Continuing their journey to Manehatten City and Flash's seventh Equestria Gym Challenge, the group were now making their way through a wooded mountain area. Currently, they had stopped for a bit of lunch, the trainers sitting on some rocks while eating Doc's delicious sandwiches and their Pokémon were eating their food as well. And as Flash finished off his meal, he wiped his mouth before looking down at the egg sitting between his feet.
He took out a cloth and removed the egg from its case, the teen lifting it onto his lap as he started cleaning it. The others smiled at this while Spike turned to Twilight, "So how much longer will it be until we reach Manehatten?"
Twilight took out her journal, showing Spike a map screen, "We're here," she pointed to an area before zooming out, showing they were a couple of days away from the coast. She then pointed to a dot on a different coast, "And this is Manehatten. To get there, we'll need to head to a place called Seaward Shoals. There, we can get a boat that'll take us to an outer port town a day or so away from Manehatten."
"Sweet! Another boat trip!" Spike cheered, "So much better than a bunch of caves..."
Doc chuckled at this. "Agreed, though hopefully this one won't end the same way our last one did." Everyone laughed at that as they finished their lunch, soon packing up while Flash put his egg back in its case.
"Okay, everyone ready?" They all nodded, only for Springer to let out a quick yelp, making them all turn to him and see the Riolu standing still.
"What's up bud?" Flash asked before Springer pointed at one of the nearby bushes, everyone realizing he must be sensing something. That theory was confirmed when the bush started rustling, Springer and Peewee getting into a battle stance while Doc and Twilight reached for a Pokeball.
That is, till they saw what was in the bush. "A Geckolar?" Twilight commented as the fire lizard calmly walked out, glancing up at them. It stared at the group for a few seconds, blinking before casually walking past them and into some more bushes.
"That was...weird," Spike added as they saw Geckolar disappear into the bushes.
"Really weird," Twilight continued while rubbing her chin in thought, "Geckolar aren't known for living in these areas. A wooded area like this would be terrible for them. One errant blast of fire and the whole place would go up in flames."
"But there are more mountainous spots in that location," Doc pointed out. "Maybe it's looking for a new home." He then turned to Flash, now seeing a long frown on his face, "What's wrong Flash?"
The others glanced at him as he replied, "Well...I was just wondering if I should try and catch that thing." Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, "I mean, I've already got a Fire-type. Would it be smart to fill my team up with another one?" He held his egg up, "Especially with this little guy on the way."
"I don't think it's such a bad idea," Twilight responded, "Even if Viper's a Fire-type, he and Geckolar have very different methods of fighting. Remember how Ray fought in the Battle Tournament? You'd never see Viper with those kinds of moves. Catching a Pokémon that fights differently could be useful."
"That's good enough for me," Flash smirked before turning to Springer. "Let's go catch that thing!"
"RI!" Springer cheered.
"Small problem though," Doc added while pointing at the direction Geckolar had gone. "It's getting away."
"Right." Flash said as he began to sprint after the fire lizard, the others following him. They pushed their way through the bushes, only to find nothing. "Great...where'd it go?!"
"Guess its a fast little thing," Twilight commented, "But it looked like it was going straight ahead, so we should catch up if we do the same."
Flash then turned to Springer, "Sense anything?" Springer closed his eyes, only to shake his head. But as he did this, his ears suddenly flared up, spinning around to a bush to their side.
"Ri?" He went up to the other bush, the others following him as they soon saw the fire lizard running away.
"How'd it get there?" Spike asked as they began to chase it.
"Not sure. But I don't think it's the same one," Twilight added as they followed the lizard...only to see another Geckolar to walk out of another bush. The group came to a stop at this, soon seeing within a few seconds several more Geckolar coming out of the woodwork. It became literal after this, the lizards now being seen using the trees to move around.
"What the heck is going on?" Flash added.
Doc hummed while tilting his head, "Some kind of...mass migration?"
"I've never read anything about Geckolar migrating...at least, in terms of anything that's been researched about them." Twilight commented before turning to Flash, "Maybe you should hold off on catching one until we know where they're going. A battle could scare them away."
