//------------------------------// // To get stronger than ever // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// "I can't move..." Rainbow Dash's thoughts were all that she could hear and utter. Currently, she was in an empty, pitch-black and unexplained space with nothing but darkness everywhere. She could only look one direction and nowhere else. Her entire body had been paralyzed. But, the other thing she could see was Braviary who was standing in front of her. "Braviary...? What's going on? Where are we?" Braviary didn't respond at all. Instead, he turned around, facing Rainbow Dash for a small moment. After that, the Valiant Pokemon flew up, leaving Rainbow Dash behind. "Where are you going? Braviary? Come back!" Rainbow pleaded for Braviary to come back for her, but there was nothing else she could do. She couldn't move, look anywhere else or nothing. But eventually, her eyes started to close as she saw Braviary disappear into the darkness. "Braviary!" "Gah! Braviary!" Rainbow Dash gasped as she sat up, breathing in and out. She looked around to see that she was currently inside of the Canterlot guest rooms beds. Not only that, but it was night, meaning hours have already passed. At this point, the tournament had already ended. Everypony had returned home to rest up. But, the tournament didn't have a victor since it was permanently stopped due to Rainbow Dash and Braviary suddenly fainting out of nowhere. "Where is everypony?" She was wondering where her friends where. And especially where Braviary could be at the moment since he was nowhere to be found. Not even beside the bed. Castform wasn't even present inside of her saddlebag. Suddenly, the door had opened up, showing that Rainbow Dash wasn't alone anymore. The one who had opened the door was none other than Ash alongside his partner Pikachu. "Rainbow Dash? You awake?" "Pika?" "Ash. Pikachu. You're still here? Is the tournament over?" "Yeah. It kinda ended hours ago." Ash replied. "Put to a complete stop. Everyone saw how you and Braviary fainted out of nowhere, so Ben called the entire tournament off." "Pikachu." Pikachu nodded. "...Where's Braviary?!" She gasped. "He's fine. He and the rest of your Pokemon are getting healed up right now. But Braviary might not be alright the third time." "W-Why? What do you mean by that?" "Rainbow. Back there, when you two entered Rainbow-Braviary, you were aiming to win it, right?" "Right! Both of us were determined, ya know. But I don't know what happened back there. We fainted again. How come?" Yeah, I know." Ash nodded. "But you pushed yourself too hard with Braviary. The Bond Phenomenon's strong but if you take it too far, it'll put a heavy load on both of you. And if it happens again, then it might get worse." "Well, how do I stop it from happening again?" "You and Braviary need to find a perfect balance. Having full control of it really helps." "Pikachu." "How do I do that? When I was battling Scizor, I thought I got a pretty good handle of it." Rainbow Dash sighed. "But I guess not..." "Well...you can become Braviary!" "...Hah?" Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes, confused on what Ash just said to her. "It's just another way of you getting stronger. Your Pokemon are strong and they'll get stronger, but if you're gonna withstand the next transformation, you gotta get stronger yourself." "Pikachu!" "Oh, so you mean... If I train my body up, I can handle another Rainbow-Braviary?" "That's right! If you're as strong as Braviary, you can use the true power of the Bond Phenomenon." "I get you! I'll make sure that happens! Thanks, Ash! But...where's everypony else?" "Everyone's waiting outside. Let's join em, all." Ash helped Rainbow Dash off the bed. As the three of them made their way out of the guest room, Braviary and everypony else were standing outside of the castle, waiting for Rainbow Dash to arrive. Even Spitfire was out there since she was worried about her friend and fellow Wonderbolt. Once Rainbow Dash came out of the castle, her Pokemon immediately rushed over to her with joy. "Hm? Ah!" She screeched as they all dogpiled her, pinning the pony to the ground. They surrounded her, pecking and hugging her. "You guys! Knock it off!" "Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie bounced towards her. "You're okay!" "Are you still hurt?" Fluttershy flew over. "Not anymore. I'm fine." Rainbow replied, holding Whirlipede. "That's good." Spitfire sighed. "Had me worried back there." "Spitfire. Sorry that I kinda ruined our match. Went a bit too far and knocked ourselves out." Rainbow Dash apologized. "You don't have to apologize for anything. Ash told me about this Bond Phenomenon thing and how it works. You just couldn't handle all that pressure after all." Spitfire shook her head. "I thought I had pretty good control of it back when I battled against Vinyl. Guess not." Rainbow sighed. "Don't even worry about it. Next time, I know you'll master that Bond Phenomenon thing soon. And Scizor and I will be waiting for a rematch in the Equestria League. Right pal?" "Zor." The Pincer Pokemon nodded. "We should head back now. It's way too late at night." Twilight looked up at the night sky. "Everypony else already left anyway." "Right. Come on you guys." Rainbow Dash huddled her Pokemon together. "Let's head home." They all responded to their trainer's words, crying in unison. The time to leave Canterlot had come along with the abrupt end to the Canterlot Tournament. Whilst a winner hadn't been revealed and the match between Rainbow Dash and Spitfire ended in shock, it was still highly enjoyable as many ponies will never forget