With their meeting with Twilight and Spike's brother behind them, our heroes have set their sights on Hoof Town and competing in the Hoof Cup. There was only one small problem.
"This is the furthest thing from a small problem!" Flash yelled as they stood at the edge of a large cliff. The structure was between them and the town, it was a seven miles long and three miles wide. Thanks to this size, it was so big that they could barely see the other side. Spike had attempted to see, only to result with him almost falling off the side to the fast running water below. That is, till Flash and the others grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
"Augh!" Spike yelped as he fell on his rear, panting in fear. "Thanks guys."
"Be more careful next time," Doc told him as he looked back at the estuary.
"So..." Flash gazed down at the ten meter drop, "What do we do now?"
"Yeah..." Spike added as he got up, "Shining said we'd be able to make it in time. If we go around this thing, we'll arrive when the contest's half over."
"Relax," Twilight replied as she stared at her journal, "I'm sure he wasn't wrong. We just need to keep-ah! Here we go!" They all looked over her shoulder as they saw her journal drew a red line along the edge of the cliff until it reached the coast. Then, the image of a cruise boat popped up on screen. "Horseshoe Bay. There's a cruise ship which goes out to sea, then turns around and heads back. It then docks at a port on the opposite side before heading back the way it came."
Doc smiled at this. "If we catch it, we can get off at that port and reach Hoof Town just in time."
"Exactly," Twilight added as she shut the journal. "And until we get there, we can enjoy a fun cruise. It'll be a great way to relax before the tournament."
"Sweet!" Flash and Spike both cheered. "Let's get going then! To Horseshoe Bay!"
"YEAH!" The others all exclaimed as they began to march to their destination. A good portion of the journey was spent simply talking about which Pokémon they'd use in the tournament, which Twilight had looked up. The tournament was a group of single matches, with the finals being three on three.
This alone made Twilight reconsider entering. "What am I gonna do? Even if I use Peewee, I'll only have two Pokémon. If I do manage to get to the finals, what am I gonna use?"
Flash chuckled at this. "Maybe this was your brother's subtle hint for you to try and catch more Pokémon."
Twilight growled back, only to sigh, "Even if that's true, I don't wanna catch something just so I can battle with it. If I get another Pokémon, I want it to be because I want to forge a connection with it."
"There's nothing wrong with catching a Pokémon for a battle and still forming a bond with it. In fact, battling with it is one of the best ways to bond."
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, only to sigh again, "I guess you're right, but I'm not gonna try and nab the first Pokémon we come across."
"That's fair," Flash told her as he put his hands behind his head. "Tell you what, between now and the Hoof Cup, we'll keep our eyes open for anything you might consider catching. Then, if you get to the finals and don't have a third, you can borrow one of mine."
Twilight turned to him with a wide eyes, "Really?"
Flash smirked and leaned over, "As long as I'm not your opponent."
Doc rolled his eyes at this. "And if that happens, you can borrow one of mine."
Twilight turned to Doc, nodding with a smile. "Thanks guys, you're the best. I'll still keep an eye out for something, but it's reassuring to know I don't have to catch something."
"But you never know," Spike spoke up. "You might actually find something you like and want. Who knows, your dream Pokémon could show up...right now!" The group came to stop at Spike's exclamation, only for nothing to happen. The forest didn't make a sound as Spike slumped over, "Huh...kinda expected something to pop out of nowhere."
Flash chuckled at this, "Yeah, especially given our track record."
Doc just shrugged, "Well, life isn't always as predictable as it-" He was cut off by a rustling noise, making them turn to a nearby bush. "Or...perhaps not."
And with this statement, from out of the bushes stepped a bipedal black bear cub looking Pokémon. It stood at about three and a half feet with a white stomach and snout. On its head was a blue backwards baseball cap along with blue leather straps wrapped around its paws, a long blue strap wrapped around its body. "Rab, bear."
The Pokémon walked out, only to then notice it wasn't alone, turning to stare at them with a tilted head. Its eyes then turned to puppy dog eyes, making Twilight squeal, "Oh my goodness! What a cute Abearab!"
