Welcome back to the world of Pokémon.
A place where trainers and their partner Pokémon work together to try and become the best like no one ever was. That includes Flash Sentry, an aspiring young trainer with great skill. Alongside his partner Pokémon Springer the Riolu, and joined by Twilight, Spike and Doc, he has learned much on his quest for the title of Pokémon Master. And now, a new phase of his journey is about to begin.
With the Hoof Cup now behind them, our heroes are now back on the road to their next destination. Joined by their friends, Applejack and Rarity, they were making their way to their hometown of Applewood City. At this moment, the group was going through a small wooded area, Twilight leading the way with her electronic journal's mapping system. Applejack and Flash were next in line while Doc and Spike were behind them.
And trailing at the end was Rarity, who let out a long whiny moan, "Are we there yet?!"
The others turned to her with raised eyebrows, Applejack rolling her eyes as Flash replied, "Rarity, we just got started. Its still morning!"
"So?! That's too long!"
"Applewood city is a long ways away Rarity," Twilight told her before presenting her journal, the map showing two dots connected by a squiggly line. "See? We're here and Applewood is there. Its a couple days at the shortest route."
Rarity went up to her, the trainer's eyes shrinking as she saw no towns were on the path. "Darling...there's got to be some other path." she groaned as she took the journal and went through other paths. "Let's see here..."
Applejack let out a low growl, "Rarity, yah can't just fast trek yer way through life. Sometimes yah just gotta make the best outta what'cha git."
As she said this, Flash leaned over and asked, "Let me guess: she doesn't do camping, does she?"
The farmer facepalmed at the question, "Not one bit. One time her sister guilted her into coming camping with me and her friends and she brought a whole cart's worth of suitcases."
"Seriously?!" Spike asked, only to see Rarity casually nod.
"But of course. I needed everything I brought."
"No yah didn't!" Applejack barked back, to two now glaring at each other before Rarity went back to the journal. As she did this, Applejack whispered to the others, "Ya'll have no idea much convincing it took to get her to bring just one backpack's worth of stuff when we started our journey. Ah'm betting she only agreed because she realized ah wouldn't pull the cart for her."
Flash let out a long sigh, "This is gonna be a long trip."
"Oh! How about this?!" Rarity gasped as she turned to them with a new map on the journal, "If we take this route, it'll be much quicker and we'll get to pass through a place called Gem Town. It says here it's quite well known for its gem stores!"
Twilight looked over the route, rubbing her chin at the path. That is, till she pointed to a section showing a red line going right around a large forest, "I won't deny this might take a day or two out of the journey, but what about this? Wouldn't going straight through this make more sense?"
Rarity's eyes went wide at the suggestion, "No! We definitely can't go through there!"
"Why not?" Spike asked, Peewee chirping the same question.
Applejack looked over the map and did a small nod, "Ah, ah see. Ya'll don't wanna go through the Everfree Forest."
"Everfree Forest?" The others all repeated in confusion.
"Of course not!" Rarity yelled at Applejack. "You remember what we were told!"
"That was so we never went there as kids. We're older now, and we have our own Pokémon. Ah think we can handle it."
"You can't be serious! We can't-"
"Does somebody wanna tell me what so bad about this Everfree Forest?" Flash interrupted, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Riolu!" Springer mimicked.
Applejack tipped her hat at the question, "The Everfree Forest is a large dark forest where a lot of really strong Pokémon live."
"Doesn't sound all that different from any other place we've been too," Doc replied, shrugging.
Rarity shook her head. "When she says strong Pokémon, she means vicious. We grew up hearing stories of trainers entering the forest, only to get attacked by powerful and very territorial Pokémon. It's said the place is so dangerous that any trainer who goes and manages to survive it, will come out never wanting to pick up a Pokeball again."
Spike gulped at that, "Maybe we should go around it."
"Don't listen to her," Applejack barked back. "There was one trainer who went in and survived before going onto become a great trainer, and that's mah Granny Smith. She went into that forest when she was mah age and spent a month in it, learning everything she could about the place. When she finally came back out, she'd grown into the most powerful trainer our town had ever seen! She even caught her strongest Pokémon in there!"
Everyone raised eyebrows at this story, Flash shining a big grin, "Wow...sounds awesome! I'm up for something like that!" He raised his hand, "I'm going through the Everfree Forest. Who's with me?"
Doc and Twilight both hummed before the Gym Leader spoke up. "It would be a valuable learning opportunity. If the Gym Leader you facing trained in that forest, experiencing it would help you better understand her for when your Gym challenge arrives."
Twilight nodded in agreement, "And I would like to see what this place is like. If very few people go in there, there could be some rare Pokémon in there that no one's ever seen."
"But-" Spike tried to say while Rarity shook in fear.
"Then that settles it," Flash and Springer interrupted began heading up the trail. "Let's head to the Everfree Forest!"
"YEAH!" Twilight, Applejack and Doc all cheered before following suit, leaving a terrified Rarity and Spike.
"What have I done?" She whispered.
