//------------------------------// // The prince and the trainer // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Canterlot, Afternoon. Rarity was coming by with her friends since they were told that an important figure from the Pokemon World had a request. He was a previous customer of Rarity after arriving at her boutique in Kalos one day. Baron Alberto. He had a second request for Rarity and she couldn't turn it down. "You're really moving up in the Pokemon world Rarity. At least in fashion." Twilight said. "I know. I'm surprised myself. Who knew Pokemon fashion was so acceptable in various ways. I barely even have to give it my all most of the time." Rarity replied. "Very soon, I'll probably have to-" Rarity's words were halted as she froze for a second. Her friends bumped into her, curious as to why she's stopped. "What's wrong, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "T-T-T-Tha? HAH?!" What Rarity saw shocked her. Over at the distance near the fountain. There were her good friends Ash and Pikachu as always, but. Alongside him was Prince Blueblood. The one pony that Rarity has a great disdain for. And right now, they were talking to each other. Like friends. Rarity was greatly confused. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. "How is that even possible?" "Oh? That? That's just Ash talking to Prince Blueblood. What's the big-" Twilight spoke but Rarity had already dashed over to them, wanting answers. "Oh, hey Rarity." Ash greeted her. "Pi-Pika!" "Hello, Ash. Good to see you as always. I just have one question to ask at the moment. Why are you with him?!" She jolted at Prince Blueblood who jolted back in shock. "Who? Blueblood? We're just hanging out." "Pikachu." Pikachu nodded. "But...how? How can someone like you hang around with a pony like him?!" Rarity at the moment was feeling a bit pent up due to her first and last experience with Prince Blueblood. "She terrifies me!" Blueblood hid behind Ash. "Now, now Rarity. Let's calm down before ya go breaking something." Applejack pulled her back. "I guess you two don't get along too well?" Ash said. "Not even in the slightest! I haven't forgotten what happened at my first Grand-Galloping Gala. You treated me like some board you could walk on! A piece of paper to wipe away any mess that you didn't even think about cleaning up yourself!" "Um...apologies?" Blueblood squeed. "Ash. How could you become friends with him? I need answers!" "Guess you aren't' on good terms. Alright. I can tell you what happened. It all started this morning..." Ash began to tell the story of how he and Blueblood became surprisingly good friends. Flashback sequence. Morning at Canterlot. Ash came through a gateway he managed to find that actually led to Canterlot. He found it right near Pewter City which was the gateway to Canterlot. Either the gateways were starting to move again or its always been here in the first place. "Oh, so Pewter City leads to Canterlot, huh? Nice." "Pika-Pika." "Makes travelling, easier don't you think buddy?" "Pika!" "Ash. Just the one I wanted to see." Celestia spotted Ash and Pikachu right next to the gateway. "Yo, Celestia. What did you want to see me for?" "Pika-ka?" Pikachu said Celestia in his natural Pokemon language. "Well. I was wondering if you could help out a certain family member of mine. My nephew. Blueblood." "Nephew? Sure. I can help out. What do you need me to help him with?" "Just like everypony else, even he's taken an interest in Pokemon. Which surprised me. Considering how he acts, I would expect Pokemon to be the last thing on his mind. So I am positive that you can help him catch a Pokemon of his own. I hope he doesn't become too troublesome for you." "No problem. You can count on me, Celestia!" Ash gave off a proud grin. "Pikachu!" Pikachu raised his arms up in confidence. "Excellent. Luna, Pyrestar and I will be occupied with royal duties for the time being. I'll leave everything up to you." Celestia walked off, leaving Ash to Blueblood. Where was her nephew exactly? Blueblood was just casually walking about Canterlot Castle, having his usual snobbish attitude lingering across the room. The sheer aura of his personality could be felt everywhere. The guards kept a straight face as always but deep inside, they couldn't stand this guy being here at all. He was patiently waiting for the one who would help