Flash nodded back before they began to follow the Geckolar through the wooded mountain, soon reaching an area with less trees. The ground in this area was still covered in grass, though the trees were slowly being replaced by large boulders that were covered in moss. Some were as large as twenty feet, and it was through these rocks that the Geckolar were making there way through, some crawling up and over while others went around.
"They're all heading in the same direction," Spike stated as they kept following the lizards.
"Its definitely migration behavior..." Twilight commented, "But what are they migrating too?"
And as this question came out of her mouth, the group came to the V-shaped entrance of a stone canyon. They glanced inside, now seeing the walls were a series of steps, with the next step being about five foot higher than the previous. The Geckolar all headed inside the canyon, Flash and his friends sharing a glance. "What do you think? Think its a good idea to go in?"
"We could be wandering into some kind of nesting ground," Doc replied, "If that's true, the Geckolar might not be happy if we intrude."
"They might attack," Twilight added as Flash and Spike hummed at this.
Flash started scratching the side of his head, staring up at the canyon. "So it's either stay here and wonder what's happening in there, or go in and risk getting attacked." He glanced down at his egg, a frown on his face. And as he opened his mouth to say his decision-
"There is another option." The four hopped in place at this, now hearing a deep masculine voice.
"Did you guys hear that?" Spike asked.
"Please tell me that was one of you guys," Twilight added before they all shook their heads.
"It wasn't them."
"Where are you?" Twilight asked next, the group reaching for their Pokeballs.
"Twilight Sparkle," the group froze at hearing that name, "Turn ninety degrees to your right." Twilight did this, only to go wide-eyed as she saw a Geckolar on top of a large rock. The lizard smiled at her as the voice spoke up, "Hello there."
"Please tell me you all heard that," Flash said with a slight gulp.
"It...spoke," Spike stuttered out.
"Don't be ridiculous," Twilight hissed as she walked up to the lizard, "There's no such thing as a talking Pokémon." She squinted her eyes, readjusting her glasses before pointing at the Pokémon's neck, "See? It's that collar."
"Impressive," the voice replied before Geckolar turned away. "If you wish to know what's happening in the canyon, then follow."
With that, Geckolar leapt off the rock, quickly scurrying along the ground. The others shared a glance, Flash asking, "So uh...what do you think?"
"Well...why not?" Twilight responded while shrugging, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." The boys nodded and began to follow the Geckolar back through the rocks and soon the trees. It wasn't long till they found themselves at a small clearing, along with a tent.
They watched as the Geckolar scurried inside, the four and their Pokémon staring at it. "Still think this was a good idea?"
"Only one way to find out," Flash replied as he walked up and grabbed the opening of the tent. He poked his head inside, soon going wide-eyed, "Sunset?"
The red and yellowed haired girl spun around, giggling as they all entered the tent while the Geckolar, which they realized was Ray, crawled up onto her shoulder. "Hey guys. Didn't expect to see you around here."
Twilight ran up and gave her hug before pulling away, "What are you doing here?" She gasped, "Is Celestia-"
"She's not here right now," Sunset replied before turning to Flash, "Well well well..." She walked up and began to circle around him, "Someone's looking different."
"Yeah..." Flash responded, "I decided I needed a change. What do you think?"
"I like it," Sunset nodded. "The hair's a definite improvement." Flash glared back at her, pouting at the dis on his destroyed hairstyle. "But what are you guys doing here? This place is a pretty big detour from Hoofington to Manehatten."
"It's...a long story. What are you doing here?"
"Come to watch the Geckolar migration?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Sunset as Ray jumped onto a table.
"That's right. This is a very special area. It's where Geckolar come to evolve."
"Evolve?" Twilight's eyes went wide, "You mean that canyon has Sun Stones in it?!"
"That's what I'm here to find out," Sunset replied as she patted Ray's head. "I've equipped Ray with a camera so we can see and hear everything he does. It even has a voice box so I can talk to Ray if needs be."
"Why'd you make it sound like a man?" Spike asked, getting a raised eyebrow from Sunset.
