Only two days remained of the Pokémon Summer Camp, everyone now in the mess hall while eating away as they waited to hear what the day's activity would be. There was only one camper not eating, this one too busy having her injury examined by Gloriosa.
"How does this feel?" she asked as she squeezed Twilight's foot.
"Ow!" Twilight winced, Gloriosa nodding.
"As I thought." She looked up at Twilight, "I'm afraid I can't allow you to participate in today's event. You need to stay off that foot until at least early tonight."
"Seriously? Are...are you sure?"
"Yes. On any other day, I'd let you participate. However, today's event is one that would cause serious problems if you took part."
"What's today's event that makes that impossible?"
Before Gloriosa could answer, Celestia walked into the mess hall with Luna and Sunset. The last two were pushing a sheet covered board into the room. "Good morning everyone, I hope you're all well rested after last night's activities. You'll need a lot of energy for today's event." Luna and Sunset took off the sheet, revealing the board had a map on it. "The Pokémon Triathlon." This got several cheers, Rainbow's being the loudest due to her love of racing as Celestia continued, "Each of you will select one of your Pokémon to do the race with you, though no Pokémon that can only move through flight." This made Rainbow deflate into her seat, knowing her Pokémon would have trouble with that rule, "At the start of the race, everyone will be given a puzzle they must solve. Once they hand that puzzle in, they will be permitted to select a random Pokémon that they must ride through the forest to where Luna will be waiting."
"So it's like the first day," Doc added.
Trixie shook her head, "Kinda, but the puzzle thing might be what decides the whole race."
Luna nodded as she stepped up to continue, pointing at a section of the map near the lake, "I'll be waiting right here. Once you arrive, you will be given a second puzzle to complete before getting to select a Water-type that you'll use to cross the lake to where Sunset will be waiting."
"So that'll be like the fourth day on the lake," Pinkie cheered, "This'll be so much fun!"
Sunset then pointed to a section of the map nobody had gone to before. "This will be where you get off. Once here, all you have to do is get to the finish line and answer a simple true or false question." She turned to the campers, seeing nothing but frowns before grinning, "Oh, and by the way, did I forget to mention there's an obstacle course between me and the finish line?"
Everyone started to cheer again, Celestia smiling at their enthusiasm, "Since this is a race, points will be awarded. First place will receive fifty points, second place thirty points, third place twenty points and everyone else will be awarded ten points. Do you all understand?"
Everyone nodded back, the group turning to the leaderboard. It showed that the Sapphire Cabin was in front with Diamond close behind and Ruby after that. But if all of the Diamond or Ruby campers took first, second and third place, they would take the lead. As such, everyone glared at the Sapphire Table, making Spike shrink in his seat, "Anyone else suddenly feeling very paranoid?" Flash, Twilight and Doc raised their hands.
Celestia then clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention, "Alright everyone, the event will start after lunch. That'll give you time to select which Pokémon you wish to work with you, and brush up on your Pokémon trivia. That's all for now."
Hearing this, everyone got up and headed out into the camp. "It's too bad you're not gonna get to race," Spike told his sister. "With your brains, you'd sail through all those quizzes."
Twilight sighed in response, "Maybe...but with this leg, all those physical challenges would be impossible."
Doc nodded in agreement. "Either way, we have our work cut out for us. Unless Flash, Spike and I get first, second and third place, it's likely we could lose our lead."
"Then that's what we'll do," Flash added while pumping his fists, "We need to pick a Pokémon that would help with the race."
"Well my only choice is Peewee," Spike said while his Terragon happily roared.
Doc hummed at this, "Since we'll be riding Pokémon and flight is out of the question, I'll have to use Higear."
"Makes sense," Twilight then turned to Flash. "What about you? You can't exactly use Springer or Hopper, their still recovering due to...you know, Piedoom."
"Yeah...I was thinking about that." Flash pulled out his other four Pokeballs, putting Skyler's away instantly. His mind going over all their movesets, a grin shined on his face as he put two away, "I choose you...Viper!" The Pokeball opened and unleashed the fire snake, the Pokémon looking up at him curiously. "Hey Viper, mind helping me win this race?"
Viper raised an eyebrow before quickly nodding, "Scor!"
"Alright! First place, here I come!" He then turned to the other two, "Though that being said, with Twilight out, it's up to us to try twice as hard." The other two nodded, only to hear a roar of laughter, making to spin around to see Lightning and Chimplug standing a way off. "What?"
"The fact you think you're gonna win. Dream on, because I'm taking first place."
"You?" Twilight asked with raised eyebrows, "I'm surprised you even care."
"Yeah," Doc added while nodding, "I figured you'd see this kind of thing as a waste of time."
"Actually, this is exactly what I was hoping this stupid camp would be about. Ways to test myself and see what holes I have in my Pokémon knowledge. This will certainly help me figure out what I need to improve on. Besides," he let out another laugh before pointing at Flash, "I also get to beat you worthless losers again!"
Flash growled back, "You're gonna be the loser!"
"Don't be absurd. Remember what happened last night? You're just a weakling." Lightning remarked before spinning around and walking away, "Later losers."
