Chapters A New Player
As the two alicorn sisters walked towards room 1057, they stopped a nurse as she exited the room .
"Excuse us nurse, but would this be the room of Rainbow Dash?" The lunar princess asked and was replied by a nod. Entering the room, five mares and a doctor looked up as they entered.
"Please leave us doctor." Celestia told the doctor.
"B-but princess..." The doctor was cut off.
"She is already gone doctor there Is nothing else you can do."
"Yes, princess." The doctor bowed and exited the room. Once he left a purple alicorn turned to the princesses.
"Princess isn't there anything you could do to save her?" Twilight looked at her expectantly, her mane was a complete mess, and her eyes were red, a sign to show she had been crying. The solar princess looked at the mangled shape on the bed, it had bones protruding from various places, a breathing mask and dripper were attached to it. It's mane was covered in dirty and littered with twigs and leaves.
"I'm sorry Twilight but she's just another pony, I can't give her special treatment." The princess had a calm look on that she had perfected over millennia. The purple alicorn lowered her head and started to sob only for Fluttershy to wrap a comforting wing around her.
"Shh, shh, it'll be alright she's going to a better place." She tried comforting her even though she was on the verge of tears as well.
"Why not, Tia? Has she not saved Equestria on multiple occasions? Does she not atleast deserve this service of gratitude?" Luna looked at the crumpled form of Rainbow Dash and walked closer to Twilight. "Can't you see that your 'most loyal, and faithful student' is crying before your very eyes? One of the few things she asks of you, you won't even grant."
"Luna she may have saved us but she is still just another pony, and while it pains me to see Twilight crying, I can't do so." Her stubbornness enraged Luna and apparently the others as well as AppleJack stomped up to her and started yelling at her.
"What do ya' mean 'jus' 'nother pony'!? She was the element a' loyalty, not to mention she helped save your sorry flank during the Canterlot invasion! And you won't even repay the favor!?"
"I, for one, agree with AppleJack, it's uncouth to not repay a favor to someone you owe." Rarity put in.
"That's right, you're just being a meanie Bo-beanie!" Pinkie jumped in. Celestia sighed and lowered her head.
"All right, all right, I guess I can do something for her but she won't be able to live in Equestria any more."
"What do ya mean by that?" Applejack questioned.
"The universe has certain unbreakable laws, like how matter can't be destroyed or created. In this case, once a pony has suffered lethal injuries, there is no way to revive them. I would need to extract her soul from this body, and create another body for it in a different dimension."
"Tia, I thought that alternate dimensions weren't proven." Luna said.
"They are, about five years ago, I stumbled upon a strange land, which I soon found to be a different dimension. I can send Rainbow Dash there, as one of the inhabitants owe me a favor, he could make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble while there."
"Th-thank you, princess." Twilight grabbed her and cried into shoulder, the princess warped a hoof around her, and patted her on the back. When Twilight let go Celestia lowered her horn to the Pegasus.
"You should probably put a memory spell on her, so she knows what's going on, and after this, we shall speak of this other dimension, I find myself intrigued." Luna suggested.
"Yes of course, and thank you, Lulu, although I believe that it would be best if I follow and make sure things go smoothly. Wouldn't want to just send her in blindly now, do I?" Celestia sent golden power to her horn and enveloped the Pegasus. Once the light dissipated the Pegasus was unchanged, but a soft glow emanated from her mouth. As a ball of light slowly floated out of her mouth and out the window, disappearing in the sky.
"Come Lulu, it would be best that I leave this body in the castle rather than here." Celestia said as she turned to walk out the door, pausing to look back at Twilight. "And don't worry Twilight, there might just be a way that you can communicate with her." She said with a smile before exiting the room.
~-~
Jett was relaxing on one of the branches of a tree near Littleroot town. On another branch close by was his Riolu, the two of them had been together ever since he got him a four years prior, and the two were almost inseparable. Jett knew that once it evolved that his Riolu would be able to telepathically communicate, but was in no hurry.
He was debating whether or not to return to Sinnoh, he hadn't seen his snowy laden home in a while, but he rather enjoyed the tropical setting of the Hoenn region. Despite his disposition, he laid back in the branch and slowly slipped into sleep. Though he didn't get to, as a familiar friendly voice sounded from below him. Opening an eye, Jett saw the familiar shape of Professor Birch.
"Jett, I heard you were going to be leaving soon!" He called.
"Nah, I'm still debating that. I might just stay here and explore, maybe go after the gyms."
"Well let me know before you do, I have a surprise for you." He gave Jett a wink. "Well I should get going, got some research to do!"
"What are you researching this time?"
"The pack mentality of poochyena and mightyena!" He responded enthusiastically.
"Sounds... enthralling."
"Anyways, those Pokemon won't research themselves, see ya later Jett!" Professor Birch continued on his merry way, humming a tune that Jett wasn't familiar with.
"I think he's starting to run out of ideas, you?" Jett said to his Riolu.
"Rio-lu!" It responded.
"Yeah."