"Abearab?" Flash pulled his Pokedex out and scanned it.
Name: Abearab
Category: Cute Bear Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: Its adorable appearance is its greatest weapon. It seeks out campers and uses its cute charm to make them give it food.
Flash stared at the image and saw that Abearab wasn't wearing clothing like this one. "Did this thing steal someone's hat?"
Doc shrugged at his question. "It's not actually unheard of for Abearab to try and dress themselves up. Though just like the Pokedex says, its uses that as a way to appear more cute and attract more attention and food."
"Well, it's working," Twilight squeaked out as her eyes started showing stars. "Just look at it! Its sooo cute!"
Spike raised an eyebrow at her expression, "Then why don't you catch it?"
The other two hopped at the suggestion, only for Doc to nod in agreement, "Not a bad idea Spike. It would make a strong addition to your team Twilight. Though they may rely on being cute to survive, if trained properly they can be a major force in battle."
Twilight nodded at this, pulling out a Pokeball and pointing at the Abearab, "Alright, I will." She pulled back, "Owlicious-"
"Thundershock!" A thin stream of blue lightning shot out of the trees, aimed right at Abearab. The little Pokémon just glared at the attack, leaping back as it easily dodged the electricity.
"What the?!" Twilight yelped as she just stood there with her Pokeball still in her hand, seconds before something leapt out of the bushes between them and Abearab.
It was a yellow and blue rodent like Pokémon that stood on all fours and was about a foot long from head to tail, the tail barely visible. The creature was mainly yellow, with a pair of dark blue lightning bolt patterns starting from its eyes that ran backwards and met at it's tail. It also had a pair of light blue circles on it's cheeks, which sparked with blue electricity as it growled, "Vol..."
"Where'd that thing come from?" Spike asked as Flash held up his Pokedex.
Name: Volemming
Category: Snow Volt Pokémon
Type: Electric/Ice
Info: It lives in areas where snowfall is common. In the wild, it lives in snowbanks, which it hollows out using its electrical abilities.
"Abearab!" They turned to the bushes and now saw a teenage boy with light blue skin and yellow hair while wearing a dark blue hoodie and brown pants. The teen panted as he placed his hands on his knees. "You're...finally...mine."
The others all just blinked at the sight, Spike asking, "What's going on?"
Doc was the first to catch on. "Looks like someone was already trying to catch the Abearab when we found it."
"Oh..." Twilight slumped over, "That's not fair."
Flash placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't sweat it. If this guy fails, we can still catch it ourselves."
Doc nodded in agreement. "Plus, you'll get to see how Abearab fights."
Twilight turned back to the starting battle, "I guess you're right."
And so, they watched as the boy stepped behind his Volemming after catching his breath, staring at the Abearab. "This time...this time I'll catch you! Alright Volemming, use...er...Ice Shard."
"Vol!" Volemming opened its mouth as specks of ice were drawn together until they formed a spike-ball of ice, which was then shot at Abearab.
"Rab!" Abearab jumped to the side, dodging it before running at the Volemming with a glowing fist.
"That's Dynamic Punch!" Doc announced as Abearab slammed its paw into Volemming, the Pokémon falling back with a yelp.
"Volemming!" The teen cried as he saw his partner in pain.
"You gotta dodge quicker!" Flash told him.
"Right...dodge quicker..." he looked back at Volemming, "You okay?!"
"Vol!" Volemming replied as it picked itself up.
"Alright...then use Dig!" The electric rodent dug into the ground, Abearab staring at the spot where it started digging. Seconds later, the ground beneath it broke apart as Volemming shot out and tackled its opponent.
"Bear!" Abearab staggered back, only to get its balance back as it glared at Volemming.
The boy smiled and pointed at the bear, "Now...use miss charge!" This command made Volemming come to a stop before turning to its trainer, blinking at him.
"Vol?"
"What?" He asked back, only to realize his blunder. "Wait, that's not right. What was that move called again?"
