//------------------------------// // Six Degrees of Separation, Part 6 // Story: The World's Greatest Team of Six // by CassandraMyOCisBestpony //------------------------------// "COCK A DOODLE DOO! Up an' at'em, y'all!" Fluttershy's eyes few open with a start. She looked up to see Applejack standing over them with an invigorated look on her face "Hey y'all great to see ya 'gain!" "uhhhhh... five more minutes" moaned Pinkie Pie groggily. "Not a chance" said Applejack firmly, "we're more'n halfway to Pallet town, and ah intend to get us all there while th' sun's still shinin'. Ah've hiked two miles today already. So c'mon, git!" The two of them rose to their feet, recalling their tuckered-out Pokemon. Applejack pointed northwards to a volcanic mountain range. Above it, the sky was darkened with clouds of smoke and brimstone. "Ah reckon Pallet Town's just over those hills. Let's get movin' while the gettin's good." Fluttershy gulped. To describe those monstrous peaks as "hills" couldn't possibly convey the apprehension she felt. ***** The morning sun filled the cave where Rarity and Rainbow Dash slept, gently awakening them. As they stepped out of the cave, they saw that the rain had let up, leaving a beautiful shine on the water droplets as they slid off the leaves. Rainbow Dash stretched out and yawned. "Rainbow Dash, look!" said Rarity excitedly, pointing at a rainbow in the sky. "Well, I'm not one for the sentimental stuff" said Dash, "but I have a feeling that today's going to be a good day!" "It's breathtaking isn't it?" said a third voice. "Twilight? When did you get here?" "I was travelling via the forest when I hit the western shoreline. I decided to just continue along the beach and enjoy the view." "Well you wouldn't believe what we've been through! I wrestled a Tropius for fruit, and Rarity figured out how to make fire! And show her those gems you found, Rarity! Gotta hand it to her, she's been a real great travel partner." "Oh, hello Twilight" said Rarity uneasily. "Rarity listen.. Back at the beach I said some things that I didn't mean. I'm really sorry for calling you and Rainbow Dash idiots." "I guess I can see how I may have provoked you" replied Rarity, "I don't cope well with unfamiliar situations, least of all those involving dirt. I was an emotional wreck. We could really use your expertise of Pokemon. Truce?" "Truce" agreed Twilight, and the shook on it. "I caught a really neat Pokemon, want to see?" asked Twilight. "Why of course. Please, do show us." "Misdraevus, I choose you!" "Miiis!" said the ghost Pokemon as it emerged from its ball. "For a ghost, it is quite chic" commented Rarity. A devilish grin spread across Twilight's face, "Wanna see a cool trick?" she asked. The other two nodded, "Misdraevus, use Trick Room!" Misdraevus conjured up a gridline cube that expanded until it overtook the three ponies. It continued expanding, eventually fading into the background. "What happened?" asked Rarity, not seeing or feeling any changes. "Give it a sec" replied Twilight, still grinning, "hey Rainbow Dash, I bet you can't fly to that rock over there in less than three minutes." "Oh, you're on!" Rainbow Dash revved up her wings and took off in the sky. All of a sudden, she felt like she was swimming through molasses, "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, whatssssssssss going onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn?" "Twilightjustwhatsortoftrickeryhaveyoudonenow?" demanded Rarity. She gasped and covered her mouth. "Trick room" explained Twilight, "makes slow Pokemon fast, and fast Pokemon slow. It's a real cunning strategy to use on certain Pokemon that have low speed but lots of power." "I knewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww it! I'm the fasssssssssssssssssstest pony in annnnnnnnnnnnny universssssssssse!" "Andjustwhatisthismoveimplyingaboutme?" "Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre you goinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng normallllllllllllllll speed?" "I guess I'm right in the middle of the speed bell curve." "Twilighthowlongisthis going to last? Ah that's better." "It wears off on its own." replied Twilight. Rainbow Dash took off like a rocket. "Rainbow, where are you going?" Twilight called to the pegasus. "I still have to win that bet!" she called back. "Let her go" advised Rarity. "in the meantime, allow me to show you my Pokemon acquisition. Sableye, I choose you!" "Sableye!" "Isn't he cute?" gushed Rarity, "he's got a natural talent for finding gemstones! Wait