Spike looked like he was about to cry. "Oh no...I'm gonna end up not wanting to hold a Pokeball before I even get the chance too."
A few hours later...
After their change of route, the group now found themselves at the edge of the forest. Blinking at the treeline, they went inside, finding a small path. As they walked through, they soon found a large pond around fifteen meters in size, filled with rocks and shrubs.
"Oh, how pretty." Rarity commented as she leaned over the water.
Twilight checked the lake on her journal before letting out a gasp, "Oh wow! This lake is actually part of the bunch of lakes filling the forest." She showed them a picture, a satellite image of the forest that showed several small lakes surrounding a large one. "This one is ours, and all the little lakes are fed by the big one through underground tunnels."
"Cool. I'm guessing that means this is a perfect place to spend the night." Flash pulled out his Pokeballs, "Come on out guys!" He tossed the balls into the air, a barrage of red energy filling the air as Skyler the Wingust, Riptide the Aquana, Prongs the Thawn, and Viper the Hisscor appeared. All cheered at being released, Riptide instantly to the water's edge.
"AK!" He dived in immediately, letting out a squee of joy as he sank into the liquid.
"Not a bad idea," Twilight took out her Pokeball and did the same as Flash, Owlicious the Psychick soon taking to the skies along with Skyler.
"Agreed." Doc added as he unleashed his Pokémon Higear, Tockwork and Steeledge.
"Let's roll gang!" Applejack threw three Pokeballs, revealing her Redog Winona, Diasyjo the Calfaze and Brawloey. They joined the rest of the Pokémon, all playing as the humans began to set up camp. As they did this, a pair of eyes stared at them within the water, Riptide having already gotten out of the pond to play with the others.
Thirty minutes later, everything was set up as Applejack announced, "Alright, all the tents are pitched."
"And the table's set darlings," Rarity added as she and Spike placed the last bowl down.
"Pokémon's food is ready," Twilight continued as she filled the last bowl.
"Along with the human food," Doc finished as he pulled the pot off the stove.
"Alright everyone, grub's up!" Flash called out to the Pokémon, an almost stampede running over to the bowls. The group laughed as they saw their partners all stuff their faces, Doc now dishing out some noodles before pouring the soup with veggies on top, creating the perfect ramen dinner.
"Thank you for the food!" They all announced before chowing down, all quickly enjoying the delicious meal.
"Now that's good grub," Applejack told him as she chomped down a full chunk of noodles.
"Indeed," Rarity added as she patted her lips with a napkin, "You should open your own restaurant. You'd make millions."
"Thanks...but cooking's really just a hobby. Something I like to do for friends." Doc replied as he started to eat as well.
But as they continued eating, Springer's ears shot up, making him turn to the lake. "Ri?" The Riolu gasped as he stopped eating and stood up, catching everyone's attention.
"What's up bud?" Flash asked, only to follow his partner's eyes, "Hmm? What's that?" The others followed, all now staring at the lake as a bunch of lilypads started floating up to them.
"That's strange," Twilight said as they got up and moved over to the lake.
They all stared at the lilypads, noticing one that was a lot bigger than the others. It was here that it lifted itself out of the water, revealing a certain bluish-greenish biped Pokémon with a big red bill for a mouth. "Lombre…" it let out.
"A Lombre?" Twilight questioned as they then saw the rest of the lilypads lift up, now showing a bunch of six legged blue Pokémon. "And those are all Lotad?"
"Lombre and Lotad? Are they evolutions of each other?" Spike asked, only to get a nod from Twilight.
"Oh yes, Lotad evolves into Lombre." Twilight answered as the Lombre got out of the pond. "Hmm?"
Applejack knelt down at the Pokémon, "This guy's kinda cute." The Lombre nodded back before it started moving in a rhythmic fashion.
"Aww...he's dancing." Rarity giggled. "Not bad moves."
"Aw heck, that makes him even cuter," Applejack added before pulling out a Pokeball, "Ah like it. Ah think ah'm gonna catch it."
But as she said that, everyone's ears picked up a sudden noise. A rumbling sound came from above them, making them look up as they saw several dark clouds now above their heads. "Scor!" Viper cried out as water began to fall, the snake quickly slithering up Flash's leg and hiding inside his jacket as it began to downpour.
"My hair!" Rarity shrieked as she rushed over to her tent, jumping inside as the others did the same.
"Where'd this rain come from?!" Spike asked while poking his head out, "It was clear as day a minute ago."
Twilight blinked at his statement, only to gasp, "Rain Dance...that Lombre was using Rain Dance!"
"But why would it-whoa!" Flash yelped as all the Lotad hopped out of the lake before running to the campsite. Only a second later, half the group grabbed a bowl of food before tossing to the other half, them catching the food with their lilypads. "What the heck?!"
"They're stealing our food!" Applejack barked, pointing at the now fleeing Pokémon.
"AQUANA!" Riptide yelled as he ran out of the tent, the Lombre noticing him. The Pokémon quickly countered, firing a giant bubble out of his mouth that struck Riptide instantly. "AK!" he yelped as he went flying into a nearby tree trunk.
