Pokemon is Magicby snivygamer97ChaptersEntering the World of PokemonThe Lone SnivyThe Pokemon World's DilemmaPokemon I Choose You!Entering the World of PokemonIt all started some time after Twilight and Spike stopped Starlight Glimmer from destroying the fabric of existence. Twilight decided to practice magic with Starlight and came up with a spell to teleport from Equestria to Canterlot High. In order to test it out, Twilight decided to summon her friends to her castle’s throne room and, after explaining the situation to her friends, tried to teleport the six ponies and one dragon to Canterlot High real quick before Sunset and her friends arrived at the school. Twilight cast her spell only for a strange mist to appear from Twilight’s horn which teleported the six ponies and one dragon away from the castle. Twilight woke up some time later lying down on a couch. One thing she noticed right away was that she had fingers and hands instead of hooves. However, unlike at Canterlot High, her skin was white instead of purple. Twilight looked around the room she was in, and eventually found her friends laying down on the floor on blankets, unconscious. They too had skin colors different than what they had in the human world. As for Spike, instead of being a dog, he was instead a person like she and the girls were. The room she was in looked like a lab, though what was studied here she couldn’t tell. “Spike? Girls?” Twilight called out, hoping to wake up her friends. Fortunately for her, Spike and the girls started to wake up. “Ugh… five more minutes,” Rainbow Dash moaned tiredly. Not long after, though, she did wake up and noticed a lot of the same things that Twilight did. “So we are people, but… wait. Twilight? Where are we? Is this Canterlot High?” “I’m afraid not. I don’t know where we are at,” Twilight said. “Well, wherever we are at it looks like we may be taken care of. Still, I wish that their blankets were more stylish,” Rarity noted. “At least, wherever we are, the creatures here are nice,” Fluttershy said. “Hold on, Fluttershy. How do we know we aren’t in any danger?” Spike warned, remaining cautious. “Come now, sugarcube. I understand that you’re worried, but I don’t think we are in any trouble. If whoever found us wanted to harm us they would have done so by now,” Applejack reasoned. “Applejack is right, Spike. I don’t think we are in any danger,” Twilight tried to calm down Spike. “Still, just where are we?” “I don’t know. But maybe we should think about welcoming these people in return for helping us. Maybe with a party?” Pinkie asked with a huge grin on her face. “Really, Pinkie Pie? No offense, but maybe we should figure out where we are and who these people are before we party with them,” Rainbow Dash reminded her friend. Just then, a strange old man in a white coat and with gray hair entered the room. “Well, it’s good to see that all of you are alright. We thought that something bad may have happened to you,” the old man said as he sighed in relief. “Well, as you can see, we’re doing fine. Thank you Mr. … whatever your name is,” Twilight greeted the man. “Oh. My name is Professor Samuel Oak. I am known as the Pokemon Professor and creator of the original Pokedex,” the old man introduced himself. “Um, excuse me, but what is a Pokemon?” Rarity asked Professor Oak. “Yeah, and what is a Pokedex?” Fluttershy asked, with a confused head tilt. “Are you sure you’re okay? Just about everyone knows what Pokemon are,” Oak was confused as to why the seven people didn’t know things that were common knowledge. “Well, you see Professor Oak, I believe that we come from a different dimension. So I’m afraid that we don’t have a gosh darn clue what Pokemon are or a Pokedex for that matter,” Applejack revealed the uncomfortable truth. Professor Oak just stood there with a shocked expression, unsure what to think of what the western girl just said. Eventually, however, he finally came up with a response, “So, you seven are not from here, are you?” “Not really, Professor Oak. I apologize for the bluntness of my friend here. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what happened to us myself. If it helps, we can leave and let you get back to your work,” Twilight apologized as she prepared to head for an exit. Suddenly, Professor Oak responded, “Oh, don’t worry about it too much. With all that has gone on in the Pokemon world, coming from a different dimension isn’t really anything that new. Not that it isn’t shocking, though,” Professor Oak tried to comfort Twilight. “Oh, speaking of which, what is a Pokemon, anyway? Is it a food? A toy? An animal?” Pinkie Pie asked rapid-fire. “Well, you see, Pokemon are a bunch of amazing creatures that inhabit our world. At times we play with Pokemon and at other times we work with them. The mass diversity of Pokemon means that we may never know how many truly inhabit our world. I study Pokemon and their relationships with humans at my lab here in Pallet Town,” Professor Oak explained. “Anyways, now that I’ve introduced myself and what Pokemon are, I would like to know what your names are.” “Oh, that’s easy. My name is Spike. And these are my friends Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy,” Spike introduced everyone to the Pokemon Professor. “Well, it is nice to meet you all,” Oak responded. “Nice to meet you too. Well, it’s been nice, but we’ve got to get going. Thanks again for your help, Professor Oak,” Twilight said as she once again started to head for an exit. “Wait! Don’t leave. I was thinking that I could always use some help with my research and that and you all need a place to stay,” Oak said. “What are you getting at?” Rainbow Dash asked, not quite getting what the professor was getting at, though she had an idea at least.. “Well, I was thinking that you could stay with me and help me with my research in exchange for a place to stay and for food and water. So, what do you say? Will you help me with my research?” Professor Oak asked the seven guests. “Sure thing, Mr. Oak! I think that we’ll all be happy to give you a hand, right girls?” Twilight asked her friends. “Of course I’ll help!” Spike agreed instantly. “Sure thing, Twilight! I’d be more than willing to lend a hoof-er-hand,” Pinkie Pie agreed. “Well, I think that I’d be willing to help the Professor with his work. After all, it would be great to meet all of these Pokemon creatures he mentioned,” Fluttershy gave her permission. “I’m not entirely certain about this arrangement, but I believe that it would be the best thing to do given our predicament,” Rarity reluctantly agreed. “Count me in. We may be able to find a way home in the meantime, right Twilight?” Applejack asked her friend. “Right,” Twilight agreed. “What about you, Rainbow Dash? Are you in?” “I don’t know. After all, I’m not exactly Professor Egghead, if you know what I mean. But, seeing as how I don’t want to abandon you all or anything like that, I guess I’ll help too,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Well, it looks like, one way or another, you all are willing to help me. Excellent! Now, before we get started, I believe you all should meet a part-time assistant of mine,” Professor Oak said. “Please, come this way.” At this, Professor Oak began to lead the seven to a room that contained countless red and white balls with a white center button on it. In the room, there was a young man around the age of eighteen crouching down, looking over the balls to make sure none were damaged. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my part-time assistant, Ash Ketchum.” The Lone SnivyAsh sat there for a little bit before he responded, “So, they all are alright I see. That’s good. What were they doing anyway? Are they new Trainers or something?” “No, Ash, they aren't new Trainers. While I may have some starter Pokemon present at the lab, they are going to the new Trainers next week, including you,” Professor Oak explained. “Oh, right. So, what are they here for?” “They come from a distant place and are in need of help knowing about the world of Pokemon. So, I decided to have them, for the moment at least, help out around the lab,” Professor said. “Well, I guess that’s cool. As you heard before, my name is Ash. What are your names?” Ash asked the group. “Well, my name is Applejack, and these are my friends Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity,” Applejack introduced everyone to the young girl. “Nice to meet you all. I’ve been helping out at the lab for a year now and I’ve learned quite a bit about Pokemon in the meantime. I’ve been unable to go out on a journey for a while now. However, that is all about to change. By next week, I’ll be a Pokemon Trainer!” Ash was excited. “Um, what is a Pokemon Trainer?” Twilight asked the Professor. “Well, you see a Trainer is someone that goes out and catches, raises, and battles with Pokemon. Pokemon and Trainers love to battle, and together, both Pokemon and Trainer are able to work together to win against their opponents that they battle against,” Professor Oak answered. “Cool! So we can fight alongside these Pokemon?” Rainbow Dash was amazed. “Well, technically only the Pokemon do the fighting, but the Trainers give the commands for the Pokemon to follow,” Professor Oak corrected. “Oh. Well, it still sounds cool that these creatures can battle. So, where are these Pokemon at anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well, how about we go outside to check up on some of the Pokemon outside?” Oak asked the seven friends, to which they all agreed. When the Mane 6 and Spike got outside, they saw a variety of Pokemon littering the grounds. These included several Oddish, a purple plant with green leaves on top and two small feet, Bellsprout, a yellow bell-headed plant, and a Growlithe, a fire dog with red and black coloring. Everyone was taken aback by all these Pokemon and more and were amazed by what they saw, especially Twilight and Fluttershy. “Wow! These Pokemon are so cute!” Fluttershy gushed as she hugged two Oddish and a Bellsprout. “Is that a fire dog? You’re such a cute little guy. Yes you are,” she said as she ran over to the Growlithe to pet him, which he liked in spite of his confusion. Fluttershy then ran over to a Poliwag, a blue spherical tadpole with a swirl on his body, and offered to feed him a berry. Before Fluttershy could continue her gushing, Professor Oak interrupted, “Um, can you please calm down, my dear? You’re kind of disrupting them.” At this, Fluttershy blushed and awkwardly walked back to the group. “Sorry, Professor. I just got excited, that’s all.” “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I understand. It is pretty exciting to see all these new creatures,” Rarity understood where her friend was coming from. “While you are here, you will help me with my research and with raising all of the Pokemon, wild or not, that are in my care. For starters, it would be best for you to meet all of the different Pokemon outside. Understood?” Professor Oak hoped that the seven would understand and could grow from the experience. “That sounds pretty easy. Say, who’s that Pokemon?” Rainbow Dash asked as she saw a green snake with limbs sitting in the corner of the yard away from everyone else. She had a frown on her face and was shivering upon noticing that Rainbow was looking at her. “Oh, that is a Pokemon from the distant Unova region. She is called a Snivy. The Professor and I found her hiding in the forest a few weeks ago,” Ash said as he walked up next to the Professor. “Interesting. So, why does she look so scared?” Twilight asked sympathetically. “Well, we don’t really know why. We think that she may have been captured and mistreated by thieves or something along those lines,” Professor Oak explained. “We don’t know for certain. Whatever happened, she doesn’t really trust people at all. In fact, she’s been taking care of herself and won’t let anyone else come near her,” Ash added on. “That sounds so sad,” Twilight said as she shook her head. “I know. How could anyone do such a thing to such a cute face?” Pinkie Pie asked with a frown. “I don’t know, but if I ever meet the one responsible for her pain, well they better watch out!” Applejack was similarly angry. “So, should we try to befriend her? After all, we’ve succeeded in making friends with almost anyone in the past,” Fluttershy reminded everyone. “I don’t know. Maybe we should just leave her alone for the time being,” Rarity suggested. