//------------------------------// // The Evolution Solution // Story: Pokémon: Harmony and Chaos // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Continuing their journey to Fillydelphia City and Flash's second Equestria Region Gym Challenge, our heroes find themselves in a Pokémon Center located in the middle of the woods. While waiting for their Pokémon to finish their check-up, the four teens were sitting on a couch while looking at Twilight's journal. "Okay..." she said as she pointed to several spots on the map, "we're here...while Fillydelphia City is here." "So we're getting really close?" Flash asked as his eyes shined with anticipation. "Please tell me we are!" Twilight nodded as she kept tapping the screen. "We are. Given our current walking speed, I'd estimate our arrival time to be around...two to three days." "YES!" Flash cheered, Spike mimicking him while Doc chuckled and shook his head at the sight. "I'm guessing that means we should head out as soon as our Pokémon are done with their check-up." Doc said as the sound of the center's operating room doors opening rang out. There, Nurse Redheart stepped outside along with her nursing assistant, this one being a Wigglytuff that was pushing a cart with Springer, Peewee and all their Pokeballs on it. As soon as they saw their trainers, Springer and Peewee leapt off the cart, "Hey bud," Flash said as he knelt down and patted Springer's head. "How you feeling?" "Ri!" Springer gave a thumbs up before hugging his leg. "How about you?" Spike asked Peewee, who replied by licking the boy's cheek. "Okay, I get it. You're fine." "Thank you for waiting," Redheart bowed before waving at their Pokeballs. "I'm happy to report that all of your Pokémon are completely fighting fit." "Thank you Nurse Redheart," they all said with a bow back before collecting their Pokémon. Once that was done, the group headed out the door, only to see a large group of people gathering in the distance. "Must be a battle," Twilight commented as she adjusted her glasses at the sight. "Let's see whose competing," Flash added before he and Spike rushed up to the crowd. The group soon got up to the crowd and managed to get to the very front of the audience, letting them see who was battling. The first battler was a girl with blue hair and peach skin. She was wearing a combination of pink and black with a white hat and red scarf. Meanwhile, her opponent was a boy that had brown skin and shaggy green hair while wearing a green top and brown pants. The girl then pulled out a Pokeball. "Togekiss, spotlight!" She tossed the ball in the air, which opened to reveal the final evolution of Togepi. "Toge...kiss," it exclaimed as it took to the sky. "Wow," the boy said as he watched it fly, only for his brain to remind him to pull out his own Pokeball. "Come on out Instick!" He tossed it into the air, the ball soon revealing a new Pokémon. This one looked like a small green wood stick with two thin arms and two twig-like legs. On either side of its head were two large beady eyes while the end of its tail was a large green leaf. "Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked before pulling out his Pokedex. Name: Instick Category: Stick Insect Pokémon Type: Bug/Grass Info: To protect itself from predators, it hides in large bushes where it's stick like body can camouflage itself. Everyone watched as the Instick looked up at the Togekiss, blinking as it saw the Pokémon gracefully dance in the sky. That is, till he hopped in place as he realized this was a battle. Seeing this, he began to shake rapidly in fear. "S-s-stick!" The boy looked down at his Pokémon and smiled. "Don't worry Instick, we can do this. Remember, this is the only way we can get there, alright?" Despite the words of encouragement, Instick continued to shake like a leaf. At the same time, the girl pointed at the bug, "Okay Togekiss, use Air Slash!" "Toge..." Togekiss raised one of its wings and began spiralling it around. As it did this, blue energy formed into a ball above it. "KISS!" It tossed the ball at Instick, who saw it coming and curled up in fear. As it did this, a blue energy sphere appeared around the Pokémon. "Instick!" The boy yelled, "Ohhh....not again! I told you to stop using that!" "What's that?" Spike asked as he pointed at the Pokémon. "It's the move Protect," Twilight replied as she adjusted her glasses. "It's a move that keeps any and all attacks from hitting the target." And as she said that, they watched as the Air Slash struck the force field and exploded, leaving the one within completely unharmed. "Alright Instick, here's our chance! Use Razor Leaf!" "Stick....stick..." Instick cried as it remained curled up with its eyes covered as the leaf on its tail glowed before being flicked. The