"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed as he spun around, staring at the trees that surrounded the group.
Flash, Twilight and Springer all smiled at his enthusiasm. The three of them had left the city limits of Canterlot a little over an hour ago, finding the path that would lead them to Trottingham City. As soon as they started on the path, Spike's excitement continued to grow as he ran ahead...only for his happiness to fade as he slowed down. "Aw man. Where are they?"
"Where are what?" Flash asked as he, Twilight and Springer caught up to him.
"The Pokémon!" Spike yelled as he turned back to the group, pointing at the forest around him, "We're out in the wild, so where are all the wild Pokémon?"
Twilight laughed under her breath, shaking her head. "Spike, we're still pretty close to the city. You can't just look up at any old tree and see one right off the bat, especially near such a populated area. You need to look in specific locations, where the Pokémon you're trying to find would likely make its home."
"But, aren't we in the wild already?" Spike asked, only to see Twilight push her glasses up, a shine sparkling at the corner of the lens.
Flash and Springer gave each other a grimace-filled look, as they could tell a lecture was coming. With that, Twilight shined a confident smile as she replied, "Allow me to explain Spike. When hunting for Pokémon, the first thing you need to consider is its basic nutritional and habit needs. This will allow you to narrow down your search and waste less time looking. Additionally-" She did not get to finish, as Spike used this opportunity to throw his hands in front of her mouth.
"Okay, okay!" he yelled, a frustrated scowl on his face. "I get it. I can't just see Pokémon whenever I want. Geez, do you have to take the fun out of everything sis?!"
Flash and Springer both laughed at the soon pouting face Twilight gave her little brother. Seeing this, Flash patted Spike's head as he said, "I'm guessing this is your first time outside of the city, huh Spike?"
"Ri." Springer added.
"Yeah...it is." Spike sighed as he looked up at the sky. "I've always wanted to see the world, but never got the chance because I was too young. Since I can't have a Pokémon yet, I couldn't leave the city since it's dangerous."
"Well of course it is," Twilight told him, wiggling a finger in confidence. "There's wild Pokémon, not to mention those who would want to try and steal your belongings. That's why its not recommended to travel anywhere by foot, unless you have a Pokémon."
"I know, I know. You've told me that like, a thousand times before Twilight." Spike groaned as Twilight's pout returned to her face. Smirking at this, he continued, "That's why I'm so pumped to be travelling now! I wanna see a ton of different Pokémon so I know a whole bunch about them before my own journey!"
"Makes sense," Flash said as he patted his partner on the head. "Don't worry, we're bound to run into something sooner or later."
Springer nodded. "Ri."
In that moment, Spike's wish came true. From out of one of the trees, a black blur shot out and flew over their heads. The figure zipped through the air before flying back into the tree line. Blinking at the sight, Spike pointed at the valley of lumber, "Whoa! What was that?!"
"Not sure," Flash commented as he blinked at the sight as well. "I didn't get a good look at it."
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, "Considering it stayed in the air like that, its probably a Flying type Pokemon."
Hearing this, Spike perked up and shot forward, quickly rushing into the woods. "Wait up!" he yelled as he ran through some bushes.
"Spike!" Twilight called out as she, Flash and Springer followed him. "Get back here! Its too dangerous!"
Unfortunately, this plea fell on deaf ears as Spike made his way through the woods, soon finding himself into a woodland clearing. There, he saw a new sight, one that was exactly as Twilight had said. In front of him was a Flying type bird Pokémon that was about a foot in height. It's main body was sphere like, with black feathers covering all but its chest and face. Its chest was bright red, while its face had a patch of yellow between it's large black eyes. It's beak was yellow, while the outside of its wings were black with red on the inside. It had a pair of black feet, while its tail was made up of two yellow tail-feathers on either side of a large red tail-feather.
"Whoa, cool!" He said before feeling something grab hold of his hood and yank him back into the treeline. Looking up, he saw that the culprit was Twilight, who had an annoyed look on her face. She, Flash and Springer were hiding behind the bushes, so as not to be spotted.
"Spike..." she growled, her face now right up in his. "You can't just run off like that!"
Spike just chuckled nervously before looking away, "I know...I just wanted to see what it was."
Flash looked up at the bird like Pokémon, "Whose that Pokémon?" He asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Chickling
Category: Hatchling Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Info: It's wing muscles grow slower than most. Because of this fact, this Pokémon takes longer than any other Pokemon to learn how to successfully fly.