him with his Pokemon request. What he was expecting was somepony from his family at least. What he wasn't expecting was Ash who came walking up to him. "Oh, hey. You're Blueblood right?" Ash asked. "Pika?" "Prince Blueblood to you. And you are...?" "The guy who's gonna help you catch a Pokemon. My name's Ash. And this is my partner Pikachu." "Pikachu!" "Hm? You're that Ash Ketchum human that my auntie and the rest of Equestria continues to talk about?" Blueblood was shocked. This was the legendary Ash Ketchum who was deemed a hero? "Hmm..." Blueblood took a moment to examine Ash carefully. "Well. You don't seem too unreliable. You actually seem somewhat impressive. And I will admit, that blue colour does fit surprisingly well on you. Are you by chance a prince yourself?" "Me, a prince? Nah." Ash shook his head. "No prince? How about a duke?" "Nope." "Count?" "Nah." "Marquess?" "No idea what that it is." "At least an Archduke?" "Pika." Pikachu shook his head. "You have no status of royalty?! None at all?!" Blueblood wasn't liking what he was hearing. He feared that he was to be helped by commonfolk according to him. "Well..." Ash dug deep in his memories. "I'm King of the Sea and a battle baron. Is that cool?" "King?! My apologies." Blueblood suddenly bowed his head. "If I had known you were a king, I would have lowered my head minutes ago. Forgive me, King Ash Ketchum. "Uh...no problem." Ash laughed. "But you don't have to call me King." "Pika..." "But I must. You have the highest status out of all of us. Even my aunt is not of a higher status than a Princess. She hasn't even been crowned queen yet. If I am to catch a Pokemon of my own, I must at least show respect to one of a higher status than a pony such as myself. Mother said so anyways." "Alright, I guess. So, you want a Pokemon of your own, huh?" "Of course. After seeing how this Pokemon phenomenon has taken all of Equestria by storm, I at first believed that only common folk and peasants would be interested in these magical creatures. But, after seeing my aunt and her sister own Pokemon of their own and even seeing my own parents have their own Pokemon, I realized that I, Prince Blueblood must obtain a Pokemon as well. A special one even. One that speaks to me. I require a Pokemon that nopony else owns." "Oh. Really? Well, that's not too difficult. There's a Pokemon for everyone, ya know." "Pikachu!" "Wonderful. King Ash. Escort me to the Pokemon that I deserve." Blueblood bowed. "Sure thing. And I know just where to start." Where did they start? The Pokemon World actually. Ash thought that heading to Pewter City would be a good start since it was the closest gateway here. Plus, Kanto recently has had some new Pokemon from other regions that have come over to either migrate or reside here. "Here we are. Pewter City! I wonder if Brock's around today." "...This...is the human world?" This was Blueblood's first time here and he had no idea what to think. On one hoof, it looked unimpressive, nothing compared to the castle he lives in and they even resemble that of Manehattan except they're slightly better looking. But on the other hoof, he actually admired the stunning view of it. Pewter City had gone through some changes over the years and its appearance was a bit cosy-looking to Blueblood. "How bizarre. It reeks of peasantry yet its somehow so rich." "No idea what that means, but let's get searching." "Hey! Ash!" A familiar voice called to him. It wasn't Brock, but instead, one of his siblings. Forrest. Actually, they were all here, Forrest was just leading the group. They each looked like they've grown over the years. "Oh, hey! Brock's siblings! How have you guys been?" "Pikachu?" "We've been great!" said Cindy, the oldest girl of the group. "Look how much we've grown!" Salvadore flexed his muscles, but nothing was really impressive. "You've all grown a lot! Now you're really starting to look like Brock when I first met him. By the way, is he here?" "Brock comes by from time to time being a Pokemon Breeder and all but he also goes places as well. But he also keeps on talking about some grey pony who he's apparently hanging out with a lot lately." Forrest answered. "Oh, you mean Maud? Guess they're getting along well." "Oh! A pony!" Suzie, one of the youngest of the family noticed Blueblood who wasn't even paying attention. Blueblood was yawning, waiting