Ponyville, 3 hours before the Canterlot Tournament began.
"Alright, Jade. It's all up to you!" Pinkie yelled.
"Hm? What's all up to me?" Jade asked in her usual bland tone.
"A lot of us are gonna be away at Canterlot for the tournament. Even Mr and Mrs Cake won't be here. So you know what means...?" Pinkie nudged Jade's wings.
"Not really."
"Silly filly. You're gonna be babysitting the Cake Twins, duh!" Pinkie held Jade's face, mushing it.
"Me? Babysit?"
"Mhm!" The pink pony nodded. "Somepony's gotta take care of Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Don't worry. They'll be there to help you."
"Help me? But they're babies."
"I know. But they're pretty smart. They'll know exactly how to get you started. Just keep one thing in mind Jade."
"What's that?"
"Responsibility. I made a huge mistake once thinking that just playing with the babies was all I needed to do. Boy was I wrong! There's a lot more to it. You gotta remember this."
"Responsibility. Got it." Jade nodded.
"Great! And just for safe measure, I've left behind some of my Slurpuff. Just in case."
"Pinkie! Let's go!" Rainbow Dash's voice could be heard, calling for the earth pony.
"Oh! Gotta go! Good luck!" Pinkie waved goodbye as she dashed out of the SugarCube Corner, leaving Jade with this newly assigned task.
"Alright. Responsibility. I can do that." Jade turned around to see the two babies, looking at her with their usual silly yet jolly faces.
The two of them babbled, bobbing their heads back and forth, side to side. But that was a sign that they were thrilled to have Jade here. After all, she is Pinkie Pie's friend. To them, that makes her their friend.
"Okay, you two." Jade went over to the twins. "We're going to have a fun time, okay?" She said in her usual blank expression and monotone voice.
The way Jade spoke with zero emotion actually made the two twins a bit uncomfortable. But then again, they knew that Jade was an emotionless pony so they were gonna have to go along with it. How bad could it be?
10 minutes later and everything seems to be going swimmingly so far. The Cake Twins had decided to interact with Jade by sitting on her back or just hanging off her nose. As always, Jade remained unbothered.
The Slurpuff's were tasked with giving the two something to eat. Jade can't cook so it was up the Meringue Pokemon who are skilled at baking despite the fact that they have tiny little hands that make a Tyrantrum's arms look huge. But, Pinkie left behind something for them to finish up and if they work together, they can bake.
Pound Cake had flown over to a table where three Poke Balls sat. They seemed to be Heal Balls. Special Poke Balls that allow you to catch a Pokemon and automatically restore it to full health. How that was even possible? That's a story for another day.
The baby pegasus had grabbed one Heal Ball with his mouth while Pumpkin Cake used the little bit of magic she had in her to grab the other two. Poke Ball's aren't really that heavy, they're incredibly light. So anyone can pick them up. Both of these Heal Balls belonged to Pinkie Pie since she was one day aiming to catch another Pokemon to add to her party.
"Hm? What's this?" Jade looked down at the two of them who had Heal Balls at their disposal.
"Jade!" Pound Cake suddenly spoke her name by babbling. He flew up, holding the Heal Ball as he brought it up to Jade's face. It seemed like they wanted to do something involving the balls.
"The Heal Balls? What about them?"
To help Jade understand, Pumpkin Cake used her magic to toss the Heal Ball towards a single Slurpuff. Once the ball made direct contact with the single Meringue Pokemon, it was very clear on what the two of them wanted to do.
"Puff?"
"Oh...You want to catch a Pokemon, don't you?" Saying that caused the twins to nod aggressively. Jade got the message and they were thrilled to hear her response. "Hm. So that's it." Jade picked up a single Heal Ball, looking at its pink appearance. She noticed that Pinkie Pie decorated the ball for her own liking. It had confetti all over it. Possibly even inside as well.
The two babies raised their hooves up, eager to catch a Pokemon. Seeing other ponies catch Pokemon of their own and gaining their exclusive partners was something that even these little twins desired. After all, wouldn't be the first time a baby owns a Pokemon.
