The World's Greatest Team of Six

by CassandraMyOCisBestpony

North by Southwest, Part 1

"Be careful you two, it's really steep" called Fluttershy. The two earth ponies were scaling a rock wall, cautiously placing their hooves into outcroppings and holes. Fluttershy thanked Celestia she was born a pegasus, there was no way she could have taken the hard way down like her friends.

"Fluttershy, you rocked back there!" called Pinkie Pie

"Yeah, ah reckon we'd be in a real pickle if not fer you!" added Applejack, "that was some mighty quick thinkin'!"

"Oh, it was nothing" blushed Fluttershy, "Twilight taught me a lot about the game before she told me it was about...battling." She looked away ashamedly, as if she had just said a curse word, "She told me about type-matchups and I thought maybe water would put out fire."

"Well accident or not, ya really pulled us outta th' fryin' pan."

Pinkie Pie chortled, "Hee hee, good one Applejack"

"What ah'm trying ta say, Fluttershy, is we could really use yer Pokemon knowledge. 'Cause even if battlin' ain't yer wheelhouse, ah have a feelin' were gonna be doin' a lot more of it before this is over."

"Ok" replied Fluttershy, "here's what I remember..."

As Applejack and Pinkie continued their descent, Fluttershy began with her exposition of everything she could remember. She taught them the attributes of the seventeen types, described the geography of the Kanto region, and finally, hesitantly lectured them on battles. Finally, they reached the rocky floor below. Peering over the edge, they saw to their relief that it was only two feet from the ground. But even more gratifying than the drop was the ground on which they landed; white sand below them, and the shimmering blue sea ahead.

"We did it y'all!" cheered Applejack, "We made it to th' north side of the island!!!" The three of them couldn't help but to jump for joy, cheering and high-hooving each other.

"How long before the others get here?" wondered Fluttershy

"Knowin' Rainbow Dash, she's prolly gonna be here any second. If there's one thing she hates more'n losin' a race, it's losin' by a wide margin."

"A ship! A ship!" called Pinkie Pie. The other two turned with a start to Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing around at the shoreline. Indeed, at the vertex of the triangular island, a triple-masted sailing ship was parked in the sand.

"Wow" was all Fluttershy could muster.

"That's a fine lookin' vessel" added Applejack, "Ah can't wait till we get 'er on th' open ocean."

"Boat Party!" declared Pinkie Pie, "Ooh, I hope there's some snacks!" She hopped onto the ship. "Aww, nothing here!" she called. Suddenly, she felt a horrible shaking under her feet that bowled her right over.

"Um guys?" she called out nervously, "the ship's starting to move."

"What? How!" demanded Applejack

"I don't know, it just started moving on its own!"

"Drop th' anchor sugarcube!"

"I can't find one!"

"Well we gotta stop th' ship from leavin', th' others ain't here yet! Help me pull, all of y'all!" Applejack grabbed hold of the back of the ship with her forelegs and dug her hooves into the ground. The others followed suit, but even with their combined strengths, the ship continued unimpeded.

"Call out yer Pokemon!" ordered Applejack. They obliged, and their Pokemon grabbed hold of the ship too, but their meager sizes contributed nothing to abate the ship's progress.

"The water's getting deeper" exclaimed Fluttershy, "We have to get on the boat soon!"

"Don't you dare get on that boat!" yelled Applejack furiously, "Our friends'll be here any moment, and ah intend ta hold this till they do."

"Applejack." said Pinkie in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "we have to go." She and Totodile let go of the boat and climbed onto the deck.

"Fine, forget you! Ah'll do it on my own if ah have to!

"Applejack, please!" begged Fluttershy, "the water's above our legs, it isn't safe anymore! Masquerain's waterlogged, he can't fly!" She airlifted her exhausted Masquerain to safety, then came back down for Applejack. "Please don't make me force you" she pleaded desperately.