for this chat to be over already. But what he didn't see coming was Suzie grabbing a hold of his horn all of a sudden. "A real pony!" "Hm? AH! What is she doing?!" Blueblood gasped at the sudden grab. "Hey! Suzie!" Cindy pulled her younger sister back. "So sorry about that." "Hmph! My delicate horn has been soiled by a lowly child's hands!" Blueblood got out a napkin he always carries with him, attempting rid his horn of Suzie's touch. "But, I suppose it is to be expected. Children will be children after all." "Nevermind..." Cindy took back her apology, already not a fan of Blueblood's attitude. "King Ash. May we please move on already and obtain my first Pokemon?" "Alright, sure. Sorry, guys. I gotta help Blueblood here catch a Pokemon. See ya!" Ash waved goodbye to Brock's siblings, leading Blueblood to the first place to catch some Pokemon. Viridian Forest. Viridian Forest still looked like its old self as usual. Being here just took Ash back to when he first ventured through Viridian Forest. "Are you sure that the Pokemon for me can be found in a forest as...dry as this? The atmosphere here is simply toxic for my well-preserved royal body." "Of course it is. And you seem to be pretty focused on royalty, ya know." "But of course. Maintaining your royal status is of the utmost importance. It helps to separate the royalty from the commoners. Wouldn't you agree, King Ash?" "Nah. Not really." "What?!" Blueblood stopped in his tracks, bumping his head on a tree. "But you are a king! And a baron at the same time!" "Yeah, but even with that title, I don't wanna go around saying that I'm King of the Sea all the time. I don't even want to go around saying I'm champion and stuff even if I'm happy to be one." "I simply cannot believe what I am hearing. You're... humble." Blueblood winced at saying the word 'Humble'. "Treating yourself as equal to those that rank below you. What can you even benefit from that." "There's a lot to benefit from it, ya know. You get to hang out with anyone and have tons of fun! Who cares if they're more important than you!" Ash laughed. "Pikachu-Pika!" so did Pikachu. "You get what I mean, right Blueblood?" "Hmph. Absolutely not. That would just lower me to their level. I will never accept that, ever." Blueblood was stubborn, denying any possibility of what Ash just said. "My mother taught and told me that your status is what matters the most. Establishing your ranking among others helps to create a sense of power that can be respected." After listening to what Blueblood had to say, Ash felt like he had heard this somewhere before. Or at least, something similar to it but less wordy and detailed. Ash has actually come across a few people like Blueblood in the past but on a slightly less extreme level. Then it hit Ash. What Celestia said about Blueblood's personality and how Blueblood acts made Ash realize what was really going on. And he also realized why Blueblood actually wants a Pokemon, especially one that nopony else owns. From what Ash could immediately tell, Blueblood was afraid of being left out. "Blueblood. Are you...afraid of being alone?" "Pika?" "Hm? Me?!" Blueblood pulled back. "Ridiculous! I am accepted by many ponies back home and to an extent most of Equestria. I am never alone. Not even for a second. Why would I ever be afraid of something that has no effect on me?" He denied it completely. "Then why did you want to catch a Pokemon in the first place? It can't be because you've taken an interest in them." "Pikachu." "I-I have taken an interest in them. 100%!" "In that case...try catching that Weedle over there." Ash pointed at a Weedle who was moving along. "That? Oh no, no. I can't catch a worm. It doesn't speak to me." Blueblood turned his head. "How about that Butterfree over there?" Ash pointed at a Butterfree flying in the air. "Butterflies are beautiful and all. But it still does not match my status." "Well...what Pokemon do you want even?" "Pika-Pikachu?" "What Pokemon do I want? I've already said it before, King Ash. I want a Pokemon that nopony else owns. A one of a kind. Unseen before. A rarity of a Pokemon even. That is the Pokemon that I desire." "Are you sure that's just the reason why?" "Hm?" "Maybe you want to catch a Pokemon because you feel left out from everyone else." "Ridiculous! I do not feel left out!" Blueblood shook his head but Ash could see right