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, didn’t want to just sit around and do nothing and walked up to the grass snake while offering out her hand. “Hey there, take it easy little girl. We’re not going to hurt you. We just want to be your friend.” As Rainbow got closer, Snivy just backed up. “Look, I know that you’re scared by whatever negative experience you had with people in the past, but don’t worry. Not only can you grow past it, but you can grow better than people would expect of you.” Rainbow Dash got even closer to the grass snake. However, the grass snake, being scared and uncomfortable with Rainbow getting close to her, sent out a Vine Whip and hit her hand with it. “Ouch! What did you do that for?! I was trying to help you!” “Like we just said, Snivy doesn’t like people at all. In fact, she barely even gets along with other Pokemon,” Ash reminded Rainbow Dash. “Well, some way or another, I’ll find a way to change her tune,” Rainbow grumbled to herself. “Rarity made a valid point earlier, you know. Maybe we should just leave her be for the time being,” Twilight suggested. “Yeah. Your friend is right. For now, let’s just get your hand fixed up. It looks like it was hit hard by that Vine Whip attack,” Professor Oak suggested. The Pokemon World's DilemmaFor the next few days, everyone worked hard to help take care of the Pokemon and also help Professor Oak with his research. Twilight helped the Professor with his research directly, growing to understand individual Pokemon habits and all eighteen of the Pokemon types. Fluttershy spent a lot of her time with the Pokemon outside, getting used to feeding them and helping solve conflicts between them. Everyone else followed the orders given to them by Professor Oak and Ash. Everyone grew to love the various Pokemon that they found in and out of the lab. In fact, many of them wanted to go out and see the world some more. However, they realized that they needed to find a way home and didn’t know if leaving the lab would keep them from going home. As the week went on, everyone started to make friends with Pokemon that were at the lab. For instance, Rarity ran into a Slowpoke that made a nearby pond its home. At first, she didn’t think much of the Dopey Pokemon. However, the Pokemon quickly took an interest in her and her written down fashion designs. As time went on, she warmed up to the Slowpoke and they became friends, with the Slowpoke giving her inspiration for new designs. Another friend that was made was Applejack growing friendly with a Growlithe. He was very energetic and helpful, helping her with the chores she had to do around the lab. Thanks to this as well as the fact that he reminded her of Winona, Applejack and Growlithe became friends. Pinkie Pie found a Poliwag around the same pond that Rarity found Slowpoke. The Poliwag, like Pinkie Pie, loved to joke around and make others happy. As a result, they were quick to bond and become an effective team. Twilight found a second Bulbasaur that was staying at the lab, becoming fascinated with the Grass starter and how Professor Oak said that it would evolve. For some time, Bulbasaur was more interested in playing with her friends and resting to give much thought to Twilight. Twilight felt sad that the Pokemon that she was taking an interest in didn’t want anything to do with her. However, Twilight’s friends soon found out about her problem and were quick to cheer her up. Twilight then talked to Bulbasaur, ultimately convincing her to give Twilight a chance. Twilight was happy to see that the Seed Pokemon was finally taking an interest in her. Fluttershy took an interest in pretty much every Pokemon that was present at the lab and most of the Pokemon there shared this sentiment. Rainbow Dash, however, while doing all the work needed to take care of the lab’s Pokemon, didn’t make very many friends at first in spite of her interest in Pokemon. Things did change, however, during the last day before Ash’s journey was to start. Fluttershy was feeding all of the Pokemon out in the area outside of the Professor’s lab. It was then that she noticed two Pokemon that were fighting; a Squirtle and a Pikachu. The Squirtle was shooting out powerful Water Guns while the Pikachu was dashing away from the water and hitting Squirtle with Thundershock. Fluttershy didn’t like how the two were fighting and went up to them to stop the attacks. “Um, excuse me, but you really should stop fighting. You could end up hurting innocent Pokemon, which would be a very bad thing to do,” Fluttershy warned. However, the two just kept on fighting, her pleas falling on deaf ears. Fluttershy tried to pull them apart, but they both just continued their fight. Fluttershy didn’t have much time to be disappointed though, as Ash walked over to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, what’s going on? Do you need any help?” Ash asked Fluttershy. “Well, you see there are two Pokemon that are busy fighting with each other and I can’t get them to stop. Do you think you can help?” Fluttershy asked the more experienced assistant. Upon seeing the two Pokemon that were fighting, Ash started to understand. “Oh, them. Squirtle loves to battle and can get carried away. As for Pikachu, he has what Professor Oak calls an electrifying personality. We can’t get him to do what we want without bribing him with ketchup half the time. He either electrocutes us or ignores us. In fact, it’s a miracle if we can get him into his Pokeball at all.” “Well, maybe there is still one way to get the two of them to stop fighting. How about I try asking them to stop again?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t know if that will work, Fluttershy. However, I guess we don’t have many other options to stop them. Go ahead and try,” Ash allowed the less experienced assistant to act. “Excuse me! I told you that fighting was going to hurt the other Pokemon! Now I want you to stop fighting and walk away peacefully! Do you understand me?” Fluttershy demanded. Immediately, the two Pokemon looked sheepish. Pikachu ran off while Squirtle walked up to Fluttershy and proceeded to hug her leg. “Aw, that’s okay. Just be more careful next time.” At this, the Squirtle walked away, leaving Ash and Fluttershy to talk. “Good job. We usually can’t get that Pikachu to do anything. I’m not sure how I’m gonna get him to listen to me tomorrow,” Ash said as she shook her head. “Wait, are you saying that you’re gonna go on a journey with Pikachu? I thought that you were gonna go with one of the other three starters,” Fluttershy said, confused. “I was at first, but I figured that Pikachu could do better and hopefully be less hostile if he had a Trainer. So, I’m gonna start my journey to be the best with Pikachu! Besides, Professor Oak suggested it to me and I couldn't say no,” Ash explained joyfully. “Well, good luck Ash!” Fluttershy wished the boy luck. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was watching the conversation unfold from behind a tree. She was taking a break in order to nap only to be woken up by Squirtle and Pikachu fighting. After the conversation ended and Ash and Fluttershy left, Rainbow said to herself, “Man, I just wish that we could get Snivy to open up more. Then she may stop being so fearful and bitter towards po-er-people.” Rainbow thought for a moment before coming to the realization, “Maybe Snivy could do better with a Trainer. That way she could see that not all humans are bad.” After this, Rainbow looked around the lab grounds in order to look for Snivy. At first, Rainbow Dash had no luck finding the grass snake. Still, she decided not to give up and continued looking. After an hour of searching, however, she finally found Snivy sitting by a pond drinking water. Rainbow was about to run up to the grass snake before realizing that would be a bad idea. So, she decided to sneak up to Snivy and sit next to her quietly. Snivy was quick to realize that Rainbow was right next to her. She was nervous and uncertain as to whether or not to run or not. After a tense moment of silence, Rainbow finally spoke. “You know, being here for the past week has taught me quite a bit about Pokemon. I learned that they can be powerful battlers, that they each have differing personalities even among the same species, and even that they react differently towards people. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. Not all people are going to hurt you. Whoever hurt you are just the minority. You’re a great Pokemon that is bound to make any Trainer happy. I know you’d make me a happy Trainer.” At this, the Snivy looked up, surprised to hear this from the brash girl. “Maybe we can start off as friends though. What do you say?” Rainbow held out her hand ready to shake Snivy’s arm or vine, whichever she decided to use. Snivy was uncertain as to what to do at first, seeing as how she didn’t know whether or not to trust the brash girl. However, after a minute of thinking, she was about to shake Rainbow’s hand only to be interrupted by two people laughing. Both of them were dressed in black outfits with red Rs on their shirts. “So, it looks like that Professor’s lab really is home to some rare Pokemon!” The female grunt said. “Yes, and soon they will belong to us!” The male grunt laughed. “Hey, who do you think you are, anyway?” Rainbow demanded from the two strange people. “Our names are of no importance. However, do know that we are from Team Rocket, and our goal is to make all Pokemon ours both for profit and for world domination!” The female grunt explained as she threw out a Pokeball, which opened and released a Raticate to battle. “Well, in that case you’re not going to steal any Pokemon today!” Rainbow yelled, blocking the two grunts from grabbing Snivy. “My my, aren't we brave, and foolish. You really believe you can stop us? Well then, I think it’s time we see how much of a fight you can put up,” the male grunt said as he threw out a Pokeball, containing a Tangela, a creature made up of blue vine-like appendages. “Now, Tangela, use Vine Whip on that foolish girl!” In an instant, Rainbow Dash was being bound and hurt by the Tangela’s Vine Whip. In spite of her pain, she didn’t give up. “Snivy! Quick, run while you can!” Rainbow called out to the shocked grass snake. “Had enough yet, kid?” The girl grunt questioned. “No! I won’t stand down!” Rainbow yelled. “Well then, I think we should see about that. Raticate, use Bite!” At this, the Raticate bit on Rainbow’s hand, causing her a lot of pain. Snivy looked at both the grunt’s Pokemon and at the injured Rainbow Dash. Looking at Rainbow Dash in pain caused Snivy to feel a lot of different feelings; concerned, scared, worried, but most of all anger. She realized that she couldn’t let the girl who was trying to save her down. She wanted to find a way to ease her pain, even if that meant getting involved in a battle. So, Snivy used Vine Whip to knock down Raticate, knocking him out in one blow. “Hey, what is that stupid snake doing?” The female grunt demanded to know. “Snivy is not stupid! In fact, Twilight says she is very smart!” Rainbow yelled. “Well, we’ll see how long you have fight left in you. Tangela, continue using Vine Whip!” The male grunt called out sadistically. Rainbow screamed out in pain from being squeezed, but still refused to stand down. Suddenly, Snivy also used Tackle to run right into Tangela, knocking him out in one blow as well and freeing Rainbow Dash as well. “So, you wanna fight us or do you just wanna go?” Rainbow challenged the grunts. The two grunts retreated, wanting to avoid fighting the strong Snivy. “Alright! You did it, Snivy! You were great!” Rainbow held out her non-injured hand and Snivy shook it without any nervousness. “So, I take it that we’re friends now?” At this, Snivy nodded, smiling for the first time in quite some time. Alright, let’s get going back to the lab. I’m sure Professor Oak will be wondering where we went.” Later that night, the Mane 6 and Spike were ready to head to bed before seeing Ash and the other Trainers off on their journeys tomorrow. “So, how is everyone feeling?” Twilight asked her friends. “I’m feeling great, Twilight! Being around all these Pokemon has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in a while. It’s just like being around my animal friends!” Fluttershy revealed her happiness. “I concur. These creatures, even some of the more uncouth ones have proven to be incredible! Still, I wish we had a way to head on home,” Rarity said. “You said it! I love all these new faces to make happy, but I miss the Cakes and I have to wonder if Ponyville is doing fine without me being around,” Pinkie Pie said, surprisingly seriously. “Wow, Pinkie. I didn’t know you felt that way,” Twilight was surprised. “Well, I do. So, do you think we should throw a party for Ash and the other new Trainers tomorrow?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “I’m not sure, sugarcube. I’m thinkin’ we should try and find a way to return home. After all, I need to help run Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack said. “Well, Twilight has been trying for some time to use her magic, but just like in Canterlot High her magic is unavailable. We may be stuck here for some time,” Spike revealed. “What about you, Rainbow Dash? What do you think?” Twilight asked her friend. Upon turning to her, she saw that Rainbow was already asleep along with Snivy, who was sleeping on her chest. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight woke up the sleeping girl. “What? What happened?” Rainbow asked, confused for a moment before seeing an irate Twilight. “Sorry. I dozed off. So, what do you want?” “What do you think about this place and our predicament?” Twilight asked. “I’m actually interested in seeing this world and exploring a bit. Who knows? Maybe on our journey we may find someone or some-Pokemon that can help us find our way home,” Rainbow suggested. “That sounds interesting, but I don’t know how well that will work,” Rarity said. “Rarity’s right, Rainbow Dash. As much as I want to go on a journey with Pokemon, we still need to find a way home,” Twilight said. “Yeah. I just wish I had a Pokemon,” Spike said. “Anyway, we should probably head to bed now. We can talk more tomorrow.” At this, the Mane 6 and Spike said goodnight and drifted off to sleep. When the Mane 6 and Spike opened their eyes, they found themselves in a strange space-like place. “Whoa! What is this place, Twilight?” Spike asked the intelligent girl. “I don’t know Spike,” Twilight answered uncertainly. “Do you think we can float in this place?” Pinkie Pie asked as she jumped into the air only to come falling back down onto the floor of this place. “Note to self: Can’t fly in space-place.” “So, does anyone else think that maybe we can get home from here?” Rarity asked. “I don’t think so,” Applejack answered. “I honestly don’t even know how we got here.” “Darn. Well, at least I can make some fashion based off of this place,” Rarity said. “Does anyone else think that this may be due to a Pokemon?” Fluttershy asked the others. “Maybe. Why do you ask, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked the timid girl. “B-because I see two Pokemon approaching us right now!” Fluttershy nervously revealed. Fluttershy was right. Two Pokemon, a pink cat-like Pokemon and a black creature with a red and white head, flew up to the seven. “Hello there you seven! My name is Mew, and I am here to deliver a message from Arceus, thanks to Darkrai here giving me a hand,” Mew explained. “Um, Greetings there you ponies turned human. You’re probably wondering why you are all here,” Darkrai said. “Who are you two? Are you Pokemon?