~-~
Rainbow Dash had a splitting headache as she returned to consciousness. 'Urg, what happened?' Then she remembered the crash. She quickly sat up, opening her eyes.
She found herself in an unfamiliar wooded area. She gave herself a once over and shrieked a little. She no longer had hooves, and her cyan coat was missing, though luckily she could feel her wings sticking out of the strange clothing she had on.
She was wearing a thin cyan jacket that resembled the color of her coat, and near the waist was the image of her cutie mark. She could feel another shirt underneath, but was confused on the strange lumps on her chest. Covering her legs was some form of hard dark blue material leading down to where here rear hooves used to be. Replacing her hooves was a pair of feet covered by black boots. Her front hooves were replaced by hands, the whole ensemble reminded her of Spike, just less scaly. Sticking out of the back of her leggings was her tail, and her mane and ears were still the same.
Seeing as her structure was similar to Spike's, Rainbow attempted to stand on her feet, and though she felt a little wobbly, she stayed upright, flaring her wings a little for balance.
With her mind off of what happened to her body, she surveyed the area around her. She heard a voive from behind her and quickly spun around, falling on her ass. There stood another creature, one like her.
She had a majestic air around her, and looked the part too. She wore a beautiful dress that flowed around her, it was designed with golden patterns and accessories. Emerging from the back were two large white wings, and her multicolored mane flowed in the wind. Rainbow Dash didn't have to look twice to know who she was.
"P-princess!"
"Hello Rainbow Dash, I am glad to see that the spell worked." She said softly, still maintaining her regality.
"Spell? What spell? Princess, whats going on!?" Rainbow asked, getting up from the ground.
"Calm down, Rainbow Dash," she attempted, but Rainbow didn't care.
"Calm down!? How can I calm down!? I don't know where I am, I don't know WHAT I am, and I don't know why!" She started to freak out when Celestia put a calming hand on her shoulder.
"And that is why I'm here, to explain. You see, after your... incident, you had lethal injuries and could not be healed. So, in order to save your life, I had to transfer your soul and create this new body for you. Though I have no idea why we keep our wings, the denizens of this dimension don't have wings, aside from the animals. So I would suggest that you keep your wings and tail hidden from sight." Rainbow Dash just stared at her like she had grown a second head.
"Wait, why can't I go back to Equestria?" She asked after moments of silence.
"Because the laws that bind the universe classify you as dead, or close to dead, should you return, you will die." Rainbow Dash started to tear up.
"D-does that mean I will never see my friends or dad again?" She asked, trying to hold back the tears.
"No, there is a way that you could see them if my theory is correct, or at least communicate with them. Here, if I am correct this will allow you to communicate with them via letters." Celestia pulled out a strange metal box. It was cyan and had Rainbow Dash's cutie mark on it. Celestia flipped the top open revealing a strange wheel inside.
"This is a lighter, it's what the humans here use to make fire. When you spin this wheel with enough force it shall create a fire, like so." She demonstrated, surprising Rainbow when a small flame erupted from the box, she released the wheel and the flame receded. "I had it enchanted so that it would send a letter to the specified receiver." She pulled out a scroll and burnt it sending the ashes into the air, only for them to reform into a scroll in front of Rainbow Dash. She handed the lighter to Rainbow Dash who inspected it.
"So this is sorta like how Spike can send you letters with his fire?"
"Exactly like that. Now I do happen to have a friend here who could help you get accustomed to this world, though last time we met was in snow laden tundra, I don't know why we're in this forest... maybe he moved." She seemed confused as to why her friend moved but Rainbow didn't care.
"Oh well, guess I'll just have to use a tracking spell." She lifted her hand as a soft golden aura resonated from it, thats when Rainbow noticed her lack of horn. She presumed that she had to use her hands as a catalyst for the magical energy... wow, she was hanging around Twilight too much. After a few moments, the light subsided and she lowered her hand.
"Seems he is not far away, come, introductions are in order." Celestia beckoned Rainbow to follow her as she walked off into the trees. Rainbow took a few wobbly steps forward before saying screw it and flew after her.
~-~
The two stopped in front of a large tree where two figures laid in the branches.
"Jett!" Celestia yelled, causing one to wake up and fall off it's branch. He fell down a long way, hitting most of the other branches before making contact with the ground. He groaned as he looked up at them.
"Shit... theres two of you now... joy." He mumbled before letting his head hit the ground again. He was wearing a thick black overcoat with a white shirt underneath, his leggings seemed to have many more pockets than hers, and black in coloration. He also seemed to wear a pair of black boots as well. His black hair was styled backwards, but was a little messy, probably from the fall.
The other figure was awoken from his slumber by 'Jett' falling from his perch. As it expertly hopped down, it was revealed to be a small blue dog like creature with red eyes. It landed next to Jett, helping him get back up.
"Celestia, how come everytime we meet I get hurt?" He asked as he sat against the tree, holding his head, Celestia visibly wincing from the comment.
"Well, maybe you should stop sleeping in dangerous places." Jett snorted as if that was impossible.
"So let me guess, you're reeling in that favor I owe you, eh?" He questioned, opening one of his eyes, revealing a silvery coloration.