"Well, that one didn't seem to have any problems," Flash said as they watched the Chickling begin to preen itself. It was here that they heard a volley of rustling coming from the trees around them. They looked up, only to see a bunch of Chicklings fly out and land in the clearing.
"Wow..." Spike gasped as he tried to count how many Pokémon were in front of him. "It's a whole flock of Chickling."
"Guess this is their territory," Twilight added as she looked the scene. "Interesting. I never imagined there would be a flock this big, this close to the city."
They continued to watch as the Chicklings preened and fed themselves, all showing that they truly were a big family of wild Pokémon. But as they watched, Flash tapped his partner's shoulder and winked at him, "Come on bud, let's go catch one of them."
"Ri!" Springer replied before the two of them hopped out of the bushes.
Twilight went wide-eyed at this, losing her footing as she fell into the bushes behind her as she called out, "Flash, wait! That's a Flying type! Springer can't-ack!"
But this also fell on deaf ears as Flash and Springer stepped up to the flock, who all turned to look up at them. "Chickling, prepare yourself to be captured. Springer, I choose you!" The Riolu leapt in front of its trainer, ready for battle.
The closest Chickling got into a battle stance, spreading its wings and lifting itself into the air.
"Nice. I like your spirit Chickling!" Flash complimented as he pointed at the bird, "Alright Springer, let's use Quick Attack!" Springer obeyed and shot towards the Chickling at high speed. But as Springer leapt into the air to strike, Chickling flapped its wings, the feathery appendages suddenly glowing white. The wing then smacked Springer in the face, instantly knocking him into the dirt.
"Springer!" Flash yelped as he saw his partner slam into the ground, "You okay?!"
"It just used Wing Attack!" Twilight yelped as she finally got out of the bush.
"Ri..." Springer moaned as it started to pick itself up. He then looked up, only to see that the Chickling now had the rest of it's flock with it in the air. The group now bunched together, all of their wings began to glow.
"Uh-oh...that's not good." Flash gulped as he pointed at the flock. Before he could say anything else, the Chicklings all flapped their wings in sync, instantly creating a gust of wind. The blast of air hit Springer, knocking him into the air and into the stomach of one Flash Sentry, both flying over the bushes Spike and Twilight were hiding in.
"AUGH!" Flash yelled as they hit a tree, the duo slumping down the lumber with spirals in their eyes.
"Whoa...that looked like it hurt." Spike commented as he blinked at the sight.
"Flash!" Twilight cried as she got out of the bush, running over with panic all over her face. "Are you two okay?!"
Flash and Springer continued to have spirals for eyes, their bodies waving back and forth as Flash replied, "Ask me again when the world stops spinning...."
"Riiiioluuuu…"
Twilight sighed as she shook her head, leaning down to help Flash up. "If you hadn't rushed in and instead listened to me, I could have told you that a Fighting type like Springer is weak to a Flying type like Chickling. Not only that, you just went against a whole flock of them!" She and Spike turned back to the clearing, only to see that the Chicklings were flying away. "So much for catching one of them."
"Wait!" Spike said as he pointed to the ground, "Look! There's one left."
Twilight followed his finger and saw another Chickling, pecking at the ground. "There is. Why didn't it fly away with the others?"
"Who cares!" Flash yelled as him and Springer got up and ran over to the Pokémon, "Let's get it before it can act!"
"Ri!"
"Flash!" Twilight tried to yell, only to facepalm, "Not again! Didn't he just hear a word of what I just said?!"
Stepping out of the bushes, Flash and Springer caught the Chickling's attention. It stared at them with its wings spread, looking like it was about to take off. However, Flash pointed at the bird and commanded, "Quick Attack! Do it now!" Springer shot forwards, instantly dealing a powerful kick to the Pokémon's chest.
The Chickling rolled back at the blow, only to quickly get back to its feet. "Chick, chickling!" it growled at Springer before its body glowed. The light shot off it and took the form of several Chicklings, all staring at Springer.
"It used Double Team?" Twilight pondered as she blinked at the Pokémon's choice of move. "Why didn't it use a Flying type move?"
"Doesn't matter. We'll just use Double Team as well!" Flash commanded as he waved his hand. "Do it Springer!"
"Ri!" Springer cried as he performed the attack, multiplying himself to match the number of Chicklings.