"You..." Flash hissed, only for Doc to grab his shoulder.
"Stop. He's not worth it right now." Doc said as Flash turned back to him, "We need to think about what we have to do about this race. With one member out, we're at a serious disadvantage."
Flash let out a long sigh, "Yeah...I know. I just hate that guy." It was here that they all heard a cough, all turning to see Timber walking up to them. "Uh...can we help you?" He asked slowly, his tone showing he was not in the mood to deal with him.
"No...but I can help you." Timber replied with a smirk, "I can race in Twilight's place."
"How?" Spike asked while tilting his head. "I mean, sure you can so the physical stuff, but what about the quizzes?"
"We could ask if anyone has a Teleport knowing Pokémon we could borrow. She could warp to the next quiz site and get to work as soon as I get there."
"I doubt that would work," Doc responded while shaking his head, pointing at the camp as there was still some glares, "I'm pretty sure no one wants to help us right now."
"Then what do we do?" Twilight asked, Doc humming before snapping his fingers.
"I got it!"
One transition to the cabin later...
Twilight and Timber watched as Doc pulled out a pair of glasses that looked like Twilight's. "Here we are," he placed the glasses on Timber's head while taking Twilight's journal, now fiddling with it for a minute.
"So...what exactly do these do?" Timber asked, trying to adjust them to be more comfortable.
"Just a second," he replied while pressing several buttons. "And...there."
He then handed the journal to Twilight, the girl now seeing an image of her on the bed. She raised an eyebrow before catching on, glancing at Timber and seeing him looking at her. "Could you look around?" He tilted his head in confusion before turning around, Twilight now seeing the image move on the screen. She now saw Doc, then Springer and Hopper asleep on Flash's bed before going back to her. "I get it. It's a camera."
"Yup. It'll show you everything Timber sees and hears. And with this," Doc took out a box, opening it to reveal a hearing aid with a small microphone. "Timber will be able to hear you."
"Cool," Timber added as Doc took the glasses off him.
"I'm gonna go show these to Celestia and see if she's okay with you taking Twilight's place." The two nodded as Doc ran out the door, only for Flash to appear right in front of the cabin, "Where have you been?"
"Checking out the competition," Flash replied, "Though mainly seeing who's picking what Pokémon for the race."
"Good idea, but I've gotta go see Celestia." He then continued to go on his way, Flash about to go back into the cabin. But as he stepped up to the door and reached for the handle, Timber's voice made him stop.
"So, you made a decision?" Flash raised an eyebrow at the question.
"No," Twilight's voice replied, "Not yet."
"Well, you've gotta pick soon. Do you want to stay with Flash or start traveling with me?"
Flash's eyes went wide. "No way," he whispered.
"It's a big decision. Just...please give me some more time."
"Alright. Well, there's a bonfire barbecue after the race. Think you'll have a decision by then?"
"I...I think so." she said in a low, almost stuttering tone.
"Alright." And as these words left Timber's mouth, Flash could hear the sound of footsteps, making him run around the cabin. He quickly side-stepped around the cabin's walls, seeing Timber walk away before looking into a nearby window.
There, he saw Twilight slumping over on the bed, stroking Shine with a huge frown on her face, "Oh Shine...I don't know what to do."
Flash grimaced at the sight, seeing how obviously torn she was over the decision. He looked away next, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach, "Twilight...you're gonna leave, aren't ya?"
The teen started to walk away, sighing as he muttered out, "And its all my fault. I'm a total jerk, aren't I?"
An hour or so later...
The time came for the race to begin. All the campers had gathered at the starting line, a bunch of tables with Celestia and Gloriosa sitting at one with a box of Pokeballs and a stack of paper booklets. Flash turned to see his competition, seeing Lightning had Chimplug, Rainbow had Hawlucha, Fluttershy had Angel, Pinkie had Milcry (Which could technically fly, but due to its tiny size, Celestia allowed it) and Trixie had Hatenna. Spike and Doc had Higear and Peewee while Timber was with Shine, who didn't look so happy to be racing with him.
Celestia had accepted the idea of Timber filling in for Twilight, she and Gloriosa moving around to hand out the booklets. After everyone had a booklet and pencil in hand, the professor spoke up, "Alright, is everyone ready?" They all nodded, each one sharing a determined stare. They were gonna win, no matter what. "Then let's get this race started. Three...two...one...BEGIN!"
Everyone opened their books, seeing it was filled with a bunch of Pokémon images on one side of the page. There were seven Pokémon, a Bonsly, Pawniard, Gothorita, Kingsect, Ghouwail, Pyroar and Jumpluff. On the other side were eighteen symbols, which they realized where Pokémon types. It instantly clicked what they had to do, all grabbing their pencils.
In her cabin, Twilight saw this and started talking into the microphone. "Okay Timber, here's what you do. First, draw a line from Bonsly to the Rock-type symbol."
"Got it," Timber whispered while everyone else also got to work.