"I had not expected to actually need it, but yes. You see Rainbow Dash here is no longer able to live in our dimension any more." She gestured to Rainbow who waved. "So I request that you help her learn the rules here, so that she may live here without it being known she is from an alternate dimension."
"Okay first things first, if she's gonna be here the tail has to be tucked into her pants, and the wings hidden under her jacket." Jett stared at Rainbow and she could feel her skin crawl under his gaze. "Are you sure that I'm the only one who owes you a favor?" She nodded. "Fine, I'll keep her straight."
"Thank you, Jett. Now if you don't mind I have matters that need attending. Have fun, Rainbow Dash, be sure to write soon, your friends would want to hear from you." Celestia said before she walked off into the forest.
"Oh yeah, sure, just leave, no need to stay and catch up, no, that would be too friendly." Jett said in an annoyed tone.
"Um, I have a question." Jett looked at her. "What is that?" She pointed at the blue dog thing as Jett's hand connected with his forehead.
"Damn you, Celestia."
Blurred Lines
Jett sighed as he removed the hand from his face, slightly angry that Celestia didn't even explain the basic fundamentals of the world. Taking his flask out from his overcoat, he took a swig before speaking.
"Business to attend to, my ass, she just didn't want to do explanations. Typical." He sighed. "This might take a while, do you want the short version or the long one?"
"How long is the long one?" She responded.
"Hours." Jett said simply.
"Yeah, short version."
"Alright, good. This little guy," He placed a hand on Riolu's head, "is a pokemon. More specifically, a Riolu. Pokemon are the dominant race next to humans, which is what we are. They all have innate elemental powers. My Riolu has the specific strength of the fighting element. These elemental traits work in a rock, paper, scissors style of battle where as fighting is strong to the normal type, but weak to the flying type. There are many different elemental types, ranging from normal to ghost. I can explain them as they come up. The pokemon themselves have hundreds of sub-species, probably thousands left to be discovered, each one different from the other. Then there's the strange process in which the pokemon change into a different, stronger version of themselves that we call evolution. That's still mostly a mystery that people are trying to solve. Following along so far?" Rainbow nodded and he continued.
"Now, these pokemon hold a large place in our community. People capture the pokemon in things called pokeballs." Jett took a small ball off of his belt and pressed the button, enlarging it before returning it. Rainbow opened her mouth but Jett cut her off. "I know what you're thinking, but let me explain. While we capture, and later use pokemon in battles, the whole ordeal is meant to strengthen the bond between human and pokemon. People don't believe pokemon to be lesser beings, but rather as equals, hell, there are pokemon that more or less created our entire dimension. The point is that pokemon aren't forced to do anything, everything is of their volition. We give them orders, they can choose to follow it or go against it."
"What if a pokemon doesn't want to be owned and would rather be free?" Rainbow asked.
"Well I would let 'em go, and i'm sure everyone else would too. I've only had my Riolu here, and he has been my friend for a couple years... I feel like i'm forgetting something... oh right, battles. Did I explain battles? Eh, whatever, if so, your listening again. Battles are a way of testing a trainer and his pokemon's skill. There are typical rules, go until the opposing pokemon can't battle any more, not to the death though, just unconscious. Trainers typically find battles as a way to settle some disputes, or as a challenge to become a better trainer. From what I understand, the battles in a pokemon's eye, is honor bound, like a samurai duel. They aim to sedate without lasting injuries... I think that's about everything." Jett put a hand to his chin in thought before shrugging. "Is there anything you need clarifying?"
"How do pokeballs work?" She inquired, crossing her arms.
"I have no idea. My best guess is plasma or something." Jett said standing up, Riolu hopping up his back and onto his shoulder. "If your gonna stay here, you're gonna need a Pokemon of your own. C'mon, I know a nice cave nearby that could hold a Pokemon you might like." Before Rainbow could reply, Jett was walking out of sight, and hurried to catch up.
"Hey, who said I wanted a pokemon?" She frowned, crossing her arms again.
"I did, and like I said, you're gonna need one. You'll learn fast that wild pokemon can be aggressive as fuck! The only way to defend yourself is with a pokemon." Jett pointed out, receiving a confirming cry from Riolu.
"Fine, but I get to chose which one. Ah!" She shrieked as a Kakuna husk fell from a branch above. Jett's eyes widened as he realized what that meant.
"Run!" He grabbed her arm, possibly with too much strength as she squeaked in pain, and pulled her as he ran. He heard the tell tale sound of buzzing behind him and pulled Rainbow closer before throwing her onto his unoccupied shoulder. She shrieked once more as she saw what was chasing them.
"What are those things!?" She screamed into his ear.
"Beedrills, one of the most aggressive bug types you'll meet!" He growled in response. A small explosion sounded just behind him as he god shrouded in dirt.
"What was that!?"
"I can only assume one of them used pin missle. You might want to hang on to me, it's about to get bumpy." He said, the edge of a cliff showing a few feet ahead.