"Riptide!" Flash yelled as he sprinted to his Pokémon, the Lombre now telling his comrades to leave. The Lotad hopped onto each other, linking their lilypads as shields for the food before diving back in.
"You little varmits!" Applejack roared as she jumped out of the tent, seeing the Lombre now at the edge of the water. He gave her a tip of his lilypad hat before jumping in, the girl yelling as she dove after him, "Git back here!"
"Applejack!" Rarity screamed from the tent as the rain began to fade away.
"AQUANA!" Riptide added as he ran past the worried Flash, quickly submerging himself into the lake.
"Riptide, wait!" Flash yelled...but it was too late. They were gone. "That's not good."
Below the water, Applejack couldn't keep up. She was human after all, something that would have problems following a water based Pokémon. As she swam, the girl kept having trouble as she tried to catch them, now seeing them swim into a cave. The girl went into the tunnel, now seeing the underground passage system Twilight had mentioned. However, she then put her hands over her mouth, oxygen leaving her. But as she did this, Riptide swam by, the trainer quickly grabbing the lizard as he shot through the chasm at incredible speed.
Seconds later, the Aquana pulled her out of the water, Applejack now gasping for air. "Ohhh...that was close. Thanks, pardner."
"Aquana!" Riptide replied while nodding.
"Ugh...feel like I drank a whole barrel of water..." she moaned as she started to look around, now seeing she was in a smaller version of the previous lake, which was also surrounded by forest trees. "Alright, where are they?! Those varmints are gonna-there!"
They saw a barrage of lilypads scurry out of the water, the duo growling at the sight. The two made their way to the pond's edge next, climbing out as they chased the Pokémon. But as they started to catch up, the two came to a stop when they saw the Lotad and Lombre huddle around a collection of moss-filled trees.
Together, they formed a kind of shelter, one filled with even more Lotad, the sight almost overwhelming due to the amount of Pokémon staying in one place. But it didn't matter as Applejack yelled, "Now we've caught yah!" They all froze and spun around, going wide-eyed at the sight of the two. "Ya'll varmints are in a heap of trouble! Ya'll better give back that food, or-hmm?"
She blinked as she saw them huddle around in one spot, trying to obviously hide something. But the sight just made her lean over with a long glare, the trainer pointing at the whole group, "Wotcha got back there?"
The Lombre and Lotad all shared glances, only to slowly end their huddle. As they did this, Applejack and Riptide both went wide-eyed at the next sight, "What in the-"
Back at the campsite, everyone was still waiting for any news about Applejack and Riptide. They had returned all but Springer, Peewee and Applejack's Pokémon to their Pokeballs and were now changing into their swimwear. "Oh dear, they've been gone too long."
"I'm sure they'll be okay Rarity." Twilight responded as she walked out of the tent. "In fact, I bet they'll be back-"
"GUYS!" They spun around and saw Applejack running out of some trees.
"See?" Twilight giggled as Rarity rolled her eyes.
But as she did this, Flash now asked, "AJ, where's Riptide?"
"He's back with the Lombre and Lotad. Ya'll gotta see this." Applejack replied before running back into the forest. The others shared a glance before following, the group soon arriving at the smaller pond.
"What's going on?" Spike asked as they reached the shelter, only to see Riptide, Lombre and the Lotad standing beside a Pokémon they had never seen before. This Pokémon looked like the cross between a Ponyta and a fish, its body color being light blue. The top half looked like your average equine Pokémon while the bottom half was a dolphin tail. Its mane appeared to be made out of seaweed, and it had long green vine-like strings coming out of the back of its hooves.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Kelpool
Category: River Dwelling Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: Once considered to be a shape-shifting water spirit, it lives in clear pools of water with rocks for them to sunbathe on.
"I've never seen a Kelpool before. Not only that, its hurt," Doc commented as they all saw the injuries littering its body, along with a giant cut down its chest. "Wow. This looks really bad." He stood up and turned around, "I'm gonna head back to camp and grab some medicine."
"Got it. We'll stay here." Twilight replied as Doc went back into the trees. After this, she glanced back at the Lombre, "So...you were just trying to get your friend food to help it recover?"
The Lombre did a small nod, Rarity glaring at him as she growled, "You didn't have to steal from us! If you had asked, we would have gladly helped you."
"They didn't know that Rare," Applejack told her. "They were desperate and if we said no, they probably figured we'd be on guard so they couldn't do what they did before." She turned back to the Kelpool, "Sides, ah think they've been set straight. Ah told the Kelpool what had happened and it gave 'em a big old talking too."
It was here that Flash saw Riptide feeding the Kelpool with the food that had been stolen. Kelpool then let out a neigh of gratitude, Riptide smiling back, "Ak."
Flash just growled at this sight, "Now I'd like to know how you got hurt like this."
"And why they're living here," Twilight added as she stared at the tiny pond, "If there's this many, they would definitely need to be living in that bigger lake. There's barely enough food for them with a small lake like this." She then felt a tug on her swimsuit, making her look down and see a frowning Lombre. "Huh?"