"Rab!" Abearab took this opening and charged with glowing claws, then unleashing a barrage of slashes at Volemming.
"Ming!" Volemming cried as its entire body was scratched up. The boy stared with wide eyes, only for his brain to finally click.
"Use Discharge!" Volemming tensed up as a flurry of blue lightning shot out of its eyes, all directed at Abearab. The little bear tried to defend itself, but it was too late. The bear was too close to the rodent, causing it to be zapped. Once the attack ended, the bear shakily stood. "Now's my chance!" The teen pulled out a Pokeball, "Go!" The ball started spinning towards Abearab, who looked up at the incoming sphere.
"Rab!" It cried as it crossed its arms, seconds before a blue sphere of energy appeared around the bear. The Pokeball then hit the sphere, bouncing off a second later.
"What?!" The teen yelped.
"What just happened?" Spike asked in shock.
Twilight was just as surprised. "It used Protect to...well, protect itself from the Pokeball."
"That's unheard of," Doc added. "Impressive..."
Flash looked at the teen, who seemed to be frozen in surprise. "Don't just stand there! Get it before it can recover!"
"Err...right. Thundershock!" Volemming tensed up and shot out a single stream of lightning.
"Bear!" Abearab side-stepped the lightning bolt as its claws glowed red, "RAB!" It thrusted its claws into Volemming, sending it flying back. Then before the electric rodent could react, its glowing fist slammed Volemming in the head.
"Lemming!" It cried as it was forced into the ground, Abearab leaping back as the others saw Volemming was knocked out. It looked down at its claw and saw it was now covered in ice, which it quickly broke with its other paw.
"No!" The teen yelled as he ran up to Volemming, picking it up and looking it over. He then stared at Abearab, who was smirking as it flicked the dust off its hat. "This isn't over."
Abearab just giggled as it put its hat back on, only to slash its claws into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The sight blinded everyone, and as it cleared, Abearab had vanished.
"No!" The teen screamed as he slid to his knees, "Another failure..."
The others glumly frowned at the sight, Twilight walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"
The teen sighed, "I guess. It's just...I've been trying to catch that Abearab for a week now."
"A week?!"
"It must be really strong if it's evaded capture for a whole week," Doc added.
Spike then whispered under his breath, "Or this guy is really weak."
"Spike!" Twilight scolded him.
"It's alright," the teen said as he stood up. "He's not too far off. The fact is, I've only been training for about ten days."
"So you're a new trainer." Doc added as the teen nodded. It was here that Volemming let out a moan, bringing their attention back to it. "Come on, let's get that little guy fixed up."
The teen, who was revealed to be named Spark Plug, took them to a clearing he had been camping at. There, he explained what was happening as they treated Volemming. "So, my parents wanted me to go out and see the world, hoping it would help me decide what I wanted to do with my life. So Volemming and I headed out, and about three days in, I ran into the Abearab."
One week ago...
The sun began to set as Spark and Volemming set up their tent in the clearing, Spark was dressed in a dark blue hat nad pulled out a sandwich and a box of Pokémon food to feed Volemming. And as they enjoyed themselves, they suddenly heard the sound of the bushes rustling. The two froze before Volemming got into a battle stance, his cheeks sparking in preparation.
But then, the bushes opened to reveal the Abearab, lacking its hat, who stepped out and stared at them with puppy dog eyes. "Awww..." Spark said as he sat back down, "Aren't you cute. You hungry?"
"Bear," it nodded as it watched Spark reach into his bag and pull out some more food. And as the teen held out his open hand, Abearab slowly tiptoed over to take the food in its paws. Spark smiled at as he watched it eat, chuckling at the adorable sight.
"Alright!" he pulled out a Pokeball, "I think I'm gonna catch you." He pulled the ball back. "Pokeball, GO!" The ball went into the air, only for the Abearab to suddenly drop its cute expression as it crossed its arms and created a shield. The Pokeball struck the Protect and bounced off, the shield disappearing before the Abearab kicked the ball back into the trainer. "Ow!" Spark yelped as the ball struck his face, knocking his hat off.