"What do you mea-?" her question was devolved into a shriek as Jett jumped off the cliff, falling a short while before grabbing the branch of a tree and flipped him self to the ground. He looked back up when he felt the weight missing from his shoulder, finding Rainbow stuck in the tree. He could barely contain his laughter as she glared at him.
"Next time, tell me when you want to jump off a cliff!" She yelled, causing him to let out the laughter he was holding in. "Hey, stop laughing!" Her cheeks reddened as she tossed herself from the tree, using her wings to slow her descent. When she landed she crossed her arms and glared at him as his laughing subsided.
"Oh come on, don't look at me like that!" She continued to glare at him. "Alright, fine! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Alright?" She smirked, causing Jett to roll his eyes.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why did they stop following us?" She asked, looking back up to where they jumped off.
"They realized we were too much trouble. I'm also assuming you want to know what exactly just happened?"
"Yeah, why did that bug thing fall? And why did those... Beedrills?" Jett nodded. "Beedrills, attack us?"
"Well the 'bug thing' that fell was a Kakuna, or rather the husk of one. When a Kakuna evolves, they turn into a Beedrill leaving behind their old form like a cocoon. I can only assume their aggression is due to being in a cocoon, little more than helpless as friend and foe pass by. So when they finally evolve, they lash out at almost anyone they see. At least, that's what I believe."
"Huh, I kinda feel bad for them now... kinda." Jett chuckled at her comment.
"Come on, let's get to that cave, or if you'd rather, we can search for a pokemon out here." It only took a glance up to the cliff for Rainbow to decide.
"Cave." Jett chuckled again and started walking in the direction of the cave. Over the course of their walk, multiple pokemon passed by, from Caterpie, to Pidgy, all of them not being 'cool enough' for her. It took them a couple minutes but they eventually found themselves standing in the gaping mouth of a cave.
"Wow." Rainbow let out a whistle. "This is bigger than the cave that a big ol' dragon once slept in."
"Dragon, eh?"
"Yeah, I kicked it in the face, though that only made it angry."
"Why am I not surprised?" Jett chuckled. "Well there are no dragons in this cave. Well, maybe." Rainbow raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "C'mon, we aren't gonna catch any pokemon out here." He moved into the cave and grabbed an unlit torch from the wall. Reaching into a pocket in his overcoat, he produced his flask, pouring a little alchohol on it before producing a black lighter, a silvery flame shooting out, igniting the torch, the silvery flame withstanding.
"What's with the silver flame?" Rainbow asked, her face slightly illuminated in the silver light.
"I'm sure you received an enchanted lighter from Celestia. This isn't different, the color of the flame depends on the dragonfire used to enchant it. Mine was apparently enchanted using a dragon with silver flame." She nodded, obviously satisfied with the answer. The two, along with Riolu, entered the cave, soon the only source of light being the torch. The only pokemon they saw was zubat, all across the ceiling. They turned a corner and Jett quickly whipped out a knife, slashing the wall to their right, leaving a gash in the stone. Rainbow shrieked at the sudden action before glaring at him.
"What was that for!?" She growled.
"So that we don't get lost." Jett said, spinning the large knife before putting it back in the sheath attached to his side. "Anyone ever tell you your shrieks are cute?" Her cheeks flushed as she looked away.
"Shut up!" Jett chuckled as he led them further into a cave. Rainbow marveled at the stalagmites and stalactites they passed, as well as the countless minerals. She asked why they were like that but Jett only shrugged. After a short while, he suddenly stopped, causing Rainbow to bump into him.
"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Jett shushed her though as a Koffing came into view.
"What about this one?" He asked, but she shook her head saying it still wasn't cool enough. "Guess it's mine, always did consider catching a Koffing. Riolu, use Quick Attack then follow up with Feint." Riolu nodded before disappearing from his shoulder one second and kicking the Koffing the next. Rainbow gasped as Riolu followed up with Feint before the Koffing could do anything. Riolu landed a few feet away from the Koffing before he was charged by a Tackle.
"Counter!" Jett called, causing Riolu to quickly hop over the attack before kicking the Koffing back into the ground. A cloud of purple gas suddenly rose from Koffing, causing Riolu to cough uncontrollably before it got hit with a Tackle. Riolu hit the cave wall, where he fell back down to the ground on his feet.
"Quick Attack." Riolu disappeared again, attacking the Koffing from behind the next instant. Jett quickly tossed a ball at the Koffing. The pokemon turned into a digital red before getting sucked into the ball. Dropping to the ground, the ball started to shake once, twice, and a third time before finally halting. A loud ding resounded throughout the cave, emanating from the ball, before Riolu grabbed it and ran over. It hopped back onto his shoulder before dropping the ball in his awaiting palm. “Good job.” He commented, scratching Riolu behind his ears.
“That was…” Rainbow trailed off, her lips slightly opened.
“I bet you didn’t like what you saw, huh?” Rainbow nodded in response.
“I understand what you said earlier about treating pokemon as equals, but that’s kinda mean, dontcha think?” Jett thought for a moment, a thought quickly coming to mind.