The Chicklings all stared at the many Springers, trying to figure out which one was the real one. But as it did, Flash crossed his arms with a cheeky smirk. "We got him now partner. Lock onto his aura and use Force Palm!"
"Ri!" Springer yelled as he did just that, the copies all closing their eyes and focusing until they found the right one. Then, one of them ran straight at the Chickling in the center of the group. Once there, he thrust his paw into its chest, a burst of power following the blow as it was sent flying back. The Chickling let out a cry of pain as it slammed into the ground with a thud, only to pick itself back up again.
While this was happening, Twilight and Spike watched intensely. Spike's eyes shined like gold as he squealed, "This is awesome."
Twilight on the other hand, just stared at the Chickling as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Strange. Why isn't it taking to the sky? It'd have a great advantage if it did, so why isn't it? Unless..." As she pondered at the sight, the Chickling charged forward, moving at blinding speed as it slammed Springer with its beak. This caused the fake Springers to disappear, the real one staggering backwards from the blow. Chickling's wings then glowed as it swung on forward, hitting Springer with a Wing Attack that once again made him stagger back. Twilight's eyes went wide as she blinked at the sight, "It just used Peck and Wing Attack without flying!"
Flash frowned at this. "Springer, back off!" The Riolu leapt back, landing a safe distance away from the Chickling. "Now, use Aura Sphere!" The ball of blue energy appeared in his paw, which he then tossed at Chickling at a downward angle. The Flying type saw it coming and jumped back, allowing the attack to hit the ground and explode. The up-draft caught Chickling's wing, causing it to be lifted into the air.
"Hey! Its flying now!" Spike cried out as he pointed at the bird. Twilight wasn't so sure though. She looked closely at the Chickling's face, only to notice a look of uncertainty on it. It was as if it didn't know what to do.
"Springer! Quick Attack, now!" Flash yelled, knocking Twilight out of her observing trance. Springer nodded at the command and rushed forwards, getting beneath the Chickling as he built up speed. There, he launched himself into the air with that speed, spinning in the sky as he then smacked the Pokémon with his tail.
"LING!" Chickling cried as crashed into the ground.
See his chance, Flash pulled out an empty Pokeball and enlarged it. "Alright!" he said as he pulled his arm back, "Go Pokeball!" He tossed the ball at the Flying type, the aim perfect as it hit the Chickling dead-on. As soon as it did, the Pokeball opened up and unleashed a swirl of red energy that surrounded the Pokémon. Everyone watched as Chickling was converted into energy, soon being sucked into the Pokeball, only for the top to slam shut as it tapped the ground.
"He did it!" Spike cheered with his hands raised in the air, only to feel a hand grab his shoulder.
"Not yet," Twilight told him as she held Spike's shoulder.
They all stared at the Pokeball, watching it start to wobble back and forth. It wobbled again and again, until-
DING!
Flash's eyes went wide, a large smile appearing on his lips as picked the Pokeball up before raising it to the sky, "Alright! I just caught, A CHICKLING!"
Spike rushed out into the clearing, a huge grin on his face. "That was awesome!"
"It sure was," Flash replied as he knelt down to Springer and showed him the Pokeball. "Check it out bud, our new teammate."
Springer smiled as he placed his paw on the Pokeball. "Ri!"
Flash smiled as he stood back up, tossing the Pokeball into the air. "Chickling, come on out!" The Pokeball opened up and unleashed its energy, soon taking shape as it faded to reveal the Chickling. Flash expected it to spread its wings and fly, but instead, it looked down in panic before falling towards the ground. Seeing what was about to happen, Flash leapt into action and jumped under the Pokémon with his arms spread. Chickling landed in his arms, safe from getting injured, but its eyes were lodged shut.
"Chick?" It said confusion as it realized it landed on something that wasn't dirt. Slowly, it opened its eyes and looked up to see Flash smiling down at him.
"You okay little guy?" Chickling looked up at him in confusion, only for Flash to put him back on the ground. "Well Chickling, looks like you'll be coming with us from now on. That sound good to you?"
Chickling continued to stare up at him, blinking at the sight. It then felt a presence beside it and turned to see Springer. The Riolu leaned down and explained to the Pokémon what had just happened. Hearing this, Chickling's eyes went wide before turning back to Flash and chirping happily.
"Looks like that's a yes," Flash said as he crouched down at patted the bird's head. "So now we have a new teammate buddy, and a pretty powerful one to boot!"
