//------------------------------// // Swablu Blues // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Cloudsdale, Afternoon. Rainbow Dash had just got done training up her team. She'll be going for her next gym battle in a few days, so she wants to prepare just a bit longer. Rufflet and Whirlipede had improved since then so she felt like she'll be ready. "Finally. Once I head to the next gym in Dodge Junction, the second badge will be mine, easy peasy." She went over to take a small break, laying on what she thought looked like a cloud. Although it was a bit on the small size. Once she laid on it, the cloud started moving all of a sudden, without her controlling it. "What the? What's up with this cloud?" She noticed that the cloud also had blue features on them. Then it was revealed to not be a cloud. It was Pokemon. "Oh, no way! A Pokemon as a cloud?!" She quickly got out her dex as the cloud-like Pokemon kept flying through the skies. "Swablue. The Cotton Bird Pokemon. Swablu uses its cottony wings to polish everything around it. It also likes to land on people's heads so a woman walking down the sidewalk could suddenly discover she's wearing a fluffy Swablu hat." The dex said. "Well, I like it. This is gonna be my 3rd member!" She got out a Pokeball, however, Swablu swooped up in the air, throwing her off balance. She flew off the Cotton Bird Pokemon, heading upwards. The chase was on. Rainbow Dash zoomed after it, planning to throw her Pokeball at the right moment. Swablue was pretty fast, able to even outpace Rainbow Dash for a bit. "I've got you now!" Rainbow zoomed forward, picking up more speed. It looked like she was about to get it, but with a surprise juke, Swablu did a roll in the air, flying above and behind Rainbow Dash. "What the?!" Swablue giggled as it soared off. "Oh, it is on." Rainbow Dash kicked her hooves back as she took off, leaving a strong wind pressure which knocked some Flying-types out of the air. She easily caught up to Swablu, grabbing the Normal-Flying type. "Gotcha!" "Swablu." "Hehe. I could use you on my team. Two flying types never hurt anypony." "Swa!" Swablu had laid on Rainbow Dash's head, acting as a hat. "Uh. Thanks?" Rainbow Dash got out a Pokeball, however, Swablu had taken it from her holding it in its mouth. "Hey! That's my Pokeball!" Swablu just stood there with the ball in its mouth, staring her down. "Aw come on..." All of a sudden, Rufflet jumped out of its Pokeball, itching to take on Swablu. "Rufflet!" It cried out. "Rufflet? You wanna battle Swablu? Good idea! That'll get my ball back and make catching easier. Go get em Rufflet!" Rufflet flew after Swablu who held the Pokeball in its mouth whilst flying away from the Eaglet Pokemon. It was flying against flying now. Rufflet grabbed a hold of Swablu's cotton with its beak, not letting go. Swablu spun around to try and shake Rufflet off but to no avail. The two were flying across the clouds all over Cloudsdale. The pegasi could see this. A bit of an odd sight. A cotton bird of some sorts being gripped by Rufflet and a ball in its mouth. "Come on Rufflet! Don't let up!" Rufflet had decided to put a stop it by using wing attack. It raised up its wings underneath Swablu, striking its belly. Swablu felt it as it spun around, crashing into a cloud. Rufflet had let go of Swablu, stopping the chase. Swablu felt a bit dizzy from all that spinning it was doing. Rainbow Dash flew towards them, grabbing the ball from its mouth. "There! Now you're mine!" Rainbow Dash, positioned the ball, throwing it with all her might. Direct contact and the ball pulls in Swablu. One shake. Two shakes. Rainbow Dash was hoping that this was a guaranteed catch. Three shakes. It looked like it was until the Swablu broke free. Just at the last second. "Gah! And it was so close too!" Rainbow Dash felt a bit annoyed at that. Swablu laughed at Rainbow Dash's failed to capture. "Oh yeah? I've got more where that came from! Go!" She got out another Pokeball, tossing it, however, Swablu used its cotton wings to hit onto Rufflet instead. Rufflet got understandably mad at that, so it went to attack Swablu. "Oh geez. This thing's gonna be tough to catch. Let's try a different throw." Rainbow Dash got out another Pokeball as to Swablu, it looked like she was about to throw it again. But it was a fake-out. She moved her hoof forward but the ball didn't leave her. Swablu had instinctively swung its wings but it didn't hit anything. Rainbow threw the ball when it was wide open, making direct contact again. The Swablue was in the ball again. 