light around the leaf flew off before transforming into a spinning leaf, which flew into the air at high speed. Everyone saw the girl about to tell Togekiss to dodge, only for her to gasp at the next sight, "Huh?" She yelped as the leaf sailed right past the hovering Pokémon. "Kiss?" Togekiss asked in confusion, blinking at the disappearing leaf. "What the heck?! It totally missed!" Spike complained as he crossed his arms. "No, it totally didn't aim!" Flash added as he mimicked Spike's motions. The boy facepalmed before dragging it down his face, "Oh, come on! Instick! Open your eyes!" But the little Bug-Type ignored his trainer, his body still curled up with its eyes covered. "Instick! You have to be brave! You'll never win if you don't try!" The girl just raised an eyebrow at this, soon pointing at the Pokémon, "If you won't attack, we'll just have to do it. Togekiss, Sky Attack!" Togekiss began dancing midair as light surrounded it's body. "You need to dodge now Instick," the boy yelled again. They all watched as Instick opened its eyes and looked up at the advancing adversary, only to curl up again as the force field once again appeared around it. "No! Stop using Protect!" The Togekiss slammed into the shield, causing it to disappear but leaving no damage to Instick. "It can't use Protect forever! Togekiss, fire a flurry of Aura Spheres!" "Togekiss!" The Jubilee Pokémon shot back up, soon turning back down as it started to spin like a top. As it did this, a barrage on energy spheres flew out of the incoming Pokémon, all of them blasting into the bug-type. Everyone watched as Instick continued to cower away, the Aura Spheres colliding with the force field until- SMASH! The energy barrier shattered, leaving Instick vulnerable as the final Aura Sphere hit the ground in front of it and exploded. "INSTICK!" It cried as it was sent flying, soon hitting the ground with a thud. "Instick!" The boy cried as he saw Togekiss prepare to end this. "Air Slash!" The girl ordered as Togekiss began to twirl its wings in the air, creating the air ball that had Instick's name on it. The boy looked down at the little stick Pokémon and yelled, "Please Instick, you gotta get up and dodge this!" Instick heard his trainer this time, but as it opened its eyes, it saw the incoming attack. As such, it curled up into Protect again, only for it suddenly vanish. "What the heck?! His protect disappeared!" Spike commented as he pointed at the Pokémon. Twilight nodded at this. "If you use Protect to much, it will eventually stop working. Unfortunately, Instick is wide-open for an attack now." "Toge!" Togekiss launched the sphere at Instick, the Pokémon now defenceless as it was struck dead on. "INSTICK!" It cried as the ball exploded in its face, the sphere unleashing a slashing wind into the Pokémon. A second later, the attack ended with Instick falling over, swirls in his eyes. "Looks like that's it," Doc concluded as he rubbed his chin at the sight. "Not much of a battle though..." The people around them agreed as they complained at the lame battle, the group soon dispersing. At the same time, the girl recalled her Togekiss and walked off. The boy then let out a sigh as he picked up his Pokémon. "Oh Instick, when are you gonna kick this fear?" "Hey," he looked up and saw Flash and his friends stepping up to him, "you okay?" "I'm fine," the boy replied as another sigh followed. "Its my Instick that needs treatment right now. I need to get him to Nurse Redheart...again." He then got up and walked towards the Pokémon Center, the rest of our heroes all choosing to follow him shortly. "Don't worry," Nurse Redheart told the boy. "I'll have your Instick back to perfect health in no time. "Wigglytuff!" her support Pokémon added. They all watched as the nurses took Instick into the next room while the boy sighed again before sitting at a nearby table. Seeing this, Flash and the others sat down next to him as Flash asked, "You okay?" "I guess..." the boy moaned before turning to them. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Shady Forest." "Flash. This is my partner, Springer." "Ri." "I'm Twilight. Next to me is my little brother." "Spike. This is Peewee." "Terra!" "And you can call me Doc." "Nice to meet you all," Shady said to them before staring back at the operation room door. "As you can probably tell, I'm not a very good trainer." The others all looked at each other, unsure about what to say as Twilight replied, "Um...I wouldn't exactly call you the best." "Though I wouldn't put all the blame for your loss on you," Doc added. Flash nodded at this. "Yeah! Your Instick wasn't helping at all. It's a little...um..." "Wimpy," Spike finished for him, only for Twilight to smack the upside of his head, "Ow!" "No...no, he's