till you see the haul, you won't believe..." She stopped, upon noticing that Twilight had a less than enchanted look on her face, "What's wrong, darling?" "This must be what it's like when you go to a formal event and you see somepony wearing the same dress as you." "Why that would be dreadful!" exclaimed Rarity, "but what relevance does it have here?" "Both of our Pokemon are ghost types. They share the same strengths, and weaknesses. If we run into any Dark type Pokemon, both of ours will have trouble with it." "Well I'm not replacing my little Sableye" said Rarity firmly. Sableye clutched to her leg shyly. "Then I guess we're at an impasse because I'm not giving up Misdraevus either. She can do spacial manipulation, she might be able to get us home." "You're grasping at straws! My Sableye has already proven himself more useful than that party trick." "I'm back! What's my time?" The two unicorns were snapped out of their spat by Rainbow Dash's return, "whoa, sensing some bad blood here." "Whatever, it's not important" said Twilight dismissively, "Rainbow, why don't you show us the Pokemon you caught? And for the love of all that's good, tell me it's not a ghost." "Nope" "Oh thank goodness. What is it then?" "Nothing! I can fight my own battles, thank you." "Rainbow, this is a dangerous environment. You need a Pokemon to protect yourself!" "Bah, I don't need any bodyguards. I fought a Pokemon ten times my size and I won!" "Because this is Starter Island! As the name would imply, the Pokemon are weaker here. They will get progressively stronger as we go. Don't be foolish." "Pfft, whatever" "Ummm, Twilight?" Rarity piped up. "What now?" lamented Twilight. She turned around to see two hostile-looking wild Pokemon, an Elgyem and a Mightyena. "You've got to be kidding me." ***** Following Applejack's lead, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy hiked through the volcanic mountain range. The air was boiling hot, and the foul smell of brimstone stung their nostrils. Their Pokemon walked alongside them, refusing the comfort of their Pokeballs to keep their masters' morale up. "My hoofies are tired" whined Pinkie Pie, "can we take a break soon?" "We can't quit now, we're nearly there!" insisted Applejack, "Ah can feel it in mah legs." "But I can't feel mine at all." "Maybe we should stop. Just for a little while" suggested Fluttershy. "Fine" Applejack acquiesced. They sat themselves down on some smooth rocks nearby. Applejack passed around her water and cactus fruit while the Pokemon chased after each other playfully. "Just look at the view from up here!" called Fluttershy. The other joined her on a ridge, and marveled at the view before them. Twilight had told them the terrains were mashed together haphazardly, but only now did they see it with their own eyes. "Wow" commented an awestruck Applejack. "Look Applejack, that lake's shaped like an apple!" said Pinkie Pie, "And those trees are shaped like your butterfly, Fluttershy." The two other scanned the landscape, and indeed, Pinkie was right. In fact, there was a geographical feature shaped like each of the ponies' cutie marks. "That Twilight" grinned Applejack, "ah do hope she and the others are ok." "APPLEJACK LOOK OUT!" cried Fluttershy. Applejack turned around to see a barrage of flaming embers flying right at her. Maractus dived in front and took the entirety of the attack. It clutched at its shoulder, wincing in pain. "Numel!!!" growled the attacker. "Pinkie, tell your Totdile to use Water Gun!" commanded Fluttershy "Uh, ok. Gummy 2, use Water Gun!" "Totodile!" Totodile fired a jet of water from its mouth. Numel winced as the water struck its body, and it dropped to the ground, defeated. "All right Gummy 2! All right Fluttershy!" cheered Pinkie. "Maractus, are you ok?" asked Applejack worriedly asked her Pokemon "Mar..." it replied feebly. Applejack could see a painful-looking burn mark on its arm from taking the Ember attack. "That don' look too good. I don' suppose either of y'all have any bandages, or ice?" The other two ponies shook their heads. "Totodile!" Gummy 2 waddled over to the injured Maractus with a Rawst Berry in hand. It extended to the berry to Applejack. "Er, thanks?" said Applejack quizzically "Totdile is that...?" began Fluttershy, "Oh, I remember now! Twilight said that certain berries in this world have medicinal properties. I found some earlier that heal damage, and this one must be for treating burns. Are you trying to tell us that that's what this one does?" she asked Pinkie's