The Bear Pokémon giggled as it picked up Spark's hat and put it on its head. "Abear!"
"Hey!" Spark yelled as Volemming got into a battle stance, only for the bear to turn and sprint away. "Get back here!"
The present...
"And thus began a week of hunting after that thing with no luck whatsoever. Every time I find and battle it, it uses Protect to stop the Pokeball, and gets away again and again."
"Sounds like its quite the crafty Pokémon," Doc commented.
Twilight nodded in agreement. "You wouldn't be able to tell from how cute it acts."
"But that's all it is! Its just an act to make you lower your guard, and then bam! You're hit before you even know what happened."
"Brutal..." Spike almost whispered.
Flash blinked at this, "Wait...if it keeps running away, why is it still here?" He turned to the others. "If it keeps trying to make sure it doesn't get caught, wouldn't it have left this area?"
"Hmmm...you are right." Twilight added, "That is strange."
Spark grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Ain't it obvious?! This is all a game to it. It loves tormenting me with disappointment. Everyday it shows itself and we go after it, we battle it and makes me think I'm about to catch it before it turns the tables and escapes. It's psychological torture!"
The others all leaned back in surprise, all wearing glum frowns. Obviously, going after this Abearab and failing to catch it was taking its toll on the boy, a nervous breakdown just waiting to happen. That is, till a moan came out of his Volemming, the Electric Ice-Type finally coming around. "Hey bud," Spark picked it up and nestled it in his arms. "Looks like we goofed again."
"Vol..." Volemming sighed as Spark rocked him.
Spark then slumped against a tree. "Maybe I should just give up. It's obvious I'm never gonna catch that Abearab, so why waste even more of my time?"
This statement made Flash go wide-eyed. "Are you nuts?!" Flash yelled as he stood up, "You can't just give up!"
Both Spark and Volemming blinked at him in confusion, "Why not?"
"Because if you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You said it yourself, you've spent a whole week chasing after this thing. If you just give up now, that's a whole week of your life wasted."
"But how do you expect to me to catch it? It beats me every time."
Twilight giggled at this, "Simple. You do what all trainers do. You exploit Abearab's biggest weakness."
Spark scratched his head. "Fighting-Types?" The others all anime fell.
"No!" Twilight barked back, "It's overconfidence! It keeps coming back here because it thinks there's no way it'll lose to you! That makes it overconfident, which makes it sloppy. All you have to do is properly prepare yourself, and you'll have that Abearab captured in no time!"
Spark blinked at this, only to slowly nod. "Alright...I guess I see where you're coming from. But I'm not that good at battling."
"That's fine. We can help you train."
The next day...
Abearab smiled as it walked back to the clearing that silly human was staying at. It giggled to its self as it thought about its Protect move, knowing it would help beat that Pokeball everytime. But when Abearab stepped into the clearing, it hopped in place as the sight of the human and his Volemming already waiting for it in a battle stance. "Alright Abearab, you're mine!"
Abearab almost started to backpedal, surprised at the new confidence, "Ab...abear," its expression turned into a smirk as it lifted a claw and gave them a 'bring it' gesture.
"You've got this Spark!" Flash cheered.
"Just remember everything we showed you," Twilight reminded him.
"Right!" Spark replied as Abearab started throwing sand into the air with its claws.
"Be careful of that Sand Attack!"
"I got this! Volemming, use Dig!"
When the sand cloud passed, Abearab found Volemming was gone. "Rab?" It looked around, only for the ground to break, Volemming shooting out to body slam it. "Bear!" It staggered back as Volemming landed in front of Spark.
"Now, use Ice Shard!"
"Vol!" Volemming created the clump of ice, firing at Abearab.
The little bear then recovered, his fist now glowing as it slammed a Dynamic Punch into the shard, shattering it. And as this happened, the bear charged at the Volemming with glowing white claws, unleashing Fury Swipes once its was close enough.
"Lem!" Volemming flinched at the barrage.
