’t that a shame.” The older man turned back to Applejack. “It was a pleasure speaking with you, lil’ lady. Good luck on your journey.”

“Thank you, mister. Good night.” She put Bulbasaur down and the two of them began the return trip to the Pokémon center.

It was a few minutes later when they heard a commotion. They were back in front of the restaurant they had passed earlier and the same girl who had been giving a toast was now running out of the building chasing a small purple Pokémon. Applejack followed the girl into a small alleyway where a pile of wooden boxes was blocking the Pokémon from fleeing. Now that it had stopped, she recognized it as a Rattata; a furry Pokémon with round ears, a long tail, and large front teeth. In its mouth was a white triangle of food with a black band on the underside.

The girl pulled a pokeball off her belt, “I’ll teach you to steal my dinner. Geodude! Go!” The energy from the pokeball briefly illuminated the dark alley, to fade as the Pokémon materialized. It was a round and tough looking creature, with rock-like hide, no legs, and two muscular arms. “Geodude, use Tackle!” Geodude used its arms to launch itself into to the air. It slammed into the Rattata hard, throwing it into the crates.

“Hey!” Applejack yelled, running up to the girl. “I can understand that you’re angry, but this is taking things too far!”

The girl and her Pokémon turned to look at her. “And who are you?”

“My name’s Applejack. I’m a trainer from Pallet Town.”

The girl scoffed and ran a finger through her wine-colored hair. “Oh? Is that all? Well I’m Giselle, class president of the first graduating class of Viridian City’s Pokémon Academy. That’s the most prestigious school for Pokémon trainers in this part of the region. Now if you will excuse me, I have a vermin to remove.” She began to turn back to the Rattata, but was stopped by Applejack’s hand on her shoulder.

“It would seem your teacher forgot to teach you how to be a decent human being.” Bulbasaur barked in agreement. “If that Rattata is bothering you so much, why don’t you just let me catch it.”

Giselle laughed, “You can’t be serious. You would waste a spot on your team with a low level Pokémon like that?”

“Level? What are you talking about?”

“Do they not teach you even the most basic of lessons in Pallet? A Pokémon's level is a measure of its strength. A common street Rattata like that one would only be classified as level 2. While my Geodude is a perfect example of a level 5 Pokémon. Still in the beginning stages, but far stronger and more useful than that little thief.” The Geodude raised itself up proudly.

“Is that right? Well then how about this; I’ll wager I can capture that Rattata without battling it at all. If’n I can’t, I’ll leave you alone.”

Giselle seemed taken aback by her wager, but smiled and said, “I’ll be amazed if you can pull this off.”

Applejack smiled and turned to Bulbasaur. “You stay back here for now, okay?”

Bulbasaur seemed conflicted, but sat down just the same. “Bulbasaur.”

Applejack smiled and walked towards the fallen Rattata. It had been watching the two humans arguing, and now the tall one was approaching. It bared its teeth, ready for a fight. It was a surprise when the human female instead held out a piece of bread. Most of it had already been eaten, and it was dry, but it was food. Rattata looked warily at the female, but saw no malice or anger in her eyes.

Applejack tore a pinch off the roll and put it into her mouth, to show that she wasn’t trying to poison it. The Rattata still looked nervous, but it started nibbling on the bread. “There you go little guy. Now, doesn’t it taste better when you don’t have to steal it?” Rattata looked up at her and, while it didn’t nod, it did pause before going back to eating. Applejack pulled an empty pokeball out of her bag. Rattata stopped eating and made to run away, but stopped when she dropped the ball on the ground and backed up. “I won’t force this on you. But if you come with me, I can promise to look after you, and take care of you.”

Rattata stood his ground. Giselle was confident that this girl had lost her bet, and got ready to tell Geodude to attack, only for Rattata to call out. “Rattata!” the purple Pokémon approached the ball, sniffed it a little, then purposefully hit the trigger button with his tail. He turned into red energy as the ball opened, drawing the Pokémon inside. The ball gave a shake, then another, then it gave a soft ding to signal a successful capture.