this experience. Ponyville, Night. It was good to be back in humble Ponyville. Currently, everypony was asleep at the moment with the exceptions being Jade and Cold Colt. Everypony went their separate ways with Ash and Goh returning to their own world and Rainbow Dash heading back to Cloudsdale. At her home, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but think of what she saw in her mind. Seeing how Braviary flew away made her think thoughts that she hoped wouldn't come true. "Why did he fly away? Maybe, Braviary doesn't see me as worthy enough to handle that transformation." She grumbled, looking up at the ceiling. "Nah, that can't be right. Braviary knows that we're compatible. But...What if Braviary leaves me for somepony else who can handle it better?" Even if she knew that she and Braviary were inseparable, the thought of that happening haunted her. To clear her mind, she decided to head back to sleep until the morning arrives. Whilst she dozed off in her bed, Braviary forced himself out of the Poke Ball. The Valiant Pokemon looked down on his trainer, seeing how peaceful she looked. Just like Rainbow Dash, Braviary had similar thoughts. When he fainted, he had a vision of Rainbow Dash leaving him instead. He thought of the worst-case scenario. That he was a danger to Rainbow Dash due to their exertion, resulting in Rainbow leaving him. And he certainly believed that for a bit. If they were to ever enter Rainbow-Braviary again in the future and push themselves too hard again, then Rainbow Dash's life could potentially come to an end. After all, a Pokemon is built differently to a point where not even a human or a pony can compete with their capabilities since they far exceed what is possible. To make sure this would never happen and, Braviary decided to take his focus away from Rainbow-Braviary. Instead, his new focus was working on his standard self. He believed that if he made his normal form reach its absolute best with the peak of his power, he'll able to help Rainbow Dash throughout any battle without having to use Rainbow-Braviary. The Valiant Pokemon flew out of Rainbow Dash's home, off to train and get stronger on his own. His method of training involved the Pokemon House. To get stronger, he would have to take on the strongest Pokemon that the house had to offer. At least, that's what he believes. Arriving at the Pokemon House, he could see that most of the Pokemon here were asleep, aside from the nocturnal ones. All of them weren't enough to really battle on par with Braviary considering how strong he is. Except for one. Discord's Krookodile was still awake as he acted as a bodyguard to this Pokemon House. The Intimidation Pokemon went up to Braviary, wondering what he was doing here so late. "Krook." He asked. "Brav! Braviary!" Braviary found himself the perfect Pokemon to battle against. Krookodile was a naturally strong Pokemon so this was perfect. He pointed his wings at the Ground-Dark-Type, challenging him to a Pokemon Battle. He told him that he needed to get stronger for Rainbow Dash's sake and her safety. Obviously, since Krookodile's very prideful and stubborn, he was willing to take him on. Although, in this instance, after hearing how he just wanted to protect the trainer he loves, Krookodile respect Braviary, understanding his current drive. He would indeed accept this challenge but for the sake of someone else and not himself for once. "Dile!" Krookodile told Braviary to give him his best shot. "Brav!" The Valiant Pokemon started with Aerial Ace, by backflipping in the air and diving down towards the Intimidation Pokemon. "Krook!" Krookodile responded with Brutal Swing. By surrounding his body in a red aura, the Intimidation Pokemon swiped his claw up at his opponent. Braviary and Krookodile clashed their claw and wing together, entering a small struggle. Their clash caused a small shockwave that woke up some of the Pokemon in the Pokemon House. The two Pokemon continuously collided their wings and claws together, waking more Pokemon up from their slumber. Many of the Pokemon here watched the battle, wondering why the two of them were going at it so late at night. Both of them knocked each other back with each of their attacks hitting the two of them in the face. "Krook!" Krookodile put his claws on the ground, using Stone Edge to attack next. Blue crystals emerged from the ground, chasing after the Normal-Flying-Type. "Viary!" Braviary used Steel Wing to crush the crystals by swinging his wings at them. Their battling eventually reached the ears of the Hearing Pokemon Audino, who had woken up from all that noise. "Audino...?" Audino got up from her bed, looking outside of the window, wondering what could be causing all that ruckus. She spotted the Pokemon wide awake as they were all looking at something in one single spot. She then spotted Braviary and Krookodile going at it together, battling this late at night. "Dino?!" "Mrrgh...What is it, Audi?" Fluttershy woke up, rubbing her eyes. "Dino! Audino!" Audino pointed outside, showing Fluttershy the ongoing battle between Braviary and Krookodile. "Huh? Braviary? Krookodile? Why are they fighting?!" Fluttershy gasped as she flew outside to try and stop this battle, unaware of why they were even battling in the first place. "Brav!" Braviary butted heads with Krookodile as they stared each other down. Braviary's used his talons to try and strike Krookodile, but the Intimidation Pokemon used his long tail to catch it. The two were locked in place now. "You two! Stop!" Fluttershy flew over towards the two Pokemon. However, a Noctowl got in the way, preventing Fluttershy from