"Discharge!" Volemming's eyes shot open as it unleashed a jolt of electricity, Abearab stopping its attack as it started crying out from the shock.
"Bear!" Once again Abearab staggered back, only to see the others behind Spark, seeing all their smiling faces. Spark was also grinning, happy the plan was working.
Yesterday...
"Alright," Twilight said as she handed Flash back his Pokedex before beginning her lecture. "When trying to capture a Pokémon, the best method is too weaken it in battle."
"Obviously," Spark deadpanned.
"But there are other ways, such as status ailments. Paralysis, confusion, poison, burn or being frozen makes it difficult for a Pokémon to fight against the Pokeball, which works in your advantage."
"It does?" He asked in surprise, only for Twilight to nod.
"First, Volemming's electrical moves all have the chance to paralyse the opponent. Granted, the chance is small, but the chances are better when they're used multiple times. Not only that, there's also Volemming's ability."
"Ability?"
"According to the Pokedex, he has Frostbite. It is an ability that causes a Pokémon that makes contact with Volemming to possibly become frozen. Since all of Abearab's moves require physical contact, there's a good chance that could occur."
"Sweet," Spark commented as he patted Volemming on the head.
The Present...
"Thundershock!" Volemming tensed up before unleashing the lightning, Abearab barely dodging as its claws started to glow red.
"Rab!" It ran at Volemming and thrusted its claws, making the Pokemon flinch back as the blow shook the rodent.
"Volemming!" Spark cried, only to shake his head. "No, don't panic. Remember what Flash told you..."
Yesterday...
"Volemming!" Spark cried as he watched Springer slam Volemming with Drain Punch.
"Don't panic!" Flash yelled at him. "It's after your opponent attacks when they're at their most vulnerable! That's when you need to act, so stay calm and focus on what you're gonna do next!"
"But-"
"Stop! Don't think and just do! If you don't, this happens!" Flash pointed at Volemming, "Quick Attack!"
"Ri!" Springer charged, smacking his tail into the rodent.
"Vol!" the Pokémon yelped as it flinched back, Spark about to yell his name.
"Vol-er….Thundershock now!" Spark screamed, the rodent then surrounding itself in electricity. A bolt followed this, Springer hopping back just in time.
"That's better." Flash barked back as he crossed his arms, "Now, stay calm and react even faster next time!"
Spark took a deep breath, and nodded, "Alright. Let's do it!"
The Present...
"Stay calm," he told himself before pointing at Abearab. "Ice Shard!" Volemming shot another shard of ice at the bear, who responded with a Dynamic Punch that shattered it. "Discharge!" As Abearab finished its attack, it looked up to see Volemming unleash a huge burst of lightning. The blast then covered the field and zapped Abearab, making it cry out and stagger back. "Bear!"
"Dig!" Volemming disappeared into the ground, Abearab just barely getting its balance back. But as it did this, the ground beneath Abearab's feet broke apart. And as this happened, Abearab leapt back just in time for the attack to miss, its claws glowing red as it slammed them into Volemming and thrusted the ground. Both Pokémon flinched, Volemming from the attack and Abearab from the effects of Frostbite as ice gathered around its claws.
It jumped away again as Volemming picked itself up, "Ice Shard!"
"Vol..." Volemming put all of its power and created the biggest block of ice it could make. "LEMMING!" The ice was fired at Abearab, who was unable to use Dynamic Punch due to its frozen claws. This left it with only one option, crossing its arms as a sphere of blue energy appeared. The Ice Shard slammed and shattered, making Abearab shiver as it felt the attack hit its shield.
"Now's your chance!" Flash called out to Spark, the teen nodding before pulling out an empty Pokeball.
He waited as Abearab began to struggle keep its Protect active. Then, as the shield began to flicker in and out of existence, "Now! Go Pokeball!" He tossed the ball, the sphere getting through the Protect just in time to hit the bear's head. As soon as it did, the Pokeball opened and unleashed a swirl of red energy, consuming the Pokémon. Everyone watched as Abearab was sucked into the Pokeball, the top slamming shut as it tapped the ground. It then started to wobble back and forth, again and again until-
SMASH!