“Why don’t we ask the Koffing then?” Jett tossed the pokeball in the air, where it opened, releasing a red energy that changed into Koffing. Catching the ball that flew back towards him, he placed a hand on top of the Koffing. “Hey there, buddy.”
“Koff.” He replied.
“Are you at all angry that I caught you the way I did?” The Koffing looked confused, but shook himself, simulating that of a head. “See?” Jett asked, returning his gaze back to Rainbow. “Feel better about it now?”
“Yeah, a little.” She said, nodding her head slowly.
“Well, baby steps are steps all the same. Anyways,” he returned his attention back to Koffing, “I bet me and you are going to get along just fine. Ain’t that right, buddy?”
“Koff!” He agreed.
“Awesome, but you gotta get back in the ball now.” Jett returned Koffing back to the ball and placed it back on his belt.
“Hey, I got a question.” Rainbow said.
“Shoot.”
“Why is Riolu not in a pokeball if that’s where you keep them?”
“Ah, good question. Well, it’s rather simple. He doesn’t like it, and personally, I like him being beside me. There’s a reason he’s known as the dog pokemon, a man’s best friend, and fiercely loyal. I think that’s why we get along so well.” Jett smiled.
“Rio!” He agreed, his red eyes shining in the light of the torch.
“Huh.” Was all Rainbow said as they started to walk again.
“Let’s make this easier, what would you classify as ‘cool’?” Jett asked, stepping around a stalagmite in his path.
“Your Riolu.”
“Aside from him.” He deadpanned.
“Are there any tortoise pokemon?” She asked after a moment’s thought.
“Tortoise, eh? I would have thought you’d only go for fast pokemon. If you want a tortoise though, I heard that there are a couple Torkoals deep inside the cave, could take a little bit until we find one.” Jett put a hand to his chin. “I’d say another ten minutes or so.”
“I can wait, I guess.” Rainbow walked on in silence, following Jett’s lead. They saw a couple more pokemon, Zubats, Golbats, Geodudes, and even a stray Diglett or two. After a couple minutes of walking, Jett broke the silence again.
“So why a tortoise?” He asked, looking back.
“I had a pet tortoise named Tank back home. Why I chose him is actually a funny story, but I doubt you want to hear it.” Jett could faintly see a smile graze her lips as she looked back on the memories.
“Try me.” He said with a smile of his own.
“O-okay, not as awesome as me doing a rainboom though.” She said, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Well my friend, Fluttershy, and I saw that all our friends had pets but me, so I felt a need to get one. My only problem was that the pet I wanted had to be as awesome as me. Eventually I got it into my head that if one of the animals beat me in a race, then they would be my pet.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Then, during the race, a rockslide catches me and pins one of my wings to the ground. All the animals flew past me, too eager to win than to notice me there, that’s when Tank showed up. He helped me there and as thanks, he became my pet. Even got him a magic propeller so that he could live with me in my cloud house.”
“Well I didn’t find that to be pretty awesome. You chose your companion based on his actions rather than abilities.” Rainbow smiled at the compliment.
“What about you? How did you and your Riolu meet?” Jett smiled at the memories that question brought back.
“Alright, a story for a story, seems fair enough. Well, a couple years ago, more specifically, four years ago, I still didn’t have a pokemon of my own. A fact that most people found odd as people usually get their first pokemon around the age of ten, back then I was already eighteen. Anyways, like the dumbass I am, I venture out into the unending blizzard just outside of my home town. Take a wild guess what happens. A wild pokemon, specifically one called Abomasnow, attacked me. No pokemon, no defense, I thought I was as good as dead, but this little guy came and saved my life.” Riolu hit him lightly. “Hey, it’s true! Anyways, imagine my surprise when this little guy takes out a raging Abomasnow. And to put things into perspective, Abomasnow is about one point five times larger than me.” Rainbow gave him a blank stare. “Take the height of my legs, then add that to my already existing height. Anyways, after the ordeal, Riolu led me back to town, and hasn’t left my side since.”
“I guess the little guy’s more awesome than I thought, huh?”
“Rio!”
“I guess that makes three of us.” Jett smiled again when he smelled smoke in the air. “Seems like we found us a Torkoal.” The two moved around a corner and found a Torkoal digging into a pile of coal, smoke rising from his shell. “You want to take him?”
“Huh!?” She gave him a surprised look. “How am I going to do that?”
“I’ll let you use Riolu and I’ll give you a pokeball.”
“Uh.” Was all she said as a pokeball was put in her hand. “I’m not too sure about this…”
“You’ll do fine. It’s simple, start out with a Quick Attack, then tell him to follow up with Feint. Just keep doing that and when the Torkoal tries to attack, tell Riolu to Counter. Then when you think Torkoal is weak enough, throw the pokeball at him. just remember to press the little button on the front before you do, does not work out well if you don't do that.” Riolu readied himself as Rainbow stumbled on her words.
“Uh, use Quick Attack.” She said uncertainly and Riolu disappeared, reappearing next to the Torkoal before kicking the underside of it’s shell, sending it into a flip as it flew. Rainbow hesitated after that, allowing Torkoal to retaliate with an Ember. Riolu put it’s arms up to protect itself from the onslaught of flame that assaulted him. The force behind the flames pushed him back a foot and covered him in burns, his teeth grinding. Seeing the look of abject horror on Rainbow’s face, Jett took control of the fight.