right," Shady sighed as he started to twiddle his fingers. "My Instick isn't very brave. Whenever it gets scared, it always curls itself up and uses Protect." "That does sound like a problem," Doc added. "Maybe it just doesn't like battling," Twilight suggested. "And if that's the case, you can't force it into battles." "I wouldn't normally," the boy replied before resting his chin in his arms on the table. "But if we don't battle, then Instick will never evolve." "Evolve?" Spike asked before turning to the others. "Like what Armadiload did?" Twilight nodded. "Yes. Armadiload evolves into Ankyload, while Instick evolves into Movine." Upon saying that name, Spike instantly shivered, causing Doc to raise an eyebrow. "What's up with him?" "We had a bad experience with a Movine before," Flash replied quickly. "We'll tell you later." "Sorry to hear that," Shady added before sighing again, "But my Instick really wants to evolve so it can achieve its dream." "What dream?" Shady started to smile, as if remembering a fond memory. "Well, like I said, Instick gets scared really easily. But there's one thing it's not scared of and actually really loves, and that's heights. He loves being really high up, usually climbing up to the top of large trees to look out as far as he can see." The group all smiled hearing this, glad that at least something did not terrify the Pokémon. "When I first met Instick, it was back when I was travelling though these very woods." The past... Shady was travelling through the woods, a long yawn escaping his breath as he walked through the forest. But as he did this, he suddenly heard a nearby bush rustle. Instinct kicking in, he saw the moving bush and quickly leapt behind a tree. But as he hid behind the pillar of lumber, his eyes saw something the surprised him. "Stick..." Instick spoke as it crawled out of the bushes and onto the path. After this, it went to another nearby tree, Shady still watching him as he started to slowly make his way up the tree. The boy watched as it climbed higher and higher, until he saw it hop onto the very tallest branch. Instick smiled as it looked out at the high elevation, having picked this tree because it was the tallest one in the forest. "Instick! Instick!" it cried happily as it bounced up and down on the branch, not noticing the breaks it was making in the twig. Crack! Instick looked down at the sound, only to see the branch bend and- SNAP! "INSTICK!" It cried as it fell towards the ground, unfortunately missing every other branch along the way. Shady saw this and ran under the tree, soon trying to position himself correctly as he tried to catch the falling bug. "I got you...I hope." Eventually, Shady and Instick collided, Shady's position being a little wrong as Instick landed on his head, "OW!" He yelped as he fell back. Once the dust of their fall faded, Shady opened his eyes and found the Pokémon sticking to his face. The two locked eyes, blinking at one another until Shady broke the silence. "Do you mind...getting off me please?" "INSTICK!" It cried before leaping off him, curling up before creating a barrier around itself. "Whoa whoa whoa! Hey little guy, you don't have to be scared. I'm not gonna hurt ya." Instick slowly opened its eyes as it looked up at him through the force field. He watched as Shady raised his hands and kept them open, showing he had nothing on him that could hurt it. "See? I'm a friend." Instick continued to stare at him, the barrier soon disappearing. "Stick..." Shady smiled before slowly reached out and gently patting Instick on the head. The present... "Ever since then, Instick and I have been the best of friends. It didn't take long for me to figure out why it climbed that tree." Twilight snapped her fingers at this, "So that's why you want him to evolve. Since Movine can fly, it can go as high as it wants." Shady nodded in response. "Exactly. But...that's easier said than done." "Because it freaks out whenever it battles, right?" Flash finished for him. "Yeah....but I won't give up. I'll help Instick evolve, no matter what." "Wow..." Spike replied as he tilted his head, "evolution sounds like it's pretty special." "Of course it is Spike." Twilight told him as she pressed her glasses up her nose. "For most Pokémon, evolution is the reward for hours of hard work and determination." "Cool," Spike said before picking up Peewee. "So what's Peewee gonna evolve into?" This got Twilight and Doc to laugh, "what?" "Spike, Terragons don't evolve." "WHAT?! Why not?" Spike asked. "It's just the way things are," Twilight replied before standing up. "Allow me to explain. Please hold for one moment." In that moment, she suddenly rushed off to another room, only to return with her lab coat on and a large whiteboard. "How did she-" Flash