through him. This wasn't his first experience with someone like him. "I am the nephew to Princess Celestia. The highest-ranking pony of all of Equestria. My status is already grand because of that family bloodline." "It's cool." He nodded his head. "I get the feeling of wanting good things for yourself. Having something that no one else has is a pretty great feeling and everything else. But having something unique so that everyone can love you won't help. Celestia loves you because you're her nephew. Your family. She doesn't care if you and she are royalty and stuff. She loves you either way. You can still be pretty important but it's better to build up your own status than just going off someone else's. If that makes sense, ya know." "That..." Blueblood was about to rebuttal but everything that Ash said was 100% true. Blueblood's status was only important because he sought out for that status and was assisted by his mother to do so. Blueblood was afraid of being stepped on by others, being at the will of somepony else. That is why he constantly brags about his status over and over again and why he steps on others. So that he can feel powerful and have somepony else against his will. And he was also afraid of being left out by everypony else. He feared that he would become a grey blur. One that nopony would ever even remember for years to come. So his status as a prince and as Celestia's nephew is what he clings onto. Because it's the only thing keeping his presence known. "I do not have to listen to this at all. I shall catch a special Pokemon of my own, thank you very much. If you wouldn't mind. I will also require those items known as Pokeballs in order to do so." "Whatever you say." Ash got out a Pokeball, tossing it to Blueblood who caught it with his magic. "Observe." Blueblood made his way through Viridian Forest, feeling confident in himself. But despite that, what Ash said was lingering in his head. The words he said to him actually made him reminisce what his mother told him once. She once told him that if he can have all the social status in the world if he continues to remember that he is a prince and potentially the next in line to the throne one day. Clinging onto Celestia's fame is what mattered to him the most. But he couldn't really back anything else up. That's all he had going for him. He was just Celestia's nephew and some prince. He continued to walk about with Ash following from behind, but so far all he could see were Bug-Types galore. Bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs everywhere. "Is it nothing but bugs?!" "Nope. There's also Flying-Types." Ash pointed over at Pidgey sitting on a tree. "But that is just an average bird! There isn't any special Pokemon here at all! None t-" Just before Blueblood could finish his sentence, he spotted something new. Something that grabbed his attention. It was a Caterpie but...it was a Shiny Caterpie. "What...is that?" "That? That's a Shiny Caterpie." "Pikachu. Blueblood gazed at the Caterpie seeing its golden colours. Ash said that they were Shiny...the Caterpie was gold...so to Blueblood, that meant that this Caterpie was a special one. A one of a kind. "A Golden Pokemon. Perfect! It's just what I need! A Pokemon that is of gold! And Shiny according to what you've said. "Caterpie, huh? Okay then. Go for it. Just toss the Pokeball as hard as you can." "This will be easy." Blueblood scoffed as he used his magic to toss the Pokeball. The Shiny Caterpie turned around to see the ball approaching it. It wasn't about to let itself be captured that easily. So it responded by using String Shot to grab the Pokeball, sending it back to Blueblood by swinging it as the ball smacked him in the face. "Oof!" "Cater!" The Worm Pokemon cried. "I must...have that Shiny Pokemon." Blueblood took the Pokeball off his face. Ash could see that Blueblood was determined to capture that Caterpie now. The usual fire that affects everyone when they get involved with Pokemon began to show. Blueblood tossed the Pokeball forward once more as this time, it actually managed to hit Caterpie, making contact. The ball pulled the Worm Pokemon inside as Blueblood thought he had already caught it. "Could it be...?" "Wait!" Ash halted him. "Let's see if its a guaranteed catch." 