“Riolu use Quick Attack!” Riolu nodded before attacking Torkoal. Riolu kicked the Torkoal in the head, causing it to get stunned, but Riolu had to quickly backpedaled as he nearly lost balance, and Jett could see the pain in Riolu’s eyes. “Hang in there. Use Hidden Power!” Spheres of varying color rose around Riolu as he closed his eyes, suddenly, with a push of his paws, the spheres shot at Torkoal, sending up dust in the process.
Jett quickly grabbed the pokeball from Rainbow’s hand and tossed it at the Torkoal. Torkoal was sucked into the ball with a red flash and quickly caught. Jett rushed over to Riolu, sliding the last of it as Riolu jumped into his arms.
“Here, I got just the thing.” Jett reached into one of his pockets, producing a potion designed to heal burns. “This’ll sting a bit.” Riolu nodded before, Jett sprayed the medicine onto the burns, lightly rubbing it in for maximum effect. “There, feeling better?” Riolu nodded in response as Jett put him back on his shoulder. He then sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose as he picked up the pokeball on the ground. Rainbow was still where she was, crouched down, arms around her legs. “You okay?” Rainbow shook her head. “Are you gonna stay there?” She nodded. “Not gonna happen.” Jett grabbed her and shouldered her once more. getting a foot under the torch he left, he launched it into the air where he caught it with his free hand, surprisingly, the fire was still active.
The trek back through the cave took almost another half hour, but he couldn’t be sure as it was dark by the time they got out. He sat Rainbow down by the entrance of the cave, telling Riolu to stay with her until he returned with fire wood. It only took about ten minutes before he had a fire started, he even lugged over a large log to sit on.
“C’mon.” Jett patted the seat next to him, but Rainbow only looked at him. “I’m not mad, if that’s what you're thinking, and even if I was, talking always helps. Even if you won’t say anything, I will.” Hesitantly, she moved closer and sat on the log, her eyes, never leaving her feet. “Hey, look at me.” When she did, Jett gave her a comforting smile. “It’s not your fault things went down that way. I know you come from a land of peace, where most things are sentient and often make friends with you, and even when attacked by a predator it is against your nature to fight. So I understand that this was hard for you, and I’m sorry I didn’t see that you were uncomfortable with it from the start.” Rainbow looked down again. “Hey,” Jett put a finger under her chin and raised it to himself, “don’t frown, I like you better with a smile.” The blush that filled her cheeks made Jett smile, and earned the smallest of smiles from Rainbow. “See? That’s much better.” Jett turned back to the fire, unaware of Rainbow’s lingering gaze.
The Professors Surprise
Rainbow slowly awoke to the sound of bird call. She felt a light pressure on her head and found Jett’s head resting on her’s. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as Jett stirred, but he soon drifted back to sleep. Gently lifting his head with her hands, she released herself and laid him down on the grass. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she sat back down again. The fire from the night was nothing but a few smoldering embers and as she stared into the hot ash, she could feel her anger rising. She was angered at how easily this world scared her and made her seem far less awesome than she actually was. With a sigh, she thrusted the thoughts out of her head. Remembering what Jett said in the day prior, she wrestled with her clothing to get her wings and tail hidden from view.
She plopped back down onto the log, Riolu quickly scampering to sit next to her. She could still faintly see where he got burned. The memories of last night rushed back to her, how her hesitation had injured the little guy, and the only reason he didn’t get hurt more was due to Jett stepping in. When she had seen his face, she had been scared that he would hate her, especially after he rushed to Riolu’s aid. Though he surprised her when she carried her out of the cave and said that he was sorry. Rainbow couldn’t remember the last time she screwed up and she was the one they apologized to, in fact she doesn’t remember that ever happening. She was pulled away from her thoughts as Jett groaned and sat up with a stretch, popping the bones in his back.
“Ahh.” He quickly got to his feet and sat on the log. “Oh,” he said when he saw that she had hidden her extra appendages, “I see you hid your wings and tail. That’s good, ‘cuz we need to go to Littleroot and see the Professor.” Jett grabbed a pokeball from his waist, tossing it up and down momentarily. “Here.” He tossed it at Rainbow, who awkwardly caught it. Apparently Jett could see the confused look on her face, as he spoke up.
“That’s the Torkoal.” He said as Riolu hopped onto his shoulder.
“But, you're the one who caught it.” Rainbow frowned again. “All I did was stand there.”
“Hey, what did I say about frowning? It was yours to begin with, who caught it doesn’t matter, should you have not attempted then it would be a different story. You’re the one who initiated battle, that makes the Torkoal your pokemon.” Rainbow looked down at the ball in her hands, a small smile creeping onto her lips.
“I guess you’re right.”