"Pawniard," Flash scratched his head with his pencil. "I know it's a Steel-Type, but isn't it also a Dark-type?" Viper slid up his leg to look over the sheet, staring down at the picture of the chess piece Pokémon.
"Scor," he turned to Flash and nodded, "hiss."
"You think it is?" Flash asked back, "Good enough for me."
Trixie smirked as she drew a line from Gothorita too the Psychic symbol. She knew most people would mistake it for a Dark-type, but she knew better since she was practically a Psychic-type expert. Besides, she remembered back to Twilight's battle in the Hoof Cup. Only an idiot would forget about that.
"Gothorita," Rainbow chuckled to herself, "Dark-type."
Everyone else kept working, only for Timber to get up first, "Here you go."
He gave Celestia the book, the professor scanning it over before nodding. "Excellent work," she gestured to the box on the table. "You may now select a Pokémon to ride."
Timber pulled out a Pokeball. "Alright, come on out!" He tossed the ball up, revealing a large wolf creature with fire patterns covering its body. "An Arcanine! Awesome!" He picked up Shine and hopped onto the Arcanine, the wolf letting out a howl before running off.
While that happened, Flash, Doc, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Trixie all handing in their books, Celestia and Gloriosa both nodding as they read through them. "Good," Flash moved over to the box. "Excellent," Doc did the same. "Try again," Rainbow pouted as she took her test back.
"All correct," Gloriosa said to Fluttershy before turning to Trixie. "Yours too."
"Here's mine," Flash took out a Pokeball and opened it up, revealing a Gogoat, which he and Viper quickly mounted to ride. The rest soon followed, Doc riding a Stantler with Higear holding onto his back, Fluttershy and Angel riding a Togekiss and Trixie being carried by a Ninjask.
Over in the forest, Timber smirked as he, Shine and Arcanine raced through the trees. Shine sat in front of him, feeling semi-motion sickness as Arcanine's movements made her bounce up and down. Timber didn't seem to notice, just looking ahead with a big grin, "This thing's as good as mine." He then remembered who was listening, "I mean yours."
"Don't count the others out just yet," Twilight told him while Springer and Hopper barked into the microphone. Timber was about to speak up to say everything was fine, only for him to look back and see Flash on Gogoat.
"Didn't think you'd be seeing me, did you?" Flash yelled while keeping an eye on Viper, the Hisscor wrapped around his wrist. He then looked back as well, now seeing the rest starting to get close.
Rainbow had managed to get her answers right and was now riding a Rhyhorn with her Hawlucha, while just behind her was Spike, who was piggybacking on a Grattle. Other trainers were following close behind, all on their own ride Pokémon. Flash then turned back to Timber, patting Gogoat as he said, "Let's go Gogoat! I know you can do it!" Gogoat nodded at this, pumping its legs as hard as it could.
Timber growled at this, "Come on Arcanine, get the lead out!" Arcanine started to push itself more, but Flash and Gogoat keep up right behind him.
"Don't think you guys are getting there first!" Rainbow barked from behind before pointing at them, "Let's ride Rhyhorn!" The rhino Pokémon roared, now picking up speed as well.
"Let's do this Stantler!" Doc yelled.
"Don't push yourself," Fluttershy told Togekiss. "Just fly as fast as you can without hurting yourself."
"Go, go, go, go Grattle!" Spike cheered.
"Trixie's coming up fast!" The girl roared as Ninjask zipped up to everyone else's side.
That is, till the ground beside them broke apart, something now flying out, "WHEEEE!" Pinkie cheered, riding on the back of a Burroworm as it flew back into the ground, The girl disappearing into the dirt with it.
"What the-Burroworms aren't riding Pokémon!" Timber yelped, only for Flash and Twilight to shake their heads at the same time before saying in unison.
"That's Pinkie for ya." Before Timber could reply, something shot past the two from above, both glancing up before glaring at the new sight. "Lightning..."
Lightning was standing atop a Magnazone as it flew ahead of them, not even holding onto it while Chimplug was gripping the antenna on the top. He just laughed as he looked back at the group, "Told you I don't lose. Even a silly game like this is nothing compared to me." Magnazone then shot ahead as Lightning shined a giant smirk, "Later, losers."
Everyone glared at him, everyone now yelling, "LET'S GO!"
Luna was silently waiting as she saw Lightning and Magnazone flying over. Frowning at the sight, the teen jumped off and returned the Magnazone without even a thank you before dropping it back in the box. "Alright, what's next?" Luna sighed before handing him a box, the trainer opening it to see a bunch of pieces, "A jigsaw?"
"On it is a Pokémon. Your task is to tell me what this Pokémon evolves from." Lightning rolled his eyes, grumbling as he sat down at a table. Flash and Timber were next to arrive, thanking their Pokémon before returning them and being given the same puzzle. Pinkie was next, surprising Luna as she suddenly shot out the ground, followed by the rest of the campers.
Soon, everyone was working on the puzzle, Rainbow growling as she tried to jam a piece into a bit it didn't fit into, "Ragh! Who has the patience for something like this?" She then heard happy humming, turning to see Fluttershy and Angel happily playing with the puzzle.
