It had just struck midnight and all was silent.
And as every living thing went to sleep, the silence was shattered at the sound of a revving engine, one that filled countryside. Every Pokémon hissed and growled at the noise, small families grumbling as they now saw the source of the sound. It was an armoured truck rolling down the country path at high speed. As it did this, the truck began swerving around, dodging a Hyper Beam that blasted from out of the sky. The attack's owner was a large shadow, one of four, the being panting as it tried to summon another Hyper Beam.
Inside the truck, four figures were glaring back at the flying figure. They were all wearing the same clothing, that being black leather jackets with camouflage pants and black boots, all but one wearing a metal mask over their mouths and a pair of goggles. The one not wearing it was the driver, a middle-aged man with dark brown skin and purple greying hair. The man looked in his mirror and growled, "They're gaining."
"What do we do?" Another one, this one being a woman with long blonde hair, asked, "The client never said anything about these guys being so persistent."
Another man, this one who had short green hair, looked down at a metal box he was carrying, "This was supposed to be an easy payday."
"Let's just give it back to them," a blue-haired man added. "No amount of money's worth this much hassle."
"We're not giving it back," the driver barked, "We have a reputation to keep up. I'll think of something." He stared ahead and spotted a bunch of trees near the path, "I got it." He glanced back at the woman. "Bonnie, get your Arbok."
Back outside the truck, the figures got closer as the truck came to a stop, the back door opening. There, Bonnie hung out the side with her snake Pokémon, "Haze!" The Arbok took a deep breath before unleashing a thick black smoke, covering the entire truck.
The figures remained hovered above the smoke, only for the truck to bolt out of the smoke in the other direction. Seeing this, the figures quickly recovered and gave chase. And as they drove down the path, the driver just chuckled as he looked back into the mirror, "Looks like they fell for it."
"Good. Let's get out of here." Bonnie replied as she put her Arbok away.
The next day...
Finally free of the Everfree Forest, our hero's journey to Applewood City was drawing shorter by the day. Now with just one town before their destination, Flash's fourth Equestria Region Gym Challenge now soon to take place. And as they now travelled down a country road, Twilight pulled out her journal, "Hey, look at this. There's a rocky area of land near here called Cave-in canyon."
Applejack looked over her shoulder. "Ah've heard of that place. Granny says it's called that cause you can't step foot in it without causing a rockslide."
Everyone shuddered at the thought, Rarity speaking up next. "Probably best to avoid that area then."
"I'm down with that," Spike added.
Flash was about to say the same thing, only to look down and see Springer frantically looking around. The trainer blinked at the sight, squatting down while tilting his head, "What is it bud? You sensing something?"
"What's up?" Doc asked next.
"I think Springer is sensing something." To prove Flash's theory, the Riolu suddenly cut into a sprint. "Springer, wait!" He quickly followed, the others close behind.
It wasn't long till Springer ran down the path and reached a bunch of trees. There, he stared at a bush, blinking as he muttered, "Ri? Riolu ri…"
"What is it?" Twilight asked as they all caught up.
"Its a bush," Spike deadpanned, Flash rolling his eyes as he leaned down and pulled the bush's leaves. There, he felt something cold, making him reach inside and pull something out.
"What's this?" He held up a metal box, everyone blinking at the mysterious container.
"What's inside?" Spike asked, no one answering him as Flash put the box on the ground.
"Only one way to find out," Flash responded as he started unclipping the clasps on the box's sides. Once undone, he opened the lid and they all looked inside before gasping. The box was containing a large egg, which was purple with a white patch on the top. The interior of the box was lined with fluffy padding, which was barely keeping the egg safe.
"A Pokémon Egg?" Doc questioned as Flash took the egg out of the box.
"But what's it doing in a metal box?" Applejack asked.
"Maybe that's how its owner was carrying it," Rarity guessed.
Twilight shook her head. "I don't think so. Pokémon Eggs are usually stored in special glass containers." Twilight lifted up the box and looked it over, "The egg containers are designed to be like a nest...but this isn't like that at all. This is...cold and uncomforting."
Before anyone could say anything else, their attention was caught by a bright orange light that suddenly covered the egg. "Whoa!" Flash almost dropped the egg, quickly sitting down as he kept it in his lap, "What's happening? Why's it glowing?!"
"It must be about to hatch," Doc answered.
"Hatch?!" Flash gasped as he saw the egg light up again, "What do I do?!"
"Keep it warm!" Rarity barked back, Flash nodding as he clutched the egg close to his chest, the light pulsing on and off.
Everyone watched as the light stopped pulsing, now being a constant shine. It was here that Flash stopped hugging the egg, the light now changing from orange to blue. Then in the blink of an eye, it exploded off the egg with a bright flash as it's contents fell into Flash's lap.
