//------------------------------// // Chapter 10- The Journey West // Story: Twilight Sparkle has a Pokemon Journey // by Darkmetroidz //------------------------------// After spending a night out celebrating the four badges the group had earned the day before, and admiring Hoppip's evolution, the group returned to the Pokémon center for some well-earned rest, to plan out their next move in the morning. After waking up later than usual, the group gathered around the table, breakfast in hoof, to consult the Town Map and decide where to go next. "Appleoosa's the next stop." Applejack concluded, pointing to the small town on the map. "That's usually where trainers go after Fillydelphia." Everypony else seemed less than enthusiastic. "You sure AJ? That looks really far." Rainbow Dash pointed out. Appleoosa being far away was an understatement. In order to get there, they would need to journey back past Ponyville and travel that same distance further west. Appleoosa was easily one of the most remote cities in all of Equestria. "I certainly hope you don't intend for us to walk all that way." Rarity added, more than a little irritated. "That's well over two weeks on hoof, assuming nothing slows us down. "Now, calm down y'all. I ain't said nothing about walkin'." Applejack said with a grin. "We can take the train out that way. The railroad runs straight there." The mention of a train visibly relieved the other mares. "A long train ride sure sounds nice." Fluttershy said with a relaxed sigh. "It would be nice to be able to just sit and relax for awhile in a nice, comfortable train car." Plus I can probably get us a great deal on tickets too." Applejack added. "I just gotta give my cousin Braeburn a call and tell 'im we're coming." "You have family out there Applejack?" Twilight asked. Applejack nodded. "Sure do. A few of the relatives went out and helped found the town. Our apples are what feeds the town." She excused herself from the table to go and make a phone call, leaving the others to talk about this latest development. "Do any of you girls know anything about the Appleoosa city gym?" Twilight asked finally, breaking the silence that had settled. "I hear whoever it is, they use ground type pokémon." Rainbow answered. "Should be a good battle. Both you and I have pokémon that work well in that match." Twilight agreed, but still, she knew it was never that easy with gym leaders. Even though she had a type advantage against Flim and Flam with her Cubone, they still had a few tricks ready to use against her. Even if they only used one type, gym leaders were still highly experienced trainers, and knew how to compensate for their team's weaknesses. Applejack returned with a victorious grin spread across her face. "Good news gang. Braeburn said he knows some folks and can pull some strings to get us out there for next to nothin." The news came as a delight to the group. The lifestyle of a trainer meant that any opportunity to save a few bits should be welcomed. "That's great Applejack," Twilight smiled, "When do we leave?" "We're supposed to be on the one o'clock train." Applejack answered back. The six took a collective look at the clock. The time read twelve twenty. Realizing the time, the mares galloped out of the pokémon center and made a beeline towards the train station. Luckily they had located it on the map before, and as luck would have it, the station was not far, just a few blocks down main street. Still, they moved at a hurried pace, not wanting to miss the train. The clock read 12:40 when they reached the station, leaving them just enough time to pick up their tickets from the desk and hurry down to the platform. "Whew. We made it in the nick of time." Applejack breathed. "I… need to get… in better shape." Twilight wheezed, out of breath from the run. In the few weeks she had been on her journey, her ability to walk long distances had improved dramatically, but her sprinting, which had always been pathetic, had not gotten much better. "We can all sit easy now." Applejack chuckled, pointing toward the large train that was pulling into the station. "All aboard!" Cried the conductor. Each mare presented her ticket and found a seat. The tickets they had gotten put them each in pairs in various sections of the same car. Twilight had been seated with Fluttershy near the front, leaving Applejack and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow and Rarity further back. "You excited Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. Out of the entire group, it always seemed that Fluttershy was the odd mare out among the six. On several occasions Twilight had found herself wondering if Fluttershy had really wanted to come, or had just followed the group. "Yes." She answered with a smile. "Why, are you?" "Of course, it's just…" Twilight paused, trying to find the best way to phrase what she wanted to say, "It's just sometimes I don't know if you're having a good time out with us or not." "Oh no, I'm having a wonderful