Flash and Timber were working at a steady pace, both managing to get the entire border finished. It was here that Flash started to notice that most middle pieces were black and gray, but there were also several brown, green and pink pieces. His eyes went wide as he put the pink pieces together, noticing a kind of ribbon before making the ribbon even longer. "This is..." He quickly scrapped the pieces into the box before hopping over to Luna, whispering into her ear.
Timber looked up as he heard Luna say, "That's correct." He went wide-eyed as Flash went over to a new box, "You may now take one Flash."
"How did he-"
"Timber," Twilight's voice called out, "Don't worry about what he's doing. Focus on the puzzle." Timber grumbled as he went back to work, Flash now taking out a Pokeball.
"Here we go!" He tossed it into the air, revealing a large Samurott. "Awesome!"
Luna then handed Flash something that looked like a laser pointer. "Here's your next task: Please look out towards the lake." Flash turned and saw several floating platforms that each had a pole with different colored targets on them. "Riding your Water-type, you must swim around the lake and use this to hit the targets. Yellow targets are one point, blue targets are three points and red targets are five points. Once you have twenty-five points, you can move over to where Sunset is. Also, you can only hit a target once. Understand?"
"Got it." Flash replied, everyone else having been listening while they worked.
Flash then hopped onto Samurott before feeling Viper shiver around his arm. He looked down and patted the snake's head, "Don't worry little buddy, I won't let you get wet. Promise." Viper looked up and nodded with a small smile. "Alright, let's win this thing!"
As Samurott slowly stepped into the water, the rest were still on the puzzle. Twilight wasn't having much luck, though mainly because since Timber seemed to be having trouble following her orders. "No, not there. A little to the left." She watched him move the piece, "There." He placed the piece in, Twilight humming as she rubbed her chin. "That part looks like a wing...mostly black and gray with bits of pink, green and brown." She let out a gasp, "No wonder Flash knew what it was! Timber, I know the answer."
Luna watched as Timber got up and headed over, Rainbow doing the same. As for her, she had figured out after seeing Fluttershy finish the entire puzzle, that being an image of a male and female Unfezant.
"Oh, what a lovely picture." Fluttershy chimed in before starting to put the pieces away. "Let's clean this up Angel."
"Bun."
Timber then gave Luna the earpiece as Twilight said, "Tranquill."
"Correct," Luna replied, giving Timber the earpiece and laser pointer.
"How did Flash know what it was?" Timber asked as he and Rainbow reached into the Pokeball box, grabbing one while moving over to the lake.
"His grandmother's a Flying-type expert. He grew up around tons of them. He could probably tell you what a Flying-type was by an outline."
"Makes sense," he then spun the ball in his hand, "But that doesn't mean he'll win."
Meanwhile...
Flash, Viper and Samurott had now gotten seven points, the number being shown on the pointer's side. The pointer only had a range of about a meter, meaning he had to get quite close to hit it.
"Hold on Viper!" He told him as he leaned over to point his laser at a blue target, pressing the button to fire and hitting it dead center. "Got it!" The number on the side turned to ten, but before Flash could pull himself back up, Samurott swerved to dodge something that must have been under the water. "WHOA!" Flash yelped as he almost fell in, only to look up and see that Viper had grabbed onto Samurott's horn with his mouth while his tail was wrapped around Flash's wrist.
"Scor!" He moaned before pulling Flash back up, the teen sighing in relief.
"Thanks Viper!" Viper let out a cheer as Samurott sped back up, only for something to zip right past them.
"Excuse me!" Timber said as he shot past Flash on a Walrein.
"What the heck?" Flash yelled as he saw Timber swim ahead, making him look back to see the others. Rainbow was riding a Seapent and Fluttershy was on a Kelpool. Spike was behind them, riding a Piercish while Doc was atop a Tentacruel. Pinkie was atop a Lapras and Trixie was on a Milotic while Lightning was bringing up the rear, riding on a slow-moving Wishcash.
"Come on!" He told it while hitting a one point target, "Can't you pick up the pace?!"
"Cash..." it sighed, only to let out a groan as Lightning kicked its side.
Flash shook his head before looking back at Timber, now seeing him hit two one point targets and a three-pointer. "We gotta catch up. Come on Samurott!" The seal otter Pokémon roared before charging ahead, Flash hitting those same targets while the others followed.
The lake soon became a frenzy of Pokémon riding trainers, all shooting lasers all over the place. On the Walrein, Shine was having trouble staying still as Timber pulled the Water-type around. She kept shivering, knowing that if she fell off, she wouldn't have a good time, this being doubled when Timber grumbled, "Hey, stop squirming. You'll fall." Shine just whimpered, looking away as it wished for Twilight to be here.
As this happened, Twilight saw Timber look over at Flash, now seeing he had almost fallen off again before Flash looked down at Viper, "You okay bud?"
"Scor!" she heard Viper reply.
"If we're going too fast, just tell me."
"There," she then heard Timber say, turning to see Timber take his arm off of Shine and fire the pointer at the target.