As everyone blinked the light out of their eyes, they found themselves now staring at what had just been born. At first, they thought it was just some purple furball. But as they looked closer, they saw it had a white patch of fur over its mouth, its mouth looking like a zigzag when closed. And as the furball began to move, two purple furred ears opened up, showing orange skin beneath. It then pulled out a tiny purple tail, along with four stubby legs, all having white points as feet. Not only that, on closer inspection, they saw a patch of white fur between its ears that seemed to resemble the shape of a dragon head. The Pokémon then opened its eyes, which were bright orange as it stared up and locked eyes with Flash. "Hop?"
"Aw...its kinda cute." Spike slightly muttered.
"Indeed," Rarity giggled as she bent down and scratched its head, "Hello, little one."
"But what is it?" Applejack asked next.
"Its a Hoppin...which are very rare," Twilight responded as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Hoppin
Category: Hop Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: Its stubby little legs prevent it from walking properly, so instead it has to hop from one location to the other.
Flash chuckled as he put his Pokedex away, now staring down at Hoppin, "Hey little guy, welcome to the world." He picked the Hoppin up, the Pokémon growing tense for a moment before putting him on the ground, "Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you. We're friends."
"Ri!" Springer stepped up and patted his head. "Riolu ri..."
The Hoppin stared at him for a few seconds, only to exclaim, "Hop!" He began hopping up and down, now bouncing around the whole group.
"Looks like he gets it," Doc chuckled.
"He sure is excitable," Applejack laughed as it hopped up into her arms before jumping out and doing the same to Rarity.
"He just hatched," Twilight added as Hoppin leapt into her arms. "It's natural for it to be curious about the world." Hoppin leapt from her arms before hopping into Spike's.
"Hey little guy, I'm Spike. And this is Peewee."
"Terra!" Hoppin just cheered before jumping again, now leaping into Flash's arms again.
"Nice to meet you, buddy," he replied before he was about to pat his head...only to come to a stop, "Huh? What the..."
"What is it?" Twilight asked, only to see Flash pull his Pokedex back out.
"That's weird. The Hoppin in here doesn't have that mark on its head." Everyone gathered around and compared the Hoppin to the image in the Pokedex, all noticing the mark on the forehead wasn't there.
"Interesting," Doc pondered while rubbing his chin. "Is it a birthmark?"
Rarity clapped her hands, "Oh! Maybe its something a certain gender of Hoppin has." She tapped Flash's Pokedex, "See if it has a gender variant." Flash did so and brought up the two genders side by side, only to still see no mark on either. "Hmmm...perhaps not."
Twilight tilted her head at this, "Interesting. I'm sure Professor Celestia will want to see this. If we take this Hoppin to the next town's Pokémon Center, let's call her and see what she thinks."
They all nodded, only for a loud growl to come out of the Hoppin's stomach. Flash chuckled at this, putting him down as he asked, "Are you hungry little guy?" Hoppin just frowned at him, not understanding what hungry meant. Flash then reached into his bag, pulling out one of their Pokémon food cans. It was the Normal-Type food he'd usually gave Skyler, taking out a pellet as he said, "Here."
The Hoppin stared at the pellet, blinking before Springer took the pellet and put it to his mouth. "Ri," Springer bit into it, trying not to flinch at the flavour, "Rio ri."
"Hop," Hoppin seemed to understand and nodded before turning back to Flash. He took the next pellet into his mouth and bit down, only for his eyes to fill with tears. "HOPPIN!" The Pokémon let out a Screech attack, everyone covering their ears as the Hoppin's lungs blasted out a wave of sound.
"Yow! Okay, okay! We're sorry!" Flash flinched as the reached and patted the little Pokémon, making it stop screaming. "We're sorry little guy. We thought you'd like that."
The others all uncovered their ears, Twilight rubbing hers', "That's strange. A Normal-Type like Hoppin should love that flavour of food."
"Well, considering that mark, perhaps this isn't your usual Hoppin." Doc moaned as he rubbed a finger in his ear. "We'll just have to try a bunch of different types until we find one it likes."
The others all nodded and began to get out their Pokémon food, completely unaware of another bunch of people just a ways away. Inside a large patch of trees, an armoured truck was parked with its occupants all glaring at the group through their binoculars, almost growling at the sight of the Hoppin. "That's just great. How the heck did they find the box?!"
"Had to have been dumb luck," the blue-haired thief replied.
"Who cares how they found it!" the woman screeched. "They've got the target, and it's likely they're gonna keep it! I mean, who wouldn't?!"