She grabbed a microphone and spoke into it, hearing the muffled version of her voice come out before sighing and removing the collar, "Stupid thing."
She grabbed a screwdriver and started fiddling with it, only for Doc to lean down and say, "Here, let me." He took the device as the Sunset turned to the others.
"So Geckolar can evolve?" Flash asked.
"Yeah. It's called Solamander," Sunset replied. "They evolve into them with Sun Stones."
Flash took out his Pokedex and typed the name in, getting an image of the Pokémon. It looked like Ray, only it was standing on two legs with long arms. Twilight was reminded of the Pokémon Salazzle, the way it was standing looking exactly how she had seen them in pictures. Its body was mainly yellow with large black spots on it, just like Geckolar, but it also had a short red horn atop its head that curved up. Behind that horn starting at the back of its head, were medium sized spikes that were black and curled while running down the back of its neck, spine and tail. A short red spike also stuck out the back of the Pokémon's arms and knees, the ones on its arm pointing toward it hands.
Name: Solamander
Category: Sun Lizard Pokémon
Type: Fire
Info: The evolved form of Geckolar. Legends say that an Geckolar that spends 24 hours in constant sunlight will evolve into this powerful creature. It is said that the higher the sun in the sky, the more powerful its flames become.
"Wow...that thing looks cool." Flash commented before looking up at Sunset, "Are you gonna try and evolve Ray?"
"You know it," Sunset nodded. "But it's how that's baffling."
"Why?" Spike asked as Sunset pointed at a laptop on a table that showed a map of the area.
"This area doesn't have the right conditions for Sun Stones to form. There shouldn't be any way for Geckolar to evolve. That's the mystery I've come to solve."
"So that's why you want Ray to go in," Doc added as he handed Sunset the repaired collar.
"Exactly, but there's something else I'm looking into. Despite all the Geckolar that come here to evolve, there's usually only one Solamander amongst them when they leave." This made everyone raise eyebrows, "And it's not just any Solamander. It's an alpha."
"An Alpha?" Flash asked as Sunset pointed to his Pokedex. Handing it over, she tapped a few buttons before showing another image on its screen. Everyone stared at the device, now seeing another Solamander. This one at first glance there didn't appear to be anything different, but they soon saw that the red spikes on this Solamander were larger. The ones on the arms and knees were twice as large and the one on its head was the same size, but there were actually two on its head that formed a V-shape. Not only that, a pair of red spikes were also sticking out of its shoulders.
"So that's an alpha?" Doc asked.
Twilight nodded at this. "Yup. Alpha Solamander are bigger and stronger than beta ones, but nobody knows how they evolve."
Sunset sighed at this, "No matter what happens, whenever someone evolves a Geckolar with a Sun Stone, it's always the beta type. No Geckolar has ever been seen evolving into the alpha, until now." She put the collar around Ray, "I've tracked this migration, and now I've located the area the Geckolar go to evolve." With that, Ray scuttled out of the tent. "And I'm going to film them evolving."
"That's great," Twilight clapped, "This could make you famous."
Sunset shined a big grin, "I know. And once I've discovered how a Geckolar becomes an alpha, I'm going to follow them as they finish their migration."
"Finish?" Spike asked. "They're not done?"
"Not even close," Sunset replied, "According to eye witness accounts, the alpha have been seen leading the Geckolar toward areas where Sun Stones can be found. And every year it's a different spot. It's almost like the alpha can sense their location."
"Cool," Spike whispered.
"It certainly is," Sunset responded, "I just hope Ray doesn't miss it." She pressed a button on her laptop, the image changing to show what was being captured by Ray's collar as he scurried along the ground.
Ray arrived at the canyon, looking up at the V-shape before heading inside. As he did this, he and those watching heard loud crashing sounds.
The group exchanged glances at that, nobody speaking as Ray continued through the canyon until it suddenly curved. And when he walked around the corner, he found himself looking at all the Geckolar that Flash and the others had followed.
They were scattered all over the place, all on the rock steps, and they were busy digging into the rock using their claws or hitting them with Iron Tail. Ray made sure to look around, keeping the camera pointing at the Pokémon as Sunset and the others kept watching.