tried to ask, only for Twilight to pull out a long metal pointer and began tapping the board. "Let's begin. For starters, what we call evolution is actually a process of metamorphosis that many Pokémon go through in their lives. This metamorphosis develops in the DNA after centuries true evolution. This mainly happens due to changes in a Pokémon's environment and food supply, which causes the Pokémon to adapt its biology to a state in which it can survive the easiest." She then pointed at Peewee. "However, not all Pokémon go through this process. Those who don't are usually able to do this due to their ability to survive right after hatching. If this is possible, there is no need for evolution." Spike looked down at Peewee, only for the dragon to lick his cheek. He then glanced back up, "Okay...but how does evolution work?" "Good question," she said before pulling down a chart that showed an image of Instick, Movine, Armadiload and Ankyload. "When Instick evolves into Movine, or Armadiload into Ankyload, it's all a matter of the level they have managed to reach. This level is increased over time, though this mainly due to experience in battle." She then pulled down another chart, showing four more Pokémon along with two strange looking rocks. "Likewise, Pokémon such as Pikachu or Clefairy will only evolve after coming in contact with special stones." She pulled down a chart showing a few more Pokémon and their evolved form. "At the same time, certain Pokémon like Gligar or Sneasel will only evolve when making contact with items, such as Razor Fang or Razor Claw. "Then there's trade evolutions," Doc spoke up. "I was just getting to that," Twilight replied before pulling down another chart. This one showed Machoke, Haunter and Kadabra, along with their evolved forms. "It's true that many Pokémon evolve only while being traded to another trainer, and this reason for which is still under study. However," she pulled down another chart, showing Magmar, Electabuzz, Scyther and their evolved forms. "Certain Pokémon will evolve when traded or transferred while holding certain items. This phenomenon is believed to be due to the process fusing them with the items, allowing them to evolve." "Okay, that's cool," Spike added before tilting his head slightly. "Though it does sound kinda tedious." "I will agree with you there." Doc continued as he snapped his fingers, "Certain items like that can be quite hard to find, wouldn't you agree Twilight?" "Yes." Twilight nodded before pulling down a chart showing Springer and another Pokémon that looked like a bigger version of him. "Then there are Pokémon such as Riolu, who evolve once they forge a strong bond with those around it. For trained Riolu, this usually means its trainer and is refereed to as Friendship Evolution." She once again pulled down a chart, showing a whole bunch of similar looking Pokémon. "The Pokémon most interconnected with evolution is Eevee, who can evolve into eight known evolutionary variants depending on what manner of evolution is used. As you can probably guess, this is why Eevee is known as the evolution Pokémon." With that, she rolled the charts back up before pushing the white board away. "So as you can see, what we call evolution can actually mean a lot of things." She then pulled out a stack of paper and pens, "Now, ready for the test? Describe Pokémon Evolution in an essay that is at least nine thousand words." But as these words left her mouth, she turned to Flash, only to see him asleep. A melody of snores could be heard as he slumped over a table, Springer laid out over his belly as a series of small snores came out of the Riolu. Spike and the others also saw this, Spike gulping as he looked back at Twilight. His eyes shrunk as he saw her snap her pointer in two, smoke now rising from her hair. "Uh-oh....Flash is in trouble now." Spike gulped, Doc and Shady nodding in agreement. Then, Twilight let out a loud screech as she yelled, "FLASH!" One super-violent scene too graphic to be described or be shown due to this story's rating later... Flash and Springer now laid on the floor of the Pokémon Center, both in bandages and giant lumps on their heads. Springer was completely knocked out while Flash just continued to lay there despite having more injuries, his whole body covered in bandages. "So...Springer can evolve too, right?" Spike asked as he looked down at the beaten Riolu and his even more beaten up partner. Doc nodded at this. "No doubt it'll probably evolve very soon, especially considering how close he and Flash are. I'm amazed it hasn't already happened to be honest." Flash raised his head up, a nervous look appearing on his face. "Yeah, well...let's just say that sometimes evolution isn't always the way to go." He patted Springer