"Well, we're not giving up just yet," the purple man stated as he put the binoculars. "We're getting that Hoppin and collecting our fee. Let's go."
Back with the heroes, they had set up a table with multiple bowls laid out. Each bowl was a different type of Pokémon food, Hoppin now being put on the table to see which one he liked.
"Alright little guy, go nuts." Hoppin hopped over to the closest one and sniffed it before taking a bite, looking disgusted at the taste.
"Guess that's a no on the Fire-Type food," Doc commented as Hoppin tried another.
"Grass-Type's out," Twilight added when he spat it out. This went on for several minutes, Hoppin seeming to hate ever type he tried.
That is, till he bit into another, his eyes going wide, "Hop?" he took another bite, only to cheer, "HOPPIN!"
He started munching the food, making everyone smile as Applejack said, "Looks like he found one he likes."
"What flavour is it?" Spike asked, with Doc picking up the can next to the bowl.
"Dragon-Type? That's...odd. Why would he like that?"
"Well, as long as he likes it, that's fine with me," Flash responded as Hoppin let out a happy sigh. "You enjoy that?" Hoppin nodded before jumping off the table, now hopping around as Springer chased it, the Riolu soon trying to teach the hatchling the game of tag.
As everyone giggled at the sight, they began to put the food away as Twilight spoke up, "Still, why was that egg left in a box like that?"
Doc put the last can away as he responded, "Good question. It didn't look like it was dropped or anything. The way it was hidden, it looked like it had been purposely placed there."
"But why?" Spike asked next.
"That's a good question," Rarity hummed while tapping her foot. "What should we do? If that egg belonged to someone and they left it there on purpose, then maybe we should wait to see if anyone comes to try and collect it."
"Why?" Applejack asked while shrugging her shoulders. "If they were willing to just leave it here, they probably don't think it's very precious. It'd be no different from leaving a baby in the woods. Anyone who'd do that doesn't deserve that Hoppin."
The others all shared a glance at this, agreement on all their faces as Twilight crossed her arms, "If that's the case...what should we do? Do we think whoever this was can be trusted with Hoppin's wellbeing?"
As this question lingered over the group, Springer and Hoppin had gotten further away from the group. It was here that Springer's ears shot up, feeling something coming. But as he began to react, something shot out of the distance, slamming into both him and Hoppin, a clicking sound following as they both yelled, "RIOLU/HOPPIN!"
This cry caught everyone's attention, all turning to gasp at a new sight. Springer and the Hoppin were now inside some kind of round metal cage, which was being dragged by an only metal cable. "Springer!" Flash yelled as he ran after the container, only to come to a stop as the someone hopped in front of him, "Huh?!"
It was the purple-haired man, chuckling as the cable retracted into a metal handle that was in his hands. "Capture complete. Nice." He smirked at the Hoppin, only to notice Springer beginning to form an Aura Sphere. "I don't think so." He pressed a button on the handle, lightning now sparking around the metal cage.
"RI/HOP!" they screamed as electricity surged through both.
"SPRINGER!" Flash yelled, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
"Collecting my bounty," the man casually replied.
They all glared at him as Spike growled, "Bounty?!"
He nodded before holding up the cage. "Some very generous individuals offered us a lot of money in exchange for this Hoppin. Of course, I couldn't say no."
Doc grit his teeth in disgust, "You're a Pokémon hunter."
"That I am."
"Well, why don't you go find another Hoppin!?" Spike asked next.
"No can do. The client asked for this one in particular....and I'm sure this Riolu will fetch a high price for the right bidder." He pressed the button again, shocking both as he laughed, "HA! Looks like it's my lucky day!"
"Why you...release them now! That Riolu is my Pokémon!" Flash screamed, his blood boiling at the sight.
"That's cute," he turned away, "But I don't play with kids. Your Pokémon is mine now." In that moment, the armoured truck shot out and did a doughnut, its back door opening as he quickly put the metal cage inside. "Get lost kid! These moneymakers are mine!"
"SPRINGER!" Flash yelled as he started to run, only for Doc to pull out a Pokeball.
"Steeledge, stop them!" He tossed the ball, revealing the metal bird which flew after the truck.
"Ledge!" His wings glowed before swiping at the tires, bursting them like balloons as the vehicle flipped over in the attack.
"YES!" They all cheered as they all ran up to the car, seeing the doors open up as the thieves climbed out.
"Ow..." the woman moaned.
"Damn kids..." the leader grumbled before grabbing the cage, "Hold them off. I'll meet with the client and do the exchange."
"Right!" The others replied as they pulled out their Pokeballs and tossed them into the air.
"Krookodile!" Blue-haired man yelled.
"Magmortar!" Green-haired man added.
