//------------------------------// // Heavy Metal // Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Adventures // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Continuing their journey to Cloudsdale City, the group found themselves travelling through the cave system of Foal Mountain. Joined by their friends Rainbow and Fluttershy, they were now matching through a bunch of tunnels with torches in hand. "Okay," Twilight nodded while staring at the map on her journal. "A few more feet and then a left." Just as predicted, they found themselves at a fork and turned left. "Then straight ahead." The group soon came to a three way split, going into the middle as Rainbow commented, "Good thing we've got your map Twilight. Without it, we could be wandering through these cave for days." "I wouldn't have suggested them if I didn't have this map," Twilight replied, "We'd find ourselves trapped in a cave system way too many times." Rainbow and Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at this as Flash spoke up, "Say, that gives me an idea." He pulled out a Pokeball and summoned his Velocirush. "Loss?" Hopper yawned as he appeared. "Is that your Hoppin?" Rainbow asked as Fluttershy knelt down to scratch him behind the ear. "Yeah," Flash nodded, "He evolved into Velocirush, and he's got a really good sense of smell. If something happens and we get split up, he might be able to track them down." "Not a bad idea," Twilight added as they reached a slope leading up. "Here we go. This is also on the map..." Spike whistled as they began to go up the slope, "This place is incredible. I can't believe these caves were formed naturally." "They weren't," Doc instantly replied, "A few of them were probably natural, but most were probably made by something else." He placed a hand on the wall, "You can tell by the textures. They've been scratched up and carved into." "Really?" Rainbow asked next, "Are you saying something made this place?" "Something big," Doc responded as they continued through the tunnel. "Like an Onix?" Flash chimed in. "No, that's too big." Twilight replied, "I looked up what Pokémon might live in these caves and the biggest ones I saw were Golem, Aggron and Stalorn." "Stalorn? What's that?" But before Twilight could reply, a sound echoed through the tunnel. It was a kind of roar, one none of them had ever heard before, Fluttershy and Spike shivering at the noise. "What was that?" Rainbow gulped. "Not sure," Flash replied before hearing the roar again, only for a different roar to follow it before the sound of clanging metal began to ring out. "Sounds like some kind of battle." "It's coming from up ahead," Twilight added as they started to slow down. "Maybe we should go a different way," Fluttershy whimpered while hiding behind Rainbow. "We can't," Twilight showed her the map. "This is the only direct way to the rest stop. If we go another way, it'll take a whole day to get to a section that reconnects to the route." Spike let out a huff, "Just once I'd like to go somewhere and not run into the biggest danger the place has." "Relax kid," Rainbow chuckled, "Whatever's causing that noise, we can totally handle it." She pointed at the direction of the noise. "Let's go see what it is!" Flash and his Pokémon nodded as they ran after the sound, the others following. "Is lack of common sense a requirement for being a super strong trainer?" He asked his sister as they reached the top of the slope, the sound getting louder with each step. Doc let out a laugh. "There's an old saying that common sense is a collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. Since these two aren't that old, by that logic, they have yet to develop common sense." Spike sighed. "At this rate, they won't survive long enough to develop it." The rest laughed as they got closer to the sound, soon coming to a stop as they found themselves inside a large cavern filled with rocks and boulders. A roar made them leap behind a large boulder as they now saw the cause of the noise. It was a pair of Pokémon battling. Both were hulking brutes, with the smaller of the two being a Pokémon they recognised as a Lairon. The other Pokémon was a giant rhinoceros beetle that looked like it was made completely out of rock. It was the size of a bulldozer, and it's body was a combo of gray and bluish-gray. The main body was bluish-gray with six large legs, which were thick and elephant like up to the knee and the rest of the leg was a gray rocky tube. On the back of its shell were a bunch of stalagmite-like gray spikes, while on its head were two gray horns. It also had one large horn on its lower jaw that curved up and had a large V on the tip, along with a short horn curving down protruding from its forehead. "What is that thing?" Spike asked. "The Pokémon I was telling you about," Twilight replied. "A