1...2...3...Catch! "Yes! I got a Swablu!" Rainbow Dash picked up the Pokeball, gaining a new team member. She let Swablu out of the Pokeball to see it. "My team's looking pretty promising." All of a sudden, Swablu jumped off the cloud and down towards Ponyville. "What the- WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Ponyville. Afternoon. "These are berries?" Berry Punch was looking at a stand that was set up. Selling mostly berries. "Yep. Every last one of them. We have Cherrim, Nanab, Wiki, Razz, Pomeg, you name it!" The owner said. Berry Punch looked at the berries closely, noticing how they resemble normal fruits. "These look like normal everyday fruits but with different colors and shapes." "Oh come on now. Don't be like that. Buy one if you want. Lum Berry is pretty popular ya know." "I'll be the judge of that. Give me a drink of it." As the owner was getting Lum Berry juice ready, Swablu had landed on top of Berry's head. Swablu's tend to be soft so no one really ever notices the feeling of something on their head. "Here you go. Lum Berry juice for you. That'll be 3 bits." She paid up, taking the juice in her hoof. She looked into it, seeing its green texture and everything. One drink of it, and she felt... nothing actually. "I feel nothing. No taste, what is up with this thing?" "Oh right. See, Lum Berries are mostly used to cure Pokemon. They don't really have a strong flavor or taste. They are bland but they're good medicine." "Uh-huh. Well, can I at least have the ones that do have flavor?" "Sure, sure. Try this Razz Berry juice." Berry Punch realised the name sounded a lot like Raspberry. They really are just everyday fruits but different. She took a drink out of it as she felt a nice taste similar to that of raspberry. "I like this one. I'll take more of those please!" She paid up tons of bits just to get all of that juice. Rainbow Dash arrived at Ponyville with Rufflet, seeing Swablu on Berry's head. "Why does it just land randomly?" She flew down to Berry Punch who had tons of Razzberry juices on her back. "Uh, hey Berry Punch. Hope ya don't mind but..." "Trying to take my drinks are ya? Well, forget it!" "No no! I'm trying to say that my Pokemon is on your head." "Hm?" Berry Punch looked up, seeing the cotton there. "When did this happen?" "It likes to do that apparently. I'll just take it off yo-" Swablu let itself off, flying over to the next pony it saw. "Hey! Swablu!" Rainbow flew over to the pony who sells plums, Mirabelle. "Mirabelle! My Pokemon is on your head!" "It is?" Swablu flew off, heading for a new target. "Ugh! Rufflet! Cut Swablu off!" Rufflet flew forward, heading in front of Swablu to stop it from landing on another's head. Swablu then decided, why not land on Rufflet's head. And it did just that. "Ruff?" Swablu played around by putting its wings in front of Rufflet's eyes. Rufflet couldn't see so it was tumbling around. "Oh seriously?" Rainbow Dash felt like this was getting a bit ridiculous. This Swablue was very different from her other Pokemon. Rufflet loves to pick fights whilst Whirlipede is all about focus. This one is just playful. "Come on Swablu! Cut it out!" Rufflet crashed into Mirabelle's plum carriage, dropping them everywhere, again. "My plums!" They then crashed into the Berry stand, making all the berries and pre-made juice drop. "My berries!" This was getting out of hand. Rufflet's frustration was growing more and more as it flew into Rarity's shop, knocking over her dresses and scaring away the Sewaddle's. They were breaking everything in this entire area, scaring Opal and making Sweetie Belle hide in her room. "My dresses! Sewaddle's! Save the dresses!" The Sewaddle's used string shots to pick up the dresses