"Arbok!" The three balls opened and unleashed the mentioned Pokémon, all landing in front of the heroes as the leader disappeared into the treeline.
"No!" Flash yelled as the others pulled out their Pokeballs.
Twilight enlarged hers as she glared at the trainer, "Flash, go after him."
"We'll handle these varmints!" Applejack growled as Doc, Spike and Rarity nodded in agreement before tossing the Pokeballs into the air. "Come out Lombre and use Water Pulse!"
"Owlicious!"
"Aquapphire!" The three Pokémon landed next to Steeledge, Peewee also jumping off Spike's shoulder, before the four charged. "Water Pulse!"
"Confusion!"
"Air Slash!"
"Dragonbreath!" The four attacks shot at the enemy Pokémon, the twin Water Pulses hitting Magmortar while the Air Slash hit Krookodile and the Confusion and Dragonbreath struck Arbok.
"CHAR/MAG/KROOK!" The three all flinched, giving Flash the opening he needed as he ran past them all.
"Oh no you don't!" the blue-haired thief tried to grab him, but Flash side-stepped him, all three yelling, "Get back here!" as Flash quickly got away as their Pokémon finally recovered from the last attacks.
"Hey!" They turned to the others, "Ya'll's fight is back here!" Applejack pointed to the sky, "Rain Dance!"
"Lom!" Lombre began to dance, dark clouds forming as they opened up to unleash a downpour. The rain immediately caused both Magmortar and Krookodile discomfort, cries of pain following this.
"We won't let you get away with this," Twilight told them next. "Use Peck!" Owilcious shot ahead with an extending glowing beak, now impaling Krookodile.
"Krook!" It moaned as the super sharp beak stabbed its chest.
"Knock Off!" Krookodile clenched its fists before punching at the Psychick, the owl barely managing to fly away as Lombre got closer.
"Bubblebeam!" Lombre unleashed a barrage of bubbles, all exploding on contact. Krookodile screamed in pain, the rain now making it whine even more.
"Flame Burst!" Magmortar aimed its cannon-like arms, blasting a beam of fire.
"Water Pulse!" Rarity ordered, Aquapphire throwing a water sphere at the Flame Burst. The two attacks connected, the water extinguishing the flames as Peewee hopped between them.
"Wing Attack!" Peewee's wings glowed as he shot past Magmortar, slashing it with ease.
"Power Gem!"
"Ak!" Aquapphire unleashed a red beam from its head, hitting Magmortar in the stomach.
"MAG!" It cried, falling back. "Magmor…"
While this happened, Doc was facing off against the woman on his own. Steeledge was flying around Arbok, the snake doing everything to keep it away. "Acid!"
"Cha!" The cobra Pokémon spat a thin stream of purple ooze, only for the bird to just flap in place. The slime hit the bird...only to drip off its body, "Cha/what?!"
"Steeledge is a Steel-Type," Doc reminded her. "Completely immune to Poison-Type attacks. Now...Steel Wing!" The bird slashed the snake with glowing wings, knocking it back with ease. "Just give up. That Pokémon can't touch mine."
"Never! I won't lose to you!" she barked back, only to see Steeledge smack the snake again. "No!"
Doc just shook his head, "Good grief. I just hope Flash is doing as good."
Back with the lead hunter, he had now reached a small rocky area. In front of him, he spotted the town Flash and the others had been heading for, only to see that between him and it was Cave-In Canyon. It wasn't really a canyon, more of a large rock-like bowl that was roughly a mile wide, the insides having a bunch of stalagmites roughly between ten and fifteen meters in height.
Seeing this, he began going around the canyon's edge, only to hear a certain teen yell, "HEY! You're not getting away!" He looked back to see Flash throw a Pokeball at him, "Riptide! Use Water Gun!"
The Sparanitor appeared and took a deep breath, "Spar...NITOR!" He unleashed a burst of water, the hunter turning around just as the water struck his chest.
"Augh!" he yelped as he fell over, the cage going flying out of his hands and into the canyon.
"Guys!" Flash screamed as he saw the cage roll down the canyon's slope, soon coming to a stop at the bottom. "Springer! Hoppin! You guys okay?"
"Ri..." Springer moaned as he and Hoppin sat themselves up, the Riolu looking up at his trainer and nodding, "RIOLU!"
Flash breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of there!"
"Oh no, you're not!" He spun around as the hunter pulled out a Pokeball. "That Hoppin is mine!"
"What's so special about that Hoppin?" Flash asked, as Riptide stood in front of him.
"Don't know, don't care! All I know it I get paid real good if I get that one, so that's all that matters! Rhydon, come out and crush this brat!" He threw the ball into the air, the bipedal rhino Pokémon landing with a might thud.