“Good, let’s get going.” Jett stood up turning in a seemingly random direction before walking. Rainbow quickly followed, placing the pokeball in one of her pant’s pockets. The forest quickly passed around them as they made their trek, the occasional pokemon moving in and out of sight. It had already been a couple minutes when Jett spoke again. “Any other stories ya got, this might take a while.”
“Yeah, I could tell you how I did the otherwise impossible Sonic Rainboom.” Rainbow grinned at the chance to impress Jett after what happened last night.
“Sounds interesting.” Jett deadpanned.
“You bet it is! The sonic Rainboom requires a pony to break the sound barrier, which takes at least thirty wing power, which is impossible for a pony to have as their base wing power. The trick requires a pony of at least fifteen wing power to climb high into the air and launch themselves towards the ground as fast as possible, gravity gives you extra momentum so that you can reach maximum velocity, once you hit seven hundred sixty-one miles per hour, you break the sound barrier, and a spectral wave courses out of the breaking point.” She grinned at his surprise of her knowledge of the physics that was required for the Rainboom. Though Rainbow seemed to be a bit stupid, she could do flight physics in her sleep.
“Now that I explained the physics so that you can be properly blown away by my awesomeness, let’s tell you about how I did it. Well, two times rather. The first time was only when I was a mere filly, maybe six or seven. There was this one group of bullies who always liked to pick on me because I defended one of my friends, who is probably the most sensitive pony in the universe. Anyways, one day, they challenge me to a race, so I jumped at the opportunity to show them up. As we raced, I noticed that the lead bully was cheating, so I launched myself towards him, trying to get all my speed so that I could still beat him, and as I descended, I performed the Sonic Rainboom. That was the event that earned me my cutie mark, and it has served as a reminder of my capabilities.”
“The second time I did it was about a year ago actually. No one had believed me when I always claimed to have done it, and even I had started to fear it was all in my head. I was training for The Best Young Flyers Competition, where the grand prize was a day with my idols, The Wonderbolts. They would personally judge, and even Princess Celestia attends. After weeks of training, it was time for the competition, and let me tell you, I was a wreck . In all the time I had spent training, I had not been able to pull it off once! My friends came to support me, even the ones who couldn’t walk on clouds found a spell so that they could cheer me on. Then, my friend, Rarity, who was trying an alternate spell that they found and had gossamer wings, had basically stolen my thunder. She entered in the competition and next thing I know, I'm in the locker room. I had held off until the end at which point they said that only one of us could go, unless we went together. So we both go out there and I start doing my routine while Rarity pranced about like a ballerina. She started flying into the sky at the same point I started to, then she stopped in front of the sun and opened her wings, letting out a disco ball type effect. Then her wings burned into ash and she fell! The Wonderbolts tried to save her, but her flailing only knocked them all out. When I noticed, I barreled towards them, faster than I ever had before, and just as they were about to hit the ground, I create a Sonic Rainboom, propelling myself forward and catching all four of them before they go splat !!! It goes without saying that I won that competition!"
"Well you were definitely right about it being interesting. And hey, we're almost there." Riolu agreed with a nod before pointing ahead to a small town appearing through the trees. The town only consisted of seven buildings, six of the buildings looked to be homes, two stories high and built of plaster. The last building looked the size of a small warehouse, it's white walls and rectangular design was alien to Rainbow, as she was used to more complex structures.
"The good ol' lab. And only about noon too, we made good time." Jett commented as they stepped out of the forest and into the town. A couple people walked about, chatting, farming, or just enjoying the calm atmosphere, all greeted Jett with a wave and a smile, which he and Riolu returned in kind. The two quickly made their way to the lab and entered.
Inside were machines that made Rainbows head spin. Wires and tubes snaked around and led to plugs in the wall and machines, going through the wall, and somehow being both neat and messy at the same time. In multiple area's were large towers of metal and glass, fans and gears whirring visible inside. Rainbow could only assume that they were either a secondary power source or had some effect that was invisible to the technological amature. Rainbow could not comprehend what all the machines did, and instead chose to focus on the large man that Jett had already been greeted by and were currently talking quietly. The Professor was rather chubby, giving him the impression of a teddy bear. His dark brown hair and beard trailed down his jawline. As Rainbow shimmied over, she heard a little snippet of their conversation.
"-haven't told her yet?" The fat man asked in a hushed voice.
"I'd rather not. She'll be off on her own thing soon enough." Jett replied. What do they mean? What does Jett want to keep secret? Rainbow asked herself as she pretended to closely observe a machine.
"Don't you think she has a right to know?" The professor's voice serious. What does he mean, could Jett- no, no. He can't be... right?
"Yes, but I think it would just make her ask questions that I don't want to answer."
"It's been four years , Jett, it's about time you come to terms." She heard Jett sigh.
"Yeah, I guess your right." Rainbow found it time to stop listening in and spoke up.
"Hey, uh, what does this thing do?" She asked, standing in front of the machine that she had been 'inspecting'.
"Ah," the professor's voice suddenly changed to a much more friendly tone, "That my insta-healing machine, although I really need to get it a better name. I have been working on a way to instantaneously heal pokemon. I still need to find a way to successfully have it inject a medicine into a pokemon while inside a pokeball. It’s still a work in progress though."