"Lom!" He motioned for her to follow, diving back into the pond.
"Looks like he wants us to follow," Flash commented as he took off his jacket. He then pulled out a pair of underwater rebreathers, Riptide and Springer following him as he gave the Riolu a rebreather. Twilight took out three more as she gave them to Applejack and Rarity. As they put them in their mouth, Applejack took off her clothes to reveal a swimsuit beneath them before they all dived in.
"Hey! Wait for us!" Spike put a rebreather into his and Peewee's mouths before hopping into the water. They all swam to the bottom of the pond, the Lombre gesturing them to a tunnel. As they all swam through, Applejack and Riptide noticing it was much longer than the cave from before.
But as they did this, the group soon found themselves leaving the chasm before surfacing out of a truly massive lake. It was filled with large rocks, several sticking out of the water along with loads of underwater plants.
"Amazing. This would be perfect for them." Twilight commented as she spun around, "Why aren't they living here?"
"Yeah, why aren't they-urgh!" Spike screamed as something passed by them, striking the boy's arm.
"Spike?!" Twilight yelped as she turned to her brother, only to feel something slice her leg. "Augh!"
This put the others on guard, Springer now closing his eyes as he tried to sense anything. "Ri!" he yelped as his eyes shot open, quickly summoning an Aura Sphere and firing it inside the lake. A small explosion followed this, rubble of a rock now floating up as a small fish swam up to the surface. It was a combo of black, blue, gray and silver, and about twelve inches in length, a third of it being its long nose that appeared to be three sharp triangles linked together into a blade. The blade was silver along with the fish's underside, while the front was blue with a pair of bright orange eyes. Finally, its fins and tail were colored black, all looking like sharp blades.
"What is that?" Rarity asked.
"A Bladin." Twilight replied, "But what's it doing here?"
Applejack then pointed at the rest of the lake, "Probably hanging with its friends...a lot of friends."
They all followed her finger before now seeing a horde of Bladin. The sight made their eyes shrink in fear as they all readied their harpoon noses, Flash now yelling, "Riptide! Echoed Voice!"
Flash put his hands in his ears, the others following suit as Riptide took a deep breath, "Ak...WANA!!!" The soundwaves shook the lake, the attack pushing the Bladin back. The horde went flying, most slamming into rocks or getting caught in a mess of underwater plants.
"Nice one Riptide!" Flash cheered as his Pokémon ended his attack.
But as he did this, a projectile wrapped in water shot out of the lake, smacking Riptide with ease, "Aquana!!" he yelped as went flying, Flash quickly catching him before he could fly out of the lake.
"Riptide!" Flash yelled as took the water lizard in his arms, "You okay?"
"Ak..." he weakly moaned, Flash hugging him before looking back at the lake. It was here that the projectile's owner came out of the water. It was a new Pokémon, one that was a bigger and longer version of Bladin. From its nose tip to its tail was about six feet long, a third of its length taken up by its giant nose that looked like a sharper version of Bladin's. The nose was part of a large silver mask, which covered all but the Pokémon's mouth, orange eyes and the back of its head. It also had a large jagged point sticking out the back, and the center was the same blue glass-like middle that Bladin had. Its head and the top half was dark grey, while the lower half was light blue. It also had a light blue sail connecting the tip of its mask and ran down the back of its tail, which was black alongside its long sharp fins.
"What is that thing?" Spike asked with a large gulp.
"A Piercish. This is bad." Twilight whimpered as they saw the Piercish start to charge at them, it's super sharp horn ready to strike.
Its target was Flash and Riptide, the Aquana flinching in fear before Springer appeared in front of them, "Riolu!" he yelled before using Double Team, filling the lake with copies as the Piercish attacked a fake.
"Come on!" Flash yelled as he began to swim back to the tunnel, the others following as the swordfish Pokémon took out two more doubles. And as it took out the rest, the group was already gone, all escaped into the tunnel.
Back at the Kelpool's shelter, Doc was busy treating the injured Pokémon. It was here his work was interrupted by the sound of the water's surface breaking, glancing back as he said, "You're back!" He got up to greet them, only to see Spike and Twilight holding injured limbs. "What happened?"
Flash replied as he slowly put Riptide on the ground. "We found out why Kelpool and the others are living here."
Twilight did a small weak nod. "The main lake's been overtaken by a Piercish and its Bladin school."
"Piercish and Bladin?! Are you sure?!" Doc asked as Flash moved over to his jacket and pulled out his Pokedex, Applejack grabbing her clothes while taking out an orange Pokedex.
Name: Bladin
Category: Sharp Nose Pokémon
Type: Water/Steel
Info: Its body is coated in a steel-like armoring which it can use for both offense and defense. Despite this, it's incredibly fast, able to reach speeds of up to fifty knots an hour.
Name: Piercish
Category: Piercing Pokémon
Type: Water/Steel
Info: The evolved form of Bladin. This Pokémon attacks by moving through the water at high speed, striking the opponent with its steel-like nose.