"Rhydon!" It roared, as Flash rolling his eyes at the sight.
"Seriously?! You're gonna use a Rock and Ground-Type against my Water-Type?! No wonder you fell to a life of crime. You were too stupid to get any other job."
"Be quiet! Use Rock Blast!" Rhyhorn's horn glowed before the light shot off, fading to reveal a bunch of jagged rocks flying at the lizard.
"Dodge it!" Riptide did so, jumping around as his trainer covered his ears, "Use Echoed Voice!" Riptide breathed in before unleashing a powerful soundwave, making Rhydon flinch as it tried to shield its ears. "Now, Aqua Tail!" Riptide stopped screaming as his tail wrapped itself in water, leaping to strike the enemy.
"Protect!" As the Spranitor tried to reach him, Rhydon created an energy bubble, Riptide's Aqua Tail bouncing off the forcefield.
"Dang it! Use Rock Smash instead!" As soon as Riptide landed, he charged before spinning like a top, thrusting a glowing leg into its stomach.
"Raaah!" It cried while staggering back, it's trainer growling.
"Hammer Arm!" Rhydon's glared down at Riptide before raising its arms, both now glowing.
"Raaah!" It started punching at Riptide, the Spranitor trying to dodge before one punch smacked him flying back.
"Riptide!" Flash yelped as his Pokémon skidded along the ground, only to flip over to get back on his feet.
"Take Down!" Rhydon began to glow before charging, ready to slam Riptide hard with the recoil attack. But Riptide was ready to reply, looking over at Flash and seeing him cover his ears.
"Sparan...NITOR!" The soundwaves blasted the Rhydon back, his charge coming to a stop.
"Aqua Tail!" Riptide stopped screaming and leapt again, water covering his tail.
"Protect!" Once again, Rhydon put up the shield and protected itself from the attack. Flash and Riptide both grumbled at the sight, Riptide landing as the Rhydon kept a defensive stance.
As this happened, Springer and Hoppin were watching what they could of the battle. But as they did this, Springer growled at the sight of Riptide having trouble, making him turn around with glowing fists. "Ri!" He used Drain Punch on the metal cage, both fists hitting one precise spot. "Ri, ri, ri, ri!"
As this happened, Hoppin's eyes shifted between him and the battle. "Hop..." He muttered as he watched them, amazed at all the sights, "Hop...hoppin."
Back with the others, the group were a bit surprised how....unskilled their opponents were. It made them wonder how they managed to get their Pokémon to evolve to the level they were.
"Dragon Claw!" Krookodile charged as its glowing blue claws tried to swipe at Owlicious.
"Energy Ball!" Applejack commanded as Lombre leapt in front of the owl as a green sphere of nature energy appeared in its hands.
"Lom, LOMBRE!" it yelled as he threw the sphere, the orb exploding into the Krookodile's claws, making it cry out in pain.
"Peck!"
"Hoo!" Owlicious stabbed Krookodile with his extended beak, knocking it back further.
"Water Pulse!" Lombre flung a water orb at the crocodile, ready to hit it right in the face.
"Flamethrower!" Magmortar pointed its cannon arms at Peewee, unleashing twin streams of fire that merged into one large barrage of flames. But as it headed for Peewee, Aquapphire jumped in front of him, her Water Rock-Typing giving her four times the resistance to fire to block it.
With Magmortar distracted by Aquapphire, Peewee flew in close as Spike called out, "Dragonbreath!"
"Terra!" He breathed in, the blue flames igniting inside his mouth. "WAGON!" The flames shot out in a blue stream of fire, which struck the fire karura, knocking it back as rain pelted its form.
"Water Pulse!" Aquapphire created her own water orb, firing at the opponent's face in an instant.
"Iron Tail!" Arbok's tail glowed silver as Steeledge flew down to use Steel Wing, the cobra spinning around to slam its tail into the wing. The two continued to trade blows for several seconds, Steeledge soon knocking the snake back due to having two wings over one tail.
"Cha!" It cried as Steeledge's other wing struck, falling back as Steeledge flew back up.
"Thunder Fang!" Arbok's mouth was filled with lightning, springing on its tail as it flung itself into Steeledge, chomping its wing.
"Ledge!" It flinched as it tried to shake the snake off, only for Arkbok to wrap its tail around his waist. "Steel!"
"Be strong Steeledge!" Doc told it before rubbing his forehead, "Uh....got it! Use Drill Peck!" Steeledge smirked, catching on as he started spinning in the air.
The Arbok spun with it, the snake's hold stopping as it fell like a brick a second later. "Char!" It bounced three times before stopping, spirals in its eyes.