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Mew is believed to be the ancestor of all Pokemon and Darkrai is the bringer of bad dreams and can impact the dreams of others. That must be how they are here,” Twilight said. “Well, you see we have brought you to the Pokemon world for an important reason,” Mew said. “Wait, did you have something to do with why we are in the Pokemon world?” Rainbow Dash asked angrily. “Yeah! While this place is nice, I really would like to get home! Someone needs to watch over my two boutiques. And poor Sweetie Bell probably is missing me too!” Rarity overdramatically cried out. “Well, to answer your question, the two of us didn’t transport you to this dimension. That was the work of Arceus. He wants you to help save this dimension from a series of predicted threats,” Darkrai answered. “Hold on there, Darkrai! While we understand you all need help, you still took us from our home without even asking us first!” Applejack was upset. “Now hold on, girls. Maybe we should listen to what they have to say first. I may not be happy to be separated from Angel and the others, but I still believe we should give them a chance,” Fluttershy tried to be fair. “What do you think we should do, Twilight?” Spike asked his older sister figure. After a moment of thinking everything over, Twilight decided, “We should at least hear them out before we judge them.” “Thank you, Twilight. We don’t entirely know what all these threats are, but they could be of cataclysmic proportions. In fact, at least one of them could destroy far more than this world. If we don’t stop all these threats, your world too could be destroyed! Hey look! The moon is bright tonight!” Mew said, being briefly distracted after giving their warning. “Sorry, but we cannot take any chances on this. We need you all to go on a Pokemon journey and help save this world and possibly more from these threats. Fortunately for you, time will not flow at all in your world while you are here. When you return, it will be like you never even left. So, what do you say? Will you please help us?” The former ponies and dragon looked at each other and took some time to talk it over. While most of them did want their world to remain safe and to go on a Pokemon journey, they also didn’t want to remain away from home for a long period of time. However, with these Pokemon holding the way home in front of them it seemed that they had no choice. “Okay, we’re in. Just make sure that we return home once we are done, okay?” Twilight finally responded. “Sure we can. You can probably find yourselves some starter Pokemon at Professor Oak’s lab. Well, goodbye!” Mew then left, flying around in loops as they left the area, with Darkrai following after. In an instant, the Mane 7 woke up, realizing that what happened wasn’t a dream when they heard that they all had the same dream. It looked like they had to talk to Professor Oak and get started on their journey. After all, they were to be on a very long journey. Author's Note Thanks for reading so far. To note, while Ash is smarter in this story due to having spent time with Professor Oak, at least when it comes to Pokemon and nature, she is still the same Ash in other areas such as earlier overconfidence, brashness, and love of Pokemon. Pokemon I Choose You!“So, you see, we need to head out on a journey if we are to find our way home. I hope you understand why we have to leave,” Twilight finished explaining things to Professor Oak. “So wait. You're telling me that you all saw the mythical Mew and that they told you to go on a journey in exchange for going home?” Professor Oak asked for clarity. “Isn’t that what Twilight just finished saying?” Spike asked the Professor. “Well, this sounds very incredible. If it really will help you, of course you all can go on a journey. As for the Pokemon, there are some Pokemon staying at the lab. Maybe you can find some that want to go with you,” Professor Oak offered. “Sounds like a plan! Snivy, do you want to come with me?” Rainbow Dash asked the grass snake she was holding, who proceeded to nod. “Great! We’re going to be partners!” Rainbow proceeded to hug Snivy. “What about the rest of you?” In response, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity went outside to look for Growlithe, Poliwag, and Slowpoke. As for Twilight and Fluttershy, they stayed inside. “Um, excuse me, but I don't know if there are any Pokemon for me. I got along with a lot of them, but none particularly stood out,” Fluttershy said. “Yeah. What should I do for a Pokemon?” Spike asked. “I was just wondering the same thing, myself,” Twilight said. “I did become friends with a Bulbasaur, but I don’t know if it would be right to take her with me when you have new Trainers coming to get their Starter Pokemon.” “I know the Bulbasaur you are talking about. I pulled some strings and I was able to get a second Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. So, if they want to go with you guys, you can have them join you,” Professor Oak explained. “But, before you go, can you please help me with a few Pokemon real quick?” “Why, of course! We’d be glad to help you,” Fluttershy agreed. “Well, you see, it has to do with these three Pokemon here,” Oak said as he recalled three Pokemon; a blue penguin named Piplup, a green turtle named Turtwig, and a chimp named Chimchar. “You see, one of the residents of Pallet Town used to be from the Sinnoh region, and I decided to surprise them and give them the choice to select a Sinnoh starter. I need you guys to watch over them while I go out and find the Kanto starters for you all. Good luck!” “So, do you think they like it here?” Rainbow Dash asked, not knowing what to say. “Well, I’m pretty sure that if they were bothered they would say something,” Fluttershy retorted. “Hate to break it to ya, Fluttershy, but Pokemon can’t speak like we do,” Rainbow Dash bluntly said. “Well, actually, I can understand what Pokemon say, just like I can understand animals,” Fluttershy corrected. The Turtwig proceeded to speak. “Oh, Turtwig says that he is hungry. It may be best that we get Pokemon food ready for them.” “Well then, let’s get them some food,” Twilight said. And so the group of four fed the three starter Pokemon. At first, there were no problems and the Pokemon looked very happy to get the food. However, eventually, the Chimchar finished his food and then proceeded to steal food from Piplup, much to Piplup’s anger. The two got into a fight and eventually fled the lab. Just before the group could think about what to do, Professor Oak returned with the three Kanto starters as well as a woman of eighteen years with blue hair. “We’re terribly sorry, sir, but the Chimchar and Piplup got into a fight while you were gone and I’m afraid they got out of the lab,” Twilight apologized. “Well then, looks like we’ll have to go out and search for them then,” Professor Oak responded. “Sir, if you don’t mind, can I please go with you? This has to do with my possible starter Pokemon after all,” The woman reasoned. “Well, alright. But we’ll have to move quickly. Otherwise, we may lose them,” Professor Oak agreed to let the girl go with them. Everyone went out to look for the starters and, after a bit of searching, were able to find both Chimchar and Piplup. Apparently, the woman, whose name was Dawn, had found the Piplup only for it to be captured by the bug-type Ariados. After some fighting, the two escaped the many Ariados and returned to the lab while Ash, who had just arrived at the lab to pick up Pikachu, had found Chimchar and brought him back to the lab. Upon returning, Dawn decided to pick Piplup as her starter while Ash picked up Pikachu under Professor Oak’s suggestion. Predictably, Pikachu didn’t want anything to do with Ash and was zapped by the electric-type. Meanwhile, The Mane 6 and Spike had gathered together and had their Pokemon ready to go on a journey. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had convinced their three Pokemon to pair up with them on a journey. As for Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike, they each paired up with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander respectively. Just as the Mane 7, Ash, and Dawn were about to leave, the other three new Trainers had arrived in order to get their starter Pokemon. The first to arrive was a woman named Leaf, who went with Bulbasaur. The second to arrive was a man named Damian, who went with Charmander. While Leaf appeared to be strange, she didn’t seem to be too bad towards Bulbasaur. However, Damian appeared to only pick Charmander because he considered him to be the strongest. After a while, the final of the new Trainers arrived, going with Squirtle seeing as how it was the only starter left. “Make way, everyone! The best Trainer in all of Kanto coming through!” The Trainer, whose name was Gary Oak, announced to the crowd outside of the lab. “Hey! Isn’t it a bit much to assume you’re the best? How do you know it may not be me or someone else?” Rainbow Dash demanded. “Well, aren’t you a card? You see, with a legacy like my grandfather’s it only makes sense that I’m going to be the best, if not now then soon enough,” Gary responded mockingly. Rainbow Dash just sat there growling until Gary noticed Ash. “Oh, if it isn’t Ashey boy. Long time no see. So, I’m guessing that you’re going on a Pokemon journey,” Gary guessed. “Well, yeah.. I have a starter Pokemon and everything. Of course I’m gonna go on a journey,” Ash said, not getting at what Gary was saying. “Well, I was just thinking you were gonna give up and returning home to your mommy considering that you can barely manage to take care of yourself,” Gary mocked. “Grr, Gary!” Ash yelled angrily. “Well, I’ve wasted enough time here with my admiring fans. Everyone, I’m gonna leave for my journey now! When I get back, I’m gonna be a master!” Gary yelled out as he got into a car of admiring cheerleaders and drove off with Squirtle. “I can’t believe that Gary! I can take care of myself and my Pokemon! It may not be easy to deal with Pikachu, but I’ll find a way,” Ash muttered to himself. “So, I take it that you and that boy are not on the best of terms?” Applejack asked. “No. We’re not. We’ve been rivals for the longest time. I’ve tried to be nice to him, but he still has an ego larger than the sun,” Ash answered as he shook his head. “So, what do you plan to do as a trainer?” Dawn asked Ash. “I plan on becoming a Pokemon Master. I plan on starting by collecting eight gym badges and entering the Indigo Plateau Conference in order to prove myself as a great trainer,” Ash answered. “Sounds cool! I, meanwhile, plan on becoming a Pokemon Coordinator and entering the Grande Festival,” Dawn explained. “Oh, I heard about that! You show off the beauty and strength of your Pokemon and win a ribbon for doing so. Five ribbons and you’re in!” Rarity revealed. “That’s right, Rarity. However, there are two different types of rounds,” Twilight began only for Dawn to interrupt. “Yeah! There is the appeal round where you show off your Pokemon and what makes them great while the following rounds are battles where you face off against an opposing Pokemon and make the show your own,” Dawn finished. “So, anyway, what are you all planning to do on your journeys?” “Well…,” Twilight began only for Pinkie Pie to interrupt. “We’re going to go out and help save the world! In the meantime, Rainbow Dash wants to aim for the Indigo Plateau as well while Rarity wants to try Contests and Twilight wants to also take part in the Indigo Plateau!” Pinkie Pie answered. “I’ll just have fun with my Pokemon and cheer on my friends.” “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. For now, I just want to find as many Pokemon friends as I can,” Fluttershy answered. “I never really thought about what I’d do, to be honest,” Applejack bluntly said. “Well, that sounds cool! I wish you luck on your journeys!” Dawn said just as she was walking away. However, she stopped suddenly and asked, “Hey, maybe we can go on our journeys together? It would be fun to go on a journey with other people rather than go it alone.” “You know what? That sounds like a good idea! Besides, the more the merrier! What do you all think?” Twilight asked Spike and the Mane 5, who all nodded in agreement. “What about me? Can I come too?” Ash asked everyone. “Of course you can come!