"Nee!" Shine cried, now feeling herself before grabbing hold of Walrein's hair with her teeth.
"Timber!" He heard Twilight yell through his ear, "Is Shine alright?! I think I heard her crying!"
"She's fine," Timber instantly replied, not even looking as he hit the next target, getting to twenty-five. "Got it." He then put the pointer in his pocket as Shine pulled herself back into a seated position before he looked down for Twilight to see, "See? She's fine." Shine looked up at him with a frown, Twilight seeing this on the monitor.
Several others had also collected the necessary points and headed over to where Sunset should be. This included Flash, Rainbow, Trixie, Pinkie and even Lightning, all arriving at the edge of the lake as they saw their final obstacle. Sunset was standing next to a table with a box and several envelopes. Behind her were three sets of obstacles, the first being a pair of wooden contraptions filled with swing logs hanging over some foam. After that was some kind of large pool, filled with mud that had several platforms in it, along with the last obstacle, which was a giant rock-climbing wall.
"Hey everyone," Sunset added as she held out the box for them to place their Pokémon into. "Now it's time for the final question of the race." She held out an envelope for each of them to take, most ripping them open to see the question.
Pikachu evolves into Raichu by learning the move Volt Tackle.
Under the question was a red box and a green box, everyone quickly grabbing a pencil off the table so they could give their answer. "Alright," Sunset added as she pointed at the rock climbing wall, "You just need to be the first to reach the finish line with the correct answer." She turned back to the others as they stood there, as if to wait for her approval. "What are you waiting for?! Get over there and win!"
"Alright!" Rainbow cheered as she ran ahead, Hawlucha right behind her. "Victory is mine!" she yelled as she grabbed the first log, only for it to spin around, making her lose balance and fall down. "WHOA!" She cried, slamming into the padding as Hawlucha glided down after her. "Ow..."
Lightning was up next, jumping onto the first one and holding it till the swinging stopped. Chimplug jumped on next, swinging to the other side with ease as Lightning slowly followed after him. Pinkie and Trixie both moved over to the other bridge and jumped on it, both swinging around as Pinkie cheered, "Whee!" As she did this, Trixie held on for dear life, Pinkie's swinging making the others logs spin around.
While this happened, Celestia, Luna and Gloriosa arrived beside Sunset to watch the race. The rest of the camp also arrived, handing in their Pokémon and receiving the question before starting the first obstacle. Some quickly got over it, while others found themselves stuck halfway across. "Augh!" Spike yelped as he fell onto the mat, Doc and Fluttershy falling down next to him.
Flash and Timber both stared at the obstacle, both having held back as they saw how the logs moved. They then both nodded before sharing a glance, the duo quickly jumping on and off the logs with ease. Everyone watched as they zipped past everyone, both Shine and Viper holding onto their shoulders as they finished the first obstacle.
They then saw the lake of mud, several campers already trying to pass it. Lightning was halfway across, Trixie about a third of the way while several others were on one of the first few platforms or stuck in the mud with their Pokémon. Twilight watched as the racers kept hopping on platforms, several falling while others continued to float. Flash then leapt onto one of them, only to sink. The sight made Twilight nod, "I've got the path."
"Which ones are safe?" Timber asked, Twilight quickly instructing him as he started his path as Lightning reached the other side.
"Ha!" He and Chimplug laughed as they ran over to the rock wall, "This race is mine!"
Timber continued to jump from platform to platform, following Twilight's directions for stable footing. "This next one's a big jump," she told him as he landed.
"Got it!" He replied, crouching down and springing towards it.
"Look out!" He glanced back, Trixie suddenly appearing as both collided in midair. Shine then leapt off Timber before they hit, landing on the stable platform while he and Trixie fell into the mud. She giggled at the sight as Timber, Trixie and Hatenna broke the surface of the mud.
"Timber?" Twilight tried to contact him, now seeing only mud on the monitor, "Can you hear me?"
"Help!" She heard Trixie cry, "It's sticky and slippery at the same time! This is torture!"
"Timber?" She kept yelling out, "Are you and Shine alright?"
As for Timber, he didn't hear Twilight's question due to his earpiece now being sunk into the mud. "Dang it!" He growled before turning to see Flash about to leave the lake of mud. He was jumping from one platform to another, not staying on long enough to find out if it was steady or not. "I'm not losing to him!" With that, he started to pull himself through the mud.
While this happened, Flash then started to lose his balance on a platform, "Whoa! no, no, no!" He began to fall back, only for a bulb to shine in his head, "Viper, Flamethrower!" Viper pointed his head to the mud and unleashed the fire attack, superheating it seconds before Flash landed on it. Flash closed his eyes, expecting his idea to fail...only to feel solid ground. Gasping at the feeling, he hopped up to see that the Flamethrower had evaporated the water in the mud, turning it into a solid lump of earth. "YES! Let's keep going Viper!"
"Scor!" Viper cheered as it used Flamethrower to create a solid path of dirt for Flash to run across.
"Is that allowed?" Sunset asked, everyone's jaws dropping at the sight.
Celestia did a small nod, "No rule against it. This is the kind of teamwork I was hoping to see from everyone."