"Huh."
"So, professor. You said you have something of a surprise for me?" Jett had an eyebrow raised.
"Ah, yes. Over here." The large man led Jett toward a table at one end of the lab. On the table were two strangely shaped, red devices.
"Are those what I think they are?" Jett asked apprehensively, obviously knowing what the two devices were.
"Eyup, two pokedexes, just got in the other day." He picked them up and handed one to Jett, who caught it and flipped it open to reveal two small screens. On the left side of the top screen was three holes, and in the corresponding place on the bottom was a cross with arrows on it. Next to the cross, on the edge, was a small green quarter sphere.
"I have enough for the two of you." He stated before handing the other to Rainbow.
"Quite the gift, you sure you want to give them to us?" Jett asked the professor, who nodded.
"You'll get more use out of them than I will." He said with a smile. "Besides, giving always feels better than using something yourself." Rainbow saw a quick flash of an alabaster coat in her vision as the professor’s generosity reminded her of her friend.
"Hey, do you have a paper and pencil?" She asked, remembering the lighter in her pocket.
"Yeah, give us a couple sheets actually." The professor nodded and went off to find the requested materials and returning in quick succession. He handed them to Rainbow, but Jett took them from her, responding before she could speak.
"You don't know how to write yet." He pointed out causing Rainbows annoyance to disappear, but quickly reinitiated as she thought about how out of tune she was with her new body.
"So what are you going to do now?" The professor asked, his arms crossed.
"I don't exactly know, I might just explore this region, maybe try out the Gyms. Hell, I might come back here so that you don't have to find obscure thing to research." He said with a chuckle, soon joined by the professor.
"Maybe. Well, I hate to keep you. Off you go." He started shooing them out.
"But I just got here." Jett complained.
"But you need to get going. The story must progress!"
"The fuck does that mean !?" Jett asked in confusion.
"That's for me to know, and you two to never find out!" He happily chirped.
"What!?" He asked again. Rainbow knew better that to ask, else she might get more confused. The professor didn't answer, instead he sent Jett out the lab.
"Have an adventure!" He sang before shutting the door, which soon reopened so that Rainbow could walk out.
"Uh. That's new."
"You get used to it." Rainbow said, referring to Pinkie Pie, and she, admittedly, missed her randomness.
"But... urg, fine." Jett shook his head before walking off. "That guy confuzles me sometimes."
"Confuzles?" Jett didn't respond to her confusion, instead leading her off into the forest again. "Now where are we going?"
"Oldale town. Next town close by, and we need to grab some items."
"I have a feeling we're gonna be doing a lot of walking."
"Yep." Rainbow groaned. "Any other stories?" Jett asked.
"Nope."
"Joy."
~-~
Rainbow and Jett walked through the forest. They had been enveloped in silence as neither of them had anything to say. Rainbow didn't really feel up to telling a story, and when she had tried to get one out of him, he wouldn't do so. She could tell that he was thinking about something, probably the secret he doesn't want her to know about.
"Urggggg , I'm so bored!" She complained, putting her hands behind her head.
"That happens." Jett replied. The two had returned to their silence again. Trees passed in a seemingly endless fashion, and Rainbow started counting the stars in the sky.
"Wait a second." Jett paused and looked back. "Shouldn't we rest? It's night." Jett turned his head skywards, viewing the expanse of space above.
"So it is." His gaze quickly returned to Rainbow. "You stay here, I'll go grab some fire wood." Jett stalked off before Rainbow could respond. She shook her head, wondering what type of secret it is to make him act like this just from thinking about it. She grabbed the pokeball from her pocket, releasing the Torkoal inside.
"Torkoal!" It cried, facing Rainbow before approaching. She scratched his head, smoke seeping out of the shell.
"I wonder how Tank is doing. Heh, I bet Fluttershy has him at her house." Rainbow sighed as Torkoal laid down next to her, it's body heat seeping through her clothing quickly. "Heh, you're pretty warm aren't you?"
"Tor!" He cried. The two just sat there, the trees and grass slowly fading into darkness.
~-~
Jett returned to where he left Rainbow Dash to find her asleep with her Torkoal. He smiled at the sight and quietly let down the pile of wood he was carrying before finding stones to lay in a circle. He then placed some wood inside the circle and lit it. A silvery flame slowly ate at the wood, and as it crackled, Jett stared at the black lighter. His thumb wiped over a section, revealing a small silvery shine underneath before placing it back in his coat.
A sigh escaped his lips as he lay down at the trunk of a tree adjacent to Rainbow's. He stared at her momentarily, pondering what Birch had said, he didn’t exactly know what to do at the moment. So instead, he closed his eyes and went to sleep, hopefully things would clear up tomorrow.
~-~
The screen slowly fades to black before a crack appears in the fabric of reality. Professor Birch's plump foot suddenly breaks through the crack, light erupting from the hole. The foot retracted and Birch's face takes it's place.
"Oh, how I just love a good story. The plot is thickening now. How exciting.” He laughed like a demented maniac. “Well, that's all folks."