Pokemon. Totodile nodded. "Alrighty then. Down th' hatch, Maractus." Applejack tried to feed the berry to Maractus, but it shut its mouth firmly and turned its head away. "Maractus, didn't ya hear what ah said?" "Those berries taste like yuck!" explained Pinkie Pie. Applejack glared at her. "Look Maractus, ah know it may be bitter, but if ya don' take yer medicine, ya won't get better." Reluctantly, the cactus Pokemon opened its mouth, and let Applejack feed it the berry. It made a sour face as it chewed, but compliantly swallowed the Rawst. In an instant, its burn mark faded away, and it leapt to its feet with a vibrant "Maractus!" "Thassa good girl" praised Applejack. Now, are y'all ready to get movin' again? ***** "Hey freaks, get out of our way!" demanded Rainbow coarsely. The Mightyena and Elgyem growled at her. Elgyem blasted her with a Psybeam, knocking her to the ground. She tried to pick herself up, but staggered sideways and collapsed. "Still think you don't need Pokemon?" asked Twilight matter-of-factly. "Bluh" responded a dazed Rainbow Dash. "What do we do, Twilight?" asked Rarity worriedly. "Get ready for a crash course in Pokemon battling," she replied, motioning to their Pokemon, who were standing in front of them assuming fighting stances, "That Mightyena just so happens to be our worst-case scenario, a Dark type. You can start by burning him to weaken his attack." "Right. Sableye, Will-of-the-Wisp on Mightyena!" "It's Will-O-Wisp" corrected Twilight "Nevermind that now, just do it Sableye!" Sableye hurled a blue flame at Mightyena. The big dog recoiled in pain. It struck back with a Bite on Misdraevus, inflicting considerable damage in spite of its burn. Sensing a weak link, Elgyem fired a Psybeam at Misdraveus. "Sableye, take it!" shouted Rarity. Sableye dove in front of the attack, deflecting it harmlessly. "Nice call Rarity!" praised Twilight, "you remembered that Dark is immune to Psychic" "Oh, erm yes, I did" lied Rarity. "Midsraevus, Astonish!" "Miiiis!" The Pokemon approached Elgyem and gave a horrible shout, startling the psychic Pokemon. "Now Sableye, Wiil-O-Wisp on that Elgyem!" ordered Rarity. "Rarity no!" cried Twilight, but it was too late. The blue flame had already connected with Elgyem's forehead and left a singe mark on it. "See darling? Nothing to worry abo-" "SABLEYE!" yelped her Pokemon. A burn mark had appeared on its forehead too. "Elgyem's ability is Synchronize" explained Twilight, "when you give it a status condition like a Burn, your Pokemon gets one too." "Oh dear, I'm sorry Sableye" "Never mind, we can still win this. Misdraevus, Astonish again!" Misdraevus obliged, and hit Elgyem again, knocking it out. "Miiiiight!" snarled the Mightyena, and it charged at Sableye, teeth bared for another Bite attack. "Twilight what do I do?" asked a panicked Rarity, "I don't know any other moves." "Try a Night Shade!" "Sableye, Night Shade!" The Pokemon's diamond eyes glowed red, and it fired a jagged black beam at the Mightyena. The Pokemon was hardly abated, and it snatched up Sableye in its jaws, clamping down on Sableye as it struggled to get away. Finally, it spat it out, violently smacking it into the ground. Sableye staggered to its feet, managing only a belabored kneel. It winced in pain as it clutched its forehead. "Alright," said Twilight, "I didn't want it to come to this, but... Misdraevus, use Astonish again!" The attack barely scratched Mightyena, but diverted its attention from Sableye as Twilight had hoped. It roared, and charged Misdraevus, telegraphing its Bite attack. "Now Misdraevus, use Destiny Bond!" commanded Twilight. Mightyena grabbed Misdraevus in its jaws as the Pokemon cried out and struggled for its life. Unable to free itself, it went limp and motionless. "Twilight, what have you done???" cried Rarity. "I"ve won the battle" she replied stoically. Mightyena spat out the motionless Misdraevus, and barked aggressively. It turned and glared at Sableye, preparing to finish it off, but then it froze. Two purple swirls emitted from Misdraevus' eyes, and struck Mightyena's. A purple light enveloped it, draining its energy and scattering it to the heavens. Mightyena collapsed next to Twilight's Pokemon. Rarity looked on in utter shock, "Twilight... what happened? Are they..." "They're just fainted" assured Twilight. Recall your Pokemon, and let's get moving." The two of them returned their exhausted Pokemon to their Starter Balls, and Twilight hefted the semi-conscious Dash onto her back. They galloped northwards as fast as they could.