"This ship ain't leavin' without our friends, an' that's final- hey! What're ya doin???" Fluttershy had wrapped her arms around Applejack, and was trying to pry her free.

"It's for your own good..."

"NGOOO!" grunted Applejack, and she swatted Fluttershy away, clipping her face. Fluttershy clutched her nose in pain.

"Fluttershy, are you ok???" cried a concerned Pinkie Pie, as Fluttershy landed on the deck.

"I'm fine Pinkie" insisted Fluttershy, though her nosebleed suggested otherwise.

"Alright, we can still do this" said a determined Applejack, "Maractus, use Ingrain!"

"Don't, Applejack!" protested Fluttershy, "she's completely underwater, she'll be stuck!"

Maractus hesitated. It looked to Fluttershy, then Applejack

"Maractus, yer master gave you an order!!! Now use INGRAIN!!!" roared Applejack furiously.

"Maractus, use Grasswhistle!" commanded Fluttershy.

"Maractus, you WILL obey-" started Applejack, but she was interrupted by a shrill noise coming from her Pokemon. From its pursed lips came a sweet tune that reminded Applejack of of the crisp smell of ripe red apples in the autumn. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she succumbed to the soothing song.

Fluttershy dove into the water and retrieved the slumbering Applejack and her Pokemon.

"I'm sorry Applejack" whimpered Fluttershy, tears forming in her eyes

"Sorry? She hit you!" argued Pinkie Pie.

"I know" sniffled Fluttershy, "can we... do anything that doesn't involve... this?"

"Umm, ok. Ooh I know, I think there were towels in the hold, I'll go get some."

Masquerain waddled over to Fluttershy with a sympathetic look. It brushed her face with its antenna. Fluttershy mustered up a hopeful smile,

"She has a good heart. We've already been separated from half our group, so the three of us are sticking together no matter what."

Pinkie Pie returned with the towels. Fluttershy wrapped herself and Masquerain in one of them, and draped the other over the sleeping Applejack.

*****

Rarity and Twilight continued their canter with Rainbow Dash in tow. Eventually, she began to stir, and awoke,

"What.. happened, Twilight? And why am I on your back?"

"You were arguing that you could fight your own battles, and then a Pokemon knocked you out with one hit."

"Oh yeah, now I remember. He got the jump on me." she explained dismissively

"You seem well enough to walk" replied Twilight curtly, dumping Rainbow onto the sand.

"Twilight, why are you getting so hung up on me catching a Pokemon?"

"Because that's the way things work here. Your worth is determined by your Pokemon, that's the way things work here, everyone catches Pokemon. You're just giving yourself an unnecessary handicap

"Well that's too bad..." Rainbow got to her feet, brushing sand out of her fur. She took her Starter Ball and hurled it away "...because "I'm NEVER catching a Pokemon!"

"I think you just did" said Rarity

The three of them hurried over to the spot where Rainbow Dash's Pokeball lay.

"What now?" asked Rainbow Dash

"Throw it, and see if anything comes out" offered Twilight with a shrug

"Ok then... Whoever you are, I choose you!" The Pokeball popped open, revealing its contents. Simultaneously, Rarity's face lit up like a Hearth's Warming Eve tree, and Rainbow Dash's went white as a sheet.

"Happiny!" cheered Rainbow Dash's acquisition.

"Aww, she's soooooooooooooooooo cute!!!" gushed Rarity

"This is supposed to battle other Pokemon?" asked Rainbow incredulously.

"Hey, looks can be deceiving." insisted Twilight, using all the willpower in Equestria to stifle a laugh.

"Fine, tell me what this pink blob can do"

"Let's see... Its name is Happiny, it's the Playhouse Pokemon. Moves include Sweet Kiss, Charm, Copycat, ooh and Softboiled, not many Pokemon can learn that, and-"

"and let me guess, it's powered by happiness and smiles"

"Well, actually..."