"I wouldn't say that."
He turned to Twilight, who had a frown on her face. "What do you mean?"
Twilight looked down at the Chickling with a judgmental stare, "I think this Chickling can't fly."
Hearing that made Flash, Springer and Spike look at her dumbfounded, while the Chickling looked down in shame. Spike then spoke up, "What makes you say that?"
"The way it was battling," Twilight replied as she leaned down and scanned the Pokémon over. "It's obvious it was trying to win, but it didn't fly at any point. If it could fly, it would have instantly had the upper hand."
"But it did fly," Spike told her as he pointed at the Pokémon. "Right after Springer unleashed his Aura Sphere."
"I think that was it accidently gliding on the wind. Even then, it didn't look like it knew what it was doing. Also, when you released the attack, it should have instinctively taken to the sky to dodge the Aura Sphere, but instead..."
"He just fell," Flash finished for her as he looked down at the Flying Pokémon. "Is that true Chickling? Can you not fly?"
"Chick..." Chickling kept its head low as it responded.
"Remember what the Pokedex said Flash," Twilight told him as she pointed to his pocket. "Chickling take longer than any other Pokémon to learn how to fly. This one's either really young, or its a late bloomer."
Flash looked up at Twilight and back at the Chickling. "Huh. Guess I've got no choice then." Chickling was fighting back tears, expecting Flash to tell it to leave since no trainer would want a flightless Pokémon. "Looks like we need to teach you how to fly."
"Ling?" Chickling looked up at Flash in shock, only to see a smile on his face.
Flash chuckled at the bird's shocked expression. "What, you were expecting me to say something else?" He crouched down a bit further and held out his arm. "You're part of the team now, which means we help out each other no matter what."
Chickling's shocked expression morphed into a joyful one, its tiny feet quickly leaping onto Flash's arm. "CHICK!"
Twilight and Spike both smiled at the interaction between the two, only for Twilight to hear something that made her look around. She stared at some nearby bushes, thinking she might have heard them rustle. She stared at it for several seconds, but nothing happened and she chalked it up to her imagination and looked away.
Inside those bushes, a pair of bright red eyes stared at the group.
A few minutes later...
"Owlicious, come on out." Twilight tossed her Pokeball into the air, releasing the red energy to reveal her Psychick.
"Psy," the owl Pokémon cried as it spread its wings and took to the sky. "Psychick!"
"Huh? Why'd you bring out Owlicious?" Spike asked, only to feel Flash's hand tap his shoulder.
"Isn't it obvious Spike? Who better to teach a Flying Pokémon, then another Flying Pokémon?"
"Oh...yeah. That makes sense." Spike replied with a slight tilt of the head, "So...what are you gonna do first?"
Twilight glanced at the Chickling, then her Pokémon. "Hmmm....let's see. Well, for starters, we need to get Chickling used to being in the air." She turned back to her Psychick. "Owlicious, can you lift Chickling into the air?"
"Psychick!" Owlicious nodded, flapping its wings slowly as it descended over the Chickling. There, it delicately grabbed the bird with its talons, gently lifting the Pokémon into the sky. As they got higher, Chickling looked down and shined a huge smile, already loving the sight of the sky around it.
After another minute of ascension, Flash put his hands to the sides of his mouth and called out, "Alright Chickling, try spreading your wings, like if you were flying. Get used to the feel of the wind rushing through your feathers." Chickling did as it was told, spreading its wings and feeling the breeze of the wind. Seeing this, Flash looked back at Twilight, "Think its a good height to start?"
"I think so. We'll need to start by having Chickling practice some gliding." Twilight commented as she signaled her Pokémon. "Okay Owlicious, let go."
The owl Pokémon released its hold on Chickling and the young bird Pokémon took to the sky, its wings landing on a bed of air. Everyone watched Chickling as it glided above them, instantly noticing it was nervous as its wings already started to wobble. Seeing this, Flash called out again, "Alright, that's good little buddy. Now, you need to try to glide down to the earth. You'll-" He was about to say how to do this, only for his mouth to stop working. He then blinked at the sight before glancing at Twilight with a nervous chuckle, "Uhhh….how exactly would he do that?"
Twilight resisted the urge to facepalm as she let out a sigh. She then pushed her glasses back up her nose as she looked back up at Chickling. "You need to gently angle your wings down Chickling. That way, you'll have less wind under your wings so you can slowly drop."