Stalorn." "Stalorn?" Flash added as he pulled out his Pokedex. Name: Stalorn Category: Tusk Pokémon Type: Rock Info: The evolved form of Spikorn. Its now much larger body can allow it to smash through walls, which it uses to create labyrinth-like tunnels it calls home. "That thing made this place?" Spike gulped. "Possibly," Twilight responded as they watched the two Pokémon circle one another. She looked around the cave, now seeing a section of it that had a tiny stream with water flowing down from the ceiling and into the small pond. "I think we might be seeing a battle over territory." As she said that, Lairon's front claws began to glow. "Here comes Metal Claw," Doc announced as Lairon charged. "LAIRON!" It leapt at Stalorn with a glowing claw while Stalorn's horn shined white. "LORN!" It cried as the metal claws slammed into it, but the rock beetle quickly swung its giant horn, hitting Lairon's face. The metal dinosaur yelped as it was thrown back, sliding along the ground until it crashed into a large rock. "Wow," Flash whistled. "Lairon got a direct hit, but Stalorn doesn't even have a scratch on it." "Stalorn have incredibly high defensive power," Doc commented, "Lairon's gonna need a lot more if it wants to beat it." He watched as Lairon picked itself up, letting out a might roar as it glowed red before multiple white rings appeared above Stalorn. From those rings, large stones appeared as they began to fall, "That's Rock Slide." Stalorn remained still as its horn glowed again, this time swinging it around to deflect the falling rocks. The others expected Lairon to use this distraction to attack, but instead the Iron Armor Pokémon moved around the edge of the Rock Slide until it was standing in front of another large boulder. "Lorn!" Once Stalorn finished batting away the last rock, it turned to Lairon before slamming one its giant front feet into the ground. Doing so caused a line of rock spikes to shoot out of the ground. "Ron!" Lairon used Metal Claw again, slashing at the rocks, but it wasn't fast enough. The sight made Doc raise an eyebrow, wondering why it chose to do that when simply dodging the attack would be better. Stalorn then used this opening to charge forward as its body glowed yellow. "Is that Double-Edge?" Spike asked, getting a nod from Twilight. "Yes, and at that size, it'll do some serious damage." "Lairon's can't let it hit then," Flash added as they saw Lairon slash the last rock. But as they watched, they went wide-eyed as they saw the Steel-type not try to dodge. Instead, it stood firm. "What's it doing?" Lairon braced itself as Stalorn's attack landed, the horn getting hooked under its neck before pushing upward and uppercutting it. "LAIRON!" It cried as it was thrown onto its back legs before falling over, "Ron!" "That's not good," Rainbow said as they turned to Stalorn. They expected it to be flinching from the recoil, but it appeared fine. "I guess it has Rock Head." Twilight added as Lairon rolled over and pushed itself back to its feet before charging again, letting out a roar as it picked up speed. "Now Lairon's using Take Down." "But what's Stalorn doing?" Fluttershy asked while pointing at the rock beetle, everyone following her gaze as its horn began glowing red. "That's a Counter attack!" Doc gasped. "Lairon, don't-" But it was too late as Lairon leapt at Stalorn. However, Stalorn's horn intercepted the attack, slamming Larion's stomach with the V-shape on the tip of its horn as the Take Down hit the beetle. The impact from Take Down made it stagger back, only to use this moment to swing back and throw Lairon with incredible force. "LAIRON!" It screamed as it flew through the air, smashing into the rock it had been standing in front of as the boulder cracked open. "Whoa!" Rainbow yelped, "Talk about power!" Doc nodded in agreement. "Counter hits with twice the power of the move used on Stalorn when it's activated. Take Down's a really strong move, so Lairon got hit hard." "Let's not forget Take Down's recoil," Twilight added, "If Lairon didn't have Rock Head, it'll have taken some major damage from it." They watched as Lairon picked itself up, its body staggering before staring at the damaged rock. "Ron!" It cried before climbing atop the rock. "What's it doing?" Flash asked, the others just as confused. "Wait..." Doc whispered as they watched Lairon turned back to Stalorn, growling before jumping off the rock, its body glowing red again as it roared. Once again the rings appeared, all falling toward Stalorn. However, the rock beetle didn't look scared as its horn glowed red. As the rocks reached it, Stalorn swung its horn around, batting the rocks away. The boulders shattered upon impact and flew toward Lairon, the Pokémon holding its ground from the attack. "Again?" Spike asked as the rocks crashed into Lairon. "Why