“Bul-baba!” Bulbasaur gave a resounding cheer as he ran up to his trainer. Applejack picked up the pokeball and looked at the occupant within.

“Now, let’s get you a proper meal and some rest.” She put the ball on her belt and picked up Bulbasaur. She didn’t say anything to the shocked Giselle as she passed her.

A few moments after she left, a few boys wearing the Viridian Academy uniform ran up to her. “Class President! There you are. When you didn’t come back we got worried. Are you alright?”

She recalled her Geodude and walked out of the alley. “I’m fine.” She turned her gaze towards the direction Applejack had gone. “There were just a few more vermin than I expected.”
= = =
The next morning saw Applejack up at seven. Nurse Joy had taken Rattata last night to get his injuries healed. While she was waiting for them Applejack, Rarity and Roseluck were having their breakfast when she spotted the same older man from last night.

“Good morning!” She called, getting up from her seat and walking over.

“Well, hello lil’ lady.” He said.

“I wanted ta thank you for what you said last night, about my Bulbasaur being a fighter. I never really knew what I wanted from my Pokémon journey. I thought it’d be enough to help my friend with her journey. But once ah got out here, and met all these different trainers, I realized that I’m a fighter too. So I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna join the Pokémon League and learn just how strong a fighter ah am.”

The older man smiled, “Well I’m glad I helped you realize that. And ah look forward to seeing you at the Indigo Plateau. Oh, where are mah manners.” he held his hand out, “My name’s Harry, most people call me Hiker Harry.”

She shook his hand, “Ah’m Applejack.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Applejack. You take care now.”

“I will. Thank you.” She returned to the table where the other two were looking at her.

“And when were you planning on telling me that you were joining the Pokémon League?” Rarity asked.

“Right about now I imagine.”

“Well I think it’s a great idea.” Rosie said. “I’m not sure what the rest of our class’s plans are, but I’m really glad I’m not the only one out there representing Pallet Town.”

Rarity sighed, “If this is really what you want, I will support you all the way.” She took Applejack’s hand in her own. “Have you told your family about this yet?”

“I called Professor Oak’s lab this morning and spoke to them then. Apple Bloom’s more hyped up than a Magikarp in a soda fountain. Granny and Big Mac are gonna be routing for me too. Just about all that’s left is to actually sign up.”

“I’d be glad to help you with that.” The nurse said as she walked up to them, Ratatta sitting on a small cart with his pokeball.

“Thank you very kindly, Nurse Joy.” Applejack said. She rubbed Ratatta’s head, “You ready to see the world, little guy?”

“Rat-tata.” He squeaked.

“Then if you will all follow me please.” The girls all quickly finished their breakfast and went to the front desk. Nurse Joy turned on the computer and began typing away. “Anyone can challenge a Gym Leader to a battle for a badge, but being registered for the league means that you receive a certain discount from League sponsored Pokemarts. Now, just tell me your name, your parent’s names and your hometown.”

“Applejack, Bright Mac and Pear Butter, Pallet Town.”

“Now hand me your trainer ID.” She did so and the Nurse inserted the card into a slot on the computer. It whirred a bit then she pulled the card out and gave it back to her. “You are now fully registered.”

“Thanks again.” She turned to the so-to-be fashionista. “Well, you ready to hit the road?”

Rarity went back to the table and grabbed their bags off the floor. “I am now.” She turned to Roseluck, “It was good to see you again, darling.” They shared a quick hug. “You let us know the second your foot heals, okay?”

“I will.” Roseluck gave Applejack a hug as well. “I’ll look forward to facing you in battle. Good luck out there.”

“You too, Rosie.” Applejack grabbed her bag and released Bulbasaur from his pokeball, “You two ready?”

“Bulba!”

“Ratatta!”

“Then let’s move out! Next stop, Pewter City.” With that, the group went on their way, their goals fully realized and with good friends to help them achieve them.