"That's them alright," Flash commented.
"But what are they doing here?" Doc asked next. "They're sea-dwelling Pokémon."
Spike let out a long moan, "Oh great, this is the Sharazor situation all over again!" They then heard a slight neigh, turning to see Kelpool stagger out of its shelter. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"I treated the wounds. A little rest and it'll be as good as new."
"That's a relief," Flash commented before going over to Kelpool with his Pokémon beside him. "Can you tell us what happened?" Kelpool nodded and began to neigh, Springer and Riptide listening intently. As he finished, his Pokémon turned and repeated the story, the two dancing around to reenact what happened, "Right...I see."
Applejack turned to Twilight, "He understands them?"
Twilight did a small giggle, "That's just one of his many talents. Any Pokémon he grows close to, he's able to understand...well, to an extent. I think he's just good at picking up context clues from the Pokémon."
"Wow..." Applejack and Rarity both gasped as they turned back to see Flash nodding to his Pokémon.
The teen glanced at his friends before crossing his arms, "Alright, here's the deal. Kelpool and the others used to live in the big lake until those bullies showed up, and though Kelpool was willing to share...looks like they wanted it all for themselves. The Piercish challenged Kelpool to a battle, with the winner getting to keep the lake. Kelpool accepted and...well...lost. So now they can only live in these small lakes."
"That's horrible!" Rarity exclaimed, "I bet that brute cheated!"
"Kel!" They turned to see Kelpool shake its head.
"I'm guessing that's a no. Looks like that Piercish was too strong."
"But that's not fair," Spike added. "Why should these guys lose their home just because Kelpool lost?"
"That's the natural order of things," Twilight told her brother. "Sometimes, the strong get to have whatever they want."
"Well, I don't like it!"
"Aquana! Ak, Aqua!" They all turned to Riptide, pure anger on his face.
Flash knelt down and patted Riptide on the head. "It's alright bud. Its okay to get angry, and there's no shame in getting scared earlier."
"Ak, Aqua!" He started punching the air. "Aquana!"
"You sure bud?" Flash asked, Riptide nodding. "Alright then." Flash turned back to the others, "Riptide wants to challenge Piercish to a battle, with the winner gets control of the lake."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Rarity asked with a glum frown, "That Piercish seemed pretty powerful."
Flash shined a big grin, "Riptide's no slouch either. We got this."
The others all shared a glance, only to give a nod to Flash as Twilight added, "Alright, then we'll leave it in Riptide's hands."
"But first, we should all get some rest." Doc chimed in, pointing to the setting sun "We'll all need to be well-rested for tomorrow."
The others nodded and began to head back to their campsite, Flash and his Pokémon staying. Flash watched as Riptide began talking to Kelpool, seeing him tell it how he was gonna win his home back. Chuckling at the sight, Flash said to the others, "You guys go on ahead. I think we're gonna sleep here for the night."
A few hours later...
As the sun and moon swapped places, the forest grew quiet with the many inhabitants fast asleep. But not everyone was in the coziness of the dreamland, which Flash discovered when a sneeze woke him up. "Ugh..." he moaned while rubbing his nose, only to blink his eyes open as he saw Riptide wasn't in the shelter with Kelpool and Springer.
Licking his lips as he tried to wake up, he spotted Riptide sitting at the edge of the pond, staring up at the moon. Blinking at the sight, he went over to Riptide, who seemed to notice him but didn't turn as Flash sat down and put his feet in the water. "Can't sleep?" Riptide didn't reply, still looking at the moon. His silence told Flash everything. "You're worried about your battle with Piercish tomorrow, aren't you?"
"Ak." Riptide nodded, shivering at the memory of Piercish.
"It's okay to be scared. That Piercish was pretty terrifying." He patted Riptide's head, "But you don't need to be scared. Remember, you're not gonna be alone when you face him. You'll have me, Springer and everyone else cheering you on." Riptide just sighed, looking away. Seeing this, Flash tapped his tiny shoulder, making Riptide look back up at him, "Listen buddy, you've grown a lot stronger since we first met. Remember all the battles you've won, like when we faced off against Viper, Maud, and Doc in the Hoof Cup. You did great in all those battles."
"Ak..." he muttered out as he looked back down, thinking back at those battles. And as he did this, a certain battle with a Chimplug pulled itself out of his memory.
"Its a piece of weak trash."
"Aquana…" He whimpered, remembering his loss against Lightning's Chimplug. He had so wanted to show him how strong he was, only to lose and double Lightning's belief in his worthlessness. "Ak..."
Flash opened his mouth to say more comforting words, only for the duo's ears to perk up. They turned to see Kelpool walking out of the shelter, "Kel," he said as knelt down besides Riptide. The Aquana smiled as he patted its head, saying something that Flash understood as an apology for if he loses. "Pool," it shook its head before getting up. The two watched it walk to the treeline, using its two hooves to pull its body along the ground. "Kelpool."