doesn't it dodge?" Fluttershy added. "Maybe it can't dodge," Twilight guessed. "Some bulky Pokémon prefer to take attacks and wait for an opening, especially the slower ones." "I don't think this is it," Doc responded while looking at the rock behind it. "Could it be...guarding something?" "Like what?" Spike asked, Doc not answering and instead moving out from behind the boulder and running over the rock. The two Pokémon didn't notice him as hid behind another rock, allowing him to see behind the boulder, letting out a gasp as he did this. "That's it!" "LAIRON!" He turned to see Lairon charge at Stalorn, leaping before rolling itself up, Doc realizing it was using Body Slam. "LORN!" Stalorn cried as it slammed a foot into the ground, unleashing another Stone Edge. Lairon smashed through the rocks in front of it, slowing it down as Stalorn was now able to dodge the attack. "Ron!" Lairon yelepd as it crashed, allowing Stalorn to use Horn Attack on the recovering Pokémon. "Lairon!" It screamed as it was hit across the ground before stopping in front of the boulder, soon trying to pick itself up as Stalorn prepared for its next attack. Lairon growled as it pushed itself up, glaring at Stalorn before charging again with Metal Claw. It leapt at the rock beetle, but Stalorn's horn glowed red as it got closer. "Lair!" It slashed at its face, making it flinch, only for Stalorn to thrust its horn into Lairon's stomach, throwing it back, "LAIRON!" It screamed before crashing again, kicking up a dust cloud while everyone gasped. And when the dust cleared, Lairon was laid out with swirls in its eyes. "Oh no..." Doc whispered before turning back to Stalorn, now seeing it scrape its foot across the ground as he was getting ready to charge. "LORN!" It roared as it began to use Double-Edge, shocking those watching. But what shocked them more was the sudden appearance of Flitanium, slamming a Steel Wing into the charging rock beetle. "Fly!" He grunted before pushing Stalorn back, Doc now looking over Lairon. Stalorn growled at them, only for an Aura Sphere to hit the ground before it. The Pokémon growled as it turned to see the others, Springer and Hopper now jumping in front Lairon. "Back off," Flash told it. "Is it okay?" Fluttershy asked Doc, the gym leader nodding back. "He's fine." He then turned to the boulder, "You can come out now. We won't hurt you." The others blinked at his words before turning to the rock, now seeing a trio of small Pokémon walk out before running over to Lairon's side. "Aron..." Twilight whispered as the tiny dino Pokémon ran over to their evolved form, "So that's why Lairon was protecting that rock." "It was trying to help its friends," Rainbow added. "Er...guys?" they turned to Flash, "I'm not sure how long this standoff's gonna last." Stalorn continued to glare at them, clearly weighing the pros and cons of fighting this many enemies. "We have to get out of here, now." "But we can't leave Lairon," Fluttershy replied, "And it's in no condition to move by itself." "Well it's not like we can carry it," Rainbow added, "Its gotta be super heavy." "Then we've got no choice." They turned to Doc and saw him take out a Pokeball before pressing it against Lairon's head. The ball opened up, absorbing Lairon into it before closing. The ball didn't even shake once before it let out a ding, the Aron all staring at the ball in shock. "Come on." He stood up as Twilight pointed to one of the holes in the wall. "This way!" The group ran away with the Aron following them, Flash, Springer, Hopper and Flitanium the last to leave the cave so Stalorn didn't try a sneak attack. Once they were gone, the Tusk Pokémon let out a chuckle before turning away, now knowing this territory was now his...though a small part of the rock beetle knew they would be back. The group continued to run through the tunnels, following Twilight as she lead them left, right, up, then right again. It was here they turned a corner to now see a light at the end of the tunnel. "There it is!" Twilight yelled as they ran to the exit, almost getting blinded by the bright sun as they got outside. When their eyes adjusted, they found themselves on a large ledge that went about twenty feet from the wall of the mountain. Spike went over to the side, instantly getting vertigo when he saw how high they were. "Whoa...where are we?" "About twelve miles from the base," Twilight replied as she looked straight up. They were just a mile below the cloud cover, the girl doing the math in her head. "We have another nine miles before we reach the top." "That's not important now," Doc added while looking down at his Pokeball. "We need to treat Lairon." "Then let's get to that rest spot," Rainbow responded, the group following Twilight again as they went down another path. As they did this, the group soon found a small