Who We Were

The Viridian Forest was a lot more peaceful than they had been expecting. From the stories they were told, they had expected a dark and creepy tunnel made of trees that blocked out all light, pairs of glowing eyes watching them from the shadows, and horrible roots trying to trip them up. But instead they had found a relatively well-kept path through the trees, illuminated with shafts of sunlight filtering in down from the canopy. It made for a rather enchanting walk.

Applejack pulled out her mother’s journal, matching the trees and plants in there with the greenery she was passing under.

“It’s quiet.” Rarity said, “I suspect that I should say that it’s too quiet, but I have no idea what a forest should sound like.”

“I get what you mean. Like there should be some Pokémon calling out or something.” As she said this, a small flock of Pidgey took off from the tree they passed. “Ah! Guess we’re just spooking them.”

“It would seem so.” She pulled a small sketch pad out of her suitcase and began drawing the different kinds of leaves and bark patterns they were passing.

The two walked in relative silence for around twenty minutes, before the Pokémon of the forest became accustomed to their presence. Pidgey resumed their calls from the branches, and the sound of Bug-Pokémon’s wings was almost constant.

Applejack began to notice that the path they were following was incredibly windy and was even overgrown in some corners. She was starting to worry that they wandered off the trail and were lost. But the periodic boot prints traveling in both directions, along with the occasional discarded hiking stick, kept her faith that this was the right path.

“AHH!” Rarity cried out. She had walked into a small mud puddle and the bottom of her shoes were now caked in it. “Oh, this just terrible. Our second day on the road and I already have to buy new shoes.”

“Princess, you’re wearing hiking shoes, they can survive a little bit of mud.” As emphasis she pointed to her own shoes which were permanently brown from the amount of farm work they had seen.

“But now they’re going to have nasty stains on them. It’s totally going to clash with the rest of my ensemble.”

Applejack looked around, not too far away was a tree with its roots exposed, “If it’s going to bother you that much, why don’t we stop for a moment so you can clean them.”

Rarity gave a grateful smile as the two sat down and began scrubbing the mud off her shoes. As they did, Applejack began to reminisce. ‘She hasn’t changed her opinion of dirt since we first met…’
= = =
Applejack sat down at her desk. Behind her, Carrot Top was gossiping with Sparkler about something. Caramel was bragging about how his brother was going to win the Pokémon League. She wasn’t concerned with any of this, right now they were in the classroom, so they should be acting like they were in class.

“Alright everyone, settle down and take your seats.” Said their teacher. Mayor Mare had short grey hair with a few hints of pink and wore a pair of half-moon glasses. Her clothing consisted of a two-piece suit of a beige color over a white work shirt. “Now, before I begin the lesson, there is a new student who will be joining our class.” She turned towards the door and waved however was on the other side to come in.

Stepping through the door was a girl with purple hair curled into a loop. She wore a fancy light blue dress with puffy shoulders and a blue ribbon around the neck. “Class,” Mayor Mare said, “This is Rarity. Her family just moved to Pallet Town, so I want you to make her feel comfortable.” The new girl, Rarity, gave the class a curtsy before sitting down in an unoccupied desk. Applejack didn’t really give the new girl much thought at first. She seemed nice enough, but she acted a little bit fancy for a town like Pallet.

It wasn’t until later that day that her true colors came through. They had been taking care of a group of Poliwag for the last two days. Half the class would feed them different plants like rice, leeks, and okra, while the other half would clean the pond of old leaves, pond scum and trash.

Rarity looked revulsed at the idea of going anywhere near the pond. “I’m sorry, I just don’t want to get my clothes dirty with pond slime and mud.”

“That’s alright dear. Why don’t you help the others with the feeding, okay?” She accepted this and grabbed a bit of food for the Poliwags.

Applejack was fuming. None of the other kids were getting dirty (much), so Rarity wouldn’t have either. And if she was that concerned with her dress not getting messy than she shouldn’t have worn such a fancy dress in the first place.