"I think it wants you to follow." Riptide nodded before getting up, the two following after Kelpool until they arrived at a small clearing where a bunch of large rocks sat. "What are we doing here?"
Kelpool didn't reply, instead moving over to a rock before leaping into the air. As it did this, water exploded out of its tail before spiraling around it. Kelpool then flipped forward and brought the tail crashing down on the rock, shattering it in a single blow.
"Wow," Flash whispered, "That was...Aqua Tail." A bulb went off in Flash's head as he smiled down at his Pokémon. "Riptide! It must want to teach you Aqua Tail!"
Riptide's eyes went wide before turning to Kelpool, who nodded in confirmation. The lizard began to backpedal at the thought, only to feel a certain hand pat his head, "Don't doubt yourself buddy. That's always been your biggest issue. You'll never really grow strong until you believe you can grow stronger." He stood back up, "So, do you believe you can become stronger?"
Riptide looked down again, his brain going over several thoughts and memories. But as he did this, he felt a small fire in his heart before nodding, "Aquana!"
"Atta boy! Now, let's get to work."
Meanwhile...
Applejack had been awoken by the call of nature. It was never a nice thing to wake up by, but as she finished her business, she went through some foliage to get back to the tents, only to come to a stop. She blinked at the sight before her, it was the Lombre from before sitting near the lake. Moving over, she sat down by the Jolly Pokémon, now noticing it was staring up at the sky. "Beautiful night, ain't it?"
"Lom," Lombre replied wistfully.
Applejack looked into its eyes and saw something within them. It was something she had seen in herself when she was much younger: An urge to see the world. "Ah get it. Ya'll wanna see what's out there, past this forest." Lombre just nodded, "So why don't yah leave?" Lombre didn't reply, instead pointing at the pond, several lilypads floating by. "Ah...ah get ya. Yah worried about yer friends, aren't yah?"
"Lombre," he said with a nod.
"Ah know how yah feel. Ah felt the same way when ah first left home for mah journey. But ah knew it was something ah had to do, to help mah-self grow." She turned to smile at the Lombre, "It's okay to put yah friends first, but imagine how they feel if they knew yah were putting yer own dreams on hold for 'em. Ah think they'd feel pretty guilty."
Lombre just looked down, slightly glancing away. Applejack could see the conflict on his face, making her sigh as she got up, "Just think about it," Applejack told him as she turned away. "Or at least tell Kelpool about yah feelings." She looked back at Lombre and saw him now looking up at her, nodding. They both gave one another a hat-tip before Applejack returned to her tent, Lombre returning to his stargazing as the night continued on.
The next morning...
As soon as the sun rose, everyone was up and heading to the big lake. Flash, Riptide and Kelpool all yawned as they went through the trees, catching everyone's attention.
"Late night?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We were just...doing some last-minute training. Hopefully it'll help." Flash replied while letting out a yawn. As he did this, the reached the lake, Flash picking up a rock and throwing it into the water. "Hey, Piercish!"
Seconds later, the swordfish Pokémon and his school of Bladin broke through the water. "Pierce?"
"We challenge you to a battle! If we win, you and your Bladin pack up and leave the lake to Kelpool and the others. But if you win, it's all yours. What do you say?" Piercish did a small hum before doing a devilish grin, nodding at the same time. "Alright, let's do this!"
Everyone put their rebreathers on before diving in, the Piercish gesturing them to follow. It wasn't long till they were at the bottom, the Bladin surrounding them.
Flash pointed at the opponent as Riptide and Piercish swam forward, "This will be a one on one battle with the lake going to the winner. You ready Riptide?"
"AK!" Riptide roared, pure determination on his face.
"Then let's do this!" And as these words left his mouth, the battle began. It was here Piercish suddenly shot like a bullet at Riptide, his bladed nose pointing right at the lizard. "Echoed Voice!"
"Ak..." Riptide breathed in as everyone covered their ears, "WANA!" The soundwaves shook the water, the vibrations knocking Piercish back.
"Pierce!" It cried as before narrowing its eyes, its whole body suddenly being surrounded by water. It arched its back at this, pushing back as it began to charge after Riptide, "Piercish!"
"Rock Smash!" Riptide swam at the speeding water bullet with a glowing fist, the two meeting in the middle of the lake as he thrust the fist.
"Ak/Pierce!" The two were pushed back at this, Riptide pushing himself to a halt before dashing back at the fish.
"Here we go! Now...Aqua Tail!" Everyone went wide-eyed at the statement, now seeing Riptide's tail become surrounded by spinning water.
"Ak-" Riptide spun around, ready to hit Piercish with his new move, only for the water to break off his tail right before it made contact. "Wana?"
"No!"
"What happened?" Spike asked.
"Seems that Riptide hasn't mastered that move yet," Doc responded, "They need more training?"
Piercish pushed Riptide off before pointing its nose at him, thrusting it at him again and again. "Ak!" Riptide started dodging the bladed nose, only to start getting nicks on his body.
"Water Gun!" Riptide unleashed a stream of water, the blow hitting Piercish in the stomach.