Chickling did as it was told, re-positioning its wings. The actions quickly gave results, the Chickling soon returning to the earth in a soft glide.
"Good." Twilight commented as she continued to stare at the bird, "Just remember not to angle your wing too much, or you might-" She didn't finish, as in that moment, the Chickling did just that. Its wings suddenly gave out, the wind no longer powerful enough to support him.
"CHICKLING!" He cried as he fell to the earth.
"Hang on!" Flash yelled as he ran and leapt into the air, catching the Flying Pokémon in his hands. As soon as it was in his palm, the duo smacked the ground with a thud, pain surging through as the others rushed over to the two.
"Flash!" Twilight cried out as her, Spike and Springer surrounded the two. "Are you okay?!"
"Yeah...I'm okay." Flash replied before looking down at Chickling. "What about you little guy?" Chickling looked up at him and gave a sorrowful tweet, making Flash sigh at the sound. The poor bird was sad about failing, only to receive a pat on the head from Flash. "It's okay, you did great for your first time." He picked himself up off the ground and turned to the others. "Why don't we have a bite to eat, then try again afterward?"
The others all nodded and got to work preparing lunch. Spike pulled a picnic blanket out of his bag while Twilight took out the food for them and the Pokémon. She also gave Flash a bottle of Potion, which he could use to treat Chickling since it was still hurt from its fight with Springer.
"Hold still," Flash told him before spraying him with the healing mist.
"CHICK!" Chickling cried as its entire body stung from it.
"Sorry. Forgot to mention that it stings."
"Ri..." Springer replied as he shook his head.
"Lunch is ready," Twilight said as she started taking out three small bowls.
"Alright!" Flash replied as they moved over to the blanket and sat down, the Pokémon walking up to the bowls Twilight had just laid out.
"Here we go," Twilight commented as took a can with a fist symbol on it out of one of the bags, soon pouring the food into one of the bowls. "This one is meant to be really good for Fighting types."
"Riolu!" Springer cheered as Twilight handed him the bowl.
Twilight then took out a can with a feather symbol on it, which she opened and poured into the other two bowls. She placed one bowl in front of Owlicious, and the other in front of Chickling. "Here, this is Owlicious's favorite food. Since you're both Flying Types, I'm sure you'll love it too."
"Chickling?" replied the Flying type as he looked at the contents of the bowl, not used to this type of meal.
Seeing the Pokémon's hesitation, Flash reached out and picked up a piece. "Don't worry, its good. Watch." He then took a bite out of it, fighting back a cringe at the taste as he forced a smile on his lips. "Delicious."
Both Twilight and Spike snickered behind their food, but Chickling seemed to fall for it and began eating. As soon as it took its first bite, its eyes glowed like diamonds, its beak soon drowning in the bowl to devour the rest. Flash on the other hand, was now downing the water from his canteen to get rid of the taste.
One meal later...
Chickling was now stuck in a rut. After eating their lunch, they all got back into flight training, only for no results. They did everything they could think of to get Chickling into the air. Running starts, throwing him into the air and even tried strengthening his wings by tying rocks around them and having him lift them like dumbbells.
But no matter what it tried, Chickling could not get off the ground.
And that's where everyone was, standing around Chickling while trying to think up a new way to get him to fly. There, Spike looked at others with a tilt of the head, "Any more ideas? I know I'm out of them."
Twilight sighed in defeat, shaking her head. "No. We've done everything I can think of. The technique is there, but I can't figure out why he's not flying."
"Chick..." Chickling moaned sadly as it looked down at the ground.
Springer moved over to him and patted his back, "Rio."
"Chick, chick."
As he watched the Pokémon stare at the ground, depression filling the bird's face, a lightbulb went off in Flash's head. He turned to Twilight with a tinge of both concern and fear in his eyes, "Hey Twilight...maybe its not a matter of technique. What if its because Chickling doesn't think it can do it?"
Spike leaned slightly back as he glanced at Flash, "What do you mean Flash?"
"Well...maybe Chickling keeps failing cuz in its mind, it already thinks it failed."
Twilight quickly caught onto what he saying, crossing her arms as she replied, "That would explain why its not working. The little guy keeps looking down in defeat after all."
Flash crouched down and patted Chickling on the head, causing it to look up, their eyes locking as Flash gave the bird a big smile, "Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually. Its all about having a good enough reason to fly."