"What are they doing?" Spike asked.
"They look like they're digging for something."
"Maybe they're looking for Sun Stones?" Flash added as he turned to Sunset and Twilight.
Sunset shook her head. "Not possible. I told you, this isn't the right environment for Sun Stones to form in. Even if the minerals were right, the sun's rays won't be strong enough. You need areas that are constantly sunny for that."
"Then what are they looking for?" Twilight chimed in.
"GECKOLAR!" They heard through the laptop, the image turning to the cause of the outcry.
Ray stared at the Geckolar that had yelled, the sun lizard having broken through some rocks. A faint soft glow could be seen from the crack in the rock, the Geckolar reaching inside it and pulling out something.
It was some kind of clear white crystal, which was C-shaped and had an shining glow to it. The Geckolar placed the crystal around its neck, giving it the distinct appearance of a neck-pillow. Once it was safely secured, the Geckolar began to make its way down the rock and when at the bottom, it marched toward the very end of the canyon.
Ray then went to the opening of the rock, seeing it now lead into a dark cave. Through that opening was where the Geckolar disappeared into, only for another yell to ring out, "Geckolar!" He turned to see another lizard holding up the same crystal neck-pillow, which it placed around its neck before heading toward the cave. This continued on and on, with multiple Geckolar finding their own crystal.
"What are those things?" Flash asked.
"I've never seen anything like them," Twilight replied, "But that glow isn't just refraction."
"There's some kind of energy inside of them," Sunset continued, "Hold on." She pressed a button and the picture changed to appear more infer-red. "Energy filter. This'll give us a better understanding of it." Ray looked at one of the crystals and they saw it was glowing bright with energy. "Wow. The scanner doesn't even recognize it."
"An unknown energy," Twilight whispered. "Located in the one place Geckolar are known to evolve into alphas." She and Sunset glanced at each other for a second, "You don't think."
"It's the only explanation," Sunset responded, "Those crystals are what allow them to evolve."
"But they're not evolving," Spike pointed out as another Geckolar found a crystal and put it around their neck. Once again, it stayed as it was and began to make its way toward the cave.
Sunset hummed at this, only to snap her fingers, "Maybe the crystal can supercharge the energy of the Sun Stone, allowing Geckolar to evolve into a more powerful state then they normally would?"
"Its not a bad theory." Twilight replied, "Though it is strange."
"Agreed. I've never heard of a Pokémon requiring two items to evolve. This is unprecedented." Doc commented before turning to Sunset, "I guess it's only fair that you name this item, since it's your Geckolar that found it."
"Okay..." Sunset responded, humming until showing a small smile, "How about...Hyper Band?" The others raised eyebrows at this, "What? It sounds cool."
"Can't argue with that," Flash finished as Ray made is way further through the canyon.
He began to walk inside, staring as he saw more Geckolar walk through. But as he did this, he heard a new sound that made him look up to see another Geckolar scurrying up the wall. The lizard was tapping spots on the wall, crawling around before showing a small smile. It then spun around and started using Iron Tail, whacking away some rocks off the cavern wall.
After several hits, the wall cracked, showing a light coming out of the crack. The Geckolar then started digging, making the hole bigger before reaching inside and pulling out a Hyper Band. "Geck!"
"Wow," Twilight commented, "It was able to determine where the Hyper Band was without even needing to dig." But the Geckolar's celebration was short lived, as a fireball suddenly hit the wall.
Boom!
The wall exploded, the Geckolar crying out as it was knocked off, dropping the Hyper Band as it landed. Ray watched in horror as it began to run over to see if the Geckolar was okay, the sun lizard picking itself up. It let out a moan before looking up and seeing a trio of Geckolar standing over the Hyper Band with big grins on their faces. Two of them were normal ones, and the third had a large black streak running from its head to its tail.
The streaked one's mouth was smoking from the Flame Burst it had just shot, its friends laughing at it as it picked up the Hyper Band and put it around its neck. "Geck-geck-geck-geck," it laughed before appearing to ask what the other one was gonna do about it.
The other Geckolar did nothing but cower away, causing the three to laugh again before walking away.