time." Fluttershy said reassuringly. "I may not like battling, and I've gotten scared a lot, at the end of the day I'm still around great friends and doing things I wouldn't get the chance to otherwise. I never would have worked up the courage to leave Ponyville by myself, but since I'm with other ponies, especially trainers who are as strong as you and Rainbow Dash, I feel much safer." "Wow… thanks Fluttershy. That means a lot." Twilight was flattered by Fluttershy's remark. Nopony had ever told Twilight that her presence made them feel safe before. "Oh, it's nothing. And even though I don't do any battling, I still love being able to see all sorts of new pokémon." Fluttershy pulled her backpack down from the luggage rack and dug through it, pulling out a notebook whose cover was dotted with flowers. "I've been keeping a journal about all the pokémon I see. It's not much, just some sketches and things." Twilight flipped it open and saw page upon page of drawings of pokémon, along with scattered notes about how they behaved. Twilight was engrossed looking at her friend's work. "Fluttershy, this is incredible!" The amount of detail in each drawing was astonishing, especially given the complex actions she had drawn them performing. One page had a sketch of Steve, before he evolved, floating about in the air. Another depicted Bulbasaur eating a berry. There was one of Plusle and Minun helping each other throw an iron ball, and a huge drawing of the Team Umbra Commander's Moltres spreading its wings majestically. "These are amazing!" "It's nothing really. Just something I do in my spare time." "Are you sure you don't want to be an artist?" Twilight asked. "Or heck, you could probably work as an illustrator for a book company. There aren't too many ponies who can draw all sorts of pokémon this well. "I'm sure." Fluttershy answered. "Drawing is a hobby, but my passion is caring for pokémon. I think I want to try my hoof at running a day-care center." "You'd be an amazing caretaker." Twilight reassured. The train ride took the better part of a day, but by evening they had reached Appleoosa. The train station was little more than a small wooden platform surrounded by the harsh badlands that was Appleoosa. The town itself was an oasis of orchards in an otherwise hostile desert. Grooves of apple trees encircled the town and the area around it, but just beyond the edge of the orchards lay a terrain of sandy soil and exposed rock. A stallion with a pale yellow coat awaited them on the platform, a few steps back from the edge. "Cousin Applejack?" He asked with a smile, looking toward the group. "Howdy Braeburn, it's been awhile." Applejack trotted to her cousin and wrapped her hooves around his neck. "These here are my friends: Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. We're all travellin' round together 'cross Equestria." "So, y'all are trainers?" Braeburn asked excitedly. "That's mighty dandy that y'all are goin' on a trip. So I reckon y'all are here to challenge the gym?" "Just Twilight, Rainbow and me." Applejack corrected. "Hoped that while we were here, us Apples could show these city folk a good time." Braeburn chuckled knowingly. "Well, y'all are here at the right time. We're hosting the Annual Appleoosa Trainer's Cup in a few days. Would'ya be interested in entering?" "Count me in!" Rainbow answered. "And me." Applejack added. "I'd love to enter a tournament." Twilight added. "Any of you others?" Braeburn asked. "Sure thing!" Pinkie Pie answered cheerily. Rarity, who had remained silent so far, spoke up. "Perchance, what is the prize for the winner? Out of curiosity of course." "Winner gets a darn fine trophy, a big dinner in their honor, and a mighty rare pokémon as a prize." Rarity seemed underwhelmed by the prizes. "Thanks, but I'll pass…" Right as she said that, Kirlia sprang forth from her pokéball. "Kirlia! Kir! Kir!" She said frantically, motioning her arms dramatically. "You want to enter?" Rarity asked her pokémon, surprised by her sudden desire to fight. "Kir! Kirlia Kir!" She answered with a nod of her head. "Well, I cannot say no to you my dear. Very well Braeburn, we shall compete as well." "That's just dandy!" He smiled. "The event starts the day after tomorrow, at the fairgrounds. Lots of ponies will come out to watch, just you see." "That's great cuz." Applejack said, "Now tell me this, where can we get a place for the night? It's gettin' late and we're gonna want to get up bright 'n early to train." "The cantina down the road has rooms for travelers." He said, pointing to a two-story building down the dirt street. "Good luck." "Thanks Braeburn!" They smiled as they cantered down the road to the inn. The moon had risen high in the sky, and the six were anxious to get some sleep. Appleoosa didn't seem to have a full pokémon center, so they would have to settle with renting rooms for the night. Perhaps by tomorrow they could find another, preferably free, place to stay, but after a nine hour train ride the six were