on the head as he looked away, a low nervous tone coming out of his voice. "I uh...I like Springer just the way he is, so I don't care if he doesn't evolve." "Ri..." Springer purred as Flash scratched behind the ear. "So...you wouldn't mind if Springer never evolved?" Spike asked with a frown. Flash nodded back. "Yup. Whatever works for him, works for me." "That might be okay for you," Shady told him as he sat up before looking at the ceiling. "But Instick really wants to evolve, so I need to find a way to help him overcome his fear of battle." He then stood up and began pacing, "I just don't know how." The group all shared a look, the group now having a seemly psychic conversation before all nodding together. Flash then spoke up, "Hey Shady, why don't we lend you a hand with this?" Twilight nodded in agreement. "I'm sure that together we'll be able to come up with a way to help Instick overcome its fear." Shady smiled at hearing this, nodding in agreement. "Thanks, I'd love the help. Maybe we can find a way to trick him into keeping calm while he's battling." The others all nodded as the doors opened to reveal Nurse Redheart and Wigglytuff. They entered the room, rushing a cart with Instick laying on it. "Instick!" Shady cheered as he picked up his Pokémon. "I'm glad to see you're looking a lot better." Nurse Redheart giggled at this. "Indeed. You'll be happy to know that all of his injures have been fully restored." "Thank you," Shady told her before looking down at Instick. "Hey, guess what?" He turned to Flash and the others, "our new friends here are gonna try and help us get you to evolve." Instick's eyes went wide at hearing this before turning to them, only to start shaking and curl up into Shady's arms. "Instick, please don't do that. You don't have to be afraid. They're gonna help us." Twilight walked up to him first, kneeling down and smiling at Instick. "Don't worry little guy, you don't have to be afraid of us. All we want to do is help you achieve your dream, so don't worry." Instick opened its eyes before looking up at Twilight, then slowly began to uncurl itself. Seeing this, Shady placed him on the table, letting him look around at them as his shaking lessened. "S-s-stick." "See buddy? We can trust them. Now lets get this training underway and get you up in the air, okay?" "Stick!" Instick cheered, looking excited at the prospects of getting to evolve and flying through the air. One transition to outside later... "You ready Springer?" Flash asked his partner as they both stood across from Shady and Instick. "Ri," Springer nodded. "Good. Now remember, we don't want to really beat Instick, we just want to make it so he has to work to win, but not so much that he feels he can't." "Ri," Springer once again nodded. Shady looked down at Instick, giving him a big grin. "Alright, we can do this Instick. Just stay calm and do your best." "Stick..." Instick replied before he and Springer stepped out onto the field. Doc stood between them. "Alright, is both sides ready?" He saw the two nod, "then battle...begin!" "Alright Shady," Flash called out. "You can have the first move." "Right," Shady replied as he nodded at Instick. "Then we'll use uh....use Razor Leaf!" "In...stick!" it tossed the razor sharp leaf at Springer, who quickly dodged without Flash even commanding. He then positioned himself for a counterattack as Flash said, "Alright Springer, use Aura....er....Marble." "Ri?" Springer asked as he looked back at his trainer, who shrugged in response. Springer let out a long sigh before doing as told, creating a tiny Aura Sphere that he then flicked at Instick. Everyone watched as the ball floated at Instick, eventually landing on its head and popping like a soap bubble. "In!" Instick cried before rolling over, its eyes replaced with spirals. "Really?!" Flash yelped. "One hit was all it took to knock it out?" Spike added. "It wasn't even that strong of an attack!" "I don't think the attack was what knocked it out," Twilight answered as she rubbed her chin at the sight. "I think the fear of the attack made him faint." Doc had no choice but to declare Springer the winner, making Flash sigh. "This...may be harder than I first thought." Flash admitted as Shady started to try and wake Instick up. After doing this, Flash decided to pick another Pokémon. "Riptide, you're up!" "Aquana!" Riptide cheered as it was released from its Pokeball. Doc blinked at this. "Alright. Battle begin...again." Shady scratched the side of his head, not sure what to do. A small bulb soon went off in his head as he pointed at Riptide, "Maybe if his opponents disabled, it'll calm him down. Alright Instick, use String Shot!" "Instick!" he fired a white spray that flew at Riptide's feet, the spray soon solidifying into a