Flash was now to the other side of the mud pool, spotting Timber and Shine getting close as well. He sprinted to the rock wall next, looking up to see two others already climbing. One was a camper he didn't know and the other...was Lightning.
"I'm not done yet." Flash grabbed a line, quickly attaching it before starting his climb. As he did this, a loud cry followed as he saw the camper he didn't know begin to fall, the line catching the individual next. "Looks like I still got a chance for second place. Here I come!"
As Flash began his ascent, Lightning looked down and laughed, "Idiots, this race is mine." He then looked back at the wall, reaching for another handle. Quickly pulling up, he tried to find a place for his foot...and found nothing, "Urgh..."
While he did this, Timber was now strapping himself in with Shine on his shoulder as Flash started to get closer to Lightning. Timber quickly zipped up as well, both seeing Lightning now finding nothing to grip. And as Lightning put his foot on what felt like a flat peg, his foot slipped out, making him fall, "Blaugh!" he yelped, falling down a few feet, Flash and Timber seeing him descend.
Flash and Timber both smirked at the sight, soon pushing themselves to climb higher. Flash was now ahead, but Timber was much taller, letting him easily climb. As they did this, Rainbow had also started up the wall, zipping past Lightning as she ascended at a breakneck pace.
Down below, everyone had stopped to watch them, all cheering at their own pace. "Come on Flash!" Spike cheered.
"You got this!" Doc added.
Twilight frowned as she watched from the cabin, unable to tell Timber anything. Thankfully, the camera was still working, allowing her to see and hear everything...but she couldn't decide who to cheer for. Her heart was beating super fast as she whispered, "Come on..."
Flash and Timber now both had the top within arms reach, both getting a hand on the edge and pulling themselves up. And as they did this, Shine leapt off Timber's shoulder while he put his foot on the handle. But as he did this, the mud on his foot began to make him slip, "AAAHHH!" he yelped as he began to plummet, only to feel something grab his arm, "Huh?!"
He looked up next, now seeing Flash leaning over the edge. His left arm was clutching Timber's while his right was holding onto Viper as he bit into the foam floor. The teen winced as he worked to pull Timber up. "What are you doing?! I don't need your help!"
"Shut up!" Flash groaned, "You've come...too far...to fail." He continued to pull until Timber was high enough, the teen grabbing the ledge before pulling himself up. The two then started to pant, Viper gasping as well as they sat atop the wall.
"Now that's sportsmanship!" Celestia cheered.
Luna nodded in agreement, "There aren't many who'd risk losing to help the opponent."
"Go Flash!" Sunset yelled.
In her cabin, Twilight's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she heard Timber ask, "Why did you help me?"
The camera then turned to Flash as he was getting out of his harness, "It didn't seem fair to let you fall."
"What?!"
"The only reason you slipped was because of the mud, which was someone else's mistake. It didn't seem fair that you lose just because of that." He then stood up, "I play to win, but I also play fairly. I don't wanna win because my opponent got an unfair advantage." Timber just glared at him as he continued, "Don't get me wrong, if you'd fallen into the mud by your own fault, I would have let you fall. But since you didn't, I couldn't let you." Flash looked away next, sighing. "Listen, I need you to promise me something."
"What?!" Flash turned back with a long stare.
"I know you asked Twilight to travel with you after camp." This made not only Timber to go wide-eyed, but also Viper, Springer, Hopper and especially Twilight. Springer and Hopper turned to stare at Twilight as she continued to listen, "And I know it's very likely she'll say yes. I mean, why wouldn't she? You two have tons in common, and...I've been a real jerk to her recently." He started to scratch the back of his head as he continued, "Look, I just want you to promise that you'll do better than me and look after her...and Spike since he'll have to go with her."
"Of course I'm gonna-"
"So you can't freeze up again, not like last night." This made Twilight raise an eyebrow, Timber's eyes shrinking at the same time, "I saw what happened. Twilight needed you, and you froze up. You can't let that happen again."
"Alright."
Flash then did a small nod, "Don't get the wrong idea, I don't think Twilight's weak and needs protecting all the time. Heck, she's saved me just as much as I've saved her. But one day the two of you will face something Twilight can't face alone, and that's just a fact of being a trainer. When that happens, no matter how scary the situation, you can't freeze up. Because if something happens to Twilight, Spike or any of their Pokémon because you were too scared to help them, you'll have to answer to me." He kneeled down and stared Timber right in the eye, "You thought Piedoom was scary? That'll be nothing compared to what I'll do to you, understand?" Twilight watched Timber nod, Flash standing back up.
"You uh...you must really care about her."
Flash turned around, grumbling as he replied, "Yeah...I do. Its not easy admitting it, but Twilight's the only reason I've gotten this far. I'm not smart like her, and I can't think like her when it comes to basic trainer stuff. I...I wouldn't be half the trainer I am today without her there to help me." Flash let out a long sigh, turning back to Timber with a small smile, "Every time I did something stupid, she was there to pull me back when I went overboard." he then pulled an envelope out of his pocket, "The only reason I was able to answer this question is because of a lecture on evolution she thought I slept through. She's taught me a lot...and I hope I taught her at least a little."