stopping this battle. "Noct." The Owl Pokemon held his wings out, shaking his head. "Noctowl? Why are you stopping me?" "Noct. Noctowl." He explained that they both are battling out of their own agreement. Not out of conflict or spite. He further explained that Braviary came here to improve himself for Rainbow Dash's sake, so Krookodile was helping him get stronger. "I see. So this must have something to do with Rainbow-Braviary..." "Krookodile!" Krookodile still had his tail wrapped around Braviary's talons as he used it to swing the Valiant Pokemon around. He then tossed Braviary off him, causing the Normal-Flying-Type to hit a tree as berries fell on his head. "Braviary..." Braviary held his head, getting up from the ground. "Dile!" Krookodile shouted at Braviary, asking him if this was all that he could do. Obviously not. Braviary was capable of much more than anyone else knows. "Via!" The Valiant Pokemon spread his wings out, channelling Superpower through his wings. Krookodile braced himself for Superpower as he put his claws out. Braviary charged forward at his opponent, focusing all of his strength on only his wings. He thought about Rainbow Dash for a split-second, knowing that he had to do everything in his power to protect her. With pure determination, Braviary swung his wings at Krookodile, who put up a Protect as a response. Superpower connected with Protect, causing a loud shockwave that woke almost all of Ponyville up. Fluttershy went into Audino arms as the Hearing Pokemon protected her from the shockwave. Many of the other Pokemon retreated to avoid the shock wave from hitting them. Braviary couldn't break through Protect but he did manage to push Krookodile back a bit. "Dile." "Brav." Braviary breathed in and out as his wings twitched a bit. He really did pour all of his power into that one attack and his wings. "Braviary. Don't overwork yourself." Fluttershy went over to him. "You remember what happened back at the tournament?" "Vi..." Braviary sighed as Audino healed up his wings with Heal Pulse. "Thanks for helping him, Krookodile." "Krook." Krookodile nodded his head. "You came out here for Rainbow Dash, right? It's so sweet of you wanting to get stronger for her sake." "Braviary," Braviary explained to Fluttershy that it was also because he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't have to rely on Rainbow-Braviary and improve his current form. "I see. Rainbow Dash is lucky to have a such a loyal Pokemon like you. If she knew how hard you were working for her own safety, she'd be so incredibly proud of you right now." Fluttershy held up his wings. "Viary." "Well, you can continue battling against Krookodile now if you want. Audino and I will be here to heal you up. "Audino." "Brav!" Braviary thanked them both as he stood up, facing Krookodile one more time to continue their training until the morning comes. Along came the morning. Sun rays hit Rainbow Dash's face as the sounds of Flying-Types could be heard outside of her window. The pegasus got up from her bed, stretching her hooves and yawning. Her Castform had woken up as well, falling out of her saddlebag. "Finally. Morning." She grumbled. It was a new day for her. A day that she would mostly spend time training herself and her Pokemon. After hearing Ash's advice, Rainbow Dash was determined to improve herself and to also make herself compatible with Braviary with perfect synchronization. Looking at her bed, she noticed that Braviary's Poke Ball was open with no sign of the Valiant Pokemon anywhere inside of her home. "Huh? Braviary?" She picked up the Poke Ball. "Where'd he go?" "Castform?" She didn't have to worry about going outside to find him. Because Braviary's training overnight had finally ended. The Valiant Pokemon opened the door by himself, returning home to his trainer. "Brav." "There you are. Did you go out for a morning fly or something?" "Viary." Braviary shook his head. Rainbow Dash noticed that his wings had some bandages wrapped around them as he was a bit tattered up after his battle with Krookodile all night. "Braviary! What happened?! You look beat up!" She flew over to him. "Bra-Braviary." Braviary laughed, knowing that Rainbow Dash had no idea why this was the case. "You got into a battle, didn't you? Did you at least win?" "Vi," Braviary answered the form of a head shake. In truth, there wasn't actually a winner in their training session since it was just to improve himself. But he made Rainbow Dash think so to make her feel better. "Well, great job!" Rainbow flew over to him, hugging her partner as she felt his warm feathers on her. She then decided to bring up what she saw in her mind. "You know...I'm kinda worried that maybe...you don't see me as worthy enough, ya know. Like I'm just holding back your true power." "Brav." Braviary knew that wasn't the case at all. He placed his feathers around Rainbow Dash to comfort her, letting her know that she wasn't holding him back at all. If anything, they were both currently struggling to bring out their best. But that's why they're working together to get stronger. Even though Rainbow Dash couldn't fully understand Pokemon language like Fluttershy, she could tell that Braviary truly does see her as the best partner he could ever ask for. Knowing that made Rainbow Dash tear up a bit. "Yeah. Let's get stronger together! Okay, buddy?" "Braviary!" A bond between a trainer and Pokemon is unbreakable. The Canterlot Tournament has come to an end. But one thing that won't end is Rainbow Dash and Braviary's drive to get stronger to reach the absolute pinnacle of their power as the journey continues. Chapter 262 End.