sticky silk that stuck him to the ground. "Ak..." Riptide moaned as he pulled at it, only to find himself unable to move. Seeing this seemed to make Instick ease up, but Flash knew if he wanted to evolve, he couldn't make it too easy. "Okay, use uh....Water...Squirt." Riptide nodded as it spat a small gentle shot of water at Instick. But as the water splashed Instick, the Pokémon once again stiffened before keeling over. "Oh, come on!" Spike yelled, only to smacked upside the head by Twilight again. "Ow!" Flash once again sighed. "This isn't working." Shady moved over to Instick and picked him up, seeing that he had not take any damage despite fainting. "Oh Instick….what am I gonna do?" Once Instick woke up once again, the group decided to have a snack. As Springer, Riptide, Peewee and Instick munched on Poke-Muffs, the humans all ate some candy bars they had gotten from the center's vending machines. While doing this, Flash turned to his friends with a glum frown, "So...anyone else have any ideas on how we can get Instick to evolve?" Twilight hummed for a bit before a thought ringed in her head. "Well sometimes, Pokémon who haven't reached a high enough level can trigger their evolution. However, those evolutions only happen under intense stress." "Intense stress?" Spike asked as he finished his candy bar. Doc nodded as he patted Spike's shoulder. "She means that the Pokémon is in a situation where if it doesn't evolve, it just might be the end of that Pokémon." Hearing this, a big smile popped onto Flash's face. "So...we need to scare Instick into thinking it needs to evolve, huh? I think we can work with that." The others all turned to him and raised an eyebrow as Twilight asked, "Flash...what are you planning? And I'm asking mainly because you slept through my evolution lecture." Flash smiled a sinister smile as he turned and winked at Twilight, "Oh you'll see...you'll all see soon enough." He then let out a quiet yet seemingly dark chuckle, slightly disturbing the others. One hour later... Twilight, Doc, Shady and Instick were walking through the forest, planning to head to the next town. While they were making their way, Shady turned to Twilight, "So...what was this really important thing Flash and your brother needed to do?" Twilight let out a low huff, "They didn't say. But I wouldn't worry, cuz they do this all the time. They'll catch up eventually." "Yes, I agree." Doc added as he checked his pocket watch. "They'll be here soon enough." Flash and Spike were closer than they knew, the older teen hiding just up ahead with Peewee while Spike and Springer were up in two different trees. When he spotted them coming, Flash whispered to his friends. "Here they come. You all ready?" "Ready," Spike replied. "Ri," Springer added. "Terr," Peewee finished. "Then let's do this," Flash said as he made his way out of the bushes. The four continued to travel down the road, only to come to a stop a large being ran out of the trees and bushes ahead of them. It was what appeared to be, a twelve foot creature with a giant round head that had seven eyes and a giant mouth. The very sight made them all stop despite the obvious patches and stitchings on the being. "Roar!" It cried out as a pair of ropes lifted up the creatures arms, which showed obviously fake claws. "Oh no," Twilight said in a pretend scared voice. "It is a Pokémon that obviously exists and I've read about. It's very aggressive and will attack anything on sight. Oh no!" "Yes..." Doc said in the same, albeit almost worse tone. "We must defend ourselves." He went to reach for his Pokeballs. "Oh no, I must have left my Pokeballs at the Pokémon Center." "Me too," Twilight added. "Then Instick is our only hope," Doc told her before turning to Shady. "You have to do something, or we'll be in serious trouble." "Oh, uh...okay." He looked down at the shaking Pokémon. "Come on Instick, you're our only hope." "Stick..." Instick cried as it stared at the creature, the bug already almost hyperventilating. Twilight leaned over to Doc and whispered, "it isn't working." "It'll work. We've just got to pile on the pressure." Doc then signaled Flash to move closer, increasing the 'danger'. Flash nodded before stepping forwards. "Roar, roar, um....roar some more!" Flash yelled, only for the teen to start stumbling. Due to the costume's bulk, Flash couldn't see anything on the ground ahead of him. This in turn made him trip on a nearby tree root, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" He cried as he fell forwards, causing the costumes arms to be pulled further than the ropes could handle. The same with Peewee, who continued holding the head up despite the body falling to the ground. And so, everyone watched as the arms and head of the 'Pokémon' ripped off