wooden cabin that appeared to have been built into the side of the mountain. This was confirmed when they opened the door, now seeing the place was much bigger on the inside. "Alright," Doc held out the Pokeball before it unleashed Lairon. The Iron Armor Pokémon laid on the ground, still looking injured as the Aron rushed to its side. "Let's get you patched up." He and Fluttershy took their medical supplies out of their bag, now administering Super Potions and feeding it Oran Berries. As it did, Flash turned to Twilight, "I can't believe a Steel-type like Lairon lost to a Rock-type. Didn't you tell me Steel-types would have an advantage over them." Twilight shook her head, "Not if it knows certain moves. Stalorn's biggest advantage over Lairon was that Counter. If it didn't have that, Lairon might have been able to win. Since it's a Fighting move, it's super effective of a Rock and Steel-type." She turned to the Aron, leaning down to the tiny Pokémon, "But its more than that. That cave was your home, wasn't it?" The Aron frowned and nodded. "How could you tell?" Rainbow asked her. "I thought Stalorn made this mountain." "Pokémon like Aggron and their pre-evolved forms likely did as well," Twilight replied, "This mountain must be filled with iron ore, which Aron and Lairon eat. Aron also need to drink water with lots of minerals in it, which is what that stream is likely filled with. It's clear that this cavern was their home, and the tunnels were made by them digging for iron ore." She turned to the Aron, "Am I right?" The Aron nodded back, making Doc chime in, "So the Stalorn was the invader, and when Lairon tried to drive it away, it got beaten instead." The Aron all nodded again. "I see." "So what'll happen to them now?" Spike asked. "If Stalorn has the cavern now, where will the Aron go? Will they have to find another part of the mountain to live on?" "Most likely," Twilight responded. "But it won't be easy. They'll need to find a spot that has a lot of ore and has a mineral spring. I doubt there's are a lot of those around here." It was at that moment that Lairon started to move, making everyone turn to him as Doc leaned down and rubbed his side, "Hey Lairon, nice to meet you in person." Lairon blinked at him, the Aron now asking if it was feeling any better. It then tried to pick itself up, only to flinch in pain. "Easy, easy..." Doc told it, "You're still badly injured. You need to rest and let your body recover." Lairon tilted his head at the human, not understanding why he would care. That is, till Flash leaned down as well and pointed at Doc, "Doc's your new trainer. He caught and brought you here so you could be treated. I'm sure you two will get along great from now on." Lairon glanced at Doc at this, now seeing uncertainty on Doc's face. "I...don't know. Am I really its trainer now? Do I even deserve to call that a real capture?" The others raised an eyebrow at this, the gym leader seeing their reactions, "I didn't weaken it, and Lairon didn't agree to go with me. I only caught it because there was no other way to get Lairon out of there. If that hadn't been the case, I wouldn't have done it." He turned back to the Iron Armor Pokémon, "I'm sorry. I promise that once you're healed up, I'll let you go." The others frowned at this, Twilight chiming in, "Are you sure Doc? I mean...if that's what you want-" Doc interrupted with a small sigh, "I admit, I wouldn't mind having a Lairon....but I'd want to catch one properly. Besides, don't forget about the Aron." They turned to the smaller metal dinosaurs. "Without Lairon, they'll have a hard time surviving out here." The others nodded, seeing his logic. But as they did this, Doc turned to Larion and saw a series of scratches covering the Pokemon's armor. He reached into his bag and pulled out the metal polish for his own Pokémon and started buffing the metal. The rest decided to head out of the cabin and leave Doc and the Steel-types alone, seeing the sun slowly beginning to set as they left. Everyone took a seat and simply watched, Rainbow sitting on the roof while Spike sat with his legs hanging over the edge. Flash was leaning against the cabin wall while Fluttershy and Twilight sat against it, Springer and Peewee chasing each another around while Hopper was busy using a rock to draw in the dirt while Flitanium flew around. "I still think Doc's making a mistake," Rainbow told the others. "He caught Lairon, so he should keep it. Who cares how he caught it." Twilight shook her head, "While I do agree with you, it's Doc's decision. We can't force him to do anything." "And don't forget about the Aron," Fluttershy added, "It wouldn't be right to take their protector away from them." Flash sighed. "If they could defend themselves, I'd be trying to convince Doc to keep Lairon. But if Lairon couldn't stand up against