The Pokeball broke open, unleashing a blast of red energy that took shape and faded to reveal a panting and slightly shocked Abearab. But despite the failure to catch it, Spark smirked at the sight, "Not so fun when you're not sure you'll win, is it?"
Abearab growled at the trainer before beginning to slam his claws into the dirt, kicking up a large cloud of sand that filled the entire are. Everyone covered their mouths and shielded their eyes, Spike yelling out, "It's getting away!"
"Not for long!" Flash threw a Pokeball into the air, unleashing a certain Wingust who flew above the cloud. "Skyler, blow the sand away!"
"Wing!" Skyler screeched before beating his wings, "Gust, gust, gust, gust!" The gust blasted the sand away, only to reveal that the Abearab was gone.
"Where'd it go?" Spike asked next.
"It can't of gone far," Doc assured them as he pulled out his own Pokeball. "Steeledge-"
"Owlicious-" Twilight pulled out hers.
"Come out!" The two unleashed their Flying-Types, both flying up beside Skyler. Peewee also flew up, the four turning to the group awaiting orders.
"Wing/Hoo/Ledge/Terr?"
"Go search for Abearab!" The four nodded and flew off in three different directions, the teens now waiting for them to spot their target.
Abearab now believed it had reached a safe spot, the bear panting as it still tried to free its claws from the ice. It couldn't believe it was almost caught like that. "Abear…"
It then smashed its paws into a tree, destroying the ice. But as it did this, its ears picked up a sound. "Wingust!" It looked up and saw Skyler flying above his head, the bird flying in a circle. This caused Abearab to growl before sprinting away, Skyler just smirking as it followed.
"Skyler is circling in that direction!" Flash announced as they ran up a slope.
"This time Abearab's not getting away!" Spark yelled as they managed to catch up with Skyler, only for Spark to point at a tree, "THERE!" He was pointing at Abearab, who was leaning against a tree heavily panting. "You're mine!" The Abearab went wide eyed before turning, sprinting away again. "Hey! Get back here!"
And as they started to chase it again, Twilight went wide-eyed, "Oh no...we have to stop it from getting any further!"
Spike turned to her, "Why?"
Before Twilight could reply, Abearab broke through the treeline, its speed still picking up. But as it did this, it suddenly hit the edge of the estuary, which Abearab didn't notice as he saw himself going over the side, "BEAR!"
"OH NO!" Everyone screamed as they managed to stop themselves, seconds before hitting the edge of the cliff. The all then stared over the rocky ridge, all breathing a sigh of relief.
"ABEARAB!" The little bear cried out as it hung off the side of the cliff-face. It had managed to dig its claws into the rock and stopped itself about seven meters down from the edge. Despite this quick thinking, it was now stuck with no way to climb back up.
"This is bad," Doc told them.
"Why?" Spike replied, "Just have Skyler or Steeledge grab it."
"Good idea," Flash added before looking up at Skyler. "Go get him bud."
Skyler nodded before flying down to Abearab, trying to grab it with his talons. However, as he hovered in place, the wind he was generating struck the cliff, causing the unstable rock face to begin crumbling. "Bear!" Abearab cried as he felt his claws slipping, making the others all gasp.
"Skyler, get away from there!" Skyler did so, allowing the rock to slowly regain stability.
The others all sighed before Doc turned to them. "That rock face is to weak." He looked down at the raging river, which Abearab would soon be swimming in if they weren't careful. "That fast moving water has probably eroded the rock into nothing but dust now. Good news, it allowed Abearab to dig his claws into it. Bad news, the rock could give at any moment."
Twilight did a low hum, "Maybe Owlicious and Peewee could do it. Their wings are smaller, so it'll make less wind."
"Maybe...but are they strong enough to lift him?"
"Only one way to find out," Flash added as he gave Twilight a nod.