That was when Applejack knew; she and Rarity would forever be enemies.
= = =
Rainbow Dash was not lost. After returning Pidgeot she set out into the Viridian Forest to catch her first Pokémon. The fact that her searches for that Pokémon took her off the beaten path did not mean she was lost.

None of this stopped her partner from complaining. “Charmander.”

“Hey, don’t worry, Blaze. I’ll find the perfect Pokémon eventually.”

“Char-” He sighed with a puff of smoke.

Rainbow continued searching the tree line. A few crawly green Pokémon sat overhead. “Too small.” A flock of Pidgey were foraging off to the left. “Too common.”

A yellow Pokémon with long ears and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt hopped out of the undergrowth and smiled at her.

“Too cute.” She said, dismissing it.

The Pokémon seemed the take offence at that, and its red cheeks sparked before it electrocuted the trainer and ran off.

“And an attitude problem on top of that.” Rainbow said from the nice soft root she was lying on.

Charmander was about to chase after the Electric type when he heard a disturbance from the trees. A loud flapping of wings was followed by a brown and light red feathered Pokémon landing awkwardly on the ground. Charmander began shaking Rainbow so she could get a look at this newcomer. “Char! Charmander!”

Rainbow looked up and saw the Pokémon. It was similar to a Pidgey in both shape and size, but its wings were a reddish color with pink tips, and it had a messy looking brown head armed with a sharp beak.

“Now that’s more like it.” Rainbow cheered. She got to her feet, took a second to balance herself, and pulled out an empty pokéball.

The Flying Pokémon turned towards her and spread its wings in warning. “Spear!” It flew up and divebombed the Fire type.

“Alright Blaze! Let’s go! Ember!”

“Charmander!” It turned for another attack. As it got closer, Blaze swung its burning tail at it, lighting some of its feathers on fire.

The Pokémon franticly flapped its wings, setting lose the burned primaries. “Spearow!” It screeched, before diving at Blaze again, its beak glowing a pale blue. Blaze rolled out of the way, but the tip of Spearow’s beak still struck his tail.

“Blaze, use Scratch!”

The Charmander ran forwards and jumped, catching the flying Pokémon on its return pass. Both Pokémon fell out of the sky, but Blaze got Spearow underneath him, so the wild Pokémon hit the ground first.

Blaze got up and ran back to Rainbow’s feet, while the Spearow was struggling to get back up.

“Alright, pokéball go!” Rainbow threw the empty pokéball at the weakened Pokémon. The red and white ball hit true and the Spearow disappeared into red light. The pokéball shook on the ground a few times, before the trigger button on the front lit up and the sound of a ding filled Rainbow’s ears.

“We did it!” She cheered.

“Charmander Char!” Blaze cheered beside her.

Rainbow picked up the pokéball, examining the Spearow within. The Flying type in turn judged her. “I’m going to call you, Swoop.” The Spearow bobbed its head from side to side, like it was savoring its new name. It then tipped its beak down to Rainbow, acknowledging her as his trainer. “Now, where are we?”

Charmander stumbled at that. Rainbow looked around the forest, before smiling and running off into the woods. “Come on, let’s go this way.” Charmander ran after his trainer, if not because she knew what she was doing, then because he had to keep her safe.
= = =
Rarity was enjoying her new school. Her teacher was very nice, and the lessons were interesting while still being fun. Her classmates were also very friendly. The boys were still loud and messy, but they didn’t tease her or play pranks. And many of the girls asked her for advice on how to look pretty. Most of them didn’t need help but she told them some of what she knew anyway. Indeed, Rarity was very happy with her new school.

With one exception…

“May I sit with you?” She asked one day.

The group she was asking to sit with were all from farming families. Carrot Top and Berry Punch both gladly asked her to sit down. Lily didn’t say anything, but that was normal for the quiet girl. And then there was Applejack.

“Careful, you might get that new dress of yours messy.”

Rarity looked at her periwinkle sundress, “Um, it’s not new.”

Applejack just scoffed and collected her lunch. “’Scuse me.” She said, pointedly not addressing the purple haired girl.