as Rufflet kept tossing about. Rainbow Dash came inside, seeing all the damage. "Rainbow Dash! Keep your bird in check!" "Sorry, Rarity! But this Swablu is just so playful!" "Ugh. Let me handle this." Rarity used her magic to stop Swablu, lifting it off Rufflet. Rufflet calmed down as it felt tired. Rainbow had to return him to his ball. "Thanks, Rarity. Swablu, return." Rainbow returned the playful flying type back into its Pokeball, stopping the chaos. "Look at all the damage! It's horrible!" "Really sorry Rarity. Swablu's kinda new so I don't know how to control it yet." "We'll work on that. I'm off to get Twilight's Minccino for help." Rainbow Dash sighed as she flew back to Cloudsdale. "Oh geez. Training Swablu might be much more difficult than Rufflet or Whirlipede." Rainbow Dash was about to head back into her home, until... "Hold it!" Thunderlane had stopped her suddenly. "What is it Thunderlane?" "Rainbow Dash. I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle. As a new member in the league, I'm gonna prove myself." In reality, he was just here to impress his younger brother, Rumble. "Hm. I haven't had a battle with a pony yet. So this will be a first. Okay! You're on!" "Great! We'll take this down to the ground." As they soared on to Ponyville, landing on solid ground, All the pegasi had shown up to watch this battle. "Hope you don't mind that everypony watches. "Not at all." "Good. Come out, Electrike!" Thunderlane had sent out his first caught Pokemon Electrike. "Oooh." Rainbow got out her dex to see this one. "Electrike. The Lightning Pokemon. With every step Elecrtrike takes, friction causes static electricity to build up in its long fur. It runs with impressive speed, emitting a peculiar crackling sound as the static in its coat discharges." "So this is a fast one huh? Crud. My flying types are totally vulnerable to this thing." Rainbow thought to herself. She had only two flying types and Whrilipede was her only choice. "This'll be fine. Go! Whirlipede!" She sent out her Curlipede Pokemon, ready to go. "They're having a Pokemon battle here?" A pony said watching from afar. "This'll be our first time seeing a friendly Pokemon battle instead of any trouble like those bugs and coffin thing." Another replied, calling back to how most battles involved threats against Equestria. "Since we move faster, we'll get an easy clean hit in! Use Thunder Fang!" Electrike charged in with its teeth full of lightning, lunging at Whirlipede! "Quick Whirlipede! Use Rollout!" Whirlipede was about to make a move but was stopped via Thunder Fang. Electrike was just a bit faster than it. The fang had electrocuted Whirlipede as Electrike jumped back. "Use Rollout again!" Whirlipede now had an opportunity to move. Spinning about it zoomed towards the lightning Pokemon. "Electrike! Discharge!" Electrike had discharged electricity from its body as it spread across the ground. Whirlipede's Rollout had managed to break through the Discharge thanks to it being a rock move as it smashed into Electrike. The Electric-type was sent back, taking massive damage. "Hehe. Nice hit!" "That won't stop us. Electrike! Quick Attack!" Electrike moved at blinding speeds, knocking Whirlipede back. "Keep using Quick Attack!" Over and over again, Electrike was moving all over the place, attacking Whirlipede from all sides. "Use Poison Sting!" Whirlipede used the limbs it had on its side to try and sting Electrike. It missed the sting due to Electrike's impressive speed. "Oh come on! It's too fast!" "What's wrong Rainbow Dash? I thought you were an expert at speed?" Thunderlane taunted her. This was starting to rile up Rainbow. "Oh, I'll show you speed! Whirlipede roll far back!" Whirlipede had rolled away from Electrike, moving away to a far distance. "Now! Rollout!" With all that space, Whirlipede's velocity had increased, making it faster now. "Jump over it and use Thunder Fang!" Electrike jumped over Whirlipede avoiding it. Rainbow Dash smirked, as she knew what to do next. "Turn around!" The same tactic she used back in her first gym battle against Gardenia came into play. Before Electrike could use its