Chickling looked back down at this, staring at the ground with a heavy sigh. As it did this, a new voice rang out.
"CHICKLING! CHICKLING CHICKLING!!!"
Everyone's heads shot up at the sound of many Chicklings crying out in unison. They all turned towards the source, which was deeper in the woods. "What was that all about?" Spike asked as he blinked at the valley of trees.
"I don't know Spike," Twilight replied as she stood up. "But I would wager a guess that the Chickling's flock must be in trouble."
Hearing this, Chickling shot forward at its top speed. But before it could even get past the bushes, it suddenly felt a hand grab and pick it up.
"Whoa, whoa little guy!" Flash told him as he coddled him in his palms. "Relax...don't just try and leave us like that." Hearing this, Chickling expected him to say that they couldn't help his friends since he was no longer part of the flock. But instead, Flash placed the young bird on his shoulder. "Until you learn to fly, I'm faster than you. Come on Springer!" With that, he rushed into the bushes, his Riolu and their friends on his heel.
As they left the clearing, one of the bushes rustled. The red eyes once again appeared as it looked at the fleeing group, blinking at the sight.
When the group arrived at the spot where they had heard the cries from, what they found was horrible. It was the Chickling's flock, all of them trapped in a white string like substance that was strung up around the trees.
"What's going on?" Spike asked as he pointed at the string. "What is that stuff?"
Twilight took a closer look at the string, readjusting her glasses as she observed the substance. "This looks like String Shot, but where'd it come from?"
"We'll figure that out later," Flash replied as he took off his backpack. "For now, we need to get them all out of there." He then stepped forward, only for Springer to suddenly push him aside.
"RI!" Springer cried as Flash fell over from the push, only for a blast of string to fly over to where Flash had been standing.
"What the!?" Flash yelped as he picked himself up, only to see the string. He and the others looked at where the string had come from, but couldn't see anything.
Springer then opened up his aura and scanned the area, only for his ears to perk up as he pointed to a bush. "RI! Riolu!" He put his paws together, soon creating and firing an Aura Sphere at the bushes. There, it disappeared into the fiolage, only for an explosion to follow a few seconds later as a creature went flying from the blow.
"MOV!" it exclaimed as it landing into the clearing. The thing was a Pokémon, and it had a green body similiarly colored to the trees around them. It was insectoid in appearance, a pair of large red eyes on its face and had two pairs of leaf shaped wings. It also had four vine like tendrils, two flowing down from its shoulders and two flowing out of its waist. "Mov...movine…."
"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Movine
Category: Plant Moth Pokémon
Type: Bug/Flying
Info: When hunting, it camouflages itself into the flora and uses its vine like tendrils to grab its prey.
"That explains what's going on," Twilight said as she pointed at the moth Pokémon. "What do we do now?"
"We beat it and free Chickling's friends," Flash replied as he pointed at the Movine. "Springer, use Aura Sphere again!" With those long tendrils, close quarters battling would be risky.
"Ri!" Springer threw another orb of blue energy, but the Movine easily dodged the blow this time. As it did, it's wings began to glow, and with one powerful flap, it send a wave of condensed air at Springer. The Riolu quickly sidestepped, barely dodging the attack.
"That was Air Slash!" Twilight called out to the duo. "This Movine must be really strong if it can use that. Don't let Springer get hit by it, its a flying-type move!"
Flash turned to her, a look of expectancy on his face. "Then I could use a little help."
Hearing this, Twilight blinked at the statement, only to then point to herself, "What, me?"
"Uh...yeah!" Flash replied in a deadpan tone, "You have a Pokémon, and you do know how to battle, don't you?"
Twilight leaned back for a second, only to narrow her eyes as she seemed to take offense at this statement. "Of course I do! I've read loads about battle techniques." She turned to her Pokémon. "Alright, Owlicious...um...use Peck!"
"What?!" Flash said as he looked up to see the Psychick fly at the Movine as it's beak glowed. But before it could get close, one of the Movine's tendrils shot out and wrapped around Owlicious.
"Owlicious!" Twilight and Spike cried in unison.
Flash rubbed his hand upside his own head in frustration as he pointed at the Psychick, "Springer, help him out." Springer nodded as he leapt at the Movine and Psychick, only for the Movine to suddenly toss Owlicious at him. Springer managed to catch the owl Pokémon, but as he did, Movine shot out another tendril, striking both in mid-air. The two went flying, their bodies smashing into a nearby tree. As they did, the Movine quickly unleashed a barrage of String Shot, covering the duo instantly.