Jade could see that they were anticipating her answer. Pumpkin Cake went up Jade's hooves, holding it as a plea for a Pokemon. "Alright. We'll catch a Pokemon."
The best possible answer they could ever receive. Pound Cake flew into the air out of excitement whilst Pumpkin Cake did the same but by using her own magic on herself.
"And I know one place where we can go."
The most obvious place to be. And the safest since Jade knew that she was still looking after two babies. So heading out into the wild was a huge no. And travelling through the gateways to the Pokemon World is an even bigger no.
The safest place they could be where they could also catch Pokemon was none other than the Pokemon House. Currently being guarded by Discord's Krookodile.
And so far, he was doing a decent job of running the place. Granted, the only reason why he's able to keep every Pokemon in check is due to his intimidation factor and how he asserts his rule. He is known as the Intimidation Pokemon for a reason. Not many Pokemon at the Pokemon house can go up against him.
The Intimidation Pokemon noticed that Jade was headed this way with the two babies alongside a single Slurpuff, just in case.
"Krook?"
"This is it," Jade said as she held Pumpkin Cake in her hooves. "You. Crocodile looking thing."
"Dile?" Krookodile pointed at himself, realizing that Jade was referring to him. Clearly, Krookodile didn't take too kindly to that name. The last thing he wished to be called was a Crocodile. Even though he technically is one.
"Yeah. Can you come over here and help?"
"Krook..." With all the confidence in the world and that intimidating energy he brings along with him, the Ground-Dark-Type strutted over to Jade like the big guy he is. His main goal was to do what he does best. Intimidate Jade. And once he got up to her, he worked his magic.
Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were obviously terrified of Krookodile as they both hid behind Jade Skies. However, Jade was unphased. Mostly due to the fact that she cannot feel fear. Among other things.
Her hollow and vacant eyes followed with her always stagnant frown was so effective that it actually intimidated Krookodile himself.
"Dile..." Krookodile gulped.
"Help me catch a Pokemon for these two. Anything's good."
"Krook!" Krookodile nodded, listening to Jade's command. It seems that Jade's lifeless personality made him feel bitter. He's so used to being around colourful and expressive individuals. Whether it be Pokemon or even the newly-accustomed ponies. So something like this got under his skin and just made him feel awkward.
Helping Jade out, the Intimidation Pokemon called for a plethora of Pokemon here as if he was the boss. Which he was at the moment.
Many Pokemon gathered around, heeding Krookodile's call. They all left their zones from the Pokemon House, putting a stop to whatever it was that they were doing.
The selection of Pokemon that had all gathered seemed promising to Jade's eyes. She liked what she saw.
"Hm. Alright...Which one?" She went over the various Pokemon that graced her eyes, thinking of the best possible choice. "It has to be a Pokemon that's safe and harmless. They're babies after all. So..."
Looking for a fairly weak and small Pokemon, the options that graced her were Rattata, Helioptile, Sentret, Oddish, Combee and of course, a member of the Electric Rodent Family. This time it was a choice between Plusle and Minun or maybe Pichu."
"They're all good options. Which one do you two like?" Jade asked.
Pumpkin Cake crawled over to the Pokemon that caught her eye. She liked the look of Minun and Combee. Those caught her eye for sure. The little unicorn babbled as she placed her hoof on the Cheering Pokemon, getting a slight shock from Minun's body.
"Minun!" Minun liked Pumpkin's energy. As a response, she shared some of her energy with the little unicorn by giving her a hug. They were practically the same size with Pumpkin being slightly taller. This huge had caused Pumpkin to giggle as her tiny little sparks could be seen flying out of her mane.
Seeing that made Jade's eyes widen. Pumpkin Cake didn't really feel the sparks too much. Although her mane and tail did puff up a little bit. After all, Minun knows not to harm a baby. But Jade found this as a hazard. Then in her mind, a projection of Pinkie Pie's head emerged as it hovered over her saying these exact words.
"Responsibility....Adult stuff."
"Responsibility," Jade said quietly. She then grabbed Pumpkin Cake, pulling her away from the Electric-Type. "Sorry. But you can't choose that one."
"Minun?" Minun fell flat on her face since her hug had been broken up.