and floated in midair. Almost everyone groaned, Twilight facepalming as Instick's eyes went wide before letting out one last moan. "Instick…" it said before fainting once again. Flash groaned as he crawled his way through the body, his head popping out the neck of the costume. He sheepishly looked up at the group. "So...did it work?" A little bit later... Once they got Instick to wake up, they had to tell it that they had escaped from the creature while it was distracted and then they continued their journey. Convinced, the group were now still walking through the forest, the party having pretty much given up on finding a way to get Instick to evolve. Flash let out a dejected sigh. "Sorry Shady. Guess my plan wasn't as great as I thought." Shady shook his head. "It's okay. Maybe it'll happen someday, but I guess it isn't today." The others all looked at each other with frowns, but couldn't figure out what to say. As such, silence followed as they continued on their way. Instick frowned at this, knowing it had let its trainer down. Even after these people had offered their help, his fear had made it where they had just wasted their time. "Stick..." Springer saw this and patted the Pokémon on the head. "Ri, riolu." he said encouragingly, only for Instick to sigh again. "Ri..." Eventually, the group arrived at the edge of the forest and found themselves at a large canyon with a raging river flowing beneath it. Between the two sides was a single rope bridge, one that looked like it had seen better days. Flash growled at the sight, "This is bringing back some very unhappy memories." "Well, we don't have a choice," Twilight told him as she looked at her journal, "This canyon is several miles wide, so circumventing it would add at least a day's worth of travel." She then looked back up and frowned, "Though on the other hand, maybe that would be better considering how this thing looks." Doc checked the condition of the rope that held the bridge up, trying to decide how much weight it could possibly handle. "I wouldn't be comfortable saying it could handle any more than one person at a time, but that's just my opinion." "I trust it," Flash said before walking up to the bridge. He and Springer both placed their feet on it and slowly began to make their way across, only for a strong gust of wind to hit them, causing the bridge to sway. "Whoa!" Flash cried as Springer grabbed hold of his leg, his trainer now gripping both sides of the rope. After a few moments, the wind ceased as the bridge eventually came to a stop. "Phew..." Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Flash and Springer continue across. Eventually, they arrived at other side and stepped off before turning to their friends. "Okay! It'll be fine as long as you're careful. One at a time everyone!" The others nodded before Spike and Peewee started to cross, Peewee flying over as Spike tried to do what Flash had. He managed to get across without any issue, Peewee landing back on his shoulder as he did this. "This is crazy," Twilight gulped as she began to cross. She prayed a strong wind wouldn't blow, thanking Arceus when she made it to the other side. Doc then turned to Shady. "You wanna go next?" Shady was about to say yes, only to look down and see Instick shaking in fear. "Actually, why don't you go first. I'll see if I can't persuade Instick some more that he'll be fine." "If you say so," Doc replied before stepping over the bridge. As Doc crossed, Shady kneeled down to look Instick in the eye. "It's okay Instick. They did it, and so can we." Instick looked up at its trainer, Shady obviously realizing that it wanted to be returned to its Pokeball. "No, I won't do that. I'm sorry, but you need to face your fear." Instick let out a long moan as Shady continued. "All you have to do is walk across, one step at a time. I'll be with you the whole way, and as long as I am, I promise I won't let anything happen to you." It was here that they heard Doc call out that he was across, both Pokémon and trainer now glancing at the bridge. "You ready?" Shady asked as Instick took a gulp before nodding. And so, the two stepped onto the bridge and began to walk across, slowly and gently. "That's it," Flash told them. "Now just keep that pace and don't look down." "In...in, instick," the bug Pokémon repeated Flash's words. "In, instick." He continued to say as they passed the halfway point, causing Shady to smile. "You're doing great. We're almost there buddy, we can do this." But no sooner had he said that, a mighty wind blew into the bridge, causing the bridge to rock. "Oh no." "Instick!" Shady's partner cried, acting on instinct as he curled up in fear. What he didn't realize was that in doing so, he had nothing connecting him to the bridge. As such, another