"No!" Twilight cried as she watched her and Flash's Pokémon be tied with ease.
Flash frowned as he turned to the Chickling on his shoulder. "You're all we've got left bud. You ready?"
Chickling gave a small look of uncertainty, but then quickly nodded before jumping off Flash's shoulder. "Chickling!"
"Alright! Use Quick Attack!" Chickling shot forward, jumping at the Movine with great speed. But the plant moth was ready, the bug simply flapping its wings to make itself fly higher than Chickling's jump. Remembering its training, the bird Pokémon spread its wings and glided back to the ground. Seeing this, the Movine flapped its wings some more, only for several leaf shaped blades to appear as they went straight for Chickling.
"That's Razor Leaf! Watch out!" Twilight yelled.
"Double Team!" Chickling did as it was told, creating multiple versions of itself. But the Movine simply shot Razor Leaves at all of them, hitting every one of them until Chickling let out a cry from the attack. With it's opponent hit, the Movine fired another shot of string, wrapping Chickling to the ground in one go.
"No!" Flash cried.
"This is bad!" Spike panicked as he grabbed his sister in fear, trembling at the sight. "We're all out of Pokémon. What do we do?!"
"I don't know!" Twilight yelped as she hugged her brother, her own panic growing.
"Stay calm!" Flash told them both, his eyes bolting around as panic started to take him as well. "We just need to think...or something..." But thinking time was growing short, as the Movine flew down to where his Chickling was stuck. "We need....HELP!"
And in that moment, a blast of water flew out of the bushes. It struck the unprepared Movine, knocking it flying into the bushes. Everyone turned to the source of the water, only to see a blue lizard Pokémon with a large white fin on its head pop out of the grass behind them.
"Aquana?" Flash gasped as they watched it run into the fray.
The Aquana looked at Chickling before taking a deep breath. "Aq...UANA!" It fired another burst of water from its mouth, which struck the string around Chickling, dissolving the substance.
"Awesome!" Flash cheered at this. "Way to go Aquana!"
"But what's an Aquana doing here?" Twilight asked as she pointed at the blue lizard.
"Who cares?! The little guy just-"
"MOVINE!" The group turned back to the bushes that Movine had been knocked into, only to see it flying.
"Aquana, look out!" Spike cried, but it was too late. The anger filled Movine shot towards Aquana, its wings glowing as it unleashed an almost point break Air Slash. The attack instantly struck the water lizard, launching it into a the air.
"AQUANA!" Everyone yelled as it went flying off into the horizon.
"CHICK!" Chickling cried as it saw the one who just freed him. As it did, it looked up at the trees where it's flock-mates remained trapped and then over at Springer and Owlicious, the two that had tried helping it learn to fly. Finally, it looked over at its new trainer and his friends. He remembered all the encouragement they had given it, helping it learn to do the one thing it had wanted to do it's whole life. It then looked up at Movine, who had attacked them all for no reason. And as it stared at the attacker, anger began to rise as the bird yelled, "Chick....LLLIIIIINNNNGGGGG!"
The roar made everyone turn back to the Pokémon, only to see it spread its wings and shred the weakened string in one go. "CHICKLING!" it roared again, only to start flapping its wings, instantly taking flight and astounding everyone watching.
"Holy cow! Chickling's flying!" Spike cheered as he pointed at the airborne bird.
"You bet he is," Flash added with a grin before he pointed at the Movine. "Alright Chickling, use Quick Attack!"
Chickling nodded before flapping its wings, zipping through the air as it hit the Movine with a swift kick. As the Movine felt the blow, it flapped its wings as well, trying to keep balance in mid-air. But as did, the young bird's wings began to glow, and with one mighty flap, a strong wind blasted Movine into the nearest tree.
Twilight adjusted her glasses at the sight, amazed at the bird's instant growth. "Incredible! Chickling's using Gust! Did it just learn it?!"
Now seeing Movine try to recover from the blow, Chickling looked back at the other captured Pokémon. Its wings glowed again as it shot past all the Chicklings, shredding the string holding them. It then did the same to the string holding Springer and Owlicious, freeing them both.
"Ri!" Springer cried in a happy tone.
"Psy!" Owlicious did the same.
"Ling."
Flash pumped his fist in the air as he exclaimed, "Alright! Everyone is free and-"
"Movine!"