next attack, Whirlipede crashed into the Lightning Pokemon, dealing the finishing blow. Electrike fell on the ground, fainted. "YES!" "Oh, no way!" Thunderlane was surprised on what just happened. "Hahaha! Nopony can best me in speed!" "Oh, it ain't over yet. I've got one more Pokemon that can turn this around. GO!" His next Pokemon was a Mienfoo of all things. "What is that?" She said pulling out her dex. "Mienfoo. The Martial Arts Pokemon. As the sun climbs in the sky, Mienfoo gather to train, moving in slow unison as they practice flowing through their battle poses. Different packs of Mienfoo use different poses." "This is a Fighting-Type? My first battling one. Now uhh... which type was strong against it?" Rainbow Dash only understood a few typings, she hadn't learned the others and their strengths and weaknesses. "Force Palm!" Thunderlane saw this as an opportunity as Mienfoo ran in, striking its little palms onto Whirlipede. One good hit had knocked Whirlipede back. The Curlipede Pokemon looked like it was about to faint. "Come back for now Whirlipede." She had sent it back. "Cheap shot!" "Hey. You were wide open." "Hmph. Well, I know how to deal with you. It's your time to shine Swablu!" Swablu had been sent out for its first battle with Dashie. "What is that thing?" Thunderlane had no idea what he was looking at. "The thing that's gonna rock you! Swablu! Uhhh...." She quickly looked at the dex to see what Swablu's moves were. "Aha! Use Fury Attack!" Swablu had flown in, but instead of using Fury Attack, it went to become a hat for Mienfoo. "Oh, not this again!" "Uh okay. Mienfoo. Toss it off." Mienfoo tried to grab Swablu, but it whacked its arms away with its wings, not wanting to get off. "What the?" "This... could actually work. Swablu! Cover its eyes!" Using the same trick it used on Rufflet earlier, Swablu placed its wings on Mienfoo's eyes. Mienfoo couldn't focus like this. "Oh come on! Mienfoo! Get it off you!" Mienfoo didn't have any moves that could help with this situation. It only knew Force Palm and Fury Swipes. Both moves that involved attacking forward. "Hehe! Now Swablu! Use Fury Attack on it!" Swablu could use Fury Attack since it was fine in the spot that it was in. Using its wings and tiny little bird feet, it attacked Mienfoo constantly. Eventually, Mienfoo managed to grab its wings and toss it aside. "Finally! Now! Get in there with a Fury Swipes!" Mienfoo leapt forward, moving its paws back. "Fury Attack again!" These were the only two moves they could use. Force Palm wouldn't be able to take Swablu out and Fury Attack was the only move it knew. The wings and paws had clashed, going back and forth. They had pushed each other back from it. "Let's end this! Mienfoo! Fury Swipes once more!" "Swablu! Spin!" Rainbow was using all the tricky gimmicks that Swablu first used on her when they first met. Swablu flew at the charging Mienfoo, spinning around. Its wings had whacked Mienfoo, powering through the Fury Swipes due to its turbulent speed. Mienfoo was sent back as it skid on the ground. "Mienfoo!" Swablu was too close to it, charging in again as it smacked it with its wings once more, knocking out the Martial Arts Pokemon. And that was game. "No! All my Pokemon!" "Yes! Total win!" Rainbow Dash got another victory on her hands as the ponies let out a small applause for that good show. "Bummer. Come back Mienfoo." Thunderlane was defeated as he felt like he couldn't be cool in front of his brother. "That was super fun, big bro!" "It was?" "Yeah! Your Electrike was super cool! Even though your other Pokemon didn't do much, I still liked it." "Oh, thanks, Rumble. Good battle, Dash." "Yeah, it was. I gotta say I'm kind of the best pony trainer in Equestria so far." Rainbow said with a cocky nature. Swablu was happy about their win as it went on Dashies' head, placing its wings on her eyes as the cycle repeated itself. With a new and playful team member on board and her next gym battle coming soon, Rainbow Dash's trainer career is looking bright. The next gym will challenge her new skills to see how far she's come. As her Pokemon Journey continues. Chapter 37 End!