"Those thieves!" Twilight yelled.
"How could they do that?!" Spike asked in disgust.
"Taking another Geckolar's Hyper Band's a lot easier that finding their own," Doc added, "And they must have known that Geckolar wouldn't fight back."
"That's lame," Spike grumbled.
Sunset nodded in agreement and saw Ray watching Streak and the others, "Follow them Ray."
Ray left the scared Geckolar, quickly zipping through the cave. And when he arrived at the mouth, he looked inside, seeing a low darkness before noticing a bunch of Hyper Band wearing Geckolar inside. He also saw a light, looking up to see a beam of light coming down from a hole in the cave's roof. The light was shining down on a large rock that was in the center of the cave, the Geckolar surrounding it, illuminating a small spot.
And on that place, a Geckolar stood being bathed in the light. "Geck?" Ray commented, the trainers all watching before seeing Streak and his friends climbing up the rock. They all looked unhappy, Streak giving them commands.
The other two quickly fired a Flame Burst, which struck the Geckolar, but didn't seem to hurt. However, the attack distracted it long enough for Streak to run up as its tail began to glow. It swung around and struck the Geckolar on the rock, knocking it off balance and allowing the other two to fire a Dragonbreath. They struck the Geckolar and sent it flying off the rock, making it fall and land on its Hyper Band. The impact made the crystal shatter, Streak laughing at this before walking into the sunlight.
"I don't get it," Spike said, "What are they doing?"
The footage showed more Geckolar trying to climb up the rock, but Streak and the other two kept knocking them back. "It looks like they're fighting for that spot on the rock," Doc responded, "But why?"
"Maybe it has something to do with their evolution?" Flash asked.
"Maybe..." Sunset replied before pressing a few buttons. After a few seconds, the image changed to show an X-ray like appearance. "Scanning the rock's mineral makeup..."
"How many things can that collar do?" Spike asked as the scan was completed.
"No way..." Sunset whispered. "Twilight, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Twilight blinked at the results and gasped, "It's a Sun Stone."
"Seriously?" Flash added, "That big?"
"It's not a real Sun Stone," Twilight responded, "But it's made up of the same minerals. All it's missing is the concentrated solar energy."
"Which it might just get," Sunset pressed a few buttons, the screen changing to show an animated 3D model of the area with the sun over it. The image started moving the sun, a red line then moving down and hitting the area above the cave. "In one hour, the sun will be positioned perfectly to send its rays directly into the hole and onto the rock."
"Then that rock will have everything it needs to evolve the Geckolar standing there," Twilight continued, "And with the Hyper Band, the one standing there will become an alpha."
"But it'll only last a few seconds," Doc pointed at the screen. "After that, the sun will move out of place."
Sunset stood up. "Now it all makes sense. The Geckolar come here because it's the only place to find a Hyper Band, which loses energy too quickly for them to find a Sun Stone. But that giant boulder will allow them to evolve as long as they stand on the right spot. Then, once they're an alpha, they'll be able to help the others find Sun Stone and evolve into betas."
"Couldn't they all just wait?" Spike asked, "Maybe just stay here until the next time the sunlight hits that rock."
Twilight shook her head, "No. According to these specs, the sun won't be in the right position again for another year. That's why the alpha type is so rare."
Sunset sat down and hit another button, showing the camera's captured image and showing Streak was still on top. However, he wasn't even doing anything. All he did was sit in the spot while his flunkies fought off anything that got close.
"What a cheater," Spike growled, "First he steals his Hyper Band, then he has his friends do all the work. He doesn't deserve to be the alpha."
"But it doesn't look like any of the other Geckolar are gonna be able to dethrone him," Twilight sighed.
"It takes more then strength to be a leader," Doc added, "It also takes brains and drive."
These words hit Ray's ears, soon turning to scurry out of the cave. As he did this, he saw that almost every Geckolar was now in the cave. Only one wasn't there, the one Streak had stolen from. Ray moved up to him, the Geckolar starting to speak something the humans couldn't understand. Both began a full conversation, Spike turning to Sunset at this, "What are they talking about?"