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Is everybody ready?” Applejack asked to be sure. “I think so! We’ve got food, Pokeballs, tents, a map, and other important things from when I last checked,” Spike answered, having helped Twilight pack their bags earlier that day. “Well then, let’s get this show on the road!” Pinkie Pie yelled out. “Ash? Are you sure that there isn’t a train or something we can take to the next town?” Rarity asked. “Last I checked, no. We have to go on foot,” Ash answered as he was pulling Pikachu by a rope while wearing rubber gloves since he refused to walk with him and his friends. “Hey, don’t worry, Rarity. At least this way we get to meet new Pokemon,” Fluttershy consoled. “Yeah, I guess. At least when we head to sleep later I’ll be able to nod off in my tent rather than on the cold ground,” Rarity was relieved. “Personally, I hope to reach the next town before night falls,” Dawn said. “Well, we don’t know if we will get there on time or not. In my experience, nature is a lot more interesting than you give it credit for,” Applejack put in her two cents. “I agree with Applejack. I just wish Pikachu would move with us willingly,” Ash said. “Maybe I should give Pikachu the chance to get used to me and not feel forced to come with me.” As Ash said this, he removed his rubber gloves and untied Pikachu. “So, feel any better Pikachu?” Pikachu merely looked away from Ash. “Aw, come on! We just want to be your friend. Why can’t you just be nicer to us?” “You know, if Pikachu isn’t really working with you, you can always just return him to his Pokeball,” Dawn suggested. “I’m afraid Pikachu doesn’t like being in his Pokeball. I’ve come to accept it as some Pokemon are just like that,” Ash responded. “Should we take a break for lunch or…,” Twilight suggested. “I guess we can break for lunch. What do you all think?” Spike asked the others. After a moment of consideration, everyone took a break in order to eat and take a break from walking. While everyone was eating, they took some time to talk about where they were going to go next. “So, where is the closest gym located at, anyway? The Kanto region is so big that I don’t know where to start,” Rainbow Dash asked, half-joking. “From what I’ve heard from Professor Oak, the nearest gym that is active is in Pewter City, which is past Viridian City and the Viridian Forest. There is supposed to be a gym in Viridian City, but it’s closed,” Ash answered for Rainbow Dash. “Sounds cool! Maybe we’ll catch some more Pokemon on the way there. I love Snivy and all, but I really want to find some more fighting buddies to train with,” Rainbow Dash said as Snivy gave a nod in agreement. “Just don’t train too much. Wouldn’t want you gettin’ hurt because you got too overeager,” Applejack reminded. “Aw man! I should have made a good luck cake for all of us before we left Professor Oak’s lab!” Pinkie Pie was disappointed. “To be fair, that’s likely for the best seeing as how your bags don’t have room for cake in them,” Dawn commented. “What about the next Pokemon Contest? Where do you think it is going to be at?” Rarity asked Twilight and Dawn. “Well, the nearest Contest is going to be in Cerulean City in a few weeks,” Twilight answered. “I’m already looking forward to it! Soon, I’m going to begin my journey to being a Top Coordinator! Oh, and you too Rarity!” Dawn cheered. “So, where do you think the Pokemon are at? I haven’t seen very many of them since we first started down this road,” Fluttershy asked, confused and disappointed by the lack of Pokemon. “Well, we may or may not see any depending on the path we take,” Ash pointed out. “Still, I wish we ran into at least one Pokemon.” Before Ash could say anything more, a purple and tan monkey with a hand on her tail swung from a tree and swiped one of the rice balls the group had out and ate it. “What? An Aipom! Here? Now?” Ash was shocked as he got up to see the monkey swing again, this time grabbing his hat. “An Aipom, huh? I wonder what the Pokedex has to say about you,” Twilight said as she got our her Pokedex and scanned the Long Tail Pokemon. “Aipom. The Long Tail Pokemon. Aipom are known for living in the trees and can use their tails, which are incredibly strong, in order to climb and hang from branches.” “Hey! Get back here with my hat, Aipom!” Ash yelled as he ran after the monkey-like Pokemon. After some running and entering a clearing, the Long Tail Pokemon stopped and threw that hat down at Ash while poking fun at him. “Well, we’ll see how gets the last laugh! Pikachu, you game?” Ash asked only to realize that Pikachu didn’t follow him nor would he have listened even if he did. “Oops. I’ll just leave you here. Thanks for my hat back.” As Ash left, Aipom jumped up and down excitedly on the tree branch she was on before going after him. By the time Ash got back, everyone else had finished eating and were ready to continue their trek to Viridian City. “So, how did it go?” Pinkie Pie asked Ash when he returned. “Well, I got into a clearing before realizing that Pikachu wasn’t with me or that I had any means of fighting the Pokemon so I just let her go,” Ash answered. “Oh. Well, hopefully our next encounter with a Pokemon goes better,” Rainbow Dash said. “In fact, I think I see one right now.” Rainbow said as she saw a shadow enveloped bird Pokemon nearby. “Alright! Snivy, use Vine Whip on that bird!” Snivy complied with Rainbow’s command, whipping the Pokemon. However, instead of going down, the bird, which was called a Spearow, emerged from the grass furious with Snivy and Rainbow. It didn’t help that Ash’s Pikachu began to laugh at the pair’s misfortune, which made Spearow even more angry. In fact, Spearow landed a super-effective Peck attack on Snivy, which hurt her quite a bit. Pikachu combatted the Spearow when it tried to Peck him with his Thundershock. At this, Spearow fell to the ground and then ran off. “See? We’re able to take on anything that gets in our way!” Rainbow boasted. “Really? From where I’m standing it looks like Pikachu did all the hard work,” Dawn pointed out. Rainbow was quick to fall over comically. “Well, we’ll catch the next Pokemon that we come across.” “Maybe not the next Pokemon we come across,” Dawn nervously said. “Really? Why not? I think we can capture any Pokemon that’s willing to come with us,” Fluttershy asked. “B-Because of that!” Dawn pointed at a huge swarm of Spearow and a Fearow that was called by the Spearow from earlier. “Pikachu, use Thundershock!” Ash cried out as Pikachu, sensing the danger, complied and shocked the Spearow swarm. However, there was too many Spearow for the Thundershock to stop the swarm in its entirety. The others, aside from Twilight and her Bulbasaur and Rainbow and her Snivy, sent out their starter Pokemon and tried to fight off the Spearow swarm. The group did a decent job at fighting them off, lowering the swarm from what seemed like hundreds down to only a couple dozen. However, by this point, all the Pokemon were exhausted. Rather than take their risk with the swarm, the group ran away so that they could save themselves and their Pokemon from harm. The swarm, however, wasn’t done with the group and decided to fly after the group, attacking all the while. The group and their Pokemon proceeded to dodge the pecks as best as they could, and while they did a good job for the most part, they still got hurt, especially Ash’s Pikachu who Ash needed to pick up and run with. Eventually, the group reached a cliff where there was a raging river in the area beneath them. “Oh no! What should we do?! We’re cornered!” Dawn cried out, worried. “Well, there may be one way out of this. We’ll need to jump into the water and hope it takes us to safety,” Ash suggested. “No offense, Ash, but that sounds like a risky idea,” Applejack said. “I agree. Whos to say we won’t get injured or lose our supplies when we jump into the raging river,” Rarity agreed. “Besides, we’re not wearing our swimwear and I’d rather not get my hair or clothes wet,” Dawn pointed out. “I’d say that we take the risk that Ash is suggesting. After all, do we want to be pecked to death by these Spearow and the Fearow?” Rainbow Dash agreed with Ash’s plan. After a moment of thinking, the group reluctantly agreed with Ash’s plan and decided to jump into the water, just barely avoiding the swarm. Meanwhile, an eighteen year old red-head named Misty wearing a blue swimsuit was under the water later on down the river. She was searching for Water-type Pokemon that she could add to her party. You see, Misty’s dream is to one day be the greatest Water-type Trainer and Gym Leader in the world. To meet that goal, Misty is in need of capturing as many different Water-types as she could. Finding no luck in finding any unique Water-types, Misty got out of the water next to her bag and bike and was ready to change back into her normal clothes. However, before she could do so, she saw a bunch of people and Pokemon trying their best to stay above the water, some doing better than others. Seeing Pikachu having fallen unconscious, Misty jumped back into the water and brought out the Mouse Pokemon. “Oh my! Are you okay, Pikachu?” Misty asked the poor Pokemon in concern. “I don’t know about Pikachu, but I think the rest of us are doing okay,” Ash responded to the red-haired woman. “I don’t know what happened to you all earlier, but I can’t believe what bad shape your Pokemon appear to be in!” Misty scolded. “We’re sorry. We’re new trainers that got into trouble with some Spearow and a Fearow miss…” Fluttershy began to apologize. “Misty. Misty Waterflower. I have to say though that you could do a better job at being trainers if you got into trouble so easily,” Misty bluntly said. “Hey! That was very rude of you to say!” Dawn yelled back. “Yeah! We were just trying to find our way to Viridian City when we ran into trouble! You can’t fault us for being new!” Rainbow yelled as well. “I’m sorry about that. You see, I can be a bit easily angered. I wasn’t trying to be mean,” Misty apologized. “Hey, do you want me to make you a baked treat in order to commemorate our meeting?” Pinkie Pie offered. “I guess maybe later?” Misty awkwardly accepted. “So, Misty, can you tell us how to get to Viridian City so that we can get out of your hair?” Twilight asked. “Sure. Just head down this path and you’ll be there within an hour,” Misty answered. “Oh, thank goodness! I’ll be able to rejoin civilization before nightfall,” Dawn sighed in relief. “And we’ll be able to change into a warm pair of pajamas,” Rarity agrees with Dawn. Suddenly, the group heard the cries of the Spearow and Fearow as they had finally found and caught up with them. “Oh no! This is bad! We need to get away from them. Excuse me, Misty, but can I borrow your bike?” Ash asked the red-head. However, before she could give a response, Ash put Pikachu in the basket, got onto the bike, and rushed off to try and avoid the bird Pokemon. “Hey! Get back here with my bike!” Misty demanded as she put on her normal clothes over her swimsuit and ran after Ash. “Well, looks like Ash got himself into some trouble. We should catch up to make sure that Misty doesn’t hurt him,” Dawn decided as the others agreed and the group ran after them. ”Just hang on now, Pikachu, we're almost there,” Ash said as he raced down the path in the rain to try to get Pikachu to safety and escape the swarm. However, eventually the swarm caught up to them and the bike was knocked over, sending them both to the ground. “Pikachu! Pikachu... this can't happen,” Ash was worried as he placed Pikachu’s Pokeball next to him. “Pikachu, get inside. I know you're afraid of going in there, but if you're inside, maybe I can save you. Please, Pikachu, please listen to me and go inside. After that, then -- After that, just trust me!” Ash got up and walked towards the Spearow and Fearow, planning to defend Pikachu, even if it meant sacrificing himself. “Spearows, do you know who I am? I'm Ash, from the Town of Pallet. I'm destined to be the world's number one Pokémon Master. I can't be defeated by the likes of you. I'm going to capture and defeat you all! Do you hear me?” Ash yelled to the Pokemon. “Pikachu, go inside the Pokéball, it's the only way! Come and get me!” Suddenly, Pikachu got up and ran toward Ash and jumped off his shoulder. Pikachu mustered as much power as he could in order to create a powerful Thundershock. The attack managed to hit the Pokemon, causing them all to flee, except for the Fearow. However, a quick Focus Punch from the Aipom from earlier was enough to send the Fearow packing as well. Aipom approached Pikachu and Ash, who were both lying on the ground exhausted. “Well, we beat 'em.” As a way of showing that Pikachu is no longer against Ash, he proceeded to lick Ash’s face gently. “Oh, and I guess that Aipom also helped us out. Say, do you want to come with us, Aipom?” At this, Aipom nodded as Ash got out a Pokeball and threw it at Aipom, with the purple monkey being sealed in moments later. “Alright! We’ve got an Aipom!” Ash cheered as Pikachu and Ash made a “V” shape with their hands. Before they could celebrate having a new Pokemon much more, the duo noticed a mysterious rainbow and golden colored Pokemon flying through the sky. “What's that? Is that a… Ho-Oh?” Ash wondered as the Pokemon disappeared, leaving Ash to pick up Pikachu and race off to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City once more. Author's Note Sorry it took so long to post another chapter. I'm starting to get back into Pokemon, though, so I should be trying to post more chapters soon. Enjoy the chapter, though. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Entering the World of PokemonIt all started some time after Twilight and Spike stopped Starlight Glimmer from destroying the fabric of existence. Twilight decided to practice magic with Starlight and came up with a spell to teleport from Equestria to Canterlot High. In order to test it out, Twilight decided to summon her friends to her castle’s throne room and, after explaining the situation to her friends, tried to teleport the six ponies and one dragon to Canterlot High real quick before Sunset and her friends arrived at the school. Twilight cast her spell only for a strange mist to appear from Twilight’s horn which teleported the six ponies and one dragon away from the castle. Twilight woke up some time later lying down on a couch. One thing she noticed right away was that she had fingers and hands instead of hooves. However, unlike at Canterlot High, her skin was white instead of purple. Twilight looked around the room she was in, and eventually found her friends laying down on the floor on blankets, unconscious. They too had skin colors different than what they had in the human world. As for Spike, instead of being a dog, he was instead a person like she and the girls were. The room she was in looked like a lab, though what was studied here she couldn’t tell. “Spike? Girls?” Twilight called out, hoping to wake up her friends. Fortunately for her, Spike and the girls started to wake up. “Ugh… five more minutes,” Rainbow Dash moaned tiredly. Not long after, though, she did wake up and noticed a lot of the same things that Twilight did. “So we are people, but… wait. Twilight? Where are we? Is this Canterlot High?” “I’m afraid not. I don’t know where we are at,” Twilight said. “Well, wherever we are at it looks like we may be taken care of. Still, I wish that their blankets were more stylish,” Rarity noted. “At least, wherever we are, the creatures here are nice,” Fluttershy said. “Hold on, Fluttershy. How do we know we aren’t in any danger?” Spike warned, remaining cautious. “Come now, sugarcube. I understand that you’re worried, but I don’t think we are in any trouble. If whoever found us wanted to harm us they would have done so by now,” Applejack reasoned. “Applejack is right, Spike. I don’t think we are in any danger,” Twilight tried to calm down Spike. “Still, just where are we?” “I don’t know. But maybe we should think about welcoming these people in return for helping us. Maybe with a party?” Pinkie asked with a huge grin on her face. “Really, Pinkie Pie? No offense, but maybe we should figure out where we are and who these people are before we party with them,” Rainbow Dash reminded her friend. Just then, a strange old man in a white coat and with gray hair entered the room. “Well, it’s good to see that all of you are alright. We thought that something bad may have happened to you,” the old man said as he sighed in relief. “Well, as you can see, we’re doing fine. Thank you Mr. … whatever your name is,” Twilight greeted the man. “Oh. My name is Professor Samuel Oak. I am known as the Pokemon Professor and creator of the original Pokedex,” the old man introduced himself. “Um, excuse me, but what is a Pokemon?” Rarity asked Professor Oak. “Yeah, and what is a Pokedex?” Fluttershy asked, with a confused head tilt. “Are you sure you’re okay? Just about everyone knows what Pokemon are,” Oak was confused as to why the seven people didn’t know things that were common knowledge. “Well, you see Professor Oak, I believe that we come from a different dimension. So I’m afraid that we don’t have a gosh darn clue what Pokemon are or a Pokedex for that matter,” Applejack revealed the uncomfortable truth. Professor Oak just stood there with a shocked expression, unsure what to think of what the western girl just said. Eventually, however, he finally came up with a response, “So, you seven are not from here, are you?” “Not really, Professor Oak. I apologize for the bluntness of my friend here. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what happened to us myself. If it helps, we can leave and let you get back to your work,” Twilight apologized as she prepared to head for an exit. Suddenly, Professor Oak responded, “Oh, don’t worry about it too much. With all that has gone on in the Pokemon world, coming from a different dimension isn’t really anything that new. Not that it isn’t shocking, though,” Professor Oak tried to comfort Twilight. “Oh, speaking of which, what is a Pokemon, anyway? Is it a food? A toy? An animal?” Pinkie Pie asked rapid-fire. “Well, you see, Pokemon are a bunch of amazing creatures that inhabit our world. At times we play with Pokemon and at other times we work with them. The mass diversity of Pokemon means that we may never know how many truly inhabit our world. I study Pokemon and their relationships with humans at my lab here in Pallet Town,” Professor Oak explained. “Anyways, now that I’ve introduced myself and what Pokemon are, I would like to know what your names are.” “Oh, that’s easy. My name is Spike. And these are my friends Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy,” Spike introduced everyone to the Pokemon Professor. “Well, it is nice to meet you all,” Oak responded. “Nice to meet you too. Well, it’s been nice, but we’ve got to get going. Thanks again for your help, Professor Oak,” Twilight said as she once again started to head for an exit. “Wait! Don’t leave. I was thinking that I could always use some help with my research and that and you all need a place to stay,” Oak said. “What are you getting at?” Rainbow Dash asked, not quite getting what the professor was getting at, though she had an idea at least.. “Well, I was thinking that you could stay with me and help me with my research in exchange for a place to stay and for food and water. So, what do you say? Will you help me with my research?” Professor Oak asked the seven guests. “Sure thing, Mr. Oak! I think that we’ll all be happy to give you a hand, right girls?” Twilight asked her friends. “Of course I’ll help!” Spike agreed instantly. “Sure thing, Twilight! I’d be more than willing to lend a hoof-er-hand,” Pinkie Pie agreed. “Well, I think that I’d be willing to help the Professor with his work. After all, it would be great to meet all of these Pokemon creatures he mentioned,” Fluttershy gave her permission. “I’m not entirely certain about this arrangement, but I believe that it would be the best thing to do given our predicament,” Rarity reluctantly agreed. “Count me in. We may be able to find a way home in the meantime, right Twilight?” Applejack asked her friend. “Right,” Twilight agreed. “What about you, Rainbow Dash? Are you in?” “I don’t know. After all, I’m not exactly Professor Egghead, if you know what I mean. But, seeing as how I don’t want to abandon you all or anything like that, I guess I’ll help too,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Well, it looks like, one way or another, you all are willing to help me. Excellent! Now, before we get started, I believe you all should meet a part-time assistant of mine,” Professor Oak said. “Please, come this way.” At this, Professor Oak began to lead the seven to a room that contained countless red and white balls with a white center button on it. In the room, there was a young man around the age of eighteen crouching down, looking over the balls to make sure none were damaged. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my part-time assistant, Ash Ketchum.”
The Lone SnivyAsh sat there for a little bit before he responded, “So, they all are alright I see. That’s good. What were they doing anyway? Are they new Trainers or something?” “No, Ash, they aren't new Trainers. While I may have some starter Pokemon present at the lab, they are going to the new Trainers next week, including you,” Professor Oak explained. “Oh, right. So, what are they here for?” “They come from a distant place and are in need of help knowing about the world of Pokemon. So, I decided to have them, for the moment at least, help out around the lab,” Professor said. “Well, I guess that’s cool. As you heard before, my name is Ash. What are your names?” Ash asked the group. “Well, my name is Applejack, and these are my friends Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity,” Applejack introduced everyone to the young girl. “Nice to meet you all. I’ve been helping out at the lab for a year now and I’ve learned quite a bit about Pokemon in the meantime. I’ve been unable to go out on a journey for a while now. However, that is all about to change. By next week, I’ll be a Pokemon Trainer!” Ash was excited. “Um, what is a Pokemon Trainer?” Twilight asked the Professor. “Well, you see a Trainer is someone that goes out and catches, raises, and battles with Pokemon. Pokemon and Trainers love to battle, and together, both Pokemon and Trainer are able to work together to win against their opponents that they battle against,” Professor Oak answered. “Cool! So we can fight alongside these Pokemon?” Rainbow Dash was amazed. “Well, technically only the Pokemon do the fighting, but the Trainers give the commands for the Pokemon to follow,” Professor Oak corrected. “Oh. Well, it still sounds cool that these creatures can battle. So, where are these Pokemon at anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well, how about we go outside to check up on some of the Pokemon outside?” Oak asked the seven friends, to which they all agreed. When the Mane 6 and Spike got outside, they saw a variety of Pokemon littering the grounds. These included several Oddish, a purple plant with green leaves on top and two small feet, Bellsprout, a yellow bell-headed plant, and a Growlithe, a fire dog with red and black coloring. Everyone was taken aback by all these Pokemon and more and were amazed by what they saw, especially Twilight and Fluttershy. “Wow! These Pokemon are so cute!” Fluttershy gushed as she hugged two Oddish and a Bellsprout. “Is that a fire dog? You’re such a cute little guy. Yes you are,” she said as she ran over to the Growlithe to pet him, which he liked in spite of his confusion. Fluttershy then ran over to a Poliwag, a blue spherical tadpole with a swirl on his body, and offered to feed him a berry. Before Fluttershy could continue her gushing, Professor Oak interrupted, “Um, can you please calm down, my dear? You’re kind of disrupting them.” At this, Fluttershy blushed and awkwardly walked back to the group. “Sorry, Professor. I just got excited, that’s all.” “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I understand. It is pretty exciting to see all these new creatures,” Rarity understood where her friend was coming from. “While you are here, you will help me with my research and with raising all of the Pokemon, wild or not, that are in my care. For starters, it would be best for you to meet all of the different Pokemon outside. Understood?” Professor Oak hoped that the seven would understand and could grow from the experience. “That sounds pretty easy. Say, who’s that Pokemon?” Rainbow Dash asked as she saw a green snake with limbs sitting in the corner of the yard away from everyone else. She had a frown on her face and was shivering upon noticing that Rainbow was looking at her. “Oh, that is a Pokemon from the distant Unova region. She is called a Snivy. The Professor and I found her hiding in the forest a few weeks ago,” Ash said as he walked up next to the Professor. “Interesting. So, why does she look so scared?” Twilight asked sympathetically. “Well, we don’t really know why. We think that she may have been captured and mistreated by thieves or something along those lines,” Professor Oak explained. “We don’t know for certain. Whatever happened, she doesn’t really trust people at all. In fact, she’s been taking care of herself and won’t let anyone else come near her,” Ash added on. “That sounds so sad,” Twilight said as she shook her head. “I know. How could anyone do such a thing to such a cute face?” Pinkie Pie asked with a frown. “I don’t know, but if I ever meet the one responsible for her pain, well they better watch out!” Applejack was similarly angry. “So, should we try to befriend her? After all, we’ve succeeded in making friends with almost anyone in the past,” Fluttershy reminded everyone. “I don’t know. Maybe we should just leave her alone for the time being,” Rarity suggested. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, didn’t want to just sit around and do nothing and walked up to the grass snake while offering out her hand. “Hey there, take it easy little girl. We’re not going to hurt you. We just want to be your friend.” As Rainbow got closer, Snivy just backed up. “Look, I know that you’re scared by whatever negative experience you had with people in the past, but don’t worry. Not only can you grow past it, but you can grow better than people would expect of you.” Rainbow Dash got even closer to the grass snake. However, the grass snake, being scared and uncomfortable with Rainbow getting close to her, sent out a Vine Whip and hit her hand with it. “Ouch! What did you do that for?! I was trying to help you!” “Like we just said, Snivy doesn’t like people at all. In fact, she barely even gets along with other Pokemon,” Ash reminded Rainbow Dash. “Well, some way or another, I’ll find a way to change her tune,” Rainbow grumbled to herself. “Rarity made a valid point earlier, you know. Maybe we should just leave her be for the time being,” Twilight suggested. “Yeah. Your friend is right. For now, let’s just get your hand fixed up. It looks like it was hit hard by that Vine Whip attack,” Professor Oak suggested.