Stalorn, how will they be able to without it?" He looked down at Hopper's drawing, seeing he was trying to mimic the sunset, though the half-set sun was triangular instead of round. He patted Hopper's head, "There has to be some way to help Lairon find a way to beat that thing. I mean, it wasn't fighting smart." "Lairon was just following its instincts in that fight," Twilight responded, "Attacking again and again...if it battles Stalorn like that, it'll just lose again." "So there's nothing we can do?" Spike asked, frowning as Peewee landed on his head. Flash then stared at the door, humming. "Maybe not." Back inside... Doc continued to polish Lairon's armor, rubbing the scratches away. "There we are," he whispered, "Not bad. A little more work and you'll be in fighting fit in no time." Lairon simply huffed, growling at the memory of the fight with Stalorn. His eyes tried to look away from the Aron, not wanting to even glance at them in his moment of weakness. But as he did this, Doc rubbed his head, "You know, you shouldn't be ashamed of losing." Lairon turned to him, his eyes going wide, "I know it can hurt and make you feel bad, but losing isn't the end of the world. As long as you keep trying and are willing to pick yourself up, you can turn this loss into something more." "Ron?" Doc pulled the cloth off the its body and began packing the polishing equipment away. "I've lost matches plenty of times. I'm considered the strongest trainer of my hometown, but I've lost a bunch of times. But I don't let it get to me. I learn from it." "Lairon?" Doc chuckled as he saw Larion tilt his head, "A lot of egotistic people say that all the strongest trainers in the world are like that because they never lose. And in a way, they're right." He shined a big grin at the Pokémon, "The strongest trainers never lose because they learn from their defeats. If someone's able to learn from losing, then they never truly lost. They got up after a defeat and got better. So it's true that all the strongest trainers never lose." "Ron..." Lairon slowly replied, starting to get his words. "You might not have been able to beat Stalorn, but you haven't lost if you learn from it. You do know why you lost, right?" Lairon thought for a moment, replaying the battle in its head. As it did this, it remembered that it had lost because Stalorn had that Counter attack, along with Lairon needing to protect its friends. "Don't worry about the Aron," it turned to Doc as he sat against the wall of the cabin. "My friends and I will look after them and let you focus on beating Stalorn." Lairon nodded back, "As for its Counter...that might be a bigger issue." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Counter only works on physical moves, which all your moves are." Lairon looked away at this, "But don't worry, we'll find a way to beat it. Promise." Lairon's eyes went wide at this, a smile appearing on his face as he began to think he liked this human. At the same time, the door opened as Doc's friends all walked inside, "Guys, I need your help." Doc said as he got up, "I wanna help Lairon get its home back from Stalorn. But in order for it to win, we need to keep the Aron out of harms way. If we do that, Lairon can focus on beating Stalorn." Flash and the others nodded back, "Don't worry, we'll keep the Aron safe. You focus on helping Lairon win the fight." Doc raised an eyebrow at this, Twilight speaking up, "We think you should battle with Lairon tomorrow." Doc opened his mouth, only for Twilight to continue, "We know you don't consider him your Pokémon, but he needs your help. If Lairon wants to win, he needs a strategy. On his own, he'll just follow his instincts and lose...but if you help him, he'll stand a better chance." The gym leader blinked at her words, turning to Lairon, "What do you think?" Lairon shrunk away at the question, only to feel nudges at its feet. He turned to see the three Aron staring up at him, all nodding. Larion smiled back before turning to Doc, his feet shaking as it stood itself up. "Ron!" Doc nodded back, "Alright then. We battle together, just this once. Working as a team, that Stalorn won't stand a chance." "Alright!" Rainbow cheered, "Then you guys gotta get some training on! Come on, I'll be your opponent. You can learn to get in sync with one another before challenging Stalorn." The others nodded as they headed out, Lairon curious about how battling with a human would go. The next day... As soon as the sun rose the next morning, the group were out of the cabin. They were heading back down, Twilight leading the way while Doc and the Steel-types were at the back of the group, Lairon actually carrying the Aron on its back. "You remember the strategy?" He asked Lairon, the Pokémon nodding back, "Good. I'm not saying this'll be easy, but as long as we stick to