Everyone turned to the voice, only to see an even more angry Movine in the air, its tendrils ready to strike. That is, till all the captured Chickling descended beside Flash's, all wings glowing at the same time. Seeing this made a big smirk appear on Flash's face as he yelled, "Aw yeah! Everyone, use Gust now!"
"CHICKLING!" They all cried in unison, a hurricane of wind following as they all flapped their wings. The combined blast instantly hit the moth, knocking into the sky with one might attack.
"MOOOOOVVVVIIIINNNEEEEE!" It cried as it was sent rocketing into the horizon, soon disappearing like a shining star in the great blue sky.
"That...was...AWESOME!" Spike cheered.
"It sure was," Flash said as he watched his Chickling fly around with the others. It then turned and flew towards him, Flash holding out his arm for him to land on. "You did great. You can finally fly."
"CHICK!" Chickling cheered, hopping in place.
Flash laughed at this, only for his smirk to return. "You know, I think I've figured it out."
Chickling gave him a confused look, Twilight and Spike doing the same. "Figured what out Flash?"
"What I'm gonna call him. I decided long ago that I'd give each of my Pokémon a name, and I've finally decided on one for Chickling." He smiled at his newest partner, then looked up at the sky. "When we work together, nothing impossible. The sky's the limit, so I'm gonna call you, Skyler. You like that name?"
Chickling, now named Skyler, looked at him for a brief moment before giving him a happy chirp. "Ling!"
Flash nodded at this. "Great. From now on, you're Skyler."
The others all smiled at that, all of them liking his choice in name. They watched as Skyler jumped off Flash's arm and flew up to its flock. "Chick, chickling. Chick, chick, chickling!"
"What's going on?" Spike asked as he pointed at the flock.
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought before replying, "Looks to me like Skyler's saying goodbye to all of its friends."
The rest of the Chickling all let out joyful cries, happy that their flock-mate had found such a capable trainer. They then all began to fly away, off to find a new place to call home should that Movine come back.
"See you guys!" Flash yelled as he waved them off.
"Ri!" Springer added, doing the same.
Twilight and Spike also waved them all off, and soon the skies only held one particular Chickling in it. That Chickling flew back to its trainer and landed on his head, Flash laughing as it did so. "Man, this sure has been a productive day. I caught my first new Pokémon, taught it to fly and learned exactly why Professor Celestia wanted me to travel with Twilight."
"You did?" Twilight asked while looking at him in confusion.
Flash turned and gave her a knowing smirk. "Obviously, she wanted me to teach you how to battle."
Twilight's expression turned to one of irritation, "I know how to battle."
Flash shook his head in disagreement. "No, I don't think so. You've read about battling, but it was obvious from our fight with Movine that you've never actually battled before."
Twilight blushed, rubbing her two pointing fingers together. "Well...no, but-"
"He's right Twilight," Spike added in a deadpan tone. "You kinda...suck at battling."
Twilight gave her brother a frown, but before she could scold him, Flash spoke up, "So it's settled then. I'll help fine tune your battle skills while you help teach me everything I'd need to know to be the best trainer ever." With that, he picked up his backpack and slung it around his back before rushing off. "Now come on, let's get to the next town."
"Hey! I do not-" Twilight tried to yell, only for her brother to start running after Flash. "Spike!"
"Wait up Flash!" Spike said as he started to catch up with Flash, making Twilight grit her teeth in anger.
"Get back here you two!" Twilight yelled as she ran after them. And as Flash raced through the forest, Springer on his heel and Skyler flying overhead, he looked forward to the next great adventure that awaited him. He wondered what Pokémon he would find and catch next.
But as the day ended for the group, a little later, Twilight pulled out her electronic journal.
Dear Professor Celestia,
Today, Flash caught a Chickling that he's decided to name, Skyler. We soon found out when Flash caught it that the Chickling could not fly, and we could not figure out a way to help it fly. We found out that Chickling already thought it was going to fail when it tried to fly. But it was because of this that I learned something valuable from Skyler. I learned that knowing how to do something and being able to do something are two completely different things. It's easy to remember what needs to happen, but only when you really need to do it is when it will happen.
Because of this, I've come to realise why you wanted me to go on this journey, and hopefully I can learn the lesson you wanted me to learn. I'll learn how to battle Pokémon and learn how that can change Pokémon for the better. I still want to mainly do research though.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.