Something inside Twilight seemed to crack at hearing that, making her slump over on her bed. She could feel her eyes water as she thought about her journey so far. She remembered how Flash had taught her how to battle, making sure not to judge a Pokémon over what could be read in a Pokedex. Twilight then turned to Springer and Hopper, both blinking at her as she remembered how she could now be a true trainer thanks to Flash.
"Flash..." she whispered, taking off her glasses as she wiped her eyes, "I'm the real jerk, aren't I?"
While she said this, she then heard Flash say, "Anyways, let's end this race before Rainbow gets up here...and then probably Lightning." They both looked over the edge, now seeing the girl with Hawlucha climbing beside her.
"Ready to race?"
"Yeah." Timber replied as the turned to the finish line, which was a long hallway with a red line in front of a ball pit. Once ready, they counted down. "Three...two...ONE!" They both charged ahead, Shine galloping alongside them before passing them with ease, leaping into the pool despite needing both Pokémon and trainer passing the line before being declared the winner.
And as this happened, both pumped their legs and got closer, the line getting within inches before the duo leapt into the air. Time seemed to slow down as they crossed the line, speeding back up as the fell into the ball pit. The four then surfaced, only to exchange glances as they both said, "Who won?"
"Yahoo!" They turned to see Rainbow jump past the finish line and into the pit, Hawlucha behind her. She quickly surfaced and cheered, "Third place! Who got first?!"
A little later...
With the first three places taken, everyone else worked to reach the finish line. And as soon as the last racer passed the finish line, everyone gathered around Celestia as she and Luna showed them a computer. She also took the envelopes from Flash, Timber and Rainbow, Timber's luckily not getting destroyed by the mud due to the envelope being made of plastic. She opened them up and did a small nod, "Well, the three of you were all correct." She showed three cards with a tick in the red box, "The answer is false." Several campers mumbled to each other, likely due to ticking true in their box.
Luna stepped up next, "Everyone will receive ten points for completing the race. Rainbow Dash will receive twenty points for her cabin." She then turned to Flash and Timber. "Since you're both competing for the same cabin, it doesn't really matter who won. But if you want to know-"
"WHO WON?!" The two yelled, making Luna backpedal.
"Oookay..." she pressed a button on the computer, now showing a video of Flash and Timber running toward the finish line. "The first one to completely clear the line is the winner." The video froze and started moving one frame a second, the two onscreen jumping as the camera zoomed in. Everyone watched closely as they flew over the line, but then the final freeze-frame remained on screen to show one of the two's feet completely clear of the line.
"YES!" Timber exclaimed, "I WON!"
Flash let out a long sigh, slumping over as he saw he had lost to Timber yet again. But as he did this, he turned to see Twilight limping over on crutches with Springer and Hopper beside her. "Hey there!" She said, Shine quickly running over to her, "Did I hear that right? Did you win Timber?"
Timber shined a huge grin, "You know it. You...are welcome."
Twilight then turned to Flash, "You did great too. Pretty amazing how you were able to get that Unfenzent question so fast."
"Thanks," Flash replied, only to raise an eyebrow, "Wait, how did you know about that? You weren't at the lake." She smirked before taking Timber's sunglasses off and pointing both at it and her journal. Flash blinked till he saw his face on the screen, making his eyes go wide before taking the glasses and putting them on. "Wait...THIS THING HAS A CAMERA!?"
"That's right," Twilight responded while shutting the journal.
"So that means..."
"I heard everything Timber heard, including your little talk on the rock wall." Flash moaned as crouched down, curling up into a ball to everyone's confusion.
"Okay," Celestia slowly said as she clapped her hands, "Anyways, I'm proud of you all. No matter what position you came in, you all showed great skill and fortitude. You should all be proud of yourselves."
Everyone began cheering, Gloriosa stepping up next, "Now, I'm sure you all want to get out of those muddy and sweat-soaked clothes. So when we get back to camp, everyone should get cleaned up before the big bonfire barbeque."
Everyone started cheering again, all running back to the camp to get changed.
The sun was setting as the camp's Fire-types lit the many bonfires littered among the camp. Everyone was dressed in their normal clothes and eating a selection of food from the tables that had been set up near one of the bonfires.
"Haha!" Spike yelled while playing tag with Pinkie and several of their Pokémon, "Can't catch me!"
"We'll see about that," Pinkie added as she, Springer and Milcry advanced on the rest. Once caught, the loser would be tickled until they couldn't take anymore.
As this happened, Flash was loading his plate with a hotdog, a hamburger and some onion rings. He licked his lips as he went to find somewhere to sit, only to spot something that made him freeze up. It was Twilight and Timber, both laughing and looking like they were having a good time just a ways off. The sight made him put his plate down, making him walk away to the furthest bonfire from the camp.
"Guess that's it, huh?" he said to himself before staring down at his food, "Oh well."