it, we stand a fighting chance." And as they continued to walk, Stalorn was busy snoozing in the cave it had won. But as it did this, it felt some vibrations, making it open its eyes as it felt the earth shake a bit more. He turned to the source, letting out an unimpressed huff as it saw Lairon, Doc and the others as they walked into the cave. "Lorn?" "Stalorn!" Doc pointed at it, "We're here to get their cave back!" "LAIRON!" Its roar echoed through the cave. "Lorn!" Stalorn barked back, getting into a battle ready position. The others took this moment to get out of the line of fire, Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy picking up the Aron while Flash, Rainbow and their Pokémon ready to defend them should the need arise. "You ready Lairon?" It nodded while staring down its foe, both waiting for the other to attack. And as a full minute passed, Stalorn broke the stalemate as he charged with a glowing white horn. "He's coming!" Doc yelled, "Wait until the last moment, then dodge." On command, Lairon quickly sidestepped as Stalorn got closer. It wasn't the fastest Pokémon in the world, not by a long shot, but Stalorn was even slower. "Now, Metal Claw!" "Lairon!" It spun around and slashed into Stalorn with its glowing claws, Stalorn flinching in pain. "Alright!" Spike cheered. "That's the way," Twilight added, "Keep clear of its horn and you'll avoid the Counter attack." The Aron all cheered for him as Stalorn turned to it, raising its front foot up. "Lorn!" It slammed it into the ground, unleashing a wave of Stone Edge. "Dodge it!" Lairon tried to sidestep again, only its side getting scratched by one of the first rocks. "Now, Rock Slide!" Lairon roared while glowing red, causing the rings of light to appear above Stalorn before unleashing the large boulders. Stalorn growled as he charged at Larion next, swinging his now red glowing horn around to deflect the rocks. But as it did this, it didn't notice Lairon charging before leaping up. "Body Slam!" Lairon crashed into Stalorn before it could catch it in its horn, the force of the impact causing it to stagger back before falling over, "Yes!" "Way to go!" Flash yelled as Lairon leapt off Stalorn, "That had to hurt." "Of course it did. The damage it just did is double the usual the move would do." Twilight added as she pushed her glasses up with a confident smirk. "I had Flash scan Lairon with his Pokedex. It's ability is Heavy Metal." "Heavy Metal?" Rainbow asked. Twilight nodded. "Lairon's metal is twice as heavy as a normal Lairon. That means it weighs twice as much, so a move like Body Slam will do some serious damage." It was here that Stalorn picked itself up, growling as Larion just stared him down. "You've got it on the ropes!" Rainbow told Doc, "Finish it off!" "Lairon, get behind it and use Metal Claw." Doc ordered, Lairon nodding before trying to run around Stalorn. But as it did this, Stalorn followed it, spinning around so its horn kept facing Lairon as it circled around. "Dang it." "It's caught on," Twilight sighed. "It's not gonna let you get behind it again." As she said this, Lairon hissed as it suddenly charged with glowing claws, "Wait! Don't-" But it was too late, Stalorn's horn now glowing red as Lairon leapt at it, Stalorn maneuvering to catch the Iron Armor Pokémon on its horn. "Ron!" It roared in annoyance, swinging its claws at Stalorn's upper horn before the rock beetle tossed it off, throwing it at Doc. "LAIRON!" It cried as it crashed into the ground, sliding along the ground. "Lairon!" Doc yelped, kneeling down and looking him over. "You okay?" "Lair," Lairon groaned as it picked itself up before nodding. "You can't be reckless. Stalorn's stronger, but you're smarter. You've gotta use that." "Lorn..." Lairon nodded before charging again. Stalorn's horn continued to glow as it waited for the next attack, only for Lairon to start zigzagging from left to right. The Horn Pokémon tried to follow, only for Larion to leap again. "Metal Claw!" Lairon's claws began to glow, Stalorn positioning itself for the attack. But as Larion leapt, he suddenly side-stepped instead to the left way from its horn. "Lorn?" It cried as Lairon suddenly slashed at its left side. "STALORN!" It staggered to the side while the others cheered, Lairon smirking as it turned to Doc. "That's the way," Doc gave him a thumbs up. "Fantastic move!" Stalorn hissed at the pain, only to turn to Doc this time. It knew now why it was losing, making it roar, "STALORN!" It slammed both legs down, the force of the thrust causing the entire cavern to shake, knocking everyone off balance as it used Stone Edge. But the jagged rocks weren't heading for Lairon, instead going for the young man giving Larion instructions. "DOC!" Flash yelled when he saw this, only for everyone to fall over from the shaking. "LOOK OUT!" Rainbow