Twilight nodded back before ordering the two to fly down. They did so, gripping the shaking Abearab's arms and trying to lift with everything they had. But as they did this, they soon found they weren't strong enough to lift the Bear Pokémon. Eventually, they were forced to give up and fly back up. "That's not good. We need a new plan." Twilight continued as she tapped her foot. "Hmmm...what do we do? Wait! I got it!"
"What's the plan Twilight?"
"Flash, Doc, here's the idea."
And as they tried to start the new idea, Spark and Volemming continued to watch as the rock around Abearab continued to crumble away. "This is all my fault," he moaned as he looked down in shame. "I was right. I should've just given up."
"Don't go getting all hopelessly emo on us," Flash told him as he and Doc returned from the forest. In their arms were a bunch of green rope like plants.
"Are those vines?" Spark asked.
"Seven meters of vine," Doc replied as he started tying them together.
"We'll tie them to a tree and I'll climb down to grab Abearab."
Spark frowned at this, grabbing the end that Flash was about to tie around his waist. "No, I'll go down. It's my fault Abearab's in trouble, so I need to be the one to fix it." Flash looked at him in surprise, but then smiled with a nod before letting go of the rope.
"Go for it."
Once the vines were tied together and wrapped around a sturdy tree, Spark stepped over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. His heart raced as he saw the raging water, his body backpedaling on instinct. But then he saw Abearab's scared face, making him stop.
"You've got this!" Flash assured him as he and the others held onto the vines.
Spark turned and nodded before stepping backwards over the edge, beginning to abseil down the cliff. It was a slow and steady process, Spark's feet tiptoeing on the crumbling ground. He could feel his feet slip, his grip sliding as he went down. At one point, his foot landed on a stuck out piece of rock that broke off, causing Spark to slip. "Whoa!" He yelped as he felt himself slam into the cliff, sliding down until the others managed to regain their grip on the vines, stopping him, "Owww…"
"You alright!?" Flash called down, looking over the edge. Spark didn't reply, instead holding a thumbs up. "Alright, you're almost there."
It was here that Abearab looked up and opened its eyes to see Spark. It couldn't believe the sight, only for him to hear Spark's voice, "Hold on Abearab, I'll get you out of this, don't worry." Strangely enough, it wasn't worried anymore. Instead, it was just confused, only for worry to come back as Spark found himself stopping a good few feet from Abearab. "More vines!"
"There aren't anymore!" Flash barked back.
Up on the cliff, Doc was going back over the calculations in his head, only to gulp, "Oh no! We got seven meters of vine, but I forgot to take into account the area between the tree and the edge of the cliff!"
"So what do we do?!" Spike yelled next.
Twilight stared at the edge. "We'll have to pull him back up and add some more vines!"
Spark heard this and called out, "There's no time!" He leaned backwards until he was upside down, then reaching out his arms as far as they would go. Even so, he was still about five feet short of the Pokémon. "Abearab, you need to try and climb up to me!"
"Bear?" Abearab yelped in shock.
"Please! It's the only way! Its just a few feet, you can do it!" Abearab and Spark locked eyes, the little bear seeing the determination it the trainer's eyes. If he could do that, then the bear could do it. And so, it carefully pulled one of its claws free from the rock before thrusting them back in a little higher, the rock holding as it did the same with its other claw. It did this several times, slowly getting higher and higher. "That it....almost there..."
Soon, Abearab was only a few inches from Spark and reached out its claw for him to grab. They stretched as far as they could, closing the gap. But as Spark's fingers touched the tips of Abearab's claws, the rock it was holding onto broke.
"ABEARAB!" It screamed as it began to fall to the water.
"NO!" Everyone screamed at the sight, only for a bulb to go off in Spark's head. Acting as fast as he could, he pulled out an empty Pokeball and tossed it at Abearab. The ball struck the bear, opening and sucking it within the safety of its confines before it hit the water. Luckily, the impact with the water made it bounce up for a second, and that was all Skyler needed to fly by and grab it as the others began to lift Spark. And as it flew up, the Pokeball dinged to indicate a successful capture.