Rarity watched her move to an empty table and sit down facing away from her. “Did I do something to make her hate me?”

“Don’t pay any attention to her,” Berry said, nonchalantly, “Applejack’s just a sour person. She’s got no friends and all she does is work.”

Rarity looked back at the farm girl. Her hair reflected the lights it was so greasy, her clothes were heavy with dirty and grim. Even while she was eating, her bites were loud, and her table manners were non-existent.

“Yes.” She said, “I suppose you’re right.” She turned back to her food and decided to put Applejack out of her mind forever.
= = =
A pokéball flew through the air. The Pidgey it was intended for threw its wings forward kicking up a cloud of dust and sand. The ball fell short of its target and the brown Pokémon flew away.

“Wha-? I had it!” A boy with dark hair shouted in frustration. His partner Geodude flinching at the loud noises.

The boy’s classmates shared a laugh. “Wow, the third rank student can’t even catch a simple Pidgey?” Someone jeered. The Boy turned around with a growl but couldn’t see who had spoken.

“I’d like to see you do better!” he challenged.

A shorter boy with sandy brown hair stepped forward, his pokéball already in his hand.

“Who’s that?” someone asked.

“That’s Joe.” A taller boy answered. “One of the B students.”

Joe walked into a patch of tall grass, another Pidgey popped out and cawed threateningly. “Go Bellsprout!” His Pokémon was unsettling thin, with root-like feet, green leaves in place of arms, and a yellow bell-shaped head. Its tiny black eyes trained on the Pidgey.

“Bellsprout! Toxic!” The Bellsprout’s mouth closed and the Pidgey dashed forwards in a Tackle. The flying Pokémon collided with the plant Pokémon, but it just shrugged the attack off. It then opened its mouth spitting out a vile purple liquid on the Pidgey. The sting of the fluid caused the Pidgey to fall back and away from the Bellsprout.

“Good. Now Vine Whip!” Joe said. His Bellsprout moved to attack but again, the Pidgey was much faster. It flew around in a circle before unleashing another Tackle attack. Bellsprout was able to kick it with its roots before it could escape, causing it to fall to the ground. As the wild Pokémon got to its feet, it convulsed as purple liquid dripped off its feathers.

“Once more, Vine Whip!” Bellsprout ran towards the downed Flying-Type. Its Vine Whip cracking against its chest. “Pokeball, go!” The red and white sphere hit the Pidgey in the head, turning it into energy. The pokeball gave a shake, followed by a weaker one, then it gave out a ding as the Pidgey stopped struggling.

Joe walked up to his new Pokémon as his classmates gave him praise. “I hope we can be friends.” He said, smiling slightly.

“Nice work Joe!”

“Very well done.”

As his classmates congratulated him for his capture, two girls watched from afar.

“Who would have thought little Joe would catch a Pokémon?” one said.

“It’s only natural.” The other, Giselle, said. “He’s one of us. A member of the graduating class of Viridian Academy.” She walked away from her friend. “We’re the best, nobody is better than us.” Her mind went back to last night, the image of a blonde girl catching a Rattata without battling it pushing its way into her thoughts. “Nobody.”
= = =
Applejack was having the worst day of her life. First, she had overslept and had to run to school in the rain. Then, because of her haste, she forgot her lunch at home. And then, Mayor Mare’s assignment for them was for them to pair up and observe wild Pokémon outside of town over the weekend. She didn’t have time for sight-seeing; she had chores to take care of, a little sister to look after. And finally, she was partnered up with her.

Rarity was having the worst day of her life. Firstly, it had rained this morning, so her petticoats had gotten wet. Secondly, because of the rain, Miss Mare had them spend recess in the gym: running laps, stretching and other activities that only a boy could enjoy. Thirdly, their assignment over the weekend was to observe a number of wild Pokémon around and out of town, then write down what they observed. She wasn’t looking forward to wandering through the tall grass and mud. And fourthly, she was partnered up with her.

Both girls were walking side by side out of school. Neither wanted to look at the other. Yet they were stuck with each other for the weekend.