flat out exhausted. They pushed open the doors to the cantina and began walking towards the bar, oblivious to the blue mare sitting in a table in the far corner. "Well, well, well. Look what blew in with the tumbleweeds." Trixie said with an obnoxious grin. "What brings you losers to town?" Twilight grit her teeth. Nurse Redheart's advice to stay away from Trixie still rung in her head. Her appearance here could mean nothing but trouble. "If you must know, we're here for the gym, and for the tournament." She answered, trying to maintain a civil tone. "Ooh, the gym. Trixie defeated the pathetic leader yesterday." She said with a scoff. Trixie pulled the collar of her cape to display the three badges pinned to it. "And of course I intend to win the Appleoosa Trainer's Cup as well. Quite frankly, Trixie is a shoo in. There's nopony anywhere near strong enough to even present a challenge." "That's what you think." Twilight growled. "I promise I'll beat you." Twilight had felt something snap in her head. Whether it was because of exhaustion from the long ride or simply she had gotten sick of Trixie's attitude, she couldn't tell. Trixie stood from her table, pushing aside the mug of cider she had been sipping. "If you're so confident in your abilities, why don't we battle now?" Trixie asked smugly. "I'm sure you'll find that Trixie is more than capable of beating you again." Twilight took a step back, nervous. She knew she couldn't legally refuse a challenge, but at the same time, she didn't want to see her pokémon get hurt. At least at the tournament Trixie would need to avoid excessive force because of the officials present. When it was just them, she could be as cruel as she wanted. However, before the situation could escalate any further, a solution presented itself in the form of Rarity. "There shall be none of that." She scolded. "It's forbidden in tournaments for participants to engage in battles right before major events. Save your strength for the tournament, Trixie." Trixie sighed, disappointed. "Fine. Trixie will just have to wait until she has an audience to destroy you. Smell you later, Twilight Failure." She tossed down a smoke pellet and vanished, leaving Twilight and friends coughing in the white haze. "Thanks Rarity." Twilight breathed. "You saved my tail there. How did you know about that rule? I didn't even know it and I studied competition rules while I was still in school." Rarity smiled knowingly. "I made it up." She confessed. "You… WHAT?" Twilight screamed. "Darling, I knew you didn't want to fight her, and I know what horrid things she would try to do to your pokémon. Besides, we haven't done anything illegal. She didn't issue you a challenge, so it's not like you refused." "But…" She stammered. "If she finds out, it will be so close to the tournament that she'd want to save her strength." Rarity finished. "Don't worry darling, I've got you covered. To be perfectly honest, I hope I run into that uncouth mare during the events of the tournament. It would be my greatest pleasure to teach her a lesson." "She's very strong." Twilight said, hoping to discourage her friend. "She may be arrogant and mean, but she does have the skills to back it up." "Saying she's strong is an understatement." A stallion who had seen the whole exchange go down said with a sigh. "That mare's downright brutal. I'm new in town, and when I came in, I decided to go watch some battles at the gym. When I got there, I saw her take on the Gym Leader, Sheriff Silver Star. It barely looked like she was trying." "What pokémon did she use?" Rainbow Dash asked. The gray stallion struggled to remember. "Well, when she battled the Gym Leader, she had a Charmeleon, a Haunter, and a Deino. Later that day I saw her feeding her pokémon, and she also had an Eevee, a Skorupi, and a Misdreavus." "SIX pokémon!?" Twilight gasped. "Do you know what format the tournament uses?" If she couldn't beat Trixie in a 2 vs. 2, there was no way she could win a 3 vs. 6. "It's a one on one." He answered. "It's a round-robin tournament with the top eight trainers moving on to the elimination round." The knowledge that she would only have to face one member of Trixie's party as opposed to all six reassured Twilight, at least a little. "Thank you for your help sir. As for us, I think we should get some sleep." "You're welcome." He smiled. "I'm assuming you're here for the tournament?" "That's right." Twilight answered. "As am I." He chuckled. "Name's Prism by the way." Twilight and company made their introductions to the gray stallion, who greeted each with a hoofshake and a smile. "Well thank you again," Twilight said with a bow, "If you'll excuse us, it's getting late. We should probably go to bed." The other mares nodded in agreement, and went to make arrangements for two rooms. Fluttershy, Twilight and Rarity went to one, Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow to the other. "Goodnight girls." Twilight yawned. "We've got a full day of training ahead of us."