One small meal later, he put his plate away before going back to the bonfire, staring at the flames with the longest stare possible. And as he did this, a voice spoke up, "Hey, mind if I sit here?"
He turned to see Twilight, only to look back at the fire, "Um...sure." She moved over to sit beside him on the log, the two sitting in silence for almost a full minute. "How's your leg?" He then asked, noticing Twilight wasn't using the crutches anymore.
"It's okay," she replied while looking down at her bandaged leg. "Gloriosa was right about me needing to stay off it. By tomorrow, it should be good as new." Flash nodded and began to stare at the fire again, making Twilight break the silence this time, "That um...that race was certainly crazy. All those puzzles and obstacles. If Timber hadn't been doing the physical stuff, I probably wouldn't have done as well as he did."
"Maybe."
She frowned as she saw how low toned his replies were, making her then say, "You know...you did really well too. Not with just the physical stuff, but with the Pokémon knowledge too."
"Yeah...but uh...you know, I had a pretty good teacher over that stuff."
Twilight just giggled at that, "What would you do without me?"
"Guess I'll find out soon enough." Twilight tilted her head in confusion, "With you and Spike heading back to Canterlot with Timber, it'll just be me and...maybe Doc if he doesn't decide to go with you."
"Flash...what are you talking about?"
"Don't be coy Twilight," Flash replied, giving her a stern glare, "You know that I know about you and Timber. And I know you want to go with him...so yeah." He then let out a long sigh, "And uh...about what happened before with our argument...I'm sorry. I was a real jerk."
"Flash-"
"And I know you hate me now, but-"
"FLASH!" he turned to her outburst, only to see a face that screamed: 'I know something you don't know.'
"What?"
"All you know is that Timber asked me to go with him." She looked away and stared at the flames of the bonfire. "Just because he asked, it doesn't mean I said yes."
"Wait...are you saying...but I saw you two-"
Twilight just shook her head, "I was telling Timber I was going to stay with you."
Flash's eyes went wide as his heart practically stopped. "But...why? You two have so much in common and-"
"You're right. We do have a lot in common." Twilight interrupted as she now stared up at the sky, "But then I remembered something. I remembered that Celestia wanted me to travel with you so I could learn about the world. But I realize now it wasn't just the world she wanted me to learn from." She turned back to smile at him, "She wanted me to learn from you too."
"Me?"
Twilight nodded in response, "Flash, the two of us are very different people. We have some common interests, but in the grand scheme of things, we're complete opposites." She looked back at the fire. "I've always followed my head and used logic, while you've always followed your heart and used your instincts. Both approaches are okay, but relying squarely on them alone isn't a good idea." She turned back to him. "During our travels together, I've learned to trust my instincts and not become restricted by following a plan perfectly. And you-"
"Learned to think ahead and form a strategy instead of taking things as they come?" Flash guessed, getting a nod from Twilight.
"Yeah...well, you at least try to." Twilight replied, giggling as Flash rolled his eyes.
"I uh...I guess we have learned from each other."
"Which is why I'm staying with you. Because if I go with Timber, I won't learn anything. I'll stagnate and never be able to reach my true potential." She then stared directly in his eyes, "Plus, you're my friend. Traveling with you has been the best experience I've ever had....and I don't want it to end."
Flash looked away as he whispered out, "Yeah...same here." And as he glanced back at her, he noticed that the bowtie Twilight would wear that had been cut by Piedoom was now replaced with a pink ribbon that was tied into a bow and had a marble in the center. "Hey...is that-"
Twilight giggled as she placed a hand on it, "Yeah, it's the present you gave me. Take a closer look." Flash squinted his eyes as he stared at the marble, now seeing an image carved into it. It was her emblem, carved into one side next to a diagonal line that ran down the middle with his emblem carved into the remaining space.
Flash stared at it in amazement before looking up at her, seeing her blush as she held it. "I've decided that...I'm gonna wear this as a reminder of everything I've learned since the day I met you."
"Twilight..." he muttered out, only for his body to suddenly start moving. Before he could do anything, he pulled her into a hug, Twilight gasping before returning it as well. No words came out of either mouth as they ended the hug, staring at each other despite not knowing why they weren't looking away.
It was here that Flash knew that he may have lost the race, but he had won something even better in return.
Unfortunately, the moment would not last as they heard Spike yell, "HEY GUYS!" they turned to the teen, seeing Springer, Shine, Peewee and Hopper with him. "There you are! Come on, they're about to light some lanterns!"
The two teens laughed at his excitement before getting up, following him to help the rest of the camp light the lanterns. It wasn't long till they were standing by the edge of the lake as the lanterns were released, everyone watching them fly up and light up the sky.
Watching the beautiful lights dance around the horizon, everyone began to look back on everything they had been through during the camp. It felt like they had been there for weeks instead of just a few days, knowing they wouldn't forget their time at Camp Everfree.
Flash and Twilight more than anyone wouldn't forget, knowing that the two had truly grown thanks to this camp. They both turned and smiled, completely unaware that something within them had just sparked. Only one day remained for the camp, and our heroes were gonna enjoy it just as much as every other day. That was a promise.