The Pokemon World's DilemmaFor the next few days, everyone worked hard to help take care of the Pokemon and also help Professor Oak with his research. Twilight helped the Professor with his research directly, growing to understand individual Pokemon habits and all eighteen of the Pokemon types. Fluttershy spent a lot of her time with the Pokemon outside, getting used to feeding them and helping solve conflicts between them. Everyone else followed the orders given to them by Professor Oak and Ash. Everyone grew to love the various Pokemon that they found in and out of the lab. In fact, many of them wanted to go out and see the world some more. However, they realized that they needed to find a way home and didn’t know if leaving the lab would keep them from going home. As the week went on, everyone started to make friends with Pokemon that were at the lab. For instance, Rarity ran into a Slowpoke that made a nearby pond its home. At first, she didn’t think much of the Dopey Pokemon. However, the Pokemon quickly took an interest in her and her written down fashion designs. As time went on, she warmed up to the Slowpoke and they became friends, with the Slowpoke giving her inspiration for new designs. Another friend that was made was Applejack growing friendly with a Growlithe. He was very energetic and helpful, helping her with the chores she had to do around the lab. Thanks to this as well as the fact that he reminded her of Winona, Applejack and Growlithe became friends. Pinkie Pie found a Poliwag around the same pond that Rarity found Slowpoke. The Poliwag, like Pinkie Pie, loved to joke around and make others happy. As a result, they were quick to bond and become an effective team. Twilight found a second Bulbasaur that was staying at the lab, becoming fascinated with the Grass starter and how Professor Oak said that it would evolve. For some time, Bulbasaur was more interested in playing with her friends and resting to give much thought to Twilight. Twilight felt sad that the Pokemon that she was taking an interest in didn’t want anything to do with her. However, Twilight’s friends soon found out about her problem and were quick to cheer her up. Twilight then talked to Bulbasaur, ultimately convincing her to give Twilight a chance. Twilight was happy to see that the Seed Pokemon was finally taking an interest in her. Fluttershy took an interest in pretty much every Pokemon that was present at the lab and most of the Pokemon there shared this sentiment. Rainbow Dash, however, while doing all the work needed to take care of the lab’s Pokemon, didn’t make very many friends at first in spite of her interest in Pokemon. Things did change, however, during the last day before Ash’s journey was to start. Fluttershy was feeding all of the Pokemon out in the area outside of the Professor’s lab. It was then that she noticed two Pokemon that were fighting; a Squirtle and a Pikachu. The Squirtle was shooting out powerful Water Guns while the Pikachu was dashing away from the water and hitting Squirtle with Thundershock. Fluttershy didn’t like how the two were fighting and went up to them to stop the attacks. “Um, excuse me, but you really should stop fighting. You could end up hurting innocent Pokemon, which would be a very bad thing to do,” Fluttershy warned. However, the two just kept on fighting, her pleas falling on deaf ears. Fluttershy tried to pull them apart, but they both just continued their fight. Fluttershy didn’t have much time to be disappointed though, as Ash walked over to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, what’s going on? Do you need any help?” Ash asked Fluttershy. “Well, you see there are two Pokemon that are busy fighting with each other and I can’t get them to stop. Do you think you can help?” Fluttershy asked the more experienced assistant. Upon seeing the two Pokemon that were fighting, Ash started to understand. “Oh, them. Squirtle loves to battle and can get carried away. As for Pikachu, he has what Professor Oak calls an electrifying personality. We can’t get him to do what we want without bribing him with ketchup half the time. He either electrocutes us or ignores us. In fact, it’s a miracle if we can get him into his Pokeball at all.” “Well, maybe there is still one way to get the two of them to stop fighting. How about I try asking them to stop again?” Fluttershy suggested. “I don’t know if that will work, Fluttershy. However, I guess we don’t have many other options to stop them. Go ahead and try,” Ash allowed the less experienced assistant to act. “Excuse me! I told you that fighting was going to hurt the other Pokemon! Now I want you to stop fighting and walk away peacefully! Do you understand me?” Fluttershy demanded. Immediately, the two Pokemon looked sheepish. Pikachu ran off while Squirtle walked up to Fluttershy and proceeded to hug her leg. “Aw, that’s okay. Just be more careful next time.” At this, the Squirtle walked away, leaving Ash and Fluttershy to talk. “Good job. We usually can’t get that Pikachu to do anything. I’m not sure how I’m gonna get him to listen to me tomorrow,” Ash said as she shook her head. “Wait, are you saying that you’re gonna go on a journey with Pikachu? I thought that you were gonna go with one of the other three starters,” Fluttershy said, confused. “I was at first, but I figured that Pikachu could do better and hopefully be less hostile if he had a Trainer. So, I’m gonna start my journey to be the best with Pikachu! Besides, Professor Oak suggested it to me and I couldn't say no,” Ash explained joyfully. “Well, good luck Ash!” Fluttershy wished the boy luck. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was watching the conversation unfold from behind a tree. She was taking a break in order to nap only to be woken up by Squirtle and Pikachu fighting. After the conversation ended and Ash and Fluttershy left, Rainbow said to herself, “Man, I just wish that we could get Snivy to open up more. Then she may stop being so fearful and bitter towards po-er-people.” Rainbow thought for a moment before coming to the realization, “Maybe Snivy could do better with a Trainer. That way she could see that not all humans are bad.” After this, Rainbow looked around the lab grounds in order to look for Snivy. At first, Rainbow Dash had no luck finding the grass snake. Still, she decided not to give up and continued looking. After an hour of searching, however, she finally found Snivy sitting by a pond drinking water. Rainbow was about to run up to the grass snake before realizing that would be a bad idea. So, she decided to sneak up to Snivy and sit next to her quietly. Snivy was quick to realize that Rainbow was right next to her. She was nervous and uncertain as to whether or not to run or not. After a tense moment of silence, Rainbow finally spoke. “You know, being here for the past week has taught me quite a bit about Pokemon. I learned that they can be powerful battlers, that they each have differing personalities even among the same species, and even that they react differently towards people. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. Not all people are going to hurt you. Whoever hurt you are just the minority. You’re a great Pokemon that is bound to make any Trainer happy. I know you’d make me a happy Trainer.” At this, the Snivy looked up, surprised to hear this from the brash girl. “Maybe we can start off as friends though. What do you say?” Rainbow held out her hand ready to shake Snivy’s arm or vine, whichever she decided to use. Snivy was uncertain as to what to do at first, seeing as how she didn’t know whether or not to trust the brash girl. However, after a minute of thinking, she was about to shake Rainbow’s hand only to be interrupted by two people laughing. Both of them were dressed in black outfits with red Rs on their shirts. “So, it looks like that Professor’s lab really is home to some rare Pokemon!” The female grunt said. “Yes, and soon they will belong to us!” The male grunt laughed. “Hey, who do you think you are, anyway?” Rainbow demanded from the two strange people. “Our names are of no importance. However, do know that we are from Team Rocket, and our goal is to make all Pokemon ours both for profit and for world domination!” The female grunt explained as she threw out a Pokeball, which opened and released a Raticate to battle. “Well, in that case you’re not going to steal any Pokemon today!” Rainbow yelled, blocking the two grunts from grabbing Snivy. “My my, aren't we brave, and foolish. You really believe you can stop us? Well then, I think it’s time we see how much of a fight you can put up,” the male grunt said as he threw out a Pokeball, containing a Tangela, a creature made up of blue vine-like appendages. “Now, Tangela, use Vine Whip on that foolish girl!” In an instant, Rainbow Dash was being bound and hurt by the Tangela’s Vine Whip. In spite of her pain, she didn’t give up. “Snivy! Quick, run while you can!” Rainbow called out to the shocked grass snake. “Had enough yet, kid?” The girl grunt questioned. “No! I won’t stand down!” Rainbow yelled. “Well then, I think we should see about that. Raticate, use Bite!” At this, the Raticate bit on Rainbow’s hand, causing her a lot of pain. Snivy looked at both the grunt’s Pokemon and at the injured Rainbow Dash. Looking at Rainbow Dash in pain caused Snivy to feel a lot of different feelings; concerned, scared, worried, but most of all anger. She realized that she couldn’t let the girl who was trying to save her down. She wanted to find a way to ease her pain, even if that meant getting involved in a battle. So, Snivy used Vine Whip to knock down Raticate, knocking him out in one blow. “Hey, what is that stupid snake doing?” The female grunt demanded to know. “Snivy is not stupid! In fact, Twilight says she is very smart!” Rainbow yelled. “Well, we’ll see how long you have fight left in you. Tangela, continue using Vine Whip!” The male grunt called out sadistically. Rainbow screamed out in pain from being squeezed, but still refused to stand down. Suddenly, Snivy also used Tackle to run right into Tangela, knocking him out in one blow as well and freeing Rainbow Dash as well. “So, you wanna fight us or do you just wanna go?” Rainbow challenged the grunts. The two grunts retreated, wanting to avoid fighting the strong Snivy. “Alright! You did it, Snivy! You were great!” Rainbow held out her non-injured hand and Snivy shook it without any nervousness. “So, I take it that we’re friends now?” At this, Snivy nodded, smiling for the first time in quite some time. Alright, let’s get going back to the lab. I’m sure Professor Oak will be wondering where we went.” Later that night, the Mane 6 and Spike were ready to head to bed before seeing Ash and the other Trainers off on their journeys tomorrow. “So, how is everyone feeling?” Twilight asked her friends. “I’m feeling great, Twilight! Being around all these Pokemon has been one of the greatest experiences I’ve had in a while. It’s just like being around my animal friends!” Fluttershy revealed her happiness. “I concur. These creatures, even some of the more uncouth ones have proven to be incredible! Still, I wish we had a way to head on home,” Rarity said. “You said it! I love all these new faces to make happy, but I miss the Cakes and I have to wonder if Ponyville is doing fine without me being around,” Pinkie Pie said, surprisingly seriously. “Wow, Pinkie. I didn’t know you felt that way,” Twilight was surprised. “Well, I do. So, do you think we should throw a party for Ash and the other new Trainers tomorrow?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “I’m not sure, sugarcube. I’m thinkin’ we should try and find a way to return home. After all, I need to help run Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack said. “Well, Twilight has been trying for some time to use her magic, but just like in Canterlot High her magic is unavailable. We may be stuck here for some time,” Spike revealed. “What about you, Rainbow Dash? What do you think?” Twilight asked her friend. Upon turning to her, she saw that Rainbow was already asleep along with Snivy, who was sleeping on her chest. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight woke up the sleeping girl. “What? What happened?” Rainbow asked, confused for a moment before seeing an irate Twilight. “Sorry. I dozed off. So, what do you want?” “What do you think about this place and our predicament?” Twilight asked. “I’m actually interested in seeing this world and exploring a bit. Who knows? Maybe on our journey we may find someone or some-Pokemon that can help us find our way home,” Rainbow suggested. “That sounds interesting, but I don’t know how well that will work,” Rarity said. “Rarity’s right, Rainbow Dash. As much as I want to go on a journey with Pokemon, we still need to find a way home,” Twilight said. “Yeah. I just wish I had a Pokemon,” Spike said. “Anyway, we should probably head to bed now. We can talk more tomorrow.” At this, the Mane 6 and Spike said goodnight and drifted off to sleep. When the Mane 6 and Spike opened their eyes, they found themselves in a strange space-like place. “Whoa! What is this place, Twilight?” Spike asked the intelligent girl. “I don’t know Spike,” Twilight answered uncertainly. “Do you think we can float in this place?” Pinkie Pie asked as she jumped into the air only to come falling back down onto the floor of this place. “Note to self: Can’t fly in space-place.” “So, does anyone else think that maybe we can get home from here?” Rarity asked. “I don’t think so,” Applejack answered. “I honestly don’t even know how we got here.” “Darn. Well, at least I can make some fashion based off of this place,” Rarity said. “Does anyone else think that this may be due to a Pokemon?” Fluttershy asked the others. “Maybe. Why do you ask, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked the timid girl. “B-because I see two Pokemon approaching us right now!” Fluttershy nervously revealed. Fluttershy was right. Two Pokemon, a pink cat-like Pokemon and a black creature with a red and white head, flew up to the seven. “Hello there you seven! My name is Mew, and I am here to deliver a message from Arceus, thanks to Darkrai here giving me a hand,” Mew explained. “Um, Greetings there you ponies turned human. You’re probably wondering why you are all here,” Darkrai said. “Who are you two? Are you Pokemon?