“We’ll meet up in front of the school tomorrow. Then head out past Carrot Top’s house and do our assignment there.” Applejack said, hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Rarity was a little bothered by Applejack ordering her around, but she wanted to be done with this quickly, so she agreed. “Very well. Shall we say, Eight o’clock?”

Applejack sneered slightly. “You sure you’ll get enough beauty sleep if you have to wake up so early?”

Rarity had suggested the time because it was the same time as when school started. “I promise, I shall be punctual.” She sharply retorted.

Applejack didn’t know what being ‘punctual’ was, but she had more important matters to deal with. “And wear some actual clothes. None of that fancy lace and hanky stuff.”

“Excuse me!? I will have you know that a lot of effort goes into my clothing.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure your daddy’s wallet much be very tired.”

Rarity was fuming. What gave Applejack the right to insult her like this? But it was unbecoming of a lady to give in to such language. “I just hope you are able to have fun this weekend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“From what I’ve heard, you haven’t had fun in your life.”

“And who told you that!”

“It- Well actually I don’t remember. But I do know it wasn’t your friends, since you don’t really have any.”

“Oh yeah? Well neither do you.”

Now at this point neither girl had been paying attention to where they had been going, and as such had ended up on a road leading out of town instead of towards either of their houses. There were also no people around to see or hear them. And with both girls in such a state as they were, no one can truly say what happened next.

Applejack might have punctuated her sentence with a shove. Or Rarity might have pushed her in response. Maybe they lashed out together. Maybe one of them tripped. Whichever way it happened, both girls had dropped their bags and were grappling with each other on the ground. Applejack tried to throw the spoiled child off of her. But Rarity held firm, and both ended up rolling into a ditch still filled with rainwater.

The shock of the water brought Applejack back down to earth. Before her was the girl deathly afraid of getting even slightly dirty, soaking wet with grass in her hair and muddy knees. “Well would ya look at that. You can get dirty! I was starting to think it wasn’t possible.”

“Oh, I’ll show you dirty.” Rarity grabbed this mean-spirited creature’s shirt and pulled her down into the mud. Now they both looked like a pair of Diglett, rolling and tossing in the muck. Rarity grabbed at a patch of grass, pulled it out of the ground and threw it at Applejack. Except the grass just stuck to her hand and didn’t do anything.

Both of the girls just looked at Rarity’s outstretched hand covered in blades of grass. Rarity coughed, realizing that even if the grass had left her hand, it wouldn’t have done anything. Applejack laughed as she realized the same thing. And just as quickly as the fight started, it ended. Both girls were covered head to toe in mud and laughing their butts off.

Applejack offered her hand to help Rarity up. The new girl took it. They both climbed out of the ditch and took a good look at themselves.

“I think it's time for a bath.”

“I think we’re going to need more than a simple bath.” Rarity said. She walked over to her bag and very carefully removed her umbrella from a side pocket.

“What are you doing?” Applejack asked.

Rarity opened the umbrella up, turned it upside-down, then put her and Applejack’s bookbags inside it. “Making a basket. Could you help me and grab the other side?” Applejack did and both girls made their way back into town. Rarity’s house was closer, so they went there to clean off.

Applejack was more than a little surprised to see that Rarity’s home was actually very ordinary. It was a simple two-story house with a brown roof and white walls.

Rarity’s parents were very surprised when their daughter came home, soaking wet and covered in mud, with an equally filthy girl carrying their bags in an umbrella. They quickly set up a hose to get the majority of the mud and grim off the girls. After patting them down with some beach towels, the two moved to the bathroom to scrub off the rest of the dirt. Rarity generously asked Applejack to go first, but Applejack just pulled her into the bathroom and they two of them took the bath together.

Rarity laid out a towel at the foot of the tub to catch the water when they were done, then handed something that looked like the brim of a sunhat to her guest.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“A shampoo cap. It will keep the soap out of your eyes.”