Once he was safely on terrafirma, he fell to the ground panting. "That...was too...close."
The others were all breathing heavily as well, most almost having a heart attack. "Tell me about it," Flash said as Skyler landed and gave him the Pokeball. "But look on the bright side," he held it out to Spark. "You managed to finally capture Abearab."
Spark looked at the Pokeball questionably, taking it into his hands. Finally, after a week of tireless attempts, he'd finally caught his first Pokémon. So why did it feel so...hollow? Spark sighed before holding the ball out and opening it up. But what came out wasn't the usual red energy, instead the energy was blue and took shape before fading to reveal a very confused Abearab.
"Err..." Spike let out, "What just happened?"
Twilight blinked in shock. "Spark...just released Abearab."
"WHAT?! Why?!"
"Because it wasn't right," Spark told them. "I didn't earn this capture. Abearab didn't have any choice." He gave Abearab a small yet slightly glum smile. "I still want to catch you, but if I'm gonna do it, I want to do it the right way."
The others stared in shock at the sight, only to soon understand what he meant. Spark then stood up, Volemming climbing onto his shoulder as they stared at Abearab. "Get ready for tomorrow, because I'm going to catch you for sure then!" He held out a hand to shake Abearab's paw, but the little bear just stared back. That is, till it suddenly used Sand Attack, slamming sand into Spark's face, "Augh!" He yelped as he and Volemming fell back, his Pokeball accidently being tossed into the air.
"BEAR!" Abearab leapt up and tapped its paw into the button. Everyone watched in amazement as Abearab was sucked into the Pokeball, which slammed shut and fell into Spark's lap.
And as the teen cleared his eyes, he saw the Pokeball wobble several times before dinging again. "What...just happened?"
The others blankly stared at the sight, only for Twilight to lean down and pat his shoulder, "Looks to me like Abearab didn't want to wait until tomorrow to be captured."
"Really?" Spark yelped as he stared at the Pokeball, "But...I didn't capture it like I was supposed to!"
The others all laughed as Flash patted his other shoulder, "You kidding? This is even better than catching it the other way. Catching it in battle is how you usually earn a Pokémon's respect, but it choosing to come with you before being captured shows you've already earned its respect."
Spark's eyes went wide. "Really?" The others all nodded, making him smile. "So I did it? I caught my first Pokémon?"
"And it's a catch to be proud of," Doc assured him.
Spark's grin increased as he opened the Pokeball, letting Abearab out. The little bear stared up at its new trainer, the two locking eyes and smiling. "Well Abearab, you ready to come with me?"
"Bear!" Abearab nodded before taking off the hat and returning it to its owner.
Spark chuckled as he took the hat, only to place it back on Abearab's head. "Welcome to the team."
"Lem!" Volemming cheered, hugging the bear next as the others chuckled at the sight.
Later that day...
Once Abearab was captured, they had returned to the clearing. It wasn't long till they packed up their things and Spark said his farewells, "Well, this is it."
"Yeah. Though uh...you sure you don't want to come with us to Horseshoe Bay?"
Spark shrugged back, "No thanks. I think I'll head to Baltimare City and maybe try and capture some more Pokémon on the way. After that...who knows. But I do know I'm not gonna doubt myself anymore," he looked down at his team. "Together, we can do anything."
"Vol/Bear!" The two cheered.
Twilight giggled at the sight. "That's great. By the way, while you're in Baltimare City, if you meet a girl with poofy pink hair, tell her Twilight and the others are heading to Hoof Town for the Hoof Cup. She probably won't be able to make it in time to compete, but I'm sure she'd love a big sporting event like that."
"Sure, no problem." With that, he and his team turned before beginning to walk off. "Bye! See ya later!" The others waved them off as the three of them disappeared into the treeline. And as they vanished, the group exited the other side of the forest, only to find themselves on the top of a hill, looking out at the crystal blue ocean.
Yes, the last two days had been an interesting experience. Helping a new trainer catch his first Pokémon, and now they were ready to go to Hoof Town and the Hoof Cup.