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Mew is believed to be the ancestor of all Pokemon and Darkrai is the bringer of bad dreams and can impact the dreams of others. That must be how they are here,” Twilight said. “Well, you see we have brought you to the Pokemon world for an important reason,” Mew said. “Wait, did you have something to do with why we are in the Pokemon world?” Rainbow Dash asked angrily. “Yeah! While this place is nice, I really would like to get home! Someone needs to watch over my two boutiques. And poor Sweetie Bell probably is missing me too!” Rarity overdramatically cried out. “Well, to answer your question, the two of us didn’t transport you to this dimension. That was the work of Arceus. He wants you to help save this dimension from a series of predicted threats,” Darkrai answered. “Hold on there, Darkrai! While we understand you all need help, you still took us from our home without even asking us first!” Applejack was upset. “Now hold on, girls. Maybe we should listen to what they have to say first. I may not be happy to be separated from Angel and the others, but I still believe we should give them a chance,” Fluttershy tried to be fair. “What do you think we should do, Twilight?” Spike asked his older sister figure. After a moment of thinking everything over, Twilight decided, “We should at least hear them out before we judge them.” “Thank you, Twilight. We don’t entirely know what all these threats are, but they could be of cataclysmic proportions. In fact, at least one of them could destroy far more than this world. If we don’t stop all these threats, your world too could be destroyed! Hey look! The moon is bright tonight!” Mew said, being briefly distracted after giving their warning. “Sorry, but we cannot take any chances on this. We need you all to go on a Pokemon journey and help save this world and possibly more from these threats. Fortunately for you, time will not flow at all in your world while you are here. When you return, it will be like you never even left. So, what do you say? Will you please help us?” The former ponies and dragon looked at each other and took some time to talk it over. While most of them did want their world to remain safe and to go on a Pokemon journey, they also didn’t want to remain away from home for a long period of time. However, with these Pokemon holding the way home in front of them it seemed that they had no choice. “Okay, we’re in. Just make sure that we return home once we are done, okay?” Twilight finally responded. “Sure we can. You can probably find yourselves some starter Pokemon at Professor Oak’s lab. Well, goodbye!” Mew then left, flying around in loops as they left the area, with Darkrai following after. In an instant, the Mane 7 woke up, realizing that what happened wasn’t a dream when they heard that they all had the same dream. It looked like they had to talk to Professor Oak and get started on their journey. After all, they were to be on a very long journey. Author's Note Thanks for reading so far. To note, while Ash is smarter in this story due to having spent time with Professor Oak, at least when it comes to Pokemon and nature, she is still the same Ash in other areas such as earlier overconfidence, brashness, and love of Pokemon.
Pokemon I Choose You!“So, you see, we need to head out on a journey if we are to find our way home. I hope you understand why we have to leave,” Twilight finished explaining things to Professor Oak. “So wait. You're telling me that you all saw the mythical Mew and that they told you to go on a journey in exchange for going home?” Professor Oak asked for clarity. “Isn’t that what Twilight just finished saying?” Spike asked the Professor. “Well, this sounds very incredible. If it really will help you, of course you all can go on a journey. As for the Pokemon, there are some Pokemon staying at the lab. Maybe you can find some that want to go with you,” Professor Oak offered. “Sounds like a plan! Snivy, do you want to come with me?” Rainbow Dash asked the grass snake she was holding, who proceeded to nod. “Great! We’re going to be partners!” Rainbow proceeded to hug Snivy. “What about the rest of you?” In response, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity went outside to look for Growlithe, Poliwag, and Slowpoke. As for Twilight and Fluttershy, they stayed inside. “Um, excuse me, but I don't know if there are any Pokemon for me. I got along with a lot of them, but none particularly stood out,” Fluttershy said. “Yeah. What should I do for a Pokemon?” Spike asked. “I was just wondering the same thing, myself,” Twilight said. “I did become friends with a Bulbasaur, but I don’t know if it would be right to take her with me when you have new Trainers coming to get their Starter Pokemon.” “I know the Bulbasaur you are talking about. I pulled some strings and I was able to get a second Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. So, if they want to go with you guys, you can have them join you,” Professor Oak explained. “But, before you go, can you please help me with a few Pokemon real quick?” “Why, of course! We’d be glad to help you,” Fluttershy agreed. “Well, you see, it has to do with these three Pokemon here,” Oak said as he recalled three Pokemon; a blue penguin named Piplup, a green turtle named Turtwig, and a chimp named Chimchar. “You see, one of the residents of Pallet Town used to be from the Sinnoh region, and I decided to surprise them and give them the choice to select a Sinnoh starter. I need you guys to watch over them while I go out and find the Kanto starters for you all. Good luck!” “So, do you think they like it here?” Rainbow Dash asked, not knowing what to say. “Well, I’m pretty sure that if they were bothered they would say something,” Fluttershy retorted. “Hate to break it to ya, Fluttershy, but Pokemon can’t speak like we do,” Rainbow Dash bluntly said. “Well, actually, I can understand what Pokemon say, just like I can understand animals,” Fluttershy corrected. The Turtwig proceeded to speak. “Oh, Turtwig says that he is hungry. It may be best that we get Pokemon food ready for them.” “Well then, let’s get them some food,” Twilight said. And so the group of four fed the three starter Pokemon. At first, there were no problems and the Pokemon looked very happy to get the food. However, eventually, the Chimchar finished his food and then proceeded to steal food from Piplup, much to Piplup’s anger. The two got into a fight and eventually fled the lab. Just before the group could think about what to do, Professor Oak returned with the three Kanto starters as well as a woman of eighteen years with blue hair. “We’re terribly sorry, sir, but the Chimchar and Piplup got into a fight while you were gone and I’m afraid they got out of the lab,” Twilight apologized. “Well then, looks like we’ll have to go out and search for them then,” Professor Oak responded. “Sir, if you don’t mind, can I please go with you? This has to do with my possible starter Pokemon after all,” The woman reasoned. “Well, alright. But we’ll have to move quickly. Otherwise, we may lose them,” Professor Oak agreed to let the girl go with them. Everyone went out to look for the starters and, after a bit of searching, were able to find both Chimchar and Piplup. Apparently, the woman, whose name was Dawn, had found the Piplup only for it to be captured by the bug-type Ariados. After some fighting, the two escaped the many Ariados and returned to the lab while Ash, who had just arrived at the lab to pick up Pikachu, had found Chimchar and brought him back to the lab. Upon returning, Dawn decided to pick Piplup as her starter while Ash picked up Pikachu under Professor Oak’s suggestion. Predictably, Pikachu didn’t want anything to do with Ash and was zapped by the electric-type. Meanwhile, The Mane 6 and Spike had gathered together and had their Pokemon ready to go on a journey. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had convinced their three Pokemon to pair up with them on a journey. As for Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike, they each paired up with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander respectively. Just as the Mane 7, Ash, and Dawn were about to leave, the other three new Trainers had arrived in order to get their starter Pokemon. The first to arrive was a woman named Leaf, who went with Bulbasaur. The second to arrive was a man named Damian, who went with Charmander. While Leaf appeared to be strange, she didn’t seem to be too bad towards Bulbasaur. However, Damian appeared to only pick Charmander because he considered him to be the strongest. After a while, the final of the new Trainers arrived, going with Squirtle seeing as how it was the only starter left. “Make way, everyone! The best Trainer in all of Kanto coming through!” The Trainer, whose name was Gary Oak, announced to the crowd outside of the lab. “Hey! Isn’t it a bit much to assume you’re the best? How do you know it may not be me or someone else?” Rainbow Dash demanded. “Well, aren’t you a card? You see, with a legacy like my grandfather’s it only makes sense that I’m going to be the best, if not now then soon enough,” Gary responded mockingly. Rainbow Dash just sat there growling until Gary noticed Ash. “Oh, if it isn’t Ashey boy. Long time no see. So, I’m guessing that you’re going on a Pokemon journey,” Gary guessed. “Well, yeah.. I have a starter Pokemon and everything. Of course I’m gonna go on a journey,” Ash said, not getting at what Gary was saying. “Well, I was just thinking you were gonna give up and returning home to your mommy considering that you can barely manage to take care of yourself,” Gary mocked. “Grr, Gary!” Ash yelled angrily. “Well, I’ve wasted enough time here with my admiring fans. Everyone, I’m gonna leave for my journey now! When I get back, I’m gonna be a master!” Gary yelled out as he got into a car of admiring cheerleaders and drove off with Squirtle. “I can’t believe that Gary! I can take care of myself and my Pokemon! It may not be easy to deal with Pikachu, but I’ll find a way,” Ash muttered to himself. “So, I take it that you and that boy are not on the best of terms?” Applejack asked. “No. We’re not. We’ve been rivals for the longest time. I’ve tried to be nice to him, but he still has an ego larger than the sun,” Ash answered as he shook his head. “So, what do you plan to do as a trainer?” Dawn asked Ash. “I plan on becoming a Pokemon Master. I plan on starting by collecting eight gym badges and entering the Indigo Plateau Conference in order to prove myself as a great trainer,” Ash answered. “Sounds cool! I, meanwhile, plan on becoming a Pokemon Coordinator and entering the Grande Festival,” Dawn explained. “Oh, I heard about that! You show off the beauty and strength of your Pokemon and win a ribbon for doing so. Five ribbons and you’re in!” Rarity revealed. “That’s right, Rarity. However, there are two different types of rounds,” Twilight began only for Dawn to interrupt. “Yeah! There is the appeal round where you show off your Pokemon and what makes them great while the following rounds are battles where you face off against an opposing Pokemon and make the show your own,” Dawn finished. “So, anyway, what are you all planning to do on your journeys?” “Well…,” Twilight began only for Pinkie Pie to interrupt. “We’re going to go out and help save the world! In the meantime, Rainbow Dash wants to aim for the Indigo Plateau as well while Rarity wants to try Contests and Twilight wants to also take part in the Indigo Plateau!” Pinkie Pie answered. “I’ll just have fun with my Pokemon and cheer on my friends.” “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. For now, I just want to find as many Pokemon friends as I can,” Fluttershy answered. “I never really thought about what I’d do, to be honest,” Applejack bluntly said. “Well, that sounds cool! I wish you luck on your journeys!” Dawn said just as she was walking away. However, she stopped suddenly and asked, “Hey, maybe we can go on our journeys together? It would be fun to go on a journey with other people rather than go it alone.” “You know what? That sounds like a good idea! Besides, the more the merrier! What do you all think?” Twilight asked Spike and the Mane 5, who all nodded in agreement. “What about me? Can I come too?” Ash asked everyone. “Of course you can come!