1...2...3...Failure. Caterpire actually ended up breaking free from the Pokeball. Shiny Pokemon weren't as easy to catch as their regular variants. "Tough break! Have another go!" Ash tossed him another Pokeball. "Pikachu!" "I shall and I will!" Blueblood made sure to put a ton of force into this next throw. "I shall have that Shiny Pokemon!" Blueblood used all of his might to throw the Pokeball, however, Caterpie had used String Shot to launch itself to a nearby tree. "You won't escape from me that easily!" Blueblood used his magic to control the Pokeball, manoeuvring it as it hit Caterpie, who didn't see that one coming. "Caterpie!" The ball began to shake once more with Caterpie inside. 1...2...3... Get! Blueblood had officially caught a Shiny Caterpie. A Pokemon he believed to be incredibly unique. Even though there are other trainers out there with Shiny Pokemon and some have the same Shiny Caterpie. And also Shiny Caterpie's aren't really golden, they're just incredibly yellow. But shh...don't tell Blueblood. And Ash wasn't about to tell him either. He's about to have his moment. "I...I did it. I actually caught it." "Congratulations!" "Pikachu!" "Yes! I have caught myself a golden Pokemon! W-What is this feeling?" It was getting to Blueblood now. The same sensation that fills everyone's body when they catch their first Pokemon. No matter who you are, it will affect you. "That's the satisfaction of catching a Pokemon, Blueblood. Congrats. You've got yourself a Shiny Caterpie." Ash walked up to him. "Indeed I have. Allow me to gander at my wonderful find." Blueblood released Caterpie out of its ball, getting a good look at its Shiny colours. "Cater!" Blueblood was proud of himself. Now he could go along and brag to everypony that he has a golden Pokemon that nopony else owns. Even if Caterpie isn't actually golden. "It's as special as it looks. Pure gold!" "Pfft haha!" A laugh came from nearby in the forest. A trainer was passing by. "You call that special dude? That's just a Shiny Caterpie! One of the weakest Pokemon out there but yellow!" He chuckled, walking by as he just got away with taunting Blueblood. Prince Blueblood just realized that this supposed golden Caterpie was just yellow. It didn't even shine like Gold actually. The only time it did shine was when it came out of the Pokeball and that was it. "Oh..." Blueblood sighed. "I just caught a different coloured version of a Pokemon...didn't I?" He sat down on the ground, feeling underwhelmed at his catch. "What a disappointment." Caterpie looked up at its new and first trainer, seeing how upset he was. Whenever a Pokemon is caught, a bond between trainer and Pokemon is formed. Mostly due to the Pokemon being able to tell that the trainer is in fact dedicated to capturing it so it earns a bit of its respect. And with Caterpie generally being a weak Pokemon, it didn't want to disappoint its trainer by making it think it was just weak and nothing else. So as a response, the Worm Pokemon wriggled up on a tree, shooting String Shot at the trainer from earlier and hitting his eye. "My eyes!" The trainer cried as he bumped his head on a tree, falling over. "Cater." "Hm." Blueblood chuckled a small bit at Caterpie's actions, seeing it stick up for him somewhat. "I suppose that move is somewhat useful actually." "Caterpie!" The Worm Pokemon got off the tree, going up to Blueblood. He could see the cuteness factor to Pokemon and why everypony wanted one. Everypony wants a Pokemon of their own for a different reason. Either because they look cute, cool, smart or just made great friends and pets. That's when it hit Blueblood next. What Ash said finally made sense to him. He didn't need to have a one of a kind Pokemon to gain heaps of attention. He could actually build his own status. After all, Celestia constantly talks about Ash and Hollow and how much they help constantly and that made Blueblood realise that they've made a name for themselves, despite not even being from Equestria at all. Right now what mattered to the most to him was Caterpie, who he was starting to grow a bit fond of. "You know...As much as it pains me to say it. You have a point, King Ash." Blueblood stood up. "Hm?" "Pika?" "Perhaps I could...give it a small try. Maybe spending time with common ponies won't affect my social status among Equestria at all. I suppose there's no shame in being humble." Blueblood was willing to be humble for once. He wasn't instantly a different pony, he