“Huh, thanks.” Both girls stripped out of their clothes and stepped into the tub.

Rarity and Applejack took turns running the shampoo through each other’s hair. After rinsing it off, Applejack was confused when Rarity grabbed another bottle. “Uh, we already did that.”

“That was shampoo, it’s for cleaning hair. This is conditioner, it’s for keeping your hair soft and easy to brush.”

“Uh, I don’t really use that kind of stuff.”

“I’ve noticed.” She went to put the conditioner in, but Applejack moved away. “Oh come on, just try it once. Please.”

Applejack was still a little nervous, but she let Rarity do her thing anyway. Afterwards they took turns scrubbing the other’s back. When they were finished, they changed into Rarity’s sleep wear.

“I’ve told your Granny where you are, Applejack. She’s coming over with a new pair of clothes.” Rarity’s mother told them.

“Thank you.” Applejack said. They were in Rarity’s bedroom. Naturally she had a full closet and not just a dresser like Applejack had. But in addition to the toys and books lying around the room were drawings of different dresses, coats, hats, even clothes for Pokémon. “What’s all this?”

“There designs that I want to make someday.” She pulled out a pink shirt with no sleeves and began to sow a flower design onto the waist. “I think being a fashion designer is such a fun idea. That everyone would be wearing something that you made. It’s exciting.” She kicked her legs at the idea. “What about you, what do you want to do when you grow up?”

“I think I want to keep helping my Granny around the farm. I know that’s not as fancy or important as what you want, but it’s enough for me.” Rarity didn’t tease her for her simple answer and went back to sowing. “I want to apologize.”

Rarity looked up. “I said a lot of mean things to you and I haven’t been very nice to you. And I didn’t even know you. So I’m sorry.”

“Well, I said a lot of mean things to you as well. So I should apologize to you as well.” The two girls awkwardly smiled at each other.

“My name’s Applejack. I like good food and the outdoors. I don’t like liars and my favorite color is red.”

“My name is Rarity. I like fashion and music. I hate mud and I like too many colors to have a favorite.”

Applejack laughed at that then opened her arms, “Do you want to be friends?”

Rarity smiled even more, “Yes, I do.”

Granny Smith came not too much later. Neither of the girls wanted to talk about the fight, so the whole thing was just awkward for the adults.

“You want to come over for breakfast before we get started on our homework tomorrow?” Applejack asked.

“I’d love to. Sevenish?” Granny and her parents didn’t seem to object.

The two girls left each other that night, but they left each other not as lifelong enemies, but as friends on their way to becoming best friends.
= = =
Applejack blew into the kindling, starting a contained campfire. Rarity had just finished setting up their tent and was pulling out their dinner.

“What are we having?”

“Bread and beans, unfortunately.”

“Then it’s a good thing I packed these.” She pulled out a can of peaches. “Should make a bland and boring meal into just a boring meal.”

“You spoil me.” Rarity joked. The two waited for the beans to finish cooking and let their Pokémon out to eat.

“You know what I was thinking about earlier?” Applejack said, “The first time we met.”

“Do you mean the first time we met, or that unfortunate period before that?”

“The before time. Do you remember why we hated each other so much?”

She thought for a moment. “No. Or at least I can’t think of any good reasons.” Applejack looked at her, sensing that she had a follow-up. “I think we were young, foolish, and different.”

Yep, that was it. “I guess that fight was the best thing that happened to us.”

“Really? You think the fight was the best part of it? Not the bonding we did afterwards?”

“We wouldn’t have done any bonding or talking or anything if we hadn’t come to blows.”

Rarity sighed, “I suppose you have a point. Thank you, for pulling me out of my comfort zone.”

“Thank you, for showing me how to take care of myself.” They both took a drink from their water bottles.

After dinner, they both retired. Bulbasaur, Rattata, and Turquoise curled up between their sleeping bags. Ready to take on the step of their lives, together.

Author's Note

I might be projecting a little with this chapter, since I myself was a bit of a mean kid in my youth.

I'd also like to apologize for the long wait time.