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Is everybody ready?” Applejack asked to be sure. “I think so! We’ve got food, Pokeballs, tents, a map, and other important things from when I last checked,” Spike answered, having helped Twilight pack their bags earlier that day. “Well then, let’s get this show on the road!” Pinkie Pie yelled out. “Ash? Are you sure that there isn’t a train or something we can take to the next town?” Rarity asked. “Last I checked, no. We have to go on foot,” Ash answered as he was pulling Pikachu by a rope while wearing rubber gloves since he refused to walk with him and his friends. “Hey, don’t worry, Rarity. At least this way we get to meet new Pokemon,” Fluttershy consoled. “Yeah, I guess. At least when we head to sleep later I’ll be able to nod off in my tent rather than on the cold ground,” Rarity was relieved. “Personally, I hope to reach the next town before night falls,” Dawn said. “Well, we don’t know if we will get there on time or not. In my experience, nature is a lot more interesting than you give it credit for,” Applejack put in her two cents. “I agree with Applejack. I just wish Pikachu would move with us willingly,” Ash said. “Maybe I should give Pikachu the chance to get used to me and not feel forced to come with me.” As Ash said this, he removed his rubber gloves and untied Pikachu. “So, feel any better Pikachu?” Pikachu merely looked away from Ash. “Aw, come on! We just want to be your friend. Why can’t you just be nicer to us?” “You know, if Pikachu isn’t really working with you, you can always just return him to his Pokeball,” Dawn suggested. “I’m afraid Pikachu doesn’t like being in his Pokeball. I’ve come to accept it as some Pokemon are just like that,” Ash responded. “Should we take a break for lunch or…,” Twilight suggested. “I guess we can break for lunch. What do you all think?” Spike asked the others. After a moment of consideration, everyone took a break in order to eat and take a break from walking. While everyone was eating, they took some time to talk about where they were going to go next. “So, where is the closest gym located at, anyway? The Kanto region is so big that I don’t know where to start,” Rainbow Dash asked, half-joking. “From what I’ve heard from Professor Oak, the nearest gym that is active is in Pewter City, which is past Viridian City and the Viridian Forest. There is supposed to be a gym in Viridian City, but it’s closed,” Ash answered for Rainbow Dash. “Sounds cool! Maybe we’ll catch some more Pokemon on the way there. I love Snivy and all, but I really want to find some more fighting buddies to train with,” Rainbow Dash said as Snivy gave a nod in agreement. “Just don’t train too much. Wouldn’t want you gettin’ hurt because you got too overeager,” Applejack reminded. “Aw man! I should have made a good luck cake for all of us before we left Professor Oak’s lab!” Pinkie Pie was disappointed. “To be fair, that’s likely for the best seeing as how your bags don’t have room for cake in them,” Dawn commented. “What about the next Pokemon Contest? Where do you think it is going to be at?” Rarity asked Twilight and Dawn. “Well, the nearest Contest is going to be in Cerulean City in a few weeks,” Twilight answered. “I’m already looking forward to it! Soon, I’m going to begin my journey to being a Top Coordinator! Oh, and you too Rarity!” Dawn cheered. “So, where do you think the Pokemon are at? I haven’t seen very many of them since we first started down this road,” Fluttershy asked, confused and disappointed by the lack of Pokemon. “Well, we may or may not see any depending on the path we take,” Ash pointed out. “Still, I wish we ran into at least one Pokemon.” Before Ash could say anything more, a purple and tan monkey with a hand on her tail swung from a tree and swiped one of the rice balls the group had out and ate it. “What? An Aipom! Here? Now?” Ash was shocked as he got up to see the monkey swing again, this time grabbing his hat. “An Aipom, huh? I wonder what the Pokedex has to say about you,” Twilight said as she got our her Pokedex and scanned the Long Tail Pokemon. “Aipom. The Long Tail Pokemon. Aipom are known for living in the trees and can use their tails, which are incredibly strong, in order to climb and hang from branches.” “Hey! Get back here with my hat, Aipom!” Ash yelled as he ran after the monkey-like Pokemon. After some running and entering a clearing, the Long Tail Pokemon stopped and threw that hat down at Ash while poking fun at him. “Well, we’ll see how gets the last laugh! Pikachu, you game?” Ash asked only to realize that Pikachu didn’t follow him nor would he have listened even if he did. “Oops. I’ll just leave you here. Thanks for my hat back.” As Ash left, Aipom jumped up and down excitedly on the tree branch she was on before going after him. By the time Ash got back, everyone else had finished eating and were ready to continue their trek to Viridian City. “So, how did it go?” Pinkie Pie asked Ash when he returned. “Well, I got into a clearing before realizing that Pikachu wasn’t with me or that I had any means of fighting the Pokemon so I just let her go,” Ash answered. “Oh. Well, hopefully our next encounter with a Pokemon goes better,” Rainbow Dash said. “In fact, I think I see one right now.” Rainbow said as she saw a shadow enveloped bird Pokemon nearby. “Alright! Snivy, use Vine Whip on that bird!” Snivy complied with Rainbow’s command, whipping the Pokemon. However, instead of going down, the bird, which was called a Spearow, emerged from the grass furious with Snivy and Rainbow. It didn’t help that Ash’s Pikachu began to laugh at the pair’s misfortune, which made Spearow even more angry. In fact, Spearow landed a super-effective Peck attack on Snivy, which hurt her quite a bit. Pikachu combatted the Spearow when it tried to Peck him with his Thundershock. At this, Spearow fell to the ground and then ran off. “See? We’re able to take on anything that gets in our way!” Rainbow boasted. “Really? From where I’m standing it looks like Pikachu did all the hard work,” Dawn pointed out. Rainbow was quick to fall over comically. “Well, we’ll catch the next Pokemon that we come across.” “Maybe not the next Pokemon we come across,” Dawn nervously said. “Really? Why not? I think we can capture any Pokemon that’s willing to come with us,” Fluttershy asked. “B-Because of that!” Dawn pointed at a huge swarm of Spearow and a Fearow that was called by the Spearow from earlier. “Pikachu, use Thundershock!” Ash cried out as Pikachu, sensing the danger, complied and shocked the Spearow swarm. However, there was too many Spearow for the Thundershock to stop the swarm in its entirety. The others, aside from Twilight and her Bulbasaur and Rainbow and her Snivy, sent out their starter Pokemon and tried to fight off the Spearow swarm. The group did a decent job at fighting them off, lowering the swarm from what seemed like hundreds down to only a couple dozen. However, by this point, all the Pokemon were exhausted. Rather than take their risk with the swarm, the group ran away so that they could save themselves and their Pokemon from harm. The swarm, however, wasn’t done with the group and decided to fly after the group, attacking all the while. The group and their Pokemon proceeded to dodge the pecks as best as they could, and while they did a good job for the most part, they still got hurt, especially Ash’s Pikachu who Ash needed to pick up and run with. Eventually, the group reached a cliff where there was a raging river in the area beneath them. “Oh no! What should we do?! We’re cornered!” Dawn cried out, worried. “Well, there may be one way out of this. We’ll need to jump into the water and hope it takes us to safety,” Ash suggested. “No offense, Ash, but that sounds like a risky idea,” Applejack said. “I agree. Whos to say we won’t get injured or lose our supplies when we jump into the raging river,” Rarity agreed. “Besides, we’re not wearing our swimwear and I’d rather not get my hair or clothes wet,” Dawn pointed out. “I’d say that we take the risk that Ash is suggesting. After all, do we want to be pecked to death by these Spearow and the Fearow?” Rainbow Dash agreed with Ash’s plan. After a moment of thinking, the group reluctantly agreed with Ash’s plan and decided to jump into the water, just barely avoiding the swarm. Meanwhile, an eighteen year old red-head named Misty wearing a blue swimsuit was under the water later on down the river. She was searching for Water-type Pokemon that she could add to her party. You see, Misty’s dream is to one day be the greatest Water-type Trainer and Gym Leader in the world. To meet that goal, Misty is in need of capturing as many different Water-types as she could. Finding no luck in finding any unique Water-types, Misty got out of the water next to her bag and bike and was ready to change back into her normal clothes. However, before she could do so, she saw a bunch of people and Pokemon trying their best to stay above the water, some doing better than others. Seeing Pikachu having fallen unconscious, Misty jumped back into the water and brought out the Mouse Pokemon. “Oh my! Are you okay, Pikachu?” Misty asked the poor Pokemon in concern. “I don’t know about Pikachu, but I think the rest of us are doing okay,” Ash responded to the red-haired woman. “I don’t know what happened to you all earlier, but I can’t believe what bad shape your Pokemon appear to be in!” Misty scolded. “We’re sorry. We’re new trainers that got into trouble with some Spearow and a Fearow miss…” Fluttershy began to apologize. “Misty. Misty Waterflower. I have to say though that you could do a better job at being trainers if you got into trouble so easily,” Misty bluntly said. “Hey! That was very rude of you to say!” Dawn yelled back. “Yeah! We were just trying to find our way to Viridian City when we ran into trouble! You can’t fault us for being new!” Rainbow yelled as well. “I’m sorry about that. You see, I can be a bit easily angered. I wasn’t trying to be mean,” Misty apologized. “Hey, do you want me to make you a baked treat in order to commemorate our meeting?” Pinkie Pie offered. “I guess maybe later?” Misty awkwardly accepted. “So, Misty, can you tell us how to get to Viridian City so that we can get out of your hair?” Twilight asked. “Sure. Just head down this path and you’ll be there within an hour,” Misty answered. “Oh, thank goodness! I’ll be able to rejoin civilization before nightfall,” Dawn sighed in relief. “And we’ll be able to change into a warm pair of pajamas,” Rarity agrees with Dawn. Suddenly, the group heard the cries of the Spearow and Fearow as they had finally found and caught up with them. “Oh no! This is bad! We need to get away from them. Excuse me, Misty, but can I borrow your bike?” Ash asked the red-head. However, before she could give a response, Ash put Pikachu in the basket, got onto the bike, and rushed off to try and avoid the bird Pokemon. “Hey! Get back here with my bike!” Misty demanded as she put on her normal clothes over her swimsuit and ran after Ash. “Well, looks like Ash got himself into some trouble. We should catch up to make sure that Misty doesn’t hurt him,” Dawn decided as the others agreed and the group ran after them. ”Just hang on now, Pikachu, we're almost there,” Ash said as he raced down the path in the rain to try to get Pikachu to safety and escape the swarm. However, eventually the swarm caught up to them and the bike was knocked over, sending them both to the ground. “Pikachu! Pikachu... this can't happen,” Ash was worried as he placed Pikachu’s Pokeball next to him. “Pikachu, get inside. I know you're afraid of going in there, but if you're inside, maybe I can save you. Please, Pikachu, please listen to me and go inside. After that, then -- After that, just trust me!” Ash got up and walked towards the Spearow and Fearow, planning to defend Pikachu, even if it meant sacrificing himself. “Spearows, do you know who I am? I'm Ash, from the Town of Pallet. I'm destined to be the world's number one Pokémon Master. I can't be defeated by the likes of you. I'm going to capture and defeat you all! Do you hear me?” Ash yelled to the Pokemon. “Pikachu, go inside the Pokéball, it's the only way! Come and get me!” Suddenly, Pikachu got up and ran toward Ash and jumped off his shoulder. Pikachu mustered as much power as he could in order to create a powerful Thundershock. The attack managed to hit the Pokemon, causing them all to flee, except for the Fearow. However, a quick Focus Punch from the Aipom from earlier was enough to send the Fearow packing as well. Aipom approached Pikachu and Ash, who were both lying on the ground exhausted. “Well, we beat 'em.” As a way of showing that Pikachu is no longer against Ash, he proceeded to lick Ash’s face gently. “Oh, and I guess that Aipom also helped us out. Say, do you want to come with us, Aipom?” At this, Aipom nodded as Ash got out a Pokeball and threw it at Aipom, with the purple monkey being sealed in moments later. “Alright! We’ve got an Aipom!” Ash cheered as Pikachu and Ash made a “V” shape with their hands. Before they could celebrate having a new Pokemon much more, the duo noticed a mysterious rainbow and golden colored Pokemon flying through the sky. “What's that? Is that a… Ho-Oh?” Ash wondered as the Pokemon disappeared, leaving Ash to pick up Pikachu and race off to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City once more. Author's Note Sorry it took so long to post another chapter. I'm starting to get back into Pokemon, though, so I should be trying to post more chapters soon. Enjoy the chapter, though. If you have any suggestions please let me know.