"Pierce!" It grunted as it was pushed again, only to correct itself even faster than before. "Piercish!" It shot past Riptide and started circling around him at high speed, the water beginning to morph into a vortex that made the Aquana spin around uncontrollably.
"Aaaaaak!" He cried out as swirls began to appear in his eyes.
"Riptide! Use Echoed Voice!" Riptide tried to do so, taking a deep breath, but in that moment Piercish shot into the Whirlpool with glowing fins.
"AQUA!" Riptide yelled as he was slashed with the fin, being sent flying out of the fading whirlpool and slamming into a nearby rock.
"RIPTIDE!" Flash yelled, the others flinching or shielding their eyes. Kelpool, Lombre and the Lotad all cried out in support, only to watch as Piercish use Aqua Jet before charging at the lizard, "No choice. Aqua Tail!"
Still reeling from the earlier attack, Riptide jumped off the rock and shot out with his tail wrapped in water. But as he spun around to attack, the water dissipated again, forcing him to use a basic Pound attack against Aqua Jet. "AQUA!" He was knocked back by the attack, slamming down into the lake bed. "Ak..."
"Riptide!" Flash and Springer swam down to him, "Riptide, are you alright?" Riptide let out another moan, his body shaking, "You can't give up yet bud. You promised to help Kelpool get his home back. Remember how hard you worked to learn Aqua Tail."
"Ak..." Riptide groaned as he closed his eyes, memories beginning to swirl in his head.
"Remember...remember what I told you and what Kelpool said."
Last night...
"Aquana!" Riptide leapt into the air as his tail was wrapped in water, spinning around to slam the rock. But as he got near it, the water faded as his tail slapped the boulder, "AK!" He cried as he jumped back, holding his sore tail with tears trying to appear his eyes.
"Kel..." he glanced over at Kelpool as he walked up to him. He then began to say something that only Riptide understood. "You want to get stronger, don't you?" Riptide nodded, "Why?"
"To help you. I wanna help you get your home back. And also..." He looked away, letting out a long sigh.
"Also?"
"I don't wanna be a burden to my friends." He looked back at his trainer, Flash letting out a loud yawn, "Flash let me join his team, but ever since then, I...I feel like I've only ever held him back. I know there's tons of stronger Water-Types out there, but...he chose me. I don't want him to ever regret that decision."
Kelpool chuckled at this, "Well then, I think you have a great reason to become stronger."
"Reason?"
"Yes. Simply gaining strength is pointless without a reason. Without a reason, your strength becomes hollow and you'll never reach your full potential. But with a reason, there's no limit to what you can achieve."
"Like you protecting the Lotad?"
"Exactly." He tapped Riptide's chest, "As long as you keep your reason close to your heart, your strength will grow more than you can ever imagine. You can become more. I may have lost, but I can see you have the potential to go even further."
The Present...
"I don't know what Kelpool told you, but I bet it was something really inspiring. Am I right?" Flash gave him a confident smirk, Riptide now staring at his friends and Kelpool.
"Aquana," Riptide looked back at his opponent, the swordfish glaring at him as the two locked eyes. "AK/PIERCE!" They both yelled as they charged at each other, Piercish wrapping itself in water while Riptide's tail did the same.
"Go Riptide! Aqua Tail!"
"AQUANA!" Riptide spun around, the water remaining in place as he slammed it into the water projectile. "WANA!"
"PIERCE!" Piercish cried out as his Aqua Jet was broken, his body flying back before slamming into a nearby rock.
"YES!" Everyone cheered.
"You did it Riptide!" Flash added as Springer began to express joy alongside Kelpool, Lombre and Lotad.
"Aqua..." he gasped as he looked down at his tail, now feeling the doubts fade away in his mind. "AQUANA!" Riptide yelled out before his entire body was engulfed by light, making everyone gasp.
"No way..." Flash muttered as they watched the Aquana begin to change shape.
"Is that what I think it is?" Rarity asked, the others all nodding.
"Indeed. Riptide's evolving."
"Awesome!" Spike cheered as the light began to fade.
It was a slightly larger version of an Aquana, complete with larger tail and legs, muscles now pulsing in all his limbs. The Pokémon floating in the Aquana's place held itself with an air of confidence, opening its eyes to show the naïve innocence had been replaced by a look of calm determination. "SPRANITOR!"
"Riptide just evolved into Spranitor."
"Magnifique," Rarity whispered.
"Well ah'll be." Applejack spoke up as Twilight smiled at the sight, happy that the little Aquana she had looked after at Celestia's lab had grown so much.
Piercish glared at its slightly large opponent, letting out a roar, "Pierce!" He shot ahead, ready to unleash another Fury Attack on Riptide.
"Dodge it!" Flash ordered his newly evolved Pokémon, who started swimming with great ease through the water. It easily dodged each strike, the fish whipping around as it tried to hit him with no results, "Now, Echoed Voice!"
Riptide stopped swimming and turned to Piercish while breathing in, everyone else covering their ears. "Spran...NITOR!" The water shook with a great ferocity, knocking Piercish off balance easily. However, it wasn't enough as it regained control and began swimming around Riptide with great speed.