Sunset did a small shrug, "Don't ask me. I don't speak Geckolar."
"I think Ray's trying to convince it to try and beat the other one," Flash replied, "But I'm not sure if it's got the tail for it."
Doc nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but it didn't exactly try to put up a fight when its band was stolen."
"Cut him some slack," Twilight told them. "It was three against one."
As she said that, Ray and the Geckolar continued to talk. Ray put a hand on its shoulder and said something that made the Geckolar think, then finally nod.
"I think Ray just convinced it," Sunset commented before the Geckolar started scurrying around.
"Now what's it doing?" Flash asked, only to see the Geckolar begin to knock on the rocks again. They saw that it was searching for another Hyper Band, Ray just watching the sight. After a minute or so, the Geckolar hit a certain spot. "Geck?" He continued knocking at a section of the wall before spinning around and hitting it with its Iron Tail.
After a few strikes, the rock broke apart, the Geckolar reaching inside and pulling out what looked like a yellow orb.
"What's that?" Spike asked.
"A Light Orb," Twilight replied. "That's not gonna be any help to them."
Geckolar had the same thought before throwing the orb away, the two starting to look around again. A few minutes later, the Geckolar stopped again and both it and Ray began digging. The item unearthed this time was something called an Eviolite. Several more minutes later, they found something else...which was a Ground Gem. Again and again, Ray and Geckolar continued searching for a Hyper Band, but still there was nothing. All the Hyper Bands were gone due to all the other Geckolars digging through the canyon.
And after Forty-five minutes after beginning their search, Ray and Geckolar cracked open the canyon wall, beams of light flooding out of it. Geckolar gasped before reaching inside and pulling out a Hyper Band. "GECKOLAR!" It cheered before putting it around its neck.
"Way to go Ray," Sunset smiled as Geckolar put it on. "Now, go de-throne that bully." The Geckolar both roared in agreement and headed back to the cave, Sunset changing the screen to see where the sun was. "Only a few minutes before the sun's in the right position."
"But how is Ray and that wimp supposed to beat those three?" Spike asked as the screen changed back to show the two entering the cave. When they did, they found the many Geckolar standing near the wall of the caves while Streak and his flunkies continued to sit on the boulder.
Steak sensed their approach and turned to them, frowning when he saw the Geckolar had a Hyper Band. Upon closer inspection, Ray noticed the others didn't, crystal shards now scattered all over the place.
"He broke them all," Twilight gasped, "He and Geckolar must have the only two bands left."
"Which is why it's even more important form Ray to help his friend become the alpha." She pressed a button, "Do it Ray!"
"Geck!" Ray yelled as Steak's goons jumped down, causing the other alpha candidate to quiver. But Ray leapt in front of him as the two fired out Dragonbreaths.
"Dragon Pulse!" Sunset ordered, Ray unleashing the dragon shaped beam of energy. It struck the combined Dragonbreath, pushing through both. Both goons were sent flying back, hitting the rock with a thud.
"Geck!" He yelled back to the other one, who nodded and ran up. And as the others began to recover, the Hyper Band wearer leapt over them and landed on the rock. This got Streak to growl, picking himself up as he watched Geckolar charge up the boulder.
The goons picked themselves up and tried to follow Geckolar, only to suddenly find something grabbing their tails. They looked back to see Ray, the Geckolar using all of its strength to pull them off the rock and throw them to the exit. Both hit the dirt, rolling like bowling balls before coming to a stop. And as they began to pick themselves up, Ray to a deep breath, "GECK!" He roared before unleashing another Dragon Pulse, hitting both as an explosion came next, knocking the two flying out of the cave.
Ray smirked at this before turning back to the others, Streak and Geckolar unleashing their Dragonbreath attacks at each other. Another explosion came from this, covering the rock with smoke. And as it faded, it revealed the two lizards circling around one another, Geckolar looking much more confident.
"Alright," Flash chuckled, "Not so tough when it's one on one."
"Keep it up!" Twilight cheered as they watched the two charge at each other with glowing tails.
