//------------------------------// // Chapter 4- Expanding the Team // Story: Twilight Sparkle has a Pokemon Journey // by Darkmetroidz //------------------------------// "So, anything else you wanna do?" Rainbow Dash asked. Her friend's words seemed to go straight through her. Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about what she had seen at Applejack's farm. She felt so sorry for her, but had to respect her dedication to her family. Still, it was a shame. Applejack was of a similar age to Twilight, probably a little older, and this was the time of a pony's life when they should be getting out to see the world. Regardless of how her journey ended, Twilight was eternally thankful to be able to go on it. An gentle nudge from Rainbow Dash brought Twilight back to reality. "Huh? Oh, um… I don't know." She said, not entirely sure what the question was. "Well in that case, you think you're ready to go face the Gym Leader?" Rainbow asked. "Not at all!" Twilight exclaimed, "I still want to at least catch another pokémon before I do. You know anywhere to go?" "Well, unless you want to spend all day fishing, the best place to find pokémon is around the Everfree forest. You get some scary stuff deep in there, but the ones you find around the edge aren't anything to worry about. Another friend of mine lives around there, maybe we should go pay her a visit." "Is she a trainer too?" Twilight asked. "Not exactly. She doesn’t really like battling, but she's a natural at caring for pokémon. She's training to be a breeder, might end up opening a day-care one day." Dash ran off down the road, with Twilight following as fast as she could manage. The house they were looking for was a few minutes down the road, which skirted along the edge of Ponyville but was for the most part through farmland and near the dark forest. They came to a stop near a quiet-looking cottage, which was only a stone's throw away from the edge of the forest. Rainbow Dash walked to the door and gave a single hard knock. "Just a fair warning, she's kind of, well… shy." A wispy mare opened the door. "Hi Rainbow Dash." She said softly. Then, seeing the newcomer, she closed the door to just a crack. "Um, hello…" She squeaked. "Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twilight smiled, trying to make a good introduction. "Im Fluttershy…" She whispered, so softly Twilight could barely hear it. "Sorry, what was that?" Shy wasn't beginning to cut it. This girl was so sheepish Twilight wondered how she could function. "I'm Fluttershy." She said, a tiny bit louder. Her blue eyes nervously scanned Twilight, before darting to the small pokémon at her feet. "Bulba! Saur!" Her pokémon said enthusiastically. "Ohmygosh, is that a Bulbasaur?" She screeched, nearly bowling Twilight over as she burst from her house. "I've never seen a real one, just drawings. Where did you get such a handsome pokémon?" "My old foalsitter Cadence gave it to me." Twilight smiled. Finally, I may be able to get somewhere with this mare. "She works for Princess Celestia, you know, the famous researcher?" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's jaws dropped at once. "You mean to tell me, you know THE Princess Celestia, the Pokémon Professor?" Rainbow Dash gasped. "That's incredible," Fluttershy added softly, "You must have so many rare pokémon if you're friends with the Princess." "Well no actually, right now it's just me and Bulbasaur," Twilight explained. "I was actually hoping to try to catch a pokémon around here if you wouldn't mind. I was hoping to challenge the Gym Leader soon, but I don't think I'm ready yet." "Oh my, you like to battle?" Fluttershy asked, again taking a more reserved stance. "I could never battle myself. Right Buneary?" A small pokémon hopped from inside, nibbling on a carrot as it moved. "Bun!" It nodded. "Oh, but I'm sure that if you're looking for a pokémon, you'll catch a lovely one!" She smiled. "Actually Fluttershy, that's why we're here." Rainbow explained. "You think you could be our guide? You know the forest like the back of your hoof." "Well, I suppose I know the woods pretty well." She conceded. "Well, at least the edges. I'm too scared to go in very deep." "That's all we need." Twilight assured. "Neither of us are fit to handle whatever lives deep in there." Fluttershy retreated into her house to grab some supplies. She returned with a lantern, a small bag of pokémon food, and a few dolls shaped like Clefairy. "They're poké dolls." She explained. "In case we run into anything scary, you throw one of these to distract it while you run." The trio set off into the forest, walking in single file with Fluttershy in the lead and Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. From what Twilight could tell, there was only one entrance to the forest, and that was straight along the path. Everywhere else, the trees and underbrush were too thick to enter or leave. Immediately after entering, the light level plummeted. "There is a move pokémon can learn that can light up dark places like this." Fluttershy whispered as she continued along the trail. "Flash can light up a dark place like this. Only problem is you need a gym badge to get the move, and there really aren't any pokémon that learn it naturally." Still, the lantern seemed to provide an acceptable level of illumination, at least for their purposes. The path, while narrow, was clear of any undergrowth. On either side, however, the grass grew tall and wild. "You'll be able to find pokémon in here." Fluttershy squeaked. "Be very quiet, and don't make any sudden movements." Twilight waded into the grass, taking every movement slowly and cautiously. The two pegasi waited on the trail with bated breath. From their left, a rustling came through the grass. "Eevee! Eevee!" The little pokémon cried. It was chasing after a flying Venemoth, which at the sight of the trainers, flew off. With the target of its chasing gone, the Eevee suddenly realized it was all alone, and far away from where it had came from. Its big, expressive eyes scanned its unfamiliar surroundings, and it began to cry out in fear. "Oh dear, the poor thing's all alone," Fluttershy gasped, "Eevee aren't usually found anywhere near here. It must have gotten lost." The pokémon had instinctively wrapped itself up in its tail in a vain attempt to protect itself. Its whole body was quaking like a leaf, and its wimpering cries seemed to echo throughout the woods. Twilight laid a gentle hoof on its fuzzy brown head. "It's okay little one. We can help you get home. Follow me." The Eevee stared at Twilight for a second, before hopping up onto her back with a happy yip. Twilight took the lantern from Fluttershy, and led the group towards the entrance to the forest. Once they had reached Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight let the Eevee get down. "Alright little one, run on home, okay?" The Eevee stared blankly at Twilight. "Vee?" It squeaked, tilting its head sideways. "Um, Twilight? I could be wrong, but I don't think she wants to leave." Fluttershy said with a slight smile. Surprised, her eyes returned to the little pokémon. "Is that true Eevee? Do you want to stay with me?" "Eevee!" It cried happily. "Can't argue with that." Rainbow Dash laughed. "Hey Twilight, you have a pokéball for it?" She stuck a hoof in her saddlebag and searched around. Cadence had given her two extras back in Canterlot. Finally, her hoof found one. "Yep!" Twilight held out the pokéball and pointed it straight at Eevee. "Alright Eevee, you're mine!" She threw the ball at Eevee, who seemed to be smiling when it hit her forehead. Eevee was absorbed by the red aura of the pokéball, which landed on the ground and began to wiggle. Finally, after three shakes, the ball clicked. Twilight held the pokéball aloft in triumph. "Yes, yes, yes, YES!" She cheered. Rainbow Dash gave her a high five, and Fluttershy gave her a shy smile. The sun was beginning to set over Ponyville. She looked off toward the horizon, and smiled. "Look out Gym Leader, we're coming for you."