gust slammed the bridge, this one sending Instick flying. "INSTICK!" Shady yelped as he tried to grab him, but the wind blew the very light Pokémon out of reach. "Oh no!" Twilight screamed. "Instick!" Spike yelled as well, Peewee mimicking his cry. Without even thinking, Shady leapt of the bridge and threw himself at Instick. "Gotcha," he said as he grabbed hold of him before the two hit the water. "Shady!" Flash yelled as Shady and Instick's heads broke the surface of the water before being dragged away. "This is bad," Doc added as the group rushed down the side of the canyon, barely managing to keep up. "More than you know," Twilight told him. "This river leads straight into a waterfall!" "No!" Flash let out as he pulled out a Pokeball, "Riptide-" Twilight quickly grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head, "No Flash! Even a strong swimmer like an Aquana wouldn't be able to handle that torrent. At least not enough to pull Shady and Instick to safety." Flash growled as he put his Pokeball away. As Shady tried to keep the two of them above the water, he slowly felt his strength begin to leave him. "Don't worry Instick, I promise I'll protect you." "In..." Instick slightly uncurled itself and looked down at his trainer. Shady had him in both hands above his head despite how hard it was to do so. "Instick." Shady looked up at the ridge, seeing the others rushing after them. "Save Instick!" "Peewee!" Spike told his Terragon. "Terra!" Peewee leapt into the air before flying down, plucking Instick out of Shady's hands. "Instick!" Instick cried to its trainer, trying to reach out to him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine!" he yelled back. But he couldn't be more wrong, as in that moment, the waterfall came into view. Shady was already trying to swim away though, but the current was too strong. And soon enough, he went over. "SHADY!" Everyone screamed as they watched him fall. "INSTICK!" Instick struggled, causing Peewee to lose his grip and drop him. Everyone watched as Instick shot down, right at Shady. Fear rushed through Instick's body, but it was blocked out as his trainer filled his mind. "In...STICK!" With that, his entire body was consumed by light, his form suddenly changing. "No way!" Flash yelled. "Could it be?" Doc asked. "Instick's evolving!" Twilight cried. Soon enough, the shapeshifting stopped and the light faded to reveal the plant moth hybrid known as Movine. "MOVINE!" Movine unfurled its new leaf shaped wings and flapped them, causing it to shoot down even faster towards Shady. Said trainer, had been completely shocked when he saw his Pokémon. It wasn't until Movine reached and wrapped his tendrils around his trainer that he finally spoke. "You did it!" "Movine!" Movine replied as it flapped its wings to slow their descent before flying them back up to the ridge. Everyone watched in amazement as the two shot into the air, circling over their heads without a care in the world. "Holy cow! I can't believe Instick finally evolved!" "Like I said Spike," Twilight told him as she patted her brother's head. "Sometimes a Pokémon needs a reason to evolve, and I'd say this was a pretty good reason for Movine." Flash nodded in agreement. "I guess the fear of losing his friend allowed him to overcome his over fears." Everyone nodded as they continued to watch. Soon enough, Shady and Movine landed and the group gave their congratulations. But as soon as they were done, everyone knew it was time to say goodbye. It was here that Shade said, "Well, I guess its time to head out." "We're happy for you," Doc told him as he patted his shoulder. "In the end, it was your selfless actions that helped Instick find its courage." "Yeah! Nice going man!" Flash added with a big goofy grin. "Thank you," Shady nodded. "Thank you all so much." "So I'm guessing you're gonna be flying to the next town?" Spike asked with a cheeky grin. "You bet! Now that we can fly, I doubt our feet will ever touch the ground again. Well...except when we need it to, of course." "Well I'm glad you got to achieve your dream," Twilight said before looking at the Pokémon on his back. "And Movine, don't forget that feeling you had when you were able to face your fear. You'll need it for the future." "Movine!" it replied before spreading its wings. "Well, I'll see you guys around." With that, he turned before leaping into the air. Movine's wings picked the two off the ground and soon enough, they were flying off into the horizon. The group all waved at him and yelled their goodbyes until to two were finally out of sight. With them gone, the group continued to smile as they continued on their way. They had been through a lot today, but it was worth it to help a trainer and their Pokémon achieve their dreams.