screamed as the rocks went straight for Doc, all flinching as they saw the rubble were about to hit him. CLANG! "LAIRON!" Doc gasped as the sound rang out, everyone now seeing Larion as it had leapt in front of the attack, taking the full brunt of the Stone Edge. The damage done caused the Rock/Steel-type to slump over, letting out a groan. "Lairon!" Doc yelped as he tried to move over to him. "You cheater!" Flash barked, Springer, Flitanium and Hopper preparing to attack it, but before they could- "Lair!" Lairon turned to them, giving them a look that said 'back off.' He then glared at Stalorn as he picked himself up, growling at the rock beetle as it laughed back at him. It then raised a leg, getting ready to use Stone Edge again. "Lairon," His new Pokémon turned to Doc, "I trust you." Lairon nodded back before glancing at Stalorn, shooting it a death glare. But Stalorn didn't react, instead slamming its foot down again. A spike line came next, but Lairon stood firm. It wouldn't allow this thing to hurt Doc or anyone else it cared for. "Lair!" The Pokémon roared as Doc suddenly saw something shining in front of Lairon. It was a small silver ball of energy, which had appeared in his mouth and was growing bigger by the second. And as the Stone Edge was about to hit, Lairon bit into the ball as light escaped from between his mouth. "LAIRON!" He roared as he opened his mouth wide, sending out a silver beam of light. The light struck the rocks, charging right through them, shattering them to pieces. Stalorn backpedaled at the sight, unable to react as the attack struck him head-on, an explosion following this as it cried, "LORN!" Everyone gasped as they saw Stalorn go flying back, crashing into the ground with a thud. "What the heck was that?" Spike asked. "Flash Cannon," Twilight whispered, "Lairon just used Flash Cannon." "Awesome!" Flash cheered. "Flash Cannon, eh?" Doc chuckled, "That's just what we need!" He then saw Stalorn pick itself up. "Alright Lairon, try and get behind it again." Lairon nodded and began circling around Stalorn, the beetle spinning around to prepare a Counter. "Now, Flash Cannon!" "Lair!" The orb of light appeared in its mouth before it bit into it, "LAIRON!" The laser shot out, striking Stalorn in the horn, scaring all but Doc and Twilight. "STALORN!" It cried in pain as it was pushed back, the attack not rebounding. "What happened?" "Counter only works on physical attacks," Twilight replied, "Flash Cannon's a special move, so it can't be countered." The others smiled as they turned back to the battle. "Lairon learned the perfect move to beat Stalorn with," Rainbow cheered while the Aron watched in amazement. "Use Metal Claw!" Lairon charged with a glowing claw, Stalorn trying to pick itself up. But it was too late, now getting slashed in the face. "Now, Body Slam!" As Stalorn flinched in pain, Lairon leaping and slamming itself down on Stalorn. The weight doubled the pain, only for Stalorn to manage to swing a glowing white horn into Larion. "Ron!" Lairon flinched as it was thrown off, barely able to land on its feet. "Rock Slide!" Lairon roared as the rings appeared to drop the rocks, Stalorn using Counter to knock the rubble away. "Flash Cannon!" Lairon created the orb, ate it, then spat out the beam as it shot through the rocks, soon hitting Stalorn head-on. "Awesome!" Spike cheered, "They've got it on the ropes!" Twilight nodded in agreement, "And even though its deflected the rocks, Stalorn's still taking damage when using Counter. I'd wager it's close to falling." "Go, LAIRON!" Rainbow cheered. "You can do it!" Fluttershy added while the Aron cheered. Hearing his friends cheer him on, Lairon smiled as Stalorn picked itself up. "STALORN!" It roared as it charged, ready to use Double-Edge. But as it got closer, both Doc and Lairon remained perfectly calm. "Wait for it..." Doc told Lairon as the Iron Armor Pokémon charged a Flash Cannon. "Wait for it....wait for it..." Soon enough, Stalorn was right on top of them. "Now, FIRE!" "LAIRON!" Its attack shot out of his mouth seconds before Stalorn could hit him, striking the Rock-type point blank. The rock beetle screamed as it was sent flying back, crashing into several rocks until it hit the wall of the cavern. The beam faded and Stalorn dropped to the floor, kicking up dust before slumping over with swirls in its eyes with a moan. "YES!" Doc and the others cheered as they ran over to their friends. "You did it," Twilight added. "That was awesome, Doc!" Flash chuckled while Doc blushed. "Thanks," he rubbed the back of his head before turning to his new friend, "But the praise should really go to Lairon." The Aron all ran to Lairon's side, all telling him how awesome he was. This made Lairon blush while smiling, but that smile quickly vanished when they heard movement, making them to turn