"Oh come on!!! Wait, we can trade Pokemon, you said so, I remember. How about it Rarity? You said it was cute?"

"For my precious Sableye? Not in a million years!"

"Twilight?"

"I appreciate the offer Rainbow, but I'm quite content with Misdraevus. Look, your first impression of Tank wasn't all that positive, if I recall, but now you wouldn't trade him for the world!"

"You had to play the 'Tank' card. Fine I'll keep Happiny, but ONLY because we don't have any other healthy Pokemon between us right now."

"That's the spirit! Now let's keep moving, we've been sidetracked too long, and the others are probably wai-"

"TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT!" shrieked Rarity, pointing to the sky. Up in the air, they saw a blue military-style helicopter the size of a naval battleship, its whirring of its blades louder than any creature of the sky.

"Quickly, get your flares out!" shouted Twilight over the noise.

"We don't have them, they got soaked!" shouted back Dash

"What??? But...never mind, I've still got mine." Twilight hurriedly fished around in her saddlebag for the flare. Not even bothering with the matches, she used her magic to light the fuse. The three shielded their eyes as a brilliant shower of sparks and crimson smoke shot up into the sky.

"Did they see it?" asked Rarity.

"I don't...wait yes! They're landing!" cried Twilight as the chopper descended and touched down on the beach. Two men in striped shirts, blue cargo pants, and skull insignia bandannas emerged from the aircraft.

Twilight's face dropped,

"we have to get out of here" she whispered at her friends.

"What, why?" asked Rarity bewildered, "These men are here to rescue us!"

"I'll explain later. Now come on!" Rarity and Dash looked quizzically at each other, but followed Twilight's panicked lead.

"Spheal, use Icy Wind!" shouted one of the men, calling out his Pokemon. The moment it materialized, Spheal fired a blast of frigid blue air at the three retreating ponies. They tried their best to keep up the pace, but the cold numbed their legs, bringing them to a halt in seconds. They were fully conscious, but unable to resist as the men hoisted them onto their shoulders and carried them into the lower deck of their aircraft, a dimly lit corridor of dingy unoccupied crew rooms. After taking away their saddlebags, the men deposited them into three adjacent rooms and slammed the doors shut.

The three hurriedly snatched the blankets off their respective beds, seeking whatever warmth they could. Twilight tried to open her door, but unsurprisingly found it locked.

"Thath nwway t' tree a la'y" protested Rarity as the numbness lingered her lips.

"At least we can hear each other through the walls, right?" offered Twilight optimistically.

"T-t-twilight, who were they?" asked Rainbow Dash shivering

"Team Aqua" replied Twilight

"Ba' guyth?" asked Rarity

"They're environmental extremists. They want to get rid of the land and expand the sea, so I doubt they're too happy about Starter Island springing up out of nowhere. Given our imprisonment, I would wager that they suspect we're responsible for it."

"S-s-so where are they taking us?" asked Rainbow Dash

"If I had to guess, to some secret base in Hoenn."

"Wherth tha'?"

Twilight looked out her window despairingly, "To the southwest. Not even remotely near Pallet Town."

Author's Note:

Big thanks to Pwassone from Deviantart (http://pwassonne.deviantart.com/) for the Trainer Cards - he did all the hard work, I just recolored and added sprites.

Comments

[butterfield pancake]

Hmmm a Happiny? Well if I remember Correctly When Brock had has before it became a Chansey she was strong enopugh to throw him in the air

[RagamuffinQ]

Oh, that's what they look like. See if I knew anything about Pokemon I would already know what they look like.

[RvB-DESTROYER]

Very interesting. I hope this continues!!!

[LakieLegion]

3393409 yeah, similar thing with Brock's Bonsly aswell, those baby pokemon can become some really powerful pokes

I think Masquerain is a bit of an overpowered pokemon for a starter, but seeing as it is Fluttershy, I can cope

[CassandraMyOCisBestpony]

3402741 Right, thx for telling me, I've fixed it.