Author's Note

It was around this point when writing this that I remembered the Together Trees existed.

Chapter 22: Rebirth of the Forest

Things had been going swimmingly for the Bay Squad. Sunny had convinced Sprout and Phyllis to repurpose their old CanterLogic tech into traps for dangerous Pokémon, but they hadn't needed to use them yet. There had been no serious incidents in Maretime Bay today, just a few hungry Pokémon who Hitch easily relocated. Unfortunately, nopony in town knew how to cast the translation spell yet, so they had to rely on Hitch and Arven for now.

Which was why Sunny had ventured into the forest on the outskirts of town. She knocked on the door to Mariama and Skye's bungalow.

"Come in!" she heard Mariama shout. Sunny opened the door and stepped into an open-plan living room with pale pink walls and a round table in the middle. Her nostrils squeezed shut in response to a strange, burning smell coming from the kitchen.

Mariama, noticing her reaction, said, "Don't worry about the smell. Skye's practicing potions."

"Oh! That's what I came here to ask you about," said Sunny. "Have you finished the translation potion yet?"

"Well, not quite." Mariama gestured to her cabinet full of glass bottles. Some of them were half-full of greenish potions, labelled 'TRANSLATION'. "We haven't quite perfected the recipe."

"Finished, mama!" exclaimed Skye from the kitchen. Mariama trotted towards her, Sunny following close behind. On the stove was a large, silver saucepan full of a greenish liquid that smelled like eggs and spinach.

"Chirper!" exclaimed Skye. A small, round bird with a blue back, yellow belly, and black face flew across the kitchen and landed on her head.

"Wow! Is that a Pokémon?" asked Sunny.

"We think so," said Mariama. "Skye found her injured outside a few days ago and took her in. She's better now, but she doesn't want to leave. We've been testing the translation potions on her, but unfortunately..."

"Rookidee! Rookidee!" Chirper screeched.

"...Our latest attempt made her repeat the same word over and over," said Mariama.

"Don't worry," said Sunny with a smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

"Can we try this one, mama?" asked Skye. "Please?"

"Be patient," said Mariama. She went back to the living room to get a bottle.

By the time she got back, however, Chirper was already perched on the edge of the saucepan. She leaned downwards to take a tiny sip... but lost her balance and fell into the potion instead. With a gasp, Skye quickly fished her out with her front hooves. Chirper shook the potion off her feathers and frantically flew around the room.

Mariama sighed.

Later, Sunny met up with Hitch, Arven, and Pawmot in front of the Together Tree.

"What've you been up to?" asked Hitch.

"I visited Mariama and Skye to ask if they've made a translation potion, but they haven't perfected it yet." Sunny's ears drooped. "How about you?"

"Nothing serious. Arven and I found a floating keychain who was stealing keys, so we returned them to their owners," Hitch said with a grin.

Just then, Izzy stepped through the Together Tree, followed by Nemona, Misty, and... a giant butterfly?

"There's an emergency in Bridlewood!" Izzy gasped. "There was a forest fire! Nemona helped slow it down and we rescued everypony, but now many of them are homeless. There hasn't been a wildfire in Bridlewood for generations, so something tells me a Pokémon caused it..."

"That sounds awful!" exclaimed Sunny. "What can we do to help?"

"Anything!" exclaimed Izzy. "We need to replant trees, repair homes, give everypony therapy..."

"Well, we've already repaired a street in Zephyr Heights," said Sunny. "We could get all the Earth ponies in PET to regrow the trees, and work together to rebuild the homes! I'm not sure about the therapy part, though."

"Wait, I just remembered!" Hitch blurted out. "Steven — he's a new member — said that Aron are good at stabilising soil. I'll go down to the beach and get them!" And with that, he rushed away.

Sunny looked at Team Bridlewood. "So... who's the butterfly?"

"He's Confetti — that's what I named my Spewpa," said Misty. "He evolved again after saving me!"

"He's a Vivillon now," added Nemona. "Its wings have different patterns depending on where it lives, but I've never heard of one like that before."

"So we've discovered a new variant?" asked Izzy. "Cool!"

Sunny went to find the other Earth ponies in PET. A few minutes later, she returned with them, so did Hitch with an entourage of Aron. They all stepped through the Together Tree.

Repairing Bridlewood took several hours. Some Earth ponies used their flora magic to grow vines and stabilise damage trees, while others grew new trees to replace ones that had been burned to ash. The Aron spread these ashes across the ground and dug up the soil to mix them in. One tried to nibble on a crystal, but a Sableye scared it away. It would take a while for Bridlewood to completely heal, and some of the trees needed to be hollowed out into new homes, but for now, everyone was pleased with the work they'd put in.

Once it was over, all the PET members gathered in the Crystal Tea Room. The founders all sat around the same table.

"So... do you think we should do something about all these Pokémon in the long-term?" asked Hitch.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunny.

"I mean, our taskforce is doing great and all, but it's only a short-term solution," said Hitch, placing his hooves on the table. "If we want to deal with Pokémon in the long-term, we're gonna have to integrate them into society. Write laws for how to treat them, and how ones who wanna live in society should behave. We should hold a conference."

"Ooh! I like that idea!" exclaimed Izzy.

"Me too," said Misty.

"We need to contact all the authority figures we can," said Sunny after taking a sip of tea. "I know Alphabittle and Queen Haven, but who should represent Maretime Bay? Phyllis doesn't have nearly as much influence nowadays..."

"How about you?" asked Hitch.

"Aww, thanks," said Sunny.

"Wait, this world isn't just Equestria, right?" asked Nemona. She'd tried one sip of her tea, but didn't like it, so she'd given it to Pawmot. "You told me you've been to other places. What about their leaders?"

"Hmm... We don't have the means to contact the auroracorns or seaponies right now, but we do know the way to the Isle of Scaly," said Sunny. "I'm sure Dragon Lord Spike would be willing to join us."

"I'll go," said Hitch. "I have a connection, after all."

"Don't forget me!" exclaimed Izzy. "I know how to fly the Marestream! I parked it outside my house, and I don't think the fire reached it..."

"Did you say dragons?" asked Nemona. "You might need a big, strong, Ice-type to protect you."

"I thought these dragons breathed fire," said Arven.

"Dragon fire isn't the same as normal fire," said Hitch. "It's magical."

"Alright, it's decided!" exclaimed Sunny. "Let's all go back to the Brighthouse. I'll contact Team Zephyr, and tomorrow, you three will go to the Isle of Scaly. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," the others agreed.