"Let's end this!" Doc ordered as Steeledge flew down, cocking its wings back. "Air Cutter!"
"Steel...LEDGE!" Steeledge beat his wings, air blades slicing the snake right as Aquapphire and Lombra fired off their Water Pulse attacks.
The three attacks struck their targets dead on, sending them flying back into their trainers, "AUGH!" They all yelled, the weight of their Pokémon knocking all three out at the same time.
Everyone sighed in relief, "That was fun," Applejack sarcastically said.
"At least it didn't take to long to beat them," Twilight added.
Rarity nodded as she looked down at the criminals. "So what now? Do we just leave them here?"
Doc shook his head, "No. The police will likely want to have a few words with them."
"Ah got a load of rope we can use to tie 'em up," Applejack suggested as she went to her bag, the others following her.
As they did this, Twilight put her Pokémon away as she muttered, "I hope Flash is doing okay."
"Rock Smash!" Riptide charged with legs glowing.
"Hammer Arm!" Rhydon's swung his now shining arms at Riptide, both kick and chop hitting each other. A shockwave happened next, Rhydon's attack overpowering Riptide as he smacked him to the ground.
"Spar!" Riptide hit the dirt, only rolled back onto his feet.
"Echoed Voice!"
"Spran..." Flash, Rhydon and the hunter covered their ears, "NITOR!" The soundwaves flew across the rocky field, making the rhino Pokémon flinch.
"Urgh...that's starting to give me a headache. Use Rock Blast!" But Rhydon didn't perform the attack, his hands still over his ears.
"Aqua Tail!" Flash yelled, Riptide as he began bum-rushing the enemy.
The hunter waited until he saw Riptide's tail be covered in water before barking, "Protect!"
"Raaah!" Rhydon once again surrounded himself in a bubble-like shield, Riptide's Aqua Tail bouncing off the forcefield.
"Dang it!" Flash growled before pointing at the Rhydon, "We gotta break that defence! Water Gun!"
"Rock Blast!" Rhydon's horn fired a rock right at the water stream, blocking it as another stone flew into Riptide.
"Nee!" Riptide flinched, staggering back from the blow.
"Take Down!" The hunter's order, the Rhydon charging at full speed.
"Echoed Voice!" Flash called out, but as Riptide was still recovering, allowing Rhydon to body check him.
"Spran!" Riptide cried as he went flying back, hitting the dirt with several painful thuds.
"You okay?" Flash said as he leaned over to help Riptide up, "This is bad."
"Just give up kid." The hunter barked back, "Give up and get out of my way. Heck, why you're at it...give me that Spranitor as well! AHAHAHA!!!"
"You..." Flash growled, Riptide now getting on his feet.
At the same time, Springer was still punching at the cage while Hoppin watched the battle, "Hop...hoppin."
"Ri!" Springer slammed his fist into the dented cage, the bar bent and twisted before he hit it one more time.
BAM!
"RIOLU!" he cheered as the cage door went flying, letting him crawl out before turning back to Hoppin. "Rio! Rio Riolu!"
Hoppin didn't hear him though, watching the fight as Rhydon readied to finish the battle. "Beat it with Hammer Arm!" The hunter yelled, Springer now seeing the battle as well before gasping.
But as this happened, Hoppin's eyes narrowed. A look of pure determination appeared on his face as he quickly went through the hole Springer had made and then hopped on top of the cage, "Hop..." Hoppin too a deep breath, which made Springer quickly put his paws over his ears, "HOPPIN!" He unleashed his Screech attack, the powerful high pitched noise now echoing through the canyon.
"AUGH!" Everyone screamed, covering their ears. "What's happening?!" The hunter cried over the noise, his ears feeling like they were about to burst.
"Hoppin...stop. You're-" Flash didn't finish, as he looked down and saw Riptide was having no trouble with the attack, "Wait...that's it! Riptide, Aqua Tail!"
"Spran!" Riptide leapt up, wrapping his tail in water as he charged at the flinching Rhydon.
The hunter saw this and yelled, "Protect!" But Rhydon couldn't hear him, his hands tightly over his ears, "I said PROTECT!"
But it was too late.
WHAM!
"Raaah!" Rhydon yelped as the liquid powered attack struck him clean, his defence also lowered due to the Screech. The force of the blow knocked him flying back, spirals appearing on his face as his legs began to gave out.
"No, no, no!" The hunter screamed as Rhydon's shadow now covered him, "AUGH!" he cried as his Pokémon collapsed on top of him, covering all but his head and one arm.
It was here that Hoppin stopped screaming, Flash sighing in relief, "That's was close." He leaned down and patted Riptide, "Great work bud." Riptide gave a cheeky smile before giving a thumbs up. Nodding at this, Flash turned to look down into the canyon. "And thanks Hoppin, we couldn't have won without you."