They spun around and slammed their tails into one another, clashing like a pair of fencers. After about a minute, the two stopped using Iron Tail and jumped back before the black spots along their bodies began to glow. "Now they're using Solarbeam," Doc commented. "That's going to cause some major damage."
The two fired the lasers at each other, another explosion coming out as it rocked the cave, blinding everyone watching. Smoke from the attack also blinded Geckolar, allowing Streak to scuttle in and slash at him with his claws. Geckolar cried out and staggered back, but then wildly slashed back, hitting Streak in the face.
And as the smoke cleared, Streak unleashed a Flame Burst attack that exploded right in front of Geckolar. Staggering back from the blow, Streak leapt up and hit Geckolar with Iron Tail. "GECK!" It cried, getting knocked flying off the rock. It hit the ground with a thud, the Hyper Band shattering upon impact.
"NO!" Everyone watching cried while Ray's eyes went wide.
Geckolar rolled over and saw its broken band, tears beginning to form in its eyes. Laughter then made it look up to see Streak was still on the rock, standing in the sunlight.
Streak smirked down at him, then looked up at the hole as it saw that the sun was seconds away from getting into position. "I win."
"Not yet!" He heard before turning around to see Ray leap at him, the Geckolar tackling him off the rock. Streak groaned as he hit the ground, Ray landing on top of him and using all his strength to keep him down.
And once he had him pinned, Ray reached down and grabbed the Hyper Band before pulling it off of Streak. "What are you doing?!" The Geckolar asked.
"Returning this to its rightful owner." He threw the item into the air, "CATCH!"
Geckolar saw the Hyper Band, gasping at the sight...but he wasn't the only one who saw it. All the Geckolar raced up the rock to try and grab it, while he stayed where he was. But his brain told him to do this.
As the Geckolar reached the top to grab the band, each one collided with each other, all crying out as they fell back to the ground. At the same time, the Hyper Band began to fall, the Geckolar scurrying back up the rock that was now free of competition. And just before the item was about to smash into the rock, Geckolar caught it and unknowingly slid into the sunlit spot.
The sun finally moved into position, beaming its mighty rays down through the hole. The boulder began to glow, Geckolar looking down at it as it felt the energy as the Hyper Band began to glow in its claws. After that, his body exploded with light before he started changing. The Geckolar and those watching through Ray's camera marveled at the sight of the evolution, seeing the spikes appear around its body. This included on its shoulders and head, the head having two spikes that could only mean one thing.
And as the light faded, it revealed the Pokémon they had all seen on the Pokedex. It stood at around six feet and was covered in red spikes, along with two red horns signifying its status as an alpha.
Ray and the Geckolar stared at their new leader as it looked over its body in amazement, Solamander turning to Ray and smiling. Ray nodded back, only to then remember that he was pinning Steak as the Geckolar suddenly knocked him off it. "Geck!" It roared before running up the rock and leaping at the Solamander. Trying to use Iron Tail, Solamander raised its arm and easily blocked the attack, making Streak yelp, "Geck?"
"Sol," Solamander pushed its attack back, only for its now long arm to grab the lizard. Solamander pulled Streak up to his face, glaring at him right in the eyes as Streak's eyes went wide.
At this moment, Streak's goons returned to the cave. But when they reached the entrance, they suddenly found their leader being thrown right into them, all three now being sent flying out of the cave. Solamander then jumped down off the rock and followed them outside, Streak glaring at his goons as he recovered.
"Geck!" he ordered his flunkies, "Geckolar!"
"GECK!" They both roared before beginning to all charge up a Solarbeam.
Solamander smirked as the spikes on its body began to glow, those watching wondering if it was also gonna use Solarbeam. But then it brought its hands together and pointed them upward as the spikes on its arms unleashed the light into a large ball around its hands. That ball shot a beam up, forming into the shape of a blade made entirely out of sunlight.
"Wow!" Spike whispered, "What's that?!"
"Its Solar Blade!" Sunset gasped just as Streak and his goons fired their attacks. At the same time, Solamander swung the blade down, the sword cutting through the beams and striking the three, causing a large explosion so powerful that they were sent hurtling into the air.