But even as the whirlpool formed around him, Riptide's new swimming strength allowed him to stay in place. "Rock Smash!" Riptide's legs glowed as his tailed flicked, pushing him to the edge of the Whirlpool before slamming his foot into the spinning water. This made the Whirlpool disperse, freeing Riptide as he swam right into Piercish. "Water Gun!"
"Spran!" He fired a powerful bullet of water, striking Piercish before it could dodge.
"Pierce!" It cried as it was knocked into a bunch of seaweed, tangling in the grass.
"Rock Smash!" Riptide swam up to Piercish, the fish trying to cut itself out of the weed as Riptide's legs began to glow.
"Nee!" He spun on his heel and swung his other foot up into Piercish, slamming into its chin.
"PIERCE!" It cried as it was thrown upwards, trying to stay conscious as it got closer to the surface.
"Let's finish this!" Flash ordered as Riptide followed after Piercish. "Aqua Tail!"
"Spran!" Water wrapped around his tail as Piercish began to spin like a top, "SPRANITOR!" He slammed his tail into Piercish, the two pushing into one another until Riptide's attack smacked Piercish into a nearby rock. The rocked shattered into dust next, a pile of mist happening next.
And as it faded, it revealed to show Piercish laying on the lakebed with spirals for eyes. "YES!" Everyone cheered, Flash swimming up to his Pokémon and giving it a hug, "You did it!"
But as they embraced, they both went wide-eyed as they now saw all the Bladin glaring at them. "Aww man..." Spike moaned as the rest of the fish swam up to them. "Don't tell me we have to fight these things now."
"That's not very sporting," Rarity added as they now saw all the Bladin preparing to attack.
"Pierce!" Everyone came to a stop at the sudden voice, all soon looking down as they saw Piercish float back up. It then shook its head before turning back to Riptide. The two locked eyes, only to shine a smirk at the Spranitor. "Piercish." With that, the swordfish Pokémon turned away, gesturing for the Bladin to follow him. A few sighed at this, but they all followed as they went into one of the tunnels, disappearing in the chasm's darkness.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Twilight adding, "That was too close."
"Yeah. Looks like Piercish was a pretty honorable fighter." Flash commented before turning to Kelpool, "Just like you said." Kelpool nodded as he watched the Lotad begin to swim around the lake happily, a big smile now on his face.
A little later...
The heroes had returned to the surface, now back at the campsite. Kelpool and Lombre were they with them as they finished packing everything up. "Well, this is it. Hope you guys don't have any more problems, though I think you won't be seeing that Piercish and the Bladin again."
"Kel," Kelpool nodded in agreement at Flash before turning and talking to Riptide. This made Riptide smile and nod, agreeing with what he said.
Twilight pulled out her notebook, "Well, we'd better be off."
Rarity batted her hair back. "I hope we all get to meet again."
"See yah guys," Applejack tipped her hat as they began to walk off, continuing to give their goodbyes as they got further away. Eventually, they disappeared into the treeline, Kelpool now noticing a huge frown on Lombre's face.
Kelpool didn't need to ask what the problem was. He had always known about how Lombre's want to see the world, even back when it was just a Lotad. And so, he moved behind Lombre and gave him a push.
"Lom!" He yelped as he staggered from the surprise, turning back to Kelpool with a confused look. "Lombre?" He watched as Kelpool pointed to the direction the trainers had headed, making him go wide-eyed. "Lom?" Kelpool just gave him a small nod. This made Lombre tear up before leaping at Kelpool, pulling it into a hug.
"Kel...Kelpool."
The gang were getting closer to the edge of the forest, coming across another small pond as they did. And as they did this, the pond exploded as something leapt out. The group all got into a fighting stance, only to gasp at the sight as Applejack asked, "Lombre?"
"Lom!" he waved before walking up to Applejack.
"What are you doing here?" Rarity asked next.
"Is something wrong back at the lake?" Doc added, only for Lombre to shake its head.
"So what's up?"
Lombre didn't reply, instead just staring up at Applejack. The girl and Pokémon locked eyes for several seconds, only for the girl to ask, "Wait, do you...wanna come with us?"
"Lom," Lombre replied with a nod.
Applejack giggled back, happy Lombre was following its dream. "Alright," she pulled out a Pokeball, "then welcome to the team." With that, she tossed the ball into the air.
"Lombre!" The Jolly Pokémon leapt up and slapped the ball, soon opening to suck up the Pokémon.
They all watched as the ball landed, shaking for several seconds before letting out a dinging sound. Applejack smirked as she picked the sphere up and held it high. "YEE-HAW! Ah just caught...a Lombre!"
The others all clapped and congratulated her, the girl soon releasing the Pokémon out to help it greet the rest of the team. Our heroes adventures together had only just restarted and already Flash's Aquana had evolved into Spranitor and Applejack had caught herself a Lombre. One can only wonder what other adventures were awaiting them on their quest.
Stay tuned to find out.