to see Stalorn begin to pick itself up. "Lair!" He growled while the others got into a battle stance, Stalorn shooting daggers at them. "Hey!" Doc yelled, "Just give it up. You've lost, so leave this cave to those who actually need it." The others nodded, showing they were ready to fight. But as they did this, the Aron suddenly ran to the front of the pack, all barking at it that they weren't gonna let the brute bully them anymore. Stalorn growled at this, ready to attack them. Larion was about to get in front of them, only for a light to appear on all three Aron. Gasps came next as the trio roared, "ARON!" The light exploded off them next, firing a trinity of light beams at Stalorn before it could react. "STALORN!" It screamed as it was blasted back, right into the entrance of a tunnel that sloped down. It quickly found itself rolling down, soon completely out of sight. "Wow..." Spike whispered, "Did they just-" "Use Flash Cannon?" Twilight added. "They sure did. They must have learned it from watching Lairon." "Awesome," Flash finished. "Now they can protect themselves against Stalorn if it comes back." Lairon smiled at the Aron as they all turned to him, only to suddenly freeze up as if in shock. The reason for this soon became apparent when their bodies exploded into light, making everyone backpedal. The trio soon began to grow, the light then fading to reveal their new Lairon appearances. "They've evolved," Twilight gasped. "Awesome!" Rainbow cheered. Doc chuckled as the original Lairon moved over to its friends, all greeting one another by rubbing their metal heads together, all happy to see they were now much stronger. It was then that Doc's smile faded before he took out the Pokeball he had used to catch Lairon. He moved over to it, Lairon turning to him before seeing the ball, "Well, I guess this is it." He raised the ball, "I'll return and release you now." The others went wide-eyed, Flash asking, "Doc...are you sure you wanna do this?" "I didn't catch him properly," Doc replied. "Lairon didn't have a choice. Besides, I'm sure it wants to stay here with its friends." He held out the ball, "This is it." It fired the red light at Lairon. But before it could hit, one of its friends jumped between them and the beam, bouncing it off its metal body. "What the-what are you doing?" The newly evolved Lairon turned to Doc's and all got behind it before pushing it toward Doc. When it was besides him, they moved back and smiled at the two. "Lair?" Lairon asked its friends what they were doing, but they just continued to smile before turning to Doc and began saying something in their own language. "What are you trying to say?" He asked back, only to hear a chuckle from Flash. "Isn't it obvious? They're asking you to take good care of their friend." This made Doc turn to Flash just as the teen looked down at Springer and Hopper, "Right?" The two nodded back, both showing smiles. "But...but," he looked down at his new friend. "Does Lairon even want to stay with me?" Lairon looked up at him, only to smile and nod. "Ron!" it cheered, giving the confirmation Doc needed. The young adult smirked as he kneeled down and patted Larion on the head. "Welcome to the family!" "LAIRON!" He leapt at Doc, landing on top of him while pushing the wind out of his lungs. He continued to hug Doc while the teen struggled to move. "Too...heavy! Can't...breathe!" The others quickly ran over to get Lairon off, laughing once he was off of him. After they had made sure Doc hadn't broken anything, the Lairon led the group out of the tunnels, now back at the exit. When they got there, the group turned to them, "Well, I guess this is it." The Lairon nodded back before Doc moved over to them and they rubbed their heads together, obviously their way of saying goodbye. Once that was done, Twilight spoke up, "Now don't you go letting Stalorn pick on you again." "There's no way that thing could take them all," Spike added, "Now that they have Flash Cannon, it won't stand a chance!" The Lairon nodded back, thinking the same thing. As they did this, Fluttershy turned to the path, "Well, we better get going." The others nodded as they began to head up the path, waving goodbye to their new friends. As they walked, the Lairon called out to Doc's to be careful and to get super strong. He called back that he would, Doc smiling down at him as he saw Lairon was clearly going to miss his friends. "Don't worry, you'll see them again some day." Lairon smiled up at him, nodding before focusing his attention on the path ahead. He had to look to his future now, not his past. Their journey up the mountain had not only met them with a great obstacle in Stalorn, but also a new friend in Lairon. Now with Cloudsdale City closer than ever, the group will press on to reach the top of the mountain. As the journey continues.