"Electric-Types are too dangerous. Same for you." Jade then turned to Pound Cake who took an interest to Plusle and Rattata. He as well received some sparks from Plusle but as a bonus, Rattata used its tiny little teeth that it always chews with.
"Rattata!"
"That involves anything that bites a lot." Jade pulled her fellow pegasus away from the Mouse Pokemon and the Cheering Pokemon.
"Rat?"
"Choose something else, please." Jade asked the two of them. The Cake Twins weren't too pleased on choosing other Pokemon. They had already made up their minds with the ones that caught their interest. As a result, they broke into tears, wailing.
"Krook?!" Krookodile wasn't used to this at all. Crying is untouched territory for him. Seeing these tiny little ponies cry made him pull back.
Jade, however, wasn't equipped to deal with crying at all. "Don't cry."
Clearly, the command of telling a baby not to cry never works. At all. However, Jade's deadpan and numb emotions were so forceful and efficient that it actually caused the Cake Twins to stop crying.
It seems that Jade's greatest weapon is her non-existent personality.
"Sorry, you two. But Pinkie Pie gave me the task of having responsibility. So that means I can't allow you two to get hurt at any costs. So you'll have to pick another Pokemon."
Both of the twins looked at each other for a moment. Plusle and Minun were the Pokemon they really wanted. It was that natural Electric Rodent charm.
And the two Pokemon felt the same way. They've been itching for some partners for a while. The previous Plusle and Minun's had already been chosen by Sweetie Belle a few months back. So these two wanted to have a trainer of their own. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were the only two who wanted them so far.
Pumpkin used her magic to grab Minun, bringing the Cheering Pokemon towards her. Minun had a wide smile on her face as the two of them embraced each other with a hug. And as always, Minun shocked the little unicorn.
"Wait. Don't-" Jade attempted to break it up but her attention was quickly grabbed by Pound Cake and Plusle. The little pegasus managed to escape from Jade's grasp, picking up the other Cheering Pokemon.
"Plus!"
"Min!"
Both Plusle and Minun eventually ended up shocking Jade in the process, causing her mane and tail to stand up along with her wings.
"If I could feel anger, this would be the perfect time to get mad."
An excited Pound Cake picked up the Heal Ball, ready to make this partnership official. And with his tiny baby strength, he tossed the ball right at Plusle, sending the Cheering Pokemon inside.
1...2...3...Gotcha! Plusle was caught.
And what of Pumpkin and Minun? The baby unicorn did the exact same thing by using her magic to poke Minun with the Heal Ball. And with three shakes, Minun was caught.
Jade sighed, realizing that her attempt to stop these two from interacting with Electric-Type Pokemon was a bust.
"Oh well. At least they have their own Pokemon now." Jade sat down. "Is it responsible to let them have Pokemon like that? Then again, that baby from the Crystal Empire has a Pokemon that can swap hearts." She thought about it for a second. The sparks from Plusle and Minun weren't that bad. Jade herself felt the sparks and they barely did a thing. That quickly changed her mind about things. "Oh, well. I'm sure it's fine."
A few hours later, they each returned to SugarCube Corner with two new partners on their side. The Cake Twins immediately sent out Plusle and Minun whilst riding on the Heal Balls as if they were vehicles. Jade watched as all four of them began playing around the room, having the time of their life.
Plusle and Minun went about giving each other jolts while sending small little bolts across the room with some of them hitting Slurpuff.
"Puff!" The Meringue Pokemon dropped the food meant for the twins as it landed on their heads.
The Cake Twins didn't mind it at all. This was a quicker way to obtain food according to them as they licked the mush off their faces, giggling.
"I have to do this for an entire week, huh?" Jade looked up, thinking about Pinkie Pie and the Canterlot Tournament. "I can do it. Pinkie Pie trusted me after all. This week will be a cinch."
Even if there wasn't any expression packed behind her words and face, Jade truly was determined to do her very best. A whole week of this seems like a massive challenge. But after spending a lot of time with Pinkie Pie and everypony else, she has hope that she can overcome the usual struggles of looking after a baby as the journey continues.
Chapter 230 End.