still clung on his social status and role as Celestia's nephew, but it was a start. "Awesome! And now you have your very own Pokemon. You can train it and can become an awesome looking Butterfree later on, ya know." "Cater!" "Hm. You are an interesting one." Blueblood was now growing fond of Ash. He could admire Ash's radiating attitude. Compared to everypony else, Ash is currently the only one who's ever treated him this way. Instead of talking to him with fancy words and a high language, Ash speaks to him like he's just another pony. Normally, that wouldn't sit well with Blueblood, but Ash's personality changed that. "I thank you...Ash." He finally referred to him as just Ash. "No problem!" Ash gave a thumbs up. They were making their way back to Canterlot, but along the way, Blueblood stopped by Viridian City to talk to Brock's family for a while. He apologized for calling Suzie a lowly child before as he allowed the little girl to grab a hold of him this time. And the result? Surprising to him. There was a certain charm to it that Blueblood couldn't understand but he could feel. Suzie rode on his back like some sort of ride. To his surprise, it didn't feel horrible at all. It was still weird to him, but nothing he could freak out over. Soon, they returned to Canterlot, where Celestia spotted Ash and Pikachu returning with Blueblood. "Ash. Pikachu. Welcome back. How did it go?" "Yo, Celestia. It went well, ya know." Pikachu!" "Did it now?" Celestia was surprised that it went well. She was expecting some awry to occur with Blueblood there. But nothing like that happened at all. "You actually caught a Pokemon Blueblood?" "Of course, auntie. Have a gander." He sent out his Shiny Caterpie. "Cater!" "Aww...It's so cute." Celestia found Caterpie to be adorable. Mostly due to its tiny little legs and cute bulbous eyes. Plus the sound it made just added to the cuteness factor. Passion hopped off Celestia's back, greeting her fellow Pokemon. "Kirlia!" "Caterpie!" Caterpie immediately began crushing on Passion, getting up close to her. "Ki..?" Passion was confused as she backed up a bit. "I'm impressed, Blueblood. I would've never taken you to be the type to bond well with somepony else so quickly." "I'm surprised as well auntie. But Ash here made me realize what I was missing. I...still have no clue what I actually a missing, but I at least know what I want to do now other than just sitting around my room back home." "Mhm. And I can say that I've made a new friend." Ash nodded. "Friend?" Blueblood turned to Ash. "You see me as a friend?" "100%! I've known guys like you before, so it wasn't that difficult." Ash laughed. "Pikachu!" The entire group began laughing as it seemed to be the end of that little tale. A tale on how Ash and Blueblood became surprisingly good friends. "So, that's what happened. Blueblood here got a pretty sweet Shiny Pokemon too." "Pikachu!" "Talk about lightwork, huh?" Twilight said. "What do you think, Rarity?" "I...I need a moment to clear my head. I'm struggling to believe you to be the exact same Blueblood I experienced back at the Gala." Rarity held her head. "About that. I may have acted a bit..parvenu back then. I sincerely apologize, miss Rarity." Blueblood finally apologized to Rarity and it only took a year from the looks of it. Rarity could tell that the apology was indeed sincere and honest. She was still a bit upset about what happened back there, but she couldn't let it fuel her spite any longer. "Hmmrgh...Apology accepted. But I am still upset." "Fair enough." Blueblood squeed. "Rarity. Your dress for that Baron guy." Pinkie reminded her. "Oh! You're right!" Rarity couldn't afford to waste any more time. That entire flashback had crunched up all the time for the day so she had to get a move on. "Next time Ash. Could you teach me how to perform in a Pokemon battle?" Blueblood requested. "Sure thing! That's the one I'm super pumped to teach you about!" "Pikachu!" A new friendship was formed today. An unexpected one even. Prince Blueblood has now gained a newfound passion for Pokemon. One that everypony shares even. But that no longer bothered him. As his current quest to understand everypony else instead of thinking of himself begins, the various bonds formed between every form of species in the world continues to expand even further, as the journey continues. Chapter 143 End!