"GECKOLAR!" They all yelled as they went flying into the sky, all disappearing with a familiar ding.
And once the smoke of the attack cleared, the Geckolar that had come outside were all amazed at seeing their alpha's incredible power. It was both smart and strong, as well as brave: The perfect leader. "Geckolar," they began to chant, "Geckolar. Geckolar. Geckolar."
Solamander smiled at this, his tail wagging. It then turned to the sky, as if sensing something before gesturing to the Geckolar to follow. And as they all began to follow their new leader, they exited the canyon while the humans ran out of the tent and headed for that location.
Once the Pokémon reached the exit, Solamander pointed them in a direction and told them to head off. They did so, Solamander watching them all go. It would need to travel at the back of the pack, to make sure none of them fell behind. The last Geckolar to leave the canyon was Ray, but he didn't follow the others.
Instead, he moved over to a rock and climbed on top of it, Solamander turning to him in confusion, asking if he was coming.
"Geck," Ray replied while shaking his head. As he did this, Sunset and the others arrived, Solamander seeing them before nodding. It then held out a clawed hand and Ray grabbed its finger, the two shaking before Solamander turned to follow its herd.
Once they were gone, Sunset and the others began to explore the place, Springer and Peewee running into the canyon while Sunset moved over to her Pokémon, "You did great Ray," the red/yellow haired girl told him while scratching him under the chin.
"So what are you gonna do now that you solved the Solamander mystery?" Twilight asked.
"Well first, I need to send my findings to professor Celestia," Sunset replied. "Then I think Ray and I will go follow the others and document the rest of the migration."
"Hoping to find a Sun Stone for Ray?" Flash asked, Sunset smiling as she opened her mouth to speak before another voice rang out.
"Rio!" The group turned to the voice, now seeing Springer and Peewee standing atop a wall. "Ri, ri riolu!"
"What's up?" Flash asked, only for Peewee to pull on some rocks on the wall. Doing so broke away a part of it, revealing a hole that a familiar light was shining out of.
"Is that what I think it is?" Twilight asked as Ray scurried up the wall and started digging at the whole, making it bigger until he reached in and pulled out the source of the glow.
"Another Hyper Band!" Spike cheered as the Pokémon climbed down the wall. "I can't believe there was one left."
"Not that it'll do much good," Doc sighed with a frown, "Without a Sun Stone, Ray can't evolve. And by the time you manage to find one, the Hyper Band's energy will be depleted."
Sunset giggled at this before taking off her bag and reaching inside. Everyone went wide-eyed at this as she took out a particular rock, a round red one with several triangular points. "You have a Sun Stone?" Twilight asked with raised eyebrows.
"Of course," Sunset replied with a nod, "I always intended to evolve Ray. I just needed him to stay a Geckolar long enough to find out the truth of the migration. But now, Ray can evolve if he wants to." She put the stone down next to the Hyper Band. "So what do you say, Ray? How do you wanna evolve? Wanna be a big strong alpha, or just a humble beta?"
They watched as Ray's eyes shifted from the Sun Stone to the Hyper Band and back again, the Geckolar looking at the two for several seconds before reaching for the Sun Stone. They figured he had decided to become a beta...only to come to a stop and grab the Hyper Band.
"Geck," he responded as he put the crystal around his neck.
"Are you sure?" Sunset asked while kneeling down, Ray nodding as she picked up the stone. "Okay then." She then pressed the stone to Ray's head, only for both the Pokémon and the items to start glowing. Sunset stood up and backpedaled as Ray began to shift and change like the other Geckolar had, growing as tall as Sunset before the light faded to reveal Ray's new form.
"Solar!" He cheered, Sunset shining a huge smile at her new Pokémon.
"Congratulations Ray." They hugged one another as the others gave their congrats, happy they managed to discover the truth behind the Geckolar and help the true alpha take its place as leader.
And as this moment faded, Sunset and Ray said goodbye to her friends, telling them she had to keep following the Geckolar. They had a small dinner before going their separate ways, now knowing Manehattan was on the horizon as many new exciting adventures awaited them all. As the journey continues.