"Hoppin!" Hoppin cheered, his tail trying to wag.
Flash smiled back at the sight, only to suddenly feel a shaking beneath him. Looking down, he now saw a barrage of cracks appearing in the rock face. The Hoppin's Screech attack had caused the canyon to start caving in, Springer now looking around to see the walls breaking apart. "Ri..." namesake to occur, the place was collapsing.
"Springer! You gotta get out of there!" No sooner had he said that the rock under Flash broke away. "Whoa!" Flash and Riptide leapt back, the rock now beginning a path for Springer and Hoppin.
"RIOLU!" Springer grabbed the hatchling and jumped out of the way, just avoiding the rolling rubble. But as they did this, a stalagmite collapsed, all its pieces becoming another avalanche. "Ri!" Springer began dancing around the falling rocks, Hoppin piggybacking on the Riolu.
"Springer, use Quick Attack there!" Flash pointed to another part of the canyon, this one not having cracks. Springer glanced over, the Pokémon then telling Hoppin to hold on tight.
"Hop?" He asked, only to get his answer as Springer shot up at blinding speed. Hoppin's face began contorting due to the wind, the Pokémon yelping, "HOP! HOPPIN!"
As this happened, Springer kept hopping over the rocks, his feet doing all the fancy footwork on each piece of rubble. At the same time, Flash and Riptide were running along the edge of the bowl, watching as they got closer to the safe zone. But as they did this, the shaking continued, Flash now seeing new cracks starting to form.
"Oh no..." Flash whispered. "SPRINGER! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"
"SPRANITOR!!!"
Springer dug deep, pushing his body as much as he could as he kept dodging, only for a pebble to scratch his shoulder. "Ri..." he flinched as he soon felt two more rocks hit him, the Pokémon starting to slow down. It was here he saw a shadow cover his body, making him look up as a giant boulder blocked out the sun. The sight made him go wide-eyed, his feet shaking at the sight.
"Hop!" The voice of the Hoppin screamed on his back, making him glance back to see pure fear on the hatchling's face.
The scared look on his face made a click go on his brain, remembering Hoppin had just hatched. "Ri..." he turned back to the boulder, fear disappearing on his face as he narrowed his eyes. As he did this, his aura beginning to change colour as he stared the falling rubble down. But as he did this, time seemed to slow down for the Riolu, his eyes closing as he his aura began to morph from the standard white from the usual Quick Attack, only for it to become a deep green. His eyes then shot open, the green light morphing into green sparks.
"SPRINGER!" Flash screamed as he watched the rock slam on top of Springer and Hoppin. His heart stopped, falling to his knees as tears began to leak out of his eyes. "No."
Riptide did the same, tears beginning to form over the loss of his friend. But as he was about to do this, his eyes suddenly went wide as he yelled, "Spran! Spranitor!"
"Huh?" Flash's eyes reopened, only to do the same as Riptide as both gasped at the new sight. It was a green bolt of lightning shooting around the canyon, all moving at blinding speeds. "Is that..."
It was Springer, Hoppin still on his back as parkoured through the canyon. Green lightning was sparking around them, Hoppin cheering as they outmanoeuvred anything that came their way. "Hop." Hoppin cheered, nuzzling the Riolu's back as he watched the world blur around him.
Springer was the same, unable to believe he was actually moving this fast. "Riolu!" He yelled as he kept hopping around, dodging more falling stalagmites as they continued to run up to the edge of the bowl. But as they got closer, another stalagmite collapsed in front of him. Springer was about to change direction, but then saw something that gave him an idea. "Hold on," he told Hoppin as he hopped into the air and pulled back one of his feet. A rock the size of Hoppin was falling ahead of the rest, which he waited for the right second.
A split-second later, Springer slammed his leg into the rock at top speed. Time seemed to stop again, the two forces meeting as the Riolu overpowered the rubble, pushing the rock right back into the falling stalagmite. It shot through the air like a meteor, shattering them into the pieces, only to be blown away by the wind from Springer's kick.
"Wow!" Flash gasped as Riptide began cheering, both now watching Springer reach the ramp stalagmite before running all the way up and jumping off the edge. The blue lightning bolt flew through the air until landing right by Flash, a huge grin on his face. The sight made the biggest grin appear on Flash's face, "Springer!" He and Riptide ran over to his partner as he put the Hoppin down, pulling them both into a hug. "You're both okay!"
Springer and Hoppin hugged back, both now feeling the tears fall off Flash's face. And as Flash pulled away, he asked, "But...what was that? That didn't look like Quick Attack. What did you do?" Springer just shrugged, making Flash cross his arms in response. A few moments later, he pulled out his Pokedex and pulled up Riolu's page...only to find nothing. "Hmm? I don't see anything on this."
A few taps later, he still didn't find anything, making him scan Springer instead. The device then showed his moves, making him see something new, "Extreme...Speed? Cool! You learned Extreme Speed!"
"RIOLU!" Springer cheered, Riptide grabbing his and Hoppin's paws as both started dancing.
"FLASH!" They all turned to a new voice, now seeing their friends. As they got closer, they saw the destroyed canyon, all gasping, "What happened here?"
Flash smirked at Twilight's question. "It's a...long story."
One long story later...
"Wow..." Doc replied as Applejack finished typing up the criminal, "I can't believe Springer learned Extreme Speed. That...shouldn't be possible until it evolves."
"Well, Springer can already us one move he shouldn't be able to," Twilight pointed out. "Who knows, maybe he's a special case that can learn any Lucario move...which makes me want to have Professor Celestia look at him again."
"Who cares why it happened," Flash patted Springer and Hoppin on the head. "What matters is they're safe." The others nodded in agreement.
"Hop! Hop, hop!" They all turned to Hoppin, who was bouncing up and down rapidly.
"What's it saying?" Spike asked, he and Peewee blinking at the sight.
Flash chuckled at the sight, kneeling down as he said, "He's saying he wants to become as strong as Springer and Riptide." He began to scratch him behind the ear, "Isn't that right?" Hoppin nodded. "Then come with us. I want to become the best trainer Equestria has ever seen, and to do that, I'm gonna need some super strong Pokémon. I get the feeling that with some training, you'll become one of the strongest." He pulled out a Pokeball, "What do you say?"
"Hop!" Hoppin cheered as Flash stood up.
"Alright, then go Pokeball!" He tossed the ball up into the air, Hoppin jumping after it. Once at the same height, Hoppin tapped it with his nose, the ball opening up and unleashing a blast of red energy. The energy sucked the hatchling inside before slamming shut, instantly dinging. Flash caught the ball, barely containing himself as he started shaking, "ALRIGHT!" He held the ball up, "I just caught...A HOPPIN!"
"RIO/NITOR!" The others all cheered.
"Congrats Flash," Twilight added.
Rarity nodded, "I'm sure you'll raise Hoppin well."
"Thanks," Flash held out the ball and let Hoppin back out. "Come back out buddy."
"Hop!" Hoppin cheered before leaping into his trainer's arms, Flash scratching him behind the ear.
"Welcome to the family Hoppin." Flash replied before starting to hum, trying to think of a name as a bulb shined over his head, "I know!" He held the little Pokémon up, "I'm gonna call you Hopper."
Hoppin, now Hopper, giggled at the name. "Hoppin!" The others all smiled, happy to have a new member of the team.
A few hours later...
The sun was beginning to set as the hunter sat against the rock he was tied to. He had woken up an hour ago, having tried every possible way of escape...but to no avail. Now all he could do was grumble, only to blink as he saw there were several shadows suddenly cover his body.
He looked up and gulped at the new sight. Out of the light revealed a bunch of Dragon-Type Pokémon. There was a Noivern, Flygon, Dragonair and Garchomp, each one carrying someone on their back as the riders dismounted before the Noivern rider walked over to him.
"Hey there," he said before his shirt was grabbed by the person. He was a teenager that had charcoal grey skin and spiky red hair with yellow tips, and was wearing a blue flame patterned jacket.
"Where's the egg?" The teen growled, their faces now only inches apart.
"Gone. It hatched and found its way into the clutches of someone else." The teen growled back at him, the hunter now chuckling at the sight, "Relax, it's not with the one you're thinking of. It's embarrassing to say, but the robbers got robbed."
"Where are they?!"
"No idea. They were gone before I woke up. But..." He looked over at the village, "They were coming from that place and seemed to be on a journey. Best guess, they're heading in the opposite direction."
The teen growled before letting go of him, returning to his Noivern. And as the riders all took to the sky and disappeared, the thief laughed, "Suckers! That'll keep them off the trail long enough for me to catch up." He then started struggling against the ropes again, "If I'm ever able to free myself...."
Back in the air, the Dragon-Types and their riders were all looking ahead. "Ryu," Noivern rider turned to the boy on the Flygon, "What now?"
Ryu crossed his arms before turning to the Dragonair rider. The only girl of the group, she had snow-white skin and sky blue hair while wearing a headband with wings similar to her Pokémon's on the side. "Kaida, send a message back to the village. Tell them to send